The Surry County Community Corrections office is seeking information on the whereabouts of the following individuals:

• Angela Hope Holder, 36, a white female wanted on probation violations who is on probation for possession of a firearm by a felon, felony possession of methamphetamine, felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell/deliver marijuana and use/possession of drug paraphernalia;

• Cynthia Nicole Glass, 34, a white female wanted on a post-release warrant who is on supervision for felony possession of a schedule II controlled substance;

• Cory Lee Sutphin, 32, a white male wanted on probation violations who is on probation for possession of a schedule II controlled substance and driving while license revoked;

• Tyler John Taylor, 28, a white male wanted on probation violations who is on probation for larceny, shoplifting and resisting a public officer.

Anyone with information on any probation absconders, please contact Crime Stoppers at 786-4000 or probation at 719-2705.

View all probation absconders on the internet at http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi and click on absconders. Anyone with information on any probation absconders should contact Crime Stoppers at 786-4000, county probation at 719-2705 or the Mount Airy Police Department at 786-3535.

A full slate of holiday activities is scheduled in Mount Airy on July 4, all having a common thread of celebrating America’s independence.

This will include a parade through the downtown area, a traditional reading of the Declaration of Independence and other activities at Mount Airy Museum of Regional History and a fireworks show at Veterans Memorial Park.

There was one question mark looming Friday afternoon about the actual starting time for the parade on July 4, which has been announced as 11 a.m. by the sponsoring Downtown Business Association.

However, a spokesman for the Mount Airy Police Department — which must assign officers for street closures and crowd control, also aided by Mount Airy Rescue Squad volunteers — says the event officially is permitted for 2 p.m. on the holiday.

The time eventually decided on will be reported when that becomes available.

Jennie Lowry of the Downtown Business Association is expecting more than 50 floats and other units for the holiday parade. These tentatively will assemble at Veterans Memorial Park and leave at 11 a.m. en route to the central business district.

Parade applications are available at http://www.mountairydowntown.org/fourth-of-july-parade.html

There is a small fee for businesses and no charge for non-profit entries.

Next Friday is the application deadline.

Organizers of the parade and celebration have chosen the Allen family to serve as this year’s honorary grand marshals for the procession. The Allens have participated in the parade for many years as part of their family reunion.

The family was picked to specifically recognize one of its members, the late Thelma Allen, co-owner of Mount Airy Tractor Toyland, who recently died.

She was a longtime merchant downtown who was recognized by many, especially kids who frequented Toyland, a favorite spot for both the young and young at heart, according to an announcement from the Downtown Business Association.

What has become a familiar part of Independence Day activities, the reading of the Declaration of Independence at Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, also is planned this year.

This is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in the courtyard of the museum at 301 N. Main St.

Brack and Angela Llewellyn from the NoneSuch Playmakers group will have the honor of reciting the historic document that put the country on a path to its formation.

After the downtown parade, the museum will host games for kids and demonstrations with Janet Pyatt and the Backcountry Peddler.

A traditional Fourth of July fireworks display also is planned at Veterans Memorial Park on West Lebanon Street as part of the holiday festivities.

It will begin around 9 p.m., according to park President Doug Joyner.

The gates will open at 5 p.m.

Music is scheduled at the park by a DJ and a couple of food trucks are to be on site, Joyner added Friday.

The end has arrived for the PART Express Connector Route 6 from Winston-Salem through King to Pilot Mountain to Mount Airy. The park and ride commuter bus service ends June 30.

Once considered a novel idea to move workers between counties and reduce the number of cars on the road, a perception of diminishing returns led the county leaders to extricate themselves from the regional transportation authority which they entered in 2005.

At the most recent board of county commissioners meeting there was one speaker who encouraged the board to reconsider their action, Rachel Collins, a commissioner from Pilot Mountain. She has heard it on the ground that this change is hurting constituents and recounted a woman who told her she was retiring from her job in Winston-Salem because PART was her ride to work.

The Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation has been reaching out to members of the community in recent weeks. Collins shared a copy of the newsletter she received from the group that reference Surry County reaching the end of the line. Riders were asked to contact the authority for more information on mobility options.

“In the last several weeks we have gotten a lot more correspondence from people who want to know what the options are like van pooling,” said PART Director Scott Rhine said. He said details were to be released before the weekend on 50% off van pooling for the rest of the year. “If mobility is a challenge, we want to be part of the solution.”

Collins asked the county commissioners to consider a delay in exiting PART, which she says is “an asset to our community.” It influences businesses decision on where to locate, or where to stay, and can do the same for residents moving from the metro areas and looking for options.

She said, “By voting to withdraw you are saying Surry County is not interested in being a collaborator” with its neighbors who still see the value of membership in a regional transportation coalition.

“In all my years of this, I still am not sure how this came to be,” Rhine said of the county’s abrupt exit from the group. PART had been trying to expand services on its rural connector lines in Surry and Randolph counties by applying for a new round of federal grants.

After Surry exited PART, the federal grants were awarded: to Randolph County. He confirmed that they will now receive the entire grant, “Yes, Randolph will get all the federal funds. We had been eyeing $300,000 up to Surry and $300,000 down to Randolph County.”

“On August 1, we are expanding routes and services, with 35% more service frequency, and a new direct line from Greensboro to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro.” This was just the sort of expansion of service that PART had hoped to run to Surry County.

Rhine explained to the county commissioners early this year as the PART departure was looming that the best way to grow ridership of the service was to increase the number of options riders had on where and when to board and disembark.

What drove the departure from PART was that ridership numbers were down from pre-COVID levels, and Rhine said even as levels are rebounding – he is not sure that the full ridership will ever return. He pointed to national trends on public transportation showing a similar trend in ridership across the country.

Secondly, to fund the county’s participation in PART there was a 5% tax attached to rental cars. When established, all member counties were given the option to have PART levy a rental car tax or place a fee on license plate renewals. Surry County opted to go the rental car tax route, which is distasteful to some board members.

Founding PART Director Brent McKinney said he felt both points were short sighted. “I feel the commissioners made their decision in absence of all the information,” he said Friday.

It was presented that the rental car tax was a hinderance to Surry County residents. Most rental cars within the county are rented by those who live outside of the county, he indicated, so tourists would be paying the largest sum of those rental car fees.

Furthermore, local car rentals are often related to a car being in the shop, he says let Allstate or other providers pay the rental car taxes in those cases.

What remains confusing to both Rhine and McKinney on the issue of taxation is that the county commissioners have no power over the rental car tax, they ceded that right by entering PART in the first place. “The 5% rental car tax was as high as it could be. The commissioners could have asked to have it lowered, rather than exit altogether,” Rhine explained.

Through several county commissioner meetings and in discussions between county staff, the county attorney, a PART attorney, and Rhine himself it is unclear if this question was ever asked or considered.

On ridership declines McKinney went on to say that some people have trouble considering the future. He has conducted traffic surveys for Winston-Salem, PART, and on the use of Highway 89 in Mount Airy by commercial trucking traffic. He said it is this expertise that tells him future use rates for all local roads are going to go up.

With that growth means more cars and more pollution. Here is one point he thinks is lost in translation: Forsyth and Guilford counties in the 1990s were not meeting air quality standards which was a driving force behind PART.

Now, he says, the state has been reclassified by the Environmental Protection Agency as “maintenance” which is why vehicle emissions tests are no longer needed. He quipped that while he cannot take full credit for this change, PART did play some role in eliminating the emissions tests. Having regional bus services has had an impact on air quality by reducing the number of cars driving into urban core areas in Forsyth and Guilford, which he estimates at 100,000 daily.

He returned to the serious nature of what losing “front door service to Baptist Hospital, Forsyth, and Atrium,” might mean to the residents of Surry County. He said some of the very best medical care available is in Winston-Salem, “We need to link the people to services and all the options available.”

Rhine may have added some rain onto the parade by informing that the county cannot remove the rental car tax until the park and ride lots have been sold. Until such a sale, the authority still must pay for utilities and insurance coverage on the lots; the rental car tax pays the county’s responsibility.

There are no additional commissioners meeting before the end of the month so there is no way to put the genie back in the bottle. If the sale of the federal lands delays the county’s full departure from PART, there may still be time to reverse course.

If not, all is not lost should the county change its mind in the future. “We won’t hold it against the county, or the riders,” Rhine explained. “If the county wants back in, we can do that.”

North Surry High School hosted its Boys Basketball Camp in Ron King Gymnasium June 20-23.

Campers ranging from rising third graders to rising ninth graders took part in the four-day camp led by varsity boys coach Tyler Bentley, varsity assistant coaches, JV and middle school coaches as well as various current/former basketball players.

CHAPEL HILL — A total of 19 student-athletes from N.C. High School Athletic Association member schools were named winners of the “Heart of a Champion” Award for their outstanding sportsmanship, overcoming adversity and consistently going above and beyond expectations.

The recognition is part of the program offered by the NCHSAA Student Services Division. North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company sponsors these awards.

“We appreciate the continued partnership with our friends at the North Carolina Farm Bureau,” said NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker. “We are honored to join with Farm Bureau in recognizing this group of 19 student-athletes who have consistently demonstrated the values and traits that we want all student-athletes to learn through participation in our programs.

“Now, more than any other time, our society needs young people, like this group of award winners, who exhibit what it means to have the ‘heart of a champion’ and who are dedicated to excellence in all things.”

One local student-athlete, Elkin graduate Thomas McComb, was recognized as an award winner.

Each NCHSAA member school had the opportunity to nominate one male and one female student-athlete for the recognition. Applying students filled out a questionnaire, and then a school official – such as the principal or athletic director – also provided an evaluation. Students must have participated in at least one varsity sport or activity during the 2021-22 school year with no ejections, while also demonstrating outstanding citizenship and sportsmanship during their high school careers.

McComb was a multi-sport varsity student-athlete with the Buckin’ Elks where he was named to multiple All-Conference teams and even won a state championship. He also participated in five school clubs and was a member of the National Honor Society.

As a senior, McComb was a member of the Buckin’ Elks’ soccer, football, swimming and tennis teams.

McComb, who will continue his academic and soccer careers at Lees-McRae College, was named Northwest 1A Conference Defensive Player of the Year in soccer and was also named to the N.C. High School Soccer Coaches Association’s 1A All-State team.

He was also named the Conference’s Specialist of the Year in football in football.

In addition to being named All-Conference and helping Elkin win the NW1A Championship in swimming, McComb was part of the Buckin’ Elks’ 200-yard freestyle relay team that won the 1A State Championship.

In the spring, McComb was part of the Elkin tennis team that finished 1A West Regional Runner-up. He was also a regional qualifier in the individual competition.

According to the NCHSAA’s press release, McComb founded and became president of the Mountain Biking Club in his quest to help underclassmen find ways to have fun and spend time free of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

Thomas said sports participation was instrumental in developing skills that would be crucial to succeeding in life: proper work ethic, adaptability, dependability, confidence and respect.

With the 2021-22 school year now complete, The News is recognizing the local student-athletes that were presented with All-Conference Honors for their respective sports during the spring.

Mount Airy competes in the Northwest 1A Conference (NW1A), Millennium Charter Academy competes in the Northwest Piedmont 1A Conference (NWPC), and East Surry, North Surry and Surry Central all compete in the Foothills 2A Conference (FH2A).

All-Conference Honorable Mentions will include (HM) following the selection’s name.

East Surry – Rosie Craven, Elise Marion, Bella Hutchens (HM), Riley Pennington (HM)

Millennium Charter – did not field a golf team

Mount Airy – Sydney Seagraves, Skylar Partin (HM), Sofia Stafford (HM)

North Surry – Bella Aparicio, Trista Berrier (FH2A Player of the Year), Carley Puckett, Sarah Mauldin (HM)

Surry Central – Kaylin Moody, Carlee Jones (HM), Kailea Zurita (HM)

East Surry finished 5-14 overall and 4-8 in conference play. The Cardinals were fifth in the FH2A standings.

Mount Airy finished 4-16 overall and 4-8 in conference play. The Granite Bears were fifth in the NW1A standings and reached the first round of the NCHSAA 1A State Playoffs.

North Surry finished 11-12 overall and 7-5 in conference play. The Greyhounds were fourth in the FH2A standings and reached the first round of the NCHSAA 2A State Playoffs. The Lady Hounds were defeated by the eventual 2A West Regional Runner-up.

North Surry senior Trista Berrier was named FH2A Conference Player of the Year.

Surry Central finished 4-14 overall and 2-10 in conference play. The Golden Eagles were sixth in the FH2A standings.

2022 Arts Alive Participants “Reach for the Stars”

Organizers of the annual Arts Alive say the 2022 version was a “blast” for all involved.

More than 100 participants ages 3-11 plus 15 volunteer middle and high school joined Emily Burgess, Shelby Coleman, and Tyler Matanick in two weeks of “Reaching for the Stars.” The camp ended with a parade down Main Street, a celebration complete with Dairy Center hot dogs, games, and face-painting, and a show featuring the participants on the stage of the Andy Griffith Playhouse.

Daily activities consisted of crafts with Emily Burgess, movement and singing with Tyler Matanick, and drama with Shelby Coleman.

16-12 Arts Alive participants and parents gather at Truist for the 43rd Annual Arts Alive Parade

16-15 Sidney Petree, front right, gathers with her family at the parade site. Sidney, age 9, is the 2022 Arts Alive tee shirt design contest winner.

16-23 The parade route is from Truist, down Main Street, to the Andy Griffith Playhouse.

16-32 Parents and participants make their way down Main Street.

16-46 Arts Alive volunteers assist with activities at the celebration.

16-55 Kids and families enjoy cornhole and activities before the show.

16-101 Participants enjoyed their chance to be an astronaut – even if just for a moment. Bruce Burgess created this incredible photo opportunity.

F16-105 Arts Alive participants figure out how to gain an advantage at cornhole!

Photos courtesy of Hobart Jones, Surry Arts Council

https://www.mtairynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MTA062322V.pdf

Surry County announced a property purchase at a time when few others seem to have the appetite to swallow current interest rates in order to make such a buy. So, when the fiscally conservative county commissioners opened the checkbook to buy the 1830 Surry County Courthouse in Rockford it took many by surprise, more so given the amount of time it had been in the works.

Chairman Bill Goins announced the move, “The board of commissioners are pleased to announce in conjunction with Surry 250 and Surry County’s Invest in Surry Initiative the acquisition of the 1830 Surry County Courthouse in historic Rockford. This acquisition process has been ongoing since last fall and was slowed due to title issues on the part of the seller. Now that this process has been concluded we are excited to move forward.

“The board wants to thank the county’s parks and recreation department, development services, and public works department for their property improvement efforts the past few weeks.

“The county staff is already engaged and working closely with a restoration specialist from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ State Historic Preservation Office to develop a plan and use for the building and property going forward.

“It is the county’s primary intent to return use of this property to the citizens of Surry County in some capacity as we move forward in developing a plan for the property.”

To the public it was an unknown move but in county circles it was known for some time; some secrets can be kept – from some. Surry County employees knew and had sent a photographer well before announcing the buy to begin documenting the purchase through restoration of the property.

To some this secrecy did not appear the ideal way to conduct business with the taxpayers’ money. With no public input on the matter solicited, one county commissioner candidate has been raising concerns.

Assistant to the County Manager Nathan Walls had responded to questions on the purchase last week, “The purchase price was $75,000 and the Board of Commissioners are set to announce the acquisition of the old Rockford Courthouse at their regular board meeting.”

County Commissioner candidate Ken Badgett was the one peppering both County Manager Chris Knopf and Walls with questions on the acquisition. He expressed concerns this process was done behind closed doors, only to be revealed to the public upon completion.

“The secrecy involved in the transaction is unusual — or, maybe not. Who knows what the commissioners discuss in their ‘closed sessions?’ If done properly, the old courthouse building in Rockford is going to be very expensive to restore,” he added.

It was explained that County Attorney Ed Woltz contacted an Elkin realtor in May 2021 to determine if the Rockford Courthouse was available after hearing the property owner had passed away. He was advised the property was for sale, but the sale was contingent on approval from the clerk of court.

In September he was given approval to offer an amount between $50,000 – $80,000 for the property; the written offer was accepted on Oct. 5. There were issues with the title relating to the estate and connected trusts that took until late April to clear, not a wholly uncommon occurrence in estate matters.

Badgett also made inquiry to the county about the possible conveyance of the courthouse to the Rockford Preservation Society, a move akin to the J. J. Jones property transfer made the African American Historical and Genealogical Society of Surry County.

After Monday’s meeting Knopf offered unsolicited that there were no plans at this time for such a property transfer and that restoration specialists would be continuing their examination in order to proceed in planning. The desire remains, he said, to create some sort of community use center from the historic building.

The city of Mount Airy is preparing to launch major, much-needed utility upgrades in the downtown area using $1.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.

This includes $987,500 for what is known as the West Side Main Street Water Improvements Project and $512,500 for a sewer project in the same area, both targeting the replacement of aging lines, according to Public Works Director Mitch Williams.

Though originating through a national source, Congress, the money is coming from a state agency, the Department of Environmental Quality.

The water project will include the replacement of existing water mains that serve Franklin Street, Willow Street, Virginia Street and West Oak Street. The sewer portion is to involve replacing existing mains on those streets.

These lines are some of the oldest in the city, where it can least afford problems due to the impact on the central business district, and have been a source of concern for years.

This included, for example, a discussion among municipal officials more than 10 years ago — in March 2012 — when they sought to address what had been termed a “ticking time bomb” regarding the aging facilities.

“One day, they’re going to break and Main Street is going to be blocked for two months,” then-Commissioner Dean Brown said of a worst-case scenario.

Another commissioner, the late Scott Graham, agreed. “One of these days it’s going to reach up and bite us,” Graham said of the problem that has been easy to ignore because of being underground and therefore out of sight.

The line replacements are finally ready to proceed, using the $1.5 million initially announced late last year in conjunction with the adoption of a state budget.

With the funding recently received, the present group of commissioners took action at a meeting last week to move forward with the respective utility projects.

This was accompanied by votes officially accepting the ARPA water-sewer funds and awarding contracts for planning and design services related to the two projects to The Lane Group.

City staff members had solicited requests for quotes from private engineering firms to provide those functions, with Lane the only one to do so in each case.

Yet staff members were comfortable with The Lane Group’s involvement, since it has a past working relationship with Mount Airy on large annexation and water-sewer rehabilitation projects. That firm possesses an “extensive knowledge” of the city utility system and always has been quick to respond to any conflicts arising during construction, a memo from Williams adds.

The Lane Group was awarded a $100,400 planning/design contract for the water project and one of $56,000 for the sewer work.

The American Rescue Plan Act funding for the utility improvements is separate from another $3.2 million received by Mount Airy in ARPA COVID relief which largely is earmarked for building repairs and equipment additions among the various municipal departments.

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

I want to start today by saying God wants you to know He is right there with you today and forever. Last week I said we would look at the splendor of God, and realizing he is right there with you is the first step in recognizing that splendor. The writer of Hebrews is clear in stating this point by first saying He will never leave you and then follows that with the wording of never forsaking you.

As I counsel people, I ask them to list their fears, worries, struggles, and most of all, their weaknesses. Very rarely do I find people with the same list. Some express identical words but very seldom do the causes behind those words look the same. Paul states in 2 Corinthians 12 that he had a thorn in his flesh that Satan used to try to keep him away from God, but in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Paul states this, “And he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

As I titled this article, I debated on calling it “Finding Strength in our Weakness,” but quickly realized that although strength can be drawn from our shortcomings, it is imperative first to accept that power into our lives.

The disciple Peter experiences God’s splendor in Matthew 14:22- 33 when Jesus invites him to walk out to him on top of the water. Peter does excellent at first because he keeps his eyes on the Son of God (God incarnate), but when he starts looking around, he begins to sink! Jesus does not allow him to go entirely under but instead pulls him up to ask about his faith. I hope you find it humbling today to know that Christ is there to catch you and even pull you up out of the sinking water of life. Peter was standing on solid water one minute and then sinking the next. His cry to Jesus was, “Save me!” Such a simple sentence in words, but so strong when we scream it with meaning.

One more time, I want you to remember that God wants you to know He is right there with you, waiting to hear not only your voice, but he wants your heart, your mind, and your soul to desire that He is the force in this sinking world to save you. So quickly, our heart says yes to the ways God tells us to face the things of this world, but our mind drifts to other means. Sometimes our mind knows that He is the only way, but that same mind becomes clouded with things of this world. We lose sight of the splendor.

Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2,” I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Today my friend I encourage you to seek God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul. Look for Jesus and keep your eyes planted on him for your direction. Make a list of all your fears, worries, struggles, and most of all, your weaknesses, and one by one, give them to God, and he will set you on a path to strength. One last time, God wants you to know He is with you today and forever. May God bless you and allow His face to shine on you and give you peace. God bless you.

ARARAT, Va. — The community of Ararat just across the state line from Mount Airy has many attractions, and is ramping up efforts to get out that message.

As part of this goal, Noah Mabe, an associate of the Patrick Tourism Department, which leads efforts on behalf of sites countywide, recently paid a visit to Ararat.

That included a stop at Willis Gap Community Center, where the Dan River District component of the county tourism organization is working with the center to place a Virginia “LOVE” mural on the building. This is planned in conjunction with many communities, businesses and individuals becoming part of a LOVEworks project growing across the state with hundreds of participants now involved.

The only requirement involves creating a sign, mural or sculpture with the message L-O-V-E. Even though all contain those simple letters, each is different and showcases an area’s great outdoors, landmarks, agriculture and other resources.

In the case of Willis Gap Community Center, the mural will highlight Friday Night open jams held there and its connection with The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail.

To further the mural plans, Mabe, the county tourism associate, met with President Mike Noonkester of the community center’s governing board and Secretary Mary Dellenback Hill, who also is a member of the 2022 Patrick County Tourism Advisory Council. Hill recently was appointed as the representative for the Dan River District of the Patrick County Tourism Department.

County Tourism Coordinator James Houchins also is excited about the project and looks forward to seeing what the center and David Stanley of SilverLining Design will create for the mural.

During Hill’s visit, he and Hill also took the opportunity to view a Patrick County tourism sign at the North Carolina/Virginia border; Laurel Hill, the birthplace of Maj. Gen J.E.B. Stuart, including a tourism kiosk there; and the William Letcher gravesite (the oldest-known in Patrick County).

Letcher also was a great-grandfather of Gen. Stuart on his mother’s side.

“We wrapped up with lunch at Boyd’s Restaurant,” Hill advised regarding a longtime establishment in Ararat. “Noah appreciated the tour, and I think he gained some variable insight on enhancing the area from a tourism point of view.”

East Surry High School’s Anthony Ayers officially signed his NJCAA National Letter of Intent and will continue his academic and baseball careers at Surry Community College.

“It means the world to me to have the opportunity to play at the next level, and I couldn’t be any happier,” Ayers said. “I have dreamed of playing baseball in college for as long as I can remember.”

On his decision to continue his baseball career with Surry Community, Ayers said, “I already know the school has a great atmosphere and I wanted to stay close to home mainly.”

Ayers, also known as “Double-A,” is a four-year member of the Cardinals baseball program. He spent one season with the JV team, then three on varsity. His first season on varsity was the 2020 season in which East only played five games before the season was cancelled, then the 2021 season was also shortened to just 14 regular season games.

Despite game restrictions during two of his three varsity seasons, Ayers still helped the Cardinals to a impressive combined record of 45-6. During that time, East Surry won: two conference championships, one conference tournament championship (no tournament was held in 2021), one 1A West Regional Championship and one 1A State Runner-up trophy.

“I have made many great memories that will never be forgotten and met a lot of awesome people along the way,” Ayers said of his time at East Surry.

“The best thing about Double-A is that he’s a glue guy,” said East Surry coach Chad Freeman. “He’s always positive, always high energy and always doing stuff to get everybody on the team involved. From seniors on varsity to freshman on JV, he was always talking to everyone to make them feel important and feel like part of the program. He’s the kind of kid you want on a team because, not only was he a really good player, he makes everything and everybody better.”

Ayers was an immediate contributor as a sophomore on varsity. On a team with just three underclassmen, Ayers quickly worked his way into the Cards’ starting lineup at third base.

“He did a great job at third for us during his sophomore season, but of course we only got to play a handful of games because COVID hit,” Freeman said. “He wasn’t going to pitch a lot for us as a sophomore, and was mainly there for his defense while getting some swings in as well. That opened the door for him to have an awesome junior year and an even better senior year.”

Coming back for his junior season after the long layoff, Ayers found himself on a roster in need of another pitcher after losing multiple players to graduation. He was able to work his way into the rotation as a relief pitcher. This is where he carved out his niche with the team.

“As a relief guy, you want them to have the mindset of ‘give me the ball and I’m going to go all out for inning for two; I’ll do whatever you need me to do,’” Freeman said. “Double-A was always a team-first guy. If we needed him at third, he’d play third. He’d pitch when we asked him to pitch, and would go for one inning or seven depending on what the team needed. He’d hit seventh or fourth or wherever. He just wanted to play and wanted to help the team win.”

Ayers worked his way into being East Surry’s top relief pitcher his senior year. As much as he contributed to the Cards’ run to the 1A State Championship Series as a junior, Freeman called what Ayers did for the team as a senior “10-times better” than his junior campaign.

Double-A finished the year 5-0 on the mound, throwing primarily in relief. His ERA went from 4.0 down to 2.77, and Freeman said he had three or four saves as well.

Ayers also became much more productive as a hitter in 2022. He batted .338 as a senior, which improved his batting average by nearly 80 points, and saw a big jump in his on-base percentage as well while continuing to drive in runs.

No postseason honors were given in 2020, but Ayers was named an All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2021 and was named to the Foothills 2A All-Conference squad in 2022.

In addition to his contributions on the field, Freeman said Ayers’ compassion for his teammates and selfless nature made him, “One of the best overall teammates I’ve had during my tenure as an East Surry coach.”

“If somebody else had a big play, he was cheering and was just as loud as if he made the play himself,” Freeman added. “Double-A has been one of the most fun kids I’ve ever been around, and it was a joy to be able to coach him over the last four years.”

Following his signing, Ayers expressed gratitude to the coaches and teammates who helped him get to this point.

“I want to give a huge thank you to several people that have played a part in not only helping me get better at the game of baseball, but making me who I am today,” Ayers said. “I also want to give a special thanks to my dad, Frankie, who has been there since day one. He’s not only done his part for making me better at baseball, he has taught me all about life and has shaped me into the best man that I could possibly be.”

• A Mount Airy woman was jailed without privilege of bond Sunday on break-in and other charges, according to city police reports.

Kimberlee Monik Duncan, 41, of 421 Westover Drive, is accused of forcibly entering the residence of Rodney Tyrone Travis in the 500 block of Worth Street Saturday night, causing damage to a door and door hinge. In addition to breaking and entering, Duncan is charged with injury to real property and domestic criminal trespassing.

She is scheduled to appear in Surry District Court on July 11.

• David Gonzalez Rodriguez, 33, of 131 Cone Lane, was jailed without bond on driving while impaired and other charges after a June 14 traffic stop on Highland Drive due to alleged careless and reckless driving. He subsequently registered a blood-alcohol content of .17 percent, more than twice the legal limit for getting behind the wheel.

Rodriguez also is charged with having no operator’s license and an open container of alcohol, along with a child-restraint violation. He is slated for a July 18 appearance in District Court.

• Joshua Thomas Martinez, 26, of 332 Lovill St., is facing drug and traffic charges — five in all — in the wake of a 2000 Chrysler 300 operated by Martinez being pulled over on U.S. 52 near Bluemont Road on June 9.

He is accused of possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, no operator’s license, expired registration and expired inspection. The case is set for next Wednesday’s District Court session.

An event Saturday at Miss Angel’s Farm will celebrate a favorite fruit while also aiding local food banks.

This involves a fifth-annual peach festival for charity scheduled from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the farm, located at 252 Heart Lane (formerly Quarter Horse Lane), which is west of Mount Airy near Interstate 77, off N.C. 89.

Saturday’s gathering will feature live music, catered food, beverages and the chance to stroll around the 65-acre orchard there, according to Angela Shur of the farm.

As its name suggests, peaches are to be a centerpiece, including being offered for sale on a pick-your-own basis and in pre-picked baskets. The fruits also will be incorporated into various dessert dishes to highlight the occasion.

Further planned are hayrides, access to a recently upgraded playground, a fruit cannon, pick-your-own flowers and vendors selling crafts, art, handmade goods and more.

Contests and a cakewalk will be among other festivities.

The selections of a Little Miss and Mister Peach are planned at noon.

Pie-eating contests will begin at 1:30 p.m. arranged by contestants ages 5 and under, 6 to 14 and 14 to adult.

A peach dessert bake-off is on tap for 3:30.

The cakewalk is to precede the Little Miss and Mister Peach segment.

Two bands are scheduled to perform during the day, Ten20Three from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Little Horse, 4 to 7 p.m.

Admission will cost $10 at the gate, but is free for children 3 and under.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit a food bank operated by Trinity Episcopal Church in Mount Airy and Foothills Food Pantry in Dobson, according to Shur.

She said Wednesday that a previous event at the farm during the Memorial Day weekend raised $3,200 for charity.

The new Andy Griffith mural on Moore Avenue would appear to have no relationship to recent struggles by a local body shop owner involving a proposed sign at his expansion location.

Yet the two have been drawn together by a city councilman alleging a double standard concerning how each has been handled.

Commissioner Jon Cawley questioned why a city ordinance is keeping shop owner Frank Fleming from refurbishing an existing sign at the former Winn-Dixie location, at the same time he says another ordinance has been violated regarding infrastructure for the mural.

A way can always seem to be found to accomplish things sought by certain parties locally, while others — such as a sign request by Fleming — are blocked by the rule book, Cawley charged.

“When one person can’t do it, but the city can,” he said of the apparent double standard resulting.

Fleming, who brought fame to Mount Airy through his long career as a modified race car driver, has launched a $2 million expansion project from his present location on Springs Road to a rundown site on Merita Street off U.S. 52-North.

That former supermarket spot is in a somewhat out-of-the-way place and the businessman is seeking to re-use the existing framework of a tall sign left behind by Winn-Dixie to draw attention to his new shop where jobs will be created.

However, that is not permitted under a municipal sign ordinance, updated in 2016, because it would exceed a maximum allowable height of 15 feet in cases of a new business development such as Fleming’s.

The Mount Airy Zoning Board of Adjustment, a powerful body whose actions carry the same weight as court rulings, denied his request to exceed the height limitation and Fleming is appealing the case to Surry County Superior Court.

A supportive crowd came to City Hall for a council meeting last Thursday night, when Fleming asked the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners to approve an amendment to the ordinance that would allow the existing sign to be used. The matter will be formally considered at a board meeting next month.

But it was during the same session in which Fleming spoke that Cawley referenced the Andy Griffith mural that was completed this spring on a wall of Surrey Bank and Trust facing Moore Avenue.

“And it’s a beautiful mural,” Cawley said without hesitation.

“But then we (the city government) went on to tear up the sidewalk and street,” he added in reference to his issue concerning the infrastructure work accompanying the placement of the artwork.

“Did you know that Mount Airy has an ordinance that the only people who can decide to tear up the sidewalks or the streets are the commissioners?” Cawley said. “And we’ve never voted on it — and we have a city manager (Stan Farmer), who told me in another conversation that he made that call.”

In further expressing his view in a general comment period at the end of last Thursday’s meeting “whether or not he really made that call, I can’t say,” Cawley said of the city manager. “But we’ve got an ordinance that says he does not have the right to make the call.”

No other officials attempted to rebut or counter Cawley’s claims at the meeting about the apparent ordinance violation involving the mural site — where a grassed area was dug up along with the sidewalk and street, including the loss of parking space. This allowed the building of a wider sidewalk area where visitors can pause to admire or take photos of the artwork.

Commissioner Steve Yokeley did say he thought these changes were appropriate and that ample parking exists at the spot in a public lot across Moore Avenue from the mural.

Cawley, the longest-serving city commissioner who is giving up his seat to run for mayor in this year’s municipal election, is not seeking any remediative action regarding the recently added Andy Griffith mural infrastructure.

“We’re not going to go tear up that,” he said.

“I’m not asking anybody to tear up what’s been done — I’m not,” Cawley emphasized. “I’m asking us to give the same leeway to people” who have a need, such as Fleming, to proceed in such a manner where an ordinance is concerned.

“I wonder what would happen to Mr. Fleming if he went ahead and built this thing?” Cawley speculated concerning the sign.

“Would he be fined X number of dollars a day because he’s breaking an ordinance? I don’t know what would happen to him — maybe they would put him in jail.”

DOBSON — Got a problem with the federal government? If so, an event Friday in Dobson could bring a solution for Surry County constituents.

This will involve plans by the staff of 10th District Congressman Patrick McHenry to hold office hours that day from 2 to 5 p.m. at the historic Surry County Courthouse, where citizens are invited to come with issues or concerns. The courthouse is located at 114 W. Atkins St. in Dobson.

McHenry has periodically offered this opportunity to local residents since Surry County became part of his district after the 2020 congressional election.

Roger Kumpf, McHenry’s regional director for Surry, will be available Friday to meet with constituents who have issues with agencies such as the Social Security Administration or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Kumpf will also be there to listen to any concerns that constituents have with federal policy or pending legislation before Congress. He will relay those concerns to Rep. McHenry.

Congressman McHenry’s staff holds regular office hours in each county of the 10th District.

He maintains district offices in Rural Hall, Mooresville and Hickory.

A Virginia man is dead, but no charges are expected, after an early afternoon crash on Interstate 77 near Elkin.

Andra Lewis, 38, of Virginia, was killed when the 2021 SUV Honda he was driving backed onto the interstate, where it was slammed by a tractor-trailer, according to North Carolina Highway Patrol Sgt. S.B. Marshall. He declined to give a specific city where Lewis lived.

The crash occured at mile marker 85, near Elkin. The sergeant said Lewis was on the right shoulder of southbound I-77, backing up northward along the shoulder, when he “lost control of the car, backed into the travel lane of the highway,” where the 18-wheeler was traveling southward. He said it was not clear whey Lewis was backing up on the shoulder.

The wreck, which occurred around 1:30, has snarled traffic on southbound I-77 as workers clean the wreckage and highway patrol officers investigate the incident. The Department of Transportation said they expected the interstate to remain closed until around 5:30 p.m., with traffic being diverted onto neighboring roads.

Marshall did not have the name nor residency of the truck driver, saying he was still being interviewed by troopers on the scene. The sergeant did say the driver was not injured, and he anticipated no charges would be filed.

No other individuals were in the truck or the SUV.

A long process of meetings, hearings, and number crunching in order to get the 2022-2023 Surry County budget together ended Monday with little fanfare with unanimous passage of a $93,607,336 budget which includes no property tax increase.

Board of Commissioners Chairman Bill Goins opened the floor to a public hearing on the budget to offer a chance for residents of Surry County to ask questions about the new spending plan. There were no questions — what remained was a formality.

County Manager Chris Knopf had presented changes to the proposed budget that had been made since the last planning meeting. The board directed him to find places to make additional cuts in order to fund increases in spending elsewhere without raising the over budget past projection.

Commissioner Van Tucker said at that time, “We ask you to propose a figure and we kind of have to look at the top of it. We’re at the phase now where rather than raise the top of what we thought we could make work for the budget we could wiggle out of here and change a few dollars from one column to another, from department to department, as necessary.”

Those changes yielded a total net decrease of $9,767 from the last number projected. That is not to say big changes were not made including an increase of $205,440 in school spending to raise the per student spending to $1,260.

An additional $268,147 was also added for salaries of county employees; full time county employees may look forward to a 5% cost of living adjustment.

Cuts totaling more than $50,000 were made in the proposed budgets of Emergency Management, $87,000 for EMS, and $150,000 from the recently hot topic of county departments the Board of Elections.

These are not cuts from previous year’s spending or to the overall departmental budget, rather adjustments made to the specific line-item requests in the next budget.

Such changes are made as priorities in other areas of the budget shift or as Commissioner Van Tucker said at the county budget planning meeting,

Commissioner Larry Johnson offered thanks to the county and staff members for their hard work, as one would expect. What may not have been was that he thanked the citizens – not for the first time –for caring enough to pay their property taxes on time.

It is the revenue from the citizens that funds the county and makes departmental budgets possible. At over 99.5% the rate of collection was “amazing” he said.

Knopf said the budget will be available on the county website for viewing soon.

The former Westfield Elementary School will remain a county owned property for the time being. With no additional bids made, the offer on the table was ultimately declined by the county.

County Manager Chris Knopf brought the matter to the commissioners in a late add to the agenda. The haste was necessary as their decision could have removed the property from the county ledger before the end of the fiscal year.

A bid of $102,000 was made by the Shelton family, who own nearby land, in early June. It was only the second bid made for the school that joined a list of surplus properties last year.

The board accepted their offer at that time in order to open a period of upset bidding that ended before Monday’s board meeting.

Vice Chair Eddie Harris suggested the offer was “a little under fair market value.” He preferred though to defer to Commissioner Van Tucker who represents the district in question.

Tucker made it known on June 6 when the offer was accepted that he hoped the school would fetch more with competition; he did so again Monday. The site has an estimated tax value of $279,124 and an appraisal value of $243,000 was given last year.

“I said before when we accepted the bid that we ought to accept the bid to start the process, but I also said I hoped that in the final end game we would be able to garner a little higher amount of money than that,” Tucker said. “I feel like this is a little less that the amount that this property should bring.”

There had been just the one offer prior in the amount of $150,000 that was rescinded by the buyer shortly thereafter. County officials cited potential costs of cleanup and possible remediation in the withdrawal of the bid.

Commissioners Larry Johnson and Harris each questioned if people had been adequately informed of the sale and the upset bidding process. “Maybe if the for-sale sign isn’t quite enough advertisement, maybe we can get more,” Johnson said.

A resolution was read into the record by Vice Chair Eddie Harris to honor the late Trooper Samuel Newton Bullard of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. Trooper Bullard was killed in the line of duty in Surry County on May 21, 2018, when his cruiser was involved in a collision during a high-speed pursuit.

The board is making a request to the North Carolina Department of Transportation to name the NC 268 Bypass – CC Camp Road bridge over the Big Elkin Creek the Trooper Samuel Newton Bullard bridge in his memory.

Bullard was a native of Wilkes County and a graduate of East Wilkes High who is remembered as an outdoorsman and hunter. He entered service with the highway patrol in June 2015 and was posthumously awarded the Officer of the Year at the 2019 Blue Line Brotherhood Banquet.

Harris was visibly emotional and took a moment to collect himself more than once as he read the resolution. “Some may wonder about my emotion here. Without a doubt this was the hardest evening in my term of 12 years on the board. It happened as Commissioner Tucker and I were leaving a meeting and Johnny Shelton called, we didn’t know which trooper it was.”

Trooper Brandon Cox, Harris’ son-in-law, was the driving force to get the bridge renamed in Trooper Bullard’s honor. He told the board he was appreciative to have the process moving forward saying that he knew getting the bridge renamed may take a while, “but not this long.”

Harris said he “wanted to make sure we get this right” and doubled back at meeting’s end to ensure that all procedural matters had been addressed so that the state had what was needed to advance the process.

He also asked for guidance on making a funding request to cover expenses and was told the county could cover the application fees out of the general contingency fund.

The Foothills Junior Legion Team won the rubber match against Surry Pride in dominant fashion on June 20.

Both schools are part of the Foothills Post 123 American Legion organization. Instead of having one junior team like previous years, enough players came out from Surry County and surrounding areas that Post 123 formed two younger squads. The Foothills Juniors are made up of all rising high school sophomores and juniors as well as a few rising seniors. Surry Pride primarily consists of rising high school freshman, with a few sophomores and juniors also on the team.

Monday’s game at Surry Central High School was the third meeting between the two teams. Foothills Juniors won the first meeting 11-10 on May 18, and Surry Pride retaliated with an 8-7 win on June 3.

The Juniors left no doubt in round No. 3 by defeating the Pride 14-2.

Foothills racked up its 14 runs on 15 hits. Brison George, Kamden Hawks, Landon Gallimore, Macean Alvear and Ashton Gwyn each had multiple hits for the Juniors, while James Steele, Trampus Atkins, Ian Gallimore, Smith Ray and Cash Hemric each added one hit.

The following Foothills players had multiple RBIs: Alvear, George, Gwyn, Hemric, Hawks and Steele.

George, the leadoff batter for the Juniors, scored the game’s opening run in the top of the first inning. After being walked, George stole second and scored on a double hit by Hawks to the left field fence. The Pride picked up the second out of the inning before Ian Gallimore was walked, then Caleb Morgan – running for Hawks – went home on a wild pitch and made it 2-0.

Juniors pitcher Ray and the Foothills defense sent each of the first three Pride batters back to the dugout to end the inning.

Surry pitcher Luke Bruner picked up a strikeout to begin the second inning. Foothills’ Bradley Goins reached first on an error, then the Juniors’ next four batters each hit singles: Gwyn, Alvear, George and Steele.

The score was up to 6-0 after the barrage of singles, and Hawks brought in run No. 7 with a ground out.

Landon Johnson, Vincent Pannutti and Phillip Byrd all put the ball into play for the Pride in the bottom of the second, but couldn’t get on base. Johnson and Pannutti grounded out, and Byrd’s line drive was caught by Ray on the mound. Bruner did become Surry’s first baserunner of the game, but never advanced past first.

Cayden McRoberts took the mound in the top of the third. Landon Gallimore doubled to start the inning, then Goins was walked. Surry’s luck seemed to be turning around after catcher Pannutti caught Gallimore stealing third and Gwyn lined out to Johnson. However, a fielding error put Alvear on base and scored Goins, then another error opened the door for Alvear to steal second and third before scoring run No. 9.

David Schuyler recorded the Pride’s first hit of the game in the bottom of the third. McRoberts followed with a single to left field, then Carter Motsinger was walked to load the bases. Cade Atkins singled to score Schuyler, then a sacrifice fly from Johnson allowed McRoberts to score and make it 9-2.

The Pride carried momentum into the top of the fourth by forcing two quick outs. Pannutti threw Morgan out stealing second with Myles Draughn on the mound, then Draughn flied out.

Ian Gallimore was walked with two outs, then Ray and Landon Gallimore each singled to load the bases. Hemric scored Ian and Ray with a single, then Landon and Hemric scored on a hit from Gwyn that was followed by a fielding error. Another Pride error on an Alvear hit scored run No. 14.

The Pride had three ground outs in the bottom of the fourth inning with Draughn on the mound. Sid Sutphin pitched in the top of the fifth inning and Juniors hit one single and flied out three times.

Surry’s final chance to keep the game going came in the bottom of the fifth. Motsinger was walked by Landon Gallimore and moved his way over to third on a groundout. Johnson was also walked to put runners on the corners, but then a Landon strikeout and another groundout ended the game.

Eagle Scout service projects are designed for the young scout pursuing the Eagle rank to show his leadership by designing and leading an effort which fills a need in the community.

For Bradley Kiger, his project is aimed at serving those who may most need it.

A rising sophomore at Millennium Charter Academy and member of Troop 545 in in Pilot Mountain, Bradley built a pair of blessing boxes at King First Christian Church in Stokes County.

“I wanted to I do believed would be more helpful to the community,” he said of narrowing his community service project choices. “That would be the blessing boxes. They are meant to help the less fortunate people in King.”

Along with building the boxes, Bradley was able to rasie $1,000 in funding by holding a community dinner at the church. The money will be administered by the church, to keep the boxes filled with free food and with reading material. In addition, he said volunteers can put food in the box — although he said it should be water and other goods that don’t spoil easily.

The church is located at 625 Meadowbrook Drive in King.

Three area high school seniors recently were recognized for their writing skill in the The Silver Pen Writing Competition.

The Silver Pen is an essay contest held for high school seniors to give them the opportunity to win cash for college. With today’s rising college tuition costs, there’s a need for alternative financial pathways outside of financial aid, and the Silver Pen Writing Competition is designed to help alleviate some of those burdens. This contest is held by RidgeCrest, a Mount Airy retirement community whose seniors are proud to give back to the younger generation of seniors.

RidgeCrest recently awarded three cash prizes to essay applicants of the Silver Pen Writing Competition. Each essay topic was chosen by senior residents who make up the judging panel at RidgeCrest based on the topic: How have the extracurricular programs such as music, art, clubs, and/or sports teams benefited your educational and personal growth? How do you feel it would affect the education system if they were taken away? This year’s $3,750 in prize money were awarded to:

– First place winner – Rachel Carter – Surry Central High School

– Second place winner – Katelyn Gammons – North Surry High School

– Third place winner – Paxton Reece – Mount Airy High School

This competition has been hosted by RidgeCrest’s parent company, The Maxwell Group, since 2012. The company has awarded more than $386,000 to high school seniors to assist with their college costs. The goal of the competition is to bridge the communication gap between high school seniors and senior residents as well as give back to exceptional students within the local area. Each participant is required to submit a written essay with a minimum of 1,000 words.

To learn more about how RidgeCrest is helping adult seniors stay connected with the younger generation and live The Weller Life, visit www.Ridge-Crest.com

Surry Community College recently announced the Spring Semester 2022 President’s List.

Students qualifying for the President’s List must be enrolled for a minimum of 12 credit hours of college level coursework and maintain a 3.8 grade point average for the semester with no final grade lower than a “C.” Students on the President’s List receive a congratulatory letter.

Fatima Almanza, Elizabeth Atkins, Kayla Lynn Baker, Charlotte Anne Banfield, Michelle Bedolla Villalobos, Shelby Chase Blevins, Cora A. Branch, Nydia Cabrera Cabrera and Jessica Lynn Callaway, all of Mount Airy;

Abbigail Grace Draughn, Caleb J. Easter, Sky Lin Estrada, Robert Dean Giesbers, Matthew Curtis Gillespie, Sara Patricia Goins, Ashton Bree Golding, Allie Rae Hawks, Levi Colton Haynes, Lauren Smith Hester, Stephanie Lauren Hiatt, Christopher Adam Hobbs, Page Elizabeth Hodge, Eperson E. Hughes, Joshua Kameron Jones, Renee Loraine Kirkman, Andrew Blake Lawson, Allie Grace Leonard, Jackson Dale Lindsay, Kalie Brean Mabe, Ethan Dale Marion, Hannah Nicole Martin, Nisa Monique McFowler, Evan Scott Morris, Tosha Nicole Murray, Miguel Angel Paredes Castillo, Weatherly Adair Reeves, Carlos Salmeron Bautista, Jill I. Simandle, Allyn-Claire Simmons and Alexandria Rae Stanley, all of of Mount Airy;

Leticia Janeth Valenzuela, Luis Fernando Valle, Douglas Michael Vanvleet, Diego Vega, Taylor Kathleen Vernon, Grant Michael Whittington and Celeste Vanitasing Tilley all of of Mount Airy; Carl Michael Dallas Gardner and Hailey Nicole Stewart of Lowgap;

Kylie Mckynzie Bruner, Cooper Wayne Motsinger, Beysi D. Sanabria and Matthew Wayne Southern of Pilot Mountain; Morgan Nichole Bryant, Robert McCallum George, Tristan Lane Harless, Lowell Abeyta Hewett, Thomas Allen McKinney, Joseph Pearman, Kendra Michele Persinger and Amber Grace Shutsky of Pinnacle;

Chelsey Madyson Atkins, Fabian Alexander Bautista, Austin Blake Cave, Elorah Abigail Gillispie, Anay Gomez, Diego Armando Guerrero, Lesley Janel Hernandez, Mason Donald Kreh, Mia Catherine McMillen and Jacob.T Mills, Colby Ryan Mitchell, Jacob Livingston Mitchell, Taylor Grace Newman, Emily Santiago Orellana, Tyler Malo Reece, Steve Orsono Rodriguez, Kathy Santiago, Cara Leigh Rose Scott and Christine Michelle Vail, all of Dobson;

Gavin Allen Gray of Cana, Virginia; Kira Ayers and Victoria Rose Cole of Galax, Virginia;

Seyry Lineth Borjas Paz, Samantha Nicole Chattin, Tamara Destiny Alvarez Chautla, Ryan Blake Coffey, Abigail Marie Garza, Ashley Leigh Rhoades, Sebastian Saul Sanchez Aguilar, Kimberly Dawn Whitaker and Byron Lee Wild of Elkin;

Mattie Katherann Cave, Macy Faith Key, Sophia Mae Lowe, Robert Carson Simmons and Amber Michelle Taylor of Ararat; Jennifer M. Woodlee of Asheville; Abigail Corrine Baum, Anna Kate Brown, Vanessa Denise Hatcher, Molly Elizabeth Maske, Emily Elizabeth Parker, Tanna Rae Sagraves and Bryson Lee Wood of Boonville; Rachel Leigh Trueblood of Cameron; Katlin Nicole Benfield of Charlotte; Ronnie A. Caviness of Clemmons; Gabriel Ty Oerter of Danbury;

Zachary Grant Berrier, Zachary Charles Brady, Micheal Brent Chaffin, Kristian Hunter Davis, Rebecca Camille Fowler, Stephanie Alise Greeson, Adrienne Kylee Johnson, Joshua Matthew Lambert, Victoria Grace Miller, Debra Ann Philpott, Jo Rierson, Sailor FaithSmitherman and Sarah Grace Wiedenhoft of East Bend;

Natalie A Gentry and Chloe Alysse Nagle of Ennice; Cassandra Ann Benge of Gastonia; Carson Jase Fulp of Germanton; Jennifer Marie Evans of Glade Valley; Sarah Quinn Bare, Ashley D. Blevins, Gaige Austin Cass, Guadalupe Hernandez, Christopher Dalton Robbins, Estephanie Sanchez Juarez and Brianna Danielle Shoffner of Hamptonville; Carter Christopher Bridges of Harmony; Hannah Greene Harrison of Hudson; Brayden B. Adams of Indian Trail.

Elimelec Calderon Rojas, Emma Noel Freed, Kaleb Michael Harrison, Margaret Diane Hurt, Dakota Cheyenne Johnson, Keith Blane Macy, Michael Tyler Reinhardt and Karla Alejandra Romero of Jonesville; Rachel Grace Claffee, Spencer Carlton Easter, Taylor Grace George, Bayleigh Kristine Jarrell, Rhyan Elizabeth Sapp and Susan Jeannette Sullivan of King; Emma Grace Stanbery of Lawsonville; Laken Janeen Gudger of Lexington;

Susan Dianne Anderson, Krysten Alana Miller and Daniel Lee Watson of North Wilkesboro; Christina Kelly Blakley and Victoria Faith Blakley of Pfafftown

Josiah James Jarvis of Roaring River; Kaitlyn Elizabeth Lacey of Sandford; Allison Celeste Bruner of Siloam; Jenna Faye Adams and Megan Diane Royal of State Rd; Megan Lynsey Blackburn of Thurmond; Marie Williamson of Tobaccoville; Gracie Bernice Brim of Walnut Cove; Jenifher Alessandra Flores Martinez, Brittany Michelle Mahala, Dalton Joseph Simmons and Mason Lane Woods of Winston-Salem; Laiken Nicole Baity, Brianna Nicole Beck, Abigail Carachure-Medina, Yamel Cortez Zamora, Isaac Samuel Cranfill, Dillon Thomas Draughn, Emma Rose Greene, Sara Gail Hennings, Jackson Harding McManus, Ton Dong Nguyen, Olivia Lauren Pizzuti and Megan Nicole Smith of Yadkinville. Eyra Mae Stewart, Hannah Nicole Todd and Megan Michelle Wagoner of Yadkinville; Kristen Louise Joyce of Clinton, Connecticut;

Jordan Edwards has joined the staff of the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce.

She will be taking the position of director of events. In her new post, she will be overseeing the annual Autumn Leaves Festival. She comes to the chamber from the Alleghany County Chamber of Commerce and the Alleghany County Public Schools.

“We welcome Jordon to the chamber team,” said Chamber President and CEO Randy Collins. “She comes to us with some great experience with event management and marketing.”

Edwards, who takes the post left vacant by the departure of Travis Frye earlier this year, can be reached at the chamber at 336-786-6116, ext. 204 or via email at jordon@mtairyncchamber.org.

The Surry Art Council’s Summer Concert Series continues with three bands set to perform this weekend.

The Fantasy Band will play the Blackmon Amphitheatre on Thursday night. Cassette Rewind returns on Friday and Jukebox Rehab will take the stage on Saturday. All three shows will start at 7:30 pm.

Fantasy is “The Carolina’s Most Entertaining Party Band.” Whether it’s beach music, Motown, funk, soul, or smooth R&B, Fantasy does it all.

Born in the 1980s and raised on radio, Cassette Rewind is the ultimate authentic ‘80s experience. Cassette Rewind provides performances of Prince, George Michael, Journey, Whitney Houston, and countless 1980s pop icons. Grab a Members Only jacket and a pair of leg warmers to get footloose and sing along.

Jukebox Rehab is a country music band based out of Winston-Salem. They deliver a monster country show that is steeped in classic country traditional sounds ensured to lift your soul.

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

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

For anyone who believes “The Andy Griffith Show’s” hold on the public may be loosening, brothers Cort and Stark Howell have a message — not so fast.

The two, sons of actor Hoke Howell (a character actor known for portraying hillbilly Dud Wash on The Andy Griffith Show), released the independent film Mayberry Man last year. While the film has had a limited release — 30 theaters spread across a dozen states altogether, according to Cort Howell, many of those showings have been sell-outs. But what really tipped the scales for the movie was getting a deal to distribute through Amazon streaming services.

“It has performed extremely well on Amazon Prime for a small indie film — huge success for a small film like ours.”

That has led the duo, along with much of the movie’s cast, to take the next step and create Mayberry Man: The Series.

“In the feature film, arrogant movie star Chris Stone’s life changes when he is forced to spend a week at a nostalgic festival celebrating ‘The Andy Griffith Show,’ the beloved television classic from the 1960s,” Cort said in a press release. “Mayberry Man: The Series picks up where the movie leaves off, following Chris Stone as he navigates his newfound relationships with Mayberry’s sweetheart Kate and the quirky characters of a modern-day Mayberry.”

The movie’s plot had its beginning in a real-life visit Stark Howell made to Mayberry Days several years ago.

“I’ve always been a fan of the show, but I was shocked to discover the spirit of Mayberry still exists today within the tight-knit Mayberry fan community,” he said. That visit started the creative wheels turning in his mind, and he and his brother, along with several other children of Mayberry stars, put the film idea together.

“It’s the perfect setting to tell modern-day, family-friendly stories that express the virtues of the fictitious town of Mayberry that we all love.”

He said during that developmental stage, he and his brother decided to produce the movie as an independent project, which he said would allow them to make a family-friendly movie without the influence of sometimes less family-friendly studios.

Stark’s younger brother Cort Howell produced the movie and will return as producer of the series. “We worked outside the Hollywood system and partnered with Mayberry fans through crowdfunding to protect the wholesomeness of the project,” Cort said. “We plan to repeat this winning formula with the series.”

Much of the funding for the project was raised through crowdfunding efforts, after a kick-off party at the Loaded Goat in Mount Airy, with many of the larger donors earning time on screen during the movie. They intend to use the same strategy for the series. While he and his brother have secured private backing for some of the cost of the venture, he said the crowdfunding component will be vital to getting the series off the ground.

“For fans who always dreamed of visiting Mayberry, they have the opportunity to participate in the show as actors and extras,” he said. When backing the project on Indiegogo beginning June 25, fans can choose from a variety of perks that include things such as getting their name in the credits, passes to a red-carpet premiere, participating on-set as a background extra, or they can even land an on-screen speaking role.

The project involves what Stark Howell calls “Mayberry royalty,” the kids of many of those actors who were in the show during its 1960-1968 run. Andy Griffith’s daughter Dixie Griffith is returning as executive producer and Karen Knotts, daughter of Don Knotts, will be a cast member. Additionally, co-producer Gregory Schell is the son of actor-comedian Ronnie Schell who appeared on “The Andy Griffith Show” and played Duke Slater in “Gomer Pyle, USMC.” Ronnie Schell is also slated to appear in the series.

The filming of the show will also follow a pattern familiar to those who have seen the movie. Many scenes will be shot in Mount Airy, especially during this year’s Mayberry Days. Much of the original movie was shot in Mount Airy and the surrounding area, including scenes shot during the 2020 Mayberry Days.

Other scenes from the movie were shot in and near Danville, Indiana, home of a smaller festival called Mayberry in the Midwest, as well as scenes shot in California.

Cort Howell said the eventual distribution of the series had not yet been determined, and most likely won’t be until 2023.

The crowdfunding campaign launches June 25 and runs through the end of July. Special events are planned throughout the campaign and can be found at mayberryman.com.

• A larceny call at Walmart has led to the arrest of an Ararat man on a felony drug charge and protective order violation, according to Mount Airy Police Department reports.

Michael Garfield Johnson, 35, of 208 Ash Hill Road, was found to have concealed Hanes boxers valued at $24 in the front of his pants, arrest records state, with a probable-cause search also revealing a plastic bag containing a crystal-like substance in a cigarette pack found in a cargo pocket, which was identified as methamphetamine.

In addition to being charged with possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and concealment of goods during the June 15 incident, Johnson was found to be the subject of an outstanding warrant for the protective order violation which had been filed on Feb. 21.

He was held in the Surry County Jail under a $2,500 secured bond and was scheduled to be in District Court on Monday of this week.

• Dylan Michael Easter, 34, of 416 Junction St., was jailed on charges of larceny of a motor vehicle and resisting, delaying or obstructing a public officer on June 14 after he was encountered during a traffic stop on North Renfro Street.

The motor vehicle larceny charge had been issued by Davie County authorities on March 11. Easter was incarcerated under a $10,500 secured bond and slated to be in District Court in Dobson Monday.

• Wilmer Arnell Martin, 65, of Gastonia, was held in the Surry County Jail without privilege of bond on charges of assault on a female and interfering with emergency communications after a fight investigation at Starlite Motel on June 15.

Martin is alleged to have thrown a lighter at Catherine Diane Burton, a resident of the motel, and grabbed her ankle to drag the woman across a bed. The case is scheduled for the July 18 session of Surry District Court.

The Mayberry Cool Cars & Rods Cruise-In series was presented by the Downtown Business Association on Sunday in downtown Mount Airy. A variety of cars of all makes, models, and styles were on display Saturday as were motorcycles shown in a sponsored Smokin’ Harley Davidson of Winston-Salem display area.

In previous years these Mayberry Cool Cars events were held on the third Saturday of the month during summer, this year the events have moved to Sunday. The next events are scheduled for Sunday July 17, August 21, and Sept. 18 each from 1 – 5 p.m.

Smokin’ Harley Davidson was added this year as a presenting sponsor and they set up in the parking lot next to Old North State Winery for a bike show. Throaty hogs were on display next to sleek and sporty bikes with passersby snapping pictures and pointing to accessories or colors that caught there eye. Surely it must take a bit of training to be able to look 50 yards down the way and see a Harely in motion, and still be able to determine what year it was made.

It was just that sort of crowd that was on hand who had no real agenda or time table. Folks just wandered about listening to the sounds of “On the Beach” with Charlie Brown as they chatted with strangers about a teal 1950s pickup truck. Some cars were shiny and tricked out, some went the other route and brought what to some may have looked like a dangerous rust bucket, yet to the owner is their pride and joy.

Sadly, one participant lost their striking white Shelby Mustang to an apparent overrun of zombies who had then placed a car-hop tray of brains and Texas Pete out the window as a sign to keep other looky-loos away.

Many cars were seen there for the duration and some are known show cars of local residents. Having recently had ‘Cruisin’ with Honor’ at the Armory during Memorial Day weekend, a charity motorcycle ride at Veterans Memorial Park, and the auto/fly-in show at the airport last weekend — it has been a busy few weekends for those who enjoy showing off their prized wheels. There is some level of overlap as some of the best looking cars were local rides, so they show their grills at more than one event.

For the low price of free taking a few laps up and down Main Street on Father’s Day was a change of pace from days of high heat, humidity, and yard work. Rest assured: there is time yet in the rest of the summer for all of those.

Mount Airy officials have awarded a contract for building new public restrooms for an underserved section downtown, but a merchant who actively lobbied for that project wonders why it’s taken so long.

“I am grateful we will have bathrooms down here — most grateful — I just don’t understand the timing,” Martha Truskolaski said Monday of the facilities planned for the municipal parking lot between Brannock and Hiatt Furniture Co. and Old North State Winery.

“It was approved in November — why wouldn’t they have moved forward until now?” added Truskolaski, who operates Spotted Moon, a retail gift shop, in a building she owns at 419 N. Main St.

Truskolaski was referring to action last Thursday setting the construction in motion, for which funding was 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.

This finally led to the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners’ vote Thursday night to award a $104,900 contract to Colt W. Simmons Construction Co., a local firm, to build the restroom facilities. These will be similar to ones located on the Granite City Greenway behind Roses, according to Public Works Director Mitch Williams, which include two bathroom units and a brick exterior.

“It’s about time,” said Truskolaski, who had appeared before the commissioners at a meeting last July urging them to add the restrooms in what she termed the “Forgotten 400 Block.”

“Why has it waited this long?”

In responding to that question, City Manager Stan Farmer explained Monday afternoon that officials spent much time exploring a suggested alternate location for the new restrooms at a site near Trinity Episcopal Church. This is a little farther north of the original one eyed, with the church located on the corner of North Main Street and Independence Boulevard.

However, it was decided after weeks of study to go back to “Plan A,” Farmer said of the location in the rear of the north 400 block parking lot between Brannock and Hiatt and Old North State Winery.

The restroom project should be completed by late summer or early fall, according to Williams, the public works director.

He mentioned that bids for the job recently were solicited from several local contractors — but only two, Colt W. Simmons Construction and J.G. Coram, submitted proposals.

Simmons was the low bidder, undercutting the offer made by Coram, $116,589, by $11,689, and in addition the Simmons company had completed past contracts for the city in a satisfactory manner and enjoys “an excellent working relationship” with it, Williams advised.

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

While lamenting the fact the new restrooms won’t be available until late summer or early fall — posing a further inconvenience to downtown visitors — Truskolaski indicated Monday that she is thankful the facilities are now within sight.

The local merchant had pointed out during her July 2021 appearance before city officials that the nearest public restrooms to the 400 block are almost two blocks away at the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. The only other public facilities downtown are at the southern end of the North Main Street shopping area in the Jack A. Loftis Plaza.

Truskolaski said when speaking at City Hall that this is particularly a problem with young children and the elderly and asked officials: “If you needed to use a restroom while out shopping, would you want to walk two blocks up a hill to do so?”

The merchant stressed last July that this void reflected a longtime problem needing to be filled sooner rather than later.

Adding public restrooms to the area in question “will benefit not only the visitors that come to our friendly city but our citizens as well,” Truskolaski commented during that appearance.

That there was not one, but two, Juneteenth events in Surry County over the weekend as the holiday enters its second year of official recognition after decades of less formalized but no less exuberant celebrations.

If you missed the events last weekend, fear not for Juneteenth events will be a fixture of mid-June revelry going forward in Surry County and across the United States.

“As we celebrate Black heritage, liberation, freedom and the great progress we have made, we must continue to be aware that systemic racism still persists,” Gov. Roy Cooper said last week. “Although we’ve come a long way since 1865, there’s more work to do.”

Juneteenth commemorates the events of June 19, 1865, which is where the name derives. On that day U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed the enslaved Black people of their freedom after cessation of combat in the Civil War. It had been two and half years since President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863.

Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth was made a federal holiday when President Biden signed it into law on June 17, 2021. Now more states and the District of Columbia are recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday and are offering it as a paid day off to state employees.

While knowledge and awareness of the holiday is increasing among the public, there is still a way to go and obstacles to overcome in acceptance. In June, nearly 60% of Americans said they knew about the holiday, compared with 37% in May 2021, according to a Gallup poll.

Mount Airy’s event on Saturday reflected a similar attitude with members of the community passing in, around, and through the Juneteenth festival in the Market Street Arts and Entertainment District with some not aware they were doing so.

That did not diminish the spirit of the event nor its participants. Even those passing through what one visitor referred to as “a pop-up fair” stopped to browse at vendor booths or gaze up at the visage of the giant Melva Houston from Melva’s Alley.

Young kids ran around as the grownups parked themselves at picnic tables or under shade on a warm day. Folks were coming in and out of the area waiting for the toast of the celebratory Juneteenth red drink and then to groove down to the sounds of Aquarius Moon.

It was a fun event in Mount Airy to mark a day of great significance to the nation, but the holiday creates angst for some others. There has been some resistance from state legislatures that suggests the acrimony that arose out of efforts to make the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a paid holiday throughout the country. After President Ronald Reagan signed Dr. King’s birthday into federal law in 1983, Arizona was the last state to adopt the Dr. King holiday, waiting until 1992.

It took intervention from the National Football League in the form of pulling Super Bowl XXVII from Tempe and big-name recording artists boycotting the state before voters changed course in late 1992. Arizona got there despite the best efforts of politicians to stop it; the voters got it done. Tempe was granted another opportunity after the vote, getting Super Bowl XXX three years later.

Michelle Obama has said of Juneteenth, “What I love is that even in that extended wait, we still find something to celebrate. Even though the story has never been tidy, and Black folks have had to march and fight for every inch of our freedom, our story is nonetheless one of progress.”

The late Coretta Scott King, widow of the Rev. Dr. King said of such progress, “Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won; you earn it and win it in every generation.”

PILOT MOUNTAIN — An 8-3 home victory over High Point-Thomasville Post 87 gave Foothills Post 123 its ninth victory of the 2022 season.

Post 123 (9-1) never trailed in Friday’s game. The Senior Legion Team scored in each of the first three innings to build a 5-0 lead, “winning every inning,” as coach Brian Hawks said.

The visiting HiToms tacked on a pair of runs in the fourth inning while holding Foothills scoreless in the fifth and sixth. Post 123’s offense could only be contained so long, as the team padded its lead with three runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Foothills scored eight runs on 11 hits and was walked seven times – at least once per inning. Post 123 even had chances to open the lead up more, but left nine runners on base in the June 17 game. Three Foothills players recorded multiple hits: Anthony Ayers (East Surry HS Class of 2022), Nash Thompson (Patrick County HS, VA ‘22) and Landon Jackson (Elkin HS ‘21).

Five Post 123 players added one hit each: Trey Armstrong (East Surry HS ‘22), Ethan Ball (West Stokes HS ‘22), Logan Dowell (Mount Airy HS ‘22), Daniel Shearin (Grayson Co. HS, VA ‘22) and Carson Willoughby (East Surry HS ‘21),

Post 87 (8-4) scored its three runs on seven hits and four walks. The HiToms only had multiple hits in an inning once.

Three pitchers spent time on the mound for Post 123. Styles Geramita (Carlisle School, Va. ‘23) threw the first 4.1 innings, striking out four batters and walking none. Geramita allowed two runs on four hits, and both runs were scored as part of a three-hit fourth inning.

Justin Reeves (Surry Central HS ‘23) pitched the next 1.2 innings. Reeves struck out three batters, walked two and didn’t allow any hits or runs. Ayers threw the final inning of the game, striking out two batters, walking another two and allowing one run on one hit.

Post 123 got on the board with one run in the bottom of the first. Already with two outs, Dowell was walked and Ball hit an RBI double to left-center field.

Foothills added two runs in both the second and third innings while Post 87 remained scoreless.

Post 123 loaded the bases in the second inning with one out: Shearin was walked, Thompson beat the throw to first on an infield grounder and Jackson singled with a hit to the outfield. Willoughby hit a double to left-center to score Shearin and Thompson and increase the lead to 3-0.

Ball was walked to begin the bottom of the third, then moved to third on a double hit by Ayers down the right-field line. Clay Whitaker (Surry Central HS ‘23) picked up the RBI with a ground out at first. Thompson then brought in run No. 5 with an RBI single.

Foothills only combined for one hit in the fourth and fifth innings, while the HiToms got back into the game with two runs in the top of the fourth.

High Point had a chance to take the lead by loading the bases in the top of the fifth. Reeves took over on the mound with one out on the board and a runner on first. He walked his first batter, then the next flied out but hit deep enough into the outfield that runners advanced to second and third base.

Foothills elected to intentionally walk a Post 87 player that previously doubled. This gamble paid off, though, as Reeves struck out the next batter to leave three runners stranded.

Post 123 finally extended its lead in the bottom of the sixth. Willoughby reached first thanks to a fielding error, then dashed over to second and beat the throw from the outfield. Armstrong safely bunted his way to first while also moving Willoughby to third, then Armstrong stole second with Dowell at the plate.

Dowell hit a 2RBI single to score the two East Surry graduates and make it 7-2. Dowell moved to second on a wild pitch, then crossed the plate himself when Ayers rocked his second double of the evening.

Post 87 put a pair of runners on in the top of the seventh thanks to two walks thrown by Ayers. Foothills picked up the first out of the inning on a fielder’s choice, then Ayers tossed a strikeout for out No. 2. High Point managed to score its third run off an RBI single, but Ayers threw Foothills’ ninth strikeout to end the game.

The June 17 win over High Point-Thomasville moved Foothills to 9-0 on the season. Post 123 then dropped its first game of 2022 two days later against East Randolph, 11-6.

Post 123 looks to get back on track on June 22 by playing a double-header at North Stokes.

DOBSON — A member of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners who will be losing his seat later this year as the result of a recent primary defeat is setting his sights on another elected office.

Joe Zalescik has filed for Surry County soil and water conservation supervisor. Two such seats will be up for election in November.

The filing period for those offices, which are non-partisan, began on June 13 and will end on July 1 at noon.

Surry County Director of Elections Michella Huff has announced that in addition to Zalescik, the two people presently holding the pair of seats involved, Chad Keith Chilton and Bradley Boyd, also have filed as candidates.

Zalescik, who is now serving as the at-large member of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners, which also is non-partisan, finished third in a three-way primary on May 17 for a South Ward seat on the city board. It is now held by Steve Yokeley.

Yokeley, meanwhile, had filed as a candidate for the at-large post, after he and Zalescik reached an agreement to seek each other’s positions due to the terms involved with each.

Since the eventual winner of the at-large slot in November will be filling the unexpired portion, two years, of a four year term vacated by Ron Niland when he became mayor, this fit Yokeley’s desire to serve only for a short time more. He has been on the board since 2009.

However, Zalescik sought the full four-year term accompanying the South Ward seat.

Yokeley finished second in a three-person primary won by Deborah Cochran, a former mayor and commissioner, meaning he and Cochran will go head to head in November.

But since Zalescik was third in the primary for the South Ward seat, losing to Phil Thacker and Gene Clark, he will not be a candidate in November since only the top two vote-getters in the primary advance to the general election. Zalescik will be stepping down from the city board in December.

Zalescik, who was on the Mount Airy Planning Board before being selected as at-large commissioner last September by the other four commissioners, says his seeking of the soil and water conservation post isn’t about just wanting to hold an office.

“I had similar experience in New Jersey,” he said of the community where he resided before moving to Mount Airy in recent years.

This involved serving on an environmental board for about six years, which dealt with wetlands and related issues, according to Zalescik.

“It seems like it would be a good fit for me,” he said of serving as a soil and water conservation supervisor in Surry. “Since I lost the primary, I need to do something.”

The supervisors govern the Surry County Soil and Water Conservation District, one of 96 local districts in North Carolina, according to information on a state government website.

These were formed in 1937 by North Carolina General Statute 139 as part of a nationwide movement to prevent critical conservation problems that grew out of the devastating Dust Bowl by addressing soil erosion, drainage and related issues.

The soil and water conservation districts exist for the primary purpose of providing local direction to voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs to help landowners protect and conserve the state’s natural resources, including soil, water, wildlife, unique plant and animal habitats and others.

District supervisors work closely with county, state and federal governments and both public and private organizations in a non-regulatory capacity to carry out a comprehensive conservation program. It is aimed at protecting and improving counties’ natural resources while assisting private landowners in using conservation practices.

The soil and water conservation districts, which each have a five-member board of supervisors, according to the state website, are organized as governmental subdivisions of the state, as well as independent political units.

Seventeen Surry Community College students recently graduated from the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program, and 20 students graduated from the Licensed Practical Nursing to Associate Degree Nursing (LPN-ADN) program. An additional three students graduated with an ADN from the Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses (RIBN) Collaborative program.

The pinning and graduation ceremony was recently on Surry’s Dobson campus. The guest speaker was Dena Shore, MSN, RN, OCN, CNE.

SCC President Dr. David Shockley welcomed the graduates followed by remarks from Dr. Yvonne Johnson, associate dean of health sciences at SCC. Shockley also presented the diplomas, while SCC Nurse Educators Andrea Underwood, DNP, FNP-C, MSN, RN; and Jennifer Mitchell, MSN, RN, OCN, presented the pins. Ashley Morrison, dean of academics, performed the presentation of graduates.

The associate degree nursing graduates are: Carlie Silvers and Morgan Swaim of Boonville; Cassandra Flinchum and Charles Dakota Young of Danbury; Angelina Patel of Dobson; Savannah Atkins of Elkin; Lizbet Arce-Zuniga, Brittney Hefner and Brooke Hefner of Jonesville; Stephanie Collins, William Graham Pruitt, Katie Rotenzier and Joana Vega of Mount Airy; Emily Laws of North Wilkesboro; Ashley Edmonds of Pinnacle; Tyler Macemore of Yadkinville; and Johnny Collins of Ararat, Virginia.

The following graduates were already licensed as LPNs and earned the associate degree in nursing: Zachary Davis of Asheboro; Bradley Martin of Crumpler; Candace Wilmoth of Dobson; James Lausch Jr. and Lexy Mickey of Elkin; Bailey Church and Olivia Carico of Ennice; Lori Ward of Hays; Melanie Trump of King; Savannah Parrish of Lewisville; Amanda Flinchum of Millers Creek; Caitlyn Holt and Whitney Riffey of Mount Airy; Nicolette Brown of Pfafftown; Nicole Williams of Pinnacle; Holly Sell of Ronda; Melisa Dunlap of Rural Hall; Melinda Hope Carrow of West Jefferson; Leanne Price of Winston-Salem; and Teah Gonzalez of Yadkinville.

The RIBN Collaborative graduates who completed the ADN are: Sydney Miller of East Bend; Kyle Casstevens of Mount Airy; and Lauren Golding of Thurmond.

The passing of the lamp symbolizes the nurse’s dedication to providing continuous nursing care to their patients. Just as Florence Nightingale passed her lamp on to the next shift of nurses, ADN graduate Tyler Macemore, passed the lamp on to Freshman Class Representative Savannah Fritts.

Surry’s ADN curriculum provides students with opportunities to develop knowledge, skills, and strategies to integrate safety and quality into nursing care, to practice in a dynamic environment, and to assist individuals in making informed decisions that impact their health, quality of life, and achievement of potential.

Surry Community College students can choose to complete the ADN, which is a two-year program, or currently licensed practical nurses (LPNs) can choose to complete the LPN-ADN program, which is a three-semester program. Graduates are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN).

“Employment opportunities are vast within the global health care system and may include positions within acute, chronic, extended, industrial, or community health care facilities,” college officials said. “The average annual salary for a registered nurse is approximately $66,440. SCC also offers opportunities for students to purse a baccalaureate degree in nursing (LPN-BSN and RIBN collaboration) through a partnership with Lees-McRae College.”

For more information about the nursing program, contact Johnson at 336-386-3368 or johnsony@surry.edu. Follow the nursing program on Facebook @surrynursing.

Carole Burke made a check presentation to the Rotary Club of Mount Airy last week from the Frank Smith World Law Fund. The donation was in the amount of $2,000 that will aid the local Rotarians in future projects.

The presentation gave Burke a chance to take the club on a “trip down memory lane” and a trip back in time as she told the group of her trip to the United Nations. She gave context to the life of Frank Smith as it related to his desire to grow future leaders – herself among them – and promote peace.

He established a fund that would promote the United Nations because of the world wars. “He abhorred war. He felt the only solution to end war was to have world peace. He wanted to talk about students writing an essay and going to the United Nations to learn about world peace and the organization itself,” she said.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Burke recalled, “When we would go to conferences usually, he was always the oldest graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and back then then I was the youngest graduate attending these meetings.”

Smith made his money in the Mount Airy Granite Quarry and used to tell her tales of his experiences.

He told Burke years ago that he had written a memoir of his life entitled “Memories of a 92-Year-Old Male.” While accurate at that time, she noted he would need to rename his book annually. Smith changed it to ‘Memories of a 94-Year-Old Male’ and left it there. There is one copy of his book in the Mount Airy Library, a gift from of Bob Ferris via Smith.

The Mount Airy Rotary Club has for many years sponsored a teacher and student from Mount Airy High School high to attend the American Freedom Association’s Global Issues trip to the United Nations; the 2023 trip will be the 70th such trip.

Established in 1953 as a movement in support of public education toward world peace, since its founding the American Freedom Association has organized a high school essay and public speaking program and the annual Southeastern World Affairs Institute. The organization has a long-standing relationship with UNC Peace Scholars program sponsored by Rotary International.

Students participate in a 1,000-word essay with the topic is chosen by teachers who participate in the program. The top essay from Mount Airy High then becomes eligible to receive the Oscar Merritt Scholarship that was established by the Mount Airy industrialist in 1953.

Merritt covered a lot of ground in his life of work from operating an orchard, to research and development in textile manufacturing, to land surveying and mapping, to commercial manager in the Caribbean sugar industry. It was written that Merritt, “Ascribed to the theory that if anyone thinks he has an idea that might preserve peace, (they) should be working on that idea 24 hours a day.”

“The boys and girls in our high schools today, tomorrow must take over leadership, not only of our own nation, but to a large extent of the whole world,” he said. “Has any generation ever faced so great a responsibility? Are we giving our young people the information and training they need?”

The winning essay’s author and their teacher then make the trek to New York City to see the sights, tour the United Nations with a tour guide, and receive a briefing from a United Nations official. The top four essays are presented at the United Nations before officials and the top essay received the prestigious Oscar Merritt Scholarship.

Burke was among the students on the 1963 edition of the trip, and she handed out a commemorative brochure that documented the trip each high school’s winner took to New York. It held a photo of “all the delegates that went to the United Nations from this program that was started in Mount Airy by industrialists who felt like we cannot go through another war, it has devastated our country.”

Photos showed the beehive hair styles and thick glasses of the day but more importantly showed the North Carolina delegates up close and personal in the halls of the United Nations. The attended a briefing with a representative of the United Arab Republic to hear his thoughts on the “Israeli-Arab dispute.” At that time, the U.A.R. was the given name to Egypt after Syria withdrew from their partnership in 1961.

Peace remains the mission and the goal today as it was for Smith and those who started the Merritt Scholarship. Burke explained that every year is declared as the “Year of International World Peace” and 2023 is to be no exception. “We were challenged to go back to our clubs and communities and ask that 2023 be declared as the International Year of Peace.”

As a Tarheel, the number 23 jumps out at her for the connection to one Michael Jordan. “We want to make 2023 a year where each of us dedicate ourselves individually, our families, our friends, and everybody we know to a year of international world peace. It does happen to be the year that Michael Jordan turns 60 years old, so there will be a very special celebration on Feb. 17.”

Tonda Phillips leads the local Rotary of Mount Airy and agreed with the notion of spreading peace starting at home, “Rotary still works toward world peace, and it starts right here with our individual members. We all give money per quarter which goes to world projects.”

Burke summarized, “We want everything we do in Rotary to be about the truth, and we want it to be beneficial to all. We want to be the crown Rotarians that are international peacekeepers, and we want to do everything we can to promote peace first with ourselves, our clubs, our city, our community, and our schools.”

In recording deeds, the state of North Carolina does not require that the amount paid for a parcel be stated on the deed. However a tax stamp at the rate of $2 for every $1,000 in value is affixed to each deed.

Recent real estate transfers recorded in the Surry County Register of Deed’s office include:

– Estate of Betty Lou Tucker, Melva T. Spurrier, Betty Lou Tucker, David Raymond Tucker, Raymond David Tucker, Vickie Tucker, Martha Pfaff and Mike Pfaff to Davis Eugene Wall; 2.305 acres PB 41 13 Shoals estate of Betty Lou Tucker file 22 E 265; $650.

– SE 961 Mount Airy, LLC to Horst Filtzer; 0.91 acres PB 32 132; $2,791.

– Pattie Key Griffin Wall to Katherine Frances Pollock, Steven McKinley Pollock and Garrison Edward Pollock; tract one 1.406 acres PB 9 182 tract two 26.25 acres tract three 11.24 acres Pilot; $0.

– Redoak Development, LLC to Kacy Gail Draughn and Justin Michael Aman; 0.734 acres Mount Airy; $330.

– Billy Wayne Cook and Cynthia Rena Cook to Cynthia Rena Cook; quitclaim deed 2.0840 acres lot 5 Downy Brooke subdivision PB 14 120 Pilot; $0.

– Cynthia Rena Cook to Durabull, Inc.; 2.084 acres lot 5 Downy Brooke subdivision PB 14 120 Pilot; $56.

– Bobby Lee Moody to Bonson Allen Moody; tract three PB 28 173 Bryan; $0.

– H. Alden Snow, Penny Snow, Olivia Simpson, Larry R. Simpson, Richard D. Snow, Arlene Snow, Allen D. Snow, Joseph L. Snow, Melissa Snow, Christine L. Snow and Angie C. Snow to Rachel Hinson and Brett Hinson; 3.911 acres PB 19 81 Marsh; $30.

– Shadrach Dakota Newsome and Rachel Lynn Newsome to Johnny R. Marion, Donna B. Marion and Brian Hogan; tract; $180.

– County of Surry and Surry County to Redoak Development, LLC; tract one tract and tract two 0.46 acres 130 Rawley Avenue and Willow Street Mount Airy; $560.

– Phillip J. Nutt Sr. and Nancy D. Nutt to Zenaido Dominguez Macedo; 2.906 acres Mount Airy; $70.

– Robert J. Lovill III, Elizabeth J. Lovill and Allen J. Lovill to CMH Homes, Inc.; 0.86 acres lot 7 subdivision of Ring Creek PB 23 78; $42.

– Carole Snow Simpson to Lucas Ryan Fowler, Jarod Isaiah Fowler and Keegan Elias Fowler; 62 acres Eldora; $0.

– Stacey Ann Kirchner, Roy Dean Slate, David Wayne Slate, Tracy Slate, Jeffery Kirchner and Jeffrey Kirchner to John Joseph Flynn and Brenda May Flynn; 9/10 acres Mount Airy; $262.

– Imogene Shores Hardy to Deborah H. Branch; 0.839 acres tract one and 1.812 acres tract two and 0.335 acres PB 41 7 Dobson; $0.

– Renee Cranfill Hartman, Timothy Hartman and Christopher S. Medley to Teddy Aldean Medley; 0.139 acres tract one and 0.001 acres tract four and 0.067 acres tract five PB 41 14; $0.

– Mildred S. Beal to Gary Franklin Shelton II and Pamela Collins Shelton; 0.276 acres Mount Airy; $0.

– Mildred S. Beal to Michael David Beal and Margaret Legh Beal; .78 acres lot 22 section 2 Fairfield Forest PB 9 12 Mount Airy; $0.

– Janice H. Wilmoth to Stacy G. Hawks and Tangalina M. Hawks; tract one 3.54 acres tract two 5.879 acres Franklin; $674.

– Branco Properties, LLC to HPM3 Properties, LLC; 17.21 acres Mount Airy; $990.

– Denita Bernice Gillespie Trapp, Charles Robb Trapp, Katherine Elizabeth Beasley Gillespie, David Richard Gillespie II and Michelle Gillespie to Daniel W. Norman and Debra Norman; 3.295 acres PB 40 141 Dobson; $340.

– Kurt Jonathan Card to Michael Ray Fielders; lot 1 Jacob Branch property PB 4 105 Mount Airy; $120.

– Durabull Inc. to David P. Conrad and Karen E. Conrad; 2.0840 acres lot 5 Downy Brooke subdivision PB 14 120 Pilot; $82.

– Harold G. Allen and Sandra D. Allen to Maximiliano Soetermans and Meredith A. Soetermans; 0.360 acres tract three; $0.

– Harold G. Allen and Sandra D. Allen to Nikolas Max Soetermans and Sarah Michelle Soetermans; 2.5 acres tract two; $0.

– Richard Adam Gunter and Destiny Gunter to Julia Lane Parker Grant and Christopher Lee Galyean; lot 5 Pine Ridge Acres PB 7 28 141 Reid Flippin Street Mount Airy Stewarts Creek; $240.

– The Susan L. Fulk Living Trust and Susan L. Fulk to Anna Long Nichols; tract Pilot; $0.

– Joshua Ray Sammons and Jennifer Cox Sammons to Jennifer Cox Sammons; North Carolina quitclaim deed .57 acres lot 37 Pine Knolls PB 9 51 Pilot; $0.

– Jennifer Cox Sammons to Matthew P. Giuffre and Valerie R. Giuffre; .57 acres lot 37 Pine Knolls PB 9 51 Pilot; $450.

– Joseph Ferguson and Katie Ferguson to Zachary Puckett and Olivia Puckett; 1.304 acres PB 19 22 Longhill; $480.

– Beverly L. Grubaugh to Marty Gray Westmoreland; unit 212 Lakeview Condominium phase two bk 1 229-232, 239-241, 244, 245 and 249; $252.

– Manuel Contreras to Sonjay Aher and Sujata Aher; 1.21 acres Mount Airy; $820.

– Erikr Price and Samantha Deann Haynes to Guadalupe Castillo; tract Mount Airy; $190.

– Stephen Paul Daniel and Karla Daniel to Christopher Carl Kempton and Whitney Kempton; tract one 14.405 acres tract two 0.924 acres PB 36 89 Eldora; $1,300.

– Mary Alice Brewster to Brent Michael Jones and Kimberly Story Jones; tract one .52 acres and tract two 0.015 acres Pilot; $180.

– Shelby George Blevins II, Theresa Carole Blevins, Anita Maxine Helvey, Varney Lee Helvey, Don’l Franklin Blevins, Teresa Kay Blevins, Melinda Gay Cartwright, Joseph W. Cartwright, Preston Keith Blevins, Rebecca Ann Blevins and Doris Marie Farley to Salvatore Caccavale and Charlene Caccavale; tract; $840.

– George Robert Jenkins Jr. to Brandon Michael Pinnix; 2.311 acres Marsh; $0.

– Elbert V. Owens and Betty L. Owens to Elkin Farm, LLC; 50.49 acres; $900.

– Kenneth Edward Wall and Gayle Wall to Joey Lee Wall; tract one tract two 1 acre tract three 4.45 acres; $0.

– Joey Lee Wall and Doris Wall to Kenneth Edward Wall; three tracts; $0.

– Brian Gammons and Andi Gammons to Coy Lee Atkins; 1.01 acres Eldora; $0.

– Terri Gordon to David Ryan Gordon and Candice Munsell; 50.50 acres Rockford; $540.

– Tim Brymer, Timothy A. Brymer and Paula S. Brymer to Patrick Lee Stevens and Aubrey Marie Stevens; tract one tract and tract two 0.415 acres PB 4 150 Elkin; $710.

– Teresa T. McDonald, Ken McDonald and Kenneth Charles McDonald to Rex Hadley Edwards and Cindy Darken; 0.54 acres Elkin; $685.

– William J. Pence and Linda F. Pence to David C. Rogers and Geraldine Rogers; 2.363 acres; $1,019.

– Joseph Samuel Gentry Jr. and Susan Hamlin Gentry to Ruth Ann Gentry Rigaud; two tracts; $0.

– Michael Gray Easter to Stetson Cruise Zebulon Easter and Michael Gray Easter; tract one .50 acres tract two tract; $0.

– Keith C. Flouhouse and Ann R. Flouhouse to Ronald Keith Earnest and Evelyn Earnest; tract one 1.973 acres lot 7 tract two 3.940 acres lot 8 tract three 1.807 acres lot 1 tract four tract PB 10 48 Mount Airy; $2,300.

– Shree Jalaram Bhoomi, LLC to Crystal Schneider Heis, William George Ingram, Laura Brooke Ingram, Mike Heis, Bill Ingram and Michael Joseph Heis Jr; 50.027 acres tract one and 23.485 acres tract two PB 41 5-6 Marsh; $580.

– Elizabeth J. Hauser, Richard D. Hauser, Preston Joyce and Frankie Joyce to Tonda Renee Phillips; tract South Westfield; $700.

– Imogene Shores Hardy to Hardy Farms of Dobson, LLC; five tracts Bryan; $0.

The following marriage licenses were issued in Surry County:

– Edward Lee Moore, 51, of Surry County to Amy Sue Thompson, 48, of Surry County.

– Chandler Ethan Johnson, 23, of Surry County to Sommer Paige Chilton, 24, of Surry County.

– Angelo Antwoine Hudson, 47, of Franklin County, Ohio, to Sameka Michelle Kebe, 46, of Franklin County.

– Michael Carl Brown, 36, of Surry County to Deanna Nicole Champagne, 35, of Surry County.

– Fred Folger Chatham, 70, of Alleghany County to Teresa Lynn Ray, 53, of Surry County.

– Jose Luis Lozano Moreno, 37, of Surry County to Christal Tonia Slate, 42, of Surry County.

– Keaven Dakota Todd, 27, of Surry County to Katelana Dawn Stanley, 27, of Surry County.

– Mauricio Mendez Julian, 21, of Surry County to Jennifer Macedo, 20, of Yadkin County.

– Ryan Douglas Simmons, 28, of Surry County to Klaudia Gail Tucker, 22, of Surry County.

– Junius Daniel Chatman Jr., 66, of Guilford County to Lisa Carol Urmston, 48, of Surry County.

– Keith O’Brien Martin, 35, of Surry County to Devon Lana Lunn, 43, of Surry County.

The Surry County Community Corrections office is seeking information on the whereabouts of the following individuals:

• Angela Hope Holder, 36, a white female wanted on probation violations who is on probation for possession of a firearm by a felon, felony possession of methamphetamine, felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell/deliver marijuana and use/possession of drug paraphernalia;

• Cynthia Nicole Glass, 34, a white female wanted on a post-release warrant who is on supervision for felony possession of a schedule II controlled substance;

• Cory Lee Sutphin, 32, a white male wanted on probation violations who is on probation for possession of a schedule II controlled substance and driving while license revoked;

• Tyler John Taylor, 28, a white male wanted on probation violations who is on probation for larceny, shoplifting and resisting a public officer.

Anyone with information on any probation absconders, please contact Crime Stoppers at 786-4000 or probation at 719-2705.

View all probation absconders on the internet at http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi and click on absconders. Anyone with information on any probation absconders should contact Crime Stoppers at 786-4000, county probation at 719-2705 or the Mount Airy Police Department at 786-3535.

The first day of summer is only two days away and with the arrival of summer comes the expectation of evening thunderstorms that can be benefactors of the summer garden plot. Sometimes the thunderstorms on summer afternoons are the lifeblood of the garden and lawn during the heat and humidity of summer and the up and coming of Dog Days early in July. A summer thunderstorm has a certain aroma and freshness about it that perks up the garden and gives the lawn a sudden burst of energy. It gives the warm weather crops a boost as they head toward harvest stage. On a hot and humid day, after a thunderstorm, the air takes a turn for the better and is easier to breath.

Feeding the early roses of summer

The roses have bloomed all during the month of May and into June. They now need a boost of food to promote the blooms of summer. Pull off spent blooms and cut back any long canes. Feed the rose bushes with Rose-Tone organic rose food and water them to allow the food to soak into the soil. Water roses each week with the water wand in shower mode. Check roses for mites, insects and Japanese beetles and spray to control them.

Cucumbers hiding under the vines

The cucumbers are at harvest stage and they grow quickly in the warm temperatures of mid June. The foliage matches the color of the cucumbers as they hide under the spreading vines. Make a double effort to find them before they get to large to harvest and turn yellow. Use a rake to pull back the foliage and search under the leaves for the elusive cucumbers.

Feeding tomatoes for a harvest

Many tomato plants have already passed bloom stage and are forming tiny green tomatoes. Feed them now by side dressing them Tomato-Tone organic tomato food and hilling the food with soil on each side of the row. Water tomatoes at the base of the plants with the water wand in shower mode to prevent mildew when soil is dry and no rain is in the forecast. This will help prevent blossom end rot.

Grass clippings to heat up compost

Some vegetables have passed harvest stage and can be pulled up, mowed over or gathered up and placed in the compost bin or pile. Mowing season is in full swing and this is the time to save those clippings and add them to the compost bin to heat up and decompose garden residue. The summer sun shining down on the compost with the heat of the grass clippings will really make a huge difference in producing compost and mulch all summer long.

Protecting deck furniture from mildew

The thunderstorms of summer will promote mold and mildew on the deck furniture and table. You can prevent this from by mixing a half and half mix of water and chlorine bleach in a glass cleaner spray bottle and applying a spray directly on the deck furniture. Let the sun dry the mixture and the mold and mildew will disappear. You can also use this mixture on vinyl siding.

Use wisdom when watering zinnias

The days and nights of June are getting warmer and zinnias love this time of season. As the zinnias continue to grow and produce more foliage before they reach flower stage be careful when watering rows or beds. Do not spray the foliage because this causes powdery mildew on the leaves. Use a water wand and spray the base of the zinnias. This helps prevent the powder mildew and promote colorful flowers as the season progresses.

Making a creamy Moravian chicken pie

You will need a package of Pillsbury nine inch pie shells, four chicken breasts (cooked and de-boned and cut into chunks), two potatoes (boiled and cubed), one cup of chicken broth, two carrots (peeled, cooked and cubed), one teaspoon salt, three fourth teaspoon poultry seasoning, half teaspoon pepper, one fourth cup plain flour, one fourth cup evaporated milk and half stick light margarine. Mix all ingredients and pour into a pie shell and cover with the other pie crust, bind the edges and cut slits in top of crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. Pie will serve four.

Starting second crop of green beans

With the first crop of green beans ready to harvest it’s time to start the second crop. With June’s warm days and nights, the second crop will quickly grow and be ready for a harvest in mid summer. Not many vegetables are as productive as green beans. Choose from the bush varities of Derby, Top Crop, Tenderette, Strike, Kentucky Wonder Bush and Blue Lake Bush. You can expect a harvest in 65 to 70 days.

Lima beans will quickly grow in warm June soil

Lima beans are a vegetable that quickly thrives in very warm temperatures. You can choose from varities of Henderson Bush, Thorogreen, Fordhook 242 and Dixie Butterpea. Most will require a 70- to 75-day maturity date. Once the beans sprout, apply Plant-Tone organic vegetable food on each side of the row and hill up soil on both sides of the row to cover the plant food. Water every week when no rain is in the forecast.

A beautiful product of the days of summer is the rainbow that appears in the eastern sky after a summer thunderstorm. They are especially beautiful when they appear in a background of dark gray clouds that make the rainbow glow with a bright sunshine reflecting of the clouds and giving an unusual glow to the brilliance of the bow in the clouds.

Late June and the arrival of fireflies

What is as rare as a day in June, except a June night filled with fireflies? We are hoping for a bountiful summer of the firefly. These amber tailed insects are one of the highlights of summer nights. Some years are better than others for them and we hope this will be their very brightest year. At my grandmas house in Northampton County when we were kids, she lived in the wide open country where there were no city lights or street lights, but plenty of lights from many thousands of fireflies or lighting bugs as she called them.

Starting late tomato plants from seed

As we move toward July, it’s time to begin a packet or two of late, late tomato plants for an early and a late autumn tomato harvest. The seeds of autumn tomatoes should be determinate varities such as Celebrity, Marglobe, Rutgers, Homestead and Early Girl. Determinant mean varities that will produce without necessarily having to install cages, stakes or other supports. They are great for autumn because you can cover plants with layers of straw or grass clippings. To start late tomatoes, use two medium sized pots (one quart size) and a bag of starting medium. Measure out enough of the medium to fill the quart pots and allow a handful of medium per pot to cover the seed. Add water to moisten the medium and fill the two pots within a half inch from the top. In one pot, sprinkle the seed of one variety and in other pot the seed of another variety and label the pots with tomato varities. Sprinkle seeds in pots and cover with potting medium. Water seed with a mist of water from a spray bottle everyday. Keep tomatoes away from direct sunlight such as a carport. In about ten days, they will have developed two leaves. Transplant to individual pots and water each day. They should be ready to transplant in garden plot in mid August. Keep pots out of direct sunlight.

Keeping birdbaths filled with cool water

The days are getting warmer and birds are active finding food and building nests. The summer sun heats up the water in the birdbaths and evaporates a lot of it. Empty water in afternoon and refill with cool fresh water. With a fresh water supply the birds will return many times during the day.

“Pieces of thoughtfulness.” A tightwad was looking for a gift for a friend. Everything he saw was too expensive except for a glass vase that had been broken, which he could purchase for a small price. He asked the clerk to mail it to the friend, hoping the friend would think it got broken in the mail. The next week, he received a letter from the friend. The letter said, “Thanks for the vase, it was so thoughtful of you to wrap each piece separately.”

Trumpets and turmoil. A man complained to his landlord about renters in the apartment above him. Every night they stomp on the floor and shout until midnight. The landlord said, “Do they bother you?” The renter said, “No, not really, I practice on my trumpet until about that same time every night.”

Books available for check-out at the Mount Airy Public Library:

The Element of Love – Mary Connealy

A View Most Glorious – Regina Scott

One Damn Thing After Another – William Barr

The Atlas of Disappearing Places – Christina Conklin and Marina Psaros

The summer programming is underway, lasting through Aug. 8. Explore the theme of the week through stories, crafts, games and more. Spaces are limited for some events, call or come by to register to secure a spot. Call 336-789-5108. The schedule is:

• Monday at 6 p.m. – teens, ages 13-17, pizza will be provided, bring your own drink;

• Tuesday at 2 p. m. – kids ages 8-12;

• Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. – Toddler Time for children ages 2 and 3;

• Thursday at 9:30 a.m. – Book Babies for children ages birth to 2 years old;

• Thursday at 11 a.m. – Preschool Storytime – ages 4-5;

• Friday at 9 a.m. – Adults, age 18 and older;

• Friday at 1 p.m. – Family Movie Series, popcorn and water will be available. Feel free to bring your own snacks.

• July 21 at 4:30 p.m. Brightstar Children’s Theatre Presents “Treasure Island.” Get a crash course on this Robert Louis Stevenson classic tale of treasure, pirates and ocean adventure. For all ages.

Book Bag Giveaway. This summer, each time you check out books, put your name in the box at the check-out deks to win a bookbag full of school supplies. The drawing will be Friday, August 5.

Top Reader. The top reader of the summer, the one who turns in the most reading logs, with the most time read will win a Kindle. This contest is for youth ages 8 – 18. Turn in all reading logs by August 5.

Surry Community College is offering a fun and free English as Second Language (ESL) class at the Mount Airy Public Library Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Anyone interested should contact Jennifer Pardue at 336-386-3674.

Hooked – Come join our crochet and knitting club, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. Bring your own yarn and make the group project or bring your own project to work on.

Tai Chi has returned to the library. Join us each Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. This class is beneficial for those with limited mobility.

The Community Book Club meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. This month we will be reading The Mapmaker’s Children by Sarah McCoy.

Pages and Petticoats Book Club — meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. This month we are reading A Room With a View by E.M. Forster. At our meeting we will watch the 1985 film adaptation.

Classic Movie Monday on June 27 at 5:30 p.m. will feature The Incredible Mr. Limpet, starring Don Knotts.

Keep up with all events on our FaceBook pages, https://www.facebook.com/groups/fmapl and https://www.facebook.com/mtapublibrary or our website https://nwrlibrary.org/mountairy/

The chaotic scene looked like a horror movie – severe head injuries, sucking chest wound, impalement of steel rod to am abdomen, a spinal cord injury, a femur fracture, facial lacerations, a shoulder dislocation, bleeding from a radial artery laceration, a nasal fracture, and bilateral forearm fractures.

Victims yelled – “Please help me. I can’t move my leg. What happened?” Their shrill screams echoed through the Angus J. Tucker Baseball Field at Surry Community College in Dobson as some victims walked around aimlessly, confused and injured. Others remained silently on the ground, while others yelped in pain.

An area that is normally filled with Surry Knights baseball players and fans had become the simulation for a medical emergency involving a bleacher collapse with 10 victims, nine alive and one deceased.

The victims were identified with paperwork detailing medical stats such as blood pressure and heart rate along with symptoms. The nursing and paramedic students did not know what they would encounter that morning as part of this emergency medical simulation until they arrived on the scene.

“Though we had just taught trauma to these students in the past few weeks, they now had to apply, not only those skills recently learned, but the skills they have gained over the last 20 months in a disaster simulation that was in an uncontrolled/uncertain environment,” said Dr. Andrea Underwood, SCC nurse educator, who organized the simulation.

“The nursing students were first on the scene of the disaster and given only limited supplies, so they had to think outside of the box of acute ways to stabilize the patients before EMS arrived with much needed medical equipment,” she said. “Improvising would be a good word to use here to describe how the nursing students had to react to care for their victims. They also had to use critical thinking in how to triage the patients correctly. Who was the most critical? Who was the most stable? Who could not be saved?

“Two nursing students, Johnny Collins and Savannah Atkins, were first on the scene as they were the primary and secondary survey nurses. They were responsible for assessing and triaging the patients correctly. The remaining group of senior nursing students joined soon after to provide the necessary care for the victims.”

The college’s cosmetology students had spent a couple hours that morning preparing the victims by performing moulage, which is a technique in which special effects makeup is used to create wounds and injuries in a fabricated environment.

“The simulation I participated in along with my nursing classmates was a wonderful opportunity for putting our critical thinking skills to the test,” Atkins said. “We nursing students did not have much knowledge on what the scenario would be like or what to expect, making it that much more thrilling. It was wonderful testing our knowledge on how well we could quickly perform a primary survey and determine which patients were the most critical and needed to be attended to first. Along with testing our critical thinking skills, we also had to make sure our emergency assessment and intervention skills were up to par.

“Between having realistic looking and acting victims performed by Surry Community’s cosmetology students, the collaboration of EMS students, multiple bystanders, and family member actors, the simulation felt like we were in a real-life disaster scenario. I found this simulation very beneficial and exciting.”

Nursing student Johnny Collins of Ararat, Virginia, added, “I was unsure of what to expect on this exercise, but I was pleasantly surprised. I thought that this was a fun way for my fellow classmates and I to utilize our skills and practice assessing victims with different types of medical problems. I sincerely hope that the college continues to offer this experience for their medical students in the future.”

SCC Cosmetology Instructor Wendy Billings led her students in performing the moulage on the victims.

“The Cosmetology Department is always excited about doing simulations with the EMT students and the nursing students. It gives those involved a chance to interact with each other and to show off their abilities in the career that they love. I’m so proud of my class,” Billings said.

“I really enjoyed doing the makeup. It was a good learning experience for me,” said cosmetology student Elisabeth Maya of Harmony.

Cosmetology student Renee Kirkman of Mount Airy added, “I was previously in the medical field. It was a different experience being on the opposite end of the spectrum. I was a wounded victim in the simulation. I felt that everyone involved was professional and took it seriously.”

Kenneth Vaught, coordinator of the Emergency Medical Program for SCC, summed up the training event.

“This was an exceptional opportunity for our students to experience a mass casualty incident where there was a large audience, several people providing treatment prior to their arrival, and how they interacted with and used those bystanders. It was also great to see the inter-cooperation of multiple departments of Surry Community College working together to develop and implement such a tremendous event for our students,” he said.

High school tour groups from Elkin High School and Surry Central High School were able to watch the simulation as part of their visit to SCC. Faculty from nursing, cosmetology and EMS programs also observed.

“These types of projects show how important teamwork is among the professions of EMS and nursing when providing care. These two medical professions will forever work closely together to provide extraordinary care to those in our communities long after they have completed their degree from SCC,” Underwood said.

A debriefing was provided to students by Dr. Doug Underwood, director of SCC’s Emergency Medical Programs, and Dr. Andrea Underwood to provide feedback about the simulation.

“We discussed what went right, what went wrong, and how we could improve patient care in these types of situations,” she said. “I would like to thank Dr. Doug Underwood for working closely with me on the project to make it a successful day for all those involved. I am grateful for the hard work put in by cosmetology, nursing and EMS programs and for taking time to make this such a great experience for all those involved.”

• A woman listed as homeless was jailed under a $50,000 secured bond Thursday on a long list of charges including being a fugitive from justice, according to Mount Airy Police Department reports.

April Leann Taylor, 43, was encountered by officers at Walmart during a larceny investigation and subsequently arrested as a fugitive from Montgomery County, Virginia, where she is wanted on an unspecified matter. Taylor also is accused locally of possession of a Schedule II controlled substance (methamphetamine), a felony; possession of a stolen vehicle; resisting, delaying or obstructing a public officer; aiding and abetting a larceny; second-degree trespassing; and possession of drug paraphernalia.

In connection with the same incident, Ashley Hutton Norman, 41, also listed as homeless, was charged with larceny and possession of stolen goods from Walmart, identified as men’s clothing, seat covers, fishing supplies and cooking items with a total value of $591 which were recovered.

Taylor is scheduled to be in Surry District Court on July 11 and Norman, July 15.

• Regina Lynne Taylor, 47, of Galax, Virginia, was charged with substitution of price Wednesday after an incident at the Goodwill store on Rockford Street, where she allegedly placed a $5 price tag on a mini-shelf with a higher value. She is facing a July 11 appearance in District Court.

• A license plate, number TCD8763, was discovered stolen Monday from a 1988 Nissan D21 pickup owned by J.C. Luther Ramzy Hatcher, which was taken while the vehicle was at Hatcher’s residence on Banner Street.

• A break-in was discovered on June 10 at the home of Jonathan Wayne Edmonds on Maple Street, which was entered after a window pane was removed. A Midea window-unit air conditioner, black in color and valued at $178, was listed as stolen.

With the 2021-22 school year now complete, The News is recognizing the local student-athletes that were presented with All-Conference Honors for their respective sports during the spring.

Mount Airy competes in the Northwest 1A Conference (NW1A), Millennium Charter Academy competes in the Northwest Piedmont 1A Conference (NWPC), and East Surry, North Surry and Surry Central all compete in the Foothills 2A Conference (FH2A).

All-Conference Honorable Mentions will include (HM) following the selection’s name.

East Surry – Anderson Badgett, Bradley Davis (FH2A Golfer of the Year), Jace Goldbach, Chase Harris, Connor Key (FH2A Championship Medalist)

Millennium Charter – did not field a golf team

Mount Airy – Eli Morrison, Avery Poindexter, Brooks Sizemore, Chapman Utt (HM), Mason Varney (HM)

Surry Central – Reece Hanson, Adam Hege, Nathan Narewood (HM), Wesley Whitaker (HM)

East Surry won both the regular season and conference tournament championships in the Foothills 2A Conference. The Cardinals’ Bradley Davis was named FH2A Player of the Year, Connor Key was the medalist of the conference tournament and Darrin Haywood was named FH2A Coach of the Year.

East Surry went on to win the 2A Midwest Regional Championship as a team. Anderson Badgett was the medalist at the regional championship.

East concluded its season by winning the 2A State Championship. Individually, Davis finished State Runner-up.

Mount Airy finished second in the NW1A regular season standings and second at the conference tournament. Brooks Sizemore was the Bears’ low scorer for the regular season, and Sizemore and Avery Poindexter tied for the team’s top score at the NW1A Championship.

The Granite Bears finished fifth as a team at the 1A West Regional Championship. Sizemore tied for 17th overall at regionals.

North Surry finished fourth in the FH2A regular season standings and third at the conference tournament. Brody York had the Greyhounds’ best score through seven regular season matches and finished sixth overall at the FH2A Championship.

York competed in the 2A Midwest Regional Championship for the Greyhounds and tied for 22nd.

Surry Central finished third in the FH2A regular season standings and fourth at the conference championship. Reece Hanson had the Golden Eagles’ best score through seven regular season matches, and Adam Hege was the team’s top scorer at the FH2A Championship.

Central qualified for the 2A Midwest Regional Championship as a team and finished seventh, with Hege leading the way by tying for 11th. Hege represented the Eagles at the 2A State Championship where he finished tied for No. 72.

Frank Fleming is known for drawing legions of fans during his distinguished career in modified racing, and Thursday night a crowd gathered at the Municipal Building to support Fleming in a regulatory dispute with the city government.

It involves a sign he wants to display at a site on Merita Street off U.S. 52-North where a new Frank Fleming Body Shop and Collision Center is being developed. This represents a $2 million expansion of his present longtime location on Springs Road near radio stations WPAQ/WSYD just outside the city limits.

The expansion also will create nine or 10 new jobs in addition to his present force of about 10 employees, Fleming said during a public forum at a meeting of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners.

However, the project — which involves the now-rundown site of a former Winn-Dixie supermarket — is being hindered by another city board’s decision disallowing Fleming’s use of an existing sign displayed by the grocery business before it closed. The body shop owner has sought to re-purpose it in order to draw attention to his new operation.

He has been barred from doing so through a recent vote by a powerful group known as the Mount Airy Zoning Board of Adjustment — a quasi-judicial administrative body whose decisions affect private property rights to the same extent as court rulings.

Its decision is based on a relatively new sign ordinance approved by the commissioners in 2016 whereby signage for new businesses in the city may be no taller than 15 feet. Those already existing were grandfathered in under the measure.

Fleming is appealing the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s ruling to Surry County Superior Court, which is scheduled to hear the case in September, based on information revealed Thursday night.

In the meantime, Fleming, his brother Chris, also a longtime modified racer, and a throng of supporters made their way to City Hall in an effort to have the commissioners approve some amendment to the ordinance or other action allowing him to utilize the sign.

“This will enable me to use an existing sign that is in good condition,” he said during the public forum of Thursday night’s meeting, when the issue was not on the agenda for regular board consideration.

Chris Fleming also spoke on the matter during the forum, recalling how his brother had eyeballed the Merita Street property numerous times when they passed by it, and expressed interest in buying and improving the site.

“We know how bad the property looks now,” Chris Fleming said. “Frank bought the property — but he didn’t know about the sign (restriction).”

Chris also pointed to a safety concern posed by the lack of a tall sign to direct people to the body shop, in which motorists who miss the turn at Merita Street near McDonald’s would have to continue along U.S. 52 and double back to the business. This would require turning into busy lanes of fast-moving vehicles.

“I’m asking you to help Frank help the community,” Chris said of how the sign could contribute to the body shop’s success and aid improvement overall.

The crowd of supporters applauded the brothers’ position and stood up at one point to highlight their numbers.

The Mount Airy Board of Commissioners took no vote on the matter Thursday night, conforming to a regular practice in which issues raised during public forums are not considered during the same meeting. But they agreed to place the matter on the agenda for another meeting on July 21.

In the meantime, city officials did express a desire to find a solution to the impasse and prevent Fleming and the municipality from incurring huge expenses required by a court fight.

“Reasonable people can come up with reasonable answers,” Mayor Ron Niland said.

Niland wasn’t on the city council when the updated sign regulations were adopted in 2016, and said it wouldn’t hurt to have that package reviewed. “Looking at it is a good thing.”

Commissioner Steve Yokeley, who was on the board when the sign measure was approved and voted in favor of it, offered a similar view.

“I thought we had a good ordinance at the time,” Yokeley said, but added that this doesn’t mean it couldn’t be changed.

Commissioner Jon Cawley, who lobbied for the placement of the matter on the July 21 meeting agenda, was more stern in his take on the situation.

“I hope we can find a solution that will be pro-business,” Cawley said. “It never should have gotten to this point.”

One parting remark by Cawley regarding regulations also drew applause from the audience: “What’s good for the city also should be good for the citizens.” Cawley told Fleming that he deserved all the support exhibited Thursday night.

Commissioner Tom Koch also spoke highly of Fleming, saying his body shop had done a great job repairing his car after it was sideswiped while parked.

Still, Niland and other officials emphasized Thursday night that the board can’t just snap its figures and help Fleming without going through proper channels.

Since an ordinance already on the books is involved, changing it would require certain steps including a public hearing, according to the mayor.

Commissioner Joe Zalescik also reminded that an active appeal is under way. “I don’t think we as commissioners should interfere with that,” he said.

“One of the big issues in Mount Airy is signage.”

Support for Frank Fleming’s request also has come from an external source.

While she was unable to attend Thursday night’s meeting, Deborah Cochran, a former mayor and city commissioner, issued a statement to that effect.

“This property has been unsightly over the years and now Frank is bringing it back to life,” Cochran wrote regarding the Merita Street location.

“I wholeheartedly support an amendment to the existing sign ordinance,” added the former city official, who is a candidate for at-large commissioner in this year’s municipal election. “Highway 52 is a thoroughfare and the amendment would allow businesses located 300 feet back off the highway to have a taller sign.”

Cochran expressed confidence that Fleming would make sure it is refurbished in a professional manner.

“Frank has been dealing with this issue for months,” she wrote.

“He moves at lightning speed on the race track — I hope each commissioner will move fast on June 16th and approve this amendment, so Frank can continue taking care of business.”

So much changed over the past two years as the global pandemic occupied much of the collective time and attention of Americans. The landscape of the workforce changed during COVID-19 as many employers allowed, and employees gladly accepted, the chance to work remotely.

Melissa Hiatt, director of the United Fund of Surry, said this week that shift to remote work impacted her ability to raise money from workplace campaigns. Fewer workers in the building led to lower participation rates which in turn led to lower goals. The workplace campaigns are an essential component of the fundraising conducted by the United Fund of Surry to aid their mission in support of two dozen other groups.

In a new move meant to provide an additional opportunity for local businesses to offer support to the United Fund while also offering maximum exposure for themselves, businesses may now opt to be a United Fund Partner for the entire slate of events.

In years past this included sponsorship opportunities for the Downtown Rocks and Runs 5k & 10k and the Greater Granite Open golf tournament. Hiatt and her team added in an adult Easter egg hunt this year which is planned to expand next year. Now, there is a plan for an exciting new event in January – a Bourbon Bonanza – details are still forthcoming she said.

The new United Fund Partner plan will allow a one-time donation to be made that will then splash the sponsoring businesses name all over print donation materials handed out for the workplace campaigns; event flyers, and the United Fund’s social media, “They get to be part of the marketing for the whole campaign,” Hiatt advised.

She sees the new program as a chance to expand the marketing reach of both the United Fund and the sponsoring businesses. Furthermore, the partnership will allow these businesses to plan out their marketing through the year with these events in mind which can allow for more targeted spending as needed.

Above and beyond the business promotion, partnerships also come with goodies for the businesses to use as they see fit including multiple entries into the downtown races, the golf tournament, and a dinner on the evening of the bourbon auction. “These can be for vendors, for employees, for incentives – whatever they want to do,” Hiatt said.

There are places to have a business name added to signage, gift baskets, mile markers during the foot race, as well as golf and beverage carts at the golf tournament.

With partnership levels starting at $1,600 for the whole year she feels there will be a giving level for anyone who wants to participate. Individual sponsorship opportunities will remain because, “Some people want to stay right where they are,” finance manager of the United Fund of Surry, Paula Hiatt, said.

Recently both Hiatts, no relation, along with leaders of the member organizations of the United Fund looked over the Impact Report from 2021 to see how they were able to serve the people of Surry County. Under the umbrella of United Fund are found 25 organizations broken into four categories: crisis, seniors, medical and family and youth.

For the report year 2021 United Fund organizations aided 26,458 residents of Surry County in delivering 103,537 units of service. Some people utilize more than one of the services provided by member organizations. Consider when a child is helped by Surry Friends of Youth and is a member of Girl Scouts. She is counted only once but the services she received are counted individually to provide a more accurate representation.

Melissa Hiatt said that total is nearly one-third of the population of Surry County having received at least one benefit from a member organization of the United Fund. They used the volunteer hours of 1,172 people in 2021 to deliver 60,748 hours of service. That saves Surry County $1,733,749 in savings for services the county would have offered, but United Fund organizations instead provided.

For a suite of services that is used by one-third of the county, it could be reasonable to assume a similar percentage are making donations to the United Fund. Hiatt informed that the number is closer to 3% of the population who donate.

The pandemic may have changed the face of fundraising but the needs of the people of Surry County have not gone away, in fact they are increasing and changing in scope. More services are needed by senior citizens and that may be the trend going forward as the area population quickly ages.

Hiatt reminds the public that no matter what the needs may be a donation, sponsorship, or partnership with the United Fund of Surry “is an investment in the community.”

The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History will be holding two commemorations on Sunday — a Juneteenth celebration and Rotary Family Fun Day

The annual Juneteenth Celebration will be from 1 to 4 p.m.

“This celebration will be free to the public and will be held in the museum courtyard,” museum officials said. “We will have a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, games and activities, a children’s craft table, live music, and even a new walking tour. The walking tour maps will be free to public and they are a self-guided tour of black history here in downtown Mount Airy.”

The day coincides with the museum’s first Rotary Family Fun Day of the season where admission to the public and activities are free “thanks to a grant from the Rotary Club of Mount Airy,” officials said. “Anyone is welcome to tour the museum and partake in the Juneteenth festivities for no charge during this event.”

Anyone with questions can contact the museum at mamrh@northcarolinamuseum.org, by calling 336-786-4478, or by stopping by at 301 N. Main St.

Mount Airy High School hosted the Northwest Basketball Academy June 13-16.

Campers ranging from rising third graders to rising ninth graders filled both of Mount Airy’s gyms for four days of basketball. The camp was led by varsity boys coach Bryan Hayes, varsity assistant coaches, JV and middle school coaches as well as various current/former basketball players.

Campers engaged in daily competitions and competed for camp records. Campers were divided into three divisions by age: ACC, NBA and JV.

Individual competition winners are listed below by division:

Consecutive free throws: Jaylan Brim (6)

3-Pointers in a Minute: Griffin Key (9)

Chippy Drill: Griffin Key/Kannon Gardner (25)

Four Cone Combine: Trey Fussell (14.47 seconds)

17-Second Drill: Gavin Norman (18.33 seconds)

3-Ball Dribble: Kannon Gardner (19.51 seconds)

Mikan Makes in a Minute: Cole Wright (22)

Most Outstanding Camper: Jaylan Brim

Consecutive free throws: Gavin Frazier (7)

3-Pointers in a Minute: Rowen Fitzgibbons (13)

Chippy Drill: Rowen Fitzgibbons/Cohen Brinkley (29)

Four Cone Combine: Ty Hemic (13.47 seconds)

17-Second Drill: McKennon Hiatt (15.15 seconds)

3-Ball Dribble: Anderson Moore (19.66 seconds)

Mikan Makes in a Minute: Rowen Fitzgibbons (34)

Most Outstanding Camper: Corbin Kerley

Consecutive free throws: Ian Cox (9)

3-Pointers in a Minute: Ian Cox (16)

Chippy Drill: Taeshon Martin/Zach Goins (28)

Four Cone Combine: Scott Moore (15.81 seconds)

17-Second Drill: Taeshon Martin (15.02 seconds)

3-Ball Dribble: Zach Goins (10.56 seconds)

Mikan Makes in a Minute: John David Bunke (35)

Hotshot Champion: John David Bunke

Two-in-a-Row Champion: John David Bunke

Most Outstanding Camper: Ian Cox

Though their journey into adulthood is just beginning, students in Surry County already have struck gold by being selected to receive scholarships potentially totaling $14,000.

The eight recipients involved are among 215 rural North Carolina students overall who were tapped for academic aid from the Golden LEAF Foundation based in Rocky Mount. Those students, double the number locally who received that assistance in 2021, were selected out of a pool of more than 1,600 applicants.

Recently graduated high school seniors entering college as first-year students are each eligible for a $3,500 Golden LEAF Scholarship annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at a participating four-year North Carolina college or university. Community college transfer students are eligible for $3,500 a year for up to three years of undergraduate study.

The local scholarship winners include Michelle Bedolla-Villalobos of Surry Early College High School, who will be attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Haley Chilton, an East Surry High School graduate bound for N.C. State University; Victoria Griffin of Surry Early College High School of Design, who will attend UNC-Chapel Hill; Alberto Hernandez of Surry Early College High School, headed for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte;

Also, Meaghan Pell of Forsyth Technical Community College, who will attend Appalachian State University; Sebastian Sanchez-Aguilar, a recent Surry Central High School graduate bound for N.C. State University; Dante Watson, another Surry Central student who will continue her studies at N.C. State; and Christopher White, a Surry Early College High School of Design graduate who’ll also do so at N.C. State.

The Golden LEAF Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1999 to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding from a 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers.

Its mission has included working worked to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities through leadership in grantmaking, collaboration, innovation and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation.

The Golden LEAF Foundation established the Golden LEAF Scholarship Program to broaden educational opportunities and provide support to students from rural counties with the goal that after graduation recipients will return and contribute back to those communities. The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) administers the program and selects students for awards.

Scholarship recipients from rural, tobacco-dependent or economically distressed North Carolina counties are chosen based on career and educational goals, a review of school and community service activities, academic performance, length of residence in the county and expressed intent to contribute to the state’s rural communities upon graduation from college.

“My sincerest congratulations to Michelle, Haley, Victoria, Alberto, Meaghan, Sebastian, Dante and Christopher for earning this award,” state Rep. Sarah Stevens of Mount Airy said in a statement. “I’m sure you will put in the hard work to help you accomplish your goals — we need students like you to help our rural communities thrive.”

“Congratulations to the students from Surry County for receiving this award,” state Rep. Kyle Hall, whose 91st House District includes it along with Stokes and Rockingham counties, said in a statement.

The students tapped for scholarships “have already demonstrated leadership and strong academic performance,” Hall added. “Receiving a Golden LEAF Scholarship is a great honor and these students should be proud of their accomplishment.”

“We are proud to award scholarships to hardworking and bright students with deep roots in their rural communities,” stated Scott T. Hamilton, Golden LEAF Foundation president and chief executive officer.

“We look forward to the future success of these scholarship recipients as they follow their educational pursuits and develop into North Carolina’s next generation of rural leaders.”

The State Employees Credit Union Foundation recently awarded eighteen $500 scholarships to Surry Community College students.

Seven scholarship recipients are Nurse Aide (CNA) students. They are Samantha Lunsford of East Bend; Diana Hernandez of Hamptonville; Ellen Bryant, Kassidy Dollyhite, Ellie Niston and Bella Purcaru of Mount Airy; and Alexandra Flores-Ruiz of Yadkinville.

Three scholarship recipients are Emergency Medical Technician students. They are Tabitha Nicholson of Dobson; Kristi Hogan of Lexington; and Elizabeth Penley of Statesville.

The scholarship presentation was made during a Board of Trustees meeting on May 9. Dr. David Shockley, president of Surry Community College, presented checks to the recipients.

An additional eight scholarships were given to students in the Truck Driver Training program. The recipients are Juan Negrete of Dobson; Isaac Midkiff of King; Terrell King and Autumn Pingree of Mount Airy; Austin Simpson of Pinnacle; Sherry Hawks of State Road; John White of Walnut Cove; and Matthew Martinez of Winston-Salem.

The SECU Foundation established a major scholarship program to assist students in each of the 58 community colleges in the North Carolina Community College System under the Bridge to Career Program. These $500 scholarships are designed to remove financial barriers for students seeking to obtain state-regulated or industry-recognized credentials that lead to sustainable wage careers within their communities.

Mount Airy officials approved an $18.4 million budget for the city Thursday night over the objections of one councilman who complained about a lack of discussion over the 2022-23 spending plan and related issues.

The municipal budget for the upcoming fiscal year that begins on July 1, adopted in a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Jon Cawley dissenting, keeps the property tax rate at 60 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The charge for water and sewer service also is unchanged.

While the $18.4 million general fund package — which does not include Mount Airy’s water-sewer operation — is the same figure first proposed when the preliminary budget was unveiled last month, it does reflect a recent addition.

That involves an expenditure totaling $201,150 in appropriations for the Surry Arts Council ($87,500), Mount Airy Public Library ($103,650) and Mount Airy Museum of Regional History ($10,000), an annual provision that had been omitted in the preliminary budget.

Ongoing city funding next year for the Mount Airy Rescue Squad, $10,000, and Mount Airy-Surry County Airport, $20,000, wasn’t slashed.

The Mount Airy Board of Commissioners restored the funding to the other agencies after a crowd showed up at its previous meeting on June 2 to object to the cuts specifically for the arts group and museum. In the case of the library and Surry Arts Council, which occupy buildings owned by the city government, structural improvements eyed for those are planned which apparently were meant to make the loss of the annual allocations more palatable.

City Manager Stan Farmer explained Thursday night that to avoid increasing the budget to accommodate the extra $201,150, a capital improvement fund was decreased to provide the extra funding and keep the bottom-line numbers the same.

“We added, but we took away,” Farmer said.

The general fund budget for 2022-23 is about 24% higher than that adopted last June for the present fiscal year that ends on June 30, totaling $14.9 million.

It includes $3.2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act, COVID-relief funding allocated to Mount Airy which is reflected in the overall budget and largely targeted for facility improvements and equipment additions among the various municipal departments.

The passage of the budget Thursday night was accompanied by sharp criticism by Commissioner Cawley over how the city budgetary process was handled and the future financial outlook.

He charged that there was a lack of public discussion on the spending plan, pointing to the fact no budget workshop was conducted. In recent years, Mount Airy officials have held such a special meeting, sometimes lasting several hours, to hammer out various details, but this year other city leadership opted not to do so, Cawley said.

“It’s something we’ve always had,” said the North Ward commissioner and mayoral candidate, who added that he never failed to learn key facts during those sessions and is “disappointed” that none occurred this year.

“I have missed that process very much,” Cawley said of the void left behind. “It’s not acceptable to me.”

The dissenting councilman also raised concerns about how this year’s inflated budget package might adversely impact the city property tax rate for the 2023-24 fiscal year in terms of a possible increase.

Cawley mentioned that there will be some carryover expense from the American Rescue Plan Act projects, and also cited a $1,500 raise for full-time municipal employees in the 2022-23 budget which will be ongoing. He questioned if this situation is sustainable over time.

“And I really want an answer.”

In reaction to Cawley’s comments, fellow council members said they were satisfied with the budget process led by the city manager, to whom some of Cawley’s criticisms were leveled.

“I think it’s a good budget going forward,” Mayor Ron Niland said.

The mayor also believes the package just passed won’t necessarily affect the 2023-24 budget, as argued by Cawley.

“What we do next year will be next year,” Niland said.

“The budget is not really dependent on past years and it doesn’t really depend on future years.”

The city manager also weighed in on that issue, indicating that higher-than-normal spending this coming year because of the injection of federal dollars shouldn’t be the case for 2023-24 and there’s no real reason to think taxes will rise.

“There could be other efficiencies, other revenue sources,” Farmer said, which could be in play and offset any need for a property tax increase.

The mayor, who is running to retain his seat against Cawley this year, also referred to comments by Cawley directed toward Farmer.

“I think we need to be a little kinder when we take on city staff,” said Niland, who expressed support for the job Farmer is doing.

East Surry High School hosted the school’s 2022 Boys Basketball Camp on June 14-16.

Dozens of young men came out to the camp during its three-day run. The camp was led by varsity boys coach Chad Motsinger, varsity assistant Bradley Davis and an array of current/former players as well as guest counselors.

Campers took part in various individual and team competitions, drills and received instruction from guest speakers.

In addition to daily awards, the following awards were given out at the conclusion of the camp:

Camper of the Week: Jay Wright

Outstanding Cardinal Camper, Middle School: Talon Mason

Outstanding Cardinal Camper, Elementary School: Declan Tilley

Hot Shot Champion: Davis Seivers

Free Throw Champion: Easton Sallee

Mikan Drill Champion: Weston Dean

Summer has always kicked off in June which just so happens to be National Great Outdoors Month. A classic spot in my mind that provides relaxation, fun, and adventure is none other than the local cave, Devil’s Den.

Devil’s Den is not some hole in the ground, it’s a local feature that has promoted tourism for more than a century, assisted in early navigation and transportation, potentially housed fugitives, inspired folklore and stories passed down over generations, provided habitat for a host of unique wildlife, and so much more.

The cave is hidden right off the Blue Ridge Parkway on the south-facing side of the mountain in neighboring Fancy Gap, Virginia, a few miles north of North Carolina. When I say Devil’s Den, most people only think of the cave system. In reality, the cave lies within the roughly 250-acre Devil’s Den Nature Preserve on top of Harris Mountain. To know the whole story though you truly have to start at the beginning.

Millions of years ago, the shifting of tectonic plates pushed rocks up into the Blue Ridge Mountains that we see today, and some rocks at Devil’s Den have been dated as being 600 million years old. The cave is unique in that it formed due to the collision of the Appalachian and Piedmont rock encrustations which means rocks forming the mountains hit rocks forming the hills. That collision is why some rocks stand 40-50 feet tall around the cave and some have created gaps big enough for us to fit in to explore. The rocks of the cave are also interesting as they are made up primarily of metamorphic schist and granite and also include features such as several solid bands of quartz.

Shifts in the earth have closed off certain passageways over time, and there is no real record of just how big or deep the cave is. What is well known is there is an old ladder leading down on the left side. You can also eventually exit the cave further down the mountain following the creek.

There’s more to the nature preserve than just the cave though, there are also hiking trails. Today you can take a short hike along the Good Spur Trail, which is actually a part of the roadbed for the original Good Spur Road. Before the creation of the Fancy Gap Highway, the passage up and down the mountain was extremely difficult.

As interest in traveling west picked up in the late 1700s, the need for roads that could handle wagon travel began to pick up. These early mountain roads would seem more like a dirt trail to us today, but they were a big difference at the time. Flower Gap Road, first officially documented in May of 1750, along with the Good Spur Road, which was first documented in 1786, were two of the earliest established mountain roads in the area.

Aside from families traveling west, these roads were also important to farmers such as Robert S. Harris, whose family gave Harris Mountain its name. Robert Harris once lived on the land that is now the Devil’s Den Nature Preserve, and remnants of his old farm home built in the late 1800s are still part of the property. The land was passed down eventually to Edward Harris Carlan who donated the land to the public.

When visiting the cave, it’s interesting to remember that tourism has been bringing people there for more than a hundred years, since the 1890s in fact. During this time, they even had guided tours down into the cave that allowed visitors to travel hundreds of feet down.

It became a tourism hot spot in the 1920s following the Hillsville courthouse massacre of 1912. It was rumored that members of the Allen Family hid out in the cave as the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency searched for them, but this was never confirmed. There have even been stories over the years that the Allen family left treasure down in the caves to keep some of their valuables safe from the law, but that story too has been left unconfirmed.

According to local legend, the cave helped to hide not just moonshine makers, but the moonshine itself. It has been said that the caves have been used as a drop-spot by moonshine sellers in the past. There are many other tales about the cave such as people going in never to return, but oddly enough no one has ever reported seeing supernatural creatures or “The Devil.” In fact, the site gets its name based on its rock formations more than anything.

Overall, this local recreation area is more than meets the eye. All along the property, you can enjoy a variety of wildlife from deer to rare salamanders and unique migrating songbirds. Even ten years ago, they still offered tours of the cave, and though that service is no longer available, the caves are still free to explore. The caves close in the winter, but they usually open up to the public May-November. I hope you all enjoy getting out this summer whether you drive out the parkway, hike, or explore.

Cassandra Johnson is the Director of Programs and Education at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. She is a Carroll County native whose family has been exploring the Devil’s Den cave for generations.

© 2018 The Mount Airy News