The following marriage licenses were issued in Surry County:

– Michael Ian Peck, 31, of Smyth County, Virginia, to Faith Evangeline Wymer, 28, of Smyth County.

– Rebecca Michelle Hale, 38, of Surry County to Shannon Renee Townsend, 44, of Surry County.

– Dakota Edward Holder, 31, of Surry County to Christy Marie Hill, 26, of Surry County.

– James Milton Freson, 71, of Harrison County, Mississippi, to Angel Liana King, 49, of Harrison County.

– Karol Okruszko, 26, of Surry County to Alexandra Brooke Parsons, 26, of Surry County.

– David Cooper Dickson, 38, of Surry County to Sarah Kristina Cassidy, 31, of Surry County.

The lost art of shoe work

Budbreak proceeds of $17,000 to aid local causes

A whirlwind week of activity in downtown Mount Airy is reaching its close having started with celebrations of July 4th that gave way to the partial collapse of the Main Oak Building on Main Street.

When area residents woke up Tuesday morning, they could not have known what happened in the wee hours of Tuesday. Even those who had been downtown at the time said they had no clue anything was amiss until emergency crews arrived en masse.

It all began as bricks started falling off the Main Oak Building in downtown Mount Airy onto the roadway below. Surry County Emergency Management Director Eric Southern reported that the fire department got the call at 4:26 a.m. Tuesday. Emergency personnel received a report of debris falling from the building located at 248 N. Main Street.

Mount Airy Fire Marshal Chris Fallaw reported that the first responders on scene were met with “weird noises, creaking, and cracking” all in advance of the collapse of the building that is over a century old.

The marshal explained, “While emergency personnel were on scene the building experienced a partial collapse involving the roof and Oak Street side of the structure. Emergency personnel on scene quickly established a safety perimeter involving multiple businesses and streets in downtown.”

Crews worked Tuesday evening to tear down part of the Main Oak Building which had partially collapsed in the morning hours. D. H. Griffin was brought in to assist with the demolition of the building’s facade. Heavy equipment was in use Tuesday night knocking down debris from the partially collapsed third floor as onlookers watched from behind barriers on the streets below.

Mount Airy Downtown, Inc. said in a statement Thursday, “We have received word that demolition is done for now. There is hope that most of the remaining parts of the building can be saved. Mount Airy Downtown, Inc. and the City of Mount Airy met with the North Carolina Main Street & Rural Planning Center and the State Historic Preservation Office who all share our desire to see the Main Oak Building saved.”

While power was restored to the buildings and businesses on Main Street, and much of the normal activity has resumed, for The Loaded Goat, the road back is going to be longer. Their building, the Main Oak Emporium, is attached to the Main Oak Building which is a cause for concern for owner Scott Freeman.

“Main Oak and Emporium buildings are connected via a walkway. Did the collapse “shift” or transfer any energy through the walkway into the Emporium causing a loss of structural integrity?” he asked.

While his business remains closed, he is worried about the wellbeing of his staff, “They rely on having a place to work, have families, bills, etc. and would like to get back to work as soon safely possible.”

He also noted with a tinge of sadness his dismay at losing the food inside of the building. At the time of the collapse, “The restaurant’s kitchen was stocked with food product. While being closed is in itself okay – we could have donated the food to shelters/kitchen. We aren’t allowed into the building to get the food, so it will spoil and have to all be thrown out once we return, replaced, and prep for dinning will start all over.”

The food items can be replaced and Freeman, along with the rest of Mount Airy, are happy that the collapse was not worse and did not cause any injury. “We are devastated by what has happened to such an historic building. “

Another unfortunate victim of the collapse is the next scheduled downtown cruise in. Organizers released the following statement, “Unfortunately we have to cancel the Cruise In scheduled for July 17th in Downtown Mount Airy. The Main Oak building experienced a partial collapse in the early morning hours of July 5th”

“Crews have been working around the clock to secure the building and clean up. There will fencing put up around the building once they are able to do so. We feel it is best to cancel the cruise in scheduled for Sunday, July 17th and hope to be able to return to normal in August.”

Residents have been chiming in all week on the collapse of a historic building, its significance, and what saving the building could look like. “Recent damage to this vitally important historic downtown landmark is certainly a huge loss to the downtown landscape,” Robbie Curlee said Friday, “but I’m very hopeful and confident that it can be rebuilt and restored safely and serve its intended purpose as a great location for visitors to be able to stay in the heart of downtown.”

The referred lodging for visitors was to have been part of the plan for the Main Oak Building, which was sold in 2021 to a group called Mt. Airy One, LLC. Their goal had been to convert part of the building into short stay Airbnb units.

Local historian Marion Venable said of the building, “It looks awfully bad, but I hope they can salvage it. I hope it will be returned to some semblance of what it was, and there not be some knee jerk reaction. I know it can come back; it takes someone who cares to get it done.”

She noted the state has preservation experts who could come in and protect what she said is now an endangered historical site. “The state has a staff that this is their job to help with restoration and preservation projects. I would talk to Preservation NC as well; they have taken over historic properties that are in danger in the past.”

“I don’t want to lose this anchor of the industrial period of Mount Airy; it’s an important piece of the puzzle and its one of the best facades in the city.”

She hopes the city and its citizens will rally around preserving the Main Oak Building and pay closer attention to the historic beauty of architecture in Surry County before it is too late.

With the 2021-22 school year 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).

No All-Conference Honorable Mentions were named in Outdoor Track and Field.

Student-athletes that earned All-Conference Honors in multiple events have the corresponding number listed after their name in parentheses

Boys Track and Field All-Conference

East Surry – Layton Allen, Lindann Fleming, Colby Johnson, Cooper Motsinger, Isaac Vaden (2), Kyle Zinn

Millennium Charter – no male All-Conference selections

Mount Airy – Connor Burrell (2), Declan Conner (2), Deric Dandy (2), Blake Hawks, Mason Hill, Tyler Mason, Caden Ratcliff (3), Caleb Reid (2), Mario Revels (2), Anthony Valadez, Ware Viers

Surry Central – Isaac Eller, Allen Huffman (2), Ignacio Morales (3), Chris Nava, Josue Rodriguez

East Surry finished fifth out of seven teams in the FH2A team standings, No. 11 of 26 teams at the 2A Midwest Regional Championship, and tied for No. 17 of 60 teams at the 2A State Championship.

Isaac Vaden swept the throwing events at the FH2A Championship by winning discus throw and shot put, Cooper Motsinger added a silver medal in the 3,200-meter run, and the relay team of Layton Allen, Kyle Zinn, Colby Johnson and Lindann Fleming finished second in the 4×100-meter relay.

Motsinger and Vaden went on to qualify for the state championship. Vaden won the 2A Midwest Regional Championship in discus throw while meeting the MileSplit US Second Team standard, and Motsinger finished fourth at regionals in the 3,200 meters. Vaden went on to win the 2A State Discus Championship, becoming East’s first-ever male track state champion, and Motsinger was No. 6 in the 3,200.

Millennium Charter finished sixth out of six teams in the NWPC team standings and No. 15 of 16 teams at the 2A Midwest Regional Championship.

Brody Krakenberg and Calvin Devore qualified for regionals as individuals, with Krakenberg competing in the 3,200 meters and Devore in the 800 meters. The pair also teamed with Hartley Devore and Isaac Shipley to compete in the 4×800 relay. The Lions did not send any male runners to the 1A State Championship.

Mount Airy finished third out of seven teams in the NW1A team standings and tied for No. 20 of 48 teams at the 1A State Championship. Team scores for the 1A West Regional Championship are not available on MileSplit.

Individually, four Granite Bears won conference titles: Caden Ratcliff in the 800 meters, Mario Revels in high jump, Deric Dandy in discus throw and Mason Hill in shot put. Blake Hawks and Declan Conner added individual silver medals: Hawks in the 200 meters and Conner in the 3,200 meters. Three Mount Airy relay teams finished second in their respective races: Connor Burrell, Tyler Mason, Caleb Reid and Dandy in the 4×100; Burrell, Reid, Ratcliff and Revels; Conner, Ratcliff, Ware Viers and Anthony Valadez in the 4×800.

Ratcliff and Hawks had second-place finishes at the 1A West Regional Championship; Ratcliff took silver in the 800 meters, and Hawks did so in triple jump. Dandy finished third in discus, and the 4×100 team of Revels, Burrell, Reid and Mason finished fourth.

The Bears’ 4×100 team wasn’t able to compete at the 1A State Championship due to an injury, but the three individuals did. Dandy finished fifth in discus, Hawks finished fifth in triple jump and Ratcliff finished fifth in the 800.

North Surry finished sixth out of seven teams in the FH2A team standings, No. 13 of 26 teams at the 2A Midwest Regional Championship, and tied for No. 15 of 60 teams at the 2A State Championship.

Jared Hiatt won all three of North Surry’s medals at the conference championship. Hiatt won the individual titles in long jump and triple jump, while finishing second in high jump. His mark in long jump met the MileSplit US Second Team Standard. Hiatt went on to win the 2A Midwest Regional high jump title and finish second in long jump, once against meeting the US Second Team standard. Hiatt won the 2A State Championship in long jump, and won a bronze medal in high jump.

Surry Central finished third out of seven teams in the FH2A team standings, No. 14 of 26 teams at the 2A Midwest Regional Championship, and tied for No. 31 of 60 teams at the 2A State Championship.

Ignacio Morales won the FH2A titles for the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, while also finishing second in the 800 meters. Allen Huffman won gold in the 300 hurdles, and joined Isaac Eller, Josue Rodriguez and Chris Nava on the Eagles’ 4×400 relay team that finished second. Morales and Huffman both qualified for the 2A State Championship, Morales by winning the 3,200 meters and Huffman for finishing third in the 300 hurdles at the 2A Midwest Regional Championship.

Morales went on to finish third in the 3,200 meters at the 2A State Championship, and Huffman was No. 15 in 300 hurdles.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Teresa Lewis lost a bid to become mayor of Mount Airy in a May 17 primary, but is still a player regarding the general election — for which she is swinging her support to Jon Cawley.

“I like both of them and I think they’ve done a good job,” Lewis said this week of Cawley, who is now a North Ward commissioner, and his opponent, Mayor Ron Niland. Niland was appointed to that position last year and is seeking his first four-year term.

Lewis finished third in a three-person race in the mayoral primary and thus was eliminated — although the votes she received exceed the winning margin captured by Niland against second-place finisher Cawley.

When three or more candidates file for a particular office, Mount Airy’s non-partisan system requires a primary — after which only the two top vote-getters advance to the general election in a head-to-head matchup.

Lewis explained that her reasons for supporting Cawley are personal in nature — including ties to her family — rather than factors related to city government policy or job performance.

“I like Ron a lot,” she said. “But Jon Cawley was our minister and also performed my marriage ceremony.” Lewis added that Cawley further is scheduled to deliver a eulogy for her, which she hopes is a long time in the future.

Cawley also is well-liked by her children and was by her late father, Monroe Donathan, said the former mayoral candidate, a retired local businesswoman long associated with the WorkForce Unlimited staffing agency. In addition, Lewis is a former at-large commissioner in Mount Airy.

“I’m not sure what Jim’s going to do,” she said of husband Jim Lewis. “He and Ron are good friends.”

Based on updated totals from the May 17 primary compiled by the Surry County Board of Elections, Niland received 816 votes, while Cawley garnered an even 700 and Lewis, 289.

(Those figures include both Niland and Cawley each being credited with five more votes than they were initially, while Lewis’ final total is two votes fewer than earlier reported.)

“I just appreciate all the people who did support me,” she said of the primary.

The votes Lewis received would be more than enough to shift the election outcome in the two-man race unfolding between now and the fall, based on their primary showings. However, the dynamics can prove to be much different in a general election due to turnout and other factors.

The two remaining candidates for mayor are aware of Cawley’s endorsement by Lewis.

“I told Jon I would (support him),” she said, “for the reasons I listed,” such as the church involvements.

“And I think Ron understands.”

If not for Cawley’s presence on the ticket, Lewis says she would be firmly in the corner of Niland.

The upcoming general election also features a former mayor and commissioner, Deborah Cochran, squaring off against Commissioner Steve Yokeley for the at-large seat on the city council. Also, Gene Clark is facing Phil Thacker for a South Ward spot and it’s Chad Hutchens vs. John Pritchard in the North Ward in a race to replace Cawley.

Yokeley now holds the South Ward post involved, but opted to seek the at-large seat in the 2022 municipal election.

The Foothills Post 123 Senior Legion team concluded its regular season with a home game against Eastern Randolph Post 81 on July 7.

Despite the scoreboard tilting in Randolph’s favor at the conclusion of Thursday’s game, the Foothills Senior Legion team came away with the victory due to an ineligible player on Post 81’s roster. The victory gave Post 123 win No. 13 on the season.

The Seniors finish the year 13-4 overall and 6-4 in conference competition, which is a vast improvement for the Mount Airy team compared to the past two seasons. The Post 123 Senior team went 0-17 in 2020 and 5-10 in 2021.

“The merging of West Stokes Seniors and Mount Airy Seniors to form the Foothills Seniors for 2022 has proved to be a great combination of talent and coaching that has helped us become more successful this season,” said coach Brian Hawks.

The 2022 Foothills team includes players from 10 different high schools in N.C. and Virginia: Mount Airy, East Surry, North Surry, Surry Central, Elkin, West Stokes, Carlisle School (Va.), Carroll County (Va.), Grayson County (Va.) and Patrick County (Va.).

The Seniors started the year 9-0. Eight of the team’s first nine wins came by multiple runs, with a 7-6 road victory over Greensboro being the team’s only one-run margin during that time.

Post 123 was 12-1 after its first month of competition. The team dropped its next three games in a five-day span, including back-to-back losses to the top-ranked team in Area III, Rowan County.

“Early on, our pitching and offense got the job done,” Hawks said. “But, as of late, that has been our Achilles’ heel, and is something we definitely have to turn around to win in the playoffs.”

The Post 123 Seniors begin the conference tournament against Mocksville-Davie. The first round is a best 2-of-3 series and is scheduled to run July 8-11 weather permitting. The winner of that series will take on the top-seeded Rowan team.

In addition to the Senior Legion team, Foothills Post 123 was able to field two junior squads in 2022. 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.

“Our future looks bright now that we have three teams and will possibly add a third Junior Team in 2023,” Hawks said. “The Foothills Juniors finished second in conference and made the playoffs, and our Surry Pride Team competed very well this season as a developmental team. The Stokes Juniors will also feed our senior team next year for what should be another great season for Post 123 baseball.”

“Special thanks to Mount Airy High School, East Surry High School and Surry Central High School and all of the coaches for their help making this season successful and for use of the facilities.”

Concern over a proposed new Dollar General location at 2953 Westfield Road and the intersection of Quaker Road has gotten the attention of residents in Sheltontown who are worried about what the addition of one of the seemingly ubiquitous stores may mean to their community.

A sign sits on the corner of Quaker and Westfield announcing an upcoming rezoning hearing, but those opposed to the plan have said the sign is often obscured by a bush or facing the wrong way. They wonder if residents can see the sign and if they are even aware that a rezoning may be forthcoming.

Therefore, a community meeting has been organized to coordinate a response when they speak to the planning board Monday. They are meeting at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 10, at the picnic shelter at Shelton Church of the Brethren, 1065 Quaker Road, Mount Airy, to discuss their plans.

“Sunday’s meeting will give us an opportunity to pool important information and develop a list of citizens willing to speak during the planning meeting,” local resident Melissa Hiatt said of the meeting she and Heather Moore are planning.

Moore and her husband Heath Moore are the proprietors of Moore’s General Store who operate their family-owned market just four tenths of a mile from the proposed new location. Within four miles from the planned location are also the Flat Rock, Main Street, and Airport Road locations of Dollar General.

In Surry County Dollar General is a retail force to be reckoned with, already boasting over a dozen stores within the county lines. The Surry County Board of County Commissioners have been told that there is an ongoing plan to grow the footprint of Dollar Generals in the county even further.

“We built three new ones in the last three years, Beulah, Cook School Road, and the one at Zephyr, with (Mount View Drive) being the fourth,” Joe Strickland of Teramore Development told the board of commissioners on June 6. He mentioned new store designs are now the norm with larger footprints that carry more variety of items.

Commissioner Larry Johnson remarked about the number of Dollar Generals in the county saying that he seems them all the time as he drives around, “I don’t have much else to do,” he quipped. More seriously though he noted that the stores appear to be doing a brisk business, “They seem to be doing well.”

It may be the convenience factor of a quick pop in for bread, milk, and shampoo that makes the yellow sign of DG on the horizon a welcome sight to some. That bright yellow signage however makes others see red, and residents have signed a petition that Moore said as of Friday morning had over 850 signatures.

Opposition to land rezone requests are rare. Often when the planning board’s recommendation reached the county commissioners the board will ask if there was any opposition; rarely has there been any.

The last Dollar General to come before the planning committee and reach the commissioners sailed through the approval process. Vice Chairman Eddie Harris asked development services director Marty Needham is the rezoning request for 120 Mount View Drive had met with any pushback. Rather than finding opposition to the new store, Needham informed the residents of the area were looking forward to having the additional options.

This is where Sheltontown differs from the past proposed locations.

Preserving the quality of life for the residents of Sheltontown is their number one concern, so too is protecting the land for the future. “If we sell off rural America, what will be left for generations to come?” Moore asked thinking about her four-year-old son. “He’ll grow up here. Even if we weren’t business owners we would be against this plan.”

Moore’s General Store is their family business, she said. After time being horse trainers and cattle farmers, they settled in to running the store and making it an essential part of the community they serve.

She has stories aplenty of the difference having a small independent store like theirs can make, and how much their customer appreciate it. Being open 364 days a year for seven years, closed only on Christmas day, has established their general store as a place people can count on. Moore wonders if any box store can offer the same.

“In winter of 2017 a snowstorm crippled our community, the roads hadn’t been plowed. Heath drove our 4-wheel drive tractor from our farm to the store. We were the only store open in a 5-mile radius, the DOT drivers appreciated a warm coffee and snacks to keep them going.”

The Sheltontown opposition group is not opposed Dollar General specifically but rather the growth of larger retailers in their rural community. The Moore’s have had offers to sell their store, but they have no interest in that, “We refuse to put a price on it because it is a part of this community. We didn’t’ buy this to flip it.”

A grander sense of community is what is driving the opposition and they are looking at increased traffic flow, property values, eyesore blight, and the possibility of increases in crime that may follow. Calls have been made to the Mount Airy Police Department and the Surry County Sheriff’s Office to obtain crime stats for areas around DG locations.

BJ Elmore also has direct concerns involving the wildlife of the area, “The bright lights will confuse nocturnal animals, therefore, disrupting their natural instincts. The paved parking lot will increase chances of pollution and runoff from so many vehicles.”

Others wonder if the store is even needed with Hiatt suggesting a lack of need in that area, “We have two very well rooted family run stores in the community, both stores are more than a gas station or a place to grab a snack. They are run by our own people who are part of our community family. They are always open and have yet to close one day due to lack of staff – that’s impressive.”

Moore concurs, “We are the community store that has served the Sheltontown area for over 50 years. A store that many houses in the community have been built around. A store that takes a step back in time while providing modern day amenities.”

For the 800+ residents of the area who signed on to the petition, the concerns outweigh the possible benefits of adding another Dollar General. Only time will tell if their pushback will be enough, but theirs is an example of a community deciding to coalesce to save the rural way of life so many of them desire.

Galatians 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

What is the gospel? I would say if you made a survey you would get more definitions of that question than you ever thought were possible. We live in a time when the gospel has been twisted, taken away from, added to, and changed to fit a secular society. So, if you were to take a survey you would get definitions just like those in Paul’s day and then some.

What is the gospel? The meaning of the gospel is “good news.” Well, what is the good news? Jesus died, was buried, and rose again. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:3 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

You have never preached the gospel unless you have stated these facts. These are the historical facts of the gospel which cannot be changed. How do we know they are facts? Because there were more than 500 people at once who saw our Lord Jesus after His resurrection. Also, you notice that Paul said 1 Corinthians 15:3 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received.”

Paul received the gospel firsthand from Jesus Himself on the road to Damascus. The gospel is that of grace. That’s what the book of Galatians is all about. Grace from God through Jesus equals salvation. The Judaizers were bringing the churches into bondage through the law. This still goes on today. The very same false teaching that Paul saw in such a very short time of the gospel in his day. They were saying you must also keep all the commandments.

Those leaders of the Mosaic Law were following Paul into Galatians country. They couldn’t deny Christ’s death, burial and resurrection because there were too many witnesses but, they could say, “Yes Paul is right about those things but, you must keep the Law of Moses also to be saved.” This is the oldest of false teaching since Jesus ascended. It is adding something to the gospel of grace. It is doing something rather than simply believing something.

It is faith plus something rather than faith plus nothing. Every cult has something for you to do in order to be saved. You must do this or you must say that or you must pray this way or pray that way. In our religious society if we could go back in time and hear the testimonies of some who God says were saved many would question it. It is interesting that Paul said to the Philippian jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” in Acts 16:31 and Peter said in Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

When you believe, the Holy Spirit indwells you and makes it real. Then here is what happens. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” God moves in, changes your life, and gives you a new destination. Trust Him today as your Saviour because listen, if you should die without making that decision, tomorrow will be too late. Hebrews 9:27

Evangelist Ronnie Miller who is in charge of www.themillersbiblestudy.com

https://www.mtairynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/MTA070722V.pdf

Cleanup of the partial collapse of the Main Oak Building on Main Street in Mount Airy was underway again Thursday.

Mount Airy Fire Marshal Chris Fallaw provided an update from the sidewalk in front of the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. He said that the Carolina West cell tower that had been atop the building was cut in two and removed.

“Where we’re at now is they have removed the cell tower, they cut it in two pieces. It’s been removed and it’s in the street over there. They also removed part of the truss that was hanging out over the street here,” he said gesturing to Oak Street before stepping away to allow and engine to leave the scene on a call.

Evidence was to be seen in the roadway in what would normally be the intersection of Main and Oak, a large metallic frame lay in the roadway where pile of loose rock and dust had been found the day before. The pace of the cleanup has been impressive to those on the sidewalk

“They are cleaning up debris in the street,” he said. “We’re sort of in a holding pattern as we wait for the owner and his specialized engineers to do another assessment.”

Resumption of normalcy for downtown businesses, shoppers, and visitors remains of paramount importance, as does safety. In his previous update, Fallaw mentioned Olde Mill Music was still closed. Today, he noted that with new scaffolding and protective measures in place that for the most part downtown is back in operation.

“Everybody has power except for that building,” he said of the Main Oak Building.

For The Loaded Goat, the road back is going to be longer and have its own unique challenges.

Owner Scott Freeman said, “We, The Loaded Goat, are devastated by what has happened to such an historic building. Due to our proximity and shared utilities with Main Oak, and of course out of safety concerns while demolition is taking place, we are unable to be open.”

The number one concern he has is for his staff, “They rely on having a place to work, have families, bills, etc. and would like to get back to work as soon safely possible.”

He also noted with a tinge of sadness his dismay at losing the food inside of the building. At the time of the collapse, “The restaurant’s kitchen was stocked with food product.”

“While being closed is in itself okay – we could have donated the food to shelters/kitchen. We aren’t allowed into the building to get the food, so it will spoil and have to all be thrown out once we return, replaced, and prep for dinning will start all over.”

The food items can be replaced and Freeman, along with the rest of Mount Airy, are happy that the collapse was not worse and did not cause any injury. However, he is unsure at this moment if there may be any linger effects to the Main Oak Emporium which houses The Loaded Goat.

“Main Oak and Emporium buildings are connected via a walkway. Did the collapse “shift” / transfer any energy through the walkway into the Emporium causing a loss of structural integrity?” he asked.

The cleanup continues at this time, and as Fire Marshal Fallaw said there is a little bit of “hurry up and wait” going on until the inspections and assessments.

Freeman realizes this process is going to take as long as it takes, there is nothing more that he can do but be patient and wait for an all clear, “The owners of the buildings have been in contact with me, and all are working hard for speedy resolution.”

He offered his thanks to the community for their support during this time, “Customers, both local and tourists, of The Loaded Goat have been so supportive online during this time. We are grateful of everyone’s concerns and well-wishes for a speedy return.”

The Surry County Genealogical Association members are accustomed to presentations during their meetings from folks who have a particular area of expertise in the field of genealogy. Sometimes it may be a historian there to discuss a certain period in local history; other times it might be explaining research techniques or tools; often it is simply a local resident giving a presentation on his or her family tree.

What they are not used to is a presentation by someone who is still in middle school.

That is exactly what is on tap for the planned July 11 meeting, when 12-year-old Elijah Smith is set to give a talk about his family tree — making him the youngest person to have ever made such a presentation, according to society president Esther Johnson.

“Most of the time it’s old people doing the family history,” Johnson said with a laugh when discussing the upcoming meeting. “I wish I had started loving genealogy at his age and was as smart as he is.”

Elijah, the son of Chad and Leigh Ann Smith and a rising seventh grader at Mount Airy Middle School, said he became interested in genealogy years ago, when he was much younger.

“My grandparents and great-grandparents and I would look at pictures and stuff,” he said, recalling reviewing photos of his ancestors. “When I got older, I started asking a lot of questions.”

While he was able to fill in much of the recent information on his family from his grandparents and great-grandparents, it wasn’t long before Elijah wanted to know more. He soon turned to ancestry.com, local courthouse and U.S. military records, and met Johnson.

“I found out we were kin,” he said. With encouragement from his newfound relative — a local authority on genealogy — he continued diving into his family’s history.

“I probably spend a lot of time on it…I get really involved in it, definitely,” he said. “I enjoy knowing where I came from, seeing photos of my kinfolk and thinking that’s a part of me, in a sense. Sometimes I’ll go to the courthouse and look at records occasionally. I have a bunch of records my grandparents have, photos with writing on the back, family Bibles.”

He’s managed to find military records of his ancestors from World War II, the Civil War, and other conflicts. It was while looking over military records that he had one of his biggest surprises.

“My great-grandpa, he was in the army during the Korean War. I found out where he was stationed at, how long he had served through some papers and stuff. That was a surprise.” He said his great-grandfather, Davis Smith, never once mentioned his time in the war.

“I found one ancestor on grandma’s side; he was in World War II. Most of his platoon got killed, but he made it back,” he said of another startling discovery.

While Elijah has spent a great deal of time learning of the military history of his family, the research hardly stops there.

“I’ve made it back to Germany on my Smith side, they called it Schmidt, and that’s in the 1600s,” he said of his never-ending hunt for more family knowledge.

As to the upcoming presentation, Elijah said he’s not nervous. “I’ll just take it easy until the day comes and then I’ll just do it,” he said. Truth is, he’s putting in more advance work than it seems. He has had some help in putting together a slide presentation he will use to talk about his family tree, showing pictures of his ancestors along with records and other information, with a focus on those who served in Korea, both War Worlds, and the Civil War. He plans to touch on the Gates, Smith, Jarvis, Isaacs, Ray, Marion, and Johnson families.

“Then I’ll take questions at the end,” he said. He is particularly looking forward to the question and answer session. Elijah said he has been to a few genealogy society meetings, and the Q&A periods are always fun.

The meeting which includes Elijah’s presentation will be at 6 p.m. on July 11 at the Mount Airy Public Library. For more information on the organization contact Johnson at EPDJ1@triad.rr.com The meeting is open and free to the public.

The Mount Airy City Schools Blue Bear Bus provides Summer Enrichment Programs and Family Engagement Sessions for underserved local communities throughout the summer with a unique weekly theme.

Last week, the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History was part of the bus’ tour, with the theme of Red, White, & Blue. Cassandra Johnson, director of programs and education, met with the students at the Madoc Center on Monday and did a covered wagon craft with the children and taught them about pioneers who moved into the area from the North.

Later in the week, the museum had more than 30 of the students, along with several parents and educators at the museum location downtown. There, the children took part in a book reading, then learned about wood carving from local Denny Shelton, made their own soap from scratch, played with historic toys and games, saw Victorian-era artifacts in a game of bingo, and learned about NC aviation history while enjoying a parachute drop activity where they got to drop parachute ‘rockets’ from the clock tower.

Several children and even many teachers and parents commented that they had never visited the museum before and were unaware that the town had all of the artifacts and resources offered at the museum.

Edna Mae Toler Mounts, 82, of Mount Airy, passed away Tuesday, July 5, 2022, at Northern Regional Hospital in Mount Airy. She was born in Logan County, West Virginia, on Sept. 25, 1939, to the late William and Letha Toler. Mrs. Mounts was a loving homemaker who will be dearly missed by her family and all who knew her. She is survived by daughters and son-in-law, Kimberly Norman, Angela and Scott Hanks; sons and daughters-in-law, Charles Michael and Suzanne Mounts, Anthony “Tony” Mounts and Susan; grandchildren, Jeffrey Hanks, Eric Hanks, Jessica Mae Mounts, Yvonne Hodges, Nicole Norman; eleven great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; numerous nieces and nephews extended family, includes Stephanie, Bethani, Jason, Leslie. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Mounts was preceded in death by her husband, French Charles Mounts; a son-in-law, Steven Norman; a sister, Nora Roberts, and brothers, Isaac, Noah, Roy, and Verlin Toler. A graveside service will be held Friday, July 8, at 2 p.m. at the Family Cemetery in Branchland, West Virginia. The family will receive friends Friday from 1 until 2 p.m. at Mildred Baptist Church. Moody Funeral Services in Mount Airy is serving the Mounts family. Online condolences may be made at www.moodyfuneralservices.com.

To say that June was a month of temperature extremes in Mount Airy would be a bit of an understatement, with temperatures in both the mid-90s and high 40s recorded which each threatened local records.

Even more interestingly, the wide disparity in mercury readings occurred just two days apart on a pair of occasions and represented a 47-degree swing during one three-day period.

The high for the month, 95 degrees, occurred on both June 18 and 23, according to a breakdown released earlier this week by personnel at F.G. Doggett Water Plant, the city’s official weather-monitoring station.

That tied the all-time local high temperature record for both dates, with the first matching the mark first set in 2015 and the second 95-degree day tying a record initially established way back on June 23, 1933. Weather statistics have been kept in Mount Airy since 1924.

On June 20-21, a 48-degree temperature that was the monthly low tied a record for June 21 that had been set in 1944.

Last month’s variations added up to a near-normal average reading for June of 72.4 degrees, slightly above the all-time figure for Mount Airy of 71.9.

This week’s breakdown from the water plant was a two-month report that also showed some of the same temperature extremes during May, although no records were broken or tied.

That included the maximum reading for the month of 92 degrees, occurring on both May 21-22, and the month’s low of 38 degrees logged on both June 10-11.

May’s mercury readings averaged an even 65 degrees, slightly warmer than the all-time local average of 64.2.

Mount Airy finished the first six months of 2022 with precipitation totals a tad above normal, 24.78 to 24.16 inches. This is 0.62 inches, or 2.6 percent, above the local average for that period.

May’s output of 6.24 inches topped the Mount Airy norm for that month of 4.70, while in June drier conditions prevailed with only 2.1 inches measured. That was well below the local average for June of 4.44 inches.

Much of last month’s rain fell on a single day, June 9, when 1.32 inches occurred, with measurable amounts noted on just seven of its 30 days.

In stark contrast, May saw 18 days of rain topped by 2.17 inches on the 24th.

Fog was observed on 10 days during May and 11 in June.

Bruised Not Broken are pleased to announce their next event to distribute clothing and a meal to the homeless will be held Saturday, July 9, at the S&S Salon located at 139 Riverside Dr. in Mount Airy, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Baylor has said of her drive to give back to the community that it is a mission she was called to by a higher power, “It has to be led by God, it’s all for the glory of God.”

This is a repeat endeavor for Bruised Not Broken after the campaign to help was launched in early June. Baylor herself was on the receiving end of similar assistance years ago when she first arrived in Surry County. She now finds the shoe is on the other foot and life now affords her the opportunity to help other who are in need.

One difference this for this Bruised Not Broken event, Baylor said she is adding an extra focus on school aged children. So many kids rely on free or reduced cost breakfast or lunch during the school year, Baylor said she is worried that children may not be getting enough to eat. “This time, we want to try and get some more kids to come out. I’m worried about them,” she said this week.

Baylor is trying to make a difference where she can knowing that a little nudge in the right direction can go a long way for someone in need. Charity, non-profits, giving, and how to help have been frequent topics of discussion recently in Mount Airy.

There has been a recent surge in interest from local faith groups to engage more directly with those in need, most specifically on issues of substance abuse. Later this week a Pastors’ Conference is being held at The Barn at Heritage Farm to generate support from the faith community to address the county’s substance use problems.

The Conference will have presentations from a county commissioner, Sheriff Steve Hiatt, faith-based groups, and Mark Willis who coordinates the county’s substance abuse recovery office.

Recently, conversations have been held with the Strengthening Systems for North Carolina Children (SYNC) Team about how the public can help get involved to change outcomes. Baylor is trying to leverage her influence over triggers such as, in this case, not having enough food or clothing.

A lack of food or clothing may lead someone to make a choice to participate in “needs based crime.” The police blotter in this newspaper often houses several instances of small dollar shoplifting charges from Wal-Mart or Dollar General. Looking at a list of items and finding all foodstuffs on that list may be a sign of a person in need of food assistance.

Baylor sees a place she can step in here with the offering of a hot dog or a couple clean t-shirts, small ways she can make a huge difference. In the coming months she will continue to do what she can – where she is.

To find out more about Bruised Not Broken, find them set up at S&S Salon this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A field of 72 ladies from across North Carolina and Southwest Virginia competed on Thursday, June 23, at Cross Creek Country Club in the 15th Annual Janice McCullough Memorial Tournament.

The tournament, sponsored by the Cross Creek Ladies Golf Association, features a Captain’s Choice format.

Two teams tied for first place with a score of 64, but following a playoff on the card, the team of Beth Anne Aheron of Deep Springs Country Club in Stoneville; Linda Collier of Hallifax Country Club in Hallifax, VA; Joanne Harper of Mountain Aire Golf Club in Ashe County; and Barbara Berrier of Cross Creek, took first place, while the team of Kelly Peircy of Silo Run Golf Course in Boonville; Linda Lumsden of Hallifax Country Club; Laurie Trout of Mountain Aire Golf Club, and Travis Underhill of Cross Creek finished in second place.

The team of Bonnie Montgomery of Bryan Park Golf Course in Greensboro; Jean Johnson of New River Golf Club in Sparta; Linda Kiser of Pilot Mountain; and Natasha Parsons of Mountain Aire finished in third place with a score of 65.

Three teams tied for fourth place with scores of 68. Following another playoff on the card, the team of Beth Calhoun of Mooresville; Kim Spivey of Skyland Lakes Golf Club in Fancy Gap, VA; Laurie Borgerson of Tanglewood, and Sara Bryant of Cross Creek finished in 4th place while the team of Kim Webb of Cross Creek; Alice Hill of Blue Ridge Country Club in Galax, VA; Sherry Tarnok of Oak Valley Golf Club in Advance; and Erika Cowez of Cross Creek won fifth place.

The team of Susan Morris from The Country Club of Salisbury; Alice Connolly of Cross Creek; Alphy Brandt of Skyland Lakes; and Molly Griesner of New River won sixth place.

The tournament is held each year in memory of Janice McCoullough, who was an enthusiastic golfer, instrumental in establishing the inclusive invitational format, open to all female golfers, regardless of club affiliation.

Tournament chairman Gina Vogler wishes to thank McCullough Tile and Stone in Winston Salem for their major contribution to the success of the tournament over the years along with Brannock & Hiatt Furniture Company in Mount Airy.

The tournament is held each year on the third Thursday in June.

On Wednesday morning Mount Airy Fire Marshal Chris Fallaw said that work at the historic Main Oak Building had resumed. The past 36 hours have been a flurry of dust, debris, and a little disbelief that the building that has been downtown for more than a century gave way.

During the morning hours of Wednesday much of the removal of debris was being done by hand, Fallaw said it would have been “too tedious” to try and use heavier equipment. Before lunchtime though, the heavy equipment was back in use bringing down small chunks of the exterior wall that had made the front façade of the Main Oak Building.

Engineers are coming to inspect the site “once it is safe for them to go in” he said. The building’s integrity needs to be ensured before a more thorough inspection of the inside can be done. From there the determination will be made as to what can be salvaged and what cannot.

Care is being given to protect and preserve the buildings adjoining the Main Oak Building. He said the crews had done an excellent job overnight of preventing any further collapse but that additional barriers were being brought in to protect the public as roads reopen.

Some evacuations occurred Tuesday as the situation was developing out of an abundance of caution. “Everything on this block is considered one building,” he said, so the movement of the Main Oak Building could have affected other structures around it.

Steel beams connect the impacted building to its neighbors, so any movement of one means the rest will need to be looked at as well. To that end Moore and Associates Engineering Firm and Sasser Restoration Company along with city officials made their assessment before any demolition began.

“If the building collapses, it very well could pull the other buildings apart or cause collapse on the other buildings so what we did is evacuate this whole block,” Fallaw said.

Captain L. T. Whitaker with the Mount Airy Police Department said Wednesday morning that while the investigation is ongoing, there is no foul play suspected at this time. He said that city engineers and planning staff are “working long hours” to try and get the situation resolved.

The building was vacant at the time and there were no injuries in the incident.

Tim West of Clemmons made the drive up to Mount Airy Wednesday morning after seeing news coverage of the event last night. Like many residents of this area, he considers himself to be “more than a bit of a history buff. When these old buildings go, sometimes that’s it – ya know? I hope they can save as much as possible.”

The saga of the Main Oak Building collapse started with little fanfare – a few bricks gave way and fell onto the roadway. Surry County Emergency Management Director Eric Southern reported that the fire department got the call at 4:26 a.m. Tuesday. Emergency personnel received a report of bricks falling from the building located at 248 N. Main Street.

Fallaw said first responders on scene heard “weird noises, creaking, and cracking.” These noises were just the initial warning signs of what was soon to follow.

The marshal explained, “While emergency personnel were on scene the building experienced a partial collapse involving the roof and Oak Street side of the structure. Emergency personnel on scene quickly established a safety perimeter involving multiple businesses and streets in downtown.”

Grant Welch of Mount Airy was downtown around 3 a.m. and did not see or hear a thing. When he heard emergency crews descending on downtown, he found his way over to the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History where he saw emergency services were on the scene.

Crews worked Tuesday evening to tear down part of the Main Oak Building which had partially collapsed in the morning hours assisted by D.H. Griffin.

D.H. Griffin Wrecking Company know a little something about demolition and they have a resume to back up any such claims. They arrived on scene Tuesday to tear down the facade of the building, in order to reopen streets and sidewalks as quickly as possible.

Storms that rolled through the area last night slowed down the process and no doubt introduced hundreds of gallons of water to freshly exposed surfaces.

Greg Bell, CEO of Grand Resorts, LLC, who is keeping animals at the Grand Pup Resort Hotel and Spa, said he was keeping abreast of the situation outside his business. Having staff on site 24 hours a day is part of the appeal for those boarding their pets with Bell.

Regular updates from the authorities have helped him be able to make the right decisions for the furry friends under his care. “We have taken all precautions and all the hotel guests are safe. We are very thankful; this could have been a lot worse.”

The timing of the overnight collapse of the building was fortunate, just twelve hours earlier could have yielded a vastly different result. As Tia Goins simply put it, “So thankful no one was injured, and this did not happen during the parade yesterday.”

“Friends, we are shocked and saddened by the partial collapse of the pivotal and historic Main Oak Building,” Mount Airy Downtown Inc. said in a statement Tuesday morning.

Lizzie Morrison, the Main Street coordinator for Mount Airy Downtown Inc. said, “We are relieved to know there were no injuries reported and no loss of life occurred with the partial collapse of the Main Oak Building. We feel so fortunate that everyone is okay. At the same time, we are saddened by the sudden partial loss of a pivotal historic building in the Mount Airy National Register Historic District.”

The Main Oak Building was built between 1905 and 1910 as the Midkiff Hardware Store, and Morrison referred to it as, “An invaluable and irreplaceable part of our history here in Mount Airy. The community and visitors alike will be mourning a monumental loss if the front facade cannot be saved.”

There were dozens of people on Main Street standing in small groups and looking at the building Tuesday morning as crews from Mount Airy Fire and the city were examining the building.

After the rain had passed Tuesday night, word spread that the demolition was resuming, and a new crowd formed. Television and movies have given a false impression of demolition as being massive implosions of old casinos, massive grain silos falling in unison just where they were meant to, or the basic image of a wrecking ball slamming into a building.

Instead, the crowd was treated to a modern ballet featuring multi-ton demolition equipment. Finesse and precision were the name of the game as the huge mouth-like bucket would scrape a dozen or so bricks from the top of the building sending them careening down the facade before crashing into the awning in a plume of dust.

The crowd spoke quietly to one another, as though watching golf and not a demolition. There remains a reverence for the past here in Surry County, and there was pain in the faces of some assembled on Main Street as another chunk of history fell to the ground with a distinctive and somewhat sickening ‘clunk.’

With the 2021-22 school year 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).

No All-Conference Honorable Mentions were named in Outdoor Track and Field.

Student-athletes that earned All-Conference Honors in multiple events have the corresponding number listed after their name in parentheses.

Girls Track and Field All-Conference

East Surry – Faith Braithwaite (3), Madeline Dayton (3), Arianna Liberatore (2), Ember Midkiff (2), Chloe Anne Tew, Clara Willard

Millennium Charter – River Edge (2), Ruby Hoerter (4), Clara Minix (3), Ava Utt (3)

Mount Airy – Audrey Marion, Sydney Seagraves

Surry Central – Andrea Gonzalez, Mia McMillen: FH2A Female Athlete of the Year (4), Yeira Munoz (2), Ella Priddy (3), Cassie Sneed, Ivy Toney (3), Madelyn Wilmoth (2)

East Surry’s girls finished fifth out of seven teams in the FH2A team standings, No. 18 of 29 teams at the 2A Midwest Regional Championship, and tied for No. 25 of 57 teams at the 2A State Championship.

Clara Willard won the conference title in discus throw, and the team of Faith Braithwaite, Madeline Dayton, Ember Midkiff and Arianna Liberatore won the 4×100-meter relay. The relay team of Braithwaite, Dayton, Midkiff and Liberatore also finished second in the 4×200 relay. Individually, Braithwaite finished second in the 200 meters, Dayton finished second in triple jump and Chloe Anne Tew finished second in high jump.

East’s Willard went on to win the 2A Midwest Regional Championship and 2A State Championship in discus throw.

Millennium Charter finished fourth out of seven teams in the NWPC standings, No. 10 of 14 teams in the 1A Midwest Regional Championship, and did not score at the 1A State Championship.

Ruby Hoerter earned All-Conference Honors in four events, including the Lions’ only conference championship victory which came in pole vault. She added three All-Conference performances by finishing second in the 3,200 meters, 4×400 relay and 4×800 relay. Hoerter teamed with River Edge, Clara Minix and Ava Utt on both relay teams. Minix added a second-place finish in the 800 meters, and Utt was second in high jump.

The 4×800 team of Utt, Minix, Hoerter and Edge went on to finish fourth at the 1A Midwest Regional Championship, then the group finished No. 11 at the 1A State Championship.

Mount Airy finished seventh of seven teams at the NW1A Championship. Team scores for the 1A West Regional Championship are not available on MileSplit.

Sydney Seagraves won the conference title in shot put, and Audrey Marion finished second in high jump. Seagraves went on to compete in the discus throw and shot put at the 1A West Regional Championship, finishing No. 8 in shot put and No. 10 in discus. Mount Airy did not send any girls to the 1A State Championship.

North Surry finished seventh of seven teams in the FH2A team standings, No. 26 of 29 teams at the 2A Midwest Regional Championship, and tied for No. 41 of 57 teams at the 2A State Championship.

Ella Riggs was the Lady Greyhounds’ lone conference champion by winning shot put. Riggs finished fourth at the 2A Midwest Regional Championship, then took fifth at the 2A State Championship.

Surry Central finished first of seven teams to win the FH2A Championship, No. 2 of 29 teams to finish runner-up at the 2A Midwest Regional Championship, and No. 8 of 57 teams at the 2A State Championship. Mia McMillen was named FH2A Female Athlete of the Year, and Kevin Pack was named FH2A Coach of the Year.

Individually, the Lady Golden Eagles won eight gold medals at the FH2A Championship. McMillen won four conference titles, doing so in long jump, 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles and 100 meters. Yeira Munoz won the 3,200 meters, and Ivy Toney won pole vault. Two of Central’s relay teams also won gold: Toney, Andrea Gonzalez, Ella Priddy and Madelyn Wilmoth won the 4×400, and Munoz, Priddy, Toney and Wilmoth won the 4×800. Two Eagles added second-place finishes: Priddy in the 400 meters, and Cassie Sneed in discus throw.

Central had seven girls finish in the top four of the 2A Midwest Regional Championship to qualify for the 2A State Championship. McMillen won the regional championship in 300 hurdles, and then she teamed with Aylin Rodriguez, Toney and Priddy to win the 4×200 relay. The relay team of Wilmoth, Toney, Munoz and Priddy won gold in the 4×800. McMillen added second-place finishes in 100 hurdles and long jump, Munoz was second in the 3,200 meters and Sneed was second in discus throw. The relay team of Wilmoth, Rodriguez, Toney and Priddy finished second in the 4×400, and Toney finished third in pole vault.

At the 2A State Championship: McMillen won the state title in 300 hurdles, finished third in 100 hurdles, fifth in long jump, and teamed with Rodriguez, Toney and Priddy to finish sixth in the 4×200 relay; Sneed finished ninth in discus; Toney was No. 10 in pole vault; Munoz was No. 13 in the 3,200 meters; the relay team of Wilmoth, Rodriguez, Toney and Priddy finished sixth in the 4×400; the relay team of Wilmoth, Toney, Munoz and Priddy finished sixth in the 4×800.

DOBSON — This is a holiday week, but the democratic process is still moving along with the list of candidates for elected offices in local municipalities continuing to grow.

After a one-day break for Independence Day, the filing period resumed the next day for positions in Dobson, Pilot Mountain and Elkin, which are all non-partisan.

Tuesday’s activity included Donna M. Kiger, a member of the Pilot Mountain Board of Commissioners, tossing her hat into the ring seeking re-election to a second term.

Kiger, 59, a resident of East Main Street, has long been interested in economic revitalization of Pilot Mountain’s downtown area, among other betterment projects. Her background includes working as a Realtor.

She joined the only other incumbent Pilot Mountain commissioner whose seat is affected by the 2022 election process, Scott Needham, in seeking re-election. Needham filed for a second term Friday at the start of the candidate filing period, which ends at noon on July 15 at the Surry County Board of Elections office in Dobson.

The only other incumbent Pilot Mountain official whose seat is up for grabs this year, Evan Cockerham, also filed for re-election Friday.

Municipal offices in Surry County carry four-year terms.

So far, the only person filing for the Dobson election is Mayor Ricky Draughn, who did so Friday in seeking his sixth term.

Town commissioner seats now held by J. Wayne Atkins and John Lawson also are up for grabs this year in the county seat.

As of Wednesday afternoon, no one had filed for those slots, nor for three on the Elkin Board of Commissioners which are affected by the 2022 election process. Jeffrey Eidson, Cicely McCulloch and William Gwyn are the incumbents there.

The outcomes of municipal races will be decided in the general election on Nov. 8.

While there is more than a week to go in the candidate filing period for Dobson, Pilot Mountain and Elkin, that for non-partisan Surry Soil and Water Conservation District supervisors has ended.

Incumbents Chad Keith Chilton of Ararat and Bradley Boyd of Mount Airy both filed along with Joe Zalescik, a member of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners who lost his seat in a May 17 city primary and will step down from it later this year.

The three did so early in the filing period, which closed last Friday with no one else having come forward.

Soil and water conservation districts are set up in North Carolina counties to provide local direction for voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs to help landowners protect and conserve the state’s natural resources. These include soil, water, wildlife, unique plant and animal habitats and others.

Surry has three soil and water supervisors in all, with the third, Glenn Pruitt, not up for re-election until 2024.

R. Wilson Smith, a piano teacher in Pilot Mountain, recently presented his students in an in-person recital at the First Presbyterian Church in Pilot Mountain. This was his first in person recital since 2019.

Besides his students, featured performers included his niece, Carrie Elizabeth Collins, also one of his former students; and his sister, Sherri S. Collins, retired as music specialist in the Surry County School System. She is the music director/keyboardist at First Presbyterian.

The recital opened with a meditation on the spiritual connections to music of various composers presented by Smith’s brother-in-law, Paul S. Collins. He ended his presentation by leading the audience in a reading of the Psalm 150.

Students, who performed in a variety of solos and duets included: Harrison Jessup, who also played a duet with his mother, Maria Jessup; Joe Hauser, also performing a duet with his mother, Marie Hauser; Whitleigh McGee, who also performed in a duet with her mother, Jessie McGee; Nolan Key, Billy Pell, Alyssa Johnson.

Alyssa Johnson, as a graduating senior in the 2022 Class of East Surry High School, received a spray of roses and a gift from Smith.

Smith performed, lighting the memorial candelabra, honoring the memories of his parents Roland and Foy Cook Smith; his former teachers, Wilma Swanson and Dr. Kathryn Eskey (organ) of the School of Music, UNC-G. He lighted a special candle honoring his sister Sherri Collins for her talents and continuing inspiration. Collins and daughter Carrie sang a duet, “Spring Wind,” in a special performance.

A featured performer was a former student of both Collins and Smith, Jacob Smith, who performed his own piano composition “Dance With Death.” Jacob is a composition and musical technology major at Virgina Tech..

“I would like to mention finally our sadness at the passing of Mr. Dean Palmer, who regularly covered and reported on our recitals before COVID,” Smith said in reporting on his recital. “He always asked me what were my final thoughts on our recitals I should say for this one: I was pleased with the work of all students, glad finally to be able to do a live recital. I would like to express my deepest appreciation for all of Dean’s wonderful work, not only for his reporting of our recitals, his publicity on the Joyce Collins Music Camp/ Vacation Bible School at First Presbyterian Church; but for everything he meant to us in the community.”

Elkin High School will play host to a free soccer camp that gives area youth the opportunity to learn from an international coaching staff.

The camp, which will be led by the children of one of Elkin High School’s (EHS) most impactful alumni Dr. Nestor Oliveri, is available to kindergarteners through eighth graders, and is open to young athletes from all schools: not just students of Elkin City Schools (ECS).

Camp will be held July 18-22 and July 25-29 from 9-11 a.m. at Elkin’s Grissom Stadium. Luciano and Ariel Oliveri, as well as Ariel’s daughter Paloma, will lead the camp each day along with Elkin coaches Darren Pelkey, Dr. Evan Ballard and current EHS players.

Both brothers have backgrounds playing soccer at advanced levels. Luciano even competed for Argentina in the 1991 U-17 World Cup and was a member of Racing Club de Avellaneda.

The camp is free to attend thanks to sponsorship from the EHS Alumni Association, the ECS Board, the EHS Athletic Association and Elkin Academic Enrichment Foundation. Soccer balls will be provided at the camp.

There is no sign up necessary, and anyone interested just needs to show up at the camp and sign a contact/waiver sheet. With questions, contact EHS Athletic Director Josh Pardue at parduej@elkin.k12.nc.us

Luciano and Ariel Oliveri, both of Argentina, return to Surry County after previously visiting in early 2020. Their father was a foreign exchange student that graduated from EHS in 1964. Since soccer was not offered at Elkin at the time, Nestor played fullback and kicked for the football team.

Following graduation, Nestor returned to Argentina to attend medical school, became a doctor and opened a clinic serving the poor in Buenos Aires. He worked at a paying clinic to help raise a family and finance the free clinic.

When Luciano and Ariel first visited Elkin in 2020, they spoke of their late father’s desire to keep the free clinic open 24/7. Dr. Oliveri was dedicated to serving those most in need of help and wasn’t afraid to speak out against oppression. Ariel and Luciano said their father spoke out against the violation of human rights and political freedom by Argentina’s military dictatorship in the 1970s. As a result, Dr. Oliveri went into hiding for years until the dictatorship was overthrown and he could continue practicing medicine.

In a 2020 article in The Elkin Tribune, then-editor Bill Colvard – who attended Ariel and Luciano’s various presentations as part of their reunion – described Dr. Oliveri’s philosophy of social medicine as the following:

“In addition to fighting germs and viruses, social medicine also fights against social conditions and cultural practices that may cause disease. It involves not only treating disease but preventing disease by eradicating the social and physical conditions that cause it.

“For example, if a person has a gastrointestinal disorder because of unclean water with microorganisms, a doctor of social medicine would not only treat the problem with medicine but try to make changes in the community’s water supply that causes the disorder to recur which, in turn, requires more and more medicine.”

Ariel reflected on he and his brother’s first trip to Elkin in a column in The Elkin Tribune. In it, Ariel spoke of his father’s mentality, saying that he: “instilled in us that the most important things in life are priceless. Not everything of value can be bought with money. Not everything can be sold or converted to money. Money is not the main thing in life. That’s the philosophy my father lived by, and that’s what made him happy.”

Ariel and Luciano followed in their father’s footsteps of service. Ariel is an instructor who teaches at seven different schools, ranging from kindergarten to college, as well as a writer and musician. Luciano, who has worked as a radiologist, plans to follow his father’s path of opening his own practice.

Jim Quick and Coastline return to the Blackmon Amphitheatre on Thursday followed by North Tower Band on Friday and The Extraordinaires on Saturday. All three bands are set to play at 7:30 p.m. each day.

Pulling from the threads of soul, blues, R&B, and Americana, Jim Quick and Coastline weave together their own genre of music known as Swamp Soul. Delivered with precision by frontman Jim Quick and his band, this group captures the true, honest spirit of traditions born and bred in the small southern towns of America.

North Tower has been one of the South’s party bands for more tha 35 years, providingTop 40, beach, funk, and oldies. Sizzling brass, super vocals, and a wide-ranging repertoire all contribute to making a night to remember.

The Extraordinaires are an interactive party band playing dance music from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s including Motown, rock, R&B, beach, and Top 40. With four live horns, The Extraordinaires have the unique ability to bring the party atmosphere to any event.

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

Editor’s Note: Community Comment is a periodic column in The Mount Airy News featuring commentary from community leaders in Mount Airy and Surry County. This particular column is part of a monthly series on drug abuse prevention and treatment.

Impaired driving remains an issue that affects North Carolinians every day. On average, three in five people will be involved in a crash due to impaired driving in their lifetime. Impaired driving can have serious consequences, including injury and death. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2020), the number of teens involved in alcohol-related crashes, regardless of driver age, increased for the first time in five years to 1,014 after having decreased steadily from 1,194 in 2015 to 975 in 2019.

Similarly, in 2020 the number of teens injured in alcohol-related crashes rose to 484, breaking five straight years of decline. In 2020, teen fatalities in alcohol-related accidents jumped more than 250%, from nine fatalities in 2019 to 24 in 2020 (Centers for Disease Control, 2020). The 24 fatalities represent the highest number since 2011. Additionally, drugs other than alcohol are involved in about 16 percent of motor vehicle crashes. Impaired driving is entirely preventable. Know the facts and talk with your kids about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. There are many good times to discuss this information such as:

• When your child asks to borrow the car

• When you’re at the dinner table together

• When your child asks if he or she can ride with a friend to school/a concert/a party

• When you’re running weekend errands

• When you’re at the grocery store

• When you and your child are in the car together.

Remember, keep it low-key. Don’t worry, you don’t have to get everything across in one talk. Plan to have many short talks. Talk with your child. They really do hear you.

If you, or someone you know, would benefit from learning more about “Talk. They Hear You,” contact Charlotte Reeves, Surry County Office of Substance Abuse Recovery Community Outreach Coordinator, at reevesc@co.surry.nc.us. Visit our website at surrycountycares.com for more information about substance use disorder and the many resources in our county.

On Wednesday morning Fire Marshal Chris Fallaw said that work on the Main Oak Building site had resumed for the day.

Much of the work on removal of debris at the moment is being done by hand, Fallaw said it would be “too tedious” to try and use heavier equipment. Care is being given to protect and preserve the buildings adjoining the Main Oak Building.

Main Street from Marion’s Jewelry to the Post Office has now reopened. Some businesses closer to the site like Olde Mill Music need to remain closed while they are inspected further.

Main Street remains closed from the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History/Oak Streeet to Moore Avenue.

Engineers are coming to inspect the site “once it is safe for them to go in” Fallaw said. The building’s integrity needs to be ensured before a more thorough inspection of the inside can be done.

Captain L. T. Whitaker with the Mount Airy Police Department said Wednesday morning that while the investigation is ongoing, there is no foul play suspected at this time.

More updates will follow here and in Thursday’s Mount Airy News print edition.

Crews are working this evening to tear down part of the Main Oak Building which partially collapsed in the early morning hours Tuesday. Main Street and the surrounding area will likely remain closed until at least noon Wednesday as crews continue working.

The Mount Airy Fire Department posted on its Facebook page Tuesday evening that D.H. Griffin Wrecking Company was on the scene to tear down the facade of the building, so that it would be safe to reopen streets and sidewalks there. However, storms passing through the area have created delays as crews wait out the rain.

Traffic has been diverted onto side streets and several sections of sidewalk along have been cordoned off since the collapse, which occurred shortly before dawn Tuesday.

The building was vacant at the time and there were no injuries in the incident.

Surry County Emergency Management Director Eric Southern reported that the Mount Airy Fire Department rolled on the call at 4:26 a.m. Tuesday. Emergency personnel received a report of bricks falling from the building located at 248 N. Main Street.

Mount Airy Fire Marshal Chris Fallaw said first responders on scene heard “weird noises, creaking, and cracking.” These noises were only the pronouncements of what was soon to follow.

“While emergency personnel were on scene the building experienced a partial collapse involving the roof and Oak Street side of the structure. Emergency personnel on scene quickly established a safety perimeter involving multiple businesses and streets in downtown,” he said.

Surry County Building Inspections and Mount Airy Code Enforcement were called to the scene to assist with scene evaluation. Southern said a drone was requested from emergency management to get some aerial footage for inspectors.

As Fallaw pointed out Tuesday afternoon, even though space is seen between the Main Oak Building and the Oak-Emporium building, “Everything on this block is considered one building.”

Steel beams connect the impacted building to its neighbors, so any movement of one means the rest will need to be looked at as well. To that end Moore and Associates Engineering Firm and Sasser Restoration Company along with city officials assessed the building to develop an action plan.

That plan, as of 2 p.m. Tuesday, was:

The timing of the overnight collapse of the building was fortuitous, just twelve hours earlier could have yielded a vastly different result. As Tia Goins simply put it, “So thankful no one was injured, and this did not happen during the parade yesterday.”

“Friends, we are shocked and saddened by the partial collapse of the pivotal and historic Main Oak Building. Please stay away from the corner of Oak St. and Main St. today as the area is secured. Thank you for your understanding,” Mount Airy Downtown Inc. said in a statement Tuesday morning.

Lizzie Morrison is the Main Street coordinator for Mount Airy Downtown Inc. and found herself out of the area Tuesday when word of the collapse first broke. She said, “We are relieved to know there were no injuries reported and no loss of life occurred with the partial collapse of the Main Oak Building. We feel so fortunate that everyone is okay. At the same time, we are saddened by the sudden partial loss of a pivotal historic building in the Mount Airy National Register Historic District.”

“The Main Oak Building was built between 1905 and 1910 as the Midkiff Hardware Store,” she continued. “It is an invaluable and irreplaceable part of our history here in Mount Airy. The community and visitors alike will be mourning a monumental loss if the front facade cannot be saved. Preservation of our historic structures is of utmost importance to retaining the character, charm, and history of Mount Airy.”

The three-story structure, at the corner of Main and Oak Streets had changed hands last year, when long-time owner Burke Robertson sold the building to a Durham business known as Mt. Airy Once, LLC. At the time of the sale, Robertson said the new owners were planning to convert at least parts of the building into an AirBnB, supplying short-term rentals to tourists in town.

Two buildings next to one another that contain nearly 50,000 square feet between them were involved in the sale that took place in August. The Main Oak Building at the corner of North Main and East Oak streets is the building with the collapse in question today. At the corner of Oak and City Hall streets is Main Oak Emporium building that houses The Loaded Goat.

Construction crews had been working on the Main-Oak building in recent days.

There were dozens of people on Main Street standing in small groups and looking at the building Tuesday morning as crews from Mount Airy Fire and the city were examining the building. A crew was seen examining the building’s exterior in the alleyway between the Main Oak Building and the building that homes The Loaded Goat; there was no damage visible to the latter structure.

Grant Welch was downtown early this morning, as is often the case, and he said at 3 a.m. it was all quiet on the Mayberry front. He said he heard nothing of the building collapse and only knew something was amiss upon hearing emergency scanner traffic. By the time he arrived at the building to take a look, fire engines “were all over the place.” He did not attempt to gain access to the scene saying it is best to allow emergency professionals space to operate.

Use caution when travelling around this site in downtown Mount Airy whether by car or on foot.

More information will be published as it becomes available.

Normally, a meeting of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners would be held on Thursday of this week, but it has been scrapped.

The commissioners decided last month to cancel that session due to its proximity to the July 4 holiday on Monday.

Cancellations of council meetings falling during the Fourth of July week have been a regular occurrence in Mount Airy, which acknowledges the fact that some people are out of town for the holiday period and unable to attend.

The Mount Airy of Commissioners regularly convenes on the first and third Thursdays of each month. The first meeting typically is held early in the day, at 2 p.m., and the third-Thursday session at 6 p.m.

City officials are next scheduled to meet on July 21.

A site near U.S. 601 in Mount Airy is now primed for business development after recent action by city officials.

The annexation and rezoning of property in the 1400 block of Edgewood Drive, located just off Rockford Street (U.S. 601), was among recent action taken by the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners before beginning what might be described as a “summer recess.”

Another move involved voting to sell two tracts of municipal-owned land to the same buyer.

The annexation and rezoning issue involves a two-parcel, 1.48-acre tract owned by Bill Juno, situated behind other property he has in the area where a Subway sandwich shop is located, not far from Walmart. Juno is the longtime owner of multiple Subways in Mount Airy.

At last check, the property owner, who voluntarily requested the annexation and rezoning of the Edgewood Drive section — through an entity known as Rockford Street, LLC, of which Juno is the principal — said he had no plans for developing the site.

But the commissioners’ action in June — when they also cancelled a meeting scheduled this Thursday, meaning they will go for more than a month without gathering again, until July 21 — paves the way for that in the bustling commercial vicinity involved.

It occurred after no one voiced opposition to the changes sought by Juno during a required public hearing.

The property had been zoned RL, a Surry County classification that stands for Residential Limited, and was approved by city officials for B-4, or Highway Business, zoning. It is now vacant, with single-family dwellings formerly existing at the site until recently being demolished.

Mount Airy’s B-4 districts typically are located on major thoroughfares and collector streets, according to city government planning documents.

The area rezoned conforms to a high-intensity designation that applies to both residential and a wide variety of retail, service, office, institutional and civic uses along major arteries, documents state.

Annexation, meanwhile, aids the obtaining of municipal services such as water and sewer as a result of property being taken into the municipality.

The parcel on Edgewood Drive has direct access to public water and sewer lines would have to be extended by the developer about 175 feet down that road to serve the property.

In late May, The Mount Airy Planning Board, an advisory group to the commissioners on annexation/zoning matters, voted 7-0 in favor of both.

Also, at their last meeting before adjourning for five weeks, the commissioners voted to sell two parcels of city-owned property located in different parts of town to the same buyer.

Joshua Blake Aleva had sent letters to City Hall offering to buy a tract of about 0.72 acres on Circle Drive for $2,000 and one of around 0.75 acres at the corner of Lyn Avenue and Westlake Drive for $4,200.

When first discussing those offers during a meeting on May 19, Mount Airy officials opted to launch an upset bid process for the two — which has been the case with previous proposals to buy municipal property.

“These are good offers,” City Attorney Hugh Campbell said then, while also acknowledging that better ones could be achieved through the procedure in which property eyed for sale is advertised to the public to possibly produce a higher, or upset price.

The person originating the offer may then top that by a certain percentage and so on, until bid activity is exhausted.

No upset bids were received for either site, leading to the board’s vote to sell both to Aleva, whose address was not available.

While agreeing the municipality has identified no public purposes for the tracts, some concern had arisen among city officials in May about the fact the Circle Drive property is located near the Ararat River Greenway. It is listed as a lot left over from what is described as the Grave Heights Development, which Aleva is eyeing for some type of unspecified development.

After discussion, the commissioners agreed that selling the property would not restrict any needed access to the trail by municipal personnel.

“We wouldn’t be selling the greenway,” City Manager Stan Farmer assured.

Clara Renfro drove eleven hours to get to Surry County on May 25 and she, along with other members of her family, are planning their next visit already. They are not interested in seeing the sights of Mayberry or hiking Pilot Mountain State Park, in fact their visit could not be any further from one of pleasure.

They are planning to protest again outside of the Surry County Detention Center regarding conditions of overcrowding, food safety, and sanitation. In late May they took to Main Street in Dobson with handwritten signs calling for better food and medical care for every inmate inside the jail.

Inside is someone they love, someone currently in the care of Sheriff Steve Hiatt and staff in the Surry County jail. Marquis Hatcher is waiting for court appearances on several charges, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. During the family’s protest his mother Christina Flippen was able to have a phone conversation with him on speakerphone about real time conditions.

Renfro, Flippen, and friends were in Dobson in May for a scheduled court appearance that never happened. Renfro is Hatcher’s grandmother and said they had driven all this way in part to meet his new attorney Brandon York and were not able to do so. A call to York for comment was not returned.

Renfro said outside the courthouse in Dobson in May, “I have a serious illness. I don’t know how much longer I am going to be here.” So, when her grandson did not appear, they asked if they may be able to see him and after several denials were told that due to COVID-19 they may not. “Let’s stop using COVID as an excuse for everything,” a frustrated Renfro said as the protestors waved signs at the passing cars.

Interviews with former inmates show some similarity in the types of complaints, the most common was overcrowding. The jail is not meant to hold as many inmates as it does which is a problem the county and the Sheriff are well aware.

Captain Scott Hudson reported Friday the headcount inside the jail was 189; six inmates were being held out of county. The current detention center capacity is 125 – the new facility to be opened next year is designed to hold up to 360 inmates.

The solution for many issues at the jail, Commissioner Mark Marion said last month, was the construction of a new detention center. Many of the complaints on crowding and the physical state of the building will be addressed by the very virtue of opening the doors of the new facility.

Also, it will improve the ability to hire and retain detention, as the commissioners were told by detention center staff during the budgetary planning process.

Former inmate Billie Campbell said of the high number of people inside the jail, “You’re lucky to even get a cell. Last May when I was there, I recall 16-18 girls in one block. There only supposed to house 8 per block.” She recounted a story of sleeping on a mat in the visitation room in her own waste while detoxing.

Of the men’s facility John Gross added, “It was very overcrowded; they would have 11 to 12 people in an 8-man cell.”

Facilities complaints were made in interviews with the former inmates and current ones. Mold and mildew have been reported in the showers and on surfaces around the jail. Hatcher in his phone conversation with his mother in May said he was seeing black mold everywhere.

“The black mold was covering the ceiling. Any time after I had left there, I was always sick in my lungs. I know this has to be an issue with the black mold being there. All the jail would ever do is just paint over it,” Campbell said of her stay.

Renfro mentioned that the detention center has had two deaths this year already of inmates; she wonders if there may be a correlation between respiratory illness and mold. “What about people with asthma, people with breathing issues, their own employees? What are you going to do about that?”

In May, Timothy Norris Cox was pronounced dead after suffering a medical emergency. This followed the death of inmate Ashley Michelle Hicks was also found in a medical emergency in February.

Over the phone, Hatcher told his family of food that was molding or fruit that was beginning to rot. Renfro asked a simple question, “Who is inspecting the food, and would they serve this food to their own family? We need state health inspectors to inspect the jail and we need food/kitchen inspection from state inspectors.”

Hatcher said in May to his family, “They are treating us wrong in here. They are not giving us cleaning supplies; they won’t let us visit our families. Our blocks are overpopulated with people sleeping on the floor. There is mold and mildew all over the showers, I see black mold all over here.”

“Our food has been sitting out there for an hour and forty-five minutes, they won’t feed us because they are mad that my family is downstairs,” he explained the situation as he believed it. Other inmates could be heard calling out issues they wanted addressed inside like bedding, cleaning supplies, and problems making calls out of the jail. The meal was delivered to his part of the jail shortly after the phone call ended, he told his family.

Conditions like overcrowding Renfro knows have been an issue at the jail, and she has dealt with similar problems here in years past. How there continues to be problems of the same nature confuses her, “Where is all the money going?” she asked rhetorically but received an answer from fellow protester Mark Hatcher: “Over there,” he said gesturing to the location of the new jail.

“The inmates really need help, they aren’t getting the attention they need,” Hatcher’s mother Flippen expressed. She knows her son has needed eczema cream for his skin condition that he is not getting.

Gross said of his experience with medical care, “If you are an addict, they treat you like dirt. Don’t care about you. They don’t try to help you when you are coming off drugs. They put you in the hole and leave you there and check on you after a couple days.”

“We’re out here fighting for every inmate who is in there, for all the families who are not here to be a voice for their loved ones,” Renfro said during the protest, noting it is not just her grandson about whom she is worried. “We are trying to be the voice for everyone; we are out here for everyone.”

The US Constitution prohibits “cruel and unusual punishments,” which includes inhumane treatment and conditions while confined. If an inmate is experiencing treatment or conditions that they believe to be unlawful, they must first file a grievance regarding the incident or conditions.

Campbell explained she tried to file a grievance during her time in the jail, “I asked for (a grievance) this last time I was in because the guard wouldn’t give me a washcloth and I had never gotten one coming in. She said I should have said something then. I told her I was in one of the little visitation rooms; I was so out of it, honestly, I didn’t even know where I was at. I asked for a grievance, and they would say it’s not possible.”

Flippen said she got a call just last week, “I had an inmate named John contact me last night to tell me that Marquis was sent to the hole for complaining about cold food being given to him. No inmate who speaks up about the conditions going on in that jail should be punished or treated differently because of the truth.” She also advised she spoke to her son Thursday and he reported the same issues with cold food ongoing this week.

Catie Armstrong, press assistant for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services informed, “The Complaint Intake Unit in NCDHHS’ Division of Health Service Regulation is available to receive complaints about care and services provided to residents in facilities, including jails. Complaints can be filed by anyone concerned with the care of their loved one; it does not have to be by the individual in a facility.”

“We cannot comment on investigations or possible investigations. If individuals have concerns about the care being provided at a facility, including a jail, they are strongly encouraged to file a complaint.” To reach them, the phone number for with the Complaint Intake Unit is (919) 855-4500.

There are expectations of basic human rights for the inmates and the protesters noted they were seeking the ethical, humane treatment of all inmates. They felt that they were advocating for those inside the jail who do not have a voice, or who feel that their attempts to have a voice have been silenced. Protesters expressed concerns that grievances do not reach those higher in command at the jail, or as Campbell said, may not be allowed to be filed in the first place.

Lt. Randy Jenkins oversees the Surry County Jail and spoke to Hatcher’s family in May. They got answers to some of their questions at that time like getting the answer that it was a COVID restriction that was preventing visitation.

Jenkins responded to questions on the food, “Food services are provided by a contracted vendor. Food deliveries are received daily and inspected by the food service provider. Any complaints are immediately relayed to the food service provider for resolution.”

He said he was not aware of any issues with the telephones and that cleaning supplies are provided daily for the cleaning of dorms. On medical care he said their “medical provider makes the determinations regarding medicine dispersal and needs based on their protocols.”

Renfro and her family are planning a return in the coming weeks to protest outside the jail in larger numbers. They are concerned that a lack of care is being shown by the jail staff and that their efforts to shine a light in the media and through direct contact with the Sheriff’s Office have not brought resolution.

“They need to really do something about what is actually going on in Surry County jail. There is too much stuff being put under the rug and people are being treated unfairly,” Renfro said. “Everybody should be treated equal.”

“We got to be more concerned about people than what we are now because everyone is human, and we can’t have favorites. We got to do people right.”

IGHLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) — At least six people died and 24 were wounded in a shooting at a July Fourth parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, and officers are searching for a suspect who likely fired on the festivities from a rooftop, police said Monday.

Highland Park Police Commander Chris O’Neill, the incident commander on scene, urged people to shelter in place as authorities search for the suspect, described as a white male wearing a white or blue T-shirt.

Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said at a news conference that the gunman apparently opened fire on parade-goers from a rooftop using a rifle that was recovered at the scene. He didn’t know which building.

Covelli said police believe there was only one shooter and warned that he should still be considered armed and dangerous. He and O’Neill described the shooting as random.

Police have not released any details about the victims or wounded.

“This morning at 10:14, our community was terrorized by an act of violence that has shaken us to our core,” Mayor Nancy Rotering said at the news conference. “Our hearts go out to the families of the victims at this devastating time. On a day that we came together to celebrate community and freedom, we are instead mourning the tragic loss of life and struggling with the terror that was brought upon us.”

Hundreds of parade-goers — some visibly bloodied — fled the parade route after shots rang out, leaving their belongings behind. As of early afternoon, ominous signs of a joyous event suddenly turned to horror filled both sides of Central Street where the shooting occurred. Dozens of baby cartridges, some bearing American flags, abandoned children’s bikes, a helmet bedecked with images of Cinderella were left behind in their haste. Blankets, lawn chairs, coffees and water bottles were knocked over as people fled.

Police armed, some in camouflage gear and many clutching AR-style weapons continued to pour into the area.

Highland Park Police initially said in a statement early Monday afternoon that five people had been killed and 19 people were taken to hospitals. but those numbers were revised soon after at the news conference.

Video shot by a Sun-Times journalist after the gunfire rang out shows a band on a float continuing to play as people run past, screaming.

Gina Troiani and her son were lined up with his daycare class ready to walk onto the parade route when she heard a loud sound that she believed was fireworks — until she heard people yell about a shooter.

“We just start running in the opposite direction,” she told The Associated Press.

Her 5-year-old son was riding his bike decorated with red and blue curled ribbons. He and other children in the group held small American flags. The city said on it’s website that the festivities were to include a children’s bike and pet parade.

Troiani said she pushed her son’s bike, running through the neighborhood to get back to their car.

In a video that Troiani shot on her phone, some of the kids are visibly startled at the loud noise and they scramble to the side of the road as a siren wails nearby.

It was just sort of chaos,” she said. “There were people that got separated from their families, looking for them. Others just dropped their wagons, grabbed their kids and started running.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a tweet that he is “closely monitoring the situation in Highland Park.”

Debbie Glickman, a Highland Park resident, said she was on a parade float with coworkers and the group was preparing to turn onto the main route when she saw people running from the area.

“People started saying: ‘There’s a shooter, there’s a shooter, there’s a shooter,’” Glickman told the Associated Press. “So we just ran. We just ran. It’s like mass chaos down there.”

She didn’t hear any noises or see anyone who appeared to be injured.

“I’m so freaked out,” she said. “It’s just so sad.”

North Surry hosted six other schools in a two-day girls basketball team camp June 30-July 1.

The Lady Greyhounds welcomed Galax (Va.), East Wilkes and Ashe County on June 30. The following day, Mount Airy, North Wilkes, East Wilkes and Galax joined North Surry inside Ron King Gymnasium.

Teams competed round robin against other members of the camp, though not all teams competed in the same amount of games.

Each game featured two 20-minutes halves with running clocks. Clocks only stopped during timeouts and in the last minute of each game. Shooting fouls were worth one point plus possession unless the shot is made. Foul shots were only taken during the final minute of each half. Every team foul over seven was worth one point plus possession.

The two local teams that competed in the camp, North Surry and Mount Airy, are both coming off conference championship seasons.

North Surry won the Foothills 2A Conference Championship with a 10-2 record. The Lady Greyhounds finished 19-6 overall, and reached the Elite Eight of the 2A State Playoffs before losing to the eventual state champions. Callie Allen (‘22) was named FH2A Co-Player of the Year, and Shane Slate was named FH2A Coach of the Year.

Mount Airy won the Northwest 1A Conference Championship with a 12-0 record. The Granite Bears finished 15-9 overall, and reached the second round of the 1A State Playoffs. Grey Moore (‘22) was named NW1A Player of the Year, and Angela Mayfield was named Coach of the Year

Mount Airy High School hosted the Lady Bears Basketball Camp in Howard M. Finch Gymnasium June 27-30.

Campers ranging from rising third graders to rising ninth graders took part in the four-day camp led by varsity girls coach Angela Mayfield, varsity assistants Abby Gallimore and Alicia Henson as well as various current and former basketball players.

Campers took part in station work, skills competitions, shooting competitions and team play. Daily and weekly awards were also given.

Despite what’s occurring elsewhere in the country, no signs of a divided nation were visible Monday when crowds descended on downtown Mount Airy for July 4 festivities including a parade and reading of the Declaration of Independence.

“I think we’re looking for something to agree on,” local community theater actor Brack Llewellyn said of this unified spirit just before reciting the historic document that on July 4, 1776 launched America’s path to freedom.

The presentation of the Declaration of Independence by Llewellyn is a regular occurrence during the city’s Fourth celebration, including him dressing in period attire topped by a three-cornered hat. An estimated 160 people squeezed into the courtyard at Mount Airy Museum of Regional History to hear its groundbreaking words.

“It is the beginning of the beginning,” Llewellyn had said beforehand in discussing the Declaration’s importance in U.S. history. “It’s one of the fundamental documents of our nation.”

Shortly after Llewellyn’s program, the air downtown became filled with excitement as folks lined the entirety of North Main Street for the city’s annual Independence Day Parade. Many waved flags or wore red, white and blue attire, the steady stream of their collective colors creating a river of patriotism that flowed through the entire area.

Nearly every choice vantage spot was taken by those awaiting the procession that left Veterans Memorial Park around 11 a.m. and meandered toward the central business district.

The parade showcased floats with patriotic themes featuring ones manned by local veterans organizations along with businesses, military-type transports including a convoy of jeeps, motorcycles, a large contingent of public safety vehicles from fire departments and other units and more.

“Oh, it’s wonderful,” Jennie Lowry of the Downtown Business Association, which organizes the parade, said when surveying the large assemblage greeting its arrival.

Beforehand, the playing of the national anthem over a loudspeaker heard throughout the area set the stage for the patriotic occasion, as parade attendees stood solemnly with hands on chests and many sang along.

“To watch all these people stand up and sing the national anthem was a nice touch,” Lowry said. “It was great to see all the folks do that.”

Members of a family with long local roots, the Allens, served in a grand marshal role for the parade, which coincides with the family’s annual reunion during the Fourth of July period.

The Allens have participated in the parade for many years as part of the reunion, and recently lost one of their members, Thelma Allen, who was associated with a downtown business, Mount Airy Tractor Toyland.

The tone for Monday’s procession had been set earlier in the day at about 10 a.m., when a pre-parade crowd listened solemnly from the museum courtyard during the Declaration of Independence reading.

Beforehand, Llewellyn stood on a nearby sidewalk and rang a hand-held bell to draw attention to the occasion.

He soon was transformed into the time of the Founding Fathers.

“Heed now and listen to these words from Mr. Jefferson of Virginia and others in the Congress of Philadelphia,” Llewellyn urged during his introduction.

Passages rendered from the Declaration condemned the “tyranny” of King George III and the British monarch’s actions in taxing the colonists without their consent, burning their towns and terrorizing the seas.

The list of such grievances led to the declaration part of the document which was the key to charting a course of historical proportions: We basically ain’t going to take it no more.

After finishing the roughly 20-minute recital, Llewellyn informed the crowd that King George was rumored to have kept a daily journal that recorded every detail of his life. And he is said to have penned this entry on July 4, 1776: “Nothing of importance happened today.”

“Your majesty, I beg to differ,” Llewellyn said with a smile.

When asked if he was surprised by the interest showed by so many people in attending Monday’s reading, he replied, “as a storyteller I can tell you that people will listen when it’s important, I think — they don’t mind gathering and listening.”

The Declaration of Independence is also significant because it was the first time the words “United States of America” were mentioned, Llewellyn related. The undying ideals reflected in its text are manifested by Americans coming together on occasions such as July 4 for which the Declaration of Independence is a rallying point.

While acknowledging that it has become an overused statement, Llewellyn said there is definitely more connecting Americans than there are things separating them.

“And you’re more likely to see it in a small town rather than urban areas,” he said of the spirit exhibited Monday in Mount Airy.

At the end of the day, most people just want to have a good safe place to raise their families and make a living, according to the holiday speaker.

Bryon Grohman, who attended the Declaration reading with his family including four home-schooled daughters, appreciated the educational nature of the program as part of their instruction in American history.

When asked what sticks out the most to him about its words, Grohman did not hesitate:

“I think the thoughtfulness that went into the founding of the country.”

Fireworks were scheduled Monday night at Veterans Memorial Park to cap off the holiday festivities locally.

The African American Historical and Genealogical Society of Surry County held an event Friday at the J. J. Jones Historical Site, or as it is currently known the L. H. Jones Family Resource Center.

It was a day for big smiles and at least one big hat, courtesy of LaShene Lowe, as alumni from Jones and members of the community came together for the unveiling of a new historical plaque in what was dubbed a ‘celebration extraordinaire.’

Friday’s ceremony was the culmination of a journey toward recognition on the National Register of Historic Places after the designation was granted in April 2021.

The recent journey of Jones had been a busy one since entry onto the register; its designation as a surplus property followed just months later. For some this was, and remains, puzzling how something can both have great historic significance while also being considered a surplus.

Dollars and cents were of immediate concern to the county as the upkeep on Jones and Westfield Elementary led to their surplus designations. Repairing an aging building like Jones without a serious influx of money to refit nearly everything from the boiler, windows, to plumbing was not feasible.

Adreann Belle told the audience of the truncated timeline the Save Jones group to get fully organized and find a 501c3 partner in with the African American Historical and Genealogical Society of Surry County to make this come to fruition. With non-profit status secured, Save Jones began to “beat the pavement” looking for donations.

The process from organizing Save Jones to the unveiling of the historical plaque took effort. It was a “herculean effort” LaShene Lowe has said on more than one occasion that took assistance from many parties.

Jones alumni Essie Gist of Faith Tabernacle in Mount Airy offered her thanks Friday to all who saved the building. Without it, “We would lose a lot of history. I thank (AAHGS) for saving history and preserving the past for us, because our children and those coming after us are not going to know if someone does not record it. All of us, I don’t care if you’re Black or white, should get behind this and support this to its fullest so that we might preserve history.”

Coming together with one goal in mind the former students of Jones arranged fundraisers, made impassioned speeches during the open forum of commissioners’ meetings, and kept the spotlight directly on their beloved J. J. Jones High. Their desire was not to keep the school in their hands, but rather have it returned to some of the very hands who built it.

Locals may know of the students at J. J. Jones who were taught how to make and lay bricks; job skills training in Surry County is not a wholly new endeavor. Theirs’ was not a class choice or elective, but hands on training born of necessity that yielded results still standing – results worth preserving.

With little funds for expansion a decision was made “to hire an instructor to teach the students to form and fire bricks. The students built the auditorium, gymnasium, and band room. They also lade pipe for water to the school from Spring St.,” Belle said.

For those who do not know of the story, there is a fair chance they never will. If it were not for the efforts of living historians who keep such tales alive, these tales could be lost. Preserving these stories of their own shared history was the very impetus behind Save Jones.

“Many of us have stories we want to tell,” Gist said recalling her own bussing experiences from Little Richmond outside Elkin. There were groans that confirmed a shared experience of school busses running late and delivering students to school late. “Anyone who ever went to Jones: you have a story. I know that I have quite a few. It’s that history that I want people to know and understand – where we come from.”

The audience was reminded during Belle’s remarks about the lofty goals for the former school turned community center and were reminded that keeping YVEDDI in place is an essential part of the equation. “Beyond keeping YVEDDI and the non-profits, AAHGS and Save Jones have a vision to create a tourist destination where people can enjoy the cultural heritage of the community, research their genealogy, and be a repository of minority and community artifacts.”

For community improvement there are plans to develop a commercial kitchen space “to serve the underserved.” An entrepreneurial business incubator is also planned to further the prospects of the community the new Jones serves.

The long-term plans are to have Jones as a mixed used community, there is time for that in the future. For now, it is home, “As of 12:01 a.m. we became the proud owners of J.J. Jones High School.”

Lowe added, “Jones is a national treasure, a precious jewel, and a living monument to the past, the present, and future. Today Jones is again in the hands of the community. After 57 years the Jones campus is united again.”

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

The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery – Amanda Cox

Red on the River – Christine Feehan

A Fatal Booking – Victoria Gilbert

Point of Danger – Irene Hannon

The Forest of Vanishing Stars – Kristin Harmel

When the Dandelions Sing – James J. Hill III

The Girl Who Survived – Lisa Jackson

Daughters of War – Dinah Jeffries

The Last Garden in England – Julia Kelly

Beyond the Crushing Waves – Lilly Mirren

The Journal – James Penn *local author

The Book Woman’s Daughter – Kim Michelle Richardson

After She Falls – Carmen Schober

The Finder of Forgotten Things – Sarah Loudin Thomas

The View From Coral Cove – Amy Clipston

Beekeeping for Beginners – Amber Bradshaw

These Precious Days – Ann Patchett

A Girl of the Gulf (Shirley Marie Curtis) – Scarlett Hancock

King of the Blues (B.B. King) – Daniel De Vise

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. Closed this week in observance of July 4.

• Tuesday at 2 p. m. – kids ages 8-12; this week, This week, we will be learning about Coral Reefs.

• 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; this week, we will be making mermaid sugar scrub. Come out and make some homemade beauty products.

• Friday at 1 p.m. – Family Movie Series, popcorn and water will be available. Feel free to bring your own snacks. This week, we will be watching Muppet Treasure Island.

• 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.

Classic Movie Monday on July 25 at 5:30 p.m. to watch JAWS, if you dare. “We’re going to need a bigger boat.”

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/

First Presbyterian Church of Mount Airy will be welcoming Dr. David Docusen, founder and director of The Neighborliness Center, to their church on July 17.

Docusen has spent the past 20 years working as an author, speaker, pastor, and professor. He lives in Winston-Salem with his wife, Dara, and four teenage children. His new book, “Neighborliness: Love Like Jesus. Cross Dividing Lines. Transform Your Community,” is available at www.neighborliness.com and all major retailers.

Over the past 20 years he planted two churches in Charlotte, wrote an Amazon best selling book, Neighborliness, and was recently a guest on Good Morning America on May 20.

He will be speaking at the church on July 17 at 11 a.m. The church is located at 326 South Main Street

DOBSON — Wayne Farms Dobson recently presented a $5,000 check to the Shepherd’s House to help underwrite the organization’s homeless shelter operation.

“But financial support is only one aspect of community partnership for the Dobson team,” the firm said of its donation. “The company has also signed on with Shepherd’s House as a resource for the agency’s Jobs First program, offering training and plant positions to homeless adults and even providing transportation to and from the job.”

“We wanted to help Shepherd’s House give residents the opportunity to change their situation,” said Dobson Complex Manager Matthew Wooten. “Providing financial support is important, but helping people find employment is even more impactful,” said Wooten, who noted that a number of former Shepherd’s House residents have been able to get back on their feet and leave the facility thanks to gainful employment at the Dobson complex.

At any given time, seven to ten shelter residents are working with Wayne Farms through the Jobs First program, and as they graduate and move on to other opportunities, Wooten stressed that new positions at Wayne Farms are always available. “Right now we’re paying $17-20 an hour with signing bonuses and we can have people working the day they apply.”

Wayne Farms has been a long-time supporter of Shepherd’s House, which provides basic lodging and meals for homeless individuals and families, along with an array of therapeutic, educational, life skills and health education classes and social services assistance. The 64-bed facility just completed a major renovation and expansion.

MOUNT AIRY — In addition to Northern Regional Hospital’s recognition as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission earlier this year, the hospital has received the American Heart Association’s GoldPlus Get With The Guidelines – Stroke quality achievement award.

The award, according to the hospital, is for “for its commitment to ensuring that stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.”

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability, and accelerating recovery times.

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

“Obtaining Gold Plus recognition from the American Heart & American Stroke Associations reflects the outstanding stroke care patients receive at Northern Regional Hospital. Our Northern Interdisciplinary Stroke Team is activated from the moment a possible stroke is identified, throughout the hospital stay, and into the post-discharge period to assure our patients are surrounded with treatments and resources they will need to achieve a robust recovery,” said Emily Volk, transitional care nurse at Northern and one of the leaders of the project. “This Get With The Guidelines award recognizes the success we have experienced as we collaborate not only among Northern clinical staff, but also with valued community partners such as EMS, rehab and therapy agencies, pharmacists, and primary care providers. We are honored to consistently provide exceptional stroke care to the members of our local community.”

Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.

“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Northern Regional Hospital for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., chairperson of the Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. “Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families, and communities.”

Northern Regional Hospital also received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase.

In addition, Northern Regional Hospital also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.

DOBSON – The Children’s Center of Northwest North Carolina recently partnered with Surry County Schools to launch a collaborative Summer Culinary Camp at Surry Central High School in the school system’s new state-of-the-art culinary lab.

Monday, June 20 was the official kick-off date, running from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. each day, through Jan. 23. Sixteen students ranging from 8 years old to 18 years old were able to take part, with funding for the camp provided by Vaya Health, Partners Health Management, and the Children’s Center of Northwest North Carolina.

“We are thankful for the collaboration and partnership with the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Vaya Health, Partners Health Management and Surry County Schools for making this happen and giving children an opportunity to learn and explore culinary skills, ” said Robin Testerman Beeson, executive director of the children’s center.

Campers learned how to prepare a variety of meals, starting from scratch. They also learned proper food safety and sanitation requirements, food preparation skills, basic knife skills, how to read a recipe, and how to use kitchen equipment and tools.

“When presented with the opportunity to provide a fun learning experience to our youth, my first thought was, ‘I would like something that all youth could participate and learn from regardless of their physical or academic limitations,’” said says Gayle Alston, N.C. Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention chief court counselor, District 17. “The culinary program provides a necessary skill that can also be fun. I presented the idea to Robin Testerman….Robin took the idea and did a perfect job of creating the vision. Our hope is that these youth learned a necessary life skill and that the program provided them with a memorable summer experience.”

The camp was led by Sabrina Wilmoth, along with help from Teacher Assistant Janel Kidd and Student Teachers Joanna Arroyo and Tyler Smeltzer. The menus consisted of Mexican, American, Italian cuisines, and cupcake creativity. Upon successful completion of the Culinary Arts Camp students earned a souvenir apron, chef hat, journal, teen cookbook, and a game.

“Partners Health Management is honored to support the efforts of the Children’s Center of Northwest North Carolina in providing this unique opportunity to youth in Surry County. The Summer Culinary Camp is an innovative approach to better health that teaches teens food safety and how to prepare meals”, said Jeff Eads, Partners regional director.

“Through our initiatives focused on child and family welfare, we have learned that youth want something more meaningful than just recreational programs,” said Donald Reuss, VP Behavioral Health and I/DD Network Operations. “They are seeking opportunities for skill building and job training. Vaya is proud to partner with the Children’s Center of Northwest North Carolina and DJJ District 17 to offer a culinary program that teaches valuable life skills that can be used in daily life.”

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:

– Michael Dale Cornett, Carolyn Denise Cornett and Carolyn Denise Freeman to Ronnie Dean Goodson; tract Shoals; $170.

– Chad Everette Phipps and Shannon Tate Phipps to Joseph Ervin Odum and Frances Ann Odum; lots 57-62 PB 3 27 241 Welch Road Mount Airy; $98.

– Ricky D. Hardy and Cathy W. Hardy to Peggy Helms Ballard and Billy Paul Ballard; 1.206 acres PB 36 99 Bryan; $38.

– Estate of Robert Jason Dehart, estate of Edna Kay Collins, Roger Dale Sweatt, Robert Jason Dehart, Edna Kay Collins, Daniel Neil Dehart, Heather Danielle Dehart, Eula Christine Rodriguez and Juan Rodriguez to LKTR Properties, LLC; 1.01 acres estate of Robert Jason Dehart and estate of Edna Kay Collins; $214.

– Danny Ray Richardson and Mary Richardson to Grover Earl Haddock; 2.45 acres Franklin; $330.

– Wayne Joseph Nacey and Kathleen Sonnek Nacey to Harriett G. Smith; condominium deed unit 7B Old Springs Condominiums bk 1 42-63 Mount Airy; $450.

– Busick Family Irrevocable Trust and Dwaine Bowers to LKTR Properties, LLC; lot 6 section 2 Pine Lakes development PB 7 33 Stewarts Creek; $250.

– Jerry Hawks Hayes and Joseph E. Hayes to Glenn R. Frobel and Margaret A. Frobel; tract one 12.05 acres and tract two 0.63 acres Franklin; $290.

– Douglas Redden Real Estate, Inc. to Mount Pilot Antiques, LLC; two tracts; $300.

– Janice Coe Poplin to Beth Darlene Poplin; tract one lots 11-14 Simmons tract and tract two tract Mount Airy; $0.

– James Judson Chapman and Luciana Luis Da Silva to Michael W. Bunting and Tamara Bunting; lot 29 Riverchase section 4 PB 22 73; $900.

– Timothy Dowdy and Brandy Dowdy to John William Lewis; tract Mount Airy; $0.

– Jill M. Stuart and Regina Gillespie to James Reed Stuart; correction deed 0.829 acres 115 Prince Avenue State Road Elkin; $0.

– Michael D. Brown and Edna Roberts Brown to Terry Keith Brown; 1.587 acres PB 29 109; $400.

– Jeffrey Dean Johnson and Tamara Johnson to Joseph Nathaniel Johnson and Rebecca Athey Johnson; 1816/805 deed of correction tract one 2.85 acres and tract two 2.46 acres Dobson; $0.

– Jimmy Dean Mitchell Jr. and Jessica Mitchell to Amber Marie Branan and Jonah Allen Branan; 16.37 acres off Ellis Hardy Rd DB 1606 PG 40; $1,062.

– Brian Suttell and Tara Marciniak to Cypress Trails, L.L.C.; 5.001 acres tract one Minor subdivision PB 38 42 Elkin; $0.

– Norma Ann Lawson and Norma H. Lawson to Kay Laverne Mears and Teddy Eugene Mears Sr.; 1.175 acres Mount Airy; $20.

– Bobby D. Goad to Janice Peavley and Timothy E. Peavley; 2.16 acres tract one PB 37 179; $530.

– Estate of Mary Ann Gore, Raymond Patrick Hawks, Sherry L. Gore, Janet G. Childress, Trent H. Childress, Kathy A. Sechrist, Jonathan D. Sechrist, Marie G. Hawks and Jeffrey Mears to Charles Anderson Harmon IV; 7.354 acres PB 41 31 TBD Old Buck Shoals Road Mount Airy estate of Mary Ann Gore; $112.

– Brittany Myers to Richard Allen Waller and Jerri Carter Waller; 0.353 acres lot 4 PB 9 121 Bryan; $316.

– Granite Independence, LLC to Mountain Valley Farms, LLC; tract Mount Airy; $0.

– Fieldyn G. Hawks to Dustin Ray Lovill and Kendra Lynne Jordan; lot 2 section IV The Farm subdivision PB 24 182 Stewarts Creek; $510.

– Aron Wayne Montgomery to Jayne Gonzalez Salazar and Jaret Jimenez Armenta; .929 acres lots 9-10 J.H. Crossingham property PB 3 74 and portions of lots 8-9 PB 1 180 Mount Airy; $114.

– Kagawa, LLC to Northern Hospital District of Surry County; tract one lot 36 1.013 acres PB 5 46 tract two tract; $1,950.

– Donald R. Cain, Deborah M. Cain and Starr A. Harris to Donald R. Cain and Deborah M. Cain; two tracts PB 21 23 PB 21 56; $180.

– The Clarence and Carolyn Campbell Revocable Trust, Clarence G. Campbell and Carolyn G. Campbell to Maria Vilma Galeas; 0.694 acres lot 8 Green Land Court PB 16 16 Westfield; $31.

– James Alva Hunter and James Michael Hunter to Mark Hepfl and Sheila Hepfl; 0.486 acres Mount Airy; $140.

– Daniel Mata Jr. to Laura Alicia Pena; 2.968 acres lot 3 Pine Hill development PB 11 193 Rockford; $0.

– Treva Sumner Hayes, Treve Ann Hayes Borovies and Richard Andrew Borovies to Clifford B. McMillian; 0.76 acres Mount Airy; $80.

– William Lee Dalton Jr. and Shasta Edwards Dalton to Jerry L. Bryant; 3.219 acres; $50.

– Ann J. Griggs, Ann Beth Griggs, Deloris Ann Hartman and Raleigh Wilbur Hartman Jr. to Tara L. Foster and Christopher L. Foster; tract Mount Airy; $570.

– Tishie Mae Caudle to Debra Carr; condominium deed 6A Greystone Condos bk 1 298 and 1 300 Mount Airy; $770.

– Jerry Michael Watson and Patsy Gentry Watson to Matthew F. Feeny and Leslie D. Feeney; 2.01 acres PB 41 24 Stewarts Creek; $700.

– Donna G. Burchette to Audrey A. Freeman and Dennis Gray Freeman; 0.74 acres Eldora; $160.

– Estate of Robert Gray White, Richard D. Eads, Joan Aman Eads and Robert Gray White to Elisa Ocampo Hernandez and Luis Agustin Ocampo; 1.03 acres lot 3 PB 15 42 Rockford estate of Robert Gray White; $259.

– Estate of James Lee King, Richard King and James Lee King to FOE Investments, LLC; 0.743 acres lot 37 section 3 The Crosswinds subdivision PB 12 183 and PB 12 51 Mount Airy estate of James Lee Key 21 E 5 31; $160.

– Donald Ray Bartlett to Brian J. Dixon; 10.50 acres Franklin; $86.

– Haley Nicole Snow to Cynthia Schrock; lot 18 and portion of lot 19 PB 1 106 Mount Airy; $316.

– Charles Hoyt Hall and Kendra H. Hall to Charles Hoyt Hall; quitclaim deed lot 24 Ingleside subdivision phase 6 PB 34 119 Long Hill; $0.

Budbreak is undergoing leadership changes, but the annual springtime celebration of the region’s wine and beer industries continues to uncork thousands of dollars for local charities.

The latest tally of proceeds from the downtown Mount Airy event featuring various vendors — last held in early May — is $17,000, it was announced during a Rotary Club of Mount Airy meeting this week.

Budbreak, which marked its 12th year in 2022, is spearheaded by the club. It traditionally receives a facsimile check for total profits reaped from Budbreak ticket sales and other revenue sources, which it then distributes to various community organizations.

Unlike the most-flavorful of wines, Tuesday afternoon’s occasion was bittersweet, however, with mention made of longtime Festival Director Bob Meinecke turning over the reigns to fellow Rotarian Sue Brownfield. She will now guide the Budbreak Wine and Craft Beer Festival, next scheduled for May 6, 2023.

“It’s been an incredible run,” Meinecke said of his 12 years as top organizer for the annual, well-attended gathering. It includes around 20 wine and craft beer vendors offering tastings and sales of their wares in a closed section of North Main Street on a Saturday afternoon.

Live music and dancing also is a part of the event that promotes those growing industries.

During Meinecke’s tenure, around $200,000 has been raised to aid the causes of local charitable groups in keeping with the official Rotary mission of community betterment under the motto “service above self.”

In addition to those organizations, members of the Mount Airy group mirror Rotary’s international mission in supporting efforts to battle hunger, along with literacy, polio and other programs.

Brownfield did not have an updated list of beneficiaries for this year’s Budbreak proceeds, but said it basically includes usual recipients such as the Shepherd’s House homeless shelter, Salvation Army, Surry Medical Ministries free clinic, United Fund of Surry and others.

One new recipient for this year involves Ukrainian relief in light of Russia’s invasion of that country, based on previous reports.

Meinecke indicated that he believes the management of the Budbreak Wine and Craft Beer Festival is in good hands going forward.

“And I thank you all for participating, with many more years of success,” Meinecke told fellow Rotarians.

This week’s Rotary Club of Mount Airy meeting also marked the passing of a baton in another way, with Dr. Phillip Brown being installed as the new president of the organization for the coming year.

This was done with the help of a visiting Rotary official, Mark Brandon from Yadkin County.

Brown is replacing Tonda Phillips, who served as president with particular distinction, it was mentioned during the meeting.

Phillips took an active role leading Rotary efforts in support of drug prevention; the Camp Raven Knob scouting facility, which included rappelling from a tower there to highlight its programs; the restoration of the historic Satterfield House; international programs on a local scale; and building its membership ranks.

The following marriage licenses were issued in Surry County:

– Michael Ian Peck, 31, of Smyth County, Virginia, to Faith Evangeline Wymer, 28, of Smyth County.

– Rebecca Michelle Hale, 38, of Surry County to Shannon Renee Townsend, 44, of Surry County.

– Dakota Edward Holder, 31, of Surry County to Christy Marie Hill, 26, of Surry County.

– James Milton Freson, 71, of Harrison County, Mississippi, to Angel Liana King, 49, of Harrison County.

– Karol Okruszko, 26, of Surry County to Alexandra Brooke Parsons, 26, of Surry County.

– David Cooper Dickson, 38, of Surry County to Sarah Kristina Cassidy, 31, of Surry County.

As time pushes forward, our collective technology advances at an ever-growing speed. Each year, new phones, computers, apps, and more are released, deeming their predecessors obsolete. It is so hard to stay ahead of the technology curve, that many consumers have adopted the “if it’s not broke don’t change it” rule.

These advancements have also discarded some technologies and training as unnecessary. Things such as watchmakers, cobblers, seamstresses, and milliners are not as common as they once were. Surry County has a long history of these forgotten trades and arts, including the art of crafting the shoe.

As a child growing up in Surry County, I hated shoes. My rural environment and lush grass begged for bare feet roaming; shoes were not at the top of my priority list, no matter how many snakes roamed my yard. However, as I grew older and became interested in my own personal brand of fashion, that changed. Shoes can make or break your day, with comfort and affordability being key.

Today we find ourselves roaming neatly lined rows of perfect boxes when we are in need of shoes. Our forefathers and mothers had slightly different experiences.

Shoemakers, cobblers, or cordwainers used to be sprinkled throughout Main streets and communities across the world. This handicraft was unique to the country or region with more than 15 different techniques for making shoes or foot coverings. Contrary to many popular fairy tales, cobblers crafted shoes by hand. Many craftsmen started out as apprentices at other cobblers’ shops, with each in a constant rotation of passing the craft onto the next generation. The many tools, machines, and materials took devotion and practice to master.

Sandals were some of the first styles of shoes created, followed by clogs and leather-bottomed shoes. Fur, leather, and wood were common materials for cobblers to use. Each shoe, during this early time, was hand-measured and created for each person individually. It wasn’t until the early 1800s that a machine was made to aid in the creation of shoes. Marc Brunel created a way to mass-produce boots for the British Army. Rubber soles didn’t appear on the scene until the late 1890s.

The Industrial Revolution changed the way we consumed many products, including shoes. Cheap labor, readily available resources, and rising consumerism helped evolve the “shoe” narrative. However, even during the changing times, families and individuals favored repairing shoes over buying new. Local cobblers and repair shops could replace soles, eyelets, and sides. They also repaired bags, purses, and other leather goods. Downtown Mount Airy had several shoe repair stores or cobblers through the years.

Belton Shoe store was one of those shops. In operation, for 86 years the Belton legacy included two generations of the Belton family using the craft. In their timespan, the cost of repairing shoes changed drastically. In 1971 a shoe repair could cost around $4.75, the same job in 1998 would have cost $28. The L.C. Belton Repair store was originally located on Virginia Street but moved to N. Main Street, near Snappy Lunch, where it remained until it closed in April 1998. Another name in shoe repair from the area was L.B Albertson Boot and Shoemaker, which was originally on North Main Street in 1895.Harold’s Shoe Shop 1933, and J.E Harrold Shoe Shop on Moore Avenue were some other notable names.

As with the column a few weeks ago about Watchmakers, it is hard to find a repair shop in a downtown atmosphere; Elkin, still boasts a repair shop on Main Street, Patti’s Leather & Shoe Repair. However, they are few and far-between. The U.S. has an organization named Shoe Service Institute of America (SSIA) which, before the pandemic, met annually to award prizes, talk about the shoe industry, and socialize. Like many other handy-crafts, the work was hard and rewarding, fueling life for many families across the region.

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

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

• Elijah Blaise Calloway, 22, a white male wanted on a post-release warrant and probation violations who is on supervision for possession of a firearm by a felon and felony interference with electronic monitoring equipment;

• Javier Hernandez Rosa, 25, a Hispanic male wanted on probation violations who is on probation for driving while impaired;

• Jeffrey Lee Smalls, 56, a black male wanted on probation violations who is on probation for possession of schedule II and schedule VI controlled substances;

• Christina Lee Goff, 49, a white female wanted on probation violations who is on probation for two counts felony possession of methamphetamine and two counts use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

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.

Enduring the hotties of Dog Days

Beginning next week we will begin to endure the hotties of Dog Days. They are usually the hottest days of the long hot summer. In summer, at grandmas Northampton County home, her hounds were nowhere to be found on the hot Dog Day afternoons. They would be under the house laying down on cool soil next to the foundation of the house. You would not see them until the sun went down and they came out to eat what was left over from the supper table. The explanation of Dog Days is they occur every summer from early July until into August. They are the days when Sirius, the dog star in Canis Major constellation follows the constellation of Orion across the summer sky from sunrise to sunset. Dogs may be mad because they are hot, but contrary to what grandma said, dogs do not go mad during Dog Days. Unlike humans, they don’t over do it, but discover a place where they can cool off on a sultry Dog Day afternoon. We should do what they do and find a place to cool off.

Cooling the birds on a summer afternoon

Spray the hot dogs with a hose and then dump water from the birdbath and refill them with fresh cool water every afternoon. Cool off hanging baskets and containers of summer annuals until water runs out of the holes in bottoms of the baskets and containers.

Benefits, relief in afternoon thunderstorms

Dog Day afternoons can also promote the arrival of some relief from the sultry heat in the form of a thunderstorm. An extra bonus is that the garden plot gets a cool down and harvest. Ground vegetables get a fresh drink of water from upstairs.

A search for wild blackberry patches

Usually after the Fourth of July, the wild blackberries harvest begins. They can be found along roadsides and fields in the Piedmont. Wild blackberries have that certain “wang” about them that makes them unforgettable. As kids growing up in eastern North Carolina, we would pick and sell them for a quarter a quart and neighbors would buy them quickly to make blackberry dumplings and preserves. We would take advantage of the berry harvest for several weeks to make a few dollars and fill a lot of tables with blackberries.

Tomato harvest is almost here

The week after the Fourth of July usually brings the first ripe tomatoes. The heat of Dog Day summer afternoons will promote the ripeness of the first of a long harvest. Keep the tomatoes side dressed and covered after applying an application of Tomato-Tone organic tomato food or Miracle-Gro liquid tomato food mixed with proper amount of water in a sprinkling can. Keeping soil hilled up to tomato plants will protect them from gusty summer storms and support them.

A quick remedy for blossom end rot

The heat can pave the way for blossom end rot on tomatoes as they begin to ripen. One way to prevent blossom end rot is to water the base of tomato plants with the water wand in spray mode. Another way is to mix two quarts of powdered lime (calcium carbonate) in a sprinkling can of water and apply it around the base of the tomatoes. Still another method is to side dress the tomatoes with Vigaro calcium enriched tomato food and then pull up soil on both sides of the row and spray a shower of water with the water wand around base of the plants.

Making a pan of fresh blackberry dumplings

With blueberries in season, a simple blueberry dumpling recipe will make a great dessert for a summer supper. You will need ten Hungry Jack biscuits cut into halves. Mix one quart of fresh blueberries, one stick light margarine (melted), one tablespoon vanilla, one tablespoon corn starch, half cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for two or three minutes. Place bottoms of biscuits in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan or dish sprayed with Pam baking spray. Pour half of the blueberry mixture over the biscuit halves. Place the biscuit tops on the blueberry filled bottoms and pour the rest of the blueberry mixture over top of the biscuits. Bake at 350 degrees until biscuits are golden brown. Serve with ice cream, Cool Whip or dairy whipping cream.

Making nectar for hummingbird feeders

The heat will cause nectar to ferment in the hummingbird feeders in just a few days. Change the nectar at least once a week and try to keep the feeder out of direct sunlight. Don’t fill feeders completely but about half full and check how long it lasts. Honey suckles are finishing their cycle of blooms and hummers will be visiting the feeders more frequently. You can purchase nectar in half gallon plastic bottles ready mixed or in envelopes that is powdered and ready to mix with water with several drops of red food coloring. You can prepare several quarts at a time and store in the refrigerator.

Starting seeds for late autumn tomatoes

As the first of the tomatoes of summer reach harvest stage, it’s time to sow the seeds of tomatoes for the plants that will provide a harvest of late summer and mid-autumn tomatoes, and green tomatoes to store to ripen in the house or basement. The best tomato varities for a late tomato harvest are the determinate. Determinates are a bush type that require no cages or stakes or support and they produce most of their harvest over a shorter period. Indeterminate need cages and supports and produce a harvest over a longer time period which makes them ideal for summer gardens. Determinants are best for autumn and late summer because they produce tomatoes in a shorter amount of time. Some determinants are Better Boy, Celebrity, Rutgers, Marglobe, Homestead, Mountain Pride and Oregon Spring. Determinate seed started now will be ready to transplant into the garden in mid to late August.

Zinnia bed attracts butterflies and finches

The colorful zinnia bed is filled with multicolored blooms that attract a variety of butterflies, goldfinches, bumblebees and all types of birds. On hot Dog Day afternoons, the zinnias need a cool drink of water, but not the foliage because to water the foliage promotes powdery mildew and cucumber mosaic. Always water zinnias at the base of the plants preferably with the water wand so that you can place water at exactly where it is needed.

Attracting bees to cucumbers and squash

To attract bees and other pollinators to blooming squash and cucumbers, use a spray bottle such as window glass cleaner comes in, with four or five tablespoons of sugar mixed in the bottle and spray a mist directly on the foliage. This will attract more bees and other pollinators to the blooms and help produce a larger harvest.

Pinching off the spent rose blooms

The roses of summer are still in bloom and putting on a show of color and beauty. As the roses bloom and fade, keep pinching off spent blooms to promote new blooms as summer moves along. Water roses once each week if no rain falls. Feed every 15 days with Rose-Tone organic rose food. Spray to control leaf mites and Japanese beetles.

“Crazy is as crazy does.” Husband: “My wife talks to herself all the time, she must be crazy.” Psychiatrist: “That’s ridiculous, you wouldn’t be crazy just because you talked to yourself.” Husband: “Why not?” Psychiatrist: “Of course not, I talk to myself. Do you think I’m crazy?” Husband: “I wouldn’t say your crazy if you talked to yourself, but if you listened you would be.”

“Gift of cold hard cash.” The husband asked his wife what she would like for her birthday. After a moment of thought she said, “This year, I want some cold hard cash for a change.” The next day, her husband filled her request. He put $50 in quarters, dimes and nickles in a jar and filled the jar with water and placed it in the freezer. That night, he handed his wife the jar of cold, hard cash.

“Alarming.” Jan: “My father has everything, I don’t know what to buy for him.” Fran: “Get him a burglar alarm!”

Independence Day will be celebrated on Monday, July 4. The moon will enter its first quarter on Wednesday, July 6. There will be a full moon on Wednesday, July 20. This full moon of the month of July will be named “Full Buck Moon.” There will be a new moon on the evening of Thursday, July 28. The hotties of Dog Days begin on Sunday, July 3, and will continue until Thursday, August 11.

Purity and daintiness of Queen Anne’s Lace

The fields and meadows as well as the country roads of Surry County are adorned with tall strands of the dainty and tapestry of the magic of Queen Anne’s Lace. Queen Anne’s Lace is a native of Europe and has roots shaped like a carrot. We wonder how they arrived in America, and did the pilgrims bring them on the Mayflower? Another interesting question is: were the roots of the Queen Anne’s Lace edible? We do know that in England, it is also known as the “wild carrot.”

It grows wild over a large area of the United States and along the mainline in Milwaukee where the Milwaukee road “Hiawathas” used to run. All over the Mid-West the Queen Anne’s white lace flowers adorn the heartland. It is an heirloom across the southeast and used to adorn floral arrangements mixed with flowers from many flower gardens. My mother and Northampton County grandma gathered the lace with its long stems to use as fillers for their floral arrangements during summer to place on alter tables in their church. What a colorful combination of the tamed zinnias, marigolds, cosmos and dahlias adorned with the wild majesty and daintiness of the pure white Queen Anne’s Lace on a summer Sunday.

For several years, Pilot Mountain officials have tried to gain entry into the North Carolina Main Street program, only to be stymied at every attempt.

So the town decided to set up its own Main Street program, aimed at not only finding ways to make the town look better, but to attract new people, and businesses, to the town.

The effort worked. Pilot Mountain has seen the number of businesses on Main Street and ancillary roads grew significantly, and visitors from across the region and state travel to the town to visit those business and to take part in nearly two dozen weekend fairs and festivals it holds every year.

Last week, town officials learned because of its success, the aforementioned North Carolina Main Street program has now accepted Pilot Mountain into its program.

Operated under the state’s Department of Commerce, the Main Street Program accepted four towns last week — in addition to Pilot Mountain, the program took in Manteo, Murphy, and Pittsboro.

Mayor Evan Cockerham said the program will be valuable to Pilot Mountain on several levels.

”It will allow us to access new grant opportunities for downtown,” he said. “We can now have logistical support, design support for our work…through the Department of Commerce. Beyond that, it’s a little bit of validation of the work we’ve put in to revitalize our Main Street.”

Pilot officials had tried on several occasions to be accepted into the state Main Street program, to no avail.

“In 2017, that’s when we decided to launch our own Main Street program at the local level…We decided if change is going to come, it’s going to come from right here in Pilot Mountain.”

That involved hiring Jenny Kindy as Main Street Coordinator and Christy Wright as events coordinator, gathering a cadre of volunteers and then going about finding ways to grow business and tourism to the town.

”We’ve had dozens more businesses open since 2017,” he said. The number of events in the town grew from nine — dominated by Mayfest and the Pilot Mountain Hot Nights and Hot Cars cruise-in series. Now, the mayor said Pilot Mountain has 20 events taking up nearly half the year’s weekends.

Not only is the town often filled during those events, but he said with the growth in business, there are an ample number of shoppers in Pilot Mountain during most weekdays, allowing businesses to survive on more than weekend traffic.

Cockerham said many of those coming to town are from Winston-Salem, Clemmons, Statesville, and as far away as Raleigh and the Research Triangle of the state.

Up to this point, the mayor said the local Main Street program has been operating on a town contribution of about $100,000, “Which is not very much in the grand scheme of things, but our staff does a really good job,” he said, adding they work to maximize the value of every dollar. He also credited a cast of volunteers who make the town’s events run well, and on a break-even or slightly profitable basis.

He said Rep. Kyle Hall was able to secure some engineering planning funding from the General Assembly, so the town already has a streetscape plan in place. Now, he said the town can apply for grant money from the Main Street program to make that a reality.

“You’ll see improvements like wider sidewalks, decorative lighting, an overall update for downtown, more of a destination, not just for cars, but for people.”

Cockerham did caution folks should not expect too much too fast. “There’s a lot of preparation and coordination with our business owners,” so that work downtown won’t interrupt their business operations. He said townsfolk might see the beginnings of that work in the next calendar year.

North Carolina wildlife officials are still monitoring the deer population in the area for signs of chronic wasting disease.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible, always fatal, neurological disease that affects deer and elk, moose and caribou.

In late March it was detected in North Carolina in a deer in Yadkin County. In response, the NC Wildlife Resource Commission Executive Director enacted emergency powers on April 12.

Mindy Wharton of the North Carolina Wildlife Office said, “Only one positive case of CWD was confirmed through testing during the 2021-22 harvest season. Testing for that season has concluded.” The state has offered no updates officially since early May when they also reported no additional cases were found.

Last week, the board of county commissioners was asked to approve of two testing sites for CWD, and for the county’s permission to dispose of carcasses in the landfill. County Manager Chris Knopf said approving the testing sites would allow the county to collaborate with hunters ahead of the next hunting season.

Chair Bill Goins was designated to be the point man on this issue for the county when Commissioner Eddie Harris asked if the board could authorize such a move. This will allow the avid outdoorsman Goins the latitude to work with the wildlife commission without needing additional input from the rest of the board.

“This is a very serious problem that could wipe out the deer population,” the booming voice of Commissioner Van Tucker called from a speaker located in the ceiling. He went on to say that while there have been no reports of such yet, there may be issues of transmission of CWD to humans and precautions need to be taken to protect both deer and human.

Goins concurred, “It is a serious problem, if you see any deer acting strange — stranger than usual — contact wildlife commission because this is a serious matter.” Not everyone may know what a deer in distress looks like, but some literature says they look and act like zombies.

NC Wildlife posted symptoms including listlessness; lack of coordination; blank facial expressions; drooling and grinding of teeth; excess urination; and low weight.

Only a laboratory test can confirm the presence of CWD. Tthe only USDA-approved test for CWD is a microscopic examination of the brain and lymph node tissue, which must be acquired after death; there is no reliable live animal test for CWD.

The two testing sites to be opened are at the Siloam Recycling Center and in Yadkin County at the Historic Richmond Hill nature park.

“There are a lot of rules in place, if you’re a deer hunter you probably need to read those,” Goins said. The rules deal with transporting carcasses between counties, between states, and testing the meat.

There will be collection sites for deer testing during the regulated deer hunting season. Hunters are encouraged to take an active role in CWD surveillance by donating deer heads from their harvests at these testing drop-off stations for testing.

For now, Wharton says this is a case of no news is good news.

However, that could change so tracking and dealing with CWD will take an effort from all parties like hunters who are being asked to submit samples. The testing facilities will also test on deer found alongside the road and taxidermists play a major role in detection of CWD as well. It was a taxidermy sample that first detected the disease in both Virginia and Yadkin County.

More information on CWD along with deer head testing and transportation restrictions can be found at the NC Wildlife website: NCWildlife.org/CWD

PILOT MOUNTAIN — There’s something uniquely American about the car culture that fits perfectly with patriotism, along with freedom of the open road and otherwise, which appropriately was on display during the Independence Day weekend in Pilot Mountain.

Some of the finest examples of automotive excellence ever to come out of Detroit filled the downtown area Saturday afternoon and evening for the July edition of the Hot Nights, Hot Cars cruise-in series.

Conducted on the first Saturday of each month from June through October, the latest event coincided with the July 4 celebration just two days later — which seemed to give it an extra boost of horsepower from a national pride standpoint.

Along with shining up the sparkling chrome and paint jobs of vintage, muscle and other unique vehicles showcasing automaking history, some of those attending Saturday’s cruise-in proudly displayed U.S. flags or donned red, white and blue attire.

The spirit exhibited, partly fueled by nostalgia, was hard to ignore at the gathering that has been revving up the town for nearly 20 years now.

“I think it takes us back to the America I grew up in,” said Bob Wilson of Bassett, Virginia, who was attending the Hot Nights, Hot Cars cruise-in for the first time.

“I grew up around muscle cars like this,” Wilson, who was born in the early 1950s, added while standing near a 1960s-era Ford Mustang with a glistening black paint job.

“It takes you back to a kinder, gentler nation,” he said of the aura created in the small Surry County town via the Hot Nights, Hot Cars spectacle.

Two other words, “Hot Day,” easily could have been spliced onto that equation Saturday as temperatures hovered near the 90-degree mark.

Yet that — and a few random raindrops — did not keep crowds from filling downtown Pilot Mountain, with every square inch of both its main drag and side streets seemingly occupied by machines with power plants measured in cubic inches.

Sidewalks on both sides of West Main Street were all but impassable at times, with folks strolling by to view cars parallel-parked all along the way. Others, meanwhile, sat in lawn chairs lining walls of downtown businesses watching cool rides cruise through under an open-street format — mostly bumper to bumper — accompanied by the exhilarating roar of engines.

Later Saturday, a beach music group, The Entertainers, was scheduled to perform from the town bandstand.

Another highlight was the awarding of Classic Ride of the Month honors to a participating vehicle exhibitor.

Each cruise-in begins at 3 p.m. and lasts until 9:30 p.m., with admission free.

The next one is scheduled for Aug. 6.

• Her alleged hitting of a city officer this week has landed a local woman behind bars, according to Mount Airy Police Department reports.

Marissa Lynn Hensley, 52, of 129 Good News Lane, was encountered late Monday afternoon by department members investigating an intoxicated person at a residence on Taylor Street. During the course of that she struck Officer A.R. Tilley under her left eye with a closed fist, arrest records state.

This led to Hensley being taken into custody on a charge of assault on a government official and held in the Surry County Jail under a $5,000 secured bond. She is facing an Aug. 19 appearance in District Court.

• Jesse James Outlaw, 29, of 168 Key Road in Siloam, was arrested Monday afternoon at the local probation office on State Street and jailed without privilege of bond.

Warrants for charges of assault on a female and misdemeanor larceny had been filed against Outlaw through the Surry County Sheriff’s Office on May 13. He was jailed without bond due to the domestic nature of the assault case and is scheduled to be in District Court on July 8.

• Jennifer Rose Aguilar, 33, of 1844 Westfield Road, was incarcerated without privilege of bond Monday for allegedly violating a domestic violence protective order. This occurred after Aguilar was encountered by police at that location and found to be in violation, with no other details listed.

She also was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, listed as a glass smoking device with burned white residue. The case is set for the July 11 session of Surry District Court.

GALAX, Va — As part of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s 25th anniversary celebrations, the nonprofit honored seven members of its community of stewards at a ceremony on June 18, at the Blue Ridge Music Center. Among those honored was a Mount Airy business — W.L.A. Trucking.

The firm earned the Corporate Champion Award for the company’s support of the music center. The business, owned by Bobby and Debbie Post, has sponsored the summer concert series since 2018, and contributes to specialprojects, including the replacement of aging speakers and other equipment in the amphitheater. Bobby Post accepted the award on behalf of the company.

“Our 25th anniversary is really a celebration of the people who bring our mission to life through their contributions to the national park they love,” said Carolyn Ward, CEO of the foundation during the ceremony. “We are fortunate to count these honorees as members of our community of stewards.”

Ian Jordan was honored with the Youth Ambassador award for his contributions to Kids in Parks, a program of the foundation. Over the past five years, Jordan has visited more than 80 of the program’s TRACK Trail locations, and logged more than 100 miles hiking. He has become a Junior Ranger in 118 national parks and in every North Carolina State Park. He also helped Kids in Parks design, test, and implement a new smartphone-based Junior Ranger activity, creating an opportunity for children across the country to learn about the natural, historical, and cultural resources found in national parks.

Radio station 88.5 WFDD received the Media Partner Award for its work to spread the word about the venue’s musical programs throughout its 29 county-listening area, including northwest North Carolina and southwest Virginia. The partnership has furthered the center’s mission to celebrate the music and musicians of the mountains. Morning Edition host Neal Charnoff accepted the award.

The Yadkin Arts Council was honored with the Partnership Award. In addition to being a longtime sponsor of the summer concert series, the Yadkin Arts Council has collaborated with the music center to present the Sounds of the Mountains concert series each January when the national park venue is closed. This series is hosted by the Yadkin Arts Council at The Willingham Theater in the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center. The partnership has yielded 20 concerts showcasing bluegrass, old-time, gospel, and Americana groups. Yadkin Arts Council board president John Willingham accepted the award.

The musicians who volunteer their time and talents for the daily Midday Mountain Music sessions were honored with the Volunteer Service Award. What started as two musicians — Willard Gayheart and Bobby Patterson — playing tunes for Music Center visitors on Thursday afternoons, blossomed into the Midday Mountain Music sessions offered free for visitors each day. This amounts to about 800 hours of music, and as a group accounts for more than 3,000 volunteer hours during the season. Amy Boucher accepted the award for the Midday Mountain Musicians.

Long-time volunteer Aubrey Arrington’s numerous contributions to the music center and Blue Ridge Parkway include providing educational programs, training new seasonal rangers, leading hikes, organizing volunteer clean-up days, performing trail and facility maintenance, and more. For his support, Arrington was honored with the Blue Ridge Music Center Champion Award.

The National Council for the Traditional Arts was recognized with the Visionary Award for the organization’s work to establish the Music Center, founding the annual concert series that continues today, and opening the Roots of American Music exhibit in 2011.

First Citizens Bank is the premier sponsor of the Foundation’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is the nonprofit fundraising partner for the Blue Ridge Parkway. The organization provides support for initiatives along the 469-mile route, including historical and cultural preservation, environmental protection, visitor amenities, and education and outreach. The Foundation’s work includes programming at the Blue Ridge Music Center, and the award-winning, nationwide Kids in Parks program.

Contrary to popular belief, the theory of trickle-down economics actually does work when it comes to benefits Surry County is reaping from a scenic highway meandering over nearby peaks.

A new report from the National Park Service, which oversees the Blue Ridge Parkway, shows that in 2021, 15.9 million visitors spent an estimated $1.3 billion in local gateway regions scattered along its path.

Originating as a public works project of the 1930s, the Parkway’s designed landscape was always intended to bring economic stimulation to neighboring communities.

That certainly includes Mount Airy and Surry County, where construction actually began on the scenic highway in 1935 at a spot near Lowgap adjacent to a key Parkway attraction, Cumberland Knob.

Meanwhile, Mount Airy is a 14-mile, 20-minute jaunt down the mountain from the Parkway’s exit at U.S. 52 in Fancy Gap, Virginia, with many travelers invariably finding their way here for ample lodging, dining, retail and other opportunities.

“Mount Airy and Surry County benefit as being a gateway region from the traffic on the Parkway,” Executive Director Jessica Roberts of the Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority agreed.

“And our area has been proactive to make travelers aware how close the Parkway is to our area and various attractions we offer.”

The latest financial-impact figures for communities near its path emerged from a peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis conducted by economists at the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey.

Their report shows that the estimated $1.3 billion spent in gateway regions while visitors are touring the Blue Ridge Parkway supported 17,900 jobs in those localities and had a cumulative benefit to their economies of $1.7 billion.

“We have benefited from various sizes of car groups, families, couples and others who are traveling up and down the Parkway that come into our area, stay overnight and visit our downtowns,” Roberts advised regarding Surry County as a whole.

“The Blue Ridge Parkway supports economic development and recovery along the rural communities in and around America’s most-scenic drive,” the local tourism official added.

And this is an occurrence year in and year out, according to Roberts.

“Travelers from near and far visit the Blue Ridge Parkway annually and impact Mount Airy, Surry County and the surrounding region.”

This reflects a winning combination of outdoor recreation opportunities from hiking trails to scenic drives on the Parkway itself and the varied experiences also found in Blue Ridge Parkway communities of North Carolina and Virginia.

That formula has continued to attract millions of visitors each year despite the coronavirus, with the Parkway remaining a source of strength through the COVID-19 crisis.

“As our country moves through the varied impacts resulting from the pandemic, we are grateful that the Parkway continues to serve as a touchstone, reconnecting people with inspiring places of deep significance, while also supporting economic resiliency and vitality for local communities moving forward,” Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout said in a statement.

For generations, the Parkway has drawn legions of visitors “who enjoy both the natural beauty and cultural heritage of our region, while contributing positively to the economy in our surrounding communities,” Swartout emphasized.

© 2018 The Mount Airy News