• A Dobson woman was arrested Tuesday afternoon as a fugitive from justice in Mount Airy and jailed under a large secured bond, according to city police reports.

Amy Wall Riddle, 46, of 446 Roy Stanley Road, was encountered by officers during a suspicious-person call at a residence on Junction Street, and they found that her name had been entered in a national crime database as being wanted in Patrick County, Virginia, on an unspecified matter.

Riddle was confined in the Surry County Jail under a $20,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in District Court in Dobson on Oct. 17.

• A possible break-in attempt occurred Tuesday at the residence of Amanda Gail Bledsoe on Northwood Drive, where an unknown object was used to break a rear window. The damage was put at $200.

• A man who allegedly hit his girlfriend in the face with a lighter, causing her lip to bleed, and choked her was jailed without privilege of bond on Sept. 15.

Markus Evan Beamer, 28, listed as homeless, is accused of assault on a female, identified as Brittany Michelle Jackson, also homeless.

The incident occurred in a roadway area on North Main Street at West Pine Street. Beamer is scheduled to be in Surry District Court Monday.

• Camper and Mobile Home Supply, a business on Merita Street, was the scene of a break-in discovered on Sept. 14, which involved the attic of the building being entered in order to gain access to the interior. Nothing was listed as stolen, but police records indicate that damage was caused to ceiling tiles.

• A break-in involving a felonious larceny was discovered on Sept. 10 at Mayberry Portable Buildings in the 1000 block of North Andy Griffith Parkway, where equipment and other property worth thousands of dollars was taken after a lock was cut.

Included were DeWalt products listed as an air compressor, a table saw, miter saw, an impact driver, drills, a skill saw, five power tool batteries and five power tool battery chargers; a Honda generator; a Craftsman tool box with miscellaneous tools; an Rx skill saw; a Flex impact driver; a Little Giant collapsible ladder; Romex wiring cable; and three bags containing miscellaneous wiring tools.

The monetary loss from the crime totaled $7,920.

No action taken on moratorium request

The NoneSuch Playmakers theater company is offering up an early Halloween treat as they transport their audiences back to Victorian England for their new original mystery, “The Golden Dawn Murders.”

The year is 1890. During a lavish dinner at Calderwood House, a remote family manor, prominent financier Lord Peter Alston (Brack Llewellyn) is shot dead on his own doorstep. Chief Constable Alarbus Jones (Scott Carpenter) is summoned to the scene, where he encounters an elite group of dinner guests and an odd symbol on the drawing room wall. It’s the emblem of The Order of the Golden Dawn, one of several secret societies that existed in the United Kingdom during Victorian times. Jones learns that most of those attending the dinner are members of this enigmatic group, but there seems to be no connection to the murder.

In the course of his investigation, Constable Jones encounters a young woman who was not on the guest list—Katherine Hadleigh (Rachel Macie), a former maid at Calderwood House. She tells Jones that the members of the Golden Dawn have a dangerous secret hidden behind their affluent exteriors—a secret that could bring down the British Empire. As the constable learns more about the mysterious order, he discovers that Miss Hadleigh has some shocking secrets of her own.

“Miss Hadleigh’s presence brings an element of the paranormal to our story,” said Brack Llewellyn, who wrote and directed the play. “No spoilers, though. We want the audience to make the discoveries along with Constable Jones.”

“The Golden Dawn Murders,” Llewellyn said, is a bit of a throwback to theatrical melodramas of the past.

“Most of the action takes place in one room. It’s an ensemble cast that includes some unsavory characters, a red herring or two and an unexpected ending,” Llewellyn said. “At its core the play is a whodunit, but there are larger implications for Jones as he delves into Miss Hadleigh’s allegations about the order. He’s a small town cop who finds himself in uncharted territory. We hope the audience will want to hiss at the villains and cheer for our intrepid constable.”

Besides Carpenter and Macie, the cast includes David Nielsen as textile millionaire Victor Baldridge; Christine Werner Booher as author Ann Scott Perry; NoneSuch newcomer Thomas Smith as prominent London surgeon Benjamin Stockton; Olivia Jessup as railroad heiress Melisande Portman; Brian Greene as American exporter Douglas Daughtry; Janelle Metzdorf as Lady Margaret, the murder victim’s icy widow; Branden Macie as engineering genius Hamish Upton; Jonathan Carpenter as musical prodigy Owen Anderton; Meredith Dowdy as Millicent Atwater, the cook at the manor; and Toby Bunton as Merrick, the butler.

Performances of “The Golden Dawn Murders” are Friday Oct. 7 and Saturday Oct. 8 at 7 p.m., and Sunday Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. All performances will be held at the L.H. Jones Auditorium, 215 Jones School Road, in Mount Airy.

These are “pay what you can” performances. There is no set ticket price. Patrons are asked to pay only what fits their budgets. The Playmakers adopted “pay what you can” following the pandemic shutdown to make their shows accessible to more people, whatever their means. A portion of the proceeds will go to support the Jones Family Resource Center.

As the calendar flips to October, many in the region are thinking about cool autumn days, Halloween decorations and the late-season harvest time.

But for some hoping to ensure area children and teens have a happy Christmas, this is the time to start working for the holiday season.

The annual Give A Kid A Christmas program, started by former Sheriff Graham Atkinson more than three decades ago, will be gearing up for the fundraising portion of its activities over the next week.

“The foundation board met last week,” said Dr. Travis Reeves, Surry County School superintendent. “We have letters ready, we’re getting those printed and mail merged to go out…Those will be going out in the next few days. That’s really the kickoff to our fundraiser.”

The event, begun roughly 30 years ago when Atkinson, then a deputy serving as a DARE officer in the local school system, is a massive effort joining the county school system, the Give A Kid A Christmas foundation, the Surry County Sheriff’s Office under the direction of Sheriff Steve C. Hiatt, and local businesses and volunteers.

Through various fundraising efforts, the foundation will collect money to help buy needed goods — chiefly food and clothes for underprivileged families — along with a few fun Christmas presents for the kids and teens. While they’re doing the fundraising, school counselors are working with the Salvation Army to identify kids from families who might have holiday needs, and then the program culminates near Christmas, when an army of volunteers puts together large food boxes for the families, while other volunteers use the raised funds to shop for clothes and toys for the kids.

Then, more volunteers deliver them all to households in the community.

“For over 30 years, the Give A Kid A Christmas Foundation has been a staple here in Surry County Schools to help our students with food, with clothing, the bare necessitates, and with toys,” Reeves said.

The program wasn’t always so elaborate.

Atkinson, who has served in Raleigh on the governor’s Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission since he retired from the sheriff’s office in 2015, said he had no idea of starting a county-wide movement that would last beyond his time with the sheriff’s office.

He has many times told the story of how the program began, when he noticed a child in a local elementary school in need.

“I noticed the young man was wearing the same clothes each time I was there,” he said in 2019 during the fundraising kick-off that year. “They were obscenely small clothes. I started asking some of his teachers, and they told me he’d worn the same set of clothes to school every day. Since he was in third grade.”

He reached out for some help, finding it at Walmart, who helped the deputy provide enough clothing for that young man to provide him with a modest new wardrobe.

“If you had handed him a bar of gold, it wouldn’t have meant any more to him. For the rest of the year, his clothes may not have always been clean, but he wore those (new) clothes, and he was proud of them.”

From that beginning, and the desire to help more and more children each year, grew Atkinson’s Give A Kid A Christmas program.

This week, Atkinson said he never knew what eventually became of that child, but he recounted a few other heart-tugging incidents along the way.

“In one of our very first years, we used to get the guidance counselors to help us get the names (of kids to help). I got a request from a 17-year-old-female, when she put down what she wanted for Christmas, she put down she wanted an ax.

“Now, the law enforcement officer in me started to get worried. But…I learned this little girl’s daddy was disabled. Some well-meaning neighbors had gotten together and cut a load of wood, but they had cut it fireplace length, and all they had for heat was a wood stove. She wanted an ax so she could split the wood.

“I delivered that one in person. She got the ax, though we didn’t do that one at school,” he was quick to add. “She got an ax, but she also got some other things a 17-year-old girl should have for Christmas.”

Another story he shared brought some raw emotion to the surface, as the former sheriff said he always gets choked up relating this memory.

“I was looking through the requests when I came across a third-grade boy,” he said. “I don’t need anything,” the child had written. “But my little sister is 3 and she would really like a baby doll.

“There again, the little girl got a baby doll, but the boy also got Christmas presents. That was very early when we started doing this, but that set the tone for what we are doing today. That’s when we realized we should include siblings that are not of school age.”

Now, he said, when they identify a home in need, they try to provide gifts for all the children and teens in the household, and enough food to the family so they can make it through the Christmas break from school. Atkinson explained that for many children in Surry County, the only food they have each day is the school-supplied breakfast and lunch, with no dinner at home available some nights.

“You can imagine how hard that is for a two-week Christmas break.”

Reeves said there are many opportunities for people to help. Many groups in the schools — from student clubs collecting change to faculty and staff organizing donation drives — are working to give to the project.

A number of area residents and businesses make donations as well.

The single biggest fundraiser is what they call an annual “telethon,” which is a live-streamed event similar to television shows that raise money for various causes. Reeves said the event, to be hosted by former television weather forecaster and current local pastor Austin Caviness, along with former television anchor Cameron Kent, is set for Nov. 28. It will be live-streamed on Facebook, and possibly some other outlets.

“We’ve raised $30,000, $40,000 in one night,” he said of the telethon. “A lot of folks look to that date to give.”

While that seems like a hefty figure, the effort will use every dollar, and then some.

“Last year, we raised money for food and clothing for about 700 children,” he said. “We provided over 350 food boxes…and the food boxes weight 50-60 pounds. It’s quite a lot of food.”

On average, he said they spent about $140 per child on clothing and toys.

For those wishing to donate to the effort, there are several ways:

– Send a check to Sheriff Atkins’s Give A Kid A Christmas Foundation, PO Box 827 Dobson, NC 27017

– Send a donation via PayPal at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/giveakidachristmas

– Sent a donation via Venmo using the email sheriffsgiveakidachristmas@gmail.com

For more information, visit the foundation’s Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/giveakidachristmas

Five stabbing victims were sent to area hospitals — three in serious condition — and a Boomer, North Carolina man has been arrested and jailed in connection with the early Sunday morning incident.

Cortlan Damaryce Clark, 21, of 289 Happy Oaks Lane, Boomer, was arrested in Wilkes County Sunday and jailed under a secured $125,000 bond, according to a release sent by Surry County Sheriff Steve C. Hiatt. Clark has been charged with five counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill.

The charges come after an altercation became violent during a birthday party at 153 Old Wagon Trail, Dobson. The sheriff said the violence was an “isolated incident which started with a physical altercation between Mr. Clark and several of the victims,” the sheriff said,

After the altercation, the sheriff’s statement said deputies arrived at the scene at 12:42 a.m., responding to a call of a cutting or stabbing incident with multiple victims.

“When patrol deputies arrived on the scene, they found three victims with multiple stab wounds ranging in the areas of the chest, neck and/or upper extremities.” the sheriff said.

Two of the victims had already left to seek medical care, suffering from similar wounds.

”All five victims were transported and/or seen by a medical facility: Northern Regional Hospital, Hugh Chatham Hospital and/or Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital,” the sheriff said, adding that three were males and two females, ranging from age 19 to age 25.

The investigation is ongoing, and Clark is scheduled to appear in Surry County District Court on Nov. 9, 2022. Other agencies involved with the case include Surry County Emergency Medical Services, South Surry Volunteer Fire Department, and the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office.

DOBSON — For more than 30 years, Bryan Cave has been a go-to guy for local farmers in helping their operations succeed and now he is moving on to a new chapter in life.

Cave has retired as county extension director for the N.C. Cooperative Extension’s Surry Center. His last day on the job was Friday, capping a 34-year career that began in 1988 when he was hired as an assistant agricultural extension agent.

In 2007, Cave was promoted to extension director.

Through that role, Cave continued his efforts begun earlier to support and advise livestock and forage producers along with providing leadership for the county Cooperative Extension staff. It now has nine people, including the director position.

The impact Bryan Cave has made on the Surry County landscape was highlighted Tuesday when a retirement party was held at the Surry County Government Service Center in Dobson in honor of his contributions.

This included a “floating” period when well-wishers could stop by to help celebrate the milestone, along with dinner and speeches.

It is estimated that at least 200 people came through as part of the occasion involving “Bryan being put out to pasture,” as an announcement for the party stated.

The event included Cave receiving the Order of the Long Leaf Pine award, which is considered the highest civilian honor given in North Carolina. Making the presentation was Dr. Rich Bonanno, an associate dean and director at N.C. State Extension.

Cave also was presented with a personalized belt buckle from his son Joshua as a retirement gift.

Before launching his N.C. Cooperative Extension career, in 1987 Cave received a B.S. degree in animal science from N.C. State University, where he later earned a master’s degree in that field, according to information from Nicole Vernon, a staff member at the Surry Center.

He began work in Surry County with responsibilities that included providing educational opportunities and leadership to livestock and forage producers.

Within seven years, Cave had excelled in leading local producers to the point that an estimated increase in farm income exceeding $10 million had occurred and he was promoted to a full extension agent.

Over the years, Cave became known for his networking abilities, which have enabled invaluable partnerships to be formed. As county extension director, he organized and allocated resources to ensure his local staff had what has been needed to be successful, the information provided by Vernon further states.

His presence also has made a difference in places other than Surry.

For more than 10 years, N.C. Cooperative Extension utilized Cave’s skills to assist other counties where there was a vacant extension director position and he served on an interim basis in Yadkin, Wilkes, Alleghany and Stokes counties. During that time, he helped rebuild, restructure and strengthen county offices.

Cave also is credited with creating bridges that linked N.C. State University to local county government and led to greater understanding of each partner creating a more productive work environment.

During his tenure, Cave also was an advocate for farming, playing a critical role in the education of non-farm citizens of Surry County to the importance of agriculture in their lives and the economic well-being of the county, region and state.

This has included developing annual Farm Animal Day programs in local schools to connect with younger students.

Cave frequently has been invited to speak at regional economic-development training programs for business professionals in the Piedmont region, along with addressing Rotary, Ruritan and other civic groups.

His reputation for knowing the facts — which he can readily recite off the top of his head — and having an intimate knowledge of topical farm issues have been pluses in this regard.

He has served as a member of numerous economic-development and other boards and organizations such as the North Carolina Cattlemen’s Association.

Cave’s imprint is expected to have a lasting impression for years to come.

The retiree, a resident of Dobson, now plans to be involved in an unspecified part-time endeavor in addition to spending more time with his family.

It includes his wife of 35 years, Angie; their children, Joshua and Sarah; and five grandchildren.

Relief efforts for residents of Florida who were impacted by Hurricane Ian are already underway locally.

In Mount Airy donations are being accepted at Creative Designs located at 1351 S. Main Street where a trailer is parked and is ready to receive donations.

The trailer donated by William “Crab” Smith Trucking will be on the road this week to deliver supplies including trash bags, contractor trash bags, cases of water, toilet paper, paper towels and wipes for personal hygiene.

Cleaning supplies are being requested as are tarps, bungee cords, shovels, and rakes.

In times of need pets need assistance as well and organizers listed dry food for cats and dogs, as well as cat litter.

Dianne Johnson of Johnson’s Xtreme Softwash has been helping spread the word on social media to draw attention to the collection efforts, “Let’s fill this trailer, we want to get this on its way this week.”

The North Surry High School Student Council has announced a similar drive to, “Collect necessary supplies for residents impacted by Hurricane lan on Sanibel Island and the Fort Myers, Florida area.”

Over the weekend students wishing to participate as asked to pick up requested items and bring them to school on Monday.

“The time is now, and the need is great! Let’s go Greyhounds!” the announcement said.

The requested items list matches the list found above and items are to be put in the lobby at North Surry on Monday.

• A truck has been reported stolen in Mount Airy, according to city police reports.

The theft of the Jeep Comanche, owned by Terry Nelson Hill of Aims Avenue and valued at $10,000, was discovered on Sept. 22. The truck was taken from an unidentified business location at 1276 N. South St., where it had been parked the day before.

Police records describe the vehicle as black with a white stripe, but do not include a license tag number.

• Multiple vehicles were broken into at the Enterprise rental car location on Sept. 22, where an attempt also was made to steal one.

Those targeted include a 2022 Chevrolet Traverse and a 2019 Subaru Outback that police records indicate are owned by the Rockford Street business, along with the 1997 Ford F-350 flatbed truck of Jackson Trevor Hutchens, Pipers Gap Road, Galax, Virginia.

An ignition interlock device valued at $50 was listed as stolen.

• Linda Speas Duncan, 53, who is homeless, was jailed on charges of resisting, delaying or obstructing a public officer and second-degree trespassing on Sept. 20 after police responded to a disturbance call at Northern Regional Hospital.

Security personnel there had banned Speas from the premises earlier that day, but she returned. And after being taken to a magistrate’s office, the woman allegedly resisted arrest by refusing to sit down and pulling away.

Speas was held in the Surry County Jail under a $1,000 secured bond and slated for an Oct. 17 appearance in District Court.

• A book bag was stolen from the parking lot of the West Lebanon Street Food Lion on Sept. 19, representing a $340 loss.

The owner of the black Reebok book bag was identified as Anthony Dalton Stanley of Gaynelle’s Way in Lowgap. It contained personal property including Sony earbuds, miscellaneous clothing, pre-workout supplements, hair fiber and notebooks.

• Cody Matthew John Bowman, 27, of 707 Willow St., was served with a criminal summons for a larceny charge on Sept. 15, which had been issued on Sept. 12 with no other details listed.

Bowman was scheduled to be in Surry District Court on Thursday of this week.

STUART, Va. — Three Mount Airy-area residents have been arrested on charges filed by the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office in separate cases involving alleged drug, credit card fraud and break-in/larceny crimes.

The arrests were announced Thursday and include:

• Maynard Reece Green, 61, of 369 Greentown Road, Ararat, just outside Mount Airy, being accused through a six-count indictment of manufacturing/distributing a Schedule I/II controlled substance.

Green, who was arrested on Sept. 22, further was indicted on another felony charge, manufacturing/distributing an imitation Schedule I/II drug.

• Johnny Ray Gwyn, 54, of 1685 Old Highway 601, Mount Airy, is charged with breaking and entering of a building with intent to commit assault and battery; larceny; and grand larceny involving a monetary loss of more than $1,000.

All are felonies. Gwyn was arrested Wednesday.

• Kenny Gray McCreary, 42, of 2121 Asbury Road, Westfield, was arrested Wednesday on three misdemeanor counts of credit card fraud involving a value of less than $1,000.

Bond and court date information was unavailable for the three persons charged.

Hurricane Ian has made another landfall, this time in South Carolina. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Ian’s center came ashore Friday afternoon just after 2 p.m. near Georgetown, South Carolina, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.

Ian previously hit Florida’s Gulf Coast as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds Wednesday, flooding homes and leaving nearly 2.7 million people without power.

A hurricane warning was in effect from the Savannah River along the Georgia – South Carolina state line up to Cape Fear.

Tropical storm force winds were ongoing along much of the coast and Tropical Storm Warnings are in place across parts of the North Carolina coast from Cape Fear to Duck late Friday.

“Ian is forecast to move more quickly toward the north today followed by a turn toward the north-northwest by tonight. On the forecast track, the center of Ian will reach the coast of South Carolina today, and then move farther inland across eastern South Carolina and central North Carolina tonight and Saturday,” according to Friday’s National Weather Service statement on the storm.

In their statement the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Virginia, issued both a wind advisory and flood watch for Surry County.

“Hurricane Ian is expected to bring widespread 2 – 4 inches of rain to parts of the area through early afternoon Saturday. Locally higher amounts up to 6 inches are also possible, especially along the Blue Ridge, and any areas where bands of heavy rain remain situated for extended periods of time,” the advisory said.

Ian was expected to maintain about the same strength before landfall late Friday, then weaken and rapidly transition into a post-tropical cyclone overnight leading into Saturday. Ian should dissipate over western North Carolina or Virginia late Saturday, the advisory notice said.

The Weather Service warns to be alert for flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall from the remnants of Ian. Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations, the notice states.

“Locally considerable flash, urban, and small stream flooding is possible today into early Saturday across portions of northwest North Carolina and southwest Virginia,” the Weather Service advised late Friday.

The National Weather Service says to monitor later forecasts and be alert as watches can become warnings in a matter of minutes. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to act should flash flooding occur.

Residents of the area are also being warned about the potential for high winds. A wind advisory period began at 10 a.m. Friday and will continue through noon Saturday. The Weather Service predicts that winds of 20 to 30 mph will come from the northeast with gusts reaching up to 40 mph expected. Gusts of up to 50 mph are possible in higher elevations and along ridgetops.

Surry County Emergency Management Director Eric Southern sounded confident in the county’s preparations. He said the fact that Ian looks to be a slow rainmaker does not change the county’s preparation or alert status.

“We are monitoring the situation electronically,” he said Friday afternoon. “Our crews have been notified who is on call, they are at home waiting for the call and have equipment ready.”

He said there has been no special guidance offered from Raleigh on statewide preparation, so Surry County is ready now for the rain and wind that are expected this weekend. Southern expected the weather to have arrived by late Friday afternoon.

“People should expect wind and rain any time now,” he said as the skies got ever darker over Mount Airy.

Southern recommended residents use the Hyper-Reach system which is a state-of-the-art mass emergency notification system designed specifically for public safety. The system provides rapid notification of severe weather, amber alerts, silver alerts and safety situations using a mix of telephone calls, text and email messages, and services designed for the hearing impaired.

Citizens can download the Hyper-Reach Anywhere app on their smartphone. Hyper-Reach Anywhere is a free smartphone app that allows individual citizens to manage and monitor the alerts they receive, for their home and office addresses, as well as addresses for friends and family.

Sign at: https://signup.hyper-reach.com/hyper_reach/sign_up_page_2/?id=88382

President Joe Biden has already issued disaster declarations for the states of Florida and South Carolina, “Last night I received a request for an emergency declaration from Gov. Henry McMaster, which I approved right away just as I did for Florida,” he said. “This allows for immediate federal funding for the state to shelter people and provide other essential support.”

Closer to home, residents have been scrambling to modify and change plans due to the fickle nature of forecasting hurricanes. Surry County Public Schools released students early, canceled field trips for Friday, and moved Friday night football games to Thursday as a precaution. The Sonker Festival, Music at the Market, Mayberry Food Truck Fest, and Civil War reenactment in Ararat, Virginia were all also moved or postponed.

Early this week as the threat of Hurricane Ian was still days away, several weekend gatherings acted in advance and moved their events indoors or rescheduled them. The Mayberry Food Truck fest has joined the list of events whose organizers have decided not to compete against the unpredictability of Hurricane Ian and has been rescheduled for a pre-Thanksgiving bash instead.

Lizzie Morrison, downtown coordinator for Mount Airy Downtown Inc. had been holding her breath throughout the week to see if the Mayberry Food Truck Fest might be able to be held this weekend despite the icky weather. “Safety is our top priority,” she said earlier this week when mulling the possibilities. “While this event is normally rain or shine, if the weather forecast hasn’t improved, we will reschedule.”

Friday morning the announcement was made that exercising an abundance of caution was better than asking diners and tourists to walk between the raindrops whilst enjoying food truck offerings. The only time folks want soggy food is when it was intended to be soggy, no offense to Mother Nature or Hurricane Ian and their suggested secret ingredient – water.

“We hate to do it, but we’ll have to postpone the Mayberry Food Truck Fest due to Hurricane Ian,” Morrison wrote Friday morning. “We have been monitoring the forecast and while this event is normally rain or shine, we will need to err on the side of caution for your safety.”

She had joked the event may seem starcrossed and has had some lousy luck with the weather, “The festival has a notorious reputation for extreme weather. We’ve had heavy rains, six inches of snow, a tornado warning mid-festival, and now a possible hurricane. It’s almost funny at this point. Nevertheless, people show up for the food trucks – it’s still a fan favorite event.”

Morrison invites everyone to try it again before the holidays, “Please plan on joining us for a big pre-Thanksgiving Food Truck feast on Sunday, Nov. 20, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in #downtownmountairy.”

Consider the rescheduled food truck fest to be among the final warmups before Thanksgiving excess. Yet somehow also not fully outside the Atlantic hurricane season that runs to the end of November. NOAA predicts up to 21 named storms this season with six to ten expected to become major hurricanes.

If Tobias, Virginie, or Walter (all late season storm names) try to show up for that new date then Morrison may want to consider a rain dance before the 2023 Mayberry Food Truck Fest to break the bad luck.

Recently Shoals Elementary School students and staff took 30 minutes to drop everything and read as part of the school’s efforts to increase reading skills. Everyone found a comfy place to curl up and read their favorite book.

“Shoals is committed to making reading fun for all,” school staff said of the effort.

A good number of people in Mount Airy are interested in learning more about city government, judging by the interest shown in a new Mayberry Citizens Academy that will accommodate more people than first planned.

Municipal officials announced the program on Sept. 10, saying it would be limited to 15 applicants.

“We got over 20 people,” City Manager Stan Farmer said Thursday.

“And we have got room for more,” he added regarding the series of classes involved which starts next week. “So more is merrier.”

The goal of the Citizens Academy is to help Mount Airy residents better understand how local government operates while benefiting the community overall.

Such academies, also known as leadership institutes, seek to educate residents through direct contact with public officials, site visits and hands-on activities, and are fairly common throughout the nation, officials say. These programs address what is considered a knowledge gap between citizens and government.

Classes locally will include a range of topics such as city and state government relations, firefighting, police and code enforcement, public works/utilities, finance, parks and recreation and planning.

Including the first Citizens Academy session on Tuesday, a total of eight is planned each Tuesday evening over nine weeks until Nov. 29, skipping the week of Thanksgiving.

On those Tuesdays from 5:30 to 7 p.m., different subject matter pertaining to local government will be covered by the city manager or department heads. The first class will be a general introduction featuring Farmer along with City Attorney Hugh Campbell and City Clerk Nicki Brame.

Speakers will be involved in seven of the classes, with the eighth to serve as a graduation ceremony.

Farmer is pleased by the interest shown in the Citizens Academy.

“It’s encouraging that people want to learn about their local government more,” he said Thursday.

Once the number of applicants exceeded what Farmer called the “15 self-imposed limit,” organizers decided to open the program up to more people, agreeing that they can handle the greater number. There is now no specified limit, according to the manager.

However, those interested must complete a short application form available on the city website and submit it by the close of business on Monday. The form can be accessed at https://www.mountairy.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=427

Completed applications may be forwarded to sfarmer@mountairy.org or dropped off at City Hall.

Officials have said that applicants must be city residents, but non-Mount Airy residents might be considered if space is available. There is an emphasis on creating a diverse class from many different neighborhoods within Mount Airy.

Farmer said Thursday he thinks this has been accomplished based on the more than 20 people signed up so far.

“Demographically it appears to be pretty diverse.” This includes a balance of folks in different parts of town and also from a gender standpoint.

Food Lion Feeds, a program by Food Lion to help get food to the needy, donated 680 backpacks to Surry County elementary schools recently.

Each backpack contained Capri Suns, Food Lion Puddings, Food Lion Apple Sauce, Food Lion Mac and Cheese, Food Lion Fruit Bar, Food Lion Beans and Franks, Ramen noodles, and GM Honey Nut Cheerio Cereal cups.

“Food Lion Feeds’ mission is to put food and hope on the table for our neighbors,” the company said of the effort. “Through Food Lion Feeds, we’ve donated more than 900 million meals to individuals and families since 2014 and (are) committed to donating 1.5 billion meals by 2025.”

“I wanted to give a helping hand in making sure parents didn’t have to choose between food and buying school supplies to start the school year,” said Pilot Mountain Food Lion Store Manager Terry Easter.

The students at Dobson Elementary School recently held their Student Council Office elections. The officers elected are Aubrey Johnson, president, Aubrey Jones , vice president, Grayson Unsworth, treasurer, and Lyla Atkins, secretary. (Submitted photo)

DOBSON — A group from Patrick County, Virginia, captured the coveted band competition last Saturday at the Surry Old-Time Fiddlers Convention in Dobson.

The absence of the event for more than three years as a result of COVID-19 did not dampen musicians’ enthusiasm to be recognized as tops in their field, with Buffalo Mountain Ears from Meadows of Dan judged best band. The convention was staged at the Surry County Service Center.

A Westfield group, The Minglewood Ramblers, took second place and The Slate Mountain Ramblers of Mount Airy, third place.

Another local-based group, The Roaring Gap Rattlers of State Road, captured fourth-place honors, with The Orange Grove Hot Shots, from Hillsborough in fifth place.

Young band competition also was highly contested, led by The Greasy String Band of Mount Airy.

The Newfound Gap Band hailing from Leicester took second place and The Biscuit Eating Ramblers of Lowgap, third.

Place winners in individual categories, whose hometowns were not available, included:

• Variety — 1. Coleman Emerson, 2. Penny Kilby, 3. Milton Scott, 4. Mason Winfree, 5. Bobby Fields.

• Folk song — 1. Mark Kilianski, 2. Aaron Ratcliffe, 3. Mason Winfrey, 4. Jared Boyd, 5. Jack Zell.

• Mandolin — 1. Todd Hiatt, 2. Ralph McGee, 3. Eva Casstevens, 4. Cody Bowman.

• Bass — 1. Stacy Boyd, 2. Barbara Bowman, 3. Bill Sluys, 4. Tammy Sawyer.

• Guitar — 1. Danny Casstevens, 2. Steve Kilby, 3. Mark Kilianski, 4. Gene Anderson.

• Banjo — 1. Jared Boyd, 2. Nancy Sluys, 3. Andrew Walker, 4. Aaron Ratcliffe, 5. Josh Harrod.

• Fiddle — 1. Amy Alvey, 2. Richard Bowman, 3. Jason Phillips, 4. Travis Watts, 5. Thom Worm.

• Dance — 1. Marty Todd, 2. Barbara Bowman, 3. Marsha Todd, 4. Mason Winfree, 5. JoAnn Call.

• Best all-around performer — Jared Boyd.

• Variety — 1. Coley Palmer, 2. Emmie Davis.

• Folk song — 1. Maggie Wilkerson, 2. Levi Head, 3. Bayla Davis.

• Guitar — 1. Gavin Woodruff, 2. Judah Davis, 3. Levi Head.

• Banjo — 1. Brock Greer, 2. Bayla Davis, 3. Josiah Wilkerson.

• Fiddle — 1. Sylvie Davis, 2. Hunter Hiatt, 3. Sam Wilkerson.

• Best all-around performer – Gavin Woodruff.

Surry County Parks and Recreation has extended an invitation to members of the community to join a public meeting in which they hope to gain insights and opinions to what residents want to see in future projects.

Residents are being asked to provide feedback that will assist the department in development of the Surry County Parks and Recreation Master Plan which will guide expansion, addition, or renovation to existing parks, playgrounds, ball fields, river accesses, and trails across the county.

Furthermore, department officials are hoping members of the public will aid in updating and further developing the Fisher River Park Master Plan. Daniel White of Surry County Parks and Recreation has previously explained improvement plans he would like to see at Fisher River Park, such as replacing old playground equipment and rethinking the orientation and skill level of the mountain bike trails at the park.

Input is needed at the public meeting so that parks and recreation may seek grant funding from the Access for Parks Grant and the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant. Parks and Recreation’s Bradley Key said that topics under consideration at the public meeting will include parks, programs, facilities, and amenities that may best service the community in the years to come.

The Access for Parks Grant provides $10 million to parks departments for programming designed to benefit persons with disabilities. Grant funding will be used to adapt existing equipment or build new facilities that can meet the needs of children and veterans with physical or developmental challenges. The program is administered through the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation and the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.

White says the Access grant is broad and considers many different forms of physical and development disabilities that may need to be accommodated for. He has said that creating greater accessibility such as having ramps that can get mobility challenged kids up “into the play” rather than watching from the sidelines.

Multi-sensory apparatus that engages in a variety of ways like tactile interactions or musical instruments incorporated into playground equipment would increase participation. White noted a xylophone is one of his bucket list ideas offering it would be interesting but is just one idea. He suggested also having areas for kids to transition into group play may benefit those with vision or hearing problem to gain comfort with their surroundings so they may more fully enjoy themselves.

“I may not be able to do it all, but I can dream and then I value-engineer,” he said with a smile from the parks and rec office in Dobson. “That’s what I do: I dream and then I value-engineer.”

The General Assembly awards funds to the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund each year and a citizen board makes the decisions on allocating funds. Since 1994 a total of 993 projects have been funded across the state totaling $236 million in granted dollars, which were then paired with local matching funds to reach $746 million in total impact for funding of parks.

Surry County has previously funded 12 projects with trust fund assistance including funding for multiple Greenway extension projects, Dobson Square Park, Westwood Park in Mount Airy, Pilot Mountain Park, and dual grants for Fisher River Park. With the county’s matching funding these 12 grants total $8.8 million of parks investment.

Through grant applications Surry County Parks and Recreation are seeking to find alternative ways of funding improvement to parks without asking for more funding from the county or the taxpayer.

White explained, “The resources that we are given in this department, we do our best to use them to the very best of our ability. To use them to their maximum potential. That’s what we are looking for, to use the resources to their max potential and leverage the dollars they are giving us into more.”

To qualify for consideration for these state grant programs, the county must hold an open meeting with input from the residents they serve. To satisfy that requirement the meeting will be held on Tuesday, Oct, 4, from 6 – 8 p.m. at Dobson Town Hall, located at 307 North Main St. in Dobson.

Refreshments will be provided at the meeting, so a grumbling stomach at a natural dinner time need not discourage participation. Parks and Recreation needs to hear from as many people as possible to ensure that the future of Surry Count’s facilities will match the wants and desires of the community.

The state told applicants, “Local governments with better plans and public involvement have received more grants.”

With more public input and guidance as to what people want to see, the better the grant application will be thus increasing the likelihood of being awarded the funding.

For more information on parks planning or the public meeting, contact Surry County Parks and Recreation at 336-401-8235.

• State Employees Credit Union on South Franklin Road has become the victim of a false pretense crime, according to Mount Airy Police Department reports.

The case surrounds an incident last Friday in which a known individual provided false documents to receive a loan of an unspecified sum. Police records indicate that a stolen payroll stub was involved in the crime that was still under investigation at last report.

• Timothy Wayne Ayers, 40, of 147 Hooks Drive, is facing a felony drug charge and vehicle-related crimes including driving while intoxicated and hit and run. Ayers was arrested last Thursday in the area of South Main Street and Buck Shoals Road during the investigation of the hit and run matter, for which no details were released.

In addition to DWI and hit and run, he is facing three other charges including possession of a Schedule I controlled substance, a felony; driving while license revoked; and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Ayers was confined in the Surry County Jail under a $2,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in District Court on Oct. 10.

• An unauthorized use of a motor vehicle was reported on Sept. 14 in which James Willis Lovelace of Brooklen Avenue was victimized. It involved a known individual taking his white Ford Focus, valued at $3,000, without permission in August. The matter was still under investigation at last report.

• A breaking and entering of a locked mailbox occurred on Sept. 14 at the office of a local accountant, Brenda Lineberry, located on a street known as Professional Court. Mail of an unspecified description and value was listed as stolen.

DOBSON — The general election won’t be held until Nov. 8, but Surry Countians already have begun making their choices through the absentee ballot by mail process.

“North Carolina was the first state in the nation to begin voting for the 2022 general election, being the first state to mail out absentee ballots on September ninth,” Surry Director of Elections Michella Huff advised.

“We have received requests for and mailed out 549 absentee by mail ballots,” Huff added Wednesday. “We have received 61 as of this morning.”

Under state law, any North Carolina registered voter may request, receive and vote a mail-in absentee ballot — with no special circumstance or excuse needed.

Absentee request forms can be returned only by mail or in person — except for individuals covered under the Uniformed And Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). They may return requests via email and fax, based on information earlier released about the process.

Nov. 1, a week before the election, is listed on the Surry Board of Elections website as the last day to request an absentee ballot. The deadline for returning civilian ballots is Nov. 8 by 5 p.m. That day is also the deadline for those participating through the Uniformed And Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

An absentee ballot portal at https://votebymail.ncsbe.gov/app/home is available.

The mailing address for the Surry Board of Elections is P.O. Box 372, Dobson, NC, 27017, and its physical address is 915 E. Atkins St., Dobson.

Absentee by mail balloting has been a source of skepticism surrounding its security compared to in-person voting, but elections officials in North Carolina say a number of precautions exist to ensure the integrity of that process.

For one, county election officials send ballots only to registered voters who request them using official forms, according to information from the State Board of Elections which was updated this month.

Also, the voter or his or her near relative or legal guardian must fill out and sign the request form. Required information includes the voter’s date of birth, driver’s license number or last four Social Security number digits.

Teeth are behind those rules, with fraudulently or falsely completing the request form a Class I felony.

In 2022, voters must cast their ballot in the presence of two witnesses or a notary public. Witnesses are required to sign the absentee return envelope, certifying that a person marked his or her ballot and is the registered voter submitting the ballot.

If a voter forgets to sign or fails to get the witnesses to print and sign their names and provide their addresses, the ballot cannot be accepted.

Only the voter, a near relative or legal guardian may return the ballot. The county elections board keeps a log of who drops off absentee ballots.

Upon being returned, the board reviews the absentee envelope to ensure compliance with the legal requirements.

Once an absentee ballot is received, a barcode on the return envelope is scanned and linked to the person’s voter registration. The ballot envelope then is placed on an absentee report for approval by the Surry Board of Elections at a meeting that is part of the tabulation procedure.

Huff mentioned that the first absentee board meeting will be conducted next Tuesday, when members are to review and approve the initial batch of absentee by mail ballots for the general election.

At that stage, a citizen is counted as having voting and barred from casting a ballot in person at one-stop early voting sites or his or her Election Day polling place, which prevents someone from doing so more than once. If such a voter returned another ballot, it would not count.

Additionally, each absentee voter’s unique identifier barcode for the return application ensures the state system will not permit two ballots from the same person to be accepted or counted.

Other local absentee meetings are slated for Oct. 11, Oct. 18, Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 7, Nov. 8 and Nov. 17, when a supplemental one is scheduled a day before the vote canvass.

“Many people are watching North Carolina’s absentee voting process, including candidates, political parties, county boards of elections, political and data scientists and the media,” a statement from the N.C. State Board of Elections says in part. “If there are anomalies or questionable activities, they will be reported to election officials.”

The state board has a dedicated team of experienced investigators who probe credible allegations of election fraud and refer cases to prosecutors when warranted by findings, officials in Raleigh added.

While the eventual path of Hurricane Ian was not clear Wednesday, local officials were getting ready should the remnants of the storm cross over Surry County.

The hurricane made landfall on the west coast of Florida Wednesday as a category 4 storm — among the strongest — with pounding surf, heavy rain and powerful 125 mph winds inflicting serious damage.

In Surry County, where skies where still sunny and the weather pleasant, Emergency Services Director Eric Southern said preparations were underway to prepare for the storm’s arrival in the region.

“We’ve already had one meeting with the state this morning about preparation, and we’ll be doing more each day before the storm,” he said. That phone meeting was with EMS directors around North Carolina as well as state officials in Raleigh.

“Right now, we’re just getting equipment ready, making sure generators are working, we’ve got our fire departments and rescue squads on standby, checking their equipment. We’re working with local law enforcement to get ready.”

Patrick Wilson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Virginia, said Wednesday the severity of the storm when it reaches the Surry County region is still uncertain.

“It’s going to be a wet weekend, to put it lightly,” he said when checking the latest forecast. “I don’t know if we’re able to give full rainfall amounts yet, but I would prepare for several inches. A lot of this is going to depend on the track of Hurricane Ian after it makes landfall in Florida.”

He said the storm, at that time, was expected to cross over Florida and head into the Atlantic Ocean, where it could go north and likely make landfall again in South Carolina.

That is when the storm would begin making its way inland, bringing rain and wind to Surry County and the surrounding region.

“Whether we get much flooding will depend on whether we get the rain in a burst of rainfall, or of it’s more spread out over several hours so the ground can handle it.”

He said there is a high-pressure system in the region at present, which has been responsible for the string of pleasant days this week. How far the storm can penetrate that system will largely determine how far the heavy rain and wind goes inland.

“The winds aren’t going to be too bad, because it (the storm) will be weakened by that point, but we’re still going to get 30 to 40 mph winds…The first rain may arrive Friday, but the heavy stuff is going to be over the weekend.”

It is the rainfall that could be the cause of most of the damage inflicted on the area. In addition to the potential for flooding, Wilson said rain could saturate and soften the ground, making it easy for trees to be blown over during the windy portions of the storm.

“Definitely everyone should be ready for a few inches of rain and watch out for flooding.”

Southern, with EMS, said his department is planning for a worst-case scenario, as if the region might see up to 4 inches of rain, and potentially higher wind, along with flash flooding and maybe a tornado or two spawned by the storm.

He cautioned that folks should stay home if possible, and if they can’t, they should avoid driving through water on roadways — it can be deeper and swifter-moving than it appears.

He said if individuals experience power outages, they should contact their utility company immediately. If they witness trees down over roads, severe flooding with water near or entering a home, or any life-threatening emergency, those reports should be made to 911.

A number of area activities set for this weekend have been cancelled or altered. In addition to the postponement of the Civil War Re-enactment in Ararat, Virginia, and the Sonker Festival, the Music at the Market in Dobson has been moved indoors, from the Farmer’s Market to the Surry County Service Center, at 915 E. Atkins Street in Dobson.

Officials with Mount Airy City Schools said the system is planning to hold classes on Friday as normal, although that could change as the storm approaches.

“We are always in contact with our county and state emergency officials concerning the weather,” said Carrie Venable, executive officer of communications for the school system. “We will be looking closely at the radar and progress of the storm as we approach Friday. Any decision being made is also made in tandem with Elkin and Surry County Schools.”

There was no word from Surry County Schools officials on whether any plans were being made to potentially close school on Friday.

The students in Janna Blakeney’s eighth grade science class at Pilot Mountain Middle School recently spent their class time, spread over two days, learning the various properties of water.

Throughout the time they rotated through six different lab stations. The labs tested different properties of water. Students experimented with cohesion, adhesion, and density, while others exposed the students to water principles of surface tension and capillary action.

The next Music at the Market Concert scheduled for this Friday, featuring Wood Family Tradition is still going to be held despite threatening weather from the remnants of Hurricane Ian.

It will just change location.

Travis Frye, tourism director for both Surry County and Dobson, said “Due to impending weather, the next Music at the Market Concert will take place indoors at the Surry County Service Center, 915 E. Atkins Street, Dobson.”

“This indoor facility is directly across the parking lot from the Farmers Market. Chairs will be provided and Mermaids On The Go, Station 1978 Firehouse Peanuts, and Shikora Express Japanese Grill will be set up near the entrance. They will be ready to serve delicious food by 6 p.m. that may be brought into the building to eat,” he said, encouraging those who may be going to grab a bite and to not stay away due to Hurricane Ian’s threat.

Inside the Service Center will be safe and dry with no wind to mess up hairdos or send plates of food flying across Highway 601. The doors will open at 6 p.m. and show time for Wood Family Tradition will be 7 – 9 p.m. Admission to the concert is free.

Several Surry Community College faculty and staff members were recognized recently with awards given out during the fall 2022 faculty and staff meeting.

English Instructor Dr. Kathleen Fowler received Surry Community College’s Excellence in Teaching Award for 2022-2023, the highest faculty award given by SCC.

“It was an honor to present Dr. Kathleen Fowler with Surry Community College’s Excellence in Teaching Award. She is an accomplished English instructor who gives and sacrifices so much for the success of our students,” said college president Dr. David Shockley said.

Cosmetology Director Robin Minton and former Mechatronics Lead Instructor Jordan Crowson received the President’s Award for Meritorious Teaching for 2022-2023.

Donald Fowler, assistant director of the academic support center, received Surry Community College’s Distinguished Staff Award for 2022-2023, the highest staff award given by SCC.

“The employees and students at Surry Community College have known for many years that students who seek Donald Fowler’s academic assistance are successful. I was elated that he was honored as the recipient of Surry Community College’s Distinguished Staff Award,” Shockley said.

Laura Bracken, director of accessibility services, and Emily Stroud, instructional assistant of academics, received the President’s Award for Meritorious Service for 2022-2023.

Dr. Shockley made anotherannouncement during the meeting — that the college would start recognizing employees with more than 30 years of employment with a designated parking spot. Among those so recognized were Dr. Susan Worth, division chair – mathematics, 36 years of service; Cheryl Fielde, executive assistant – office of the president and board of trustees, 31 years of service; and Kim White, lead instructor – information technology, 30 years of service.

English Instructor Jon Thomas received a 20-year service pin during the his two decades of service to SCC.

The Ararat, Virginia, Ruritan Club recently made donations to two area organizations.

During the club’s September meeting, President Kathleen Loveland presented checks to Rhonda Fulcher Pruitt of the Patrick County, Virginia, Food Bank and to Kristie Young Bentley, representing the Stuart, Virginia, Rotary Club backpack program. Each representative educated the club on their respective organizations. Each of these organizations serve the students/citizens in the Ararat community.

Also during the meeting, Kristie Bentley discussed the Patrick County High School Junior/Senior Beta Club member requirements for community service.

The club had lots of business to address during the monthly meeting, including the upcoming BBQ/Cruise-In. This traditional annual fundraiser is set for Saturday, Oct. 22, at the club building, located at 4711 Ararat Highway, in Ararat.

All money raised through fundraising efforts, such as the BBQ, virtual raffles, and bingo, is funneled back into the community to help causes such as school supplies, Christmas gifts for less fortunate families and the elderly, and the local fire department and rescue squads.

“Our membership is really growing, and I think that is partially because our club so active in the community, and folks want to be a part of it,” said club Secretary Pamela Smith.

The Ararat Ruritan club meets on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. for anyone to attend.

The Ararat Ruritan Club building can be rented for family gatherings, celebrations, and other activities. For more details, email AraratRuritanClub@gmail.com. More information is also available on the Ararat Ruritan Club Facebook page.

White Plains Elementary School students in grades 3-5 gathered recently to listen to speeches from 16 student council candidates, outlining their qualifications for the respective offices they were seeking.

After hearing the students went back to class and voted for president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. Courtney Farris was selected president, Capri Simmons was voted into the post of vice president), Kylee Tate was chosen as secretary, and Gracie Beasley was named treasurer.

East Surry High School Junior Maria Blakeney was named recipient of the College Board National Recognition Program, National Rural and Small Town Award, for her achievements in school and on College Board assessments.

She earned this recognition because of her academic achievements in school and her performance on the PSAT/NMSQT®, PSAT 10, and/or AP Exams.

The 2022 Homecoming Court at Mount Airy High School — as voted on by their peers — will be presented during halftime of Friday night’s football game along with the representatives for each senior member of the Granite Bears Football team.

The 2022 Homecoming Queen is voted on by the Mount Airy High School student body and will be crowned after the presentation of the court.

For more information about homecoming at Mount Airy High School contact Courtney Howlett at chowlett@mtairy.k12.nc.us or 336-789-5147.

Various local events routinely have fallen victim to the coronavirus over the past couple of years, and now the weather is wreaking havoc including prompting the postponement of two major gatherings scheduled this coming weekend.

Officials of both the Surry County Sonker Festival and the Civil War Encampment and Living History Weekend in Ararat, Virginia, have announced that neither will be held as planned.

“This is all due to the hurricane weather, the impending weather situation,” explained Tom Bishop, a spokesman for the annual Civil War event that was to be staged on Saturday and Sunday.

In response, organizers have moved it to the weekend of Oct. 8-9 in the hopes of better conditions then.

“We’re doing everything we can to get the message out,” Bishop said of the change.

Officials of the Surry County Historical Society, which conducts the sonker event that was slated for Saturday, have made a similar announcement.

“Due to the weather forecast, the board of directors of the Surry County Historical Society is postponing the Sonker Festival to a later date,” advised the group’s president, Dr. Annette Ayers.

Unlike the Civil War Encampment and Living History Weekend, no alternate schedule has been devised for the sonker event, which takes place at the historic Edwards-Franklin House on Haystack Road west of Mount Airy.

“We have not determined the date as of now,” Ayers added earlier this week.

The Surry County Sonker Festival, now in its 41st year, has not been held since 2019 because of COVID-19. It celebrates the deep-dish dessert native to this area, available for sale in multiple flavors, with a band playing traditional music, various exhibits and tours of the Edwards-Franklin House also part of the occasion.

A rainy forecast is in store for the local area this weekend as the remnants of Hurricane Ian move north, according to the National Weather Service.

Rain will reach the area late Friday and continue into the weekend.

Ian could bring widespread moderate to heavy rainfall and a flash flood threat to the region. In addition, gusty winds will be possible depending on Ian’s exact track, the National Weather Service was reporting Tuesday.

At last report, showers are likely both Saturday and Sunday, with the precipitation threat greatly diminishing on Monday.

In being shifted to Oct. 8-9, activities during the Civil War Encampment and Living History Weekend will operate under the same time frame as previously reported.

This will include mock battles both days and an exhibit featuring a replica of the CSS Hunley submarine.

“We may have some of our uniformed and period clothing people that have other commitments,” Bishop mentioned regarding re-enactment troops involved in the battle recreations and others who lend authenticity to the event.

“But this cannot be helped.”

The Civil War Encampment and Living History Weekend is held at Laurel Hill, the birthplace of Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart.

What began as a dry summer turned out to be wetter than normal in the Mount Airy area as the season progressed, according to the latest statistical report from F.G. Doggett Water Plant.

Only 2.1 inches of precipitation were recorded during June at the plant — the city’s official weather-monitoring station — and the bulk of that before summer began on June 20.

The situation reversed itself in July with the logging of a 7.59-inch rainfall total, dwarfing Mount Airy’s all-time average for the seventh month of the year, 4.90. Weather records have been kept here since 1924.

Measurable amounts were noted on 18 of July’s 31 days, with a 0.98-inch output on July 6 the most recorded for a single 24-hour period.

Not to be left out, August also saw above-average rainfall with 5.58 inches measured, compared to the August norm of 4.34 in Mount Airy.

Sixteen days had measurable amounts, topped by 1.21 inches on Aug. 13.

While September has seemed relatively dry — with no totals reported to close out the last part of the summer — precipitation remained above normal in Mount Airy as of Aug. 31.

Through that day, a total of 37.95 inches had been measured, 4.55 inches, or 13.6%, above the all-time local average for that point in the year, 33.40 inches.

July and August also were above normal in terms of mercury readings.

Temperatures averaged 76.9 degrees during July, boosted by a 93-degree reading on July 24 which was the high for the month. At the other end of the scale, a pair of 61-degree days on July 12-13 took monthly low honors.

The mercury averaged 76.9 degrees in July, compared to the all-time average for that month of 75.5 degrees.

August also was a tad warmer than normal, averaging 74.5 degrees compared to 74.3.

The high for the month, 92 degrees, occurred on Aug. 3, with a trio of 57-degree readings sharing the low-temp distinction on the 13th, 14th and 15th days of the month.

Fog was observed on 14 days during July and nine in August.

An innovative program has been greenlit in Surry County that will pair the expertise of the Surry County Office of Substance Abuse and Recovery with those of the county’s EMS to offer individuals who suffer an opioid overdose a solution that can save lives while saving the county money.

Surry County will receive $350,000 over the life of a three-year grant from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services with federal dollars through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to train staff and deploy the EMS Bridge MAT Program.

Bridge MAT is, “A cutting edge and innovative preventive intervention intended to meet survivors of opioid overdoses attended by EMS, where they are by providing an initial dose of buprenorphine for withdrawal relief and ongoing support for medication assisted treatment (MAT) initiation in rural counties in North Carolina.”

Surry County will be among the second wave of counties selected in the state to deploy Bridge MAT, joining the ranks of Onslow and Stanley counties who were the first grant recipients and will grow the total number to ten.

The plan calls for adding two paramedics that will serve with the substance abuse and recovery office to seek outcomes for individuals suffering an overdose that will lower the “significant monetary and emotional toll” that substance use disorder has on the individuals, their family, and the community.

This program will support paramedics responding to individuals with an opioid overdose who refuse transport to an emergency department for reasons that may include lack of insurance or concerns of interaction with law enforcement. In this plan under the supervision of a waivered prescriber, the paramedics can administer the first dose of buprenorphine to alleviate some of the pain of opioid withdrawal.

The “bridge” is filling the gap from the time of the overdose until such time as that person can find the treatment that fits their needs. For a period of seven days there is follow up from Peer Support specialists of the substance abuse and recovery office Intervention Team and the new Bridge MAT paramedics. During that period, they can help make referrals to appropriate opioid use disorder treatment provider, but this takes time.

The county said there are no detoxification nor behavioral health urgent care clinics within an hour’s drive of the county in their application for the grant. Some providers who offer intensive outpatient care do not treat clients in a walk-in fashion they said. “MAT normally requires one week to schedule the client’s assessment and an additional week in an intensive outpatient program before MAT is available to clients with opioid addiction.”

Member of the county’s Intervention Team informed that clients with opioid addiction are “frequently unable to abstain from opioid use during this two-week delay while they wait for entry.” Reading between the lines, the implication is during the waiting period the individual is going to seek the path of least resistance toward alleviating that pain – back to the pills or the needle, and the cycle renews again.

The Bridge MAT program suggests a more useful course of treatment during those seven days would be one in which the individual receives ongoing treatment with doses of buprenorphine from the trained paramedics. “All medications will be oversighted through the direction of Surry County EMS Medical Director, Dr. Jason Edsall,” the county said.

Oversights have been built into this plan to ensure the proper use of the allocated federal grant funds as well as guaranteed standards for care during what will be essentially a three-year test run. “Since providers and equipment change often, treatment protocols must be reviewed in regular intervals to ensure compliance,” the county wrote.

The EMS Bridge MAT program will have also additional assistance from the Surry County Health and Nutrition Center under the direction of the county health director to oversee licensed medical care providers that will provide clinical support.

Mark Willis and the Office of Substance Abuse and Recovery will continue to be responsible for the staffing and operation of programs such as the intervention team comprised of certified peer support specialists, community transportation programs such as Ride the Road to Recovery that will support the Bridge MAT efforts. Also, data collection and analysis support will continue from county data guru Jaime Edwards who along with Paramedic Eddie Jordan compiled a wealth of information for the grant application.

Surry County EMS responses to substance use events from 2015 to 2021 increased by an alarming 277%. Instances of opioid related overdoses in the same period rose to become 40% of the total, with fentanyl involved overdoses doubling to 7% of the total number. More than 4,000 overdoses were reported in the past five years, sadly 198 of those proved fatal.

EMS has mapped overdose locations beginning in 2017 with data going back to 2010 added to form a more complete picture. The map distinguishes between overdoses that proved fatal as well as when Narcan was administered. Multiple administrations of Narcan are becoming more common as fentanyl is laced into street drugs with often lethal results.

The use and administrations of Narcan has risen dramatically with the onset of the opioid crisis. Use by first responders increased 60% between 2019 to 2021. It grew by 514% during the same period for family members and bystanders who administered the potentially lifesaving drug.

Mapping which overdoses are fatal, which required more than one dose of Narcan, and even who administered the Narcan can prove helpful in discerning the patterns of abuse in areas of the county.

The data shows patterns do repeat. “EMS responded to 24 overdose events involving duplicative clients in 2021. Between Jan. 1 and June 30…the number of EMS responses to duplicative overdose clients has almost tripled to 62. These 62 EMS responses to overdoses involved the same 21 clients.”

Based on 2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, the estimated national cost due to instances of opioid use disorder is $221,219 per person. If over the three-year lifetime of the Bridge MAT grant it were only to “positively intervene” on 21 patients the county said that potential savings may be more than $4.5 million.

The need for innovation was discussed as the county noted during COVID and the corresponding trend to isolation, many community outreach efforts were less successful than in previous years or lost ground when community outreach was stymied.

Officials hope Surry County EMS Bridge MAT in conjunction with peer support through the intervention team will help those who suffer an overdose alleviate their pain more quickly and aid in finding them the long-term recovery support they require to treat a potentially life-threatening disease.

Office of Substance Abuse and Recovery leaders hope that ground lost in the community fight against substance use disorder can be won back and this grant will offer new tools to that end.

DOBSON — This past weekend marked a new era for the Surry Old-Time Fiddlers Convention, in a new venue, but the absence of the event for more than three years didn’t diminish its music or spirit.

The convention enjoyed a triumphant return to a semblance of normalcy with a square dance Friday night followed by adult and youth competition the next day.

Looking at the flurry of activity Saturday, one could easily forget that because of the pandemic the Surry Old-Time Fiddlers Convention had not been held since April 2019, when the event celebrated its 10th year.

After being cancelled in both 2020 and 2021, organizers hoped the convention traditionally held in early spring could return this year. That didn’t happen then and there were indications the event might be gone for good.

This was especially disappointing for those catering to the old-time music genre, since the Dobson fiddlers convention — unlike others that feature both bluegrass and old-time — is a rarity in terms of being dedicated entirely to the latter.

But the weekend’s slate of activities showed that it is hard to keep a good thing down.

“I’m just glad that it’s back going again,” Gene Anderson of the Copeland area said Saturday before registering to compete in the adult guitar category, “very glad.”

Of course, the 3.5-year shutdown/revitalization period has been accompanied by some changes.

One involved moving the convention from its longtime location at the Surry Community College gym in Dobson to the Surry County Service Center on East Atkins Street across town.

Another difference was to shift the event from its early spring date to September.

Neither seemed to present any obstacles for either musicians or fans, with Friday night’s square dance featuring music by two groups — The Slate Mountain Ramblers and Lucas Paisley and the Stratford String Band — setting the stage for a successful weekend.

“The dance floor was as full as you could get it all night long,” said a longtime convention organizer, Buck Buckner.

“Last night was good — really good,” Buckner added Saturday.

Getting the convention back up and running again after more than three years was not as daunting a task as one might think.

“We had it pretty well figured out by now, so it’s been good,” Tammy Sawyer, another key organizer, said of the event’s rejuvenation.

“We’re happy to do it,” Sawyer added while registering contestants Saturday afternoon.

In the weeks preceding the convention, Buckner had credited Travis Frye — who in March became tourism coordinator for the Dobson Tourism Development Authority and Surry County Tourism Development Authority — with providing a boost that led to having a 2022 event.

Frye was on the stage Saturday announcing contestants while wearing a smile.

“I think it’s going really well,” he said of the convention reboot in between performances.

Frye pointed out that two hours of solid competition among youthful musicians had just occurred. “Which is a good sign,” he said of the younger generation carrying on the old-time musical tradition.

“To have it in Dobson is important because it is the center of the county,” Frye said further.

Anderson, the guitar player, who attends fiddlers conventions throughout the region, said he appreciates the “hometown” atmosphere of the Dobson event. “I like smaller festivals.”

Buckner also praised the new location for the convention at the Surry County Service Center.

“I personally like it a lot,” he said. “I think it’s wonderful that the county makes it available” for community events.

Another highlight Saturday was the continuation of a convention tradition: bestowing the Master Artist Award, which this year went posthumously to Helen White.

Frye believes that with COVID-19 now largely a blip in the rear-view mirror, it’s important to maintain the continuity of the Surry Old-Time Fiddlers Convention.

And by all indications, its weekend comeback with nary a sour note heard will allow that to happen.

Surry Community College is offering a CPR certification class that will meet at the Yadkin Center, 1001 College Drive, in Yadkinville.

The class will be held on Friday, Sept. 30, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. This class will certify students with Healthcare Provider-level of CPR.

For more information and to register, contact Doug Underwood at 336-386-3584 or underwoodd@surry.edu. The tuition is $71. Students who are part of a life-saving organization will be eligible for a tuition waiver.

For about 45 minutes during a cool early fall morning in downtown Mount Airy, reality merged with make-believe to captivate hundreds of people attending the annual Mayberry Days Parade.

During that brief period, folks could forget about the turmoil in the nation and world and essentially be whisked back to a simpler time. It’s one existing within the confines of a black-and-white television series from the 1960s which is still wildly popular today.

Die-hard “Andy Griffith Show” fans of all ages, from both local communities and a number of states, began lining North Main Street well before the scheduled 9 a.m. start time for Saturday’s procession.

“It’s just a big family reunion every year,” Kenneth Sullivan of Cowan, Tennessee, said as he watched it from a spot near Holcomb Hardware.

Sullivan said he regularly attends Mayberry Days and its parade, during which all the visiting celebrity guests and others who have participated in various activities during the week come together in a single spot.

This provided an opportunity Saturday for those in the crowd to interact with individuals such as Ruta Lee. The familiar actress appeared in two episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show,” including one in which she played a female reporter trying to dig up dirt on Sheriff Taylor.

On Saturday, Lee was much less threatening as she rode in a Ford Mustang convertible while waving to and chatting with admirers along the way when the parade slowed on occasion.

Among additional celebrity guests was actor Daniel Roebuck, a cast member with Griffith in the “Matlock” TV series during the local native’s post-Mayberry days who also has had key roles in “The Fugitive” and other movies.

While Roebuck was another attending Mayberry Days for the first time, others were making return visits such as Ronnie Schell. He logged guest appearances on “The Andy Griffith Show,” but is best known for portraying Duke Slater on the “Gomer Pyle” program starring AGS alum Jim Nabors.

Margaret Kerry was another visiting guest star, who was the model for Tinker Bell in Walt Disney’s “Peter Pan” and rode in a vintage vehicle Saturday.

The passage of time has meant that many of the performers from “The Andy Griffith Show” have passed on to Hollywood Hereafter. Those no longer around include Griffith himself, who died in 2012.

But in a sense he lived again on Saturday in the form of a Sheriff Taylor impersonator whose large mask formed the spitting image of Andy and was warmly greeted as he meandered down the street on foot.

The parade also featured many Barney Fifes — in numbers too abundant to count — easily making that character the most-imitated on Saturday. Others were there in the guises of Opie Taylor, Floyd the barber, Otis the town drunk, members of the Darling family, Gomer and Sgt. Carter and even one man carrying a briefcase who bore a striking resemblance to Howard Sprague.

If that were not enough, there were individuals portraying characters such as the Potato Queen and Pork Princess reminiscent of the show.

Rivalling the number of Barneys who appeared Saturday were more than a few Mayberry squad car replicas, along with a number of antique vehicles of varying makes and models.

One squad car was at the front of the parade with “The Andy Griffith Show” theme music blaring from its speakers to help set the tone for the occasion.

The marching band of North Surry High School also lent its talents to the parade downtown, further inhabited by the obligatory mini-cars that have a way of infiltrating just about every such event.

The legions of loyal “Andy Griffith Show” disciples who faithfully attend Mayberry Days also have become an attraction unto themselves.

Some, including Sullivan, the visitor from Tennessee, have been a regular part of the annual celebration since it began in the early 1990s, when his son portrayed Opie.

Similar to other fans of “The Andy Griffith Show,” Sullivan has a favorite character and episode. “You gotta love Barney,” he said, almost without hesitation.

And the episode he likes most?

Sullivan mentioned “Aunt Bee’s Medicine Man” as having that distinction, about a con artist named Colonel Harvey who comes to town promoting his Indian elixir — really just repackaged booze that Aunt Bee and her friends drink and become intoxicated as a result.

There generally are no such antics exhibited by Mayberry Days fans each year — who always draw praise for being a well-behaved, engaging bunch of folks.

“It’s a good Christian environment,” Sullivan observed.

Seven area individuals recentlly graduated from the 2022 Northern Regional Leadership Academy – an educational program designed to foster the leadership potential of employees who volunteer to participate in the six-month curriculum.

The 2022 Class of Northern Leadership Academy included Meredith Ayers, Hunter Grubbs, Rylee Haynes, Sabrena Hemrick, Shawn Lambert, Kayla Melton, and Ashley Moorefield.

Author and speaker John Maxwell has noted, “The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on leadership development.”

Those sentiments have been put into practice by Chris A. Lumsden, FACHE, president and chief executive officer of Northern Regional Hospital. A nationally-recognized leader in healthcare administration, Lumsden asked members of his leadership team to custom-design a curriculum three years ago – using an educational model with which he was familiar – that would encourage and empower employees to become leaders.

“Leadership is not defined by a job title,” Lumsden said. “We have many leaders throughout all levels of our organization who use their own creativity, powers of persuasion, and persistence to inspire themselves and others to do great things. The goal of our Leadership Academy is to encourage those employees to strengthen and refine their leadership potential to improve patient care, and enhance our community commitment, while further advancing their own personal and professional development.”

The program has two facilitators, Jessica Arrington, director of patient access, and Keith Moser, Northern Family Medicine practice manager.

Arrington noted that the curriculum exposes participants to all aspects of hospital operations – from attending senior leadership team meetings to touring facility spaces not typically visited or seen by most employees – including the kitchen, boiler room, and rooftop. This year, the program tours included Mountain Valley Hospice, which is jointly owned by Northern Regional Hospital and Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital.

Employees interested in enrolling in the Leadership Academy must apply and then interview with a group of hospital administrators. “We’re looking for individuals who are willing to grow and eager to expand beyond their comfort zones,” explained Moser. “Participation in the academy is not necessarily designed to be a steppingstone to promotion. Rather, it’s to enable leaders to reach their potential within the context of the organizational mission.”

Each academy semester runs for six months; and each class is limited to approximately eight participants. Students are required to attend weekly class sessions on a variety of leadership-related topics; complete a reading list; shadow selected members of the hospital’s executive team; maintain journals to help reinforce impressions and new knowledge obtained from their experiences; attend legislative field trips to better understand the relationship between business and governmental bodies; and present a final case study to serve as a formal proposal for a project or program they’d like to pursue.

Each participant is aassigned a mentor from among the hospital’s key administrators. “Mentors act as a guide and valuable resource for students – especially as students become more adept at embracing the value of teamwork and seeing and appreciating the big picture,” said Arrington – who has served as a mentor. “And mentorship, is a two-way street. By breaking down hierarchical and departmental silos, communication and teamwork are enhanced throughout the organization.”

Before earning graduation certificates, academy students present their case studies – researched project proposals that incorporate the values and practical business considerations that have been explored as part of the curriculum. To date, all proposals presented have been approved for full implementation or remain under serious consideration by the Senior Leadership Team.

“The essence of the Leadership Academy is best exemplified by the rich variety of dynamic, health-related programs and services proposed by our students,” said Lumsden. “It’s exciting and very rewarding to watch the growth of new leaders within our organization use their newfound knowledge to develop programs that further the mission of Northern Regional Hospital.”

A wide variety of case study proposals were presented to leadership, including a possible coffee shop inside Northern Regional Hospital, a mobile medical unit, gait analysis equipment for physical therapy use, geographical rounding for hospitalists, no-show improvement strategies, and hospice referral tracking.

“We are very encouraged by the early success of our Leadership Academy,” said Lumsden. “By continuing to develop leaders within our hospital, we can further improve and expand our ability to meet the healthcare needs of patients and the community. It’s a win-win-win arrangement, and further validation of the importance of educational initiatives that focus on professional development.”

Good things supposedly come to those who wait, and for fans of a locally based dessert it’s been nearly three years since they’ve been able to experience the Surry County Sonker Festival.

That pause will end next Saturday when the festival returns after being cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus.

The Oct. 1 event, scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m., offers a chance to savor sonkers — its namesake deep-dish fruit dessert that originated in this area — along with old-time and bluegrass music performed by The Roaring Gap Rattlers. Other attractions are to include flatfoot dancing, quilters, basketry, a pottery display, 18th- and 19th-century artifacts and more.

All this will take place against the backdrop of the historic (1799) Edwards-Franklin House at 4132 Haystack Road west of Mount Airy, to also be open for tours.

Next weekend’s gathering marks the 41st year of the Sonker Festival spearheaded by the Surry County Historical Society.

And Dr. Annette Ayers, the group’s president, indicated that the event basically will pick up where it left off in 2019.

“I think the greatest problem, of course, is personnel,” she said of organizing the group of volunteers needed to stage the festival each year. Some of the older participants no longer are available after its lengthy interruption, but they have been replaced by a new contingent.

“Actually, the weather is a big concern,” Ayers said of an early October mixed bag that can include chilly temperatures in addition to the possibility of rain.

“We do encourage everyone to bring a lawn chair,” she said, which typically creates a laid-back setting of folks seated around the front yard of the house eating sonkers and listening to the music.

Ayers added that the focal point of the festival — the sonkers — will be just as appealing as ever for the hundreds of people who might attend based on past turnouts.

Flavors to be available include blackberry, sweet potato, peach, strawberry and cherry. Sweet potato sonkers tend to the most popular, with strawberry close behind.

“And I can promise they’ll all be delicious,” Ayers said.

While the event itself is free and open to the public, the price of the sonkers will be $4 each, with beverages to be sold for $1. As many as 800 to 1,000 dishes of sonker have been doled out from large trays laid out on a table under a tent on the grounds of the Edwards-Franklin House.

Surry County Historical Society officials also are excited about the musical talent.

“They are people that are very renowned in traditional and bluegrass music,” Ayers said of The Roaring Gap Rattlers.

One of the musicians to be involved is Mecca Jackson Lowe.

“And I think they’re going to have a group of young people — the next generation of artists,” the Surry Historical Society official said. “I think that was wonderful to include younger people.”

Organizers are hoping for a good turnout at the festival, especially by first-time attendees.

In past years, people have made their way to the event from areas both locally and throughout the Southeast.

Publications will be available for purchase.

Ayers also mentioned that membership is open for the Surry County Historical Society, which begins at $25 per year and can be done by mail at P.O. Box 469, Mount Airy, NC, 27030.

The students of Millennium Charter Academy in Mount Airy participated in their 2022 Service Day Thursday.

Students were split between projects on campus and at off-campus sites such as the Riverside Park and the L. H. Jones Family Resource Center.

“One of the ways we can build virtue and cultivate good character in our students is through an emphasis on service,” said Dr. Jarrid K. Looney, director of the upper school at Millennium Charter Academy.

MCA teacher Brandon Rouse echoed Looney, “Service Day reflects our commitment to developing our students’ character and giving back to our community.”

“We hope that our students will gain an appreciation for the importance of community service and an awareness of how rewarding serving your community can be. By partnering with local nonprofits and community organizations, we’re encouraging our students to continue helping their neighbors even after the service day ends,” he said.

Service is a requirement for students of Millennium Charter Academy. Rouse explained beginning with 2022-2023 school year, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are all required to perform and log ten hours of community service each year in order to participate in extracurricular activities.

Incentivizing good acts from the lower-level students with rewards that may further benefit them appears to be a solution where everyone benefits for the students, educators, and the community at large. Educators and parents can agree that an engaged student is one who will have a greater likelihood of success both inside and out of the classroom.

For the upper-level students, seniors have their own set of requirements and will need to log an additional 22 hours, for a total of 32 hours of community service and submit their hours to both their advisors and instructor for government.

Dr. Looney said the goal is to have well rounded citizens exiting MCA’s halls and becoming the future leaders of Surry County. “We hope that by working alongside our students to serve our communities we can help our students to develop a love for our communities and their fellow citizens.”

Two weeks ago Surry County resident Melissa Hiatt requested the county commissioners consider enacting a 45-day moratorium on rezoning and planning requests that involve discount or dollar stores.

Hiatt is one of the leaders of the Sheltontown group that recently won a victory over such development in their community, when the board voted against a rezoning request by a development firm to put a Dollar General at the intersection of Quaker Road and Westfield Road.

At the board’s Monday meeting the commissioners heard polling data from the opposition to retail development but also for the first time heard pushback from a resident saying public opinion has no place policing private enterprise.

Word had spread of the latest targeted location for another Dollar General at Westfield Road and Indian Grove Church Road, less than one mile from the last attempted location. Hiatt said it is a rumor no longer and that residents have pieced together the facts as neighbors talked to neighbors about the potential land moves taking place.

For some of them it is not deja vu all over again because they never got over it the first time. The previous attempt by Teramore Development LLC to have the corner lot at Quaker and Westfield Roads rezoned for commercial were defeated by the county commissioners in July.

At the board’s next meeting Hiatt again explained her standing objections based on that plan and asked the board to consider issuing the moratorium on rezoning, or planning board requests pertaining to “like-fashioned” retailers such as Family Dollar or Dollar Tree to permit the county time to reexamine its land use policy. Proximity of other like retailers to the one planned would alone negate the necessity of adding another discount retailer and may dissuade future developers from considering placing a full-service grocery store in a saturated area.

Two weeks removed from the request there was no agenda item pertaining to the moratorium at this week’s board meeting. A lack of movement did nothing to calm the nerves of residents fearing what may be coming.

“We thought we made it abundantly clear we do not want their store,” Teresa Levia said of Teramore Development LLC and their previous efforts to rezone in Sheltontown. Speaking in support of the moratorium and controlled growth however does not mean she is anti-development or business she said stating, “I am for free enterprise.”

Heather Moore, of Moore’s General Store, agreed and presented the board with data from a poll their group had conducted and found the answers to be consistent amongst themselves: the same percentage answered the same way across the questions.

Of the nearly 100 participants of the survey, she reported that 94% supported a county ordinance on like-fashioned retailers and that 97% said those stores hurt locally owned businesses. The survey was confirmed to have been open to all members of the public and Moore said it remains open at this time.

The survey is found at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/35TLV6C

Like a politician with a polished stump speech, the opposition has talking points they use to make their case. Often referenced is a moratorium in Wilmington on such retail growth that never came to be. The city council there dropped the proposed language change to their land use plan when the final version was approved.

It was reported that council members perceived that there was not enough research presented on the issue and it was removed from the final language that was approved. Melissa Hiatt said she has spoken to local representatives there who have told her the issue will be revisited.

“There appeared to be no consensus on council concerning those requirements,” a city spokesperson explained in an email that was cited by the Port City Daily of Wilmington on the same date. Melissa Hiatt said Friday she has had conversations with local authorities and that they are “continuing their efforts” to make a change.

Free will vs. public want

In a new twist to the recent discussions, there was an opponent to those seeking to limit dollar-type stores. Angela Leonard said her parents had worked hard to get the money together to open a business and that after many years they retired due to health reasons. That land though is her family’s and if they wanted to open a new business on land they own, and have owned, she feels that is their right to do so.

Leonard was the first to give voice to the counterargument that individual liberties are being infringed upon by the side opposing the dollar-style stores. She asked if it was fair for residents to have such power over the potential growth or expansion of private businesses.

Moore’s General Store is often mentioned as an example of one of the existing businesses that could be hurt by new retail grown, but Leonard asked if they too would be subject to judgment on the merits of expansion by the collective opinions of the neighborhood. She went a step further asking the board rhetorically if such opposition from residents may one day follow to home improvement projects as well.

The survey that was shown to the commissioners showed that on almost all questions the answers were 90% the same – meaning Leonard knew walking up to the podium she would be speaking for a minority point of view, but she felt that was exactly the point. She asked the board, “Who is looking out for the citizens who are afraid of the backlash and may be scared to speak out?”

William Lawrence sees it differently and was one of the property owners of the home on Quaker Road where Teramore Development LLC last attempted a new location.

He noted the strong opposition and the dozens of yellow signs that had dotted Sheltontown as perhaps being part of what changed the outcome of that scenario.

Townships and communities that lack strong representation are being targeted by Teramore, he claimed, adding that not all communities have the strength to coalesce as Sheltontown did for a coordinated fight. He feels residents have a right to have a say about the quality of life in their communities.

• A Dobson woman was arrested Tuesday afternoon as a fugitive from justice in Mount Airy and jailed under a large secured bond, according to city police reports.

Amy Wall Riddle, 46, of 446 Roy Stanley Road, was encountered by officers during a suspicious-person call at a residence on Junction Street, and they found that her name had been entered in a national crime database as being wanted in Patrick County, Virginia, on an unspecified matter.

Riddle was confined in the Surry County Jail under a $20,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in District Court in Dobson on Oct. 17.

• A possible break-in attempt occurred Tuesday at the residence of Amanda Gail Bledsoe on Northwood Drive, where an unknown object was used to break a rear window. The damage was put at $200.

• A man who allegedly hit his girlfriend in the face with a lighter, causing her lip to bleed, and choked her was jailed without privilege of bond on Sept. 15.

Markus Evan Beamer, 28, listed as homeless, is accused of assault on a female, identified as Brittany Michelle Jackson, also homeless.

The incident occurred in a roadway area on North Main Street at West Pine Street. Beamer is scheduled to be in Surry District Court Monday.

• Camper and Mobile Home Supply, a business on Merita Street, was the scene of a break-in discovered on Sept. 14, which involved the attic of the building being entered in order to gain access to the interior. Nothing was listed as stolen, but police records indicate that damage was caused to ceiling tiles.

• A break-in involving a felonious larceny was discovered on Sept. 10 at Mayberry Portable Buildings in the 1000 block of North Andy Griffith Parkway, where equipment and other property worth thousands of dollars was taken after a lock was cut.

Included were DeWalt products listed as an air compressor, a table saw, miter saw, an impact driver, drills, a skill saw, five power tool batteries and five power tool battery chargers; a Honda generator; a Craftsman tool box with miscellaneous tools; an Rx skill saw; a Flex impact driver; a Little Giant collapsible ladder; Romex wiring cable; and three bags containing miscellaneous wiring tools.

The monetary loss from the crime totaled $7,920.

The official opening ceremony of Mayberry Days is usually a joyous occasion, with plenty of laughs and jokes, introduction of the show’s stars and other entertainers in town to put on shows, and the mayor’s proclamation recognizing Mayberry Days.

This year’s opening had all of that, but plenty of tears as well. Tears of emotion when describing friendships, and tears of longing and grief as fans said good-bye to one of “The Andy Griffith Show’s” favorite stars.

Perhaps the most emotional part of the opening ceremony was the Betty Lynn memorial. Lynn, famous for her portrayal of Thelma Lou and a Mount Airy resident for more than 15 years, passed away in October. Tanya Jones, executive director of the Surry Arts Council and a close friend of Lynn, said earlier this year that, instead of a memorial service held immediately after Lynn’s death, she wanted to include the service in this year’s Mayberry Days so that her fans could take part.

Many of those fans packed the Historic Earle Theatre Friday morning, with a standing-room only audience for both the opening ceremonies and the memorial to Lynn.

That service featured images of Lynn from her life — including pictures of her youth, on set with Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, promotional and on-set photos from various films and television shows she appeared in, along with photo spreads and other pictures. While the photos faded one to another, a recording of the song “Precious Memories,” sung by Andy Griffith, played over the theater’s speakers.

Among the crowd were fans of “The Andy Griffith Show” — some dressed as their favorite Mayberry character, or at least the character they most resembled — others dressed in Mount Airy or Mayberry t-shirts, and nearly everyone there watched in rapt attention, the only sounds that of Griffith’s deep baritone voice and the occasional sniffling or quiet sobbing from Lynn’s fans and friends.

Shortly prior to the memorial presentation, Jones and Allan Newsome, a long-time Floyd the Barber tribute artist and host of the long-running podcast “Two Chairs No Waiting,” led the opening ceremony. Guests who were in town — those who appeared on the show, their family members, or other entertainers here to put on a presentation for Mayberry Days fans — took their introductions, some making remarks, others simply acknowledging the fans.

Toward the end of the ceremony, after the mayor’s proclamation for the annual event, Jones became emotional as she described the person who would be this year’s You’re the Cats award winner, recognizing someone or some group which has made significant contributions to Mayberry Days and the effort in keeping the spirit of Mayberry, and the memories of those actors who starred in the show, alive.

Jones recalled how she had even played a role in his meeting the woman who would become his wife before revealing Jeff Koontz was winner.

Koontz said afterward he was shocked to be named the award-winner.

“I’m just a volunteer,” he said of his role in the annual gathering of the Mayberry faithful. Koontz, who lives in Brevard with his wife, Claire Armbruster, said he began volunteering with Mayberry Days in 1990, during the first such gathering when it was just a one-day event.

And he confirmed that Jones did, indeed, play a role in he and his wife meeting.

“She introduced us,” he said, adding they had been married since 2000. “I owe that to Tanya.”

While several hundred Mayberry fans were inside the Earle Theatre for the morning’s ceremonies, hundreds more were already outside, walking Main Street, taking in the sights and doing some shopping.

Among the sights many were checking out were no less than four autos made up to look like Sheriff Andy Taylor’s squad car, all parked along Main Street, while additional such cars patrolled the street.

Walt McClelland, of Johnston, Pennsylvania, was among those in town for the festival — an annual sojourn he makes with his wife and their Ford Galaxie gussied up just like one of Andy Taylor’s old squad cars.

“I bring that car down every year,” he said of the squad car, adorned with a life-sized photo of Deputy Fife in the back seat, along with pictures and flyers detailing places McClelland had taken the car. “We’ve been here every year since 2010,” he said. McClelland said he spends a good bit of the day sitting in a folding chair, next to his car, while others come along and sit next to him, ask questions about the car, striking up conversations about “The Andy Griffith Show” and untold other subjects that pop up.

Mike Pyburn and Pete Taggett were two local musicians spending their day on Main Street, next to Pyburn’s 1931 Ford Model A, while the two of them strummed a few bluegrass tunes — Pyburn on the claw hammer banjo and Taggett on the washtub bass.

Pyburn, who is retired, said he spends some time most days on Main Street, playing his music for anyone who passes by.

“I usually get a smile from people who pass by, which is all I can ask for,” he said. Pyburn said he regularly played in the downtown gazebo, but construction work at the partially collapsed Main Oak building is too much competition.

“My throat’s not strong enough to sing over that,” he said, so he moved several blocks down the street, where he and Taggett were set up on Friday.

There, Sue Creager, of Springfield, Ohio, was fascinated with the washtub bass, getting an impromptu lesson on playing the instrument from Taggett, and even a few tips on how to build her own when she returns home.

“I can’t get over the sound,” Creager said several times after stroking the long string of the instrument. Her husband, Kevin Creager, said his wife plays the dulcimer, though she may be pursuing a new interest in the washtub bass.

Kevin Creager said he and his wife have made several trips to Mount Airy, but his is the first time they’ve been able to visit the town during Mayberry Days.

“Usually, we’re working. But now we’re both retired, so we were able to come,” he said, both clearly having a good time.

And why not? Even during an emotional opening earlier in the day, Newsome, the ceremony’s emcee and resident Floyd the Barber, put it succinctly when he described what Mayberry Days means to Andy Griffith Show fans.

“It’s like going to Disney World.”

Regulatory entanglements regarding a sign initially disallowed for a new body shop in Mount Airy didn’t end with an August vote permitting it — now the owner must remove a banner supporting a candidate who aided him.

Frank Fleming recently had the banner placed on a metal sign structure in the parking lot of a former Winn-Dixie supermarket on Merita Street where he is developing the shop — a $2 million endeavor that will create jobs.

It states, “Jon Cawley For Mayor.”

Fleming says the banner was erected in response to the present city commissioner and mayoral candidate backing his efforts to finally get the existing sign approved after a lengthy ordeal surrounding municipal regulations which almost wound up in Surry Superior Court.

But a new wrinkle has materialized with Fleming being told to remove the political banner, which — yes — also violates a city ordinance, as was earlier the case with the metal sign structure. The longtime local businessman was advised of this latest development by Chuck Morris, Mount Airy’s codes enforcement officer.

“He called me yesterday,” Fleming related Thursday.

“I didn’t know there was a banner ordinance,” said the shop owner, who added that he would not have had it installed if he was aware such a regulation existed. He has been given until next Wednesday to remove the banner.

Fleming said he simply was trying to boost the candidacy of a person who assisted him during every step of the ordeal to get the metal sign structure approved.

“Jon played a big role in helping to teach me and guiding me in all this stuff,” said the local businessman, also a veteran modified race car driver of 43 years, who had little knowledge of local government beforehand.

Fleming had been denied a permit to re-use the existing sign framework Winn-Dixie left behind because it exceeded a 15-foot height limit imposed for new business developments under updated, appearance-minded municipal regulations adopted in 2016.

This led to the recent emergence of an amendment that altered distance requirements for such non-conforming signs which ultimately allowed Fleming to utilize the old one — already wired and sitting on a concrete foundation.

The Mount Airy Board of Commissioners approved that amendment in a late-August vote as a huge crowd of Fleming supporters — including state Rep. Sarah Stevens — watched from the audience.

Fleming mentioned repeatedly Thursday that he does not want to step on the toes of anyone at City Hall. He appreciates the attention everyone devoted to the sign case, even those who didn’t support his position, including members of the Mount Airy Zoning Board of Adjustment whose action led to a possible Superior Court appeal.

Yet Fleming thinks Cawley deserves extra support for his efforts in the sign issue and the sentiments behind that.

“Jon Cawley is for the citizens of this town,” the shop owner commented, including owners of businesses such as himself. Fleming has long operated his body shop from a location on Springs Road and many see the new project on Merita Street as serving to improve a long-unsightly area.

After becoming aware of the sign denial and learning that Fleming, a self-described “competitor” who planned to fight the initial ruling, Cawley assured him, “I’m going to help you all I can.” The veteran commissioner agreed that it made sense for the existing sign to be re-used, Fleming said.

His motive in erecting the banner during recent days was not to become a focal point of this year’s municipal election in which Cawley, Mount Airy’s longest-serving council member, is running against Mayor Ron Niland.

“I’ve never been a very political person,” Fleming said. “I’ve never got into politics too much.”

It was more a matter of timing.

Since the refurbishing of the old metal sign and its listing of the new body shop will take two to three months to complete, Fleming saw this as an ideal time to put up the banner promoting Cawley’s candidacy in the meantime.

However, the city regulatory bureaucracy has nixed that.

On Thursday, Morris, the codes officer, cited a restriction listed under Section 9.3-Temporary Signs in the City of Mount Airy Municipal Code of Ordinances. It states in part that such signs “shall not be affixed to a permanent sign or its supporting structure, including both building-mounted and freestanding permanent signs.”

The ordinance also makes specific reference to banners, which generally are limited to those promoting community events — while apparently ruling out ones that are political in nature.

Although the majority of the commissioners eventually came around to Cawley’s side, it was he who stood alone at first in supporting him, Fleming said.

His backing of Cawley is not intended as any disrespect toward the present mayor, Fleming stressed.

“Ron Niland has been nothing but good to me,” he said.

However, the whole sign episode has revealed special characteristics on Cawley’s part which Fleming believes are needed locally.

“Jon Cawley will be good for the citizens of Mount Airy,” the shop owner believes, if elected to its top position.

“I just think that without Jon Cawley,” Fleming asserted, “our city, our local government, won’t be as good.” `

During this year’s Mayberry Days festivities The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History will have on display the tuba that Andy Griffith played while a member of the Grace Moravian Church.

Griffith’s first foray into music was with the trombone. He worked to save money to purchase the instrument then approached Rev. Edward T. Mickey Jr., who had recently started the brass band at Grace Moravian, asking the reverend if he could teach Griffith to play. A quick study, Griffith was soon playing pretty much every instrument in the band but most often played the tuba.

“We’re really excited to be able to display this storied instrument, it’s actually a piece we’ve been hoping to be able to display for many years,” said Matt Edwards, the museum’s executive director.

In among the nearly 35,000 square feet of exhibits, the museum has permanent exhibits related to Andy Griffith and his family history and connections in Mount Airy and across the region.

Museum board member Calvin Vaughn and Grace Moravian Church band Director Hubert McMillian worked to facilitate the loan of the instrument for public display during this year’s Mayberry Days. The instrument will be on display at the museum through the weekend.

“With an entire museum dedicated to Andy’s show biz life just down the street we’re not looking to compete so much as to compliment. In reality Andy is part of a much bigger regional story that we tell here, and there are really only a few key objects that we need to tell that story and this we consider to be one of those,” Edwards said.

The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History will be open to the public Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. For more information contact the museum at 336-786-4478 or online at www.northcarolinamuseum.org

When school started in late August, some students at White Plains Elementary School already had a treat waiting for them. Those who completed a reading bingo sheet from the summer enjoyed a pizza celebration in the media center there.

Alma Venable made an impact here in Mount Airy and beyond as one of the most recognizable ambassadors of Mayberry and the proprietor of the Mayberry Motor Inn. She was an advocate for preserving the rich legacy of Mount Airy’s fictitious alter ego while welcoming guests into the community all year round.

Venable passed away Sept. 4 at her home in Mount Airy, she was 84 years old.

Donna Hiatt called her dear friend an “icon for Mayberry” while others who knew her called her granny despite no presence of a drop of familial blood. “People loved her and stayed from all over the country with her. She was an angel on Earth, and is now an angel in Heaven,” Hiatt said of her friend of 32 years.

Like Hiatt, Tanya Jones of the Surry Arts Council was an old friend of Venable’s, “Since the 70s when we were talking to hotels about the occupancy tax. Alma and her husband LP had the Mayberry Motor Inn before many things in Mount Airy had Mayberry in their names.”

That idea may have been prophetic and would predate unknown numbers of additional businesses over the years with the Mayberry moniker that is now almost interchangeable with Mount Airy.

Jones went on, “They were highlighted in the 1990 Washington Post article on Mayberry Days that was picked up by the AP and Mayberry Days was born as an annual event. Their purchases at the Frances Bavier estate auction became a tourist attraction before the others came about.”

The legacy and legend of The Aunt Bee room at the inn are well-known. After the 1990 estate sale of Frances Bavier, TV’s Aunt Bee, a reporter asked Venable what she planned to do with the artifacts she bought from the late actress to which she said, “I told him I was going to start an Aunt Bee Room.” The collection is an assortment of memorabilia belonging to Bavier, with certificates of authenticity, including hats, accessories, and an ashtray made by fan favorite George “Goober” Lindsey.

Jones and The Surry Arts Council coordinate the Mayberry Days festival, and she recalls Venable was always game for whatever was asked. “Alma and LP – and later the grandkids, Mikel, Josh, and Jeremy Snow, were always involved in Mayberry Days – the parade, Colonel Tim’s Talent Time and whatever the Surry Arts Council needed to make it work for the fans.”

Mount Airy’s visitors have memories of Venable that go back decades. David Browning, seen locally often as Deputy Barney Fife, made his first trip to Mayberry Days in 1991 and it was the next year he first took up a longstanding intermittent residence at the Mayberry Motor Inn at the suggestion of Jones. From 1992 – 2017 Browning said he was a regular guest of Venable’s at the Inn.

Of his first visit he said, “I arrived at night and when I woke up the next morning, Mikel was dressed in a deputy outfit, and he had one foot up on my bumper. He was writing me a ticket for being over the line,” he said recalling just one of the memories of good times in days passed. “Years later, I bought him a properly fitting deputy’s cap.”

He said he was made to feel like a member of the family by Venable. “I would sit and chat with her and after her husband LP passed, we got even closer.” Venable and husband poured a lot of hard work into the inn, he said, but they also had fun. “She loved the visitors, just loved them, and treated them like family.”

She had a plaque made up to commemorate his visits, something he said was not necessary. On subsequent stays he and his wife would look to the wall and see the plaque much to their continued amusement. “She didn’t have to do that,” he said of the honor, “Mount Airy is just that kind of place.”

“We were not related but our relationship, friendship, grew and grew. I know that as a place not just to lay your head — but also someone to chat with,” he recalled.

Her hospitality and gentility will be missed however they have not yet been lost to the winds of time. The traditions she launched at the Mayberry Motor Inn are being delivered even now during this week’s iteration of Mayberry Days.

An easy plan for success will be to “continue doing it the way Granny did it,” Mikel said. That includes honoring such long-standing traditions as the right of first refusal for guests who have been attending Mayberry Days since the beginning.

Some of those repeat guests, Snow said, have been coming long enough that his twin brothers Josh and Jeremy have known them nearly since birth.

Along with Jeremy, he will continue to operate the inn and hopes to keep it in the family for generations to come. “As long as there is tourism, we’ll be here.”

Tim White, the host of Song of the Mountain on PBS said Venable, “Was just the sweetest.” Tim White & Troublesome Hollow’s “Salute to Mayberry” show will have lots of Mayberry songs and a tribute to Venable herself that will correspond with Mayberry Days at The Historic Earle Theatre tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 23, at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.

White was a fan of “The Andy Griffith Show” long before he first came for Mayberry Days. “I came to Mount Airy as a fan of the show before I ever came here to work,” he said, and he has a great fondness for both Mayberry and Mount Airy. A visit to Mount Airy several times a year remains on the docket for he and his wife – not just during Mayberry Days.

After many years of coming to perform in Mount Airy, White will miss the familiarity of his friend. “Granny, I would call her Granny – I know others didn’t, but I got it from the boys,” White reminisced. “I would call up sometimes and just ask to speak to Granny. It made her smile when I called her Granny.”

White laughed and said there was no suite or room named after him, but that was of no concern to him, “I think all the rooms were named by then. Besides, I don’t know who you would take off the wall. There’s a lot of great people up there.”

He recounted that Venable has been sick over the last few years of her life and people had not seen as much of her. “So, when she got dolled up and would come out and chat with folks, it really meant something.”

“I was at the Mayberry Motor Inn when she passed away and her grandson John came out to the gazebo to tell me. Just as he did, my phone rang, and it was Mikel calling to let me know.” To him, it seemed as though he was where he was meant to be to receive the news from two of her grandsons at nearly the same time.

White, Hiatt, and the rest are hopeful that the memory and spirit of Mount Airy’s Aunt Bee will live on. The legacy of the Mount Airy Motor Inn is continuing at this moment with visitors in for Mayberry Days and reservations lined up for the Autumn Leaves Festival.

Friday at The Earle, White and Troublesome Hollow will offer up the music as another living tribute to Venable whom White said, “Loved the music. I never saw her play an instrument, but she loved to sing.”

“A few months ago, the Surry Arts Council was contacted by the Piedmont Triad International Airport – requesting a photo for consideration on the wall in the terminal. A huge canvas is hanging in there of a past Mayberry Days Parade – Alma is front and center in a car with an Aunt Bee license plate,” Jones said.

Even now, Mount Airy is being represented by her unofficial ambassador and brand representative. Alma Venable is still working hard for Mount Airy even during her eternal rest.

“We all loved her – I loved her and LP, and valued their trust, loyalty, friendship – and love. We will miss them, but I am so grateful that Mikel is carrying on the Mayberry Motor Inn tradition,” Jones said.

• A vehicle fire has led to a Mount Airy man being charged with driving while impaired, according to city police reports.

The blaze involving a 2006 Nissan Rogue occurred last Saturday at 1012 Rockford St., the address for the Speedway convenience store. During an investigation of that incident by Officer M.G. Lineberry, Edilberto De Jesus Santiago, 24, of 619 Worth St., was encountered and suspected of intoxication, arrest records state.

Santiago’s providing of a breath sample subsequently confirmed that suspicion, with testing showing his blood-alcohol content to be nearly twice the legal limit for getting behind the wheel.

He was confined in the Surry County Jail under a $500 secured bond and slated for an appearance in District Court next Monday. The vehicle was impounded.

• Tabitha Smith Johnson, 38, of 185 Mills Road, was arrested Friday on warrants for charges of larceny and possession of stolen goods.

The case stems from an incident last Thursday at the Quality Mart store on Holly Springs Road, where Johnson allegedly took food items valued at $12 without paying.

Johnson was released under a $250 secured bond, with the case scheduled for the Oct. 17 session of Surry District Court.

• A break-in was discovered Saturday at IC Building Supply on West Lebanon Street, where entry was gained through a garage door.

No property was listed as missing, but damage put at $500 occurred to the door.

• Copper wire owned by Duke Energy was stolen Saturday from an unidentified business location in the 2000 block of Rockford Street, where a breaker box was broken into to enable the theft. The wire was valued at $100.

In light of problems in Jackson, Mississippi — where residents have been left without clean drinking water — having that commodity is something to celebrate, which is the case for Mount Airy.

Both of the city’s H2O treatment facilities, F.G. Doggett Water Plant and S.L. Spencer Water Plant, have been honored by the N.C. Division of Water Resources for surpassing federal and state drinking water standards in 2021.

The division’s Public Water Supply Section awarded those facilities the highly coveted N.C. Area Wide Optimization (AWOP) Award, which is part of a state effort to enhance the performance of existing surface water treatment operations.

In all, 66 water plants were tapped for that award.

This might not seem noteworthy until one considers that in recent years North Carolina has been reported to have nearly 6,000 regulated public water systems as listed by the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Perhaps just as important is the fact that the awarding of Mount Airy’s two water-treatment plants for 2021 reflects an ongoing pattern of quality which spans the past decade.

S.L. Spencer Water Plant, located on Orchard Street, also received the same recognition for 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

F.G. Doggett Water Plant in the Laurel Bluff area did so for 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

“The city of Mount Airy is extremely honored to be recognized once again for the AWOP Award,” Public Works Director Mitch Williams commented in reaction to the latest accolades for its two treatment plants.

Williams, whose responsibilities encompass municipal water-sewer operations, says quality is an ongoing mission for those manning the facilities.

“The fact that the city has been recognized for the past eight to nine years shows the dedication and professionalism of Water Treatment Supervisor Andy Utt and his team,” the public works director added.

“They do their best to ensure that water of the highest quality is delivered daily to the Mount Airy community.”

The awards are given each year to water systems around the state which demonstrate outstanding turbidity removal, a key test of drinking water quality, according to the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.

Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness or haziness of water caused by individual particles that can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Microbes are microscopic particles that occur naturally but can include harmful bacteria and viruses.

While all drinking water systems must adhere to strict state and federal standards of quality, those being recognized met performance goals that are significantly more stringent than state and federal standards.

In 2021, nearly 2.8 million North Carolina residents were served by the award-winning plants.

Mount Airy is not alone in terms of local facilities being recognized for quality.

Also in Surry County, the Town of Dobson Water Treatment Plant and the Town of Elkin Water Treatment Plant were awarded the N.C. Area Wide Optimization (AWOP) Award for 2021.

Of the 66 facilities cited for their efforts last year, the state recognized 16 with the “Gold Star” honor, which is set aside for systems that have received the N.C. Area Wide Optimization Award for 10 or more consecutive years.

The Town of Wilkesboro Water Filtration Plant was the nearest locality to Surry County making that list.

When city government projects are planned in Mount Airy, officials typically solicit offers from contractors and award jobs to the low bidders — a procedure not followed with an $80,000 contract for landscape architecture services at the Spencer’s site.

The Mount Airy Board of Commissioners voted during a meeting earlier this month to engage the services of Sitework Studios for that sum to design plans for site development on the former industrial property the municipality bought in 2014.

Specifically, the Asheville firm is targeting a large chunk of land around the Sparger Building, where a Marriott hotel is planned, along with an adjoining spot eyed for a market center. The contract area also surrounds old Spencer’s buildings known as The Cube and Cube annex where additional facilities including a new visitors center and a conference center are envisioned.

The services to be performed by Sitework Studios include preparing grading and other plans for green spaces and additional amenities on what are known as Parcels A, B and C near those various structures where the transformations are to occur.

In addition to laying out locations of planters, the design work will include other site elements such as benches, retaining walls, trash receptacles, pedestrian lighting, drainage facilities and more. These plans will be relied on during the construction phase.

Although the contract with Sitework Studios eventually was approved unanimously during a city council meeting on Sept. 1, the move was questioned by one member, Commissioner Jon Cawley.

This included Cawley asking to have the proposal moved from the board’s consent agenda — where matters are lumped together and approved in a single vote without debate — to the regular agenda, thus opening the matter for discussion.

He used that opportunity to wonder aloud how the $80,000 contract issue had gotten to that point in the form it did.

“Did we at least take bids?” asked Cawley, who also said that with the way the contract is worded the total cost could exceed that sum for extra work provided.

Mayor Ron Niland said at the meeting that the landscaping services were included in an overall scope of work earlier agreed to involving the hotel and redevelopment efforts on the former Spencer’s property.

“This is part of the bigger budget of what we said we were going to do,” Niland said. He mentioned $2 million in state funding announced in July to fund outside improvements at the conference/visitors center site, along with money approved in 2021 for infrastructure work related to the hotel.

Surry County officials agreed to supply $1.5 million for needs involving the planned lodging establishment — which have a total price tag of around $3 million, including for parking spaces.

Both Cawley and Commissioner Tom Koch asked about the possibility of lowering the landscape-related costs before the contract was awarded to Sitework Studios.

“Is there any way we could do some in-house work on this and save some money?” Koch said.

Cawley specifically mentioned possible involvement by Mount Airy Parks and Recreation, since this city department has a landscaping unit that has lent its skills to various locations about town.

“I wouldn’t look any further than Mount Airy Parks and Recreation.”

However, City Manager Stan Farmer replied that the landscaping project at Spencer’s is beyond the scope of the city department.

Cawley also said Wednesday it was his understanding from the meeting that Niland made a case for Sitework Studios being one of the few companies equipped to handle such a task.

“I came into it blind, not knowing what credentials they have,” he added.

“What I decided to do,” Cawley said Wednesday in explaining his decision to ultimately support the contract award, “was to trust the information that I was given at the meeting.”

The North Ward commissioner also referred to the fact that this is an election year in which he is campaigning for mayor against Niland, and wants to stay positive regarding the contract issue.

“Since I’m running for office against him, I’m trying not to be critical.”

The city government does have a history with Sitework Studios.

In February 2019, the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners voted to allow the group Mount Airy Downtown (MAD) Inc. to have a site plan for the former Spencer’s property prepared by the Asheville firm. Its reputation as an experienced architectural firm was a deciding factor.

An anonymous donor agreed to pay half of the $10,000 expense, with the rest coming from Municipal Service District funds generated by a special tax on downtown-area property owners.

The plan resulting prescribed functional spaces including new housing, lighting, new streets and parking lots, storm water features such as attractive rain gardens also offering educational opportunities, greenway access and more.

This weekend on Main Street in Pilot Mountain there will be a dinner event under the stars to benefit downtown revitalization and the arts. The Foothills Dinner on Main calls for a gathering Saturday that will feature, “Fine dining, fine music, and fine company.”

“Foothills Dinner on Main was created with the thought of showcasing culinary talent while simultaneously building on our dream of a more vibrant downtown,” event organizers said.

A cocktail reception with a wine and beer tasting will begin at 5 p.m. and will feature tasty bites along with live music. Meeting and greeting will give way to eating when the clock tolls 6 p.m. and a multi-course dinner service commences.

Organizers hope to entice the public to come to downtown Pilot Mountain to sample food from some of the area’s best. The meal will be prepared by local chefs featuring locally sourced ingredients and courses will be paired with selected local wines or beers while music from The Happy Ones will accompany the evening.

If the notion of a dinner on the street just sounds ridiculous to you, that is reasonable. However, take a gander with your eyes over the menu as your stomach sends messages to the brain signaling a desire to support downtown the arts in Pilot Mountain and satiate growing pangs of hunger.

Foothills Dinner on Main has a menu that cries for attention boasting such appetizer offerings as a quail egg tostada, a miso braised pork belly, or pickled shrimp ceviche in a lettuce cup with avocado mousse and smoke pepita. This is more than a BBQ or chili cookoff folks, this is elevated dining – Pilot Mountain style.

The stars of the evening shall be found among the main course entrees for Foothills Dinner on Main. A selection of five entrees with options from land and sea are to be found with oven roasted lamb chops being paired with poached rainbow carrots and seared tarragon creme filled potato flutes.

Braised short ribs will join with roasted root vegetables, spiced rainbow cauliflower and romesco, and a horseradish-honey gravy that is sure to tempt taste buds. Also, a honey and orange glazed cod with balsamic and bacon brussel sprouts will be offered.

Mouths will water at the site of braised pork belly served with some of the signature flavors of autumn such as roasted butternut squash puree, havarti and goat cheese grits, granny smith apples, toasted pumpkin seeds, pork gravy, and red pepper coulis.

Designing and implementing the meal requires the skill and effort from multiple chefs, and their crews, to make Foothills Dinner of Main a success.

Some of the names aiding in the event are known players to this event such as Nikki Farrington of Niki’s Pickles and 6th & Vine in Winston-Salem has been a pivotal part of the event since its inception, organizers said. Another local heavyweight, Mark Thrower of Harvest Grill at Shelton Vineyards, is lending his skills to the dinner.

Michelle and Michael Millan operate The Tuning Fork which is the food truck for Fiddlin Fish Brewery. The two have a history with Miami/Cuban street foods dating back to 2017 with Mojito Mobile Kitchen. More recently they have purchased farms to lower produce costs for themselves, and to sell locally grown competitively priced produce to other chefs in the area.

Erin Needham, co-owner of Viridescence Bottles and Bites, will also be a presenter at the year’s event. The event planners said she has a passion for plant-based cuisine, and she will be opening the first of its kind in Surry County plant-based eatery next month in downtown Pilot Mountain.

Olivia Jessup has run Liv For Sweets bakery in downtown Pilot Mountain for three years. She touts herself as a self-taught baker who can create everything from scratch and says when folks eat her sweets, “They know I put my love and passion into it.”

Also joining the dinner’s culinary team is Donald Mueller, the former owner of Mountain View Restaurant, now owns My Kitchen food truck which specializes in American cuisine.

Pilot Mountain Town Commissioner Scott Needham, who will be serving as the emcee for the evening, said that the money raised from will be used to fund art projects, “There’s a lot of different art projects that we are hoping to be able to fund in the coming years and we’re hoping this will be our seed money to start those projects and match grants for this new nonprofit organization.”

He said the town is starting a non-profit for the many projects that the town has envisioned such as 3-D art displays at the Civic Center, 2-D art in the alleyway between First Citizen Bank and The Country Store, and increase programming at the amphitheater at Armfield Civic Center.

Needham said there are even larger arts goals such as funding a new downtown amphitheater, but he acknowledged, “The profits from this dinner would probably only be a drop in the bucket for that.”

After having had to cancel the 2021 Foothills Dinner on Main due to lingering ill effects of the pandemic on local restaurants, organizers and presenters alike are ready to welcome guests back to, “Dine on the yellow line under the stars in this foodie’s delight.”

Event organizers advise that participation in this unique evening requires a reservation. Tickets are $100 each and seating will be limited. For tickets visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/381106408527

About 4,000 people die from drowning each year in the U.S., but an influx of funding is expected to reduce the probability of that locally.

The Reeves Community Center Foundation has been awarded a grant for $5,000 from the Step Into Swim Program, according to Darren Lewis, assistant city manager for Mount Airy, who called that “great news.”

“This grant will assist individuals or families that may have financial barriers to participate otherwise,” added Lewis, who formerly served as Mount Airy’s parks and recreation director. “This opportunity will help the children in our community be safer around water and ultimately save lives.”

The RCC Foundation will partner with Mount Airy Parks and Recreation to offer scholarship opportunities for the American Red Cross Learn to Swim Program, according to Lewis.

Even more excited about the grant is Cathy Cloukey, assistant director of Mount Airy Parks and Recreation, who has a special understand of the need from serving as the city’s aquatics supervisor for more than 13 years before becoming the assistant director.

“It will make a tremendous difference,” she predicted Monday.

“We’re really excited to get this grant,” added Cloukey, who said that to her knowledge Mount Airy has not received it before. “I just think it’s a fantastic opportunity.”

As someone who has taught thousands of local youths how to swim at Reeves Community Center’s aquatic facilities, Cloukey sees firsthand how the new grant program can benefit the community, including its potential for preventing drownings — “absolutely.”

She pointed out that a non-city resident, non-member of Reeves Community Center normally is charged $55 for youth swim lessons, with lesser sums in place for non-resident members or resident non-members.

“It could benefit up to one hundred kids that would not otherwise have an opportunity to take lessons,” Cloukey estimated.

Eight swim lessons typically are involved, of varying lengths depending on children’s ages. Classes for those 6 and older, for example, last 55 minutes.

“We’re just hoping it can make an impact on our community,” Cloukey said of the grant.

Persons wanting more information about the swim lessons involved can contain Cloukey or city Parks and Recreation Director Peter Raymer at Reeves Community Center.

• Fake currency has showed up again in Mount Airy as it does periodically, according to city police reports.

The latest incident, which police learned of last Friday, resulted in Food Lion on West Pine Street being victimized. The crime actually occurred in late August, but was not reported until last week.

It involved an unknown male suspect using bogus money to obtain both miscellaneous grocery items and real currency received back in change. The denomination(s) used were not specified in police records, nor was a total loss figure.

• An Indiana man was charged with larceny and possession of stolen goods last Wednesday after allegedly stealing a bottle of Kim Crawford sauvignon blanc wine and four bottles of Fireball cinnamon whiskey from Sheetz on Rockford Street.

Gregory William Hudson, 55, of West Lafayette, was detained at the business by officers after allegedly taking the beverages, valued at $46, and consuming them without paying.

Arrest records further state that Hudson was turned over to staff members of Northern Regional Hospital and his vehicle was impounded. He is scheduled to appear in Surry District Court on Oct. 17.

• Worth Honda on West Pine Street was the scene of a crime discovered on Sept. 10, which involved the business being broken into and an attempt to steal a 2006 Kawasaki motorcycle.

Entry was gained by knocking a hole in an exterior wall and then forcing open a locked door. Nothing was listed as missing from the incident.

A total of 13 people have been appointed or reappointed to three different city advisory groups by the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners.

Its unanimous action last Thursday night included three members being re-upped to the Mount Airy Planning Board, Len Fawcett, Bryan Grote and Courtney Williams.

Two other Planning Board members eligible for reappointment, Tami Springthorpe and Gray Trotter, elected not to do so.

Fawcett, Grote and Williams were each approved for new three-year terms that will expire on Oct. 31, 2025.

Joanna Refvem and Lauren Jennings were appointed to three-year terms as replacements for Sprinthorpe and Trotter on the Planning Board. It devotes initial study to zoning, annexation, land-use and related proposals and makes recommendations to the commissioners for final action.

The terms of Refvem and Jennings will run until Sept. 30, 2025.

Meanwhile, four city residents were reappointed to the Mount Airy Appearance Commission. It spearheads various beautification efforts in town — including an awards program to recognize business and residential properties that are setting a good example for others through aesthetic or architectural excellence.

Phillip Brown, Jenny Smith, Paul Danley and Darryl Wilson were approved for new three-year terms on the appearance group to expire on Sept, 30, 2025.

Another member of that group whose term has ended, Allen Burton, was not eligible for reappointment, resulting in Len Fawcett being named as Burton’s replacement. His three-year term will run to the same date as the other four members.

In another move, Rob Sinton and Jenny Smith were reappointed to new three-year terms on the Mount Airy Parks and Recreation Commission which will expire on Sept. 30, 2025.

Another member of that group, Karen Eberdt, has relocated from the city and no longer is eligible to serve, triggering the appointment of Julia Draughn to fill Eberdt’s unexpired term that runs until March 30, 2023.

The Mount Airy Parks and Recreation Commission is a citizens advisory group on matters relating to facilities and programs within that realm.

While the annual Mayberry Days may have seen crown numbers down over the past two years because of the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s gathering could be shaping up to be one of the largest ever.

The gathering of Mayberry faithful traditionally sees Mount Airy flooded with fans of “The Andy Griffith Show” from all over the nation — along with a few international fans — with the major festivities getting underway on Thursday. That is when the annual Mayberry Days Golf Tournament gets underway, and that night is a dinner at Cross Creek Country Club, complete with entertainment that will feature country music star T. Graham Brown this year.

This year both have already sold out, meaning the arts council has had to cut off selling additional tickets to the events. In more than 30 years of Mayberry Days Festivals, Surry Arts Council Executive Director Tanya Jones said that has never happened.

“I do anticipate great attendance for many reasons, but the weather forecast is perfect,” she said. That forecast calls for daily high temperatures to range between the low 70s to the mid-80s, with clear skies all week.

Another factor in a potentially record-breaking attendance is the expansion of events. Historically, Mayberry Days gets underway with Thursday’s golf tournament and dinner, followed by the official opening ceremony Friday morning. Both of those events remain in their customary time slots, but there are plenty of activities going on all week this year.

The 1958 movie “No Time For Sergeants” starting Andy Griffith along with Don Knotts, has been playing at The Historic Earle Theatre daily since Friday; and beginning Monday fans have chances to see “Murder in Coweta County” staring Griffith and Johnny Cash; catch a performance by comedian John Floyd as The Mount of Mayberry; along with three concerts at the Blackmon Amphitheatre Tuesday through Thursday featuring The Embers, The Band of Oz, and The Legacy Motown Review; along with a host of other Andy Griffith Show related displays, talks and activities.

Remembering those who have passed

While Mayberry Days is a time of celebration and renewing old friendships, there will be a tinge of sadness with a few activities this year aimed at remembering those the Mayberry community have lost over the past year, with events planned to memorialize Thelma Lou actress Betty Lynn and Charlene Darling actress Maggie Petersen Mancuso, among others. Betty Lynn passed away on Oct. 16 after a brief illness, at RidgeCrest Retirement Community in Mount Airy. Maggie Mancuso passed away May 15. She had been in declining health since her husband, musician Gus Mancuso, died the previous year.

Jones, whose Surry Arts Council sponsors and oversees the annual Mayberry Days festival — said several others who worked with the show or fans who were well-known to the Mayberry fandom also will be honored.

Gary Nelson, who directed an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” as well as two episodes of its spin-off series, “Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.,” will be honored by Dick Atkins, who is dedicating his annual presentation to the late Nelson. Atkins was a producer for “Murder in Coweta County.” His presentation will include screenings of the movie as well as question and answer sessions.

Fans Pat Bullins and Dewey Lamb will be remembered as well. Bullins, a multi-time winner and well-known contestant of the annual World Championship of Mayberry Trivia, will be honored with this year’s competition being dedicated to her. Lamb, a talented artist known for creating unique Mayberry-themed work, and for occasionally donning his Goober outfit, will be honored when this year’s WBMUTBB Silent and Live Auction — named for the sponsoring Who’s Been Messin’ Up the Bulletin Board? chapter of The Andy Griffith Rerun Watcher’s Club — is dedicated to his memory.

Jones said Maggie will be remembered in two ways. First, the Doug Dillard Tribute Band concert, featuring Rodney Dillard and the Dillard Band, will be dedicated to her memory. Maggie and the Dillards were part of the fictional Darling clan from “The Andy Griffith Show.” Those appearances often included blue-grass music, with Maggie singing, and she often sang with the Dillards during the band’s annual concert at Mayberry Days.

In addition to the concert’s dedication to her, there will be a presentation of photos and music from her career 30 minutes prior to the Dillard Band concert, open to ticket holders for the show.

There will be a more formal memorial for Betty Lynn on Friday at 9:30 a.m. in the Historic Earle Theatre on Main Street.

“We didn’t have a service for Betty when she passed away,” Jones said. “We wanted to be able to include fans as they were so important to her – the service during Mayberry Days is Betty’s memorial service.”

Jones said that Karen Knotts, daughter of Don Knotts and a frequent guest at Mayberry Days – was particularly close to Betty. “Karen and a couple of others who were special to her will say a few words,” she said.

Additionally, Jones said that singer and Elvis tribute artist Michael Hoover, who has several shows scheduled for Mayberry Days, will be singing during her service.

“Betty loved him and he performed on stage with her for several years during Mayberry Days shows,” Jones said.

During the service — which is open to everyone — there will be presentation of Betty’s career highlights projected onto a screen.

While fans and the Mayberry Days guests may have their attention focused on the various memorials for those who have passed away, Jones reminds everyone that there will be quite a bit of good, old-fashioned, Mayberry fun for those attending the event.

“There will be some new children’s activities, a new mural, several new shows including a Patsy Cline show and another featuring women in country music – more shows than ever,” she said.

For a full list of events, see look for copies of the Surry Arts Council publication “Mayberry Confidential” at various places around town, or visit the Mayberry Days website at https://www.surryarts.org/mayberrydays/index.html

ARARAT, Va. — Although Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart commanded the Confederate cavalry during the Civil War, a naval exhibit is to be part of an upcoming reenactment event at Stuart’s Laurel Hill birthplace in Patrick County.

But don’t worry, ground troops will still be highlighted in mock battles during the annual Civil War Encampment and Living History Weekend on the Ararat site which is slated for Oct. 1-2.

The overall goal of the event is to educate the public about the conflict that divided the nation and illustrate how the typical soldier of both blue and gray existed — in a sense allowing attendees to take a trip back in time.

Reenactment troops camp out on the grounds, where various exhibits and historical groups also set up shop and special programs are held during the weekend.

That’s where a replica of the CSS Hunley will play a key role. It pays homage to the first submarine in the world to sink an enemy vessel, in its case the USS Housatonic, which had been part of the U.S. Navy blockade of Charleston. The Hunley, only about 40 feet long, attacked the Housatonic with a torpedo in February 1864 and was itself lost due to the blast along with an eight-member crew.

The sunken sub was raised in 2000 and is displayed in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Organizers of the Civil War Encampment and Living History Weekend say the replica sub will be a welcome presence at the gathering.

“We are very glad to have it and make it part of our event,” said Tom Bishop a member of the governing board for the J.E.B. Birthplace Preservation Trust that spearheads the Living History Weekend now in its 30th year.

“We had it in years past, but I think there were some issues,” Bishop said, which prompted a redo of the exhibit that will surface again in Ararat. “This is the latest version.”

Gates are scheduled to open at 9 a.m. on both Oct. 1-2 for the Living History Weekend.

Admission will cost $8 per person, free for those 12 and under.

Laurel Hill is located at 1091 Ararat Highway, just across the state line from Mount Airy via N.C. 104.

Civil War battle recreations — slated for 3 p.m. on Oct. 1 and 2 p.m. on Oct. 2 — are always popular segments of the Living History Weekend and organizers are expecting healthy numbers of uniformed reenactors to participate with horses and cannons.

“We’re probably going to have in the hundreds, I’m guessing,” Bishop said of what has become a popular stop for those individuals who also lend authenticity to such events elsewhere.

“They like the reception they get, the facilities,” he added.

Other highlights of the Oct. 1-2 weekend will include guests portraying Civil War generals in addition to many others who’ll be there in period costume.

Live string band music, a ladies tea, a Saturday night dance, Civil War sutlers and and a church service that Sunday morning also are planned.

Two groups, The Fisher River Timber Rattlers and The Cedar Ridge String Band, each will perform multiple sets on Oct. 1, when the latter will headline a music and dance session at 7:45 p.m.

Music is to be performed Sunday by Herbert and Tina Conner, with the gates closing that day at 4 p.m. to conclude the weekend for another year.

Special speaker Sam Winkler also is scheduled to be on hand portraying Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

Other history-minded activities on tap include a generals council of war both days, a black rose memorial service and a grand review on Oct. 1 at 10 a.m. accompanied by a flag-raising ceremony and monument dedication.

A variety of food and other vendors are expected to be on hand in addition to representatives of area historical groups including the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

The Civil War Encampment and Living History Weekend returned last year after organizers reluctantly cancelled the 2020 edition of the event as COVID-19 was raging.

That interruption, along with negative public sentiments surrounding Civil War figures at that time, created a cloud of uncertainty for its return in October 2021 in terms of how the event would be greeted by the public.

Those fears proved to be unfounded as last year’s Civil War Encampment and Living History Weekend was one of the best-attended in recent memory, with nearly 1,000 people in attendance over the two days.

© 2018 The Mount Airy News