Pinnacle man charged in double-stabbing | Mt. Airy News

2022-09-24 07:52:26 By : Ms. Angela Huto

One victim was accused’s sister

Two Pinnacle-area women were rushed to the hospital in serious condition suffering from stab wounds, while the brother of one of the women was jailed after a family squabble turned violent.

Colton Ryan Collins, 27, of 291 Ayers Road, Pinnacle, was arrested on the scene and charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. He was jailed under a $300,000 secured bond with an April 13 court date scheduled, according to a statement on the incident released by Surry County Sheriff Steve C. Hiatt.

The Surry County Sheriff’s Office initially received a call regarding a stabbing or cutting incident at 291 Ayers Road in Pinnacle. When patrol deputies arrived on the scene, they found Melissa Ann Collins, 48, and Meagan Cheyenne Collins, 24, both of the same address, suffering from stab wounds, according to the sheriff.

”Both female victims were transported by Surry County Emergency Medical Services to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital and they were in serious condition,” he said.

Deputies on the scene requested the assistance of the sheriff office’s Criminal Investigation Division. Detectives arrived on the scene and started expanding the investigation into the incident. That investigation eventually led to the arrest of Colton Collins.

The sheriff said the “incident started over an aggressive assault that occurred between Colton and Meagan,” who are siblings, and ended with the two women being stabbed. It was not immediately clear what relation Melissa Ann Collins was to the two.

“Additional charges related to this incident are forthcoming,” the sheriff said, while declining to give additional information. He said in his statement the probe is still ongoing. Assisting agencies were the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Surry County Emergency Medical Services and the Shoals Volunteer Fire Department, he said.

MCA drops match to Cornerstone

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.

President Biden on Sunday declared the COVID-19 pandemic was over in the United States.

Health officials are not so sure. A litany of medical professionals on Monday said the numbers of cases in the U.S. do not back up the president’s claim. One, Dr. Megan Ranney, head of the Brown University school of public health, went so far as to call his statement “malarkey,” according to a Monday NPR report.

Locally, health officials might also take issue with Biden’s proclamation.

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Surry County is still considered a community with a “high transmission” rate, joining neighbors Stokes, Yadkin, Alleghany and Forsyth counties on the wrong end of the rating spectrum. All totaled, as of Monday, 26 of North Carolina’s 100 counties were rated as high-transmission communities, up from 25 the previous week.

Maggie Simmons, assistant health director for the Surry County Health and Nutrition Center, said on Monday the county has experienced 528 confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the past two weeks, 206 of those in the previous seven days. That puts the seven-day average at nearly 70 new cases per day.

While community transmission in Surry remains high, the number of cases requiring hospitalization is down considerably. As of Monday morning, Northern Regional Hospital had just two COVID patients being hospitalized — one in the step-down unit, which is for patients who are not quite critical enough for the intensive care unit — and one in the general patient population, according to Robin Hodgin, senior vice president of patient services and chief nursing officer.

Hodgin said the hospital has averaged three to four COVID inpatients a day over the past week, down from 10 a day during August, and a far cry from the winter months when he hospital had more than 30 COVID patients some days. She did say, however, that the hospital is seeing three to five of its staff members out each week suffering from COVID-19.

All totaled, Simmons said Surry County has seen 25,550 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with 380 deaths. Both she and Hodgin say both agencies have seen a number of individuals contracting the coronavirus more than once, although they do not keep statics on repeat infections.

Simmons is cautioning county residents to be vaccinated against coronavirus, and to get updated boosters. She said 54% of the county has received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 51% has completed the initial series, with 27% having had at least one booster.

Her department has the bivalent vaccine booster, designed to offer protection against two different strains of the virus – the original strain that all previous vaccines have targeted and the newer Omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5.

“A person is eligible to receive a bivalent booster if it has been at least two months since they have completed their primary vaccination series or since they received a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine,” her department said in a statement released last week. “The updated booster vaccines do not replace shots for the primary vaccination series, but they will replace the current booster dose for persons 12 years of age and older.”

Simmons offered precautions for individuals to help stem further spread of the virus:

– Stay up to date on vaccinations, including recommended booster doses;

– Avoid contact with people who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19;

– Follow recommendations for isolation if you have suspected or confirmed COVID-19;

– Follow the recommendations for what to do if you are exposed to someone with COVID-19;

– If you are at high risk of getting very sick, talk with a healthcare provider about additional prevention actions.

“At high levels of community transmission, masking is recommended, particularly for those at high risk of severe illness,” she added.

For individuals wishing to receive the vaccine, or the booster, call Surry County Health and Nutrition Center at 336-401-8420, to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins will be accommodated; however, appointments are preferred.

The Surry Arts Council is sponsoring three concerts at the Blackmon Amphitheatre this week in conjunction with Mayberry Days, featuring three of the more popular bands that regularly play during the arts council’s summer concert series.

Legacy Motown Revue returns to the Blackmon on Tuesday followed by The Embers featuring Craig Woolard on Wednesday and Band of Oz on Thursday. The concerts on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings start at 7:30 p.m. The show on Thursday evening begins at 8 p.m.

The Legacy Motown Revue takes listners back to the days of The Drifters, The Coasters, The Jacksons, Earth Wind & Fire, The Temptations, and so many more legendary icons. “Featuring talented performers that dance and sing, plus ang six-piece horn band, you will be transported back in time to one of the most influential periods in American Musical History,” arts council organizers said.

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

“The Band of Oz is one of the most successful groups in the Southeast and continues to get the very best reviews from the top people in the entertainment business,” concert organizers said. “The band now features a full horn section to total a dynamic eight-member group. They still perform well over 200 shows per year for corporate events, festivals, concerts, wedding receptions, and many other public and private events.”

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

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

Meadowview Magnet Middle School held a school-wide assembly recently to kick-off the annual Chocolate Bar Fundraiser. Principal Colby Beamer was dressed as Willy Wonka, Assistant Principal Ashley Newman and seventh grade teachers Amanda Bledsoe, Maggie Watts, and Tommy Branch were dressed as Oompa Loompas to celebrate the occasion.

Students who participate in the Chocolate Bar fundraiser will be rewarded with various prizes including a Game Truck, Limo Lunch, and a Beats Party. Meadowview hopes to raise $10,000, which will be placed in the school’s general fund for the year.

Sgt. Greg McCormick and his senior cadets, from Surry Central High School, visited Dobson Elementary School recently to teach the fifth grade class about the significance of the U.S. flag, and how to handle it respectfully.

The cadets also demonstrated how to fold the flag properly. After that, they broke up into groups and let the students practice folding in sets of four so that everyone got a turn. Sgt. McCormick then had four student volunteers fly, draw, and fold the flag as a closeout to the instruction.

”The students loved the experience of handling the flag and learning how to fold it properly,” school officials said.

While the timeline for a project to bring a Marriott hotel to downtown Mount Airy has been expanded 12 months from the original schedule, city officials seem as confident as ever about it reaching fruition.

The Mount Airy Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday night to approve an extended development agreement between the municipality and Sunhouse Hospitality LLC of Cary.

Plans have been in the works by Sunhouse since late 2020 to transform the large, four-story Sparger Building on the former Spencer’s textile mill property on Willow Street into the new lodging establishment. The plan also has included developing a market center nearby.

City Attorney Hugh Campbell explained during Thursday night’s meeting that certain “slippages” or delays have occurred which prompted the revised timetable.

“There are lots of reasons why,” Campbell said, adding that these have been out of the municipality’s control.

One has involved the time needed for state and federal review of a Sunhouse application for historic mill tax credits to aid the project, which act to preserve the existing architecture.

Another delay is linked to a tremendous amount of time needed to work with Marriott, which paid off with that chain’s decision to enter into an agreement with Sunhouse to locate one of its highly regarded Tribute hotels in the Sparger Building.

“This should be the first Tribute hotel in North Carolina and the first full-service hotel in Surry County,” local Main Street Coordinator Lizzie Morrison said during a presentation at Thursday night’s meeting on the overall progress of the Spencer’s redevelopment.

Morrison called the coming of the boutique hotel a “compliment” to the viability of downtown Mount Airy from Marriott’s point of view.

The apparently unavoidable delays have not dampened enthusiasm among local officials, according to Campbell.

“We still feel like we’re in a good partnership with these developers,” the city attorney said.

Under the revised timeline, initial work on the Sparger Building is set to occur in early 2023 to next summer.

General hotel construction by the local J.G. Coram firm and completion of site work is planned from the summer of 2023 to early 2025, with the lodging establishment slated to open in the spring of that year.

This will be a shining star for the Spencer’s redevelopment, which has been in the works since the former industrial property was bought by the city government in May 2014.

The Spencer’s transformation has experienced its share of ups and downs over the years, while achieving successes including the building of the 65-unit Spencer’s Mill Apartments adjacent to the Sparger Building which have a long waiting list.

And the extension of the Sunhouse development timetable for the hotel should not be viewed as a sign that it will meet the same fate as earlier plans for a Barter Theatre expansion and hotel on the property that were abandoned.

“It’s my understanding they have spent a sizable amount of money to get the Marriott franchise,” Mayor Ron Niland said Thursday night of Sunhouse, adding that this figure — required up front — is between $700,000 and $1 million.

“They’ve got quite an amount of skin in the game,” Niland added in regard to how a company would not abandon a project with such an investment having been made so far.

City Manager Stan Farmer agreed.

“With their signing of the agreement with Marriott, it almost guarantees they can’t walk away,” he said.

Even so, certain performance milestones have been inserted into the extended development agreement which Sunhouse is expected to meet before January.

These included lining up financing for the project and the completion of architectural drawings for the hotel.

The city attorney explained Friday afternoon that this is needed because the municipality will be doing some construction in the parking lot area near the building and officials wanted an assurance that Sunhouse will complete such steps before that work begins.

Sunhouse is scheduled to close next year on the purchase of the property it agreed to buy from the city for the project, according to the amended development agreement approved by city officials Thursday night, covering 36 pages.

• The execution of a search warrant at a local residence has led to felony drug charges against a Mount Airy man, according to city police reports.

Rodney Tyrone “Peter Rabbit” Travis, 48, of 509 Worth St., is accused of two counts of possession of cocaine and one count of possession of methamphetamine, along with possessing drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor. The case stems from a search at his home on Sept. 9, with police records indicating that marijuana also was found although no charge regarding that drug is listed on the arrest report.

Due to being in the presence of Kimberly Duncan at that location, Travis further is charged with violating a domestic violence protective order she had filed against him. He was jailed without privilege of bond and is scheduled to appear in Surry District Court next Wednesday.

• Two vehicles were discovered broken into on Sept. 7 at a residence in the 300 block of Willow Street, where the windshield of one received damage put at $100.

Popcorn was listed as the only item stolen in the incident targeting a Jeep Wrangler, which received the damage, and another vehicle that was not identified. The victims of the crime are listed as William Graham Pruitt and Jessica Kathryn Lawrence.

• A Sept. 2 traffic stop at the intersection of Linville Road and Riverside Drive led to felony drug and weapons charges against three individuals and their incarceration in the Surry County Jail.

This involved the deployment of a narcotics dog and a positive indication of drugs, prompting the search of a 2004 Ford Explorer and three people inside, which turned up methamphetamine and a handgun.

Both Kimberly Renee Snow, 33, of 122 East End Drive, and Cody Dwayne Holt, 31, of 5362 Westfield Road, were charged with possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, a felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Dylan James Goughary, 35, of Shelton, Connecticut, was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and violating a domestic violence protective order. Goughary claimed ownership of the gun found during the search.

He was confined in the county jail without privilege of bond, with Snow and Goughary each held under a $1,000 secured bond.

All three are scheduled to be in Surry District Court on Sept. 28.

Christy Williams, a Mount Airy resident, is living her professional career’s credo of “Be The Change You Want to See in the World.”

A teacher in the Carroll County Public School system in Virginia, the start of Williams’ 28th year in the division was marked with the presentation of the Teacher of the Year 2022 award on Sept. 9 at Carroll County High School.

“Christy is a wonderful teacher. She’s a top-notch teacher and a top-notch person. Not just academically….she does so many other things for the welfare of the school,” said School Superintendent Dr. Mark Burnette. “She takes on so many things with the club sponsorships and everything she does….all of the things she does with the prom. She’s always been a member of the prom committee. She does a lot of extra things that make Carroll County High School what it is. To be in a job this long and to still love it as much is a testament to her. She has such a good relationship with the kids. You can see that in the classroom.”

William has served as drafting teacher at the high school since 1995. She has been married for 22 years to her husband, Mitch, who is a civil engineer and public works director for the City of Mount Airy, where they reside. The two have a son, Raleigh, and a daughter, Charlotte, who are both enrolled at Carroll County High School. According to information supplied by the division, they are a gaming family which spends quality time together on Mario Kart tracks or Animal Crossing islands.

She took drafting in high school after spending years watching her older brother draw plans on his drafting table at home. Williams quickly grasped that while she never considered herself artistic, with the right tools she could create realistic drawings of equipment and home plans with a pencil, a piece of paper and a few drafting tools.

Williams credits North Surry High School drafting teacher Melvin T. Jackson with kindling that vision by making the class fun and instructive, leading her to decide that Jackson had the dream job she wanted one day. That opportunity came in 1995 when college professor Bobby Shumaker called her to say he’d seen a drafting teacher job posted in the newspaper. It was a position left vacant when Burnette left that post to become an assistant principal. Williams has been with the division since then and said she has loved almost every minute of it.

“Oh my gosh you all, I am in shock. Oh my gosh, thank you so much.” Williams gushed as central office workers, high school and others surprised her in the classroom that morning with her award.

She recalled her first days in Carroll County, saying from the first time she walked into the school she felt like “I’m home.”

She fell so deeply in love with the school that when her former teacher, Jackson, retired from North Surry high School, he called her several times, trying to convince Williams to leave Carroll County and take his post there. Despite the fact that North Surry is a five-minute drive from her home, and Carroll County is 30 minutes, she couldn’t leave her present teaching home.

Williams’ many achievement including starting Motivational Monday videos where students are shown kindness expressed in various ways by everyday heroes. This sparked the creation of Intersession Class where students are taught how to manage stress and anxiety and that led to the AOK-Acts Of Kindness/Are You OK school club.

Williams is a member of the CCHS WOW committee where teachers come up with ideas to brighten the school and improve the mood of students and staff. Projects have included positive messages on restroom mirrors and outdoor sidewalks, decorating contests and a Friday the 13th activity where pennies are placed face up that day. Many examples of Williams’s students work are visible in the community with stickers, signs and banners made on the drafting lab’s vinyl cutter. Students have partnered with various businesses, churches and the Carroll County Board of Elections over the years to make parking signs and banners.

The Williamses are also locally known for a project straight from the movies. She and her husband involved students from the school’s drafting and engineering departments to create a real life replica of the Pizza Planet Truck from the film “Toy Story 4.” The truck has become a popular fixture at school and community events in the region. Williams also serves as the Skills USA advisor, which helps students with career planning and preparation.

David Broyles may be reached at 276-779-4013 or on Twitter@CarrollNewsDave

Surry Community College is offering two sections of Emergency Medical Responder classes beginning in October.

The first offering will start on Monday, Oct. 3, and will run through Monday, Nov. 28. Classes will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 10 p.m., with four additional Saturday meetings. This class will meet at the Center for Public Safety, 1220 State St., in Mount Airy. Those interested can register at bit.ly/CPSEMR.

The second offering will start on Tuesday, Oct. 4, and will run through Thursday, Dec. 8. Classes will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 10 p.m., with four additional Saturday meetings. This class will meet at the Yadkin Campus, 1001 College Dr., in Yadkinville. Those interested can register at bit.ly/YadkinEMR.

This course is a 100-hour traditional EMR course intended for those who want to be first responders in local agencies. Students will learn the basics of emergency medical care from life-threatening medical conditions to major traumatic injuries. This course includes American Heart Association’s BLS/CPR certification, logistical operations of EMS, and basic anatomy/physiology. Students should finish with a foundation of and the abilities of providing the basics of emergency healthcare.

Pre-requisites include a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma; or successful completion of the T.A.B.E. assessment exam for basic reading and comprehension skills at the 10th-grade level. This test will be scheduled and given during course orientation.

For more information about SCC’s Emergency Medical Responder program, contact Kenneth Vaught at 336-386-3633 or vaughtk@surry.edu. The tuition is $183, plus associated books, tools and supplies.

While Mount Airy city school students did not have to start attending classes until Aug. 29, their teachers and faculty members had already been at it for a week, with all of them reporting to classrooms on Aug. 22.

At the conclusion of that first week for teachers, the staff gathered in the Mount Airy High School for gymnasium for the annual convocation.

“Convocation comes at the end of a busy week for staff. It’s the perfect opportunity for everyone to pause, check in with those around them, and get united district-wide on the year’s efforts to grow all students,” said Executive Officer of Communications Carrie Venable.

The event began in the Commons Area with breakfast provided by the school system’s School Nutrition Department and served by members of the Board of Education. Staff members migrated to the gym for the convocation gathering. Dressed in identical shirts, staff members greeted friends from other schools and took time to take pictures and capture the moment of another school year beginning.

Chairman of the school board Tim Matthews welcomed the crowd while Vice Chair Ben Cooke led the invocation. Cooke, whose sons graduated last year, credited the success they will have to teachers who impacted them throughout their years in the district.

The Melody Makers from Jones Intermediate School pumped the energy up by singing “Never Gonna Give Up” by Tony Memmel. Lyrics from the song went along with the year’s quote of “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up” by Jim Valvano that was also found on the back of staff shirts.

Superintendent Dr. Kim Morrison celebrated Principal of the Year Chelsy Payne while Dr. Phillip Brown, deputy superintendent, introduced the district’s Teacher of the Year Melissa Martin. Martin began making her way to the stage when former students ran across the gym to hug her before her speech. Once on stage, a video of her pictured with students from across her career began to play.

Martin spoke about the importance of forming relationships and paused when videos from former students began. Her multimedia presentation allowed her to speak to the importance of building relationships and also highlighted what those relationships mean to students and families.

Martin noted, “It is not the test scores, it is not the grades that I have given, it’s the relationships I have developed over the years that are truly the reason for any success I have as a teacher. You have to invest in relationships. Over 24 years of teaching, my investments have paid off and will continue to pay off long after I have retired.”

Next in the program was the introduction of new staff to the district along with individuals who had accepted new roles since last year.

Dr. Morrison then returned to the podium to share the year’s theme of “Create a winning culture — don’t give up. Don’t ever give up!” She kicked off her time with a drone video of each campus shot by Garrett Howlett that had a variety of quotes from well-known, successful coaches and players rotating throughout.

Morrison asked, “What is winning for children? In the game of education, winning is ensuring that every child, every day is cared for, loved, and respected. Our job in education is to make sure every child is graduation ready every year.” She continued by sharing what Mount Airy City Schools knew was needed to have a winning year such as high expectations, clear communication, defined roles, and trusting members of the team.

Following the year’s theme and closing the ceremony was the announcement of the 2022 Wall of Leadership and Service honorees. Three graduates from Mount Airy High School were honored: Denny Shelton, Class of 1955; Phillip Riggs, Class of 1984; and Kirsten Parries Wright, Class of 2014. Each honoree was able to share moments and laughs with attendees while also encouraging teachers and staff to continue making a difference in the lives of students.

An alleged $110 million Ponzi scheme based in Georgia and New York — but with influence reaching all the way to Mount Airy — took another step toward resolution earlier this month for some of its victims.

Oppenheimer & Co., a New York-based brokerage and investment bank, was ordered to pay nearly $37 million in damages to 11 investors who lost money in the scheme, allegedly conducted by two firms under the control of John Woods, a Marietta, Georgia resident.

Woods, a long-time broker with Oppenheimer, had controlling interests in two other investment firms: Horizon Private Equity, III LLC, and Livingston Group Asset Management Company, doing business as Southport Capital.

Southport Capital had an office in Mount Airy, although it closed soon after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) took action against Woods and his firms in August 2021. No one from the local firm acknowledged requests from The Mount Airy News for comment or information, but at the time of the SEC’s action, Woods was listed as the firm’s partner and senior investment advisor. Clay Parker was listed as president and CEO.

According to the SEC’s original complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in August 2021, the defendants raised more than $110 million from more than 400 investors in 20 states by offering and selling membership units in Horizon.

Woods, Southport, and other Southport investment advisers allegedly told investors – including many elderly retirees who feared the volatility of the stock market – that their Horizon investments were safe and would pay a fixed rate of return, and that investors could get their principal back without penalty after a short waiting period, according to the SEC filing.

According to the complaint, however, these statements were false and misleading: Horizon did not earn any significant profits from legitimate investments, and a large percentage of purported “returns” to earlier investors were simply paid out of new investor money. The complaint also alleges that Woods repeatedly lied to the SEC during regulatory examinations of Southport.

“Investors felt comfortable investing in Horizon in large part because of their relationships with advisers at Southport,” said Nekia Hackworth Jones, director of the SEC’s Atlanta Regional Office. “As alleged in the complaint, Woods and Southport preyed upon their clients’ fears of losing their hard-earned savings and convinced them to place millions of dollars into a Ponzi scheme by falsely promising them a safe investment with steady returns.”

Another SEC filing, from June 10 of this year, struck closer to home for area investors. That filing, in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, pointed the finger at three additional individuals, including a Mount Airy resident.

Penny Flippen, 59 at the time of the filing, of Mount Airy; Britt Wright, 49 at the time of filing, of Pfafftown, and Michael Mooney, 52 at the time of the filing, of Sarasota, Florida, were all implicated in the complaint. The three are alleged to have advised area investors to put a collective $62 million in the Horizon fund. According to that June 10 filing, the three are alleged to have told clients the money would be invested in safe securities such as government bonds, and would pay a guaranteed 6% to 8% return while posing no risk to the principle.

“…Horizon III was only able to pay the guaranteed returns to existing investors by raising and using new investor money,” that complaint alleges. “Horizon III did not earn any significant profits from legitimate investments; instead, a very large percentage of purported ‘returns’ to earlier investors were simply paid out of new investor money.”

The three were charged with multiple violations of federal securities laws, the SEC stated. That filing has yet to be resolved.

The more recent action, taken this month and settled by an arbitration panel in Atlanta on Sept. 5, orders Oppenheimer to pay $36.75 million to 13 claimants as part of the case. That award covers the money they allegedly lost, court and filing fees, as well as treble damages in some case, raising their award to as much as three times the money they lost.

According to an earlier complaint filed on their behalf in Georgia, Woods worked as an Oppenheimer investment advisor while allegedly running his Ponzi scheme, funneling customers — and their money — from Oppenheimer into his Horizon fund.

“Claimants are among more than 300 people victimized by the $110 million scheme,” the filing, by attorney John Chapman of Chapman – Albin LLC, alleged. “The SEC recently filed a complaint against Horizon and Woods and froze the Horizon fund and its assets. The SEC’s complaint alleges that Claimants have lost all, or substantially all, of their invested principal in Horizon. Respondent Oppenheimer failed utterly to discharge its duties. Claimants have suffered the consequences of Respondent’s failures,” the filing said in seeking the damages.

In the Georgia case, according to court filings there, several of the victims were led to believe Horizon was an investment vehicle approved by Oppenheimer, and part of Oppenheimer’s portfolio of investment funds.

“At all times relevant, Oppenheimer employed, held the securities license of, and was duty-bound to supervise the securities-related activities of its registered representative John Woods,” the Atlanta filing alleged in making the case for Oppenheimer to repay losses suffered by clients there. “Oppenheimer’s lax supervisory structure, in which brokers essentially supervise themselves, has led…Oppenheimer to 97 regulatory actions and 173 arbitrations including ones involving failing to supervise registered representatives’ outside business activities and private securities transactions, among others,” Chapman said in his filings.

Even though Woods left Oppenheimer in December 2016, the court filing alleges Oppenheimer knew of his wrongdoing, and was complicit in hiding that from regulators.

“In December 2016, fully aware of the numerous securities law violations taking place in its Atlanta, Georgia office, Oppenheimer sought to conceal the Horizon scheme from the regulators and the investing public by permitting Woods to quietly resign from Oppenheimer without reporting the wrongdoing to regulators and the investing public, as required by law. This enabled Woods to continue raising money from unsuspecting investors, allowing the Ponzi scheme to continue for many more years, until August 2021,” according to the September filing.

The arbitrators ruled in favor of the Georgia plaintiffs, with a lengthy outline of restitution and penalty payments to each of the victims, totaling nearly $37 million.

Miss Angel’s Farm near Mount Airy will host its fourth-annual Oktoberfest on the Orchard Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m., designed to bring a taste of the Old Country to Surry County.

Plans call for the event to include Gypsy Laurel performing live music and a DJ playing German folk music at the 55-acre peach and apple orchard.

In further keeping with Oktoberfest traditions, plenty of German and local beer, cider and wine will be available for purchase, organizers say.

Brats, authentic wiener schnitzel, artisan pretzels and desserts also are to be offered on site, including apple cider doughnuts, apple strudel and ice cream.

Those attending are urged to come dressed in lederhosen and dirndls for a costume contest planned as part of the festival and be ready to compete in games such as log throwing, tug of war, arm wrestling, dancing and axe throwing for prizes from Miss Angels Farm.

Hayrides around the farm will be offered for kids, who also can experience other fun activities including a playground, bounce pad, fruit cannon, corn crib and corn maze.

The admission cost is $10 per person, with a percentage of the proceeds to be donated to the non-profit Mayberry For 4 Paws animal rescue and spaying/neutering organization. Children younger than 4 will be admitted free.

Miss Angel’s Farm and Orchard is located at 252 Heart Lane (formerly Quarter Horse Lane), which is west of Mount Airy near Interstate 77, off N.C. 89.

The Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce held a job fair at Mayberry May on Sept. 9.

Several dozen area businesses and organizations set up at the fair, hoping to attract prospective job applications for openings they have now, or to make contact with job seekers for openings which may occur later.

All totaled more than 200 people turned out for the event.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and it has led Melissa Hiatt to become as close to a subject matter expert on the Surry County Land Use plan as possible for someone without a planning background.

Hiatt appeared last week before the Surry County Board of County Commissioner to request they pump the brakes on the approval of rezoning requests for dollar-type stores or “like-fashioned” businesses.

“I am requesting you approve or enact a moratorium on zoning and/or permitting for 45 days on future business that there is already an existing like-fashioned business within five miles unless a need is proven. A moratorium will provide time to research the need, language, and legality of enacting and enforcing a zoning ordinance.”

“The request is made as a means to protect our citizens, preserve our communities and to produce growth and development that had the best return on investment to our citizens,” Hiatt explained to the board.

She asked the request to be considered, “In a timely manner as this is an emergent issue as the previously discussed developer has identified another parcel that sits within four miles of four already existing identical stores.”

Residents of the area say that Teramore Development is rumored to have identified the Old Indian Graves Trading Post at Indian Grove Church Road and Westfield Road as their next desired Dollar General location.

This is after the previously sought rezoning for a Dollar General location at Westfield and Quaker Roads was voted down by the commissioners.

“Citizens have continued to watch development in and around our community,” Hiatt said to the commissioners. “Unfortunately, reading and looking for answers in the land use plan has brought me back to you because defeating the rezoning of that particular parcel was not enough of a message to the developer that we do not want to same store every three miles in our county.”

As on previous visits to the planning board or the county commissioners, Hiatt was armed with the data to back up her presentation, “We currently have 32 of these like-fashioned stores either in operation, or approved for construction, in Surry County,” she said.

These ‘like-fashioned’ retailers she noted include Dollar General, Dollar Tree, PopShelf, and Family Dollar (which was bought by Dollar Tree in 2015 for $8.5 billion). “Surry County is 536 square miles; that is a lot of dollar stores in our community.”

These stores are built on the promise of being good for the community, providing jobs, being a community partner, and providing fresh food, Hiatt said. However, she has not found the proof to show those claims can be backed up.

When developers have spoken to the county commissioners in meetings, they have pronounced future Dollar Generals shall follow the new floor plan, offer produce, and stock more refrigerated/frozen options. For both Hiatt and Heather Moore, of Moore’s General Store, the evidence of such has yet to be found.

Hiatt told the commissioners her research has shown a trend toward placing retailers such as these in areas that would cater to the lowest income residents. She went on to say she found that Dollar General targets their stores in areas of high volume EBT (food stamp) use.

Retail insiders however are presenting data showing growth in discount retailers is on the rise across all economic levels. Dollar General has reported its largest growth in the pandemic era has been found in those making above $40,000.

Since the pandemic, the customer base has been shifting in these discount stores and Dollar General, along with the rest, reported that customers are coming in more frequently to buy fewer things per trip.

Analysts speculate this is a byproduct of inflationary purse tightening by consumers and some lingering fears of in-person shopping at grocery and larger retailers such as Walmart. Dollar General expects that pattern to remain in place at least through the end of the year, Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos said. He also suggested the value added for the customer is found in the ease of access as well as in pricing.

In a sign of how price increases have squeezed all shoppers, Dollar General said it is seeing increasing signs that its focus on low prices has emerged as a “survival tool” for many of its customers.

“Our core customer is running out of money that fourth week of the month. So, she’s told us that I really need that $1 price point to be able to feed my family,” Vasos said.

He added that shoppers’ habits have changed due to the global pandemic. They have been coming into stores more often but are spending less on each trip than they did at the peak of COVID when staying out of stores altogether was many shoppers’ goal. Vasos said he expects this trend of less items bought on more frequent visits to remain the trend for his business.

Dollar General has become a major player in the retail and convenience market and has placed 75% of its stores in towns with populations of less than 20,000 residents. As industry observer Jea Yu wrote, “They have carved out a niche in small locations where the big box retailers wouldn’t even consider.”

Retail trade writers noted that Dollar General “has been putting in the work over the last few years… and is growing faster than any other retailer in the county, with 1,039 new stores opened in 2021 alone,” according to Forbes.

Decision makers at Dollar General would point to their formula working for their business model and their customer by highlighting second quarter sales numbers showing 4.6% growth in same store sales year-over-year.

What is good for the Dollar General board of directors or shareholders may not be what is best for those on the ground, Hiatt said. Her moratorium request is meant to give the county time to look over the land use plan and make such updates as County Manager Chris Knopf said are overdue.

“This is not a step back in time or a speed bump for development and not a personal attack against a particular industry,” Hiatt said, instead presenting the pushback from her and other members of the community as the last line of defense from an onslaught of potential growth in an area saturated with these like-fashioned retailers.

“There is a silent assault on our community, just as there is in many communities across the nation. The assault is coming from big box retail stores that specialize in discounted merchandise, primarily from China,” she said.

Hiatt asked the board to weigh the potential benefits of lower prices and convenience against low wages, processed foods, and the boxing out of mom-and-pop retailers. “With these issues identified, I do not believe the tax base received in property tax and sales tax outweighs the payout to provide services from our county budget in combating the aforementioned impact to citizen.”

DOBSON — Surry County Health and Nutrition Center is now offering the updated Moderna and Pfizer booster shots.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the updated COVID-19 boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech, for people ages 12 years and older, or from Moderna for people ages 18 years and older. The bivalent vaccine booster is designed to offer protection against two different strains of the virus – the original strain that all previous vaccines have targeted and the newer Omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5.

A person is eligible to receive a bivalent booster if it has been at least two months since they have completed their primary vaccination series or since they received a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The updated booster vaccines do not replace shots for the primary vaccination series, but they will replace the current booster dose for persons 12 years of age and older.

Call Surry County Health and Nutrition Center at 336-401-8420, to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins will be accommodated; however, appointments are preferred.

For more information, call 336-401-8400 or visit Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SurryCountyHealthandNutritionCenter/ for the latest updates.

A group of local citizens is taking steps to express their dissatisfaction with a new master plan for downtown Mount Airy — literally — with an upcoming walk they hope will demonstrate a strong show of opposition.

“It’s actually going to be a friendly walk,” said Gail Hiatt, one merchant involved, “to save Main Street.” Copies of petitions to that effect also are circulating in the area.

Hiatt explained that the event scheduled for Oct. 9 should not be confused with the types of protests and marches that have rocked some U.S. cities in recent years — while at the same time plan dissenters want their opinions known.

“We just want to voice our opposition,” said Hiatt, the owner of Mount Airy Tractor Co. Toyland on North Main Street, who mentioned that a number of downtown merchants are planning the walk. “There’s probably about 15 involved in helping to get it started.”

They are not part of any organization. “We’re doing this on our own,” Hiatt said. “We have all come together.”

Martha Truskolaski, owner of the Spotted Moon gift shop downtown, another leading the effort, says the walk is aimed at preserving the existing quaintness of North Main Street rather than copying modern streetscapes of larger cities which the plan advocates.

Mount Airy is not such a place, “and we don’t want to be,” Truskolaski said Thursday afternoon.

“We’re Mayberry, we’re not Boone or somewhere like that,” agreed Hiatt.

Concerns also have arisen about the potential high costs of aspects of the plan to taxpayers.

The walk is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Oct. 9 from the upper end of the central business district, with participants asked to assemble between 1 and 1:30 p.m. in the Truist (BB&T) bank parking lot.

They will walk down North Main Street to the Municipal Building, where speakers including Commissioner Jon Cawley, who voted against the downtown plan during a recent meeting, and former Mayor Deborah Cochran, are expected to offer remarks.

Both are candidates in this year’s municipal election, Cawley for mayor and Cochran, the at-large seat on the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners.

Everyone is invited to participate in the procession, according to Hiatt, who said they may also ride in vehicles if desired. “A lot of people can’t walk that far,” she acknowledged.

North Main Street will be closed to regular vehicular traffic during the walk/ride.

With emotions running high after the city commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of the new master plan on Sept. 1 — which most speakers opposed during a public hearing preceding that — Truskolaski was hoping the walk could be held soon after.

But Oct. 9 was the earliest date for which a permit could be obtained, due to other events scheduled downtown.

The downtown plan, prepared by the Benchmark planning firm, updated an earlier one completed in 2004.

It contains recommendations for improvements in the downtown area as a whole, including not only the main drag but surrounding areas — yet changes eyed for it have sparked the opposition.

The general concept for North Main Street includes providing what are called “flex spaces” to create more areas for outdoor dining, tree plantings and other tweaks.

Flex spaces 20 feet wide are envisioned on each side of North Main Street, including sidewalks 12 to 20 feet wide, with a movable bollard system and options for parking along the way.

The plan prescribes large flexible outdoor spaces at street corners and the burial of above-ground utility lines along with street trees, new decorative street lights and strategically placed loading zones.

Although the possibility of altering the present one-way, two-lane traffic pattern on North Main to one lane was considered as an option while the plan was in its formative stages, the maintaining of two lanes was favored by workshop study groups.

The total travel area of the two lanes is 20 feet wide, under the plan.

While city officials who support the update say it is aimed at improving downtown Mount Airy to keep it economically viable for the long run, opponents believe they shouldn’t tinker with what already is a good thing.

A speaker during a public forum of a city council meeting Thursday night summed up the controversy.

Daris Wilkins said then that many members of the public are concerned about widening sidewalks and losing parking spots as a result, and also changes that would harm the existing aesthetics downtown.

Critics say that while the alterations — which Truskolaski called “a downtown makeover” — might be well-intended, they don’t want to risk damaging what’s there.

Many people who visit downtown Mount Airy are drawn by its charm, she contends, and the way it takes one “back to a quieter period of time.”

Truskolaski believes that in adopting the new plan, municipal leaders weren’t reflecting the views of downtown shoppers on the ground and merchants — most of whom oppose it, Hiatt said.

“They’re not on the streets,” Truskolaski said.

She also thinks the proposal was approved by the majority of the city board without full disclosure to the local populace.

“Not all taxpayers in the city were aware of the plan before it was pushed through,” Truskolaski said.

Some, especially older residents, might have been unaware of the recent public hearing due to not being engaged with social media or reading about it in the newspaper.

Truskolaski suggests that notices about such hearings should be included with citizens’ water bills to better spread the word.

The Spotted Moon owner admits her position on the downtown plan might cost the store some business.

“But I think it’s worth fighting to keep our town like it is,” Truskolaski said.

Students and staff at Cedar Ridge Elementary worked during August to focus on learning how being self-aware can make them a leader in their community.

The following students were nominated by their teachers as Leaders of the Month for practicing self-awareness at school: Braylen Carson, Moxx Easter, Ruby Martinez-Bautista, Kaydence Clifton, Maggie Baker, Elyssa Robertson, Ramie Jurney, Zarena Newton, Alec Ruiz, Kaden Puckett, Arayah Mundy, Ariana Salvania, Daleyza Avila, Sofia Rodriguez, Efrain Osornio Gonzalez, Carolina Wallace, Eleanor Baker, Katalea Ochoa, Brylee Martinez, Aria Dickerson, Cali Barber, Zoey Hodges and Leah Horney.

Staff members also nominated a colleague that has shown how self- awareness can help all lead themselves, lead with others, and change the world. This month’s leader was Cathy Wetter.

Surry Rural Health Center and Scenic Pharmacy sponsors the Leaders of the Month program and Matt Swift and Farm Bureau Insurance provided a gift to Wetter for her leadership in the school.

Mitchell Whitley — a Greensboro native and Raleigh resident — visited Mount Airy earlier this year, spending a few hours one Sunday afternoon in town.

He also visited Elkin in the spring, and more recently swung back through Surry County to spend a few hours in Pilot Mountain — and he has hopes of getting back to this part of the state to tour Dobson.

He’s also visited nearby Sparta, North Wilkesboro, and other towns flung across North Carolina, from the mountains to the coast. All totaled, Whitley has visited more than 150 towns in North Carolina, specifically meeting with the mayors of each community.

That is his goal — to meet with the mayors of North Carolina’s incorporated towns and cities.

His purpose? That’s a bit nebulous, though Whitley said he wants to learn more about what challenges local municipal governments are facing, how they are overcoming those obstacles, and he wants to be “A better advocate for local issues.”

He’s also developed a cool-looking website called Mitchell’s Mayors and he has his sights set on writing a book about his experiences once he has done.

Given that the project is a weekend-only pursuit, he probably has a few years before his work will be available on bookshelves.

“I’ve spent all my college years following political opportunities,” he said, explaining he volunteered for several state and federal campaigns, and interned for Sen. Thom Tillis, at the U.S. Secretary of Labor office in Washington, D.C., as well as for six months in the North Carolina General Assembly.

“But I never got a chance to experience municipal government.”

So, Whitley said he figured the best way to learn about local government, to get a feel for what challenges and opportunities face towns large and small, was to meet with mayors of those towns and cities. All of them.

“So, I started calling up mayors, seeing if they would meet with me. I thought they could give me great insight.”

This month marks a full year since starting his quest. Early on, he was free to visit a few towns during weekdays, but he was soon working fulltime, thus visiting the mayors became an every-weekend project.

In January, he visited Mount Airy and spent a couple of hours with Mayor Ron Niland. Unlike most mayors Whitley has met, Niland has served as a town manager and as a contractor offering services and advice to other towns, thus his experience was a little wider.

“We were one of his early visits,” Niland recently recalled. “It was a very interesting visit, he came up, it was actually on a Sunday. I met him down at city hall…I enjoyed our visit, we spent an hour, hour and a half, talking about issues in the city, other cities. This is a great undertaking; I think it’s kind of an interesting project.”

At that time, Whitley was out doing his thing, along with his father who is accompanying him on the trips, but few knew about his project.

“I encouraged him to do a web page, which I think he’s done,” Niland said. “He’s stayed in contact with me occasionally, mostly through messaging, particularly when he runs into a mayor that knows me.”

“My visit was amazing,” Whitley said of his time in Mount Airy. “My dad had been there plenty of times, but I’d never been there before. To visit the town that Mayberry is written after is really something special.”

He said despite the day being overcast and cool, he was surprised at the number of people shopping on Main Street downtown.

He particularly felt meeting with Niland was educational.

“He spent so many years in roles as town managers in other communities, working for towns across…the state. It gave him a really great idea and perspective of how he could come in as mayor and work well with people…positively get things done on behalf of everybody. When a mayor has experience like that, it’s great, they can get a jump start.”

Whitley was particularly impressed with the planned hotel and visitor center downtown, part of the larger Spencer’s reclamation project.

“I’m excited for your town, more people should be able to come and stay and learn just how special your community is.”

Whitley was equally complimentary of his time in Pilot Mountain, meeting with Mayor Evan Cockerham.

“I had been to the mountain, of course, to the state park, but I had never been to the town.”

He said Cockerham spent time with him, talking about changes in the town, all of the weekend events scheduled throughout the year, and walked him to what he called a “very, very good restaurant,” the Tilted Ladder.

“I hadn’t heard of his project until he reached out to me,” Mayor Cockerham said of their Aug. 27 visit. He was impressed with the scope of Whitley’s plan.

“It’s kind of a daunting task to make contact with every mayor, much less visit with them. I just thought it was a very fascinating project, I had never heard of anything that dealt with municipalities on that kind of scale. He spent a few hours with me…The majority of the questions were about 50/50, about my personal story, what leads someone to become a mayor, and then he gave me an opportunity to tell the story of our community, what brought us to the point we are today.”

Thus far, Whitley is nearly a third of the way through his goal of meeting all the mayors — and he has already come across some unexpected tales and people.

“There’s a lot of things that stand out,” he said of the towns he has already visited. Among those is being asked to drive the mayor’s car in a Christmas parade; meeting a man who worked on Air Force 1 for seven different presidents; learning of an as-yet unsolved passenger jet crash in the town of Bolivia in 1960; one of the largest Americana memorabilia collections in the U.S. — including a crushed beer can from the plane flight the band Lynyrd Skynyrd was riding when it crashed; a paranormal museum; and a mayor who spends some of his spare time hunting for Big Foot.

“Who would ever be able to see something like that unless he took the opportunity to travel across the state, talk to people in the communities?”

Whitley said the project has evolved since he began. First, it was just about meeting with the mayors, learning about their towns. Since starting, he’s begun the website Mayor Niland suggested, and has added plans for the book.

Whether the visits might springboard Whitley into a political career he can’t say.

“I don’t know myself exactly,” he said of any potential future in politics. “I wouldn’t want anyone to think the only reason I’m doing this is because I want a political career. I’m doing this because I love our state and I want to listen and learn from the mayors, be a better advocate for them.”

Mitchell’s Mayors, including photos and some information on all the towns Whitley has visited, can be found at: https://www.mitchellsmayors.com/

DOBSON – After missing three years due to the pandemic, along with some fear of a permanent cancellation, the Surry Old Time Fiddlers Convention returns later this month to celebrate the area’s string-instrument tradition this fall. The convention takes place Sept. 23-24 at the Surry County Service Center in Dobson.

The event, in its 11th year, usually takes place in the spring, but organizers hope a fall event will keep the momentum going until the convention can return to regular timing.

“Several of us older folks were fortunate to play with Tommy Jarrell and those famous musicians from this area, so we’re doing our best to keep the old-time music tradition going,” says Buck Buckner, event organizer.

The two-day event focuses on youth and adult instrument competitions, awarding more than $5,000 in prize money. Categories include fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin and more.

What had been an annual gathering of musicians and fans marked its tenth year in 2019, but was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 among public-gathering bans because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this year, Buckner said it appeared the convention would not be returning. During its first ten years, the event was held at Surry Community College. However, he said the COVID-pandemic, along with the retirement and departure of some from the college, pushed the school to make some changes in how its facilities were used. That led to the cancellation of the spring convention this year, he said.

In May, he said Dobson officials had contacted him, expressing interest in potentially hosting the event there in town. At the time, they were discussing a town park or Fisher River Park just outside of town. Now, all parties involved have been able to secure the use of the Surry County Service Center for the event, at least for this autumn.

Friday night brings back the popular square dance. Slate Mountain Ramblers and Lucas Pasley & The Stratford Stringband provide live music for the evening. A 50/50 raffle and quilt raffle also take place.

Grounded Coffee Co. in Dobson brings snacks and coffee Friday evening, and area food trucks provide a variety of food on Saturday.

Doors open for the square dance at 6 p.m., Friday. Competitions take place throughout the day on Saturday. Registration begins at 10 a.m. Youth competitions run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with adult contests following and band competitions that evening.

“Several years ago, I was a little concerned about our music tradition here,” Buckner says. “It didn’t seem like many young people were getting involved, but with local school programs, and an emphasis on youth music competitions, we’re seeing a lot of young people getting into it.”

Admission to the Surry Old Time Fiddlers Convention is $5 per day. All contestants and children 12 and younger admitted free. The address for Surry County Service Center is 915 E. Atkins St. in Dobson. For more information: www.SurryOldTime.com.

Attempting to create leaders of the future the students of Millennium Charter Academy, who have been back in school just over a month, will be pushed next week to do more than what was originally expected of them.

On Sept. 22, high schoolers from Millennium Charter Academy will participate in Service Day by partnering with local non-profit organizations or by doing service projects to improve their campus.

This is not a form of punishment, but rather a way in which students can experience giving back via community service.

Students will be volunteering with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Mount Airy Parks and Recreation, the Yadkin Valley Senior Center in Jonesville, and at the L. H. Jones Family Resource Center. Some students will find their volunteerism happens closer to home and will find ways to improve Millennium Charter Academy itself.

During the community service day organizers say that students will clean, paint, weed, and complete other tasks to help their community. By volunteering with local organizations, students will not only lend a helping hand, but also learn the importance of community service and build habits of service to their fellow citizens.

This service day is part of a renewed focus on community at the school. Seniors at MCA will complete community service hours as a requirement for graduation, and Millennium Charter Academy will host a second community service day in the spring.

Millennium Charter officials said their mission is to help students create an awareness of themselves as members of a community, from local to national to global, and to support the community through giving of time, effort, money, and good will.

There will be no rest for the weary next Thursday as the students of Millennium Charter Academy have been given a detailed agenda for their day. Some of the students will be leaving campus shortly after the school day begins and will be bussed to off-campus assignments with the community groups to which they are assigned.

Students will ride the bus back to campus and reconnect with those who did their service projects on site for lunch before the afternoon activities including rallies and competition events.

The teams leaving campus will be doing their community service projects with the Yadkin Valley Senior Center, Habitat for Humanity, L.H. Jones Family Resource Center, and Mount Airy Parks & Recreation.

Six teams have been designated for service work on campus including: Sanding and repainting picnic tables, bus washing, outdoor beautification to include trash pickup, weeding of campus grounds, cleaning and organizing the greenhouse/outside storage, and an inside cleaning team.

“We hope that by working alongside our students to serve our communities we can help our students, and our school as a whole, to develop a love for our communities and their fellow citizens,” Millennium Charter Academy humanities teacher and mock trial instructor Anderson Rouse said.

The desire to grow their students into productive members of society is built into the DNA Of Millennium Charter Academy. The school’s vision statement says that Millennium Charter, “will develop citizens of virtuous character who think well and, as leaders, contribute to our communities, our nation, and the world.”

Rouse said that it is their goal to educate students, “Not only to be great — great thinkers, great artists, great athletes — but also to be good. One of the ways we can build virtue and cultivate good character in our students is through an emphasis on service.”

MCA’s Rouse quoted the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who said in a sermon delivered on Feb. 4, 1968, “Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve.”

“You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

DOBSON — An event is scheduled Friday in Dobson to assist Surry County residents with federal government issues.

This involves plans by the staff of 10th District Congressman Patrick McHenry to hold office hours that day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the historic Surry County Courthouse, where citizens are invited to come with problems or concerns. The courthouse is located at 114 W. Atkins St. in Dobson.

McHenry periodically has offered this opportunity to local residents since Surry County became part of his district after the 2020 congressional election. The last such office session was held in June.

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

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

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

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

• A Tuesday incident at the Sheetz store on Rockford Street resulted in a Mount Airy woman being charged with misdemeanor child abuse and driving while impaired, according to city police reports.

After a brief investigation by officers who encountered Mary Catherine Smith, 39, of 113 Tryon Lane, at Sheetz, Smith was found to be impaired by an unknown substance, police records state. This was compounded by the presence of a juvenile passenger in the 2015 Nissan Armada SUV she was operating, leading to the child abuse allegation.

Smith was held in the Surry County Jail under a $500 secured bond and slated for a Sept. 26 appearance in District Court.

• Toby Carlton Thompson, 53, of 3660 Highway 268, Siloam, was arrested Monday night on a felony drug charge, possession of a Schedule II controlled substance with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver, which was identified as heroin.

Thompson, who also is accused of possessing drug paraphernalia (listed as a syringe), was encountered by officers during a suspicious-person investigation in a parking lot at Advance Auto Parts on Rockford Street in the vicinity of Starbucks.

The Siloam man was jailed under a $2,500 secured bond and is scheduled to be in Surry District Court on Monday.

• “Confusion tactics” were used to obtain money by false pretenses last Friday at the Walgreens pharmacy on Rockford Street.

The exact nature of the scam was not listed, nor was the sum of money involved.

Veterans Memorial Park in Mount Airy was the scene of a Veterans Appreciation event Saturday. Mount Airy Mayor Ron Niland along with Commissioners Steve Yokeley and Joe Zalescik were there to show their support for local veterans on the weekend that also saw the anniversary of the attack of Sept. 11, 2001.

Organizer Jerry Estes and the assembled were on hand during a drizzly Saturday that saw a lot of happenings in Mount Airy firing off at the same time. American Legion Post 123 sponsored the Veterans Appreciation event that also doubled as a collection for the items to be added into a 50-year time capsule which will be placed for posterity on the grounds of Veterans Memorial Park.

The time capsule was focused not just on local veterans but also on Veterans Memorial Park itself. Estes was seen displaying some of those items to the small crowd that gathered over the weekend, and discussing the significance of each. He held up a bullet casing and described it was from an officer’s side arm, he showed off a Veterans of Foreign Wars kerchief, and other items that had been donated to the time capsule from local veterans.

After Estes showed a photo depicting prisoners of war, Yokeley said, “I can’t believe human beings could possibly do things like that to one another.” War is hell, as the saying goes, and as those with the first-hand knowledge of such pass away, so too do their memories which is why the time capsule matters to the event organizers.

Included in the time capsule are dog tags, newspaper articles, medallions, bullet casings, and more. There are artifacts ranging from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, up through more modern conflicts in the Middle East such as Operations Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom.

With Surry County’s veteran population aging, the event and the time capsule are meant to create another way in which these veterans can leave a mark on history. Estes admitted with the aging population it was a little challenging at first to find veterans who were interested in donating items to the time capsule, however the artifacts came together in time to be placed inside the time capsule.

After 50 years when the Veterans Memorial Park time capsule is exhumed from the grounds of Veterans Memorial Park Estes hopes the artifacts inside will serve as a testament to the men and women who donned the uniform of the United States and fought to defend the nation.

“I want people to know we were here, and we cared enough to give back even after we served,” Estes explained.

In July 2010, Shirley Brinkley spoke at a public forum before the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners, complaining about the effects of annexation in her neighborhood — which would be a springboard for her election as a commissioner.

And though she has been displaying the same pattern recently in appearing at public forums to address various issues, Brinkley said this is not a precursor for any effort to rejoin the city council.

“If I ran again, my husband would either murder me or leave me,” she said when discussing a potential candidacy after one of her recent appearances before the commissioners.

“I don’t plan on running,” Brinkley emphasized.

A year after her initial public-forum comments — addressing yard and other damage resulting from construction crews installing utility lines in the wake of Mount Airy’s annexation of the Hollyview Forest area — Brinkley did decide to run for office.

A substitute teacher for Mount Airy High School at the time, she filed as a South Ward candidate for the city council election in 2011, defeating incumbent Todd Harris by capturing 67% of the vote. Harris was a three-term incumbent and the longest-serving member of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners.

In 2015, Brinkley ran for re-election to a second four-year term in the South Ward, overcoming token challenges by two write-in candidates, Bill Clark and Joe Reid.

Brinkley opted not to seek a third term on the city council in 2019, with present South Ward Commissioner Marie Wood winning that seat then.

While Wood was viewed in 2019 as Brinkley’s hand-picked successor, the former commissioner recently has been at odds with Wood over the latter’s reluctance to support a property tax cut and disrespect Brinkley said Wood displayed toward Commissioner Jon Cawley.

For the first time since 2019, a municipal election is being held in Mount Airy in 2022, with the city’s every-two-year schedule interrupted by a switch from odd- to even-numbered years.

Despite speaking at a public forum last November on problems related to the new automated garbage collection implemented by the city government earlier in 2021, Brinkley did not adhere to her “pattern” of filing for office this year.

“I like the people that are running,” she said of the eight candidates seeking four offices altogether, including that of the mayor and three commissioner positions.

And based on her other recent comments, Brinkley is not interested in mounting a council return when the next municipal election is held in 2024.

However, this doesn’t mean she will be a stranger at City Hall.

In June, she appeared before the council to ask that property taxes be reduced, a request that Wood, who also is mayor pro tem, rejected during that meeting.

This was followed with a public forum appearance by Brinkley during a commissioners meeting on Aug. 4, when she complained about the treatment displayed by some council members toward Cawley, a candidate for mayor this year, including Wood.

That involved a dispute over street changes that Cawley charged were made in violation of the city charter, which others sought to downplay.

“I tried to treat people with respect,” Brinkley said of her time in office. “That’s why I went to the board (on Aug. 4) — they don’t have respect for people, and it’s terrible.”

Brinkley indicated that this seems to be the nature of politics these days. “It can be vicious — people are vicious.”

Most recently, at a council meeting on Sept. 1, Brinkley spoke in opposition to a downtown master plan update during a public hearing. She specifically criticized the possibility of North Main Street traffic being reduced from two lanes to one through the central business district as a result.

Although Brinkley says she won’t run for city office again, there are strong indications the former commissioner will show up at meetings as needed.

“You’ll never get rid of me until I die,” she told officials during the Aug. 4 session.

RALEIGH — Two early voting sites have been approved for Surry County ahead of the November general election, through a unanimous decision by officials in Raleigh.

The N.C. State Board of Elections voted 5-0 Tuesday in favor of a plan to offer one-stop, early absentee in-person balloting in both Mount Airy and Dobson, thus rejecting a counter-proposal for the Dobson location only.

This intervention at the state level was required due to the Surry County Board of Elections failing to reach unanimous decisions on either option during a meeting in Dobson on July 20. Its members were all in agreement that two other recent early voting stations in Pilot Mountain and Elkin should not operate this fall.

Under state law, the lack of a unanimous decision at the local level automatically sends the matter to the N.C. State Board of Elections, which provided the final word on similar cases in a total of 13 counties during a monthly meeting in Raleigh.

The non-unanimous decision requirement also triggered a third debate Tuesday besides the two local proposals for early voting centers, which was raised by Tim DeHaan of the bipartisan Surry elections board.

DeHaan, who appeared before the state group along with fellow local member Drew Poindexter and county Director of Elections Michella Huff via a video conferencing set-up from the board’s headquarters in Dobson, said his main concern was that issue.

The Republican board member from Elkin was the lone dissenter in the local 4-1 decision to have early voting in both Mount Airy and Dobson, and officially was involved Tuesday to make the case against that. But DeHaan said by voting in opposition, he mainly was using that opportunity to question the unanimous-decision requirement when appearing before the state board.

DeHaan, a recognized expert in parliamentary procedure, said this requirement goes against principles of democracy in which a simple majority decision is all that’s required to settle things.

He believes the state board’s method also serves to suppress those who might have differing opinions on a proposal, prompting them to go along with the majority just to avoid Raleigh’s involvement.

“You’re stifling free speech,” DeHaan told the state board members, who he said are charged with ensuring free and democratic elections.

Despite DeHaan’s dissenting vote in July on having two local early voting stations, he expressed support for that move Tuesday.

Under the non-unanimous procedure, a representative from both sides of a contested issue in a county is selected to present each in remarks limited to five minutes, with Poindexter, a Democrat, advocating for the approval of Mount Airy and Dobson.

“I’m basically willing to concede to Drew that the majority plan is OK,” DeHaan said during Tuesday’s meeting in reiterating that his main concern was addressing the parliamentary aspect regarding non-unanimous decisions.

During his allotted five minutes in the spotlight for the video conference, Poindexter explained that Surry has maintained four early voting locations for recent countywide elections including in 2020 when a hotly contested presidential race was involved.

In retrospect, there was an assumption that heavy turnout in 2020 would carry over to early voting before a primary election this spring, on May 17, yet this did not materialize, Poindexter added.

He went on to say that providing the early voting service in Pilot Mountain and Elkin in particular did not justify the staffing and other expenses required.

In Elkin, for example — where only 515 people cast ballots over the 15 days of early voting this spring — $16,215 was spent, a cost of $31.49 per vote.

For Pilot Mountain, only 424 people voted, with the cost put at $$15,047 — a per-vote figure of $35.49.

To help illustrate the low turnout there, Poindexter pointed out that just eight persons came to the polling place on April 30 and seven did so on May 7.

“This makes for long days for election workers,” he said.

In contrast, 2,281 voters cast early ballots at the Mount Airy site in a county government facility behind Arby’s, which officials do believe was worthwhile from a cost standpoint.

Meanwhile, the Dobson site — at the county elections headquarters — is mandated to be open for early voting under state law.

In looking ahead to the general election, Poindexter suspects turnout also will be somewhat meager because of “an unusually low number of contested elections” on the ballot, further making the case for just two sites.

This includes present county office-holders such as the sheriff and others.

After hearing from the two Surry representatives, the state board approved the Mount Airy-Dobson plan with no debate.

In voicing his concerns about requiring unanimous rather than majority decisions on the local level for matters such as early voting, DeHaan said he wasn’t expecting an answer from the state board on Tuesday.

The local board member indicated that he wanted one at some point to reconcile his concerns about this being anti-democratic in nature.

DeHaan said he has talked to state legislators about the issue, who told him that he needed to address the state elections board instead.

Its chairman, Damon Circosta, said the board would take the matter under advisement.

However, Circosta mentioned that the unanimous rule is employed at multiple levels of government.

He gave the example of unanimous consent used in the U.S. Senate when lawmakers agree as a whole to circumvent normally required procedures for the sake of expediency.

Early voting is scheduled to begin on Oct. 20 at the two locations in Surry County.

The second annual 9/11 Day Flag of Honor Across America Memorials event was held Sunday in Dobson at the Children’s Center of Northwest North Carolina. The ceremony mirrored others happening across the country as the largest multi-site coordinated 9/11 Day project.

In total, 75 communities across the United States came together over the weekend in an event meant to commemorate the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, during the deadliest terrorist attack in United States history.

“We feel honored to have been one of 75 sites chosen to hold a commemorative event that was a meaningful and solemn remembrance of the lives lost on 9/11,” Children’s Center Community Relations Coordinator Valerie Smith said.

Regardless of the location or whether the honored were a victim, hero, or first responder, the ceremony seeks to create a connection to those who were lost. Also remembered were those lost in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center.

The 9/11 Day Flag of Honor Memorials are volunteer-driven and meant to bring young people into the ceremony as well to share information on those who were lost. “Instead of saying 2,983 names at one memorial, each memorial is held in memory and honor of 50-65 victims and heroes. And, instead of only saying a name, 5-10 personal things are shared about each,” the event website said.

Part of what makes this event so different is that there is no specific local connection between the memorials and the names read. Organizers said this is a new way to honor those who were lost on that fateful day beyond just the recitation of names and the tolling of bells.

This year, the remembrance “extends beyond those honored in the first year, from everyone who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, to include nearly 5,000 more who lost their lives after that day.”

“As a result of federal law and other concerns, the federal government will not release the names of those who died following Sept. 11, only the monthly death totals. More than twenty 9/11-related organizations are assisting Global Youth Justice and have identified nearly 1,000 to be remembered by name.”

This memorial was the brainchild of the Global Youth Justice Inc. in 2020 and is co-sponsored by AmeriCorps, the federal agency that promotes national service through volunteerism. Participating sites were given a 9/11 Day Flag of Honor with the names of the 2,983 victims to display at the memorial ceremony.

The Small Business Center at Surry Community College will be offering multiple online webinars this month free of charge. These webinars cover a variety of topics that are intended to help individuals gain valuable skills for working with a small business.

The webinar Online QuickBooks will be held Sep. 15, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This seminar will teach industry best practices for recording daily transactions, managing and paying bills, reconciling bank and credit card statements, and generating financial statements using QuickBooks.

The webinar Website Building for Small Businesses will be held Sep. 19, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This seminar can help you quickly and efficiently design a website for your business with little technical knowledge.

The webinar Marketing Your Small Business will be held Sep. 27, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This seminar will help you discover marketing tools that will allow you to gain insights for understanding and reaching your customers. It will also explore the components of an effective marketing plan.

The webinar Selling on Shopify will be held Sep. 29, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This seminar will help explain Shopify’s eCommerce software, allowing you to establish your brand online with a custom theme and store.

To register for upcoming virtual seminars or to view a complete listing of the upcoming Small Business Center offerings, visit www.surry.edu/sbc. After registering for a webinar, a link to join the event will be emailed to you.

For information about confidential, one-on-one counseling and resource referrals, contact SBC Director Mark Harden at hardenm@surry.edu or call 336-386-3685.

The Small Business Center provides seminars, workshops, resources and counseling to prospective business owners and existing business owners. The SCC Small Business Center has facilities in Mount Airy, Dobson, Elkin, Pilot Mountain, and Yadkinville.

The Mount Airy ABC Board is being expanded by city officials to avoid the kind of situation that occurred earlier this year when the death of a member left the group short-handed.

Unlike some more heavily populated bodies, the Mount Airy ABC Board contains just three members.

When one of those individuals, Dr. Hugh Sutphin, died in July, that left with the group with only two members to deal with board responsibilities.

These include overseeing operations of the city’s lone liquor store on Starlite Road, which opened in 1979.

“I don’t know that a three-member board is a good number to have,” Mayor Ron Niland said earlier this month during a meeting of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners when a proposal to expand the group was considered.

After discussion, the board gave the nod to pursuing the addition of two more members to the group.

Although it is a volunteer unit, Niland pointed out that the ABC Board has a number of responsibilities including handling significant sums of revenue.

The overall goal of the board is to serve the community responsibly by controlling the sale of spirituous liquor and promoting customer-friendly, modern and efficient stores, as defined by state law. This includes stocking the store, hiring and firing its employees and guiding other functions.

Mayor Niland believes a five-member body would better serve the public interest in those regards.

State law allows a locality to have either a three-member or five-member ABC Board, with City Attorney Hugh Campbell confirming during the Sept. 1 meeting that the commissioners have the authority to expand the group.

City Manager Stan Farmer was instructed to prepare the necessary paperwork for formal consideration at an upcoming meeting. The process also will include suggestions on new members for the expanded ABC Board.

During the last meeting, the commissioners also appointed a replacement for Dr. Sutphin to fill out the remainder of his term.

Dean Hatley was named to serve until Oct. 31, 2023.

The terms for city ABC Board members run for three years, with Sutphin last reappointed in 2020.

Also, the commissioners appointed Tommy Brannock as chairman of that board.

John Sanders presently is the third member of the group, which has staggered terms that expire in alternate years.

• A Mount Airy woman has become the victim of a computer-repair scam, according to city police reports.

The false-pretense case targeting Penny Mooney Pope, a Virginia Street resident, came to light last Friday.

It involved an unknown party using a computer to represent himself or herself as a computer repair service “to deceive the victim with false events” in order to receive money, police records state. The sum scammed from Pope was not disclosed.

• A vehicle was discovered stolen last Tuesday from a business location in the 300 block of East Pine Street, in addition to personal belongings.

Taken were a 2006 Chevrolet Express work van valued at 12,000, listed as white in color. Also stolen were hand tools said to be worth $5,000.

The victims of the theft are listed as The Plumber LLC on Cottage Drive and Joe Dean Brock of that location, who is associated with the business.

• Damage to municipal property was discovered last Tuesday at Tharrington Park on Spring Street, where a suspect drove a vehicle across a grass field and became stuck. This resulted in ditches and vehicle tracks in the open land area involved.

The landscape damage to the city park was put at $150, with the incident listed as still under investigation.

Efforts to redevelop the former Spencer’s textile mill property in downtown Mount Airy are continuing with city officials approving a proposal for the removal of above-ground storage tanks at the site.

Four tanks were targeted in all, which officials said needed to be removed from the outside of a building formerly used by the children’s apparel manufacturer that ceased production in 2007. This led to the city government’s 2014 acquisition of the property, where a hotel is planned as one of the latest steps in the redevelopment process.

The tanks formerly contained such substances as hydrogen peroxide, sodium silicate and acetic acid and possibly more recently minor amounts of fluid and sludge, according to city documents.

Blue Ridge Geological Services Inc., a business based in Trinity which handles such remediation services, submitted the proposal to clean, remove and dispose of the containers. Three were described as steel horizontal tanks 20 feet long and 6 feet in diameter, with the fourth a vertical fiberglass tank 10 feet tall with a diameter also that size.

The company offered to perform those tasks for a total cost of $26,000, which the commissioners approved spending during their last meeting on Sept. 1.

Its work was scheduled to begin within one to three weeks of receiving written authorization from the city to proceed and take two or three days to complete.

Among the planned tasks delegated to Blue Ridge Geological Services were the contacting of a remediation contractor to prepare/submit profiles for the residual waste in the tanks to be removed and mobilizing a vacuum truck and pressure washer to pump out sludge/fluids.

The agreement included mixing and neutralizing the materials to allow them to be transported as non-hazardous waste.

It also specified the cutting and removal of lines to and from the tanks outside the building involved.

Blue Ridge Geological Services further pledged to have a professional geologist on site to oversee and document a portion of the work with notes and photographs, based on the agreement.

Over the weekend Mount Airy joined in with more than 600 communities nationwide in the 2022 Walk to End Alzheimer’s. The Walk is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for care, support and research surrounding Alzheimer’s.

Being properly motivated, it was going to take more than a little rain to stop the crowd Saturday at Riverside Park from doing what they could – one step at a time – in the fight against Alzheimer’s and dementia.

The Walk to End Alzheimer’s brought out walkers of all ages who assembled on a busy morning in Mount Airy with the Moonshiner’s Reunion happening just a few blocks west from the park, on Independence Boulevard.

Some participants brought the family along with strollers to take the trek along the Ararat River segment of the greenway. To make it a true family affair there were more than a few damp dogs along for the walk, but to a dog almost any walk is a good one.

Smiles on humans, canines, and even a llama or two were found as the walkers assembled, chatted, and waited for instructions to begin.

After the crowd had waved and displayed their colored flowers signifying why or for whom they were participating in the day’s walk, it was time to hit the Granite Greenway. Participants departed from the field where they had been assembled walking down through an assembly of cheerleaders with colorful pom poms who offered encouragement.

Signs along the path urged participants to take photos and share them across social media using the #Walk2EndAlz designation so the photos from Mount Airy could be added to galleries from other such events across the country.

No matter where the walk took place, the recurring message was that there is power found in the colorful flowers being held by participants. All walkers were asked to select a Promise Garden flower and to choose the color that best corresponded to their connection to the disease.

More than just a spot of color on an overcast Saturday morning, the color of the flower was meant to be a key in discerning the reason a walker was there to support the effort.

“The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is full of flowers, each carried by someone committed to ending this disease. Because like flowers, our participants don’t stop when something is in their way. They keep raising funds and awareness for a breakthrough in the fight against Alzheimer’s and all other dementia,” the association said.

Those who displayed purple flowers were showing they were walking for those who have lost a someone to the disease. The blue flowers represented someone living with Alzheimer’s, or another dementia.

Many yellow flowers were seen representing someone who is supporting or caring for a person living with Alzheimer’s. Orange was used as the catchall for those who support the cause and the Alzheimer’s Association’s vision “of a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.”

To much cheering one young woman named Kate held up a single white flower which was the symbol for the first survivor of Alzheimer’s. Kate is the granddaughter of Hope Trumpie who has had her mother, sister, and a friend battle both Alzheimer’s and Lewy Body disease, another form of dementia that also needs public attention and research dollars brought to bear.

The color flower or the motivations for walking aside, the statistics on Alzheimer’s speak volumes to its impact. The Alzheimer’s Association reports there are more than six million Americans living with the disease and 55 million globally. By 2050 that number in the United States is projected to approach 13 million.

Alzheimer’s kills more annually than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined and the association states one in three Americans dies with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.

In 2022 the organization said the cost of Alzheimer’s on the United States will be $321 billion a year but that number is expected to skyrocket to $1 trillion a year by 2050 as Baby Boomers continue to age.

Funds raised through the Walk to End Alzheimer’s predominantly go back into care, support, research, awareness, and advocacy efforts. The association states 79% of funds will go back into the fight against the disease with 17% supporting further fundraising efforts and just 4% going to the administration of the group.

The association is investing more than $300 million in projects spanning 45 countries to fund research initiatives that will help grow the understanding of the disease and advocate for those living with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

There are more walks to comed with Greensboro, Hickory, Charlotte, Asheville, Raleigh, as well as Salem and Danville, Virginia, all having Alzheimer’s walks in October.

One participant’s motivation to walk may get some other feet moving in future too. Jennifer Johnson said, “I want to help find a cure, so no one ever forgets themselves or their loved ones.”

The Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce will present a Business After Hours networking event on Thursday. Hosting the event will be the Business Networking International — Platinum Producers (BNI). The gathering is set for 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Surry County Service Center, 915 E. Atkins St., in Dobson.

Business After Hours is a free networking event, open to all chamber members and prospective members.

“These events are frequently favorited by chamber members because they are free and can present several opportunities to make connections within the business community,” chamber officials said in announcing the event.

Chamber leaders suggest those attending take a healthy number of business cards. Attendees are also asked to consider taking a door prize to present and promote their business.

Those attending are asked to dress in business casual garb. Food and drinks are provided. All going are asked to RSVP at https://conta.cc/3BtLQjw or at the chamber Facebook page @MountAiryChamber or the chamber website at www.mtairyncchamber.org. For more information on this event contact the chamber at 336-786-6116.

Those moonshiners of the days of yore overcame some rough conditions back when — such as zipping down a dirt road with no shoulder in the dead of night with the sheriff on their tail. So, for those rough and tumble sorts the touch of rain over the weekend was nothing at all and certainly no reason to stay away from Mount Airy and the third installment of the Moonshine and Racers’ Reunion.

Along Main Street the racers and modified moonshine running vehicles began to park early in anticipation of a day showing off their cars and swapping stories. Before the opening ceremony there were signs Mother Nature was not going to win any best supporting actress award. The skies were dark, and drizzle gave way at times to heavier rain leading spectators to look for cover where it could be found.

Some of the cars on display were true classics whether the condition of the exterior showed it or not. A few rust patches or peeling paint did not matter at all to the enthusiasts who showed for the Moonshiner and Racers’ Reunion – in fact quite the opposite as they may be seen as a badge of honor for a life well-lived.

With tarps and trash bags covering some of the exposed hoods or interiors it was hard to get a good look at some of the cars on display. More than a few onlookers were seen on one knee or squatting to view an engine obscured by a plastic sheet.

The foot traffic and participation may have been lower than what organizers had hoped for but there was no point in telling that to those on the ground Saturday. For every scrunched up wet face that hid a look that seemingly asked, “What am I doing here in the rain?” was another raucous laugh or hearty greeting as old friends saw one another and reconnected or new connections were made.

This was after all a reunion of like-minded folks, so it was easy to spot who was walking around looking at the ‘shiners and race cars versus those who were there to see, be seen, and swap a story or two.

Along Main Street it did not matter to the kids squealing at the sight of Deputy Barney Fife or to the couple dancing in the rain outside of Uncorked what the agenda for the day was.

Some had no agenda at all as a group of four men stood beneath the awning at North Main Street and Moore Avenue holding court with one another as the onlookers floated quickly by them without a second look. They were locked in a conversation about who knows what – but appeared pleased to be in each other’s company despite the cool temperatures, damp conditions, and the bustle around them.

Thankfully, there was a large tent in the parking lot between Old North State Winery and Brannock & Hiatt that served as the epicenter for the autograph sessions and the Mount Airy Stock Car Racing Wall of Fame inductions, as well as the best refuge spot to escape the rain.

One of the pros on hand was 1983 Winston Series Champion Bobby Allison who entered the NASCAR Hall of Fame in the class of 2011 along with the likes of Lee Petty, Ned Jarrett, and David Pearson. With three Daytona 500 wins among his 84 top series wins, it may be The Fight at the 1979 Daytona 500 for which he will be best remembered.

Over the weekend though the fight was a memory of almost 45 years past. The Winston Cup champion smiled broadly at everyone who approached him for an autograph at one of the many long tables set up under the tent allowing spectators to wind through and get autographs from the world of racing or from the moonshiners in attendance.

A trio of women stood outside the autograph tent and pointed at a brick box like structure rising from the parking lot. As a work crew was seen hard at work on plumbing at the under-construction building, one woman told the others that a new outdoor bathroom was being added to which her friend laughed adding it, “Will be a popular stop this time next year.”

The elements failed in dampening the spirits on the ground but were successful in canceling the evening’s concert. Sons of Bootleg had been set to perform but the organizers felt it was the best move given the weather to cancel the show and got word out early that a change to the schedule had been made.

Organizer Bill Blair was seen making the rounds all day smiling, laughing, and shaking hands. He worked hard to get the event publicized and grow it from the previous year. His efforts were noticed as Richard Eudy, up from Concord, praised the event on social media, “A little bit of rain did not deter me and many others from having a great time. Thank you very much Bill Blair for all your hard work and dedication putting on this awesome show.”

Bryan Nivens also said he had an awesome time in Mount Airy, saying, “Beautiful town and locals are so nice and friendly to all of us.”

Mother Nature did not show up with her best but the people of Mount Airy turned on the charm to welcome back the moonshiners and racers for another successful, albeit wet, reunion. The 2023 Reunion will hopefully have better weather that this year’s event, but Blair and the rest anticipate the event will be even bigger next year.

Katie Deal will make her debut performances in Mount Airy during Mayberry Days which kicks off on Monday, Sept. 19. She will perform her one-woman show, “Katie Deal: Crazy for Patsy Cline” on Friday, Sept. 23 at the Andy Griffith Playhouse and “Wildflowers: The Women of Country Music” on Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Historic Earle Theatre.

Deal has performed to sold-out houses across the US and Canada. A Georgia-born artist, she is best known for her authentic country sound. She is the 2016 recipient of the Georgia Country Artist of the Year Award and a member of the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame.

With a new take on nostalgia, “Crazy for Patsy Cline” features a live Nashville band. Taking the audience from Patsy Cline’s early music to her jazz club days, “Crazy for Patsy Cline” is a unique concert version of the songs and stories of Cline told from the experiences of country singer Deal.

“With all the songs you know and love, ‘Crazy for Patsy Cline’ delivers an evening of unparalleled entertainment and a walk down memory lane,” officials with Surry Arts Council said of the upcoming show.

Deal takes the stage with her one-woman concert, “Wildflowers: The Women of Country Music,” featuring her rockin’ Nashville band. This original tribute honors legends such as Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Reba McEntire, Crystal Gayle, Shania Twain, Kitty Wells, and others. Join Deal as she performs groundbreaking hits such as “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” “9 to 5,” “Harper Valley PTA,” and “Stand By Your Man.”

“Katie Deal: Crazy for Patsy Cline” takes place on Friday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Andy Griffith Playhouse. Tickets are $45. “Wildflowers: The Women of Country Music” starring Katie Deal will be held on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Historic Earle Theatre. Tickets are $40 for balcony and $45 for orchestra. Tickets for both shows are available online at www.surryarts.org, via phone at 336-786-7998, or at the Surry Arts Council office at 218 Rockford Street. For additional information, contact Marianna Juliana at 336-786-7998 or marianna@surryarts.org

Two Mount Airy residents have been reappointed to a local group with a history-minded purpose.

Mary Fawcett and Mary Planer were approved for new three-year terms on the city Historic Preservation Commission, which will expire on June 30, 2025.

The previous terms of both had ended and each expressed interest in continuing to serve.

Fawcett’s and Planer’s new terms were approved during the last meeting of the city commissioners on Sept. 1.

The Mount Airy Historic Preservation Commission is a nine-member citizen board appointed by the commissioners, whose members must be qualified based on interest or experience in history, architecture, archaeology or related fields

It advises the commissioners on historic landmark and property designations and functions as a design review board for proposed changes to the exterior of such properties and structures.

Once a building receives local designation, for example, any change to its exterior must be approved by the Historic Preservation Commission with the issuance of a certificate of appropriateness before work may begin.

Design guidelines adopted by the commission for use in regulating such changes ensure that local landmarks are preserved for future generations, under the stated goal of that group.

An Elkin man was struck by a car and killed Sunday night while walking on U.S. 601 (Rockford Street) just outside Mount Airy, according to a N.C. Highway Patrol spokesman.

The victim was identified as Michael Jason Cummings, 43, who was hit in the northbound portion of the four-lane highway in the vicinity of the Scenic Chevrolet-Buick-GMC dealership.

After initially being struck by a passenger car driven by a Virginia man, Cummings apparently was run over “a couple of times” more by other traffic, Mount Airy Fire Chief Zane Poindexter said regarding the incident along that busy stretch.

“He was pronounced dead at the scene,” Sgt. Fletcher Pipes of the N.C. Highway Patrol said, a location slightly north of Rockford Street’s intersection with Old U.S. 601.

“According to the driver, he just stepped out in front of him,” Pipes said of Cummings. “Nobody knows why he walked in front of the car.”

Darkness might have been a factor. “I got the call about 9:30 (p.m.),” Pipes mentioned.

The motorist, identified as Demerious Davon Carmichael, 40, of Galax, Virginia, initially left the scene, apparently not fully realizing that his car had struck someone, prompting some initial reports that a hit-and-run was involved.

However, after pulling into the Walmart parking lot nearby, Carmichael turned around and “went back to the scene,” the Highway Patrol spokesman said.

While Carmichael is facing vehicle-registration-type violations as a result of Sunday night’s incident involving the Chevrolet passenger car he was operating, the driver was not charged in connection with the pedestrian fatality itself. No aggravating factors were involved, Pipes said.

Authorities had no idea Monday why the Elkin resident happened to be on foot in the Mount Airy area, or any other information regarding the circumstances leading up to the fatal encounter.

“I wish I had the answer to that,” Pipes said.

Mount Airy Police Chief Dale Watson said Monday that the death highlights the need for pedestrians to be extra-vigilant and aware, especially in unlighted areas with no crosswalks where traffic is moving at a fast clip.

Teleios Collaborative Network recently announced the inaugural recipients of the “Care As It Should Be” Award during the Visioneering Council Meeting — with a Mount Airy physician among the first receiving the award.

Each network member organization was encouraged to nominate staff members who they felt elevated patient care. Mountain Valley Hospice & Palliative Care’s Dr. Glenn Golaszewski, MD, was named an award winner by the local organization.

The purpose of the Care As It Should Be Award is to recognize those individuals “who make an extraordinary impact on the patients and families who they serve daily,” network officials said.

Each winner will receive a crystal plaque etched award along with a monetary gift. The monetary award may be used to further their education or to celebrate with their team members.

Teleios Collaborative Network is a nonprofit organization that has created a clinically integrated network that shares expert leadership, industry best practices, and resources with its member organizations, allowing community-based, nonprofit hospice and palliative care agencies to continue their work of providing compassionate care for those facing serious illness or the end of life.

The network was founded in 2017 by Four Seasons and Carolina Caring and co-founded by AMOREM and Mountain Valley Hospice & Palliative Care organizations, and is comprised of twelve member organizations and serves in North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, Idaho, and Utah.

Mountain Valley Hospice & Palliative Care is a nonprofit organization providing end-of-life care in 18 counties in North Carolina and Virginia. Through its team of hospice professionals and specially trained volunteers, Mountain Valley Hospice addresses the growing need for compassionate hospice care through offices in Mount Airy, Yadkinville, Elkin, and Pilot Mountain in North Carolina and in in Hillsville and Martinsville in Virginia.

Mountain Valley Hospice also owns and operates two hospice inpatient facilities: The Joan & Howard Woltz Hospice Home in Dobson and the SECU Hospice Care Center in Yadkinville. For more information, visit www.mtnvalleyhospice.org .

© 2018 The Mount Airy News