For 20 years, Riverdance has entertained and enthralled audiences, sharing traditions and telling the stories of the land of Eire with song, dance and joie de vivre – buoyant enjoyment of life. Tuesday, Jan. 30, Community Concerts brings Riverdance to the Crown Complex for an evening of energetic entertainment. Hailed by The New York Times as a phenomenon and by the Toronto Star as delightful, energetic and sexy, the show is one that’s sure to impress audience members of all backgrounds.

“The success of Riverdance across the whole world has gone beyond our wildest dreams,” said producer Moya Doherty. “The fact that the show continues to draw and excite audiences is a tribute to every dancer, singer, musician, staff and crew member who have dedicated themselves to the show. This 20th Anniversary Tour is a thank you to our audiences and a celebration of what has been an incredible journey across two decades.”

Amy-Mae Dolan from County Tyrone, Ireland, has been dancing since she was two years old. She joined Riverdance in 2016. She noted that the show’s reach is broad. Since it began over 20 years ago, Riverdance has traveled over 750,000 miles; that’s the equivalent of traveling around the world 30 times. It has had over 11,500 performances and been seen by over 25 million people in 47 countries, across six continents.

“However, in my opinion, the best thing about Riverdance is the feeling it gives the audience members; they leave excited and full of joy, having just experienced something sensational and very unique,” she said.

Riverdance originally stole the show as the interval act at the 1994 Eurovision song contest. The same elements that made it a hit continue to appeal to audiences worldwide. The Grammy awardwinning music by Bill Whelan, the chorus line of more than 20 dancers and the passion and energy that emanates from the stage keep this show on the road year in and year out.

“The performers’ passion and energy are incredible,” Dolan said. “We all love what we do, and that excitement and elation are tangible onstage and throughout the audience. We treat every night as opening night; our pride and love for Riverdance allow us to bring our best to the stage every night.”

Through music and dance, the show illustrates the journey of Irish people departing to a new world. The first half depicts their settling in Ireland and the myths and legends that appeared at that time. The second half presents their departure in search for a better life, their arrival to the New World and their interaction with new cultures. They return home with new ideas and new influences.

“As a female principal dancer in the show, I dance in six extraordinary numbers in which I display both the delicacy and strength of the female Irish dancer,” Dolan said. “The show is a magical celebration of music and dance.”

It takes 64 people to tell the tale of the Irish - 36 of them performers. Twenty-four of them are Irish dancers, one is a flamenco dancer, six are Russian dancers, two are American tap dancers, and there is a band of four musicians.

Adding to the show’s appeal, the tour has seen some technical updates. Lighting, staging and the set have all been refined over the 20 years. So, it’s changed in some ways while remaining true to the original spirit of Riverdance.

“Every new performer that joins the show brings something different and exciting, and so you never see the same show twice,” Dolan said. “We treat every night as an opportunity to improve; we are learning more and more every day not only how to improve our fitness and dancing but also our storytelling – the feeling behind our dancing – which really captivates the audience. There is an incredible new number added to the show titled ‘Anna Livia.’ It is an a cappella hard shoe number for the female Irish dancers. It is a tribute to the empowerment and grace of all female Irish dancers, highlighting their incredible strength. All the exciting changes and the growth of the show over the 20 years makes this the best the show has been.”

A longstanding organization committed to excellence, Community Concerts has made bringing topnotch entertainment to Fayetteville its priority since 1935. The all-volunteer organization creates the opportunity to see some of the biggest names in entertainment at pocketbook-friendly prices. ZZ Top was scheduled as the season opener but canceled due to illness. “Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage” was the season premiere in November, leaving two shows after Riverdance to complete the season – The Commodores, which will perform in April, and The Illusionists, which wraps up the season in May.

In keeping with the spirit of first-rate music and its importance locally, Community Concerts sponsors several initiatives that support local artists and music-related causes.

It founded the Fayetteville Music Hall of Fame in 2008, which recognizes and honors those who have brought musical distinction to the community. Previous inductees include, just to name a few, the 82nd Airborne Chorus; Cumberland Oratorio Singers founder Alan Porter; former Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra music director Harlan Duenow; local songwriters and recording artists Lynne O’Quinn and Doyle Wood; and Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra maestro Fouad Fakhouri.

Those who aspire to music-related careers also receive support from the organization in the form of scholarships. The scholarship program was instituted in 2004. Since its inception, Community Concerts has awarded 28 scholarships.

The local artist showcase program brings artists of all ages to the stage, including even the youngest performers. Through this program, local Christian powerhouse youth performance group Voices of the Heart recently opened for Gladys Knight, and children from Linda Kinlaw’s School of Dance performed with Martina Mc Bride.

Community Concerts also gives certain groups the opportunity to attend concerts free of charge. Past groups have included senior citizens, the Vision Resource Center, Fayetteville Urban Ministry, The Sunshine Center, members of local fire and police departments, high school theater art classes, members of the military and more.

For tickets and information, visit www.community-concerts.com.

Sydnie Lubbers

Jack Britt • Senior•

Cheerleading/tennis

In addition to competing in two sports for the Buccaneers, Lubbers maintains a weight grade point average of 4.66.

Kevin Wanovich

Jack Britt • Junior •

Wrestling/soccer/lacrosse Wanovich has a weighted grade point average of 4.21. He’s a two-time state qualifier in wrestling. He’s active in the youth group at MacPherson Presbyterian Churc

The CARE Clinic, established in 1993, provides free basic medical care, dental extractions, chiropractic care, lab testing, diagnostic testing, pharmacy service, health education, community resource information, social services and referrals to specialists to uninsured, low-income residents of Cumberland County. The clinic would not be able to provide any of these services without its volunteers. All of The CARE Clinic’s physicians, nurses, dentists, dental assistants, phlebotomists, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and receptionists are volunteers. Volunteers also serve on numerous committees, prepare dinner for their fellow volunteers on clinic evenings, assist with fundraising events and much more. Without volunteers, The CARE Clinic could not function. Here are just a few of those volunteers.

Glenn Thorp is a pharmacist with Cape Fear Valley Health System. He has been volunteering for six months.

“I wanted to give back to the community that I live in,” he said. “The pharmacy residency introduced me to this opportunity. A woman recently lost her job and prescription insurance/medical insurance. She came to The CARE Clinic and was extremely grateful for the services we were able to provide. We were able to prevent her from missing refills with her blood pressure, thyroid and asthma medications.

Sgt. Arjay Mendoza is a pharmacy technician in the U.S. Army. He has been volunteering for almost a year. “I choose to volunteer at The CARE Clinic because I want to give back to the community by helping the underserved population,” he said. “Since I’m (in the) military, one patient thanked me for my service. I replied, ‘Thank you. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to help those people in need.’”

Yung Lee is a student at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. He has been volunteering since January 2017. “I chose to volunteer at The CARE Clinic to give back to my community and to gain experience in the field of dentistry,” he said. “It is rewarding to be able to help others while at the same time working alongside compassionate dentists. The people at the clinic truly care about the patients and their wellbeing. Being in such a positive environment makes volunteering that much more fun and exciting.

“One of the patients was terrified of needles and anesthetics. The patient asked me to hold their hand during the anesthesia and throughout the treatment. The patient was very thankful (to me for) comforting them throughout the procedure. Moments like these remind me why I want to pursue this profession. It further solidified my commitment to pursue dentistry.

Ginna Pugh is a retired educator with Cumberland County Schools. She has been volunteering for more than a year. “I had always been interested in The CARE Clinic and what they do for their patients,” she said. “Patients are so appreciative. One patient came in and wanted to make a donation. She did not have an appointment that evening, but her son had sent her money for her birthday and she wanted to give part of it to The CARE Clinic because they had done so much for her.”

Kerstin Hudgins is a registered nurse at Cape Fear Valley Health System. She has been volunteering for four years. “It is a nice way to give back to the community and to practice nursing with a more personal touch,” she said. “(Once), we were seeing our last patient and getting ready to close when I observed the patient’s mother having a severe cough. She was also a patient but had no appointment that evening. I advocated for her to be seen. We saved her from a potential Emergency Department visit and worsening of her symptoms.”

Cheryl P. Colvin is a physician in the Emergency Department at Cape Fear Valley Health System. She has been volunteering for five years. “I completely understand the needs of the community, and the patients at The CARE Clinic appreciate the services provided,” she said. “The heartfelt appreciation from every patient makes it memorable.”

Erin Stevens is a nurse at Cape Fear Valley Health System. She has been volunteering for two years.

“It is a great cause,” she said. “It is rewarding to see how appreciative the patients are.”

Jacqueline Merritt-Evans is a territory manager with Premier Concepts, LLC. She has been volunteering for two years. “I wanted to keep up my skills as a medical assistant and in the field of phlebotomy,” she said. “I enjoy the people and atmosphere. I enjoy giving back and helping out where I can. I had a patient who was very nervous about getting her blood drawn. I gave her a squeeze ball that is shaped like a brain, and I said to her, ‘Please hold my brain.’ She gave me a funny look as I put the ball (brain) in her hand, and we both laughed so hard. She was OK after that, and I was able to draw her blood. She laughed away her nervousness.”

Ana Mercurio is a dental assistant at Dr. Walter Scott DDS & Associates. She has been volunteering for seven years. She said she volunteers “to give back, to help others. The gratitude of the patients is (from) genuine, hard-working people who truly appreciate us.

The CARE Clinic is located at 239 Robeson St. Contact Julie Dixon or Cathy Riddle at 910-485-0555 if you are interested in volunteering. Visit thecareclinic.org to learn more about the clinic.

Eligibility:

To be eligible for The CARE Clinic’s services, you must:

• Be an adult resident of Cumberland County or the surrounding area • Have no insurance – including Medicaid

• Meet an income requirement

• Display proof of household income and a valid, North Carolina DMV-issued picture ID card or driver’s license showing your current address

Appointments:

• No walk-ins.

• Appointments are made only by phone; for more information on making an appointment, call 910-485-0555.

• Medical appointments may be made Monday- Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. • Dental appointments may be made Friday from 9 a.m. to noon for the following week.

• The clinic serves patients each Tuesday and Thursday and the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

• Dental clinics are every Tuesday and the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. Appointments are made on a space available basis.

• To cancel an appointment, you must call by 8 a.m. the day of the appointment and leave a message on the answering machine in order not to be penalized.

Patients are given the opportunity to make a donation at the time of their visit.

Members of the High School Connections staff at Fayetteville Technical Community College were thrilled this past August when over 1,200 high school students arrived on campus in buses, in cars and on foot to earn free college credit. Counselors at the high schools attended by these lucky students shared information with them about FTCC’s High School Connections program. High School Connections

High School Connections offers high school juniors and seniors an opportunity to dual enroll in college classes at FTCC while still in high school. This program is an excellent money-saving idea for parents who fund their children’s education. The savings from earning one year, or even one semester, of college credit without paying tuition could be substantial. Plus, consider the savings resulting from not needing a meal plan or a dorm room.

FTCC provides the College Transfer Pathway participants with general education courses such as math, history, psychology, sociology and foreign languages available. College Transfer Pathway courses are guaranteed to transfer to all 16 UNC universities in North Carolina if the student earns a grade of C or better in the course.

Some students may be interested in attending a university. Others might enjoy the opportunity to learn a technical trade so they can work while paying for college.

FTCC’s Career and Technical Pathway initiative offers over 30 programs. These program areas include several computer-related pathways, including demi-chef, business, medical coding and billing, nurse’s aide, emergency medical science, horticulture, manicuring, fire protection, construction, infant- toddler care, computer-integrated machining, collision repair, criminal justice and more. FTCC also offers concurrent pathways in plumbing, welding, a/c, heating and refrigeration, and electricity motors and controls. A complete listing of programs is available at: www.faytechcc.edu/academics/highschool- connections.

Students who are interested should check in with their high school guidance counselor or contact me at FTCC at fultond@ faytechcc.edu for more details.

Feb. 27, FTCC will host its annual open house from 5 to 7 p.m. and hold “parent nights” February through April at many local Cumberland County high schools and private schools. Parents and students can meet FTCC faculty and staff at open houses as well as see presentations and participate in Q&A sessions. FTCC staff can also help students complete the online application. Parents should remember to bring their child’s social security number to begin the admissions process.

High School Connections is just one of the outstanding programs available at FTCC. Visit with staff at campus locations in Fayetteville and Spring Lake or take virtual tours via the website at www.faytechcc.edu.

America is acting badly.

Never in my lifetime have I experienced such an atmosphere of intolerance, meanness and hate from my fellow Americans. What ever happened to “love thy neighbor”? Today, it seems like we hate just for the sake of hating. Instead of investing our time, money and resources in positive aspects of our American way of life, we have gravitated to degrading, debasing and trying to obliterate any person, organization or policy with which we disagree.

This hostility and anger are costing us greatly in what we cherish most: joy, contentment and the pleasures of experiencing America’s unique way of life. I place much of the blame for this on the news media and the new wave of journalists reaching for celebrity status as they desperately try to fill the story gaps created by a 24-hour news cycle. Equally at fault is the irresponsible and reckless use of social media. Both are making a mockery of the news, politics and the American dream.

Much of this vile and mean-spirited sentiment is coming directly from our elected officials in Washington, D.C. All of them.

This kind of behavior must stop. This wholesale hatred preoccupies us, distracts us and robs us of enjoying and appreciating the successes, positive events and accomplishments happening in our country every day.

Let’s look back at 2017, and perhaps we can get a peek at what we may have to look forward to in 2018 if we are not distracted by hate. Ignore whether you like or dislike President Trump, and set aside your political affiliations and thoughts about the recent government shutdown. Don’t think about fake news, crazy tweets and the wild, wild west of social media. Disregard the crazy antics of characters like Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer, Steve Bannon and Nancy Pelosi and anything, true or false, in Michael Wolf’s book “Fire and Fury.”

Let’s look at the past year. These 2017 events, regardless of your personal, social or political affiliations, will affect all of us and continue to impact our country and the world for years to come, so why not enjoy them – regardless of who was or was not responsible for their existence?

The U.S. economy perked up by about 3 percent. This rate hasn’t been achieved in years. The Dow Jones is up over 26,000 points with stock indexes at all-time highs. This is important. Why? Consider that 50 percent of Americans have stocks through their workplace 401(k) plans and pensions. U.S. unemployment is at historic lows, hovering at about 4.1 percent. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that African-American unemployment fell to 6.8 percent – the lowest level in four decades.

We are finally winning the battle against ISIS. Finally!

Syria, for the time being, has stopped killing its people.

North Korea and South Korea are beginning to talk with one another and will march together in the upcoming Olympics.

Iran has been called out by other Muslim nations as an exporter of terrorism. Democracy is finally taking hold there, causing dissent toward its autocratic rule. Is this an indication that the world is becoming a safer place?

A tax reform bill was initiated, meaning lower taxes will be paid by most Americans. The tax reform policies in place will result in many large corporations, like Apple, bringing manufacturing and jobs back to the U.S. Additionally, U.S. companies, large and small, will expand, create more jobs and raise salaries.

In 2017, according to the National Federation of Independent Businesses, small businesses were doing better than ever, and confidence in small business has reached a record high.

These are only a few examples of the good things happening that affect our country.

Who cares who was responsible for these achievements? Everyone should be able to enjoy them. It’s OK if you do not like or support a person, party, policy or even the presidency, but as civilized human beings, we should not indulge those who continually generate chaos and disharmony by creating an atmosphere of hate.

I hope that 2018 will be the year everyone comes to their senses. I refuse to be a pawn used by any person, organization or political party that only has their preservation and self-interest at heart. It’s time we recognize and disavow hypocrisy and let our voices be heard. Let freedom ring!

We should hold our American values high, honor our Constitution and always respect the office of the president – regardless of who is representing the American people. No one wins unless we do these things. Need proof? President Trump’s approval ratings are historically lower than any other president after their first year in office. However, he still ranks higher than Congress and the news media. This is nothing to be happy about or proud of.

Thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Correction: At Up & Coming Weekly we make every effort to provide fair, balanced and accurate coverage of local news and events occurring in Fayetteville, Fort Bragg and Cumberland County. This has been a 22-year commitment to our readers. In an article published in last week’s edition, our senior reporter, Jeff Thompson, mistakenly reported that Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins was reorganizing three patrol districts into two. This was incorrect. Our apologies to the chief and the fine men and women of the Fayetteville Police Department. Chief Hawkins is in fact retaining the three patrol districts as they are.

The final days of 2017 marked the end of an era in Hope Mills when Bobby Henley locked the doors of Clinic Pharmacy on South Main Street for the last time.

Henley, who took over from his father, the late John Henley Sr., sold the business after it had been in his family for 72 years, deciding it was time to retire.

His father, a former mayor of Hope Mills who rose to prominence as one of the highest-ranking members of the North Carolina State Senate, started the pharmacy in conjunction with a small hospital in Hope Mills after moving there from Cary, following World War II. The senior Henley, who died in 2012 at the age of 90, was born in Wadesboro but left there after the Great Depression and relocated to Cary.

The original drug store was across the street from the current location, next to the now long-departed hospital. The current pharmacy was constructed in 1960 and has been at that location ever since.

Bobby Henley said that when Hamilton-Porter Funeral Home closed its doors some years ago, owner Ken Porter told him that made Clinic Pharmacy the oldest business in the town.

Young Bobby had been a part of Clinic Pharmacy since he was 9 years old, sweeping and mopping at the drugstore.

“I always enjoyed dealing with people,’’ said the younger Henley, now 68.

When it came to considering a career, he never thought of anything but pharmacy. He enrolled in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he earned his pharmacist credentials and came back to Hope Mills to the family business in 1977.

He would continue to work at the pharmacy until Dec. 31 of last year.

“Pharmacy has changed a lot because of all the government and insurance,’’ Henley said. “It’s just not what it was even 10 years ago.’’

Henley said he got a chance to sell his business to another independent drugstore owner instead of one of the chain operations. “I felt the business would survive and do well,’’ he said.

He’ll be leaving behind the headache of mounting paperwork in the business, plus increased training for things like fraud, waste and abuse.

“It’s the same phenomenon going on with doctors,’’ Henley said. “They’re selling out to the hospitals because they are tired of doing all that paperwork and all that regulation on them.”

Henley added he’s not opposed to regulations and understands the need for them but that the grind has just become too much. “It’s like three to four hours to fill out all the forms and do this and that,’’ he said. “It gets old after 45 years.’’

But Henley takes plenty of good memories with him into retirement. “We’ve been fortunate,’’ he said. “We survived. There have been a lot of pharmacies that haven’t.’’

Henley had a simple philosophy on how to compete with the big chain drugstores: Reach out to customers with personalized service and go the extra mile the chains sometimes won’t.

“Our prices were equal to or better than the chains a lot of times,’’ he said. “People don’t check the prices. Brand and generic drugs are priced so differently.’’

Henley said he’s had cases where people have told him some of his drugs sold for as much as $50 cheaper per prescription than the same drug at a chain pharmacy.

“People don’t necessarily check that,’’ Henley said. “Because of ads, they were willing to wait hours for prescriptions to be filled instead of being in and out in 15 minutes.’’

Good prices aren’t the only things that small drugstores like Clinic Pharmacy offer. Henley said other small operations specialize in the lost art of compounding medications to develop more effective, personalized treatment for patients.

It is that part of the business Henley will miss most, he said – his customers, or as he called them, his patients.

“Some of these people I’ve known since I was knee-high to a grasshopper,’’ Henley said.

He said the drugstore and the pharmacy counter were kind of a meeting place, not unlike the barber shop in the “Andy Griffith” television show of the 1960s.

“People would come in and see each other, stay 20 or 30 minutes, talking and joking,’’ Henley said. “Certain people, the only place I saw them was in the drugstore. They have been mighty, mighty kind to us over 72 years.’’

As for the future, Henley is looking forward to having most Saturdays off and spending some long weekends at his place at Lake Waccamaw.

He also wants to golf, something he hasn’t done much of for the last three or four years, but he’s not totally walking away from his job as a pharmacist.

“I’ll do a little relief work when other independents might need me to help them out,’’ Henley said. “I wouldn’t mind doing some of that just to get my hand in.’’

Even though he won’t be around anymore, Henley hopes his old place of business continues to thrive. “They’ve got a mighty fine person taking over in Joe Williams,’’ he said. “I hope they’ll give him a chance and get to know him. I think he’s going to be an asset to the town of Hope Mills.’’

Just like Henley and his family have been.

Photo: L: Bobby Henley 

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy “The Lord of the Rings,” a young hobbit named Frodo Baggins is given the impossible task of returning the so-called “ring of power” back to the fires of Mordor. But the young hobbit could never complete this task alone. So, Frodo is surrounded by a band of mismatched companions with the single task of assisting him on this dire mission.

When you face impossible tasks, faithful friends are a necessity. This is true when tackling the fires of Mordor, and this is true when facing the struggles of life. You were not designed to tackle life as the Lone Ranger. God created you to have community and fellowship; he designed you to have meaningful friendships.

The Apostle Paul knew the importance of friends. In practically every letter he wrote, Paul greeted the friends he had across the Roman world. In Romans 16 alone, he mentions 26 individuals.

In the closing words of his letter to the Colossian believers, he mentions nine people by name. Here we see four types of friends.

First, we should surround ourselves with faithful friends who will encourage us. In Colossians 4:7-11, Paul mentions those key people who supported his ministry. People like Tychicus, Aristarchus, Onesimus and even Mark, who once departed from the team, Jesus Justus and Luke. Each man was marked by his support of Paul and how he encouraged him along life’s journey.

Second, we should surround ourselves with warrior friends who will pray for us. In Colossians 4:12- 13, Paul says that Epaphras earnestly prayed for the believers in Colossae. We need people who will sincerely pray for us, our families, our ministries, our failures. We need prayer warriors.

Third, we should be aware that along the way, we will have worldly friends who will leave us. In Colossians 4:14, Paul mentions a man named Demas. Nothing much is said about him in Colossians. But in 2 Timothy 4:9 we discover that Demas deserted Paul and the ministry, having loved the present world more. Christian, you’re going to have friends who turn their backs on you because of your faith. Prepare for that heartache. But don’t let their worldliness sidetrack you from serving God.

Finally, Paul mentions a man named Archippus. It appears that Archippus was involved in some level of leadership at Colossae, for Paul tells him to take heed to the ministry the Lord had given him. We need to invest in potential friends who can advance us. That is, take time to disciple someone to carry on the life and legacy of your life.

In a world filled with Facebook friends, most people have very few real friends. When it is the middle of the night and your car is stuck on the side of the road, your real friend will come to your aid.

But more than considering who is a true friend to you, consider whether or not you are being a true friend to someone else. Take time this week to invest in your friendships with a phone call, a note of thanks or just a conversation over a cup of coffee. Make time for those people who make time for you.

Cape Fear High School football standout Justice Galloway-Velazquez was a big part of changing the school’s football program to a winning tradition. Now he wants to do the same for Campbell University.

In an announcement that caught some people by surprise, Galloway-Velazquez recently revealed he’s made an oral commitment to play football for the Camels.

Many expected the Cape Fear quarterback and linebacker to choose a more high-profile program, but Galloway-Velazquez said there were a lot of commonsense reasons why he went with Campbell.

One was the attention he got from the Campbell coaching staff, especially defensive line coach Damien Adams, who was the primary recruiter pursuing Galloway-Velazquez for the Camels.

“He stayed with me throughout the whole process, gave me the love and care I was looking for and wasn’t receiving from other schools,’’ Galloway- Velazquez said.

There were overtures from some more highprofile schools, but many of them wanted to see Galloway-Velazquez in person on their campuses and at camps. Most of those requests came last spring when he was recovering from surgery for an ankle injury that took place in the Eastern Regional championship game with Scotland near the end of his junior season.

“With the ankle injury, there were some questions from some schools with how he would recover,’’ said Colt coach Jake Thomas. “I feel he probably was under-recruited for his size, talent and production on the field.’’

Thomas said he’s checked the North Carolina High School Athletic Association record book and is confident Galloway-Velazquez ranks in the top ten in the state all-time in all-purpose yards, thanks to his combination of rushing and passing prowess during his career at Cape Fear.

But the question remains if he’ll play quarterback or linebacker at Campbell. Galloway-Velazquez said he’s leaning toward the defensive side of the football but added no final decision has been made.

“We’ll talk it over a lot more,’’ he said.

“We’ll see where I need to be to benefit the team.’’

Thomas said Campbell will likely be happy wherever it decides to use Galloway-Velazquez.

“He was a guy who could emotionally, mentally and physically will your team to victory,’’ Thomas said. “He’ll go down as one of the top athletes in Cumberland County history, and definitely the top player in Cape Fear history.’’

Photo: Justice Galloway-Velazquez

Kink, by definition, refers to sexual practices outside of what the public considers to be the norm. It’s thought of as separate or other, hidden in the shadows from mainstream culture. Only recently have phenomena like the “Fifty Shades of Grey” franchise – with all its whips, chains and the like – been able to chip away at that barrier. Yet kink is also transmuted in David Ives’ play “Venus in Fur,” which runs at the Gilbert Theater Feb. 2-17.

The nature of theater is exhibition on a big scale, but what “Venus in Fur “deals with is the definition of discretion. The play promises an erotic power play that can, with the right two actors, thoroughly shock and entertain an audience.

The play takes its name from the 1870 Austrian novella by Leopold von Sacher- Masoch. Ives’ play, however, reimagines the main two characters as existing in modern times. A director is casting for a theater production of “Venus in Furs” when Vanda Jordan walks in to audition for the lead female role. Her audition, and the subsequent plot of the rest of the actual play, is a rabbit hole of lost reality and parlaying dominance.

On Broadway, Ives’ play garnered numerous nominations at the Tony Awards in 2011, including a win for Best Actress. It has been repeatedly staged across the world since its inception.

The Guardian wrote of one adaptation starring Natalie Dormer on the London stage, in October 2017, “So begins a game of cat and mouse, an intricate two-step operating as a play within a play in which the power balance continually shifts.”

The L.A. Times wrote of Venus in Fur in 2014, “The stage is a perfect medium for the investigation of this kind of fantasy role-playing.” Hopefully, on a more intimate stage like at the Gilbert, this level of volatile intimacy will ricochet off the walls.

Artistic Director Matthew Overturf said, “This is a funny, sexy and ultimately poignant piece dealing with the many facets of different power relationships, specifically the actor and director relationship. Audiences should expect to laugh even while dealing with this titillating and challenging work. This is definitely a show for adults.”

According to Overturf, this is the first time the Gilbert has produced “Venus in Fur.”

“This show is a wonderful and challenging piece of theater that audiences are definitely going to enjoy,” said Overturf. “It fits squarely in the mission of the Gilbert to produce cutting edge work that really challenges audiences to think outside the box.”

For tickets and more information, visit www.gilberttheater.com.

Lt. Gen. Paul J. LaCamera took command from Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend as commanding general of XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg. Townsend served as corps commander for more than two years. He spent about half that time deployed to Iraq as commander of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Townsend is the new commanding general of the Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is a four-star command.

LaCamera received his third star as he was named Fort Bragg’s new commander in a ceremony Jan. 19. LaCamera served as deputy commander of XVIII Airborne Corps. Rarely has Fort Bragg’s deputy commander been elevated to commander.

All-America City bragging rights

To help recognize All-America Cities from around the country, the National Civic League is sponsoring an All-America City #ShareYour- Shield photo contest to showcase all the ways in which cities have used the All-America City logo to recognize their award. The winner will receive free registration for four people to attend the 2018 National Conference on Local Governance and the 2018 All-America City Award event.

With over 500 All-America Cities throughout the country, the National Civic League has seen many creative and inspiring uses of the All-America City Shield. Fayetteville has been designated an All- America City three times. Cities are asked to share their most creative and impactful uses of the logo on Facebook or Twitter by tagging All-America City and using #ShareYourShield no later than Feb. 8.

Governor comes to town

Gov. Roy Cooper was in Fayetteville last week. He attended the 25th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast at the Crown Center. It is hosted each year by the Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council.

Cooper urged the 1,300 attendees to speak out against injustice. He spoke of King’s passionate speeches that were essential to the American civil rights movement of the 1960s. Cooper seemed to refer indirectly to recent news headlines, saying light can drive out darkness, despite leaders who seek to divide and people who call each other names.

“Keep shining your light in the world, and we can all together drive out the darkness,” the governor said. “Now is the time for us to raise our voices for inclusiveness and diversity because they make us stronger,” he said. He also spoke of the importance of faith and community. “Those values will light our path forward.”

Fatal fire under investigation

The Fayetteville Fire Department continues to probe the cause of a fire earlier this month that claimed the life of a woman identified as Shelley Davis, 57.

The fire was reported at 4:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, at 1908 Stanberry St. in the Holly Springs neighborhood off Murchison Road. Officials said the small house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. The victim was found dead inside the house after fire crews were able to knock down intense flames and enter the building. Three other occupants were able to escape.

But, the victim’s husband, Robert Davis, 59, was badly burned and taken to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. Their 30-year-old daughter and a toddler whose name and age were not given were treated and released from a local hospital, said Lt. Todd Joyce, a Fayetteville Police spokesman.

“12 Strong: The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers"

With the premier of the movie “12 Strong: The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers,” Fayetteville’s Airborne & Special Operations Museum is displaying a special exhibit entitled “America’s Response.”

It features artifacts from the special forces soldiers who deployed to Afghanistan immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Artifacts include a saddle used by the Horse Soldiers and steel from the World Trade Center carried during the deployment by a special forces soldier. Operational Detachments Alpha 555 and Alpha 595 of the Army’s 5th special forces Group were inserted into Afghanistan. Because of the rugged mountainous terrain, ODA 595 adopted the local mode of transportation: horses. The 12 Green Berets were the first U.S. soldiers to fight on horseback since World War II. In November 2001, ODA 595 fought alongside other Green Berets and approximately 2,000 Northern Alliance fighters mostly on horseback. They took the Taliban stronghold of Mazar-e-Sharif, the first significant Taliban defeat in the Global War on Terror. The exhibit runs through the end of January.

Better Business Bureau announces development program

Liz Stiles, the Better Business Bureau customer service representative for Fayetteville and Cumberland County, announced this week a new program designed to enhance customer relations for local businesses and organizations. With the belief that actions speak louder than words, the BBB is encouraging businesses to practice what they have designated as the 5 gestures of trust: Be honest, be transparent, be proactive, be humble, and be fair. The program will be presented in the form of a new, exclusive webinar Jan. 23 from 2-3 p.m. to accredited businesses in the Fayetteville and Cumberland County area.

According to Stiles, “Ever-changing technology, social media and direct consumer experiences can make or break a business. Today’s successful businesses, therefore, must be customer-centric, employee-focused, innovative and environmentally and socially conscious. This is what the BBB’s 5 Gestures of Trust Program is all about – assisting businesses and organizations in establishing new frameworks to evaluate and improve relationships with their customers.”

To register for the webinar or for more information about the BBB Fayetteville/Cumberland County, contact Liz Stiles at e.stiles@coastalcarolina.bbb.org or call 910-818-0367.

Photo: Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend

Xeavier Bullock

E.E. Smith • Senior • Football

Bullock was a captain for the E.E. Smith football team. He also served as vice president of the senior class. His grade point average is 3.75.

Melissa Lu

Terry Sanford • Senior • Tennis

Lu was the No. 1 singles player for the Bulldogs. She went unbeaten in Patriot Athletic Conference play and has a grade point average of 4.0. She is active in the Terry Sanford orchestra, the Key Club, Mu Alpha Theta, the National Honor Society and the Academy of Scholars.

As I am now in that awkward age between 65 and death, I have begun to think about big concepts that in the past I would have ignored as the press of daily life distracted me. Recently, I have been thinking about an old Chiffon margarine TV commercial from the 1970s. Mother Nature appears in the ad. She gets fooled into thinking that Chiffon margarine is butter. When she learns that the Chiffon margarine is not butter, she gets cranky. Mother Nature does not like to be fooled. She calls down lightning and elephant stampedes to express her displeasure. She famously said, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.”

I suspect Mother Nature is currently unamused as evidenced by our recent blast of cold weather, frozen pipes and the epidemic of cabin fever experienced by most of the eastern United States. Nature Mom is unhappy with the number of cooties we have been tossing up into the atmosphere. If Mother Nature were a human patient, she might be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She can get really hot – 117 degrees recently in Australia that melted asphalt – or really cold, dropping to minus zero in the U.S.A., featuring floods of ice in New York. Her weather moods are labile, as the psychiatrists say. Even Ollie, the weather forecaster from “Family Guy,” doesn’t know what to make of the psychotic breaks from reality of Mother Nature’s freakouts. Only George Costanza is comfortable with the many moods of Mother Nature.

Mark Twain probably said that people are always complaining about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. Well, that can’t be said of iguanas. Iguanas are doing something about the weird cold weather in Florida. They are freezing and falling out of trees in Miami. A recent New York Times article dealt with the issue of falling iguanas. Iguanas are cold-blooded reptiles, which does not necessarily make them Republicans, but it helps. When the temperature gets down into the 40s, iguanas begin to slow down and freeze up. Iguanas do not have access to Motel Six, so they sleep in trees at night. It’s an iguana thing that you as a mere human wouldn’t understand. They wrap their little iguana toes around the limb of the tree where they are bunking for the evening. This works well, and they remain in place as long as the temperature doesn’t drop too low. However, once Mother Nature drops the temperature to below 30, it’s lights out in the old iguana tree house. Their claws can no longer hold onto the trees as their metabolism slows to zombie levels.

Their toes lose control. It begins to rain iguanas as they drop out of the trees. The iguanas lose their bright green color, turn gray and appear to have joined the ranks of the undead. However, looks can be deceiving. A semi-frozen fallen gray iguana lying upside down by your pool or on your windshield who appears to have crossed the Great Divide may not actually be dead. Said iguana may be in a state of suspended iguana animation like passengers on a spaceship to a distant galaxy.

Humans are advised not to dispose of zombie iguanas as they may come back to life when the temperature begins to warm up. A zombie iguana can reanimate and resume doing whatever iguanas do when they are not falling out of trees. An official from the Miami Zoo advises that if the iguana turns from gray to dark brown, the iguana has in fact gone on to meet its ancestors. Then it’s time to light up the old grill, invite the neighbors, crack the keg and party down with a good oldfashioned iguana barbecue.

What can we learn from the recent rain of iguanas in Florida? Perhaps falling iguanas are some sort of warning Mother Nature is providing us similar to the miners who brought alarm canaries into coal mines. Canaries apparently need more air than humans. If the miners’ Tweetie Bird croaked in the mine, it was a message to the miners it was time to make like a tree and leave the mine before they ran out of breathable air. Like Keith Richards falling from his palm tree, not everything or everyone who falls out of a tree is dead. Keith has looked like he is dead for many decades, and yet he lives on. Considering the climate change that Mother Nature is inflicting on us as a result of our own devices, we need to focus on what kind of world we want to leave to Keith Richards and the frozen iguanas after we all are gone.

If you are handy with knitting needles, it’s time to start knitting scarfs and Speedos for Keith and the iguanas. It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature. Poor Keith is going to have to explain to her what we did to the climate.

Activities

• Hope Mills Youth baseball, softball and indoor soccer registration is open through Feb. 28, 4:30 p.m. Baseball ages 5-14, Softball ages 7-5, instructional soccer ages 5-6, indoor soccer ages 7-12. Eligibility cut-off date for baseball and indoor soccer is May 1. Softball cut-off date is Jan. 1. Proof of address and birth certificate are required to register. Call 910-426-4105 for more information.

• Hope Mills Youth wrestling registration is open until Feb. 2 for ages 6-12. Practices are held at Brower Park. Matches are held at Myers Recreation Center. $30 per child. Proof of address and birth certificate are required to register. Call 910-426-4105 for more information.

Meetings

• Jan. 25 The Hope Mills Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting at the Sheraton Inn, I Europa Dr., Chapel Hill, at 6 p.m. to conduct a workshop to discuss and plan upcoming goals for the board.

Volunteer

The Town of Hope Mills is soliciting applications for vacancies on the following committees. If you would like to apply for any of the vacancies, please contact Deborah Holland, interim town clerk, at 910-426-4113, or email dholland@ townofhopemills.com for more information.

• Lake Advisory Committee – second Tuesdays at the Hope Mills Recreation Center, 6 p.m. The purpose of the committee is to advise and make recommendations regarding various issues pertaining to the safety and environment of the lake and preserving it as a valuable resource to the town. Three vacancies to expire February 2020.

• Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee – fourth Mondays at Hope Mills Recreation Center, 6:30 p.m. This committee seeks to recommend and plan programs of recreation activities and events. In addition to the regular membership, there are two liaison members who represent the Hope Mills Senior Citizens Club and the Hope Mills Youth Association. One vacancy to expire February 2020.

• Historic Preservation Commission – second Wednesdays at Hope Mills Recreation Center, 5 p.m. The committee advises the governing body on issues related to historic identification and preservation. Two vacancies to expire February 2020.

• Appearance Commission – fourth Tuesdays at Hope Mills Recreation Center, 7 p.m. This committee seeks to enhance and improve the visual quality and aesthetic characteristics of the town. One vacancy to expire February 2020.

• Veterans Affairs Commission – fourth Thursdays at the Hope Mills Recreation Center, 7 p.m. The committee is comprised of town residents who are armed services veterans. Members advise the town on affairs related to its active and retired military citizens. Three vacancies expire in February 2020.

Stay in the know

• Go Green! Recycling helps keep your refuse fees lower. Call the Public Works Department’s Waste Management division to start your service at 910-480-4010. Acceptable recyclables can be commingled together in the recycling container. Acceptable recyclable items include: magazines, office paper, junk mail, brown paper bags, newspaper, paperboard (cereal, cracker, drink and snack boxes), phone books, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles (#1 - 7), paper cardboard (dairy and juice containers), aluminum cans, foil and pie tins, steel or tin cans. Collection is on Wednesdays.

• Hope Mills is accepting bids for “ROCKFISH ROAD SIDEWALK FOR TOWN OF HOPE MILLS.” Sealed bids for the project entitled “ROCKFISH ROAD SIDEWALK FOR TOWN OF HOPE MILLS” will be received by the town of Hope Mills until 2 p.m., Feb. 6, in the town of Hope Mills Town Hall, 5770 Rockfish Rd., Board Room. At said place and time, all bids that have been duly received will be publicly opened and read aloud.

A pre-bid conference will be held at 2 p.m., Jan. 16 at the town of Hope Mills Town Hall, 5770 Rockfish Rd., Board Room. Interested parties are invited to attend this meeting to review the plans, ask for additional information or clarification and to visit the project site. Visit www.townofhopemills.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=546 for more information.

Promote yourself

To have your business, organization or event included in this section, email us: hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

The 17th Annual Civil War Quiz Bowl will be hosted by the Museum of the Cape Fear Thursday, Jan. 25, at Headquarters Cumberland County Library.

Over 200 questions have been prepared for willing and knowledgeable participants. Prizes will be awarded for first place in both the youth and adult categories.

According to Leisa Greathouse, associate curator of education for the museum, the quiz bowl began as a way of “telling more than a museum exhibit can.”

“It struck us how much people like trivia, especially Civil War trivia, so we developed the quiz bowl,” Greathouse said. “In our business, we meet many, many Civil War buffs and thought it would be fun to have a friendly contest where they could see how much they know. A test of their knowledge.”

The quiz bowl accepts up to 20 contestants of all ages. This year, the youngest contestant is 12 years old. Greathouse said that many who participate have done so before, with some having competed in all 17 events.

The format of the event remains steadfast every year. Each contestant chooses a category and is asked a question. If that person answers incorrectly, they receive a strike. When a contestant gets three strikes, they’re out of the contest.

The categories and questions vary from year to year and are determined by the curator of education. The categories this year include “Elementary, My Dear,” “Brief Bios,” “Gettysburg,” “Fayetteville Arsenal,” “Chronology,” “Jeopardy (answer in the form of a question),” “The CW in NC,” “For the Experts,” and “When or Where.”

Greathouse said, “It is the most creative aspect in developing the quiz bowl. Last year, for example, all the categories were named for social media sites. Facebook was one category, and all questions contained a picture of the person or the event. This year, we have named categories that people are more accustomed to seeing. The biggest twist we have attempted to put on the event is asking contestants to phrase their answer in the form of a question in just the one category, ‘Jeopardy.’”

The museum has encouraged participants to register early this year in a “Sign-Up, Study-Up” initiative.

Greathouse gave an example of the kind of tricky subject matter participants might encounter. “Civil War enthusiasts know that many battles are referred to differently by both sides,” she said. “Confederates tended to name battles for the nearest town, such as Manassas, in northern Virginia. The Union tended to name battles for the nearest waterway, such as Bull Run Creek.”

The quiz bowl is especially relevant as the Museum of the Cape Fear transitions into the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center. According to the official website, the history center has raised $7.5 million from both the city of Fayetteville and Cumberland County, as well as $5 million from the state. The plan is to renovate and relocate two Civil War-era homes near the Culbreth House to create a period “village.” There is also planning for a Digital Educational Outreach program, as well as the purchase of the existing Poe Rental House. The groundbreaking for its first phase is scheduled for the spring of 2018.

But before our local museum changes into a prominent, statewide history center, it is events like the quiz bowl that will inform the community.

Greathouse said, “By educating people year after year and generation after generation, we are preserving history. But in the end, we want to build a well-educated community. A community of critical thinkers and history-minded individuals who will, at least on occasion, reflect on the past and the lives that lived it.”

The quiz bowl will take place at 7 p.m. in the Pate Room of the library. It is free and open to the public. To sign up, contact Leisa Greathouse at 910-500-4243.

If Charles Robert Jenkins were still around, we could ask him about how to best deal with North Korea. Jenkins, in case you don’t remember, was the soldier from Rich Square, North Carolina, who spent 40 years in that country after deserting across the border while serving in the U.S. Army in South Korea.

Before he died last month, he told Los Angeles Times writer Jonathan Kaiman the lesson he learned from his time there. “I don’t put nothing past North Korea,” he said. “North Korea could to do anything. North Korea don’t care.

“Ain’t nobody live good in North Korea. Nothing to eat. No running water. No electricity. In the wintertime you freeze – in my bedroom, the walls were covered in ice.”

That insight might help us better understand the nature of the country that is threatening a nuclear missile attack against major U.S. cities. But it does not lay out a strategy for dealing with the North Korean threat.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the current administration recognizes the challenge. “When President Trump took office, he identified North Korea as the United States’ greatest security threat,” Tillerson said. “He abandoned the failed policy of strategic patience. In its place, we carried out a policy of pressure through diplomatic and economic sanctions.

A door to dialogue remains open, but we have made it clear that the regime must earn its way back to the negotiating table.”

But the North Koreans have not jumped at the opportunity to talk to the U.S. Surprisingly, they are now talking to the South Koreans about the possibility of participating in the Winter Olympics, which South Korea is hosting next month. Responding to these talks and the possibility of North Korean participation, Sen. Lindsey Graham said the U.S. should boycott the Olympics if North Korea participates. “Allowing Kim Jong Un’s North Korea to participate in #WinterOlympics would give legitimacy to the most illegitimate regime on the planet,” she tweeted.

Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un and our president trade angry threats like bullies in a school yard.

Contrary to Tillerson’s assertion that North Korea is our “greatest security threat,” the greatest threat to the U.S. may be the fixation of people like Tillerson, Graham and Trump on Kim Jong Un.

Is there a better way for the U.S. to deal with North Korea’s nuclear threat than Trump’s boastful threats to destroy North Korea militarily if the U.S. is provoked?

The extraordinary attention given to the North Korean threat is understandable, but it might be counterproductive. Our efforts, our threats, our daily absorption arguably could be doing more harm than good.

We may be paying too much attention to North Korea.

Maybe we should take a step back, get out of the direct confrontation mode, disclaim the primary responsibility for dealing with North Korea’s nuclear fixation, and adopt these guidelines:

Cede leadership and responsibility for North Korea to those most at risk: China, South Korea, Japan and perhaps Russia. Make it clear that we will be supportive of their efforts and will cooperate with the solutions they develop, but we will not dictate terms or take the lead in any negotiations.

2. Continue to work with other nations and the U.N. to enforce and expand the sanctions against North Korea, working as a partner and not insisting on directing the effort.

3. Continue and accelerate research and construction of expanded anti-missile capability, quietly and without unnecessary disclosure, working as rapidly as possible to check the North Korean missiles should they ever be launched.

4. Quietly develop, test and improve contingency plans for a strong response to any North Korea military action against South Korea.

As Jenkins pointed out, there is no good way to deal with the North Koreans. But maybe a step back from confrontation would be “less bad” than our current frantic and provocative approach.

Photo: Charles Jenkins

The song “Time Stand Still” by Rush has lyrics that read:

“Summer’s going fast

Nights growing colder

Children growing up

Old friends growing older

Freeze this moment

A little bit longer

Make each sensation

A little bit stronger”

This song seems to fit my year last year. In this song, the singer is wishing that time would stand still. For me, as well, it seems like time flew by.

The other day, I did an early morning ride. It was 30 degrees, and I knew the nights were getting colder. My little son is now 32 and announced he and his wife are going to have a baby. As I get older, I have noticed that some of my conversations with my riding friends have gone from talking about motorcycling to Medicare, Social Security and retirement. Sadly, a few of my friends have had their last ride.

Each year, I write about riding, spending time with friends and making plans to do those things that people only talk about. I have often written about the “Walt Rule.” For those that have not read heard of this rule, here is a quick recap. Ten years ago, my friend Walter was killed in a car wreck. For years, Walt had asked me to join him on his boat at the beach to go scuba diving, and I never did. It seemed like I always found a reason – I was too busy or I had too much yard work or too much life. So, after Walt passed, I knew I would never get to dive with Walt. I wondered what a trip to the beach with him would have been like, and somehow, I felt I robbed him – and me – of an adventure. It was then that I made a new rule for myself. If someone asks me to do something, and if I can, I will, because otherwise I’ll never know what new journey might have been.

Since that time, I have been on a lot of adventures that I would have never, ever tried before. I have taken up adventure riding. I have ridden to the Arctic Circle, made hundreds of friends, traveled thousands of miles and loved every minute of it.

I often meet riders or “wanna be” riders, and I get a lot of the same story. It usually goes like this: “I wished I could ride, but …” My favorite is the guys with motorcycle vests and bikes who say they cannot ride across town because, although it may look cool, it is extremely uncomfortable. They say they want to ride, but their bike won’t make it.

This time last year, I had no plans. It wasn’t until May that I was able to make a break for it and get my first long ride in. Before the year was over, I was able to cover about 10,000 miles, 13 states and three different time zones. Not only did I see a lot of great sights, I was able to visit a lot of friends and family along the way.

This year, publisher Bill Bowman and I rode to Cody, Wyoming. Most riding days were 400- to 600-mile days. It was nothing to look at each other the night before and say, “I think we have about 500 miles tomorrow,” and we would smile and get at it.

So, as the new year comes, take that step out there, make a plan, write it down, and do it. Make sure that you do not let an experience slip away.

On a personal note, I would like to thank all the folks at Up & Coming Weekly who continue to print my articles and to thank all of you, the readers, for being so supportive over the years.

If there is a topic that you would like to discuss, you can contact me at motorcycle4fun@aol.com.

RIDE SAFE!

A little over a week into January, Julian Hill was listed as the top rebounder from Cumberland County Schools on the stats at ncprepsports.net with an average of 10.1 per game.

That might not seem to be an incredible accomplishment, but considering how far Hill has come in the last two years, it’s almost a leap over Mount Everest.

The 6-foot-4-inch senior forward has battled back from two surgeries on his right knee. This is his first season on a basketball court in two years.

He had to miss the first two games of the current season, not getting clearance from his doctor to return to full competition until Nov. 18.

Regardless of all those challenges, one person who never doubted he’d return was Trojan boys’ head basketball coach Jimmy Peaden.

“I’ve never seen a kid that has his will power as far as getting back from not one but two surgeries,’’ Peaden said. “He’s put in the work. He’s not satisfied at all with where he is.’’

Where he is, despite still not being 100 percent in basketball shape, is averaging a double-double almost nightly for the Trojans while often pulling double coverage from the defense.

The toughest part for Hill this season, he said, was realizing he would not be healthy in time to return to his role as quarterback on the Trojan football team. About mid-season during football, he sat down with his family, his doctor and his physical therapist to plot strategy for what remained.

“We said basketball was going to be the goal,’’ Hill said. That forced a change in the rehabilitation therapy he was taking.

“Basketball requires a lot of jumping, a lot of explosiveness,’’ he said. “We did a lot of jumping activities, a change of direction.’’

Despite all the personal work he’s put in, Hill doesn’t like to take credit for his rebounding success so far.

“When the entire team boxes out, it works for whoever gets the ball,’’ Hill said.

There is still a lot of basketball to be played this season, and Hill said that is what Peaden has been preaching to the Trojan team.

“We have to stay together, even through the downs,’’ Hill said. “We have to stay tougher every day and better ourselves for the next game.

“It’s like a big brotherhood. The guys know it, and the coaches feel it. I think we’ll turn it around really soon.’’

Photo: Julian Hill

Luis Irizarry knew one thing for sure when he retired from the Army in 2006: he was done taking orders. Irizarry always had an entrepreneurial bent, opening a restaurant in the late 1990s when he was stationed in Virginia and a home improvement business when he transitioned out of the Army years later. Now, the serial entrepreneur and his wife Edna have their hands full with several thriving foodbased businesses.

Born in Puerto Rico and raised in New Jersey, Luis has always loved cooking. “A lot of Spanish dishes, I learned from my mom,” Irizarry said. “That was a big part of the menu at my first restaurant.”

Straight out of the Army, Luis opened a business doing home repairs and flipping houses. While it was rewarding being his own boss, he eventually decided it wasn’t a good fit. “I got tired of that,” he said. “Then, I went to school. I already knew how to cook, but I wanted to learn more and to brush up. I went to Fayetteville Technical Community College and got a culinary degree, hotel management degree and business degree.”

Now he gives back, returning to FTCC and local high schools to share his story with students. Sharing his passion with young people and teaching them about the food business is one of his favorite things to do. Often, he takes on local students as interns and employees, teaching them the food service business.

With a catering business, a food truck and a food truck commissary based out of Hope Mills and now, running the kitchen at downtown Fayetteville’s Lake Gaston Brewery, Luis and Edna have their hands full. The pair is committed to bringing delicious food to the community.

“Elite Catering is a full-service catering company,” said Luis. “We come to your location, serve, take care of your guests and clean up. You don’t have to worry about anything. Just come hungry.”

Luis also noted that staying flexible is a big part of being successful. For example, what is now the Elite Catering food truck was originally the truck Luis used in his home improvement business.

“Once I started the catering business, I would use it to transport things to and from parties,” Luis said. “But when we decided to convert it to a food truck, I would go on Craigslist and buy used equipment as I could and as I needed it. I don’t owe anyone, and I own all of my equipment outright. That has given me a lot of freedom when it comes to growing my businesses.”

Another priority for Luis with the catering food truck has been keeping the menu flexible. “I didn’t want people to see my truck and say, ‘Oh, there goes the taco truck.’ Or, ‘There goes the rib truck,’” said Luis. “I like to keep my options open and adjust the menu to what I think will work for the occasion and location.”

When Luis decided to open his food truck in 2007, he was on the hunt for a commissary – a place to prep food and clean his truck – and he had a hard time finding one. “Food trucks weren’t popular here yet, so I had a hard time finding a commissary,” he said. “But when the opportunity came up to help other food trucks, it was easy to say yes. I wanted to give back because no one gave me a chance. So, when someone comes to me, I like to help them. I currently have three food trucks and a hotdog cart that we are a commissary for.”

In addition to the Hope Mills food truck commissary, Luis owns a building in Hope Mills that he plans to reopen as a café at some point. Right now, though, he said the catering business, food truck and food truck commissary are plenty in addition to the Lake Gaston Brewing Co. venture.

“We have a new menu coming after Valentine’s Day,” said Luis. The menu reflects not only Luis’ Puerto Rican cooking background that includes dishes he learned from his mom; it has items like cauliflower bites, buffalo shrimp, lamb sliders, brats, gourmet burgers and more.

“It’s a passion for me and Edna,” Luis said. “We don’t think in terms of dollars. We consider every event and how we can make it a good experience for the guests and our customers. We don’t cut corners, and we love people.”

Photo:Luis Irizarry

Former Fayetteville High School and North Carolina State University standout Chris Cammack is one of 15 members of the latest class chosen for induction into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in Raleigh.

Cammack helped lead Fayetteville High to a state basketball title in the late 1960s under veteran head coach Len Maness but is best remembered for his baseball exploits. He was a four-year All-ACC performer at third base for NC State and helped lead the team to the 1968 College World Series.

His batting average of .429 in 1969 is still the single-season record at NC State.

Fayetteville lawyer Wade Byrd was a classmate of Cammack’s at Fayetteville High and among his best friends.

He probably could have played college basketball but he chose baseball because it was his first love,’’ Byrd said. “He was one of the greatest athletes to come out of Fayetteville or North Carolina.’’

Byrd said if Cammack was still alive, he’d likely downplay and joke about his selection for the hall. “He was a great guy with an engaging smile,’’ Byrd said. “Everybody who knew him loved him.’’

Photo: Chris Cammack

Fayetteville City Manager Doug Hewett got a pay raise when his employment contract was quietly renewed in October. City council had given Hewett a one-year deal in 2016 to see if he would turn out to be the right man for the job. He succeeded Ted Voorhees who was fired. City spokesman Nathan Walls said Hewett received a $10,000 raise from $185,000 annually to $195,000 plus $6,000 in additional “executive compensation.” The new agreement is open-ended, as contracts for city managers normally are. Hewett serves at the pleasure of city council.

Internet knowledge for parents

A local workshop in Spring Lake last week was likely a wake-up call for some parents. Cumberland County Schools held the forum at Manchester Elementary School to help parents learn how to protect their children from online risks. Natalie Wood Riche of the North Carolina Department of Justice discussed with parents how exposure to cyberbullying, cyberstalking and sexting could cause harm to youth. Parents were also alerted to the reality of child predators. Riche shared tips on what to do if a youngster becomes a victim of cyberbullying or cyberstalking.

Dosomething.org, a global movement of 5.5 million young people making positive change online, found that nearly 40 percent of all teenagers have posted or sent sexually suggestive messages, but this practice is more common among boys than girls. Sending semi-nude or nude photos is more common among teens girls. Twenty-two percent of teen girls report sending images of this nature, while only 18 percent of same-age boys have.

Back to the judicial drawing board

A three-member panel of federal judges has again struck down a North Carolina Republican legislature’s proposed congressional election districts. They declared the revised map unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering and gave state lawmakers until Jan. 29 to come up with new maps.

The judges, in a decision authored by Judge James A. Wynn, unanimously held that the Republican congressional map violated the U.S. Constitution’s equal-protection clause because it favored their party.

“The General Assembly intended to discriminate against voters who supported or were likely to support non-Republican candidates,” Wynn wrote, and “the 2016 Plan dilutes the votes of non-Republican voters and entrenches Republican control of the state’s congressional delegation.”

The ruling creates uncertainty in the 2018 election cycle in North Carolina a month before candidates were scheduled to file for office. Until the issue is resolved, the appeals court ordered that new congressional elections are on hold. Legislative leaders say they plan to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sexual abuse in the armed forces

It was a traumatic moment for Nichole Bowen- Crawford. The last thing she wanted to do was fly across the country to stand in the bitter cold outside the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., to tell those who would listen about being assaulted by a fellow soldier and then silenced by her superiors. But she did it because she believed she had to speak up and encourage others like her to break their silence.

“Standing up for the men and women who serve our country who can’t report sexual assault in a safe way is more important than my feelings,” she said. “It’s time... that men and women have the freedom to say ‘Me, too,’ instead of (maintaining) silence.” Bowen-Crawford joined a small cadre of military sexual assault survivors who demanded accountability from Pentagon leadership. “The truth is, I am really scared to be here, really scared to tell my story,” she told a small crowd gathered at the Pentagon gates.

Despite efforts to reduce the occurrence of military sexual assault in recent years, the Pentagon estimates more than 6,100 sexual assaults took place in fiscal year 2016, about the same as in the two previous years. The Pentagon estimates that two-thirds of victims don’t come forward, which means there were more than 18,300 sexual assaults for each of those years.

Lydia Watts, CEO of Service Women’s Action Network, organized the protest. “When do we see military perpetrators of sexual violence held to account?” she asked. Protestors demanded that the Pentagon take increased action to stop sexual assault by changing what several called a misogynistic military culture. They called on leaders to take assault cases out of the hands of commanders – a change that has been championed by Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-NY. Military leadership has blocked the proposal, claiming it would undermine command authority. Inside the Pentagon, Army Col. Rob Manning said there is “zero tolerance” for sexual assault or harassment in the military.

The people speak about community needs

The city of Fayetteville’s Economic & Community Development Department is hosting a series of citizen participation meetings to help identify needs in the community in preparation for the department’s 2018-19 Annual Action Plan. Topics of discussion include housing and economic development. The meetings are designed to allow citizens the opportunity to voice their concerns and identify needs. They will learn how federal community development funds are utilized. Feedback collected from participants will help staff develop a revised action plan to be presented to city council for consideration.

Remaining meetings will be held Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. at Hollywood Heights Community Center on Pritchett Road and Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. at the Old Wilmington Road Neighborhood Resource Center.

Photo: Fayetteville City Manager Doug Hewett

At 1 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 6, the Fayetteville Public Works Commission noticed water levels in some elevated water towers were dropping. It wasn’t until 4 p.m. that PWC discovered a massive flow of water on Langdon Street a couple of blocks from city Fire Station 14. Two hundred yards or so off the road, a crew found the problem: A valve on the end of a 48-inch water main stub-out had burst, and water was gushing horizontally above ground.

It was the worst of several dozen water line breaks that first began occurring Jan. 2. Temperatures had plunged below freezing New Year’s Day and stayed that way until Jan. 8. Nearly the entire PWC water distribution system of 1,400 miles of cast iron, ductile iron and PVC water pipes encountered problems. It was the worst mass water service interruption career crew members have seen.

PWC team leader Tony Lucas and his crew were working on a water leak on S. Main Street in Hope Mills when he was splashed by rushing water. “My pants immediately froze to my legs,” Lucas said. The temperature had fallen to 11 degrees. On another occasion, Lucas said, his boots froze solid. Water valve technician James Pickens was called out Saturday and shut off an estimated 30 valves over the course of two days.

“I’ve got a tremendous group of guys,” said Chris Rainey, operations manager of PWC’s Water Resources Division.

Rainey said it took two hours to shut down the Landon Street water main where a 12-inch line was coupled to the 48-inch main. He said the valve split in half, and they still haven’t found the half that broke off. It took another two hours to drain the line before repairs could begin.

Large water mains also burst on Sunset Avenue, Southern Avenue and Anarine Road. Water levels dropped in five 1 million-gallon water towers, causing the gravity distribution system to falter. Rainey said he had 85 crewmen working over the Jan. 6-7 weekend.

At about 6:30 p.m. Saturday, PWC issued a precautionary boil water advisory, according to Communications Officer Carolyn Justice-Hinson. Restaurants began closing because they could no longer use water or ice. She said the system was restored about 10 p.m. as the tanks were refilled. The water still could not be used for human consumption until it was thoroughly tested for contaminants. That took another couple of days.

Rainey said local records indicate there had not been a prolonged spell of a week or more of sub-freezing temperatures since 1968. Even after temperatures rose above freezing Jan. 9, water main breaks occurred. As Rainey explained it, the thawing of the ground relieves pressure on pipes, and they become vulnerable to breaking. They tend to be nuisance type breaks but require maintenance.

“The public was gracious and understanding,” Justice-Hinson said of the events. PWC used Facebook and its website, FayPWC.com, to keep the public informed. Comments were for the most part supportive of the dedicated men and women of the PWC, she added.

We need to clear up once and for all whether a chemical compound produced by Chemours Fayetteville Works is making us sick, killing us or just scaring the heck out everybody.

Some background. Chemours – formerly DuPont – produces GenX, a chemical compound used to make nonstick coatings on pots and frying pans. It’s also been labeled a potential cancer-causing toxin, which naturally has people in the area around the plant worried. The stuff has been showing up in above-recommended levels in the Cape Fear River, a couple of lakes and in nearby private wells.

Late last month, the state reported finding GenX on the east side of the Cape Fear River in five more wells, directly across from the Chemours Plant. Apparently, the stuff travels through the air as well as through groundwater.

Chemours is located between N.C. Highway 87 to the west and Cape Fear River to the east on the Bladen/Cumberland County line.

Word got out this past June that researchers had found GenX in the Cape Fear River a year earlier. In fact, it’s been swimming in the river since 1980.

Research has linked the chemical to tumors in small animals, but there is no definite link to humans yet. In almost every report about GenX, there’s a qualifying statement referring to it as a potential hazard to humans. Currently, state officials claim it’s not dangerous to humans if the discharge is 140 parts per trillion or less. To me, that’s like being just a little pregnant.

I think it’s time to set the record straight. How does GenX affect humans? People whose wells are affected and those living downriver deserve to know exactly how this chemical affects their health. Calling it potentially dangerous without sound scientific proof does nothing but cause undue fear.

Remember, the stuff is made so we can fry our eggs without butter. We use it daily, in muffin pans, pots and other cookware. How much of it do we eat when we scrape our eggs out of a pan that should have been thrown out as soon as its cooking surface started to show signs of wear?

So, where’s the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on this? When Flint, Michigan, had its lead-contaminated drinking water crisis in 2014, the CDC was all over it.

The 2018 National Defense Authorization Act directs the CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry to study the health effects on humans from perflorinated chemicals, which includes GenX. The study is due for completion in December 2023. But that timetable doesn’t help the people living near the Chemours site having to drink bottled water.

So far, the people living downriver seem to be OK. Wilmington’s Sweeney Water Plant for the past several months also ran tests for GenX. The resuts consistently registered below the 140 parts per trillion level, with one high reading at 98 ppt.

What about our General Assembly? The Senate hasn’t moved on this issue yet. But the House has been busy. Nov. 30, state Department of Environmental Quality staff briefed members of the House Select Committee on NC River Quality on the latest surface and groundwater monitoring and air emissions from Chemours. They also reported on state enforcement actions for an unreported chemical spill at Chemours.

Based on that information, the legislative committee approved a proposed bill Jan. 4 to deal with the “potentially carcinogenic compound found in the Cape Fear River. “

At this writing, the General Assembly was scheduled to consider the bill during a Wednesday, Jan. 10, special daylong session.

The bill authorizes the state Department of Health and Human Services to work with scientists on coming up with health goals for contaminants. It also directs the DEQ to study the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting process and to coordinate and share water quality data with neighboring states.

In the meantime, we still don’t know if GenX – even at 140 ppt – is harming us, or worse.

President Donald Trump’s claims about voter fraud are preposterous. No credible evidence suggests that millions of people cast illegal ballots or that candidates who outpoll rivals by several percentage points can accomplish that by fraud under modern election administration.

Now that I’ve completed the requisite throat-clearing, I have a question for progressive readers: does the recent contest for control of the Virginia House of Delegates make you even a little bit uncomfortable?

Thanks primarily to the prevailing anti-Trump political winds, Virginia Democrats did very well in November. Their net gain of 15 GOP-held seats put them just one seat away from a tie and a likely power-sharing deal in the Virginia House.

That seat might have been won by Democrat Shelly Simonds in a Newport News-centered district. After the election-night tally showed her just 10 votes behind incumbent Republican David Yancey, Simonds sought a recount. It put her ahead by a single ballot. Republicans then successfully challenged that ballot in court.

The resulting tie was settled by drawing a name out of a bowl. Yancey got the luck of the draw. The GOP retained control of the legislative chamber, however unimpressively.

Tied elections aren’t unknown in North Carolina. As The Charlotte Observer recently reported, tied municipal races in Alleghany County, Sampson County and Mecklenburg County have been resolved by chance in recent memory. If we broaden the category a bit to include races settled by dozens or hundreds of votes, there are many more cases in municipal, county and even legislative races.

For that matter, who can forget the 2000 Florida recounts? A few hundred ballots separated George W. Bush and Al Gore in a state with enough electoral votes to sway the presidential race. Complaints about hanging chads, butterfly ballots and premature media calls depressing turnout in the Florida panhandle weren’t the only relevant controversies. Another was illegal voting, either by felons or by snowbirds and students with residences in multiple states.

Over the years, North Carolina has implemented a number of policies to deter illegal voting. Still, after the 2016 election, the State Board of Elections conducted an audit that found 508 votes cast that shouldn’t have counted. Most involved felons whose right to vote had not yet been restored. But there were also 41 substantiated cases of votes by noncitizens, 24 substantiated cases of double-voting and two substantiated cases of impersonation fraud, one in person and one by absentee ballot.

Some activists claimed this post-election audit proved that additional measures to ensure election integrity were unneeded. Their reasoning was faulty. The audit established a floor, not a ceiling, for illegal votes cast.

Impersonation fraud, for example, is likely done most of the time by people voting on behalf of their relatives, as was the case with the two substantiated cases in 2016. But such an audit can catch that only if the titular voters are deceased. What about voting on behalf of shut-ins or relatives with mental disabilities? Rules for both absentee and in-person voting need to be stricter to deter that.

Residency fraud also merits more attention and could be better policed in part by voter-ID requirements. If people with living quarters in multiple states – be they retirees, professionals or students – want to make North Carolina their residence for the purposes of voting, they should be required to possess a state-issued ID as an indication of their true intention. (Most are already required by state law to have North Carolina driver’s licenses if they want to operate a vehicle in the state for more than a few weeks, although they don’t always realize that.)

If you think election-integrity initiatives are nothing more than a Republican plot to suppress the vote, you should know that downplaying rare but potentially consequential cases of voter fraud only strengthens the resolve of those who favor voter-ID laws and the like, as a new Public Opinion Quarterly study confirms. A more productive response would be to work with Republicans to implement a low-cost insurance policy against fraudulent electoral outcomes.

Well-Strung is a New York City-based singing string quartet that thrives on juxtapositions. Fusing classical music with pop is its claim to fame, and shaking up the stereotypical image of string instrument players adds a layer of fun. The quartet comes to the Givens Performing Arts Center Tuesday, Jan. 23.

Edmund Bagnell (first violin), Chris Marchant (second violin), Daniel Shevlin (cello) and Trevor Wadleigh (viola) have been performing as a group since their debut at the Ars Nova theater in NYC in February 2012. When they performed again at a pub in Manhattan a few months later, they’d generated so much buzz that the show promptly sold out.

The group was conceived by producer and manager Mark Cortale and Marchant. Cortale saw Marchant busking with his violin in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in the summer of 2010. At the time, Marchant was singing in a show at The Art House and was busking on the side for extra money.

“He was really fantastic,” Cortale said. “The next day, I approached him... to discuss an idea I had for a solo show for him.” Marchant loved Cortales’ idea to do a show that combined pop and classical music but suggested expanding it into a quartet.

The rest is well-documented history. Well-Strung has been reviewed by The New York Times, New York Magazine, Broadway World, The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, “The Today Show,” CBS News and ABC News. They’ve also performed for President Barrack Obama.

Up & Coming Weekly talked with Bagnell about the ins and outs of being a member of Well-Strung.

Up & Coming Weekly: Who does the work of transforming existing songs into music uniquely composed for Well-Strung?

Bagnell: We do about ninety percent of the arranging ourselves, and it’s split pretty evenly among the four of us. In many cases, one of us will get inspired and bring an arrangement to the group.

UCW: Describe your approach to musical performance and entertainment with Well-Strung.

Bagnell: We love music, and we like to have fun with music, and in that we bring a certain sense of humor to some of our pop/classical mashups.

Above all else, we want our audiences to have a wonderful time at our show. We play a whole range of music from the 17th century all the way up to pop songs from this year, and we like to emphasize that good music is good music – no matter when it was written. … So, for instance, we’ll layer Aaron Copland with Taylor Swift, and Radiohead with Bach.

UCW: What is one of the craziest or funniest things that’s happened to you while performing onstage?

Bagnell: Luckily nothing too crazy has happened, but I will say that I seem to be the only one out of the four of us who consistently breaks a string on stage. About every four months I’ll have to run offstage during a show to go replace a string that broke.

UCW: What is your favorite part of performing with this quartet?

Bagnell: I love performing live with these guys. We’re like brothers, and we’ve done so many shows together I think we’ve become really good at reading each other onstage and being spontaneous musically. I also love that there are no rules to the music we play – if we want to play country music, we do it. If we want to play Mozart, we do it. It’s very liberating.

James Bass, GPAC director, said it’s this mentality that makes him so excited to have Well-Strung on the GPAC stage.

“We have to keep our season lineup diverse,” he said. “We have popular music, we have Broadway musicals, we have straight theatre, and we have large music ensembles. But what Well-Strung brings is something different – it’s a show that can satisfy hardcore music fans, pop music fans and people who just want to have a lot of fun with their friends.”

The members of Well-Strung are not just varied in their music, they’re also varied in their talents. Marchant and Wadleigh competed as a team on CBS’ “The Amazing Race,” which was filmed this October and premiered Jan. 4, 2018. Visit www.cbs. com/shows/amazing_race/cast/215804/ to view their #TeamWellStrung profile.

Visit uncp.edu/gpactickets or call 910-521-636 to purchase tickets for Well-Strung’s performance at the GPAC Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m.

Meet the bandmates

Edmund Bagnell (first violin) comes from South Carolina where he attended the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and went on to attend New York University as music major. His senior year, he was cast as Tobias in the first national tour of “Sweeney Todd,” directed by John Doyle. He has performed as a violinist, actor, and singer in NYC and around the country. Credits include Charlie Brown in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and Tom Sawyer in “Big River” (Summer Theater of New Canaan).

Chris Marchant (violin) grew up in Akron, Ohio, where he began playing violin thanks to his mother’s urging. Throughout high school, Chris was involved in school and regional orchestras and choirs. He received a Bachelor of Arts in music ministry from Malone College, where he discovered a love of musical theatre. Credits include Tobias in “Sweeney Todd” and “Spring Awakening” (both national tours). Follow him on Instagram and Twitter: @chrisjmarchant.

Daniel Shevlin (cello) is originally from South Jersey and has been playing cello since he was ten years old. He moved to New York City at age 18 to pursue a career in musical theater. Since then, he has toured the U.S. and Asia in productions of “Rent” and “Cabaret” and has worked regionally as an actor and cellist in many theaters, including the Arvada Center (Colorado), Maltz Jupiter Theatre (Florida) and Mason Street Warehouse (Michigan). He studied musical theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and has been a member of Actors Equity since 2006.

Trevor Wadleigh (viola) is a native of Kent, Washington, and began studying viola at age 17 under the tutelage of Joyce Ramée. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Puget Sound with major concentrations in business and music performance as well as a minor in comparative sociology. While completing undergraduate coursework, he studied concurrently with Burton Kaplan of NYC where he completed an Artist’s Certificate program at the Aaron Copland School of Music. He has served as principal and section violist of the Lake Union Civic Orchestra (Seattle, Washington); Yakima Symphony (Yakima, Washington); Brevard Music Center Orchestra (Transylvania County, North Carolina); and Nova Philharmonic.

The Cumberland County Republican Party presents its Lincoln-Reagan Dinner Saturday, Jan. 27, at 6 p.m. at The Vine.

“This is an annual dinner for candidates, registered Republican voters and their guests to get together and share ideas about the coming year and how we can best advance conservative ideas locally and in the state,” said James Baker, county Republican Party chairman. “In the case of congressmen who are attending, we also want to share with them our concerns as conservatives on the national level.”

Baker added that many conservative voters are supportive of tax reform, and many of them are hunters or sportsmen and support the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill that one of our congressmen has recently advocated.

The keynote speaker is Lt. Gov. Dan Forest. Special guests include North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Barbara Jackson, Congressman Robert Pittenger, Sen. Wesley Meredith, Rep. John Szoka and other statewide and local officials.

The Lincoln-Reagan Dinner is named in honor of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.

Lincoln was the first Republican president and a great president who successfully preserved the Union,” said Baker. “Reagan was a tremendous conservative, and even President Obama has referred to Reagan as a transformational figure who was successful in the opinion of many in bringing transformational change to the country in his generation.”

Baker said the Cumberland County Republican Party exists to support its candidates. “We support our candidates at the local level, statewide and national levels,” said Baker. “Our primary focus is local, then statewide and then nationwide – in that order.

“We are looking forward to a good event. Our guests are very highly regarded by local Republicans, and we are looking forward to a great evening.”

Ticket cost is $50, and there will be door prizes. Doors open at 5 p.m. The Vine is located at 806 Katie St. For more information, call 910-728-2601.

Photo:Lt. Gov. Dan Forest is set to deliver the keynote address at the Lincoln- Reagan Dinner Jan. 27. The dinner is hosted by the Cumberland County Republican Party.