Recently, I thought about what it might be like to trade places with my son for a day. Austin is 16-years-old and has what is often referred to as High Functioning Autism. This means that, while he still has autism, he is intelligent, can function in a regular classroom (with some help), and can take care of himself for the most part. As a parent, however, it doesn’t matter how high functioning your child with autism is — there is still a great deal of heartache and concern involved. And the initial diagnosis is still traumatic.

My first thought was that it would be a great learning experience to trade places with my son for a day. I would understand him better and see the world through his eyes. I would be able to see and feel what autism really is, thinking his thoughts and experiencing his feelings. Since I already have the insight of what it is like to not have autism, trading places with Austin would help me see what’s different.

From a purely mechanical standpoint, I thought it would be amazing to hold huge numbers of facts in my brain, something that is not normally my strength, and be able to regurgitate them whenever necessary. I might be able to remember and ponder the 435 animals that he has in his imaginary zoo. I would be able to remember what groceries I need, an impossible task for me without a list. Like Austin, I would be able to recall with relative ease things like all the court cases and amendments to the constitution or remember word-for-word summaries from the back of books.

Living with autism for a day might help me understand Austin’s thought process in social situations. Perhaps it would help me understand why Austin’s greetings to other people seem so timid and strained? I would be able to understand better what it’s like to be in a room full of people and not really be interested in what is going on around me. I thought that it would help me be a better mom and help me help others to see the great young man that I know and love.

Having autism myself might help me make environmental adjustments that would relieve the discomfort of noises that Austin perceives as loud enough to cover his ears. Maybe I could help decrease sibling rivalry if I could understand why he absolutely cannot ignore his younger sister’s taunts and joking. Even though I know that my son feels loved, experiencing autism might allow me to see more clearly the way in which Austin loves others and perceives other people’s expressions of love toward him.

But, after more consideration, thinking about trading places with my son for a day made me feel sad. I thought, what if I find out that the world is a very critical and chaotic place when you have autism? What if just a regular day is full of distracting and annoying noises that I couldn’t screen out? What if looking someone in the eyes and smiling at them became a diffi cult task? What if I found myself correcting people because their inaccuracies made me just plain crazy? What if I discovered that the only place that I felt safe and secure was being in my bedroom by myself?

What if I found out that I wouldn’t understand half of what people say since people rarely say what they mean and rarely mean what they say? What if I learned that solitary isolation was the consolation prize when communication with other people was too difficult and fraught with too many land mines? What if I found out that I was a square peg trying to fi t into a round hole, or that people were really not very compassionate?

Change is difficult for people with autism. Recently, I have been talking with Austin more about the future and how to make your way in the world. It made me sad to think that maybe my foray into these new topics caused him great angst. It is overwhelming for a normal teenager to think about leaving home or going to college. What would it be like to entertain these thoughts, knowing that the world does not accommodate me very well? It makes me sad to think that if I had autism the world would always be trying to turn my “squareness” into “roundness.” I would always be “wrong,” wouldn’t I? I would always be different, wouldn’t I?

I would not want to relive my own high school days, much less those of an autistic 16-year-old young man. Maybe trading places with my son would help; maybe it wouldn’t. Some people who have autism say that they like the way they are and wouldn’t want to be “normal.” Nevertheless, if it would be helpful, I would trade places with my son for a day in a heartbeat. In fact, like most parents, I would trade my life if I could.

For more information on autism, contact:The Autism Society of Cumberland County at (910) 826-3004/3005, via email at autismcc@ccpfc.org or online at www. autismcc.org.

From its earliest days, Fayetteville has played a part in the significant events that have shaped the state and even the country. From the Liberty Point Resolve of 1775 that pledged local support for the Revolutionary War to the wars in the middle east that are shaping our world today.

As part of the 31 Day Salute honoring the military, the Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum is hosting Cumberland County Goes to War. The exhibit celebrates the sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) of the American Civil War.

“This being a local history museum, we are focusing on what was going on in Fayetteville and Cumberland County during the Civil War,” said Fayetteville Historic Properties Manager Bruce Dawes. “It is kind of a compartmentalized exhibit. We’ve got a section on the arsenal, and then we talk about the home front war efforts. A lot of that has to do with the contributions of the ladies and children and the elderly people that were serving on the home front. It was certainly a war where sacrifices were felt at all levels, not just the soldiers in the field, but on the home front, too. They did a lot of sacrifice and volunteer work.”

Visitors to the exhibit may not know that Fayetteville had three hospitals in operation during the Civil War. There was one on Hay Street, one at the arsenal and another close to the Cape Fear River that helped to take care of wounded soldiers coming from places like Fort Fisher.

“We will have a section on Fayetteville as it relates to being an inland port on the Cape Fear River and our connection with Wilmington and the whole blockade running thing,” said Dawes. “We talk about goods coming in from Europe through the blockades and things coming up the Cape Fear River. We talk about the Cape Fear River and Fayetteville and what was going on with the river.”

From there visitors follow the action to the battle of Monroe’s Crossroads which was fought on land that is now Fort Bragg, but was part of Cumberland County. This battle was as fought towards the end of the war March 10, 1865, and it only gets more exciting from there.

“We profile Monroe’s Crossroad, and the day after that was the occupation of Fayetteville by General Sherman,” said Dawes. During Sherman’s stay in town, the Cape Fear River bridge was burned and Sherman’s army had to build pontoons to get across. The Confederate army proceeded north and the union army pursued and went north, too.

On the Harnett/Cumberland line, the battle of Averasboro commenced on March 15 of 1865, and there were Fayetteville natives in the mix who will be represented in this part of the exhibit, too.

“Then, just to bring the war to a complete close, because we have Fayettevillians who fought in the largest battle ever fought in North Carolina, and the last major engagement of the war in North Carolina that is the battle of Bentonville, which will also be featured,” said Dawes. “We also have a random sampling of personalities — people from Fayetteville/Cumberland County who served in the war. We have pictures of these local veterans and personalities. Of course most of them fought for the south but there were a few who fought for the Union.”

One of these personalities includes an African-American who went to Maryland and helped to raise a couple of Union regiments. Every aspect of the exhibit is closely related to what was going on in Fayetteville Cumberland County at the time Dawes said. The exhibit runs through May 31 at the Fayetteville Area Transportation Museum, which is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Visit www.fcpr.us/transportation_museum.aspx or call 433-1458 to find out more.

Photo: The Fayetteville Transportation Museum is hosting Cumberland County Goes to War through May 31.

Source Code  (Rated PG-13)  Five Stars

Source Code(93 minutes) is the best Philip K. Dick novel that Philip K. Dick never wrote. It bears a resemblance to several other “hard” science fiction films, even if the science is a little fuzzy. Get out your blender, toss in Total Recall, Groundhog Day, The Matrix, then sprinkle with a topping of misdirection. Director Duncan Jones where have you been all my life? Hey! He directed Moon! That was also good.

The film starts off with disorientation. Tricksy camera angles distort a suspiciously clean city … supposedly Chicago, but very, very, shiny and new. All kinds of red herrings are set before the audience, and some are even relevant. Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) finds himself in the middle of a, ahem, quantum leap. It is unclear if he is perhaps a little nuts or possibly experiencing a psychotic break during the eight minutes immediately preceding him getting hit in the face by a huge explosion.

Then it turns out that he was not actually hit in the face by a huge explosion … it was teacher Sean Fentress, whose body he is borrowing, who was actually melted by the incoming fireball. He figures this out only after a positively exhausting interview/sort-of-debriefing with Captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga, who reminds me more of a Cate Blanchett/Tilda Swinton hybrid in every film she does). He irritatingly refuses to put the lives of other people ahead of his own confusion, repeatedly demanding answers that he is clearly not going to get.

Finally, Captain Goodwin gets it through his thick skull that he is part of a special program combining quantum whoosit with whatchyamacallit parabolic science and the movie Memento. But enough physics! Time to return to the Source Code, where Captain Colter has eight minutes to get as much information as possible about a train bombing so the army guys (and Captain Goodwin) can prevent an even bigger bombing. Not that he can change anything, so don’t even worry about that. Even if you subscribe to the many worlds theory, Dr. Rutledge points out that Colter would not be changing reality prime (that’s kind of a Slidersreference, but mostly I made it up), he would just be creating a totally new reality.

He is sent back? (in? through? to?) and manages to avoid sounding crazypants this time. He has a slightly different conversation with Christine (Michelle Monaghan) the woman sitting across from him than he did during the opening credits, and he becomes convinced that the things he does on the train actually create change in the “real” world. Thinking about it now makes my head hurt, but at the time it made total sense.

He starts to wonder what is going on with his reality as the metal capsule he is strapped into seems to be deteriorating in between trips. Jerky Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright, or “Basquiat” to the hardcore art nerds) points out that there a larger issues at stake, and every second they spend pandering to Colter’s insecurity about the nature of reality is one less second they are trying to prevent the annihilation of Chicago.

With each trip, he gathers marginally more intelligence, but also becomes more certain of two things. First, he is not being told the whole truth about his status. Second, he can save the otherwise doomed people on the train. He begins to gather intel about himself as well as about the pending explosion.

Colter does eventually get answers, and so does the audience. Half the fun is speculating about where he actually is, and if any of his desperate attempts to communicate with reality prime are successful. Overall, a superb addition to the time loop genre deserving of a much larger audience than it is getting.

On April 13, Methodist University hosted the Cumberland County Special Olympics. Not only was is a great day for the athletes, it was a heartwarming day for their families and the spectators too.

“We had close to 200 athletes, maybe a little more. It was a lot of fun. We even had the E.E. Smith High School band come out and join us for the opening ceremony,” said Brad Melvin, assistant recreational center supervisor for Fayetteville/Cumberland County Parks and Rec. He added that the contestants had a lot of fun because they not only get a chance to come out and compete, but everybody goes away with something. They always get a medal or a ribbon.

“My favorite thing as the volunteer coordinator is that I get a chance to work with the volunteers. The way the volunteers interact with the contestants is great,” said Melvin.

“It gives the kids something to look forward to, and I think it means even more to the volunteers than it does the kids. The kids put a smile on everyone’s face, the way they work so hard and compete.”

Events like this are important to the athletes and the community alike. Not only does it give the community a chance to cheer the olympians on and to watch them succeed, it rewards the hard work and training that the athletes have put into their event.

On May 7, Gifts Galore and S.O. Much More Shopping Expo is set to take place at the Dorothy Gilmore Therapeutic Recreation Center. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and admission is free.

Started 2009 to raise funds in support of Cumberland County’s Special Olympics, the mission of Gifts Galore is “to provide all citizens with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to become useful, productive citizens who are respected in our area.”

The shopping spree is held twice a year, the first Saturday in May and the first Saturday in Dec. Home-based businesses and artisans show up and sell a variety of great products and the money received from the vendor booth rentals all goes right back into the Special Olympics. They’ve got everything from hand bags and home decor items to skin care and scrap-booking products.

The money raised will be used to for the special olympics program to put on and attend different events throughout the county and to travel to the state level events.

The state level games will be held on June 3-5 in the Raleigh/Cary area, and Cumberland County will be well represented. “We have, including our coaches and athletes, about 100 people or so,” said Melvin.

With more than 300 athletes across Cumberland County the Special Olympics has a lot of work to do every year. The fact that the organization operates solely on donations, can make it tough to meet their goals sometimes, that is why events like this are so important to the programs. Donations are accepted year round. For more info or to make a donation call the Cumberland County Special Olympics at 433-1000.

Two and half years ago, I found myself driving down I-95, having packed up everything I owned and moving to a community that I knew little about. Like many people I know, my career had brought me to Fayetteville. For the first few months, I focused on my job, got to know my co-workers, and was involved with a few community events here and there.

After the excitement of a new town had worn off, I sat back and realized that I knew very little about the community where I lived and the people who lived here. The common themes ran through my head: “there is no one like me here,” “this is a small town, and unless you were born here, you are an outsider”, and of course, “there is nothing to do here.”

After some coaxing from someone I had met at one of the “here-and-there” community events, I finally decided to look into the Fayetteville Young Professionals. I found a group of young men and women, who, just like me, were eager to meet new people, get involved in our community, and make a difference.

“There was no one like me” because I chose not to meet them. The only reason I felt like an outsider was because I allowed myself to be one. And the only reason there was nothing to do was that I chose not to do anything.

My advice to anyone that finds themselves in the same situation I did is to visit www.fayyp.org and come to the next event that interests you. Any Wednesday morning, join us for breakfast at Haymont Grill. We are there from 6.45-8.30. If you are not a morning person (I am not but still manage to make it every once in a while), check the calendar for the monthly Lunch and Learn series where we have a guest join us to discuss their field of expertise. In the upcoming months, our topics will include personal nutrition and the Fort Bragg expansion. And for all those people who have wanted to learn to play golf but are too embarrassed to hack away in front of your friends who have been playing for years, be on the lookout for Summer Golf Lessons sponsored by FYP.

Finally, if you have ideas of your own for events or activities that are currently not on the calendar, join either the Professional Development Committee (email profdev@fayyp.org) or the Social Committee (email social@fayyp.org). We are always looking for new ideas and people who are willing to act on them.

Do not let others control your happiness. If you are willing, you can make a difference and make Fayetteville a better place to live, work and play.

To become a member of FYP, please visit: www.fayyp.org. For questions, please email chair@fayyp.org.

PHOTO: FYP Lunch and Learn with Mayor Tony Chavonne, and City Council members Bobby Hurst and Valencia Applewhite.

Thursday, April 28

History of Scottish Presbyterians in the Cape Fear

Providence Presbyterian Church, 2801 Ramsey St., 7 p.m. Information, linrohm@yahoo.com.

Friday, April 29 - May 15

I Love You. You’re Perfect. Now Change. Cape Fear Regional Theatre - More information, visit www.cfrt.org

Friday, April 29

Fayetteville-Cumberland Crimestoppers Annual Barbecue - 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Highland Shopping Center Parking Lot (in front of Harris Teeter) $6 per plate

A Garden Party to Benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cumberland County 3-7 p.m. Cross Creek Park Tickets are $50 per person. Information: Jenny@justjennyevents.com

Skate Park Appreciation Event & Lock-In Double Decker Skate Park, 500 Blount St. For more information, e-mail doubledeckerskatepark@ gmail.com or call 483-3425.

Bloom & Boom Kickoff Party 7-10 p.m. Featuring Jo Dee Messina and closing out the night with Fireworks. Midway rides open at 5 p.m.

Saturday, April 30

Hogs and Rags Annual Spring Rally 8 a.m. Cape Fear Harley Davidson $50 per entry, $30 per additional passenger

Dogwood Youth Softball Explosion TournamentTimes vary; presented by Fayetteville-Cumberland County Parks and Recreation Department. Information: email rgroves@ci.fay.nc.us or call 433-1398

YMCA Dogwood Run: Run For Your Hero Run begins at 7:30 a.m. on Hull Road. For information, email audraw.ymcanc@gmail. com or call 323-0800.

Dogwood Street Festival12-10 p.m. Featuring arts and crafts vendors, live entertainment, the Partnership’s KidStuff, midway rides and much more!

Revolution Skate2 to 8 p.m. Skate inspired art exhibit, skate expo and DJ. Admission is free. Sponsored by Fayetteville STUN Art, Feral Art Collective and Fayetteville Art Guild. Information: call 828-406-4875 or email mudpieceramics@gmail.com.

Spring Fashion Expo 2-5 p.m., Crown Expo Center Tickets are $10 per person Features fashion show, beauty seminars, modeling workshops and guest speakers. Information, email organizer@indulgefashionnetwork. com.

Ms. Senior Cumberland County Beauty Pageant 2 to 5 p.m. Haymount United Methodist Church Tickets are $5 Information: email cvansickle@ccccoa.org.

Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra Grand Finale 7:30 p.m. Reeves Auditorium, Methodist University Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and military; $8 for students with ID; children under the age of 12 admitted free.

Jazz On the Top of the Town 8:30 p.m., 2510 Legion Rd. Featuring jazz music by Art Sherrod Jr. Tickets are $30 per person. Information: email sharontaylor@nc.rr.com.

EverclearMain Stage at Festival Park 9 p.m.

Sunday, April 26

Dogwood Street Festival12-10 p.m. Featuring arts and crafts vendors, live entertainment, the Partnershi

Children are one of our community’s greatest assets. But each day, many children go home alone, with no one to make them a snack or help them with their homework. For some of these children, a safe haven is the Boys & Girls Club of Cumberland County.

Several years ago that safe haven was threatened when the club lost funding by the United Way. A reorganization of the club, its staff and board has the club back in the right direction and the support of the community is starting to flow.

Last year, to help encourage people to support the club, a group of civic-minded individuals got together and planned the community’s first Dogwood Festival Garden Party. The event was a hit, and this year it is back and better than ever.

The Garden Party will take place on Friday, April 29 from 3-5 p.m. in Cross Creek Park on Green St.

“It’s a great reason to get off work a little early and kick-off the Dogwood Festival in style,” said Jenny Beaver, one of the organizers of the event.

Beaver said that in true garden party style, attendees are encouraged to break out their sundresses and hats and men can pull out their seer sucker suits for the event.

The event will feature the band Groovetown, heavy hors d’oeuvres and beer and wine.

Tickets to the event are $50 per person and can be purchased online athttp://gardenparty.eventsbot.com. While you are out having fun, remember that all proceeds benefi t the club, which in turn, benefi ts our community.

The Boys & Girls Club of Cumberland County, which was established in 1968, consists of four units: the Cumberland Road Unit, 3475 Cumberland Rd., the Rochester Unit, 1018 Rochester Dr., the J.S. Spivey Unit, 500 Fisher Rd., and the Spring Lake Unit, 245 Ruth Street.

The club’s mission is to inspire all youth, especially those who need us the most to become productive, responsible and caring citizens.

The organization empowers youth with a Youth Development Strategy which gives them a sense of belonging; sense of usefulness; sense of infl uence; and sense of competence.

Programs offered by the club can be broken down into five core areas: education and career development, health and life skills, character and leadership development, sports, fitness and recreation and the arts.

Locally, the club offers several national programs including:

SMART Moves - To help young people resist the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and postpone sexual activity

SMART Girls - To help girls develop and adopt a healthy attitude and lifestyle, as well as acquire and maintain a positive self-concept, sound decisionmaking skills and mentor relationships

Street SMART - Enables participants to counteract the negative lure of gangs, develop effective confl ict resolution and leadership skills and become “positive peer helpers,” or role models, for other adolescents.

Passport to Manhood - To teach and promote responsibility, reinforce positive behavior and develop character in adolescent males.

Power Hour - To help young people develop academic, behavioral and social skills through homework completion.

Project Learn - To reinforce the knowledge and skills youth learn in school by integrating fun, educational activities throughout Club programs.

Triple Play - To improve Club members’ knowledge of healthy habits, good nutrition and physical fi tness; increase the numbers of hours per day they participate in physical activities; and strengthen their ability to interact positively with others and engage in healthy relationships.

What is a festival without great music? Thankfully we won’t have to fi nd out at this year’s Dogwood Festival. The festival runs April 29 - May 1 and is sure to be spectacular. Carrie King, the executive director of the festival, would not accept anything less.

Country music lovers are in for a treat on Friday night when Jo Dee Messina takes the stage. She has charted nine Number One singles on the Billboard country music charts. She has been honored by the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music, and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She was the first female country artist to score three multiple-week Number One songs from the same album. Her top hits include “I’m Alright,” “Bye, Bye,” “My Give a Damn’s Busted,” “Bring on the Rain” and “Heads Carolina, Tails California.”

“She is huge. She’s had nine number one hits,” said King.“The second her name was brought to the table there was no one else to consider. She is an established artist. She has the hits... the recognition. She is a tough woman too, and I love to see a female who can deliver — and she really seems like she can deliver. I think she is going to put on a fabulous show.”

On Saturday, Everclear will rock festival park. The bands impressive career spans more than a decade with hits like “Learning How To Smile,” “I Will Buy You A New Life,” “Summerland,” “Everything To Everyone,” “Wonderful, Father Of Mine,” “Rock Star” and “The Maple Song.”

“Each year we are trying to feed a need in our community, and that is a genre, an age group. So obviously it is about bringing out the biggest groups that we can,” said King. “Last year when we gave everyone the opportunity to vote for their favorite band, that really tapped on a genre that we felt maybe we had been missing and that was that ‘90s-era group. So this year Everclear definitely taps into the folks that follow us on Twitter and are a part of the social media scene — a younger audience if you will.”

Sunday, look for something new in Festival Park as the Dogwood Festival presents “Homegrown Live.” This concert will showcase Fayetteville’s five best local bands. Rock 103 has taken on the daunting task of accepting applications from local bands and having a panel of judges choose the top 15, but it is the fans who have narrowed the category down to five. They’ll be on stage from 1-6 p.m., ready to impress the crowds and let everyone know just why they were voted Fayetteville’s best bands. Visit rock103rocks.com to find out more.

The Bud Light Stage in Festival Park is not the only musical venue for the weekend though. On Hay Street, Cape Fear Musical Center is sponsoring a stage that will offer everything from a showcase of their talented students Brian Willoughby, the Combutibles, Flynt, Coleman and Stone, a UNCP Faculty Jazz Trio and The Phaxtion. The Hay Street stage will have performers on deck from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The concerts are all free and open to the public as part of the Dogwood Celebration.

Photo: Jo Dee Messina

The 50/50 Rule Part Four

Family caregiving doesn’t typically run smoothly when brothers and sisters caring for seniors can’t agree. In the US, three key factors will influence whether relationships between the adult children will deteriorate and if quality of care will be compromised as a result, according to research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care network. Those factors are the adult children’s ability to make im-portant decisions together; their ability to divide the caregiving workload; and their level of teamwork.

“My impression is that parents end up getting help when their children dis-agree, but I think the more common problem is that it’s hard on senior parents to know their children are in conflict,” said Ingrid Connidis, Ph.D., sibling rela-tionships expert from the University of Western Ontario. “I think for most it’s bad enough they already need the help of their children, but if their situation is causing conflict it’s especially tough,” said Connidis, who worked with the Home Instead Senior care network on the 50-50 Rule public education program for sibling caregiv-ers (www.solvingfamilyconflicts.com).

According to the website Caring.com, family feuds often involve the following areas

:• Roles and rivalries dating to childhood. Mature adults often find that they’re back in the sandbox when their family gets together. This tendency can grow more pronounced under the strain of caregiving.

• Disagreements over an older adult’s condition and capabilities. It’s common for family members to have very different ideas about what’s wrong with a loved one and what should be done about it. You may be convinced that your family member is no longer capable of driving, while your brothers argue that he needs to maintain his independence.

• Disagreements over financial matters, estate planning, family inheritance and other practical issues. How to pay for a family member’s care is often a huge cause of tension. Financial concerns can influence decisions about where the per-son should live, whether or not a particular medical intervention is needed, and whether he can afford a housekeeper. These conflicts are often fueled by ongoing resentment over income disparities and perceived inequities in the distribution of the family estate.

• Burden of care. Experts say the most common source of discord among fam-ily members occurs when the burden of caring for a senior isn’t distributed equally. “Usually one of the adult children in the family takes on most of the caregiv-ing tasks,” says Donna Schempp, program director at the Family Caregivers Alliance, a national nonprofit organization that provides information and sup-port to caregivers.

Engaging parents in caregiving issues is important, Dr. Connidis said, and so are family meetings that involve a third party if necessary. A third-party resource, particularly a professional such as a doctor or geriatric care manager, can provide an impartial voice of reason. “Talking before a crisis is best,” she said. “Talk to one another about perceptions of what happens if seniors need help, how available you would be, and the options that you and your family would consider.”Resources:

• The 50-50 Rule; www.solvingfamilyconflict.com

• The 40-70 Rule; www.4070talk.com

• Caring.com; www.caring.com

• Home Instead Senior Care; www.homeinstead.com

• Stages of Senior Care: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions; www.stagesofseniorcare.com

This is the last of 4 articles which addresses sibling is-sues in caring for their aging parents. If you would like a copy of “The 50-50 Rule” booklet, stop by the local Home Instead Senior Care office at 2825 Arlington Avenue, Fayetteville, N.C. 28303 or call us at 484-7200.

Photo: In the US, three key factors will influence whether relationships between the adult chil-dren will deteriorate and if quality of care will be compromised as a result.

“I’m not sure what I want to be when I grow up.”

This is a statement often presented to me not only from students in high school, but also individuals who have been working for a while, as well as students who are currently enrolled in college but are considering changing career fields. There was a time when people would decide upon a career field and maintain that same career for 20-plus years until retirement. Today, however, people will change career fields five to six times during a lifetime.

For many individuals, career awareness is a challenging and difficult activity to engage in. It can often feel overwhelming, time-consuming, and intimidating. Career awareness is an individual process, and individuals should recognize that each person starts at different places when exploring career interests. One should begin the process early to help focus energy towards making better career choices, and this effort will lead to realistic options for success.

Time spent exploring one’s interest, values and abilities, as well as gaining more insight into what makes each person “unique” is considered to be a key component to career decision- making.

One of the main functions of the Career Center at FTCC is to help aid individuals in solving some of the crucial problems likely to be faced as they turn their career plans into a reality. We can offer and administer a variety of career interest inventories, which help to link personality types and abilities with careers. These assessments provide valuable background information for career planning.

Once the inventories are completed, the individual can sit and talk with a professionally trained counselor and work jointly in solving problems associated with career choices, daily living, and educational planning. The goal is to pull all of the relevant information together and formulate a plan of action!

The services within the FTCC Career Center are free and open to the public. You can contact us at www. faytechcc/counseling/CareerCenter.asp or 910-678-8205 or 910-678-8422

Photo: Career awareness is an individual process, and individuals should recognize that each person starts at different places when exploring career interests.

Saturday, April 30 marks the endof the Cumberland Oratorio Singers and the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra 2010/2011 season. The two are teaming up to present Ralph Vaughn Williams’ Serenade to Music at Reeves Auditorium on the Methodist university Campus .

While there are indeed some purists who perform this piece with only 16 soloists, there are also full choirs that perform this piece with feature soloists. Cumberland Oratorio Singers Director, Michael Martin has chosen to audition singers from the Cumberland Oratorio Singers membership as well as the greater Fayetteville area to come up with a group of 28 amazing singers who will perform to the talented musicians of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra.

Martin considers Vaughn Williams a standard bearer of choral music, and Serenade to Music the perfect piece for a collaboration with the symphony.

“This is not a large piece or all that diffi cult to put together. What is remarkable about it is that is does show a willingness by the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra and the Cumberland Oratorio Singers to start partnering to do choral works together,” said Martin. “I think this is a fi rst step in a much larger process. Next year we are going to be working on Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, so I will be looking to coordinate several choirs from all over the area to come together as a mass choir and sing with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. We are trying to build the idea of a large choral work with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra on a regular basis and bring that kind of experience of art to Fayetteville. I think you always have to start with small successes and build to larger ones. that is what Fouad Fakhouri and I are trying to do.”

While bringing great choral music to Fayetteville is Martin’s goal, there is always room to grow. In fact, the group is hoping to add a few more men to their ranks. “I would like to have more men join this group,” said Martin. “I can’t understand how in a demographic our size we can’t fi nd an additional 15 or 20 men who can sing. Not to say the men we have don’t sing well, they do, but the proportion from man to woman is high on the women side right now. We want basses. We want tenors.”

Fouad Fakhouri, conductor of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra is excited about including the COS in the orchestra’s season finale and considers it the perfect ending to an artistically strong season. “I am very much looking forward to working with Michael Martin on this,” said Fakhouri. “It has been a great season, a very gratifying season in terms of the artistic products that we produced. This is going to be a great fi nale.”

In addition to collaborating with the COS, the symphony will perform Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major Romantic by Anton Bruckner.

“I would just encourage anyone and everyone who has ever thought of going to a symphony to attend this concert,” said Fakhouri. “You seldom hear this piece performed in the United States. It is a little bit longer, but it is a very powerful work and I wanted to fi nish the season with a substantial work.”

As has become the custom, audience members are invited to come early and enjoy a pre-concert chat with Fakhouri. In this session called Know the Score Fakhouri discusses the music that will be performed and talks a bit about the composers of the pieces. “I am hoping that Michael (COS director) will join me on stage with a few musicians and we will talk about the music,” said Fakhouri.

The pre-concert chat starts at 6:45 p.m., while the show starts at 7:30 p.m. COS season tickets will be accepted at the door or tickets may be purchased at the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra price of two tickets for $15 for the fi nal concert of the season. Find out more at http:// cumberlandoratoriosingers.org or www.fayettevillesymphony.org.

We’ve all been there. Those heady fi rst days of a relationship when absolutely everything the other person does is wonderful and everything they say is amazing. We’ve all ridden the wild ride from wonderful and amazing to irritating and intellectually challenged. Romance is indeed a rocky road and “relationships” are really minefi elds that must be carefully navigated. It is this tricky route to happily ever after that the Cape Fear Regional Theatre will tackle when some of its brightest and best bring I Love You. You’re Perfect. Now Change. to the stage.

Opening on Friday, April 29, I Love You. You’re Perfect. Now Change is sure to be another runaway hit for the theatre, which has had an exceptional season to date.

In this dizzying trip into the chaos that is love, four actors play more than 40 roles in a collection of scenes and songs scaling the dizzying spectrum of relationships. Bringing this roller coaster ride to life are some of the CFRT’s funniest and most talented performers.

Cassandra Vallery, who has played in a host of productions at the CFRT and other theatres will be joined on stage by Lynne Rosenbert, fresh off the runaway hit Rumors. Playing their male counterparts are veteran CFRT performer Greg King and Tommy Foster, who was last on stage at the CFRT in The Full Monty.

Throughout the two-week run, the theatre will ofer a number of special events:

• Girls Night Out - Gather your girlfriends for a night at the theatre that you won’t soon forget. Come for wine and cheese following the performance on Thursday, May. Admission is $20 for show and soiree!

• Couples Night – Every night is couple’s night at I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; however, May 13 is the night to bring your special someone for champagne, and chocolates with the cast following the performance. Friday, Admission is $22.

CFRT’s production of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change runs from April 29-May 15. To purchase tickets, you can go online at www.cfrt.org or call the box offi ce 323-4233.

What young kid can pass up a rain puddle, some nearby dirt and the opportunity to fashion that sublime art creation of youth, the almighty mud pie? Such earthy fun is worth the almost certain unhappy parental reaction; a right of passage in childhood.

Yet some children never give up their love for playing in the dirt and grow into adults who turn their passion for mud into creative careers as potters. The wares of many talented potters who perhaps slipped into the mud and got all fi red up about clay will be on display during North Carolina’s largest pottery festival, the Sanford Pottery Festival. The Special 10th Anniversary Event & Celebration of N.C. Wines take place on Saturday, April 30, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, May 1, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center, 1801 Nash St. in Sanford.

“In North Carolina, we take our pottery very seriously,” said event organizer and potter Don Hudson. “There are probably about 2,000 potters in North Carolina. Our festival draws potters from all over North Carolina and beyond.”

The Sanford Pottery Festival has its roots in the Seagrove Pottery Festival, explained Hudson. “The Seagrove Pottery Festival is the granddaddy of them all. It is about to celebrate its 30th anniversary event in November. It was created by a gentleman named Richard Gillson. (Gillson passed away in 2008.) His pottery studio was named Holly Hill, and he created the Seagrove Pottery Festival. I worked with Richard for 11 years to help him produce the Seagrove Pottery Festival. Richard encouraged us to create a festival in Sanford to help project a positive image of the Seagrove-area potteries into the Triangle. He always said if it were promoted correctly, that the Sanford Pottery Festival would be bigger than the Seagrove festival. When it was fi rst held in 2002, it did become the largest pottery event in a state that loves its pottery.”

Hudson offers a variety of reasons for its growth and notes that 50,000 different people have visited over the past nine years, representing 98 of N.C.’s 100 counties and every state in the union.

“For one, Sanford has a great location,” Hudson said. “We’re right in the middle of everything, and great roads connect us to all the areas around us. We’re easy to reach, and there is a whole lot of free parking on paved lots. The amazing thing is that people who love pottery come out even in bad weather,” he said.

The festival features 110 oversized booths and 30,000 square feet of tents in addition to the civic center space. Yet the pottery festival is not all pottery.

“The goal for the festival is to pull together the very best selection of North Carolina pottery found in one place,” said Hudson. “Twenty percent of the booths are for non-pottery traditional arts and crafts. This goes back to Richard Gillson, who always believed that a pottery festival should have some non-pottery, for people who are dragged along by pottery fanatics, in the areas of jewelry, clothing accents, gourmet chocolates and salsas, sweet breads, leather, woodwork — all the basic non-pottery traditional arts.”

The event is also very child friendly, notes Hudson.

“We have a ‘paint your own raku’ that is tremendously popular with children. There’s going to be the National Guard climbing wall there as well, another tiein with the military. During the festival, there will be shuttle service to historic downtown Sanford. There is a bicycle race on Saturday with lots of children’s activities at Depot Park,” he continued.

Hudson views the event as an opportunity for Sanford to shine as a community in the midst of the military’s ongoing BRAC efforts. The festival is repeating its highly successful military appreciation feature of free admission with a valid military ID, offered at the festival’s first Christmas show this past December, and hinted at a future event in Cumberland County.

“We are very definitely looking at creating an event in Fayetteville. The Cumberland County population is drawn from all over the U.S.A., and many of them are world travelers, and they have a tendency to want to know something about what goes on where they are stationed at any given time. And they send souvenirs back to friends and family all over the country and all over the world. What better opportunity to popularize North Carolina pottery on a national basis, than to make the military aware of what is in their own back yard!”

The wine-tasting event, held in a separate venue, features N.C. wines, “from the sweetest sweet, to the driest dry,” Hudson said. For $10 admission, attendees receive a free glass and may sample from different wines and then purchase them by the glass, bottle or case. A selection of health-conscious food will also be available at the festival.

The timing of the festival is ideal for Mother’s Day and graduation gifts, he noted.

“We focus on Mother’s Day,” said Hudson. “Bring your mother out. Buy her something for Mother’s Day. We have all sorts of gifts anywhere from $10-20. We have a very broad selection of pottery. There are actually thousands upon thousands of moderately priced gift items that can be used in the house and passed down from generation to generation as much of the pottery is. We also have high-end pottery. We have had things sell at the festival for $15,000.”

Two of the potters that regularly attend the festival are Phil Morgan of Seagrove and Olivia D. Dowdy of Wagram.

Morgan established his pottery in 1973 after determining he did not want to work in a routine that required a suit and tie. He fi rst discovered pottery at Montgomery Tech (now Montgomery Community College) and is known as a “world-master crystalline potter.” According to his website, www. philmorganpottery.org, “Phil’s cystalline jewels are in museums across the globe — from the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., to Europe’s Wedgwood Museum. Phil and his crystalline works of art have been featured in a variety of publications, including The Washington Post, The New York Timesand The Orlando Sentinel and on ABC TV’s Good Morning America and CTV’s Good Morning Canada.”

“I’m in my 39th year and have been doing crystalline since 1973,” said Morgan. “I strive to do the original art. I do not use computers. I mix my own porcelain. I mix my own glazes. That’s kind of what makes me different than everyone else. I started in the time when there weren’t a lot of companies producing clay and glazes, and I learned to do my own, and I still do it the old way I did way back in the ‘70s. I take pride in that I only allow the best ones that survive through the fi ring into the showroom.”

Morgan has attended all but the very first Sanford Pottery Festival.

“I’ve been proud to be in that show every year since. It’s a wonderful pottery event. And if people come to that show and they don’t find pottery they like, then they didn’t like pottery to begin with. It’s a great time for people to meet the potter, the potter takes time to explain what they do and talk to them and they more or less become friends, not just customers. I would just like to invite everyone to come to the show and have a good time.”

Dowdy reflects fondly back on those mud-pie making times of her youth.

“As soon as it rained, I was outside in the mud,” said Dowdy, who has been working in mixed media for the past 20 years, but claims pottery as her first love. Her wire and raku jewelry has been featured in Step by Step Wire Jewelry. “There’s something about being an adult where we can just get dirty, and it’s okay.”

“I didn’t go to college until later in life. I got a visual-arts degree, and I liked everything I worked with, but I didn’t feel like I could make a living using my skill that would let me be a happy person.”

Dowdy then transferred from Sandhills Community College to UNC-Pembroke. “I was wondering, how would I make a living doing something in the arts, and I stumbled upon the pottery class. I saw Ceramics I, which is hand building with clay. When I went into that class, I mean I fell absolutely in love with the whole process. I felt like I had found my place. It’s a humbling medium to work with because you know what you can and cannot do with clay. You can push it, and it pushes back. If you don’t follow part of the rules, you will work multiple hours and have absolutely nothing to show for it. I have the greatest respect for clay. The clay just feels good in your hands. After you manipulate and pull it and do all these things to it, you get something wonderful, something beautiful, something that speaks volumes just because it came from the earth.”

Dowdy’s mantra, posted on her site at www.etsy.com/people/Odddesignsnc#, says it all: “My soul would be empty if I did not do art!”

Which involves, no doubt, playing in the “mud.”

Admission to the festival is $5, children 14 and under are admitted free and anyone with a valid military ID, active or retired, will be admitted free with an adult guest. Admission to the wine-tasting event is $10 extra for adults 21 and over.

For more information on The Sanford Pottery Festival, visit www. sanfordpottery.org.

Photo: Olivia D. Dowdy from Wagram, N.C. specializes in pottery and raku jewelry, like the piece shown above.

The Windsors and Me

I confess to being among thebazillions of people around the globe who got up at all hours to watch the televised ill-fated wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. It probably helped that I had a newborn, whether he tuned in with me or not.

I will not be able to watch the wedding of another Windsor, Charles’ son Prince William, and his lovely bride, Catherine Middleton, at the moment it occurs, but I have no doubt there will be plenty of opportunity to get my fill in the unavoidable 24/7 coverage of the occasion that has already been underway for weeks.

The Windsors were a part of our household when I was growing up.

I saw them frequently and viewed the Windsor children who were close to my age as my chums. Our mothers dressed us in much the same ways, and it seemed to me that we had common interests and experiences as Baby Boomer children growing up in the decades following World War II.

It really did not register with me that the Windsor children’s mother was Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and all its dominions, and mine was, well, my mother.

My father had been an Army medic in England, and he and another soldier boarded in the home of an English widow. My father, a personable and courtly southerner, struck up an acquaintance with the widow, Mrs. Fox, which endured until she died many years later. I suppose because the two young families, the Windsors and the Highsmiths, were in the same stage of life, she sent us many books about the British Royal Family.

I did not recognize this then, of course, but the books were well-crafted public relations efforts to portray the Royal Family as — almost — regular folks. Like similar books about the Kennedy family during the Camelot years, these books were fi lled with wonderful and charming family photographs. Some were formal portraits involving crowns, scepters and robes trimmed with ermine. Most, though, were family scenes, concocted I am now sure to garner and keep the affection of the Queen’s British subjects. We in America and elsewhere were just icing on the cake. The Queen’s son Charles, who much later would be humiliated when a recording surfaced of him expressing a wish to be in his mistress’ “trousers,” was actually a cute little boy and her daughter Anne had Shirley Temple-like yellow curls. They and their younger brothers were pictured swinging, playing with their dogs, and, occasionally, getting into some slight mischief.

I loved these books and remember once asking my father to write to Mrs. Fox requesting that she invite the Windsor children to visit us in Fayetteville. I imagined they would enjoy running around with the children and dogs in our Haymount neighborhood as much as my sister and I did, and they probably would have. Maybe they would even have gotten dirty.

Needless to say, they never showed.

There has been much water over the dam since then for the Windsors and the Highsmiths, but I still have a soft spot for the Windsors, and a special and enduring fondness for the Queen who reminds me of the mother I continue to miss 36 years later.

The Queen who will watch her grandson marry and make a commoner a princess has led a life none of us can begin to understand. It has been fi lled with luxuries, of course, but think about having to meet with Prime Ministers ranging from the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, to the free-wheeling Tony Blair once a week, week in and week out whether she liked them or approved of their policies or not and without legal authority to affect anything they might do. All she can do is advise.

The Queen has remained unruffl ed and serene for more than half a century as she presided over everything from the fi nal dismantling of the once-global British Empire to the toe-sucking antics and infi delities of my long-ago imaginary playmates and their ever-wacky spouses. 

Think of watching your empire shrink as the European Union took hold. Imagine what it felt like to see the monetary system adorned by your own face and those of your ancestors be eclipsed by the drab but convenient Euro.

Queen Elizabeth has done all this and more with dignity and a constant and unwavering hairdo that could have been styled at a downtown Fayetteville beauty parlor in 1965.

I have a favorite Queen Elizabeth story that pretty much sums her up, at least my vision of her.

It seems the Queen was out walking her beloved Corgis one day, her securitydetail at a discrete English distance. One of her subjects approached and cluelessly observed, “My,you certainly look like the Queen.” To which Her Majesty, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and Defender of the Faith, replied serenely, “That’s reassuring.”

I hope the Queen thoroughly enjoys the latest Royal wedding celebrations and I wish the happy couple — and the Queen — a palace full of beautiful, bouncing and well-behaved baby Windsors.

Photo: Queen Elizabeth.

Hogs & Rags is the traditional Dogwood Festival rally for motorcycles and convertibles (including Jeeps). The riders gather every year, early in the morning, on the last Saturday in April. This year, instead of gathering at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum, they will gather at Cape Fear Harley Davidson on Sycamore Dairy Road. Registration starts at 8 a.m., followed by a southern country breakfast at 8:30 a.m.

Kickstands are up at 9:30 a.m., and the fun begins. It is a nice, easy, escorted drive from Fayetteville that will end at Landry’s Seafood Restaurant at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Not only is breakfast included, there will be several local dignitaries as well as members of the American Cancer Society serving up the hearty fare. According to Gardner Altman Jr., one of the founding members of the rally, attendees can look forward to seeing Sheriff Moose Butler, Senator Eric Mansfield, Cumberland County Commissioner Ed Melvin, Mayor Tony Chavonne, Senator Wesley Meredith and Judge Billy West among others at the early morning gathering. It’s a great start to a great day and part of what Altman considers the magic of the event.

“It has grown more than we thought it would, but any time that you have good friends and good food, fun people will come,” said Altman. “Food, friends and fun will bring people together. We’ve noticed that everyone really seems to enjoy it, and that is what we are looking for. It is really low key and having the police escort us is a big hit. People enjoy being able to ride from Fayetteville to Myrtle Beach with a police escort. They enjoy driving through the little country towns and the townsfolk waving at them.”

Don’t mistake it. Hogs & Rags isn’t just another road rally, it’s a whole lot more than a ride. It’s a chance to enjoy a ride to the beach; a chance to participate in one of the many Fayetteville Dogwood Festival-sanctioned events; a chance to make new friends, reconnect with old friends and enjoy the camaraderie of some wonderful, caring and high-spirited people. Most importantly though, it is a chance to change lives and better the community. This year, the proceeds from Hogs & Rags will go to the Shriners Hospital for Children, the American Cancer Society and Kidsville News! of Cumberland County’s literary initiative.

“I think one of the most exciting things about this ride is the charities that we sponsor and support,” said Hogs & Ragsvolunteer Steve Adam. “A lot of times we do these rides, and you are out there collecting for individuals who are fi ghting a battle, which is a great thing, but this is one of those events where you have a chance to get out there and raise a pretty signifi cant amount of money for some great causes.”

The ride is a great value at $50 per entry and $30 for additional passengers. And, you get a big bang for your buck.

“I think a lot of people forget when they look at the cost of this. They think ‘Oh man, Hogs & Rags is $50 per driver and $30 a passenger, and they start comparing that to a poker run that is $10 a hand, and you really can’t compare the two,” said Adam. “This is an all-day event. You get your meals, both breakfast and lunch and a T-shirt. Also, the first 100 people get a $10 raffl e ticket for the Cape Fear Hog raffle on May 7 at their open house. They should also consider what we give to the charities. We get nothing out of this event. Every bit of the proceeds go to the charities. It is a nice ride, and I think everyone really enjoys it.”

The Shriners Hospital

Ernie Grooms is a Shriner of the Sudan Temple here in Fayetteville and has witnessed first hand the wonderful work that the Shriner’s do for children. With 22 hospitals throughout the U.S., four of which are burn centers (the rest are orthopedic), there is plenty of goodness that gets spread around.

“The first child I ever saw when I went to Greenville, his mother was actually pulling him in a little red wagon. His arms and legs were stubs basically,” said Grooms. “He had to have both legs amputated and they gave him prosthetics. He was actually out of Fort Bragg, that is where his father was stationed. We saw him grow up to be a real nice young man. I will never forget when he danced at one of our ceremonies with my wife. He is a real nice young man, and his father actually became a Shriner, too, because of what we did for his child.”

The Shriners Hospitals for Children has a mission to:

Provide the highest quality care to children with neuromusculoskeletal conditions, burn injuries and other special healthcare needs within a compassionate, family-centered and collaborative care environment. Provide for the education of physicians and other healthcare professionals. Conduct research to discover new knowledge that improves the quality of care and quality of life of children and families.

For more information, visit www.shrinershq.org.

American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service.

The American Cancer Society is a proponent of healthy living and avoiding behaviors that can play a part in causing cancer. They are there for cancer patients and their families from the moment of diagnosis, through the treatments, and when needed, through the healing and grieving process. For more information, visit www.cancer.org.

Kidsville News! of Cumberland County

Kidsville News! is Cumberland County’s fun family newspaper and educational resource. It is provided free of charge to all elementary school age children in Cumberland and Hoke Counties, as well as teachers and parents. The goal of the publication is to help children develop reading skills, promote literacy and provide good quality character education.

Kidsville News! has been continuously published since 1998 and has been recognized and utilized by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for its measured progress program and hosts the Character Education Program in Cumberland County Schools plus several literacy, arts, writing and environmental educational programs.

For more information, visit www.kidsvillenews.com/cumberland.

Find out more about Hogs & Rags at www.hogsandrags.com.

We’ve seen it on TV — the videos of families in the Midwest picking through what’s left of their homes after damaging tornadoes sweep across the farmlands. We’ve watched as children stand in the rubble, clutching a teddy bear, as their mothers and fathers pick up the pieces of what is left of their lives. But that was just television.

On Saturday, our community lived that picture as a devastating tornado swept its way up Reilly Road, across Yadkin Road and on up to Ramsey Street. It was not some unknown farmer in the Midwest who was sifting through the rubble. It was our neighbors and our friends.

The streets, eerily silent, did not belong to strangers. They were ours. And when the city declared a curfew and people were turned away from their neighborhoods, the power and fury of the storm was a reality in our lives.

At this writing one Cumberland County resident is dead, dozens injured, hundreds left homeless and millions lost in property damage. Statewide more than 20 people have lost their lives. When compared to other areas in the southeast we should consider ourselves blessed.

In the midst of the storm, it would have been easy for those effected and for the city and county leadership to throw up their hands and give up. But they didn’t.

I was extremely impressed with how our city and county rallied to meet the needs of its residents. On Sunday, a news conference was held and the Cumberland County-City of Fayetteville Joint Emergency Operations Center personnel updated the media on the status of the community. It was heartwarming to see and hear how we, as a community and government, responded to this natural disaster.

Ken Edge, chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, expressed so eloquently the appreciation for the hard work and spirit of cooperation shown by city and county departments that persevered during this crisis.

The Highlands Chapter of the American Red Cross, Cumberland County Emergency Services, City of Fayetteville Police and Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department personnel were there along with State Representatives Rick Glazier and Elmer Floyd, Senator Eric Mansfi eld, City Councilman Ted Mohn, Asstistant School Superintendent Tim Kinlaw, County Manager James Martin and Commissioners Ed Melvin, Jimmy Keefe and Charles Evans.

Everyone listened attentively as offi cials told us how best we could assist the victims of the storm and what we could to get our community back to a state of normalcy. It was heartwarming to see this type of professionalism, cooperation and compassion.

The stories of tragedy; survival, luck and good fortune are numerous and incredible. We’ve read about residents huddled in storage rooms in businesses, a bathroom in another, wrapped around each other in their homes. We are fortunate that in the midst of the storm, the lives of many in our community were spared. They’ve been altered, but they will go on. However, the bottom line now is that we move on to rebuild our damaged communities.

I have no doubt that had it not been for the tornadoes, the Fayetteville Observer’s front page story on Sunday morning may have very well been about City Councilman Bobby Hurst and the hundreds of volunteers who supported the Fayetteville Beautifulcampaign and hit the streets early Saturday morning under cloudy, overcast and menacing skies to pick up litter along our city streets and beautify our city.

It’s so ironic to have both events occur on the same day. However, it is reassuring to know we are as beautiful on the inside as on the outside.

If you would like to help or assist local victims, the Red Cross is accepting monetary donations. Donations may be made to the American Red Cross Highlands Chapter at 807 Carol St., Fayetteville, N.C. 28303.

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Volunteer: noun; a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.

It takes a special kind of person to be a volunteer — someone who will give of their time and talents for the benefi t of others never mind that they aren’t getting a paycheck in return. In a day and age when folks are busy running helter skelter, shuffl ing kids here and there and are often overwhelmed with the details of their own lives, volunteering can sometimes be at the bottom of their to-do list, if it even makes the list at all.

Cumberland County Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) has a treasure trove of volunteers who make contributions to the community daily, doing a variety of things like delivering meals to the homebound, tutoring, serving as a guardian ad litem, working in the arts community, at local museums and for local government agencies and that is just scratching the surface. In fact, in 2010 alone, 575 volunteers worked 108,903 hours which, had they been paid, would have cost the community $2,270627.50.

On April 15, RSVP honored Cora Lee Atkins as their Volunteer of the year. The banquest was held in the Snyder Memorial Baptist Church Fellowship Hall. Mary Brymer-Chanza was the mistress of ceremonies.

“She is an outstanding volunteer,” said RSVP director Judy Dawkins. “All of our volunteers are, they are all priceless. They serve our community so well.”

Atkins has been volunteering on a local and state-ide basis for years. She joined RSVP in 2003 where she has helped to ensure the highest quality of life not only for seniors but all residents of Cumberland County.

Her volunteer service includes: rreasurer of the Loyal Seniors for eight years; vice-president of the Coffee Club for one year; Spring Lake Senior Club Board Member for five years; Area A Senior Club president for four years, District II Assistant Treasurer for two years; District II chairperson for two years; and NorthCarolina Association of Senior Citizen Clubs assistant treasurer for two years.

Atkins is a member of the Senior Road Runners Club in addition to being a Fayetteville- Cumberland Senior Center Ambassador where she plays a vital role in the implementation of the center’s travel program as well as assisting with other primary program facilitation functions.

She has served in the Cumberland County School System, Fay-Cumberland Chamber of Commerce, Cross Creek Welcome Center, and as a Training Coordinator for Mid- Carolina Council of Governments. However, her major volunteer activities are at the Fayetteville-Cumberland Senior Center, where she participates in the center’s “Hands Thru Time” — a program that works to provide intergenerational programming for Cumberland County youth. She also serves as the caller for the center’s Bingo program and as a club offi cer. Atkins can be counted on to assist by either offering her time or by recruiting fellow seniors to participate at a moment’s notice! She continuously gives of herself, her timeand her talents to help others.

PHOTO: RSVP volunteers gather each year to celebrate their accomplishments and to honor one of their own.

The motto of the Continuing Education Division at FTCC is “life-long learning.” In the Business Services Area, the staff and faculty strive to meet the various training needs and interests of our business and industry customers, as well as the general public.

FTCC’s Small Business Center is designed to assist prospective small business owners with the knowledge and resources they need to start a business. Free weekly seminars are presented by business professionals from around the state. In addition, small business counseling sessions are available to clients at no charge.

Special events, such as the Small Business Extravaganza (May 23-25) and Home-Based Business Expo (May 26), provide an excellent opportunity to gain valuable knowledge while networking with other small-business owners.

FTCC’s Small Business Center is co-sponsoring a Business Plan Competition with nine eastern North Carolina counties, which is intended to stimulate and assist with new startup or expanding businesses. Monetary awards of $5,000, $2,500 and $1,500 will be presented to the winners from the North Carolina Rural Center grant. The deadline to present your business plan is April 29. Don’t delay — start writing your plan today! For more information, call Tamara Bryant at 678-8462.

Since 1992, FTCC has partnered with the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce to offer the nationally recognized American Management Association’s Certifi cate in Management Program. This 126-hour supervisory training program allows students to design their own curriculum, by selecting six management-related courses of their choice. Upon successful completion of the six courses, students earn the Certifi cate in Management and are recognized at the monthly Chamber of Commerce Coffee Club Meeting.

Evening classes meet at the Center for Business and Industry. AMA inhouse training is also available, and both the Public Works Commission and the Cumberland County Schools System have utilized this valuable training program as a means of professional development for their employees. For more information, call 678-8210.

In order to meet the preemployment training needs of our community, the Business Services Area offers more than 300 courses each year. Computer-education classes and medical-related classes are popular choices, as well as specifi c job training to become a bank teller, notary public, manicurist, esthetician or barber (coming summer 2011). We also develop customized training programs for local business and industry and offer required certifi cation classes in various fi elds. For more information, call Kimberly Allen at 678-0033.

It’s time to get down to business: the business of education! We hope you will take advantage of the many training opportunities available through the Business Services area at FTCC!

PHOTO: FTCC’s Continuing Education has a lot to offer the community from new-business counseling to computer training and even training new barbers.

There are several things that make Fayetteville a great city to live in. We have some of the best southern hostility, wonderful attractions, a rich history of how the city was founded and named and most importantly, we have some of the bravest soldiers to have ever put on an Army uniform. Behind these courageous soldiers stand their spouses, parents, friends and those little ones we often forget; their children.

Children of military parents are not often mentioned. It can be easy to forget that children have sincere feelings about what is happening in our world and to their parents. We forget that military children read the newspaper, watch the news and overhear people talking about the wars their parents are fi ghting. Unfortunately, we forget that when parents are deployed, it not only affects their spouse, but also their children.

Military children endure great loss with the deployment of their parents. For some children a deployment means that for one year a son may not have a mom to come cheer him on at a ball game, or a little girl may not have dad to shower her with never-ending love. We know that no one person or one thing can take the place of a deployed parent; however, the month of April is the Month of the Military Child, and Fort Bragg is paying tribute to military children with several events, sponsored by the Child Youth and School Services (CYSS).

Deployment Specialist, Kajsa Blansett says celebrating the Month of the Military Child gives the community “an opportunity to applaud military families and their children for the daily sacrifi ces they make and the challenges they overcome.” This is important because “All children want to feel loved and appreciated when a parent isn’t there the community steps in to fi ll the gap,” she said.

The center has done several things to kick-off this special month. The theme for the month is “health & fi tness.” They have celebrated this by having a Volks March and by getting the children outside to plant flowers.

For the first time this year, CYSS is throwing a Spring Block Party. The block party will be on April 23, from 1 to 3:30 p.m., at the Tolson Youth Activities Center. The block party is free and open to the public.

“Throughout the day children and parents can enjoy activities, games, prizes, face painting, Palabar the Clown and much more,” said Blansett.

She encourages the community to support the event because it is a chance to enjoy time with their family and the free activities, as well as foster a partnership between the military and the surrounding community.

Blansett noted that “Military children face many obstacles unique to their situation, such as having a parent deployed for extended periods of time and moving frequently. Deployments and family separations can be stressful times for children.”

This month-long celebrated is designed to offer them the support they need. CYSS also wants to recognize April 28 as national Bring Your Child to Work Day, an event Fort Bragg is glad to be participate in.

On April 23 have some fun family time. The block party is available to military families and non-military families. For more information, contact CYSS Deployment Specialist, Kajsa Blansett at 910-396-4481.

Looking for something to do on your next date night? Need an excuse to get the gang together? Why not experience the nostalgia reminiscent of the Golden Age of Radio by attending Temple Theatre’s upcoming production, Beguiled Again? The musical, which highlights some of the greatest popular music from the 1920s through the 1940s, is sure to get your fingers snapping and your toes tapping!

Performed by six entertainers and a live band, Beguiled Again features more than 50 songs by the famed songwriting duo, Rodgers and Hart. In their 20 year partnership, the pair wrote the music and lyrics for 26 Broadway musicals. Peggy Taphorn, Temple Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director, describes the show, “It is set up in two distinct acts. The first act has a bit more structure to it and goes through their songs throughout their career. It begins with some of their biggest hits: “Bewitched,” “The Lady is a Tramp,” “Thou Swell,” “This Can’t Be Love” and “Johnny One Note.” She goes on to explain that the story traces their careers from their humble beginnings, to their early radio success, through their Hollywood years, and finally, back to their roots in New York City.

The second act, according to Taphorn, “deals with their favorite topic, love, and is broken into four categories of love: love through humor, unrequited love, a fine line between love and hate and the search for true love.” Some of the big hits in this portion are: “My Romance,” “It Never Entered My Mind,” “Isn’t It Romantic,” “To Keep My Love Alive,” “Falling in Love with Love” and more.

Returning to the Temple for a starring role in Beguiled Again is Dr. Ken Griggs of Fayetteville. Other familiar favorites are Galloway Stevens and Peggy Taphorn. Hailing from New York City and new to the Temple, are Daniel Robbins, Megan Rozak and Melody Baugh.

If the musical scores aren’t enough to motivate you to buy a ticket, consider this. The Temple Theatre was built in downtown Sanford in 1925 and was a frequent stop of Vaudeville shows as well as a bit of Burlesque in the 1930s. Despite being refurbished in the early ‘80s, audiences can still appreciate much of the architectural charm of that era.

From the richly painted walls in the lobby to the twin staircases leading to the balcony and its restored tin ceiling, what better locale from which to experience a musical than in a theater erected in the same period in which many of its songs were written! B

eguiled Again runs from April 28-May 15 at Temple Theatre located at 120 Carthage Street in downtown Sanford. The box office hours are Monday- Friday from 2 p.m.-6 p.m. and tickets range from $16-$20. For more information or to view the theater’s seating chart, visit the website at www.templeshows.com. You can reach the box office by phone by calling 919-774-4155.

What do Brittany Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christiana Aguilera have in common? Besides the fact that they are all absolutely gorgeous and super rich (I have decided to leave the tabloid rumors out). They were all members of the ‘90s musical performing group The Mickey Mouse Club. They all gained the confidence, style, poise and grace we see them exemplify on stage by being in a music group in their early teenage years. This is the beauty of performing arts.

Performing arts is a key component to the development of a child. Research studies have found that the “academic side of schooling only develops one side of the brain, the left side while creative arts develop the right side which is primarily responsible for the social interaction and creativity” of a child. Performing arts “help in the holistic development of a child.” Performing arts can help a child overcome shyness as well as help in their overall development.

Up & Coming Weekly’s, award-winning sister publication, Kidsville News! created the Kidsville Kids performance troupe; a performing arts troupe for young people ranging in ages 5-12 in the fall of 2009. Director, Joy Cogswell says the group strives to emulate, through singing and dancing, good moral values, literacy and leadership qualities which are the goals of Kidsville News!”

The Kidsville Kids group has seen great success since its initial conception. “They have performed regularly throughout the region and in the Raleigh area” and are “fast becoming known for the excellence of their performances.”

Each year Kidsville Kids hold auditions for new performers. Auditions for the 2011-2012 group will be held on Monday and Thursday, May 23 and 24 from 6 - 8 p.m., in the choir room at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church. The group is trained through the Snyder Music Academy and is directed by Jog Cogswell and choreographer, Chelsea Carey. Ages for openings vary each year, so call the Music Academy for age opening, as well as tuition information and to schedule an audition time for your child. Children who audition must sing one song, which represents their ability; and although it is not mandatory, children with dance experience are welcomed to perform a dance routine as well.

On an average, children spend at least eight hours a day in school. Often times parents feel that during those eight hours their child has received every tool they will need to success and become a great person and a successful student. Extracurricular activities are viewed as a distraction from the most important matter — academics. However, is it this “kind of thinking that leads to children who develop in a one dimensional manner.” Creative and performing arts “are equally as important in helping children to develop holistically.” The gift of music is available to everyone including children. Let’s begin to take advantage of this free gift and encourage our children to embrace the never endless possibilities of music. For more information contact Joy Cogswell at 910- 484-1041.

The Army Ground Forces Band’s 64 soldiers and two officers will be moving permanently to Fort Bragg this June with its parent unit, U.S. Army Forces Command.

Eager to become a part of its new hometown community, the band is sending its Jazz Guardians to perform a vanguard concert as part of Fayetteville’s Jazz Appreciation Month at the Fayetteville Technical Community College’s Horace Sisk Gymnasium, 6 p.m., April 22.

The Jazz Guardians is an eleven-member ensemble whose primary mission is to maintain and promote the uniquely American art form of Jazz.

The Jazz Guardians pay tribute to the big bands of yesteryear by performing the music made popular by such greats as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Glenn Miller and Woody Herman.

Demonstrating great versatility, the group also performs the latest and most innovative sounds of today’s most popular composers.

“We’re really glad this opportunity to work with WFSS-FM 91.9 came up to introduce the Jazz Guardians during Jazz Appreciation Month as the first of many performances our band will be performing as we establish Fort Bragg and the Sandhills area as our new home,” said Maj. Treg Ancelet, the band commander and conductor. 

“It is particularly appropriate that we will feature the vocal talents of our Sgt. Shirley Dirden because the Smithsonian Institution has declared 2011 to be the year of the Female Jazz Artist.”

The Jazz Guardians is just one Army Ground Forces Band ensemble. Other groups, or Music Performance Teams, include the concert and ceremonial bands, a brass quintet and brass ensemble, a woodwind quintet known as the Quintessential Winds, a rock/pop group called the Loose Cannons, a jazz combo, a Dixieland Band and the Brass Brigade, which pushes performance styles with a broad repertoire of music from traditional Dixie to funk and rap and even a little soul.

The band and its MPTs serve as musical ambassadors of the American combat Soldier to the American people.

Indeed, one of The Army Ground Forces Band’s major missions is to serve as a community outreach asset for the Army’s largest command, United States Army Forces Command, currently headquartered at Fort McPherson, Ga., but relocating here this summer in compliance with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) legislation.

Through parades, concerts, ceremonies and other public appearances, the band offers a positive perception of the U.S. military to diverse publics, promotes good will among its fellow Americans and fosters a sense of patriotism and national unity.

In addition to traveling throughout the United States, performing at local, regional and national events, the band regularly holds master classes and clinics at middle schools, high schools and colleges, thus providing a valuable, free resource to the rising generation of America’s musicians by exposing them to professional musicians and a possible career path.

Ancelet has already been in the area twice to meet with school music directors and arts and community organizations.

“I’ve been very pleased with how enthusiastic everyone I’ve met on these visits has been that we are coming to Fort Bragg. That has given me lots of positives to take back to my Soldiers about what they have to look forward to when we arrive here,” he said.

“And, as we settle in, I hope to meet with more schools and community organizations to discuss ways that we can collaborate with them.”

The 64 soldiers assigned to the AGFB have passed highly selective auditions and are among the finest musicians in the United States Army Band Program. The majority of the band’s members have studied music at some of the finest universities and conservatories.

For more on the band and to request the band, go to www.forscom.army. mil/band.

Insidious(Rated PG-13)   • 5 STARS

Insidious(103 minutes) slid in completely under my radar. I keep alphabetized lists of upcoming horror movies, and somehow this marvelous little gem completely escaped my notice. Director James Wan (Saw) does an absolutely fantastic job of terrifying the audience, somehow managing to reinvent overused clichés that shouldn’t still be scary, but are. Of course, Wan is directing from a script by long-time collaborator Leigh Whannell (Saw), so that might have something to do with how awesome everything turned out.

The film begins with some pretty nifty opening credits. If you have an eye for detail you can play spot the spooky shadowy person shape in almost every shot. The music sets just the right tone, with jangling discordant notes introducing the larger than life title cards in way that is usually only accomplished with classic Spaghetti Westerns. The soundtrack is nicely atmospheric throughout the film, especially the use of “Tiptoe through the Tulips.”

Renai (Rose Byrne), who pretty much deserves what happens to her because of the way she spells her name, and her husband Josh (Patrick Wilson) move into a new home. How they can afford the rent on the near mansion that they are renting is a bit of a mystery, even if these troubled economic times are causing below market prices. Perhaps public school teachers and out of work composers make more money than I think they do?

Well, in this case suspension of disbelief might be worth a little extra effort, because the extra-large house offers extra-long curvy stairs and lots of secret nooks to conceal creepy-crawlies. And too bad for the kids, the creepy-crawlies are everywhere.

One of the kids, Dalton (Ty Simpkins) heads up into the attic. He falls off a ladder and ends up in a mysterious coma, not that there was any cause and effect to that sequence of events. Once Dalton is brought home, weird dudes with claws begin appearing all over the house. After some terrifying scenes in which Renai and her stupidly spelled name hear strange stuff over the baby monitor, Josh begins to stay late at work. Why she does not immediately divorce him for leaving her alone with three kids in the haunted house is unclear. Instead of counseling, they decide that a new ghost-free house will solve their non-coma related issues.

Once in the new house we meet Josh’s mother, Lorraine (Barbara Hershey, fresh off her success in Black Swan). Like, Renai, she “feels” that there is evil following the family around, and since women are so intuitive and feel things so much more than men do, she manages to convince her more skeptical son to call in the Ghostbusters. The Ghostbusters (Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson) arrive with homemade toys, but it turns out they are just the opening act. Once they have verified the spooky goings on are not the product of anyone’s imagination, they call in the real psychic.

Tangina, I mean, Elise (played here by Lin Shaye instead of Zelda Rubinstein) is apparently an old friend of Loretta’s. How did Loretta find her? Well, I am sure it is an interesting story, but we don’t get to hear it. Elise wanders around muttering to herself in an intensely spiritual way, and finally tells them why their son is in that mysterious coma.

Although Josh tries to give her the boot at first, he finally allows Elise to work her mojo in the house, which leads to some very Baroque set pieces. I am from the section of the audience that Loved, Loved, Loved, every second of the final scenes in all their ostentatious glory. There is, however, a whole other section of the audience that will do nothing but complain about the seeming hard left taken by the filmmakers. You know what? They should stop whining, because the movie, and its ending, is awesome.

Double Dipping Is Double Dog Bad

I think I can speak for hundreds of Fayetteville and Cumberland County small business owners when I say that in private business when the economy slows down, business is off and unemployment is hovering at nine percent, we automatically go into “survival” mode. This usually means tightening our belts by instituting hiring freezes, reduction of staff, limited operating hours, elimination of, or reduced, benefits and consolidation of staff work loads and responsibilities. No one, except local, state and national governments, of course, would operate “business as usual” if they wanted to survive these harsh economic conditions.

Cumberland County should be no different. County Manager James Martin should be encouraging and mandating that all county department heads and supervisors start demonstrating fi scal responsibility by cutting back and reducing expenses and overhead. The county should not be operating in a “business as usual” mode. I’m a fan of our county manager, James Martin, however, he seems to have become overwhelmed or infl uenced by misguided bureaucratic traditions and logistics if he thinks that hiring back those who have retired and left the county’s employ is actually benefi ting anyone. It surely isn’t helping the county taxpayers nor is it helping those qualifi ed Cumberland County residents who are searching for employment and career opportunities. Even, more importantly, it surely is not helping build or maintain morale among the hundreds of dedicated, committed and hard-working county employees. More on that in a moment.

Commissioner Charles Evans was right for raising this “double dipping” and rehiring practice concern to Martin and the board of county commissioners. Board Chair Kenneth Edge’s position on this topic was quoted in last Friday’s Fayetteville Observer: “We’re tying ourselves down if we put a limit on it.”

Oh, really? Hmmmm. Spoken like a life-long government bureaucrat with little or no experience in business.

Retired employees should actually retire and enjoy their retirement. Secondly, re-hiring and bringing back the “double dippers” stymies loyalty, lowers morale and dampens the enthusiasm of loyal county employees looking to better themselves by moving up and enhancing their careers. Finally, the practice of hiring substitute workers for sick and vacationing personnel is ridiculous and a gross misuse of taxpayers money.

Managers should manage. Why should Cumberland County taxpayers dole out double wages just so a department manager can avoid temporary inconvenience. Few private businesses pay twice for sick and vacationing personnel. When extra help is needed on a short-term basis most call a temppersonnel agency and hire a temporary worker. This has proven to be much more cost effective. Also, and even more to the point, no one retires and leaves a position in 24 hours. Why are managers not making provisions to accommodate such situations?

The 19 county re-hires and double dippers that are costing county residents $422,000 annually are scandalous. The mere fact that we have that much money to squander signals that county leadership and government are not in control. Perfect example: Cumberland County Workforce Development.

Now, back to the “morale” situation. Besides blocking the growth and career advancement of other deserving county employees, it is incomprehensible that the County Manager would turn a blind eye to the recent circumstances and deplorable management that surrounded the Cumberland County Workforce Development Program. A situation so disgraceful and embarrassing that it resulted in the transfer and demotion of its director Cynthia Mixon and the program being transferred to the capable and responsible hands of Fayetteville Technical Community College. It’s not doing much for the morale of county workers to know that the person in charge of overseeing the program and to whom Cynthia Mixon reported to was the Deputy County Manager Juanita Pilgrim. What? Really? And, she was rehired? Yes! Martin awarded and rewarded Pilgrim with a sweet rehire deal of 12 weeks at $60 an hour? Wow! $60 an hour! Some say she never actually moved out of her offi ce. Yet, think of how many part-time employees could be hired at that price. That is, if the purpose was to really get the work done. Taxpayers should be outraged at this reward bestowed on Pilgrim who ill-managed and nearly destroyed a highly valued and much needed county development program.

In difficult times, we all must make difficult decisions. We cannot continue to operate our local government this way. It is abusive. It is my hope that Charles Evans can rally his fellow commissioners to begin applying a practical common sense approach to managing our county and the hard earned money of Cumberland County residents. It’s the right thing to do.

Each Spring the Fort Bragg Fair serves as a welcoming sign that summer is on its way, as families flock to the Fort Bragg Fairgrounds to frolick. This year’s fair will bring great rides, food and entertainment to the area from April 28 to May 15.

The fair, which is held annually, kicks-off on Thursday, April 28. Fort Bragg fairs have become a tradition in the community, and many missed October Fest last fall. That’s why organizers are pulling out all the stops to bring a top- notch event for families to the community this spring.

A new addition to the fair this year is a special attraction known as the Sea Lion Splash. The show was established when Marco and Kathi Peters began adopting and providing a permanent home for beached sea lions who were unable to be returned to the wild due to age or injuries. Because many of these injuries were direct effects of human carelessness, the Peters decided to educate the public on the plight of these incredible marine mammals and how we, as humans, need to coexist together in harmony. So, they took their show on the road.

Thus began the journey of the Sea Lion Splash, which travels all over North America entertaining thousands of people each year with their spell-binding show. The 30-minute show is geared around educating the audience on the habits and nature of the sea lions and brings out the inherent comedic behavior of these animals: catching and retrieving objects, balancing, handstands, dancing, singing and interaction with the audience. The show schedule is: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 6 and 8 p.m.; Thursdays at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 4, 6 and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2, 4 and 6 p.m.

In addition to this unique show, the fair also offers a wide mix of musical entertainment each day of the fair. A mix of country, rock, rhythm and blues and pop will be offered throughout the fair’s run, with many local bands getting some stage time. A full entertainment schedule is available online at www. fortbraggmwr.com.

And if the entertainment isn’t enough to get you out of your seat and down to the fairgrounds, there is always the thrill of the midway. The Fort Bragg skies will be lit up with the glow of the ferris wheel, the Himalayan, the swings and a whole host of other rides for thrill seekers. Of course, there is also a kid’s section for the less adventurous in the family. After all, who can resist a spin on the carousel?

And then, of course, there is the food. A fair is a good excuse to wave goodbye to your diet — at least for one night — and sample some unique food from the zest of a bloomin’ onion to the sweetness of a funnel cake. This year is no exception, so when you head out, bring your appetite and your wallet.

This year there are two special ways you can take advantage of discounted ticket prices. The fi rst is attending Customer Appreciation Nights, which are Monday- Thursday from 5-7 p.m. Anyone entering the fairgrounds during these hours is admitted for a reduced ticket price of $5. The second special admission day honors mothers, and is scheduled for Mother’s Day. All mothers are admitted at a reduced rate of $7 when accompanied by a paying child ages 3-17.

The fair admission is inclusive of rides. Regular admission Monday through Thursday is $12; military and Department of Defense civilians, $10; children ages 3-9, $10; handicapped non-riders, $7, and those aged 50 and over, $7.

Admission Friday through Sunday is: $17; military and Department of Defense civilians, $15; children ages 3-9, $15; handicapped non-riders, $7, and those aged 50 and over, $7.

Children under the age of 3 and shorter than 3’ are admitted free.

The gates open Monday through Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.fortbraggmwr.com.