Local News

DSF Restaurant, Bar offers elevated soul food experience

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Tuesday, 17 September 2024

Written by Amber Little

Soul food. The heartbeat of the south. A manifestation of love. Southern soul food has a place in anyone who’s tasted a bite's heart. Those lucky enough to be born in the South grew up with all the savor and flavor of cornbread, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, sweet tea, and everything in between.
As the great Shirley Caesar sang, “beans, greens, tomatoes, potatoes, you name it!” That is what Down South Family Restaurant and Bar, increasingly known as DSF, is bringing to downtown Fayetteville. Located at 106 Person Street, DSF is the newest restaurant to move in downtown. The restaurant is open Tuesday- Saturday from 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. Lunch hours are from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. and offer all the menu favorites, just smaller portions. Dinner hours are from 3 p.m.- 8 p.m. and offer the full menu. Weekly specials include Taco Tuesday, Wednesday Wine and Wing, and $5 Tequila Thursday.
Owners and Fayetteville natives, Mario Wilson and his wife, Ayanna Wilson, affectionately known as The Wilsons, are excited to bring a new dining experience to Fayetteville. The idea for DSF was born from their time living on the West Coast and the lack of soul food restaurants. “We were in California about 2 years ago. And in California, all you can get is tacos and pizza. There were no soul food restaurants… He started brainstorming,” Ayana said.
“I was like, let’s just open a restaurant. The name just popped into my head. I said DSF, Down South Family. So what we’re going to do is start over here, originally where we’re from, North Carolina. Right here in Ft. Bragg, Ft. Liberty now. We are going to open up one restaurant down south, where we’re from and then we’re going to bring the rest to California and on the West Coast. We’re going to go from California to Utah to Arizona, everywhere on the West Coast. And we’re going to open up DSF,” the Wilsons explained.
DSF is not like any other soul food restaurant in town. The Wilsons have taken great care in elevating the soul food dining experience. Mrs. Wilson is passionate about this, saying,
“A lot of people associate soul food with cheap food and I just don’t agree with that. …Soul food can be elegant, it can be classy. With Down South Family we’re advocating for our food and our atmosphere and our location and our experience. You can go to any soul food restaurant and get some good food. But when you go to a soul food restaurant, you want to relax, you want to hear jazz, you want it to bring back some memories of when you were with your family. When you were down south. We are family oriented… We are here to serve food.”
From the moment patrons walk in until they leave, DSF provides a relaxing experience, free of televisions and other trendy stables, allowing patrons to enjoy not just the ambiance but what they came for, the food. Everything at DSF is made with love and family recipes. Like so many of their fellow restaurants downtown, DSF sources some of their food locally.
“We do have our neighbor here, Mr. Greg. He owns the farmers market right here on Person Street. We source our sweet potatoes from him.” said Mrs. Wilson.
All menu items, including dessert, are made from scratch and to order, a fact the owners are proud of and a standard that allows them to serve up some of the best food in not just the city, but the country.
“Everything is made from scratch. Everything is cooked to order. If you don’t have 15-20 minutes to wait, call ahead…We have the bar. And it does what it does. But nothing compares to the food. People come for the food.,” Mrs. Wilson explained.
Although they are the new kids on the block, The Wilsons have already received massive support from community members and fellow business owners.
“It's been amazing. The Downtown Alliance and the Cool Springs District have welcomed us with open arms. A lot of businesses here on the strip have come in and welcomed us and supported us. It’s truly been amazing. We couldn’t have asked for a better neighborhood, a better location,” Mrs. Wilson said. Nothing would be possible without the support and the Wilsons have a great support system; from family to employees, they are grateful for everyone that makes DSF possible.
“Ms. Pearline, our grandma, she has helped us out a lot. If you’ve ever come to Down South, Pearline's barbeque is her barbeque sauce. Every sauce has the Pearline touch on it. Ms. Taniesha Sanders helps us out a lot with the cakes. And our wonderful staff, they help us out a lot. If it wasn’t for our ladies, we wouldn’t be able to do it without them. Honestly, it’s the team. The family. They make us who we are. If weren’t for them there wouldn’t be a Down South Family.”

ASOM, Cool Springs District present 17th annual Field of Honor

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Tuesday, 17 September 2024

Written by Dr. Shanessa Fenner

The Airborne and Special Operation Museum and the Cool Spring Downtown District present the 17th Annual 2024 Field of Honor. The field is open from Tuesday, Sept. 10 through Sunday, Nov. 17.
“This is the 17th year that the museum has hosted the Field of Honor,” said Renee Lane, executive director of the Airborne and Special Operations Museum Foundation. “Over the years it has taken different tactics to find concepts for how the field was laid out, how many flags around the field and that sort of thing.”
This year there will be approximately 550 flags displayed on the Field of Honor.
“It is visible from Bragg Boulevard that runs along the side of the museum’s property and the North Carolina Veteran’s Park,” said Lane. “We also have 49 POW/MIA flags that will be part of the Field of Honor this year.”
The field opened on Sept. 10, and on Sept. 9, there were 32 volunteers along with staff from Fayetteville Parks and Recreation who assisted with gridding the field, marking where the flags will be in the ground and installing the rebar that holds the flag poles.
“Once that is completed, the flags are added row by row by row and then tagged row by row by row,” said Lane. “It is a tedious process, but it is the only way that we have found over the years that works best.”
She added, “The flag tags are made of waterproof material with the names of the honoree and sponsor on the flag.”
The Field of Honor was started 17 years ago when a community member visited a similar field in the Midwest.
“The individual decided that Fayetteville needs to have a Field of Honor because we are a patriotic city and an All-American City,” said Lane. “It is a national program and we do this effort in conjunction with the Cool Spring District who leads the event.”
Lane added, “We are the setting for the Field of Honor and we work together in selling flags, having companies sponsor flags and providing the support that is needed to make the field what it is today.”
The significant meaning of the Field of Honor is a profound reminder of the dedicated men and women who sacrificed and gave their lives for our country.
“It really is a solemn place because it does honor and provide respite for families who have lost a loved one that may have been killed in action,” said Lane. “It provides families an opportunity to honor a loved one who is either a soldier, military family member or someone in the community who is connected to the military or supports the military in some way, shape or form,” she said. “We see the Field of Honor as a place to honor our nation’s best and we feel that the public should look at it as that as well.”
The Airborne and Special Operations Museum Foundation is a 501 3(c) nonprofit organization and is set up to fundraise and provide outreach for the Army museum. It was established in 1992 by the late General James Lindsay.
“He had an idea to combine the Airborne and Special Operations Units under one roof and provide a way for the public to educate themselves on the missions that these men and women have performed since the end of World War I until present day,” said Lane. “Through his initiative and willingness to work with the local community, we were able to open this museum in August 2000, twenty-four years ago.”
Lane added, “We have programs every month that the public is invited to attend and we want to keep the storyline of the museum, Airborne and Special Operations Unit Since The End of World War I to Present Day.”
“A big thanks to our volunteers from Fort Liberty, the community and Parks and Recreation for helping us pull the display together,” said Lane. “We highly discourage portrait or group photography that is used for retail or commercial purposes.”
For more information or questions call 910-643-2778.

(Photo: The 2024 Field of Honor at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum recognizes those soldiers who have given their lives in the line of duty. Photo by Alyson Hansen)

Owner of Fulfillity Books in Downtown Hope Mills celebrates all Stories, including her own

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Tuesday, 17 September 2024

Written by Erin C. Healy

Ashley Wilson is all about stories: written stories, our own stories and how they intertwine. The best way to make Earth a little more like heaven is by listening to each other’s stories. Stories exist to preserve people and cultures, not the things left behind, she explains.
So, although she opened a new bookstore recently, the story is really about the resilience of a woman, wife and mother. Wilson set up a 10-by-10-foot traveling bookstore at local farmers' markets and events for almost two years. Over Labor Day weekend she opened the permanent location of Fulfillity Books & More at 5548 Trade Street in downtown Hope Mills. Fulfillity is a made-up word Wilson uses to capture a woman’s state of fulfillment.
Despite setbacks, Wilson considers herself blessed and it shows in her warm smile and relaxed presence. That peace is both a practiced art and a gift from God, breaking the generational cycle of what so many women through the ages suffer through: chronic mind-bending stress from absent men, children’s needs, financial issues, lack of time, sadness, and obstacles. Wilson addresses what, for her, turned out to be bipolar and generalized anxiety disorders in three published books of poetry.
“That is what really affected me from a young age to now and has defined me and my experience in this world,” Wilson said.
Medication did not help the severe depression or suicide ideation. It was God and her husband, Frank Wilson, who made the difference. Although she may be the college-educated one, he is the one with the backbone and stability that keeps her upright.
Frank has 14 years of service in the U.S. Army with a deployment to Kuwait in 2020. Currently, he is a staff sergeant, paratrooper and jumpmaster with the 82nd Airborne Division. That same year, Ashley’s brother was killed in gang-related violence and she and Frank ended up adopting his son and caring for his daughter. Soon after, they had two boys of their own.
All three of the boys are autistic. In addition to the normal grief over the loss of her brother, she carries guilt about the condition of the boys. Up periods are consumed with lots of drive, some paranoia and anxiety and little sleep or food. Her story, she admits, is one “for those with inner turmoil, women with lack of hope, minorities with baggage to carry, youths with excuses to give up, special needs parents with paranoias to keep them up at night.” And the remedy has been a gracious God and a loving husband.
Frank renovated the building for the bookstore, which consists of dark walls, white shelving, a beautiful mantle place, a kids’ playroom and lots of used and new books. Fulfillity specializes in fiction, but Ashley is working on building the non-fiction military history section. Customers are welcome to bring in books for donation or trade.
This wife, mother, teacher and entrepreneur holds two college degrees, one in secondary English education and one in curriculum and instruction, meaning she can teach teachers. Because of her profession, she sources many of her children’s and young adult books through schools and libraries. She is well versed in the research showing that just the presence of books in a home increases the likelihood of a child being successful in life.
Ashley has organized Fulfillity in an interesting way. Books are organized by authors of color, for example, or Christians are mixed in with whatever genre the book falls under. Black and Christian stories are simply stories that have earned their place on the shelf beside others of their genre. For instance, you’ll find Christian horror in the horror section. That’s where the protagonist views whatever horror he or she encounters through the lens of their faith. Ashley has seen people shun the Christian section and miss stories that are a perfect fit for what they want to read.
You can visit the shop from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Follow Fulfillity Books on Facebook for notices of upcoming events like The Fulfillity Book Party: Dark Fantasy Edition at 2 p.m., Oct. 5.

(Photo: Ashley Wilson is the owner of Fulfillity Books & More in downtown Hope Mills. Photo by Erin C. Healy)

Absentee voting on hold in Cumberland County; PWC receives awards; Hate Crimes Forum to be held in Fayetteville

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Tuesday, 17 September 2024

Written by Staff Report

Absentee Voting on Hold in Cumberland County while New Ballots are Printed
Cumberland County Board of Elections is working to design and print new ballots for the 2024 general election without the “We the People Party” presidential and vice presidential candidates listed, following a state court decision.
The Supreme Court of North Carolina, in a 4–3 ruling late Monday, Sept. 9, required election officials to remove the “We the People Party” candidates from the presidential contest on the ballot, including the party’s presidential nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and vice-presidential nominee, Nicole Shanahan.
Cumberland County Board of Elections was prepared to send ballots to voters late last week, which is the state law deadline to begin absentee voting. Due to the court decision, revised ballots will now be printed and delivered to eligible voters who have requested an absentee ballot within the next two weeks. Once edited, and approved by the State Board of Elections, Cumberland County will begin sending absentee ballots, aiming to ensure voters across the state have the same amount of time to cast their absentee vote.
Due to the new design and print time, the State Board is preparing for the possibility that North Carolina cannot meet the 45-day deadline in federal law – September 21 – for distributing military and overseas ballots to voters. The State Board has begun discussions with the U.S. Department of Defense to seek a potential waiver of that deadline.
“We will continue to consult with counties and ballot vendors to determine the feasible start date for distributing absentee ballots statewide, mindful of the goal to meet the 45-day federal deadline,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “This decision imposes a tremendous hardship on our county boards, at an extremely busy time. But our election officials are professionals, and I have no doubt we will rise to the challenge.”
The State Board has asked county boards to strictly separate and move to storage all ballots that had been printed with the “We the People Party” line. This is to avoid any possibility that the wrong ballots are sent to voters.
Through Monday, Sept. 9, 146,603 voters, including more than 12,900 military and overseas voters, had requested ballots for the 2024 general election.
Here are key dates and deadlines for the 2024 general election in North Carolina:
Oct. 11: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.).*
Oct. 17: In-person early voting begins; same-day registration available.
Oct. 29: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.).*
Nov. 2: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.).
Nov. 5: General Election Day.
Nov. 5: Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.).*
*Voter registration and absentee voting deadlines are different for military and overseas citizen voters.

PWC receives four public power awards
The Fayetteville Public Works Commission is one of 17 public power communities across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia to receive 2023 Public Power Awards of Excellence.
Presented by ElectriCities of North Carolina, the awards reflect PWC’s commitment to continuously providing outstanding electric service to the community. Public Power Awards of Excellence recognize public power providers for developing a future-focused mindset, strengthening public power, providing superior power, providing customer-centered innovation, and prioritizing their people as their greatest asset.
PWC received public power awards in four categories:
The STRENGTHEN PUBLIC POWER AWARD celebrates communities that build public and political support for public power.
The PROVIDE SUPERIOR POWER AWARD highlights communities that deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity.
The CUSTOMER-CENTERED INNOVATION AWARD recognizes public power providers that innovate and invest to serve their communities better.
The PEOPLE AWARD distinguishes cities and towns that leverage their people as their greatest asset.
“I am proud of the dedication of our employees as these four awards reflect their steadfast commitment and the pride they take in doing outstanding work,” said Timothy Bryant, CEO/General Manager for PWC. “Every day, they consistently provide safe, reliable, and affordable utility services for our community. The benefits of a public power utility like PWC goes beyond providing value for our customers, it enables us to provide reliable service, create local jobs, and deliver exceptional customer service.”
Working over five million hours with no lost time accidents, in addition to the 2023 Awards of Excellence, PWC has received the American Public Power Association’s RP3 (Reliable Public Power Provider) Diamond Designation six times, one of only 2 utilities in APPA to receive this award this many times.
“This year’s Public Power Awards of Excellence recipients are shining examples of the value of public power,” said ElectriCities CEO Roy Jones.
“These outstanding communities prioritize local needs and put their customers first as they develop innovative solutions to provide safe, reliable power with superior service,” said Jones.
“We’re honored to celebrate these communities, and we’re grateful for all they do to provide value to their customers.”

 U.S. Department of Justice to host Hate Crimes Forum in Fayetteville
In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice, Community Relations Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Department will host a Bias Incident and Hate Crimes Forum on Sept. 19. This free event will be hosted at Fayetteville Technical Community College in the Tony Rand Student Center, 2220 Hull Road, Fayetteville from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. There is a virtual option available for those who cannot attend in person.
The event comes as North Carolina deals with a recent rise in hate crimes.
The Bias Incidents and Hate Crimes Forum provides community members and law enforcement with information related to the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, as well as state and local hate crimes laws. The program engages local and federal law enforcement, district attorneys, civil rights organizations, and community organizations in discussions and information sharing on methods to combat and respond to bias incidents and hate crimes.
This forum includes the following components:
• A panel of law enforcement experts to provide an overview of federal, state and local hate crimes laws.
• A panel of community resources to discuss resources in the aftermath of bias incidents or hate crimes.
• A panel of survivors to discuss their personal experiences of being targeted by hate and how these incidents affected the panelists’ sense of wellbeing, safety and inclusion. (Will not be available virtually).
“According to Justice Department data, reported hate crimes in North Carolina increased from 186 in 2020 to 330 in 2022—an increase of 77% in just two years.”
Doors will open for the event at 8:30 a.m. for in-person registration and light refreshments.