The Mountain View Gardeners Garden Club concluded its season recently with an induction ceremony led by former president Tamara Thomas. Officers installed were, from left, Treasurer Barbara Oliver, Secretary Jenny Cooke, Vice President Mary Higgs and President Mary Planer. (Submitted photo)

The Mountain View Gardeners Garden Club recently met for a season-ending gathering. Picture are, from left, Amanda Fretwell, Beth Pequeno, Tamra Thomas, Mary Higgs, Marie Simmons, Mary Planer, Joy Barlow, Judy Kirkman, Barbara Oliver, Jenny Cooke, Brenda Edwards, Betty Wright, and Elaine Harbour. (Submitted photo)

The Mountain View Gardeners Garden Club concluded its season recently with an induction ceremony led by former president Tamara Thomas. Officers installed were, from left, Treasurer Barbara Oliver, Secretary Jenny Cooke, Vice President Mary Higgs and President Mary Planer. (Submitted photo)

The Mountain View Gardeners Garden Club recently met for a season-ending gathering. Picture are, from left, Amanda Fretwell, Beth Pequeno, Tamra Thomas, Mary Higgs, Marie Simmons, Mary Planer, Joy Barlow, Judy Kirkman, Barbara Oliver, Jenny Cooke, Brenda Edwards, Betty Wright, and Elaine Harbour. (Submitted photo)

Auditions for ‘Music Man’ coming up

Three vie for District 4 GOP nomination

Surry’s Sweetest, Type 1 Diabetes support group received a surprise donation from Sheriff Steve Hiatt at an event on May 14, 2022 at the Dobson First Baptist Church. Surry’s Sweetest is a support group for children living with Type 1 Diabetes and their families. The group is coordinated by the Diabetes Program at the Surry County Health and Nutrition Center.

Surry’s Sweetest began 10 years ago and was created as a partnership between Surry County Health and Nutrition Center and local school nurses. The support group is solely grant- and donation-funded and has been supported by the Surry County Health Foundation through the years. The group provides fun events and activities at no charge to participants and their families. Children make friends with other children living with Type 1 Diabetes, and it strengthens relationships between school nurses and families affected by Type 1 Diabetes.

The most recent event was held May 14 at the Dobson First Baptist Church. Children as young as age 3 through high school age attended with their families. Two area school nurses were also in attendance. At this event, Sergeant Jacob Wyse from the Surry County Sheriff’s Office, and father of Presley Wyse (who has Type 1 diabetes), allowed the children to get an up-close view of his patrol car. Joining Sgt. Wyse was Deputy Rachael Spainhour and her K-9 partner, Dixi. The attendees got to interact with Dixi and see her in action with Deputy Spainhour.

During the event, the group also received a surprise visit from Sheriff Steve Hiatt and his wife Rhonda who presented a donation of $1,000 to the group on behalf of the Surry County Sheriff’s Office. This is the second $1,000 donation from the sheriff’s office to Surry’s Sweetest.

Surry’s Sweetest leaders say they are grateful for all of the community support and welcomes children and families to join the group. For more information about Surry’s Sweetest, contact Kelly Whittington at 336-401-8419.

• Friday the 13th proved to be unlucky for a local business that was discovered broken into on that date and had property valued at $1,134 stolen along with an undisclosed sum of money, according to Mount Airy Police Department reports.

A pry tool was used to gain entry to Camping and Mobile Home Supply, a specialty store on Merita Street. This enabled the theft of the currency and an electronic cash register, a six-panel steel door, a Master Lock door lock, molding, a homemade screen steel door and dish rags.

• Damage put at $300 was discovered on May 12 at Riverside Park. The facility on Riverside Drive has been the site of a number of vandalisms in recent months, with the March 12 incident involving damage to locks on two doors to public restrooms.

• Brandon Michael Halstead, 26, listed as homeless, was jailed on May 9 on two counts of malicious conduct by a prisoner, a felony, along with misdemeanor violations of injury to personal property, assault on a female, possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance (marijuana) and possessing marijuana paraphernalia.

Officers encountered Halstead at Walmart regarding the investigation of a domestic disturbance that had occurred earlier in the day at a location on Arlington Street where he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend, Brittany Michelle Bancroft, a resident of Milton Hollow Trail, by hitting her with his hands and fists. Minor injuries resulted.

As police attempted to gather information from him after being taken to the police station, Halstead is said to have grabbed a hard plastic case and hit himself in the head with it, breaking the case.

Officer Miles Caudle and Sgt. J.W. Watson restrained Halstead, who then spit on them, arrest records state. He also is accused of damaging fingerprint correction squares, with the drug items found on Halstead’s person as part of the arrest procedure.

He was confined in the Surry County Jail without privilege of bond in reference to the domestic-related offense and a $30,000 secured bond on the other charges. Halstead is to be in District Court on Monday.

• Angela Darlene Cumberlain-Oswell, 54, of 235 Lovers Lane, was charged with larceny on May 9 at Walmart, where she is accused of taking various merchandise valued at $430, which was recovered intact.

The long list of items included kites, a hand vacuum, an instant canopy, a shoe rack, a doormat, Olly energy gummies, clothing, a pet cleanup product, washcloths and more.

Cumberlain-Oswell is scheduled to appear in Surry District Court on June 27.

• Multiple vehicles were discovered on May 7 to have been broken into at a commercial/office building of NCFI Polyurethanes on Carter Street. Items including a Bluetooth headset, flashlight and straight-blade knife, valued altogether at $380, were stolen along with two gas cards.

In addition to NCFI Polyurethanes, Roy Gene Locke of Apostle Drive is listed as a victim of the crime.

In times of inflation and other economic uncertainty, at least there’s good news on the home front: Mount Airy residents are facing no property tax or utility rate increases in the next fiscal year.

The proposed general fund budget for 2022-23 totaling $18,437,250 — unveiled Thursday night by City Manager Stan Farmer — is actually about 24% higher than that adopted last June for the present fiscal year, $14.9 million, which ends on June 30.

And it is % higher than the adjusted spending plan for this year totaling $17,232,929 at last report, which includes additions made since the budget was adopted initially.

Despite this, municipal property owners will continue to be taxed at the rate of 60 cents per $100 of assessed valuation next year, under the latest plan, which is expected to produce revenues of $7.5 million.

“A large percentage of the revenue increase is due to the American Rescue Plan Act funding,” the city manager explained Thursday night when reading his budget message during a meeting of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners.

The city was allocated about $3.2 million from that source in 2021 through legislative action in Washington designed to help states and localities recover from COVID, and must be reflected in the overall municipal budget even though local funding isn’t involved.

“This will enhance the services that the city will provide and will significantly impact our community through improvements to city-owned facilities,” added Farmer. He came to work in January after the retirement of Mount Airy’s longtime manager, Barbara Jones, and is involved in his first Mount Airy budget preparations.

Earlier this spring, Farmer had released a list of projects targeted for the federal funding mainly including major building and equipment needs. These total nearly $3 million, according to a revised breakdown presented Thursday night containing 19 line items altogether.

Among those proposed expenditures are projects in the city Parks and Recreation Department. These include $413,000 for the indoor pool HVAC/air system at Reeves Community Center, new pickleball and multi-use courts at Riverside Park ($200,000), building repairs ($91,000), bridge repairs on the Emily B. Taylor section of the Granite City Greenway ($100,000) and mowers/trailers ($32,000).

Another big-ticket item, $490,000, targets City Hall, constructed in the late 1970s, where needs include building repairs and seal coating and striping of parking lots.

Money also is recommended for fire-suppression grants to stimulate housing development in downtown buildings, with $105,000 earmarked for that purpose.

The budget proposes using $128,500 from Mount Airy’s fund balance, or savings, to finance the American Rescue Plan Act-designated projects.

Full-time municipal employees are recommended to receive a $1,500 raise for the next fiscal year.

Along with its general fund budget, Mount Airy maintains a separate budget for its water-sewer operations — which are supported by user fees under an enterprise fund arrangement.

The water-sewer budget for 2022-23 totals $7,409,750.

Each year, the city government allocates money to outside agencies that, while not part of the municipality, are considered to play vital roles in the community.

Last year this included $87,500 for the Surry Arts Council, $103,650 to the Mount Airy Public Library, $10,000 for Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, $7,500 to the Mount Airy Rescue Squad and $10,000 for Mount Airy-Surry County Airport, a total of $218,650.

For 2022-23, this category has a new look from a budgetary standpoint, with only the rescue squad ($7,500) and airport ($20,000) in the mix.

In lieu of a special appropriation, $206,996 is proposed for much-needed repairs to the Andy Griffith Playhouse, which houses the Surry Arts Council, and $197,322 for the library under the same scenario. Both buildings are owned by the municipality although the council and library operations are not under the city umbrella.

No discussion was held on the preliminary budget Thursday night among the commissioners.

A public hearing on it is scheduled for the board’s next meeting on June 2 at 6 p.m. It was mentioned Thursday night that citizens can review the proposed budget at the Municipal Building.

The commissioners typically adopt the annual spending package sometime during June.

“And I look forward to the rest of the process,” Farmer said.

The Surry Early College graduation was held Friday evening in the gym on the campus of Surry County Community College.

This will not be the largest class that will cross a stage in the coming weeks, however there was still an impressive amount of both scholarship dollars and certifications for these graduates.

Principal Colby Beamer broke down some of the information on this graduating class of 65 students. A four year college or university is on the horizon for 43 of the graduates. Many students are staying in state and in the UNC system, SUNY-Albany was one of the further away college destinations to be found.

Community college is the path for 11 of the graduates with several staying local to attend Surry Community College. Nine of the graduates are planning on entering the workforce directly and are carrying with them certifications in areas like firefighting, mechatronics, information technology, and paralegal tech.

Evelin Lara took the road less traveled these days, and will be joining the Marines.

“All those credentials, that’s not normal,” Surry Community College president Dr. David Shockley said before honoring the students and staff of the Early College for again achieving a 100% graduation rate. “This is becoming an annual tradition.”

Britza Chavez-Arellano was the Senior Speaker and Matthew Gillespie was the “Super Senior Speaker” leaving the Early College with 97 college credit hours.

Senior Class President Nancy Garcia-Villa gave the farewell address to the students where she recounted troubling experiences that influenced her. She also noted those who struggled mightily to get to the United States so that she may be standing on the stage.

More complete coverage of the commencement ceremony and speeches will be found in Tuesday’s Mount Airy News.

Hundreds of local high school students were able to experience farm animals and agriculture up close and personal during Surry Community College’s Agriculture Day held April 22, a perfect celebration for Earth Day.

Students could interact with kune kune pigs, a quarter horse, sheep, cattle and goats. Educational booths were set up where students could see models of animal anatomy, paint flowerpots, and learn more about the college’s animal science, sustainable agriculture, and viticulture and enology programs.

A plant sale in the college’s greenhouse coincided with the event. Students watched lasso demonstrations and could even try their hand at learning the roping technique. Students enjoyed playing cornhole, racing adult size tricycles around the clocktower, and giveaways.

Sponsors for the event included Southern States, Carolina Farm Credit, Shelton Vineyards, and Wayne Farms. Local businesses were in attendance to provide information about educational and career opportunities within the agricultural industry.

Surry Community College offers a diploma and certificate in applied animal science technology and a certificate in sustainable agriculture. The college offers a degree and several certificates in viticulture and enology. SCC is registering students for summer and fall classes. Check surry.edu for additional information.

DOBSON — Unlike some other Republican primary victors Tuesday, incumbent Surry County Clerk of Court Neil Brendle doesn’t have to worry about Democratic Party opposition come November.

That’s because no candidates of that party filed for the office, leaving the victor of the three-way GOP primary as the person who will occupy it for the next four years through 2026: Brendle, who now is completing his first term.

“It’s just a blessing, I tell you,” he said Wednesday while at his post in Dobson, after reflecting on the primary outcome that was settled Tuesday night.

Based on unofficial results, Brendle received 3,166 votes, 43.63 percent of the total, compared to 2,232 for Teresa O’Dell (30.76 percent) and 1,859 for Melissa Marion Welch (25.62 percent).

O’Dell was a previous clerk who served one four-year term before being ousted in a Republican primary in 2018, while Welch also has many years of experience as a clerk’s office employee.

“I’ve been blessed,” the incumbent added in discussing factors affecting this year’s race. “I really thank God more than anything.”

Brendle, 45, also credits support of family members and friends for playing a role during the campaign, along with those he leads in Dobson.

“I’ve got a great staff,” he said. “That’s one reason why I worked so hard to get re-elected.”

Brendle said he was impressed by the positive tone of the clerk of court race overall, with “amazing” camaraderie shown among both his supporters and those of other candidates. “It was really a great atmosphere.”

Citing the rigors of the political process along with meeting the day-to-day demands of overseeing local court operations along the way, Brendle says he is now focused on resuming a normal routine.

“I’m looking forward to keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

This includes being part of a challenging transition involving a transformation of court operations across North Carolina to a paperless system. Brendle will be serving on a technology committee comprised of a small number of clerks around the state to help implement the change.

Court processes will become more streamlined and efficient as a result, he has said.

• A Mount Airy man was arrested last Friday on a charge of assault inflicting serious injury, according to city police reports.

Daniel Joseph Murphy, 39, of 321 Andrews St., is accused of striking Michael Roy Fielders, of the same address, in the head with a closed fist on May 10.

Murphy was confined in the Surry County Jail under a $1,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in District Court on June 6.

• A break-in was discovered Friday morning at the office of Dr. Sid W. Spencer in the 400 block of North Andy Griffith Parkway. Entry was gained after a pry tool was used on a door, with nothing listed as missing.

• Television sets and other items with a total value of $2,950 were stolen last Thursday during a break-in of a room at Blu-Vue Motel on Fancy Gap Road occupied by Daryl Sutters.

The felonious larceny netted $400 in cash; miscellaneous jewelry; a smart TV with a 55-inch screen and another with a 40-inch screen, makes/models unknown; a Sony PlayStation 3 console; miscellaneous clothing; and a Samsung flat-screen tablet computer.

• Damage to city property was discovered last Thursday at Riverside Park, where plumbing fixtures were targeted along with a granite park bench. The damage totaled $600. The incident last week is the latest in a series of vandalism crimes involving facilities at Riverside Park in recent months.

• Ricky Mitchell Sheets, 36, listed as homeless, was charged with second-degree trespassing on May 9, when he was encountered by officers while sleeping in a unit at Davis Rooms on West Pine Street.

An employee there advised police that the owner of the property had banned Sheets from that location, which was confirmed by checking a ban list at the police station.

Sheets was released under a written promise to appear in Surry District Court on June 6.

• A case involving a breaking and entering and impersonation of a law enforcement officer unfolded on the evening of May 6 at the residence of David Bello Aguilar and Jennifer Rose Aguilar on Westfield Road.

After entering the home without permission while identifying oneself as a officer, the suspect left without taking anything, police records indicate.

Along with its own vehicle fleet, the Mount Airy Rescue Squad is now housing one from another agency at its headquarters on Frederick Street — a simple gesture that will pay big dividends for area hospitals and patients.

This involves a partnership forged between the rescue squad and Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist AirCare in Winston-Salem.

Although the term “AirCare” is being used, the squad won’t be accommodating one of the helicopters for which the air ambulance program is best known, but aiding its ground-based Critical Care Transport Service instead.

For the first time ever, that program now has a full-time ambulance and crew stationed in Surry — available to transport area patients who require treatment at larger facilities including Wake Forest Baptist Health or hospitals in Durham or Charlotte.

This service not only will benefit hospitals in this county but others in Wilkes and Alleghany counties and also in Virginia.

Meanwhile, it will free up ambulances of the Surry Emergency Medical Service to respond to active emergency calls rather than being tied up with out-of-county transports from hospitals.

Based on comments at Tuesday’s gathering, this is resulting from county officials relinquishing a longtime franchise role that required such trips to be undertaken by the EMS, and allowing Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist AirCare to take on that task.

“This keeps our trucks in the county running 911 calls,” Surry Director of Emergency Services Eric Southern explained Tuesday.

A grand opening to celebrate the new partnership was held Tuesday at the squad headquarters, featuring a ribbon cutting, with about 25 representatives of both it and Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist AirCare attending along with other interested parties. The arrangement actually began on March 1.

“They were looking for a location,” squad Assistant Chief Corey Scearce said of AirCare officials’ desire to maintain its unit locally.

The squad had an open bay at its facility, so the partnership worked out all around, Scearce added.

While the sparkling new AirCare ambulance based at the Mount Airy Rescue Squad isn’t meant to be deployed for emergency calls, its presence in this strategic point in the region will reduce times needed to reach and transport hospital patients. That could result in lives being saved, officials say.

The new arrangement also is more economical, reducing trips that normally might be made from Winston-Salem to outlying areas and back — to which the unit housed in Mount Airy can more quickly respond.

“It’s made a huge impact in the region,” AirCare Assistant Program Manager Mack Tolbert said during Tuesday’s event.

In one recent two-week period, the vehicle logged 2,500 miles.

The ground-transport ambulance — a Ford F-450 model costing $280,000 — is equipped with four-wheel drive to better negotiate snowy mountain roads that could be encountered during its various runs to pick up patients in far-flung sections.

Steve Scott, a local businessman who has been a member of the squad’s governing board for 25 years and now serves as its president, praised the win-win situation represented by its agreement with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist AirCare.

“This is wonderful,” Scott said Tuesday.

Three seats on the Surry County Board of County Commissioners were up for grabs on election night with Chairman Bill Goins, Vice Chairman Eddie Harris, and Commissioner Mark Marion all mounting successful defenses of their seats from challengers.

Put away the patriotic bunting and yard signs because the campaign season for Harris and Goins is now complete, neither have a Democratic challenger for their seat in the general election. Marion will face off against Ken Badgett, one of only three Democrats running for local office, in the fall.

There were races of note to be found up and down the ballot, but it was the sizeable field for the United States Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Sen. Richard Burr that undoubtedly was the biggest draw across the state. In Surry County 7,345 votes were cast in that Senate race. Rep. Virginia Foxx’s victory against her challenger brought in a total of 7,357 votes by comparison.

Locally, it was Commissioner Eddie Harris who had the big win last night with 5,853 votes over Elkin’s Tessa Saeli with 1,220. It is noteworthy that he brought in the most votes of any candidate in either party across the county – Rep. Foxx was next with 5,664, North Carolina House Representative Sarah Stevens with 5,494, and Rep. Ted Budd with 4,094.

Such a large vote total for Harris, yielding 82.75% of the vote, is a sign that his message of conservatism resonates with the people in his district who continue to send him back to Dobson as their representative.

There has been talk about Harris running for office at a higher level, but he gave a diplomatic response that while he has been approached, he has no current plans, adding that he would not discount anything and was keeping an open mind.

Now though, Surry County remains his focus, “I am happy just being a plain ole simple working man county commissioner.” For allowing him the chance represent them again, he thanked his constituents for the “overwhelming vote of confidence. I’ll never let you down.”

Chairman Bill Goins retained his seat garnering a total of 4,094 votes. Second place Steven Odum brought in 1,671 and Walter D. Harris 1,330. “It’s kind of tough when you’re in a three-person race,” he said by phone Wednesday, “but my hat is off to all the people who supported me and worked for me. Also, to the people working the polls.”

Commissioner Mark Marion admitted Wednesday that he had been feeling some heat of late. “I was nervous, I was a little anxious to see how the citizens would respond. We sent a clear message though,” he said alluding to the recent pressures that have been building on the board from the right flank of their own party.

Marion held off Landon Tolbert with 4,674 votes to 2,444. “I wish him nothing but the best, he’s a fine young man. I admire his courage and I thank him for running a clean race,” Marion said.

Previously Marion and Goins had each expressed a desire to depart the board of commissioners after this, what will be their second terms each. Goins said that “right now” he has no plans to run for office again, “I’m confident we’re going to have some good people to step up” and run for the board of commissioners in the future.

Marion spoke similarly post primary, saying that he currently has no plans to run again but, “Who knows what the future holds for Surry County?” He left the door propped open ever so slightly for another run saying if in four years he is needed, “Why wouldn’t I want to?”

A breakdown of the vote totals for these three races show that the Surry GOP was able to turn out around a third of their registered voters. County board of elections figures last updated May 16 show an estimate of 21,643 registered Republicans in the county. Democrats have a registered 10,148, while 14,987 are shown as registered Independents, and 215 Libertarians.

Students in Dr. Kathleen Fowler’s Writing Composition courses at Surry Community College’s Pilot Center recently had a hands-on opportunity to make writing a fun activity when tie-dyeing became a lesson in writing directions.

“The purpose of the project was to teach the students how to break down a complicated process into steps and write about it clearly, so others can understand and follow that same process. We call this type of writing process analysis,” Fowler said.

The instructor and students first talked about the steps involved in making a tie-dye design and had fun thinking about creative projects ranging from the usual T-shirts to other accessories such as hats, bags and socks. The students then tied their items and applied the colors. When the process was completed, each student wrote out the precise steps they followed to make their unique designs.

“The tie-dye project is an excellent way for the students to draw upon their individual learning styles. Many of them are very strong visual and kinesthetic learners which means that they understand and retain information better if they can see it applied and do it for themselves,” Fowler said. “All of the students were wholeheartedly involved in the project and that is reflected in the quality of their writing.”

An anonymous student wrote that one of the aspects of the class that helped them learn was Dr. Fowler’s “allowing us to relate back to what we’ve experienced as a person along with providing fun activities.”

The students who participated in the project are Liannette Chavez, Jamariah Lowery, Nick Lowery, Abby McHone, Logan Mitchell, Maria Chilton, Cadence Lawson, Ella Pearson, Angelle Phipps, Savanna Raths, Kenzie Shoffner Kyndal Talton, Chloe Ann Tew, Kaleigh Vaught, Jocelyn Vosher and Alisha Wineset of Pilot Mountain; Layton Allen, Morgan Bryant, Alyson Huybert, Mary Inman, Christina Seawell, Katherine Stevens and Brianna Whitaker of Pinnacle; Mallory Martin and Kaitlyn Wall of Westfield; America Chavez-Cabrera, Megan Hutchens and Sarah Taylor of Mount Airy; Olivia Doton and Jackie Dezarn of Siloam; Belle Bullington, Rose Craven and Emma Hutchens of Shoals; Citlali Martinez-Arellano of Holly Springs; Arianna Murray of Winston-Salem; and Alexander Arreola-Galvan of South Ridge.

Surry Community College offers many English courses each semester, and registration is currently open for summer and fall classes. Contact Student Services at 336-386-3264 or studentservices@surry.edu for additional information.

Deena Rhodes’ and Janna Blakeney’s eighth grade science classes recently worked in teams to build an effective igloo for their penguins (ice cubes). Each team had limited money to “buy” supplies from their teacher. Effectiveness is measured after applying heat for 25 minutes.

While the city council makeup won’t officially be determined until a Nov. 8 general election, the situation through this week’s primaries ensures the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners will welcome at least two new faces — and possibly a third.

With his last-place finish Tuesday in a South Ward race also involving Phil Thacker and Gene Clark, present At-Large Commissioner Joe Zalescik will be off the board at year’s end. Under the city’s non-partisan system, only the top two candidates in a primary advance to the general election.

Unofficial totals showed Zalescik, who was appointed to the at-large seat only last September to fill a vacancy, with 377 votes. He was seeking the South Ward position now held by Steve Yokeley, who was running for the at-large post.

As the candidate filing period for the primary got under way, Zalescik and Yokeley agreed to run for each other’s seats. This was due to a desire by Yokeley to possibly serve only a short time, which winning the at-large seat would allow since that involves filling an unexpired term of only two years.

On the other hand, the South Ward winner will have a full four-year term, which Zalescik sought.

But that was derailed by Thacker, a former longtime member of the Mount Airy Board of Education, who won Tuesday’s South Ward primary with 892 votes, 51 percent of those cast, and Clark. The latter’s 466 were good for second place and a ballot spot in November.

Meanwhile, Chad Hutchens won a primary for a North Ward seat on the council now held by Commissioner Jon Cawley, who opted to run for mayor this year instead of defend the office he has held since 2008. Cawley finished second in a mayoral primary Tuesday and will square off against the primary winner, Mayor Ron Niland, this fall.

Hutchens, 45, amassed 539 votes, edging out city government “watchdog” John Pritchard, who received 486. Farther down the ballot were a former city school board member, Teresa Davis Leiva, with 417 votes, and Joanna Refvem (an even 300).

The possible third element in the council shakeup involves Yokeley, who was first elected to the board in 2009. He finished second in a three-person primary for the at-large seat won by Deborah Cochran, a popular former radio personality locally who previously served as mayor and at-large commissioner and now works in the educational field.

Cochran, 60, drew 787 votes Tuesday (44 percent of the total cast), with Yokeley getting 524 and Tonda Phillips, 466.

Yokeley now will face Cochran in November in the race to become the city’s at-large representative.

Thacker believes his primary victory resulted from basic values.

“During this election, I have tried to stress the importance to be honest, to be conservative with our money (budget), have a positive attitude and treat everyone with respect,” he commented Wednesday.

“Of course, I am very pleased with the outcome of the election,” added Thacker, 67, who is retired from Renfro Corp., with which he worked in an engineering capacity. “I am blessed from all of the support I received.”

He reiterated Wednesday one of his goals voiced during the campaign in addition to exemplifying conservatism and honesty. “We also need to seek opportunities to establish new jobs.”

Thacker advised that in advancing toward the general election “I want to continue talking with the community, learning about the needs and the direction of Mount Airy.”

He mentioned that “it was great seeing so many voters out yesterday at our primary.”

Deborah Cochran’s successful election showing on Tuesday stemmed from genuine concerns for rank-and-file working folks expressed during the campaign and the need to keep taxes low as possible, she believes, a hallmark of hers during previous city government service.

“I think my views resonated with voters due to my history and experience,” Cochran asserted.

“The USA is nation of inflation, and I wonder how most people are surviving — grocery inflation is real,” she added. “Taxpayers live within their means and now more than ever government, on every level, must do the same.”

In looking ahead to the general election, “I will continue to be an advocate for citizens,” Cochran pledged.

The at-large primary winner had issued a general statement Tuesday night in which she thanked local native and Grammy-winning singer Donna Fargo for a role she played in the campaign on Cochran’s behalf.

“I would like to thank the voters for taking it to the streets and showing their strong support and continued confidence in me during the primary,” it reads. “I would like to thank my good friend, Donna Fargo, for recording radio commercials.”

Cochran also referred to Fargo’s signature hit single recorded in the 1970s, “The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA.”

“We both agree Mount Airy is the best hometown in the whole USA,” Cochran remarked.

Chad Hutchens is a career law enforcement professional who now is a sergeant with the Surry County Sheriff’s Office, heading its school resource officer unit.

“I think that the key to our success during the primary was what we will continue to do and that is to be a part of our community,” Hutchens listed as a factor behind the strong showing on Tuesday from his perspective and that of supporters.

“We feel that our citizens want representation from those that are involved and a part of our great community,” he added. “We will continue to be involved and engaged with the citizens.”

In proceeding toward the general election, his campaign will maintain “our focus and vision of fiscal responsibility, community and economic development and representing the citizens of Mount Airy and city employees,” Hutchens mentioned.

The Ararat Ruritan Club has sprung into action this spring, with lots of community service activities keeping the membership hopping.

Four members of the club braved the cold, windy, first Saturday of Spring and picked up trash alongside Ararat Highway, gathering 14 40-gallon bags of litter.

A barn quilt painting class was held in Aprilwith lots of spring designs provided by Lisa Martin, owner/operator of The Wormy Chestnut.

During the club’s March bingo, players donated items for the Redemption House-Surry for an extra coverall ticket. During the monthly business meeting, representatives from the organization presented their purpose and vision for the house, which among many other things, houses men who are recovering addicts. The collection of donated items were given to the house to help with their ministry.

The Ruritan club building is used in many ways — as a site for fundraisers, as well as being available for tent for reunions, showers, birthday parties, or other get-togethers.

On May 21 a cruise-in is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. for classic cars, trucks and local police, fire and rescue vehicles. Concessions will be available. Hot dogs will be served at the cruise-in and during the Jackpot Bingo later that evening. Doors open at 5 p.m. for the 6 p.m. bingo.

The club meets on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m.. The public is invited to visit and help the club help the community meet its needs. Follow the group on Facebook to keep up with the club’s activities.

Ron Niland said Wednesday that no magic formula or secret ingredients were responsible for his victory in Mount Airy’s mayoral primary, just a simple focus.

“I tried to run a very positive, forward-thinking campaign,” Niland said of Tuesday’s outcome in which he received 811 votes to defeat two challengers, North Ward Commissioner Jon Cawley (695) and former At-Large Commissioner Teresa Lewis (291).

This was the just preliminary for the main event, however, the November general election in which Niland and Cawley will go head to head.

Under the municipality’s non-partisan election system, a primary is held when three or more candidates seek a particular office, which narrows the field to the two top vote-getters.

“I was pleased with the results,” Niland — who had been appointed mayor in 2021 to fill the seat previously held by David Rowe — said of Tuesday’s primary and receiving 45 percent of the votes, “and look forward to November and hopefully we can win (then).”

The primary figures are technically unofficial at this point, awaiting a canvass.

With the tendencies of primaries to spread out the balloting — among three candidates in this case — a different dynamic is in play when the contest boils down to two.

Niland said he has “no idea” how the support garnered by Lewis affected that for either him or Cawley, but said his outlook moving ahead doesn’t change — “just positive.”

His emphasis on the positive could be viewed as a response to Cawley going on the offensive against Niland in the latter stages of the campaign.

This included being openly critical of the mayor’s handling of a recent 4-1 vote by the commissioners effectively allowing more outside dining and drinking of alcoholic beverages downtown, and an apparent memory lapse by the mayor during that process.

Niland declined Wednesday to address whatever negative or other role this might have played during early voting and at the five city polling stations on Tuesday.

“I’m not into that…to that side of it,” he responded. “I just want to serve my community with honor and integrity.”

The mayor did say he believed his experience in government, including being a former city manager in Mount Airy and serving as a consultant to other municipalities, played a role.

He further indicated that setting forth a vision for Mount Airy — evidenced by his formation of committees by that name to explore the future of economic development and other key areas locally — seems to have struck a chord with citizens.

The ultimate goal involves taking steps to make a great city even better and maximizing its potential, he explained Wednesday.

While on the campaign trail, Niland listed the two most important issues facing Mount Airy as housing and economic development. “How we deal with these will affect how we live, work and play going forward,” he predicted.

Niland added Wednesday that he appreciates everyone’s support and those who voted in the election overall, even if not for him.

When asked how his focus might change for the November showdown, the mayor said “it doesn’t at all.”

Cawley could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The Surry Arts Council’s Summer Concert Series has a full schedule this weekend starting with Band of Oz on Thursday. The Tonez will take the stage on Friday with CAT5 to follow on Saturday. Each show will take place at the Blackmon Amphitheatre at 7:30 p.m.

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

The Tonez are an eight-piece band dedicated to keeping crowds on their feet dancing and enjoying live music. With a growing mix of oldies, Motown, rock & roll, country, funk, R&B, and beach music, The Tonez can play it all. The combination of a three-time Cammy-nominated core with a high-powered horn section, the Tonez feature seven vocalists, and every note of every performance is live — no recorded tracks.

Cat5 burst on the scene in June of 2019 from a trio of top East Coast Bands. The band performs everything from beach music, originals, top 40 country, ’90s country, old yacht rock, and classic rock. Cat5 is a group of professional musicians that have come together with a common purpose to provide the best music possible to audiences all over the world.

Each concert will begin at 7:30 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening. Admission to each show is $15 or a Surry Arts Council Annual Pass. Children 12 and younger are admitted free with an adult admission or Annual Pass. The Dairy Center, Whit’s Custard, and Thirsty Souls Community Brewing will be at the concerts to provide food, snacks, drinks, beer, and wine for purchase. No outside alcohol or coolers are allowed to be brought into the amphitheatre area. Those attending are asked to bring a lounge chair or blanket to sit on.

Tickets are available online at www.surryarts.org, via phone at 336-786-7998, or at the Surry Arts Council office at 218 Rockford Street. Annual passes are on sale for $135 (including tax.) For additional information, contact Marianna Juliana at 336-786-7998 or marianna@surryarts.org

Four of the races on Tuesday whittled the fields for two state and two federal races involving Surry County residents.

Sarah Stevens, the Mount Airy Republican seeking her eighth consecutive term in the North Carolina House of Delegates, easily outdistanced her opponent, Benjamin Romans. The win not only claims the GOP nomination for the 90th District seat, but effectively wins the seat since Stevens faces no opposition in the fall.

District-wide, Stevens won 6,503 to 2,477. In Surry County only, where the majority of her district lies, she claimed 5,494 votes to 1,700 votes.

Eddie Settle emerged as the Republican nominee for the 36th District North Carolina Senate seat, winning over Shirley B. Randleman, Vann Tate, and Lee Zachary.

Settle claimed 10,734 votes, to 9,189 for Randleman, 5,039 for Zachary, and 3,839 by Tate.

Virginia Foxx, the long-time incumbent in the U.S. District 5 House of Representatives seat, easily defeated challenger Michael Ackerman for the GOP nomination to that seat. District-wide with all 262 precincts reporting, she won by a more than 3-to-1 margin, 61,334 votes to 18,720. In Surry County, the margin remained about the same, with Foxx taking 5,664 of local votes casts, compared to 1,693 for Ackerman.

Foxx will face Democrat Kyle Parrish in the November election, who was unopposed in the primary.

The crowded field for the North Carolina U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Richard Burr saw Cheri Beasley emerge victorious from an 11-candidate field for the Democratic nomination, while Ted Budd claimed the GOP nomination from 14 candidates.

With 2,609 of the state’s 2,662 precincts reporting by 11 p.m. Tuesday, Beasley had claimed more than 81% of the vote. None of the other 10 candidates in her race had even hit 4%.

On the Republican side, Budd had claimed 58.68% of the vote. His closest competitor, former governor Pat McCrory, had garnered 24.57% of the votes counted.

Beasley and Budd, along with Libertarian Shannon W. Bray, will face off for the seat in November.

Two Surry County Board of Commissioners races were decided Tuesday, while a third saw an incumbent claim the GOP nomination in preparation for the fall election.

Incumbent Bill Goins won a decisive victory over two challengers for the Mount Airy District seat on the county board. While this was technically a primary race, the winner takes the seat because there are no other opponents in the fall election.

Goins claimed 4,094 — or 57.7% — of the votes cast in the race. Steven R. Odum received 1,671 votes and Walter D. Harris managed 1,330 votes.

In the South District seat primary, incumbent Eddie Harris claimed an even more impressive victory, with 5,853, or 82.75% of the vote, to 1,220 by Tessa Saeli. Again, with no fall opposition for Harris, his primary victory means he will serve another term on the board.

Incumbent Mark Marion easily won his primary as well, outdistancing Landon Tolbert 4,674 to 2,444. However, Marion will face another contest for the seat when he squares off with Democrat Ken Badgett in the fall. Badgett had no opposition for the Democratic nod.

Even though it was a spring primary, the Surry County Clerk of Circuit Court race was decided Tuesday night, with incumbent Neil Brendle returning to office for a second term.

Because no candidates from any other political party filed to run for the seat, Tuesday’s primary was, in essence, the deciding election for the seat.

Brendle garnered 43.63% of the vote in a three-way run-off, pitting him against the former clerk he ousted in the 2018 Republican primary — Teresa O’Dell — and Melissa Marion Welch. O’Dell received 2,232 votes and Welch totaled 1,859.

This year’s race was far less close than in 2018, when the situation was reversed. In that race, Brendle finished just 205 votes ahead of O’Dell, who had held the seat for one term at that time. He went on to defeat Kim Goings, the Democratic nominee, in the fall that year.

Mayor Ron Niland and City Commissioner Jon Cawley will be squaring off for the mayoral post in November, after both men advanced from Tuesday’s primary.

In the non-partisan city elections, when there are three or more candidates for a post, the city holds a primary, with the top two finishers in each such race advancing to the fall general election. This year, each of the municipal seats up for grabs — the mayor’s post, as well as the at-large, North Ward, and South Ward seats, had at least three candidates.

In the mayor’s race, with all of the county’s precincts reporting, incumbent Niland led the way with 811 votes, followed by Cawley at 695. Former commissioner Teresa Lewis finished third with 291 votes.

In the at-large runoff, former mayor Deborah Cochran received the most votes with 787. Commissioner Steve Yokeley was next with 524, meaning he and Cochran will square off in November. Tonda Phillips was third with 466 votes.

Phillip Thacker led the way in the South Ward race with 892 votes, while Gene Clark was a distant second at 466 and Commissioner Joe Zalescik was eliminated with his third place showing of 377 votes.

The most crowded of the city races, the North Ward, saw Chad Hutchens, with 539 votes, and John Pritchard, with 486, survive for the fall race. Eliminated were Teresa Davis Leiva, who had 417 votes, and Joanna Refvem, with 300 votes.

Additional coverage of the four Mount Airy races will appear in the Thursday print edition of The Mount Airy News and online.

Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care has been named a 2022 Hospice Honors recipient by Healthcarefirst, a provider of billing and coding services, surveys by the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers, and advanced analytics.

Hospice Honors is a program that recognizes hospices providing “the highest level of quality as measured from the caregiver’s point of view,” the local hospice organization said in announcing the award.

“Hospice Honors recipients are industry leaders in providing quality care and constantly seeking ways to improve,” said Ronda Howard, vice president revenue cycle and surveys at Healthcarefirst. “We are honored to be aligned with such high performing agencies like Mountain Valley Hospice and we congratulate them on their success.”

Award criteria were based on hospice survey results for an evaluation period of October 2020 through September 2021. Award recipients were identified by evaluating performance on a set of 24 quality indicator measures. Performance scores were aggregated from all completed surveys and were compared on a question-by-question basis to a National Performance Score calculated from all hospices contained in the Healthcarefirst’s database.

Hospice Honors recipients include those hospices scoring above the Healthcarefirst National Performance Score on 20 of the evaluated questions. Visit www.healthcarefirst.com to learn more about the awards.

“We at Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care are honored to be recognized by Healthcarefirst for our commitment to providing compassionate, quality care for our patients and unwavering support for their families” said Tracey Dobson, CEO and president of Mountain Valley Hospice & Palliative Care. “As a recipient of the 2022 Hospice Honors, we pledge to continue that same level of commitment in the years to come.”

Gentry Middle School students recently had the opportunity to get a glimpse of different career paths that are available to them in Surry County.

North District Career Development Coordinator Julie Hodges organized a career fair for eighth grade students to help them get some ideas of directions they might want to start heading when they get to high school and beyond.

Area organizations and employers which participated include the City of Mount Airy, Surry Community College, the Children’s Center of Surry, Duke Energy, Hardy Brother’s Trucking Co., Surry County Schools Internship Program, the Mount Airy Police Department, Ridgecrest Retirement Community, North Surry CTE Programs, and Northern Regional Hospital.

Nursing and teaching are two professions that are born from a similar strand of DNA, it takes a certain type of person to want to go into a field serving others. Dena Cave was born in Surry County, and it is there that she continues to make a significant contribution to the lives of the students at Surry Central High School, their families, and the community.

A graduate of Surry Central herself back in the days of the first Gulf War, she has been a nurse for 30 years. In the latest chapter of her life story, she has spent the past 14 years teaching Health Science at Surry Central. “Health science is an elective for students who want to pursue a career in healthcare,” Cave explained.

Recently, Surry Central held “Addiction Awareness Week” and in this one-week campaign tackled head on an issue that is plaguing not just Surry County, but the nation. Charlotte Reeves of the county’s substance abuse prevention office said Cave’s efforts were unlike any other she had seen in a public school and that she is “really amazing.” Reeves aided in the week by talking to students about substance abuse and the adolescent brain and said people such as Cave need more credit than they receive.

Cave explained, “The idea for this week was inspired by many things. As a nurse, I have seen how people can be physically affected by drugs. As a Christian, I have seen how a person’s spiritual health can be affected. And as a teacher, I see every day how this epidemic is affecting the mental health of not only the addicts but the people who love them — their children. And in turn, they become caught up in a cycle of substance abuse.”

During the week, there were guest speakers, contests, and classroom activities to educate and inform students by reading addiction stories, information on how to get help, and resources available in Surry County for an opportunity for life-long recovery.

“We have a couple of different contests: Essay, chalk art, and poster. Our essay prompt was substance abuse and its consequences on our society,” she said. “We narrowed it down to the top ten for the judges to review, but it was still very difficult. The essay was not judged on grammar or spelling, but on how the student described the impact of substance abuse and its consequences.”

“Some did leave tears in the judge’s eyes. Most of the students wrote about how they personally had been affected — mother, father, sister, or brother addicted to substances.”

Surry Central took a hard hit with the passing of Noah Lowe from an overdose in 2020. “Noah was one of my students. I cared for him. He was one of the most intelligent students that I had ever taught. But Noah could not overcome his addiction,” Cave said.

“His mother Carey spoke to our students during our week. You could hear a pin drop in our gym. Many of the upperclassmen knew Noah, had a class with him, and maybe even partied with him. Hearing her story hit hard. I have since had several students talk about how powerful it was to hear her tell her side as a mom.”

Madison Freeman told her side of the story as a child living amongst substance abuse for the winning essay “Drugs Create Monsters.” With earnestness that exceeds her youth, she recalled the feelings she had about the abuse happening around her and its destructive power within her own family.

It follows in its entirety with the permission of Madison:

“Drugs come in all forms and can sneak into a person’s life without them realizing the addiction behind it. An addiction all starts with eagerness and peer pressure to try something new. Most of the time nobody wants to talk about the consequences and real-life events that are going on in their community or even their personal life. While growing up I personally struggled with feeling guilty for being the blame for my father’s addiction to drugs. So, I want to encourage people to talk to somebody even if it’s an anonymous online counselor or someone who is experiencing the same thing as you.

“My father was an addict to several substances, which caused him to do dangerous things to himself and even his family. Although he started out with opioids, he increasingly turned to stronger substances such as meth. I watched my father turn from a strong hard worker to someone I didn’t even recognize. I tried to protect my two younger siblings from the horrible person he was becoming. He did several things that I would say changed my life forever, especially in the perspective of how I viewed men and how they treated women. I was never able to have a good relationship with my father and it hurts to see other people being so close to their father.

“I am proud of my mother for being strong and being able to get herself and her children away from the monster he had become. I pray every day that he would get away from the horrible things he was doing and put his family through. I pray that nobody has to deal with this in their lifetime. This is why I am such a strong advocate for raising awareness of substance abuse and all the things that go along with it. If you or someone you love is dealing with an addiction you can call the National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357, they can provide you with the assistance you need to get through your addiction.”

Officials with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission reported earlier this month that no additional positive Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) detections have been found in the 2021-2022 deer harvest since the single deer that tested positive in Yadkin County in March.

In March, the commission announced that CWD had been detected in a hunter-harvested buck from Yadkin County in December 2021. This made it the first such detection of the disease in North Carolina, and followed confirmed cases in several nearby Virginia counties.

CWD is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, caused by abnormal prion proteins, which affects white-tailed deer and other cervids, such as elk or moose, and is fatal.

Emergency powers were invoked in April to activate a localized response plan to assist with detection and isolation of CWD in the affected area. The emergency powers established a Primary Surveillance Area (PSA) and Secondary Surveillance Area (SSA) with special regulations intended to increase surveillance and reduce the risk of spread.

Placement of bait, food, food product, mineral, or salt licks to purposefully congregate wildlife is now be prohibited through August 31. Exceptions are made for bird feeders, hunting during the urban archery season in participating municipalities, and other activities specifically permitted by the Wildlife Commission.

Furthermore, there is an ongoing prohibition of transportation of white-tailed deer, dead or alive, out of the Surveillance Areas except for carcass parts that conform to state policy, or as otherwise permitted by the commission.

Also, on the disposal of white-tailed deer carcasses taken or found inside of the Surveillance Areas outside of the Surveillance Areas, unless permitted by the commission.

The PSA is defined in Surry County as being East of US 601, South of NC 268 and West of Quaker Church Road and the Ararat River. In Yadkin County East of US 601, North of NC 67, West of Shoals Road to the intersection with Shady Grove Church Road and West of Fairground Road.

The SSA is a much larger area made up of the entirety of Surry, Yadkin, Davie, Forsyth, and Stokes counties. Also, Alleghany County East of US 21 and NC 18; Wilkes County East of NC 18 and NC 115; and Iredell County East of NC 115 and North of I 40.

During the current sampling season, wildlife biologists collected more than 7,200 deer tissue samples across the state from hunters, meat processors, taxidermists, road kills and sick deer. “We are currently at a 98% return,” said Brad Howard, wildlife management division chief with the Wildlife Commission.

“We are still collecting samples from roadkill, depredation harvest and late submissions, but we feel confident enough with these results to move forward and focus our CWD response plan efforts in Yadkin County and the surrounding areas.”

He added, “Although the detection of CWD is bad news, we have been preparing for this. Our long-term goal is to protect our deer herd and our deer hunting culture. Achieving that goal means we must work with our constituents to implement our response plan and refine our long-term management strategy.”

The Yadkin Valley Railroad line, which counts Surry County in its territory, has been awarded state funding for infrastructure improvements, officials in Raleigh have announced.

Yadkin Valley was tapped for $762,538 — targeting bridge improvements, switch upgrades and mainline track improvements, which officials indicate will occur in Surry, Stokes, Forsyth and Wilkes counties where the rail company has a presence.

The local entity is among 13 short-line railroads around the state which will be improving their rail infrastructure thanks to the matching grant funds involved totaling nearly $11 million. Together, these projects will upgrade more than 12 miles of railroad track and 35 bridges in North Carolina.

A call to Yadkin Valley Railroad headquarters in Rural Hall Monday produced no elaboration regarding specific locations in Surry which are to be improved.

Also benefiting from the round of grant funding is the N.C. State Ports Authority. It will make dock rail improvements at the Port of Wilmington using $825,000 of the funding awarded as part of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Freight Rail and Rail Crossing Safety Improvement program.

Established in 2013 by the N.C. General Assembly, it supports rail infrastructure health, safety and performance throughout the state, enabling the DOT to partner with rail companies on improvement projects to effectively move freight.

This arrangement helps railroads efficiently meet customer needs in cost-effective ways while preparing them for growing service demands and partnerships with new businesses and industries.

The grants will be matched with railroad investments to generate more than $21.7 million in rail infrastructure improvements statewide.

Besides Yadkin Valley, Caldwell County Railroad is the closest line to this area to be awarded funding, $73,125 for track alignment improvements and track and crosstie upgrades in Catawba, Burke and Caldwell counties.

Yadkin Valley Railroad has a long history in this area, according to information on its parent company’s website.

The operation includes two lines originating in Rural Hall for a total distance of 93 miles. The first runs to North Wilkesboro and was completed in August 1890 as part of the Richmond and Danville Railroad Co.

The second line to Mount Airy was constructed by the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway in June 1888. Both lines became part of Southern Railway Co. in the late 1800s.

Since 1994, Yadkin Valley Railroad has been operated by Gulf and Ohio Railways Inc.

Using 10 locomotives, the Yadkin Valley line hauls 11,500 carloads annually. Commodities include poultry feed ingredients, wood products, steel, plastics, propane, ethanol and rail car storage.

An interchange is made with Norfolk Southern in Winston-Salem.

The area rail company has “transload” facilities in Rural Hall and Crutchfield in close proximity to major highways such as Interstate 77 and U.S. 52, with capabilities of handling products ranging from liquids and plastics to steel and lumber.

Area voters will have the chance to visit the polls today for the spring primary — in some cases choosing nominees who will move on to fall elections, in other cases essentially choosing who will win their race because of no fall competition.

Nearly 10% of registered voters across the county have already cast a ballot, thanks to the one-stop early voting program.

That program allows voters who did not register to vote in today’s primary a second-chance opportunity to both register and cast a ballot at the same time. The early voting period, which opened on April 28 and closed on Saturday, saw 4,363 individuals cast a ballot, which represents 9.27% of the county’s 47,043 votes. On Saturday, the final day, 430 people voted, according to Director of Elections Michella Huff.

This year’s voters have a crowded slate of candidates from which to choose, with multiple races being contested.

In Mount Airy, three are squaring off for the mayor’s post: Incumbent Ron Niland, city Commissioner Jon Cawley, and former commissioner Teresa Lewis; four are running for the North Ward council seat — Joanna Refvem, John Pritchard, Teresa Leiva and Chad Hutchens; three are running for the South Ward seat — Joe Zalescik, Gene Clark, and Phillip Thacker; and three others are facing off for the at-large seat — Commissioner Steve Yokeley, former commissioner and mayor Deborah Cockram, and Tonda Phillips.

While the city council elections are non-partisan, the primaries will whittle the races to the two who receive the most votes in each race, with the final election in November.

There are three Surry County Board of Commissioner seats up for grabs this year as well. Incumbent Mark Marion is facing Landon Tolbert for the GOP nomination for the Central District seat, with the winner facing Democrat Ken Badgett in the fall.

Walter Harris, Steven R. Odum and incumbent Bill Goins are running against one another for the Mount Airy District seat nomination, but since there is no Democrat registered to run, the primary will essentially be the final election.

The same situation exits for the South District seat, with incumbent Eddie Harris squaring off against Tessa Saeli, with no autumn opposition for the winner.

There is a three-way race for the GOP nomination and effectively the overall win for the clerk of superior court post. Incumbent L. Neil Brendle is running against the person he defeated in the last election, former clerk Teresa O’Dell, as well as Melissa Marion Welch.

Two candidates are squaring off for the GOP nomination for the District 3 seat on the Surry County Board of Education, Jessica George and Kent Whitaker; while three are competing for the District 4 seat GOP nod, T.J. Bledsoe, Donna McLamb and Jimmy Yokeley.

Area voters will also be casting ballots for state and federal representatives.

Longtime incumbent Sarah Stevens is looking to keep her 90th District House Seat in the North Carolina General Assembly against challenger Benjamin Romans — there is no fall opposition to the primary winner.

Former State Senator Shirley B. Randleman is hoping to rejoin the General Assembly by claiming the State Senate District 36 seat, but she is being challenged for the GOP nomination by Eddie Settle, Vann Tate, and Lee Zachary.

Rep. Virginia Foxx is being challenged for her U.S. District 5 seat by Michael Ackerman, with the winner taking on Democrat Kyle Parrish in the fall.

There are a host of other local and state races to be decided Tuesday. Many, such as the Mount Airy Board of Education seats, are one-candidate affairs, while others include multiple candidates — 11 people are slugging it out for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Richard Burr, while 14 are seeking the GOP nomination for the same seat.

Other races include 15 different judicial seats up for grabs, unopposed races for county sheriff, district attorney, and other seats throughout the county.

Polls open throughout the county at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. Totals will be revealed as soon as they are available after the close of polls.

• An armed robbery is being investigated in which a man armed with a club stole money from a local business, according to Mount Airy Police Department reports.

The incident occurred last Friday evening at Makers Market on West Pine Street, where maker/vendor space is offered to select craftspeople. The unknown suspect used the club to intimidate and steal an undisclosed sum of money from a clerk.

In addition to the business, Myra Jo Monroe of South McKinney Road is listed as a victim of the crime.

• The Hibbett Sports store on Rockford Street was the scene of a larceny Saturday, when an unknown suspect ran out of the business without paying for merchandise valued at $189. Included were a pair of size 10 Nike Air Max Dawn shoes, two pairs of athletic shorts and two graphic T-shirts.

• William Dale Haynes, 50, of 543 Reeves Mill Road, was arrested on a felony charge, larceny from a merchant, after a May 4 incident at the Lowe’s home improvement store on South Andy Griffith Parkway, where he allegedly exchanged tags on merchandise in order to obtain it for a lower price.

A Craftsman inverter generator valued at $899 was involved. Haynes was held in the Surry County Jail under a $2,000 secured bond and slated for a June 6 appearance in District Court.

• Luis Ortiz Orsorno, 21, of 131 Churchill Lane, was jailed on May 4 after a domestic dispute at his home in which he allegedly struck his mother, Angelica Ortiz, and another female, Alicia Sanchez, both of Churchill Lane. Orsorno was charged with two counts of assault on a female and also served with two outstanding orders for arrest for failing to appear in court in Pender County, which were filed in April, and another issued in Surry County in March.

Orsorno was incarcerated in Dobson under a $22,000 secured bond on the arrest orders and without privilege of bond for the assault charges. He is scheduled to appear in Surry District Court on June 6.

• Police were told on May 4 that auto parts with a total value of $1,350 had been stolen from a secured lot on Mount View Drive, taken from both inside and outside a 1992 Honda Accord owned by Dwayne Allen Cooke of Alton Lane.

Included were four tires with rims, a vehicle instrument panel, the driver’s-door window, two taillight lense assemblies and two front indicator light assemblies.

• An attempt was made to cash a forged check for $4,801 at First Community Bank on West Independence Boulevard on April 28, with an apparently known female suspect involved whose name appeared on that document.

Both the bank and a business in Bluefield, Virginia, Blue Wolf Sales and Service Inc., are listed as victims of the forgery/uttering case that was still under investigation at last report.

The goals were multi-fold in passage of a property nuisance ordinance last fall that some on the Surry County Board of Commissioners felt was too broad to be enforced. If the goal was to take a bite out of blight: the time is approaching to test the county’s teeth. Of course, though, it will need to be paid for.

County Manager Chris Knopf advised the board a property on Turner Mountain Road has fallen into the nuisance category. The property owner is known to the county but cannot be reached to serve the citations. To abate the nuisance, the county will need to create a fund to pay for the remediation of the conditions that brought the property to fall into the nuisance status.

Commissioner Mark Marion chimed in this is near where he lives and there is profanity written on the walls, mattresses in the yard, windows busted out, and the roof is caving in. “This is safety and health issue to everyone around it,” he told his colleagues.

The graffiti on the walls is in poor enough taste that the county manager did not include photos for the board members because of the “inappropriateness of some of the photos.”

At the heart of last fall’s debate and again of Commissioner Van Tucker’s points on this evening had to do with subjectivity. One man’s trash is another’s treasure was a debate point of the fall, and now one county ordinance officer could be making an assessment on a property that puts it into a nuisance category.

Tucker wondered if that was a fair setup, so the board talked through the process they approved with Knopf.

The ordinance has a mechanism for such nuisance properties including assessment by an inspector; posted physical notice of violation on the property; a period for review and timely reply; and an appeals process that would ultimately land the final decision on abatement with the commissioners.

Or, as Tucker summarized it, the board would “make a conscientious decision on when and where to drop the hammer on abatement issue.”

Thus far this property owner is not to be found. Behind on assessed property taxes, but not so far behind in passed time for the county to foreclose, this owner has not replied to attempts to be reached for these ordinance citations or back taxes.

No property owner means no appeal equals stalemate. Assuming the owner remains incommunicado, the county will have its chance to act in the coming months.

Tucker was interested in an ad hoc approach on funding these situations, rather than having a standing fund. Knopf advised the board has the right to fund cleanups in such a way if they so choose, and that this discussion was just to set the table for future action.

Marion suggested the process continue but that the board be ready to act when the designated time for the property owner to reply expires. If the abatement proceeds, coming next would be a period to seek a bid for proposal from an entity who would clear the violations.

“The homeowner left it bad, squatters made it worse,” the county manager set expectations on clearing the property on Tuner Mountain Road, “I don’t think it will be cheap.”

Maggie Peterson, whose character on “The Andy Griffith Show” developed a memorable infatuation with Mayberry sheriff Andy Taylor, has died, her family said Monday. She was 81.

A post to her Facebook page said Peterson died in her sleep on Sunday with her family present. According to the post, Peterson’s health took a turn for the worse when her husband, Gus Mancuso, died of Alzheimer’s disease in 2021 at age 88.

“I loved being part of that great show and the many friends and fans I’ve made because of it,” she said in a social media post in 2020.

In the 1963 episode, Peterson played the role of Charlene Darling, who along with her father and four musical brothers visited Mayberry and crammed themselves into one hotel room as they waited for her fiance to arrive. Sheriff Andy Taylor lets the family spend a night in the courthouse and it’s then that Charlene becomes smitten with the sheriff. It was only when the fiance gets to town that Charlene settles for her first love.

During the next season, the Darlings return to Mayberry to help Charlene find a young boy to become engaged to her new baby. They pick Opie, played by Ron Howard, and the sheriff comes up with a scheme to show the family that his son isn’t the one they want.

Margaret Ann Peterson was born on Jan. 10, 1941, in Greeley, Colorado. According to IMDb, the Internet Movie Database site, she, her brother and two of his friends formed a small group that rode around on a pickup truck singing to people. It was those tours that led to her discovery by director Bob Sweeney and producer Aaron Ruben, who teamed to develop Griffith’s show.

Peterson also has credits for “Casino” (1965), and “Mars Attacks!” (1996), among other appearances.

The family said a private service will be held in the next few weeks.

With a city government-imposed deadline looming Wednesday for owners of unsafe commercial buildings in Mount Airy to either repair or demolish the structures, a snag has occurred regarding the possible sale of one.

That is what’s commonly referred to as the former Koozies location at 455 Franklin St., a dilapidated unsafe building once housing a private club by that name which has long been on the radar screen of local building codes personnel.

In February, it was targeted for enforcement action by the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners, along with the former Mittman Paint and Body Shop at 109 S. South St. and the so-called “red building” at 600 W. Pine St. beside Worth Honda.

The commissioners voted 4-1 to give the respective owners of the sites 90 days to either repair or demolish the structures, which includes vacating any occupants or personal property.

It the wake of February’s vote, the vacant Mittman body shop property was auctioned on April 1, which made the timing of its fate uncertain given the change of ownership.

Meanwhile, the Koozies site also reached the auction block on April 28, which produced a high bid of $165,000 from an unnamed New York party.

But that potential purchase has fallen through, according to Dale Fulk, an auctioneer with Rogers Realty and Auction Co. who conducted the sale.

“The highest bidder didn’t work out,” Fulk said Monday.

While Fulk didn’t elaborate, Commissioner Joe Zalescik, who attended the April 28 auction — although Mayor Ron Niland has disclosed the city government was not officially involved — said it was his understanding the prospective new owner was unaware of the demolition mandate.

Razing the structure, which the city could do on its own based on the wording of its 90-day ultimatum, has a potential price tag of hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to previous discussion.

Fulk simply said Monday that “he (the New York bidder) is not moving forward, so we are moving forward.”

The auctioneer explained that a possible deal now is being eyed with the second-highest bidder, also unnamed, who he said is local. The bidding on April 28 came down to two serious bidders, Fulk said.

“We’re in a negotiating process,” he added Monday, indicating that this includes the present owner, National Decon Holdings, LLC, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. “As of right now, we’re still kind of in limbo.”

Fulk says the process is moving forward, “but going slow.”

This includes getting more information from the city and its codes enforcement officer, Chuck Morris.

In the meantime, it is not known how the present situation with the Koozies building will affect the 90-day deadline for remediation action expiring Wednesday.

Mount Airy officials have said that failure to meet that deadline could result in the municipality itself ordering the razing and then taking ownership of the property through court action to help recoup the cost of this.

Despite signage prohibiting occupancy, two fires have occurred inside the Koozies structure in recent months which have been linked to homeless persons living there.

The Ararat Ruritan Club of Virginia recently presented the highest award in Ruritan to Shelby Bondurant Cox, in honor of her late husband and former Ruritan, Jack Cox.

Several members of the Cox family enjoyed the covered dish meal as prepared by members of the club prior to the presentation of the Tom Downing plaque during a recent meeting. Downing was one of the founding members of Ruritan National and the award given in his name is the highest honor bestowed upon a Ruritan.

“Jack Cox along with countless former Ararat Ruritan Club members have been instrumental in creating a better understanding among people and through volunteer community service, made the Ararat community a better place in which to live and work,” club officials said in announcing the award.

Having taken place during a regular business meeting, this award presentation was followed by discussions of the upcoming fundraisers and community service activities.

Monday nights in May, and beyond, are being dubbed Rook Night at the club building. Anyone is welcome to come play, at no charge, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. every Monday, even if the person does not have a partner.

The club will be honoring local fire/EMS/police personnel as they celebrate Ruritan National’s birthday on Saturday, May 21. The celebration will feature a cruise-in of local emergency vehicles and timeless classics. Food will be available on-site. This event will be held from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Ararat Ruritan Club building, located at 4711 Ararat Highway, Ararat, Virginia.

The Patrick County Sheriff’s Office will conduct its quarterly Crime Watch meeting for Ararat on Thursday, May 26, at 7 p.m. at the club building.

American flags will be placed on local veteran’s graves in honor of the Memorial Day holiday by some of the club’s veterans.

The club is hosting a patriotic barn quilt painting class on Saturday, June 25, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.. To reserve a spot and submit a design choice, email lisaorpheus@gmail.com.

The doors will open for the monthly Jackpot Bingo at 5 p.m. on May 21. Bingo starts at 6 p.m. and concessions will be available. Anyone who brings items for donation to the Ronald McDonald House will receive a free coverall. The list of items being collected is on the Ararat Ruritan Club facebook page.

The club meets on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. Those interested can follow the group on Facebook. AraratRuritanClub@gmail.com for all things Ruritan.

Members of a local drama group are putting their musical talents on stage in support of the theater they call home.

The NoneSuch Playmakers will present “Lift Your Voice for Jones,” a wide-ranging musical revue being staged as a fundraiser for the L.H. Jones Auditorium in Mount Airy on Saturday, May 21.

“The Jones Auditorium has been our home stage for several seasons now,” said NoneSuch co-founder Brack Llewellyn. “The J.J. Jones Alumni Association, which operates the space, has always been supportive of us. We wanted to do something to show our appreciation.”

Llewellyn noted that, like all other performance venues, the L.H. Jones Auditorium was dark for more than 18 months during the pandemic.

“But they still had to pay their power bill, and their water bill, and maintain the facility with no income,” he said. “Now that NoneSuch can get back on stage again, we felt a fundraiser might help them out a bit. So we’re doing it the best way we know—with a show.”

The May 21 revue features some of the theater group’s best singing voices, he said. The performers include Jennifer Johnson Brown, Dani Davis, Jennifer Freeman, Shanna H. Jones, Angela Llewellyn, Chris Powell, Billie Smith, Cindy Southern Marion, Jane Tesh — who doubles as accompanist — and Elkin resident Christine Werner Booher.

“It’s going be a truly eclectic evening,” said Llewellyn. “We asked our singers to choose three or four songs each that they would like to perform, regardless of the style. You’ll get to hear everything from pop to country to Motown to show tunes to Gospel. We even have some original compositions. We want everyone to come out and enjoy the music, and also to see what a great performance space the Jones Auditorium is.”

“Life Your Voice for Jones” will begin at 7 p.m. A minimum donation of $10. per person is suggested, with larger amounts will be “gratefully accepted.” The evening will also feature a silent auction and a raffle, with those proceeds also going to the organization.

The L.H. Jones Auditorium is located at 215 Jones School Road, Mount Airy.

Editor’s Note: The Mount Airy News posed the same three questions to local school board candidates running in the May 17 primary. On Saturday, we published the responses from the District 3 Surry County Board of Education candidates in print and online. On Sunday, we published the responses from the District 4 online and in print on Tuesday.

T.J. Bledsoe is a lifelong Surry County resident who lives in Dobson with his wife Amanda and their 10-year-old daughter, Ceily. As a family they spend most of their time outdoors on the farm or with their daughter showing livestock competitively.

He graduated from Surry Central High in 1999 and after attending Surry Community College started a landscaping business. He then went into the insurance and financial services industry with his father, Tim Bledsoe. Presently he Vice President, Commercial Loan Officer with LifeStore Bank.

He has served on various boards including the United Fund of Surry, Yadkin Valley Chamber of Commerce, Greater Mt. Airy Habitat for Humanity, Elkin Main Street Advisory Board, Surry Community College Knights Athletic Board, SCA School Board, The Collaborative, and in June will assume a board position with the Yadkin Valley United Fund.

“I have coached multiple little league football and basketball teams, T-Ball, and Upward Sports Basketball. As a family we attend Salem Baptist Church in Dobson. My wife has taught in the Surry County School System her entire career and is currently in her 22nd year at Meadowview Magnet Middle. Being the husband of public-school teacher, along with my business background I believe positions me to be an asset to the children, staff, and citizens of Surry County on our local school board,” he wrote.

Question: What role should parents have in choosing curriculum for their child? What role should the Department of Public Instruction have?

Bledsoe: The system is designed as to allow professionals on a local level to dissect and implement curriculum in which they are educated and trained. Much as I would not allow someone who hasn’t had medical training to give me healthcare advice, I would not want an entire curriculum chosen by someone who isn’t an educational professional.

However, this should always be fully transparent and readily available to discuss with the public upon request and before implementing. The local school board should always have ethical and responsible professionals in place to be the gatekeepers for any negative curriculum in which may make its way down from the DPI. While we can’t stop what may be recommended by either state or federal officials, we should elect school board officials who will assure there are both staff in place to safeguard against negative curriculum, as well as be fully transparent and receptive to parental input.

This is the job of a school board and why it is so imperative we elect strong and ethical school board members who have no agenda, are not focused on one issue, and are unwaveringly ethical in their decision making. We should also never forget as school board members that we work for the citizens of Surry County and are entrusted with our society’s most valuable possession, our children.

Question: Should school board members be partisan elected officials?

Bledsoe: If you would have asked me this question 15 years ago, I would have said no. Partisan politics should not play a part of the school board election process. Fast forward to our current national climate and I am supportive of our current processes. Should politics play a role in the decision making, no. However, if you believe in a party enough to be registered with them and agree with their stances on certain issues I do not see as there should be a reason to not disclose said party.

Your political registration does not define you as a person, but it does tell as to how you may vote on large issues we are going to be faced with soon. This is not to mean that if you are a member of a different party, you are automatically a bad person, and I believe that is a large problem not only in our county but in our nation.

Our political landscape has changed dramatically over the last 15 years, and we have gotten away from civil discussions and realizing we are all human beings no matter our politics. I believe if you look at the current unaffiliated voters in our county you will find their respective parties have gone too far in either direction for their personal beliefs and now, they are “without a party.”

Question: The K-12 plus four years of college plan does not seem to be the path some students want to take anymore. As a potential school board member how does that strike you?

Bledsoe: This has been something I have spoken on many times recently. Not all children either want to or should attend a four-year university. Our educational systems have sold a false narrative to our children for decades and have conditioned society to think you must have a four-year degree to be successful. We have sold the lie that you are looked down on in society and you aren’t as important if you learn a skilled trade versus attending college. This is wrong. Look at the age of the average tradesman or tradeswoman.

I am proud to see a focus back on career and technical programs in our schools but would encourage more as well as agriculture related curriculum. In my opinion it should be normalized and celebrated when a young person graduates high school, obtains training in a trade, and begins working to become a productive member of society in many instances debt free. I do not say this to minimize the importance of an advanced degree in certain fields or career paths. A path that includes college and a degree in a specialized field should be celebrated just as well. To be a successful society we need teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc. In the same regard and just as importantly we need skilled trades people such as mechanics, plumbers, and electricians.

Donna McLamb from Dobson is running for the district four school board seat for Surry County. This was her response to the Mount Airy News questions:

“My name is Donna McLamb. First of all, I would like to say I am a child of God and I believe in Jesus Christ. I have served Surry County as a veterinarian since 1993. I reside in Dobson where my husband and I have raised three children. Our children were educated in the Surry County Schools. Our eldest serves as a Mount Airy policeman. Our second child works with his dad in construction. Our third child is also a veterinarian. We have three grandchildren. I feel I was called to serve on Surry County School Board. I have a lot to learn but I am excited to do so if elected.”

Jimmy Yokeley describes himself as “a born again Christian man” who resides with his wife Jan in Dobson. They attend Salem Baptist Church. They are the parents of three adult children, two daughters and a son, as well as a son-in-law and soon to be daughter-in-law. “We are equally blessed to have five healthy grandchildren, four granddaughters and one grandson ranging in age from 13 years old to 18 months. Our middle daughter lives in Surry County with her two children/our two granddaughters who attend SCS.”

“Jan and I are native North Carolinians, with both the Yokeley and Rogers families having long, deep rooted origins in Surry County…dating back to the early/mid 1800s,” he said.

He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Belk College of Business with a bachelor’s in business administration.

Work accomplishments consist of a 40-year career, both in the private and public sectors, in the global supply-chain and logistics and economic development industries. A majority of his work has been spent in senior and executive leadership. He is the “Founder/CEO of Logistics Advantage, LLC with headquarters in Wilmington… which is a partner company with a highly successful North Carolina founded and headquartered company in Emerald Isle…TransImpact, LLC.”

“In summary, I am a Christian, constitutional conservative and a businessman who felt God’s calling to pursue a leadership role with our school board, with the goal to vastly improve the educational performance of our school children, re-claim and ensure parental rights, returning our local school board to the rule of law, godly principles and values, and help create and sustain a much needed and strongest collaboration between our parents, students, teachers, administrators and school board members.”

Question: What role should parents have in choosing curriculum for their child? What role should the Department of Public Instruction have?

Yokeley: How can our Surry County Schools, and our NCDPI, help produce top performing, globally competitive students unless we have parents sitting at the same curriculum topic table? I firmly believe that choosing the best performing curriculum for our school children must be a collaborative consortium of authority between parents, students, educators (teachers and administrators) and private sector business leaders.

This process should be carried out jointly and collaboratively between local NC county/municipal and state levels only, that includes the previous named stakeholders. Our U.S. Constitution did not grant authority over education to the federal government, thereby leaving the authority of education to the states, of which our North Carolina county/municipal governments are a critical part.

An excellent example of why I am (a) strong advocate of the above is the widely determined failure of the Common Core Curriculum that was pushed upon our NCDPI and adopted in June 2010. Our state has disastrously held onto up to its current form which began to change in 2017 and federally incentivized with our tax dollars. NC public school student performance in math and reading skills has continued to drop steadily since its introduction. The U.S. as a whole spends more money on education than any other country in the world, yet our failing educational curriculum is producing student performance that is “middle of the road” at best on a global comparison. Let’s stop wasting our citizens hard earned money and tax dollars and invest in a proven, high performing public education curriculum that all NC citizens can be proud of. They do exist today for us to implement.

Question: Should school board members be partisan elected officials?

Yokeley: Yes, our local county/municipal school board members should be partisan elected officials. And, as long as we have a state board of education, those members also should be partisan elected officials. Our constitutional republic form of government insist on “we the people” to elect those who we entrust and hold accountable to represent our God-given rights, values and beliefs, at every level of government. Not to be handpicked by others we have elected to our state legislative, judicial and executive branches.

Question: The K-12 plus four years of college plan does not seem to be the path some students want to take anymore. As a potential school board member how does that strike you?

Yokeley: If blessed to be elected to the school board, I think it is very important to ensure the best educational solutions to our diverse group of students. One size never has fit all, so why should one educational path be the only one leading to a fulfilling career and life?

At the same time, not every SCS high school graduate and their family can afford the cost of a four-year college education. Every child in Surry County and NC minimally deserves a globally competitive K-12 education that affords them an opportunity to earn a legitimate living wage.

From there, I am a firm believer in a strong working partnership with our Surry Community College and NC Community College System, the best in the country in my opinion, for a globally competitive K-12+2 path for our students who want more financial rewards and career opportunities in a specific certified skill/trade or, need more time to better prepare to pursue a four-year college degree.

My wife’s educational path is a great example of all of the above, along with so many of our SCS children past, present, and future.

The Mountain View Gardeners Garden Club concluded its season recently with an induction ceremony led by former president Tamara Thomas. Officers installed were, from left, Treasurer Barbara Oliver, Secretary Jenny Cooke, Vice President Mary Higgs and President Mary Planer. (Submitted photo)

The Mountain View Gardeners Garden Club recently met for a season-ending gathering. Picture are, from left, Amanda Fretwell, Beth Pequeno, Tamra Thomas, Mary Higgs, Marie Simmons, Mary Planer, Joy Barlow, Judy Kirkman, Barbara Oliver, Jenny Cooke, Brenda Edwards, Betty Wright, and Elaine Harbour. (Submitted photo)

Auditions for the Surry Arts Council’s production of “Music Man” directed by Tyler Matanick are being held on Tuesday, May 17 and Wednesday, May 18 from 6 – 9 p.m. at the Andy Griffith Playhouse.

Those auditioning should wear appropriate audition attire (no sweatpants or hoodies). Each auditioner should bring dance clothes/shoes for the dance audition and should prepare a 32-bar to 64-bar piece of any musical theater song. Sheet music should be brought for an accompanist to play along with the audition. Anyone not bringing sheeting music may sing a cappella. No monologue is necessary.

The public performances will be on Friday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, July 24 at 3 p.m.

The “Music Man” follows fast-talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill, as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band that he vows to organize — this, despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian, the librarian, who transforms him into a respectable citizen by curtain’s fall.

For additional information, contact Tyler Matanick at 336-786-7998 or tyler@surryarts.org. Tickets for the shows are available online at www.surryarts.org, via phone at 336-786-7998, or at the Surry Arts Council office at 218 Rockford Street.

A large, four-story building stands on the corner of North Main and East Oak Street in downtown Mount Airy, at 252 North Main Street. The building has occupied this corner for more than a century and has withstood all the changes that have occurred on the streets surrounding it.

Now known as the Main Oak building, and constructed sometime between 1905 and 1910, it has gone through countless renovations and changes, yet still retains many of its original details, such as its arched windows on the upper floor and its iconic, large storefront windows.

One of its early incarnations was as the F. L. Smith Hardware store. With the town of Mount Airy in boom and various industries springing up, there was high demand in the town for building supplies. As such, hardware stores became ubiquitous along Main Street. F. L Smith Hardware benefited greatly from all this new industry. The building then changed hands to Holcomb Hardware, and then over to Midkiff Hardware.

Its owner, John H Midkiff knew the building well, having been a resident of Mount Airy for the previous 21 years, and was an employee of F. L. Smith Hardware. In this incarnation, the store sold everything from wagons to tobacco and farming supplies. Under John Midkiff’s ownership, the store expanded, adding on a large storage warehouse located at the rear of the store, and also installed a modern (for its era) sprinkler system on the four floors of the building, making it the first store in town to have this fire prevention method.

Along with the flourishing business that the building housed, it also saw its share of the darker side of life. During the 1920s, Dr Harvey R. Hege’s practice was located on the second floor of the building, with Holcomb Hardware below. The dentist had lived and practiced in Mount Airy for more than 25 years and was by all accounts had many connections to the community and was very well respected.

Dr. Hege also flourished professionally. With the addition of a new X-ray machine in his office, the Mount Airy News wrote in a 1921 article that “with this addition to his already modernly equipped office Dr. Hege can now boast of one of the most completely equipped dental parlors in the state.”

However, what the dentist would become notorious for was his involvement in the murder of Curry Thomas, a Virginia farmer, in 1936. Just one month before his death, Thomas had married his wife Elise, who had previously worked for Dr. Hege at his practice. When they received a package in the mail, the couple assumed it was a wedding present. Instead, when they opened it, they set off the bomb that was inside, killing Thomas and severely injuring Elise.

Clues from the crime scene eventually led investigators in northwestern North Carolina, and to Dr. Hege. The dentist owned the very same typewriter which police were able to work out had written the shipping label of the deadly package. It is also said that Dr. Hege went right downstairs from his office and bought the materials for the package from Midkiff Hardware.

Dr. Hege denied all involvement and claimed he was away fishing at the time the package was sent, but his alibi soon proved false, and he was arrested.

However, before the case was brought to trial, Dr. Hege committed suicide in jail.

Legend has it that this unassuming building was at one time home to Mount Airy’s only speakeasy. In order to gain access, visitors were said to have to make their way to the top floor via a freight elevator. Not a sophisticated piece of machinery by any standard, the elevator was operated by a rope which would start and stop it. Once the rope had hopefully been pulled at the right moment to get out onto the third floor, visitors would be greeted by a small hallway, with a door with a small slot in it at the end of the hall. If the person looking through this slot approved of you, you were let in.

The elevator was the only way in or out of this building, so one night, when a party in the speakeasy was in full swing, and the rope for the elevator came loose, stranding the elevator in the basement, the visitors had no exit. There was no phone on this floor, in keeping with the secrecy of speakeasy and the cover story of it being used for storage, so the party-goers resorted to opening a window and yelling into the street for help. Unfortunately, the late hour meant the only ones still out on the street were the same people they were hiding from; the cops. We don’t hear any stories of the speakeasy after this point, but we can guess what happened.

Today, the building still stands on its corner, watching the hustle and bustle of Main Street. While the stories about the building have largely faded away, the building remains solid and standing, a testament to its varied history.

Katherine “Kat” Jackson is an employee at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. Originally from Australia she now lives in Winston-Salem. She can be reached at the museum at 336-786-4478.

DOBSON — Hundreds of people will be “Running the Vines” next Saturday in pursuit of awards for top finishers, but the big winner stands to be recreation programs of Surry County and Mount Airy.

The event featuring 10K and 5K races long has been held on the grounds of Shelton Vineyards just outside Dobson — for more than 10 years. But just as those participating do from time to time, Running the Vines has had to catch a second wind after being affected by COVID-19.

This included the cancellation of the traditional springtime event in May 2020 and its postponement to September last year due to pandemic restrictions on large gatherings.

Running the Vines now is set to return to its normal schedule on the May 21 date and with renewed vigor, according to Mount Airy Assistant City Manager Darren Lewis, who previously served as recreation director.

“We have approximately 400 runners pre-registered with the goal of 500 runners by race day,” Lewis disclosed earlier this week. Sign-ups will be available until then.

Next Saturday’s schedule calls for the 10K (6.2-mile) race to start at 8 a.m. and the 5K (3.1 miles) is set for 8:15 a.m. A kids fun run is slated for 9:30, with the races to go on rain or shine.

One aspect that sets Running the Vines apart from similar events involves the setting, with both the 10K and 5K to start and finish at Shelton Vineyards, featuring views of it — hence the title of the gathering — and neighboring country farms.

The adult registration costs are $40 for the 5K run through race day and $45 for the 10K.

For those under 18, the fee is $25 through race day for the 5K and $30 for the 10K.

The cost for the kids half-mile fun run is $10.

A 5K Team Challenge also will be involved, with a minimum of five runners required.

The top-three overall male and female winners of the 5K and 10K and age division winners will receive custom awards and the 5K Team Challenge team winner a commemorative crystal team trophy. All those completing the 5K and 10K are to get a finisher’s medal.

Registration is available at runningthevines.itsyourrace.com, along with more information.

Next Saturday’s activities won’t just include the races, but live music and other activities throughout the day.

“Running the Vines” participants are invited to bring a chair or blanket, stick around and listen to Casey Noel at a bandshell on the grounds from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Scarlet Lemonade from 2 to 5 p.m. on the winery patio.

Hayrides through the vineyard, tours and tastings also will be part of the occasion, with food and beverages to be offered.

And from 6 to 9 p.m., the Shelton Vineyards Sunset Concert is to feature the Blackwater Band playing a mix of blues, country and contemporary hits.

Registered race participants age 21 and over will receive two complimentary tickets to the concert at packet pickup. Additional tickets can be bought in advance for $25 at www.sheltonvineyards.com or the day of the concert for $30.

Admission will be free for children 12 and younger.

“Running the Vines” is co-sponsored by Mount Airy Parks and Recreation and Surry County Parks and Recreation.

Lewis, the assistant city manager, pointed out that proceeds from the event will be shared with the Reeves Community Center Foundation and the Surry County Parks and Recreation Department.

This will assist with scholarships, programs, Special Olympics and health and wellness opportunities, Lewis added.

Editor’s Note: The Mount Airy News posed the same three questions to local school board candidates running in the May 17 primary. Today, we publish the responses from the candidates seeking the GOP nomination for the District 3 Surry County Board of Education seat, both in print and online. The District 4 candidates will be online Sunday and in print on Tuesday.

Jessica George grew up in Westfield but now calls Siloam home, which is where much of her husband Cory’s family resides.

She is celebrating her ten-year wedding anniversary this month and has three children, two boys and a girl, who are ages 7, 4, and 1. She graduated from East Surry High School and went on to get my bachelor’s from Appalachian State University, majoring in risk management and insurance with a double major in finance and banking.

After college she worked in Excess & Surplus Lines insurance outside Orlando, Florida. Florida did not stand a chance, “because my longtime friend and fellow East Surry graduate asked me to marry him. We lived in Wilkes County, Raleigh, and Charlotte, before finally being able to move back to Surry County. My husband and I started a business in Pilot Mountain in the fall of 2020 and are loving every minute of being home.”

Question: What role should parents have in choosing curriculum for their child? What role should the Department of Public Instruction have?

George: Currently parents have two ways of participating in curriculum selection. The first is market choice. Demand always plays a role in any market. When parents choose alternatives to the public education system, they are making a statement on their preferences. The rise in classical education amongst charter schools is a current example.

The second way is within the public school system. According to our current administration parents are chosen to sit on a curriculum committee, along with a board member and staff. These committees ultimately select what providers will be used for our curriculums.

I agree with both of these methods. I believe that parents should have school choice, whether that be the public school, charter school, private school, or homeschooling. I also think parents should be allowed to play an active role within the school system when selecting curriculum. I do wish, however, that it was more widely known that parents can participate in the committee and the process.

The DPI should not be dictating curriculum. Our schools are run by local people who are elected by the citizens of Surry County. Schools are run locally, to ensure they can meet the expectations and needs of the local community. Our current superintendent attends EDC meetings to ensure the schools are preparing students for local job needs.

This of course is not limited in scope to employment but also applies to the values and expectations of parents. DPI has its place and purpose, in the oversight and transparency of our school system, but it should be limited in curriculum selection. For example, it may require that we teach NC History, but we should select the textbooks and material used to teach that subject.

Question: Should school board members be partisan elected officials?

George: I see no reason why they should hide party affiliation. They are an elected official, and their party affiliation is publicly available information. If a voter wanted to, they could do a quick search and determine each candidate’s affiliation, and what primaries they participated in.

I am always for more information available to a voter. The people of Surry County are smart. Providing the affiliation on the ballot gives the option to the voter, they can use that information or not. That is their decision.

While many have made the argument that it brings politics into our schools, I disagree. Politics have always affected our schools. I think people saw it more in the last two years with Covid response. The state House and Senate make laws that affect our schools, court systems interpret those laws, and the governor sometimes vetoes those laws. Our board is elected, the state superintendent (who is over DPI) is elected. That’s all politics.

I think most people want to keep political ideology out of the classroom, and candidates inflate that to apply to our election. I don’t think we have a candidate running who wants politics in our classrooms, myself included.

Question: The K-12 plus four years of college plan does not seem to be the path some students want to take anymore. As a potential school board member how does that strike you?

I don’t think this is surprising at all. The rising cost of college, paired with the rising supply of college graduates has created an undesirable situation for those that have invested in the college plan. Many of the top employers in our nation are no longer requiring college degrees. Many parents are cautioning their children against taking on large amounts of debt at such a young age, particularly if they are not sure of their career.

We are seeing a much-needed resurgence in the trades. Those careers are valuable to society because they are so necessary. We told an entire generation that college was the path to happiness, and/or wealth. In today’s economy that’s just not true for many people. I think students and parents are finding that we have a lot of good options that don’t require a $100,000 degree. We also have many employers willing to pay for some education. I think you have students taking advantage of those opportunities as well.

I also believe the rise in technology has fueled this shift and will continue to do so…It’s not hard to find someone online who has made a great living with no college degree. Information is readily available for students on what careers are really like day to day. In addition, skills are easier to gain with the use of online videos, subscriptions, or groups. College will still have its place for some career paths, but it’s not for everybody.

Kent Whitaker is a life-long resident of Surry County and resides in the Copeland Community, with a Dobson address. He has been married to Lynn Harbour Whitaker for 47 years, they have four children, nine grandchildren, and one foster grandchild. Three of his family members are employed by the Surry County School system and five of his grandchildren currently are students in the Surry County School System.

He attended Copeland Elementary School and graduated in the class of 1970 from Surry Central High School. From there he attended Wingate Junior College and Appalachian State University graduating with honors and a BS degree in business administration/banking and finance.

He was employed with Farm Credit Service for more than 41 years and assumed the roles of commercial loan officer, branch manager, VP over marketing and related services, and retired as senior vice president and department head over special assets in 2015.

“My other affiliations consist of serving with the Gideon’s International for 39 years and member of Pine Hill Friends Meeting and Fairview Baptist Church. It has truly been a blessing to serve my Lord through these churches and through the Gideon Ministry.

“My activities within the school system consist of serving on the first advisory committee for Central Middle School, serving as a mentor and a volunteer at the elementary level. Another related school activity I am still involved with is basketball officiating at the high school and middle school levels.

“In relating to school age children, I served as director for the Copeland Youth Basketball for 17 years and also Coached Little League Baseball and Softball over that same period,” he wrote.

Question: What role should parents have in choosing curriculum for their child? What role should the Department of Public Instruction have?

Whitaker: I feel the role of the parent having a part in the curriculum process for the local school system is a vital one and should be incorporated when practical in the public school setting. Naturally, that oversight in a private and home school setting is even more pronounced.

The DPI should have the role of setting curriculum as it pertains to meeting achievement standards for students reaching required learning levels. The DPI’s role should be providing curriculums that are solely based on educational facts and learning and not on opinions, theories, and ideologies. Beyond these educational standards requirements where there may be flexibility by local school administrators and school boards, parents should have access to what is being taught.

Our school system should be transparent with the curriculums provided. That being said, I feel currently we have to give a level of trust and respect to the educators that are in place in the Surry County School System to teach our students in a way that will be to their benefit. One could say the vote up and down the ballot of parents can influence eventually what is incorporated within a curriculum. As parents have concerns or questions as to aspects of their child’s curriculum, I feel it is the responsibility of the DPI along with school system administrators to provide well versed explanations of content, etc.

Question: Should school board members be partisan elected officials?

Whitaker: I know there are some that would say that it is partisan officials at the state level that affect our local school systems through policies, mandates, and curriculums, therefore, it is reasonable for the school board to be a partisan vote. I understand that others feel the school board being a partisan position may provide them another level of assessment of a particular candidate because of their affiliation.

However, I do not feel it necessary that this county-level position be partisan. The focus of the school system should be about educating our students while upholding the values of the community.

This election is about selecting the candidate that will serve in the best interest of the students, educators, parents, and the community within the school system. Knowing a candidate’s specific views concerning educational issues is the more important thing. Even though I have filed under a party affiliation I am led more by my conservative and Christian values than party affiliation.

Question: The K-12 plus four years of college plan does not seem to be the path some students want to take anymore. As a potential school board member how does that strike you?

Whitaker: Apart from researching as to the reason for this trend, this does not strike me as a strong concern that I would immediately have. I do not feel that the school system’s position should be to push as many students as possible down the path of obtaining a college degree.

In today’s economy there appears to be a shortage of people to fill certain trade and tech jobs that would provide a quality living. School systems should continue to move toward equipping students to enter into a career and technical education path that provides skills-based career opportunities with flexibility to connect to college.

In short, there are solid employment opportunities with good paying jobs. The role of our school system is to help students be gainfully employed and productive members of society and prepare for what they want to do after high school, whether it be a college or career.

Mountain Valley Hospice & Palliative Care is making two separate moves — creating a new position for donor relations and stewardship and a literal move, changing locations for its headquarters.

Katherine Brinkley has joined the staff as director of donor relations and stewardship.

“One of Katherine’s primary responsibilities in this newly created position will be to implement and manage a comprehensive stewardship program,” the organization said in announcing her selection.

Most recently, Katherine served as the assistant director of marketing and community engagement at ABC of NC in Winston-Salem. She also held a variety of positions at Trellis Supportive Care.

“Katherine is passionate about the hospice mission,” said Sara Tavery, senior director of philanthropy. “She will lead our efforts to recognize and thank donors for their gifts in support of end-of-life care for our patients and their families.”

Brinkley is a volunteer with the young alumni leadership council of UNC and is a member of the Junior League in Winston-Salem. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and Hispanic linguistics. She resides in Winston-Salem.

In an unrelated move, the non-profit agency will be moving its headquarters, from 401 Technology Drive, to 1427 Edgewood Drive, Suite 101, in Mount Airy.

“The pandemic taught us many things, among them that we no longer need expansive office space, and that patients are better served when we are closer to their homes, health facilities, or hospice homes,” said Tracey Dobson, CEO and president of Mountain Valley Hospice & Palliative Care. “This new space will allow us to maximize our services to patients and their families.”

For more information visit www.mtnvalleyhospice.org

It was time for The United Fund of Surry to celebrate during their 2021-2022 Awards Luncheon that was recently held at The Barn at Heritage Farm. Executive Director Melissa Hiatt and representatives from among the organizations that make up the United Fund were in attendance and gladly took advantage of some catering from Mary Planer at This & That Catering.

Hiatt wanted all the credit for the United Fund’s work to start with her board of directors each of whom have a specific role to play in making the United Fund a continuing success. The board is comprised of: Brad Balentine, Jared Moser, Jayme Bryant, Jessica Montgomery, John Jonczak, Lenise Lynch, Mac Sammons, Merry Craig Boaz, Raleigh Scales, Sommer Coalson, and Taylor Clark.

The pandemic prevented the awards lunch from being held for the past two years, but Hiatt wanted to recognize those board members whose time on the board expired during COVID: Angie Cagle, Dale Badgett, Clay Nowlin, Dale Draughn, and Christopher Cook.

All the organizations under the umbrella of The United Fund of Surry were asked to stand with their group for a round of applause, the kicker was that you were asked to stay standing until all groups stood.

Hiatt opened the awards portion with a thank you to the marketing committee and board for supporting Downtown Rocks and Run which was held on August 14. She said more runners than ever came out to participate when 288 runners laced up their shoes for a good cause and brought in $23,421.34. The United Fund thanked Altec Industries for being the headline sponsor, and announced Saturday, August 13, as the next Downtown Rocks and Run.

Last October was the 14th annual Greater Granite Open Golf Tournament sponsored again by Altec. The tournament raised an additional $20,000 for the Unite Fund coffers.

John Tarn was given special thanks and a plaque for his work as campaign chair during a time of uncertainty. “We knew we needed a chairman that was not only knowledgeable about our community but engaged. When John was approached, he jumped right in to work with staff and offer his marketing knowledge when needed,” Ben Griffin said.

“Awards are our way of saying thank you, we couldn’t do what we do without every person in this room,” Hiatt said as she brought up some helpers to give out the awards. She listed off 23 organization which had “outstanding increases in giving from the last year’s campaign.” Businesses such as Renfro, Aprio, and Shenandoah Furniture were just a handful of those cited.

The Hometown Hero trophies were given to local businesses that “are truly our heroes. These businesses achieved 100% employee participation and had in increase in giving from last year,” Hiatt said. Carter Bank & Trust, Rogers Realty and Auction, Surry Friends of Youth, and Surry Medical Ministries were each so honored.

Annually The Chairman’s Award is given to a consistent workplace campaign or corporate donor. This year it was a tie between Altec and Surrey Bank & Trust. Surrey Bank & Trust has been a longtime sponsor of Rocks and Run as well as the golf tournament. The bank has also participated in a long-standing workplace campaign.

Altec was the title sponsor for two events this year, as noted, but it was their in-house campaign that really blew socks off with $60,000 raised. Hiatt noted Altec also has members of its staff to organize and run the golf tournament.

Not everyone conducts their campaign in the same way, some trot another path to raise money. The Pat Woltz Way to Glow Award this year was presented to Andy Hull on behalf of Surry Communications and staff. “When most of us are in our warm homes watching parades, the folks are down by the river on the Greenway setting up the Turkey Trot that is held each year.” Not only did she say this year’s event was a lot of fun, but she also said it has a good following of folks returning each year.

The Dave Green Achievement Award was named to honor a longtime supporter of the Renfro workplace campaign for 15 years. The recipients this year combined for well over 15 years of service, Robert and Cama Merritt accepted the award, and Vickie Harold accepted on behalf of her mother Sylvia Harold.

Created and presented for the first time this year is the new Volunteer Achievement Award given to an outstanding volunteer that has served one of the United Fund agencies and “has shown dedication to that member organization, the community, and the United Fund of Surry,” Hiatt explained. She also said multiple agencies and individuals nominated the very same person for the award.

“This individual stood out so much that we decided to name this award after them. They are very active with the Children’s Center of Northwest North Carolina, Surry Medical Ministries, and serve on our county school board. These are only a few of this person’s contributions to the community.”

“It is my pleasure to present the First Terri Mosley Volunteer Achievement award to Dr. Terri Mosley.”

Agriculture is a tough business, accompanied by hard work, stress, weather crises and uncertain incomes at year’s end — but farmers develop a certain perseverance, which also is true of a local event honoring them.

The coronavirus has been another addition to that list of obstacles which caused the annual Mayberry Farm Fest to be cancelled for the past two years. But with a sense of resolve that would put any mule to shame, it is returning next weekend to the streets of downtown Mount Airy.

“It will be our first time back since COVID,” key organizer Gail Hiatt emphasized in detailing the resurrection of Mayberry Farm Fest for what she said will be its 16th year.

The two-day May 20-21 event is scheduled to feature farm animals including a petting zoo, pony rides and other attractions geared toward children, live music, interactive displays, demonstrations, antique tractors and other equipment, heritage and cultural exhibits, crafts and more.

All that will be on tap next Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., when North Main Street is closed to vehicular traffic between Pine Street and an area just south of Independence Boulevard near Brannock and Hiatt Furniture.

The entertainment lineup will begin with an open jam from 9 a.m. to noon, with The Unique Sound of the Mountains — Larry Sigmon and Martha Spencer, to play from 1 to 2 p.m.

A Danceworks performance is scheduled for 2 p.m., and Dancemix with Tracie will be on hand from 2:15 to 2:45 p.m.

Danceworks is to return at 2:50 p.m. with Gap Civil, an old-time and traditional country band from Sparta, slated to perform from 3 to 4 p.m.

A watermelon seed-spitting contest is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. and cakewalks at 3:45.

Festivities for this year’s celebration of agriculture will kick off Friday with a tractor parade down North Main Street, to begin at 6 p.m.

The parade typically has showcased a procession of 30 or more tractors of various models, some dating to the 1940s and 1950s.

Many owners involved have devoted much time and effort to restoring the tractors and want to show off the finished products in their hometown, said Hiatt, who is co-chairing Mayberry Farm Fest with Downtown Business Association President Phil Marsh.

They are excited about the resumption of the parade, usually accompanied by spectators lining both sides of the street.

This year’s tractor parade will be enhanced by the presence of the Tucker sisters, Carson Parry and Roe Roe, who will serve as its grand marshals, with a horse-drawn wagon to lead the procession.

Roe Roe was diagnosed with leukemia in November 2019 and recently completed chemotherapy treatments. Her big sister Carson Parry has been with Roe Roe every step of the way.

“Both of these girls are warriors and deserved to be celebrated,” says a Mount Airy Visitors Center announcement regarding their involvement.

A kids’ parade is scheduled after the main tractor parade, during which children are invited to ride their toy tractors/cars and bikes.

Many people were disappointed that Mayberry Farm Fest wasn’t held in 2021 as the pandemic was subsiding somewhat, but insurance restrictions did not allow this to happen, Hiatt explained.

They included many older farmers who have enjoyed attending over the years and appreciated the ways in which the event has perpetuated their way of life.

“A lot of our history seems to be dying out,” Hiatt said. “I think it (Mayberry Farm Fest) helps keep it alive.”

Despite the two-year interruption, efforts to bring the festival back have been seamless, according to Hiatt.

“It hasn’t been difficult at all — everybody, I think, was ready for it,” she said. “I think everybody else is more excited that we (organizers) are.”

In fact, more vendors are expected this year along with some new attractions, including participation by a ranch owner from Jonesville who is to “bring a lot of stuff this year” in terms of animals, according to Hiatt.

“It is just a fun weekend for the family.”

The Edwards-Franklin House has been around since 1799, but recently its storied history was put on hold by the pandemic — which is changing this weekend.

For the first time in three years, open house tours are scheduled today and Sunday to showcase the Surry County landmark located at 4132 Haystack Road west of Mount Airy. That site additionally has long hosted an annual sonker festival, which also was cancelled the past two falls due to COVID-19.

“We haven’t had anything since 2019,” said Dr. Annette Ayers, the president of the Surry Historical Society, which owns the property and sponsors activities there. This included the last sonker gathering that October and a Christmas observance soon after.

“That’s why we’re so excited about getting to have something,” Ayers added Thursday.

This “something” is the resumption of open house tours for the public which were suspended in both 2020 and 2021. These are scheduled today from 1 to 5 p.m. and Sunday during the same time.

“Everyone is welcome to this free event,” Ayers advised.

The Edwards-Franklin House was constructed in 1799 and is considered the finest example of its architecture in the Piedmont.

It was built by Gideon Edwards and later occupied by his son-in-law, Meshack Franklin, a member of Congress and a brother of North Carolina Gov. Jesse Franklin, who served in the 1820s. The house was bought in 1972 by the Surry County Historical Society and restored to its grandeur, featuring many unique architectural components.

The Edwards-Franklin House has been readied for visitation once again after no open house tours for the public the past two years.

“We had to go in, of course, and clean everything extensively,” Ayers said. The lawn and surrounding grounds also have been maintained in an immaculate condition — “all the plant beds have been weeded.”

The Surry Historical Society is hoping to have additional open house events throughout the coming summer, according to its president.

She says such activities provide a good opportunity for newcomers to the area to experience the Edwards-Franklin House for the first time, in light of the long shutdown, and guesses that some local residents also have never visited.

“We just hope the public takes advantage of this free event.”

• Authorities are investigating a felony offense in which a stolen debit card was used to purchase goods at a local convenience store, according to Mount Airy Police Department reports.

The incident occurred last weekend at Speedway on West Pine Street, with the victim identified as Savannah Victoria Rice of Pell Lane in Claudville, Virginia. No loss figure was specified.

Rice told police Sunday, when she reported the financial card fraud, that her phone wallet, Allegacy debit card, Capital One credit card and driver’s license had been stolen by a known individual at Walmart earlier in the weekend.

• Timothy Banks Brannock, 44, of 241 Starwood Trail, was jailed under a $10,000 secured bond on May 6 on a felony charge of possession of methamphetamine and for being a fugitive from justice wanted in another state.

Brannock was encountered by officers during a welfare check at a location in the 900 block of West Pine Street, where he was found with the Schedule II controlled substance and also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, including a glass smoking device and rolling papers, arrest records show.

A check with a national crime database revealed Brannock was being sought by authorities in Patrick County, Virginia, on an unspecified matter. He is facing a May 23 appearance in Surry District Court.

• A felonious larceny occurred at Staples on May 5, when two people ran out of the store without paying for merchandise valued at $949, including a Hewlett Packard laptop computer with a 15-inch screen, a Fellowes paper shredder, Brother computer toner, two packs of Paper Mate gel pens and a Pendaflex hanging file folder.

• Stephen Isaiah Butler, 20, listed as homeless, was charged with injury to personal property on May 5, stemming from an incident in which he allegedly threw a rock through the back window of a 2003 Chrysler Concorde owned by Heather Michele Bryant.

This occurred during a domestic disturbance at Bryant’s residence in the 1000 block of South Main Street, police records state, with the damage put at $195. Butler is free on a written promise to appear in District Court, the date for which was unclear in the arrest report.

DOBSON — Master Gardener volunteers of Surry County have schedule a summer full of garden adventures.

“Whether you like planting herbs, flowers, or ornamentals, there is something for you,” the group said in a recent statement. In addition to virtual workshops the group has been holding, there are four in-person, hands-on opportunities coming up this spring and summer. They are:

• Thursday, May 26, 10 a.m.- Herbs for the Italian Blend, at a cost of $20 per participant;

• Thursday, June 23, 10 a.m.- Plants for a Drought Resistant Garden, at a cost of $5 per participant;

• Thursday, July 21, 10 a.m. – Sensitively Creative! at a cost of $5;

• Thursday, August 25, 10 a.m. – Inviting Pollinators to your Backyard, at a cost of $5.

All workshops will be h eld at the demonstration gardens at the Historic Courthouse at 114 W. Atkins Street.

Participants will have something to take home with them from each of the programs. Each class has an attendance limit and registration is required. For more information, or to register, call the N.C. Cooperative Extension Surry County Center office at 336-401-8025.

The Surry Arts Players will be performing “Little Women” directed by Shelby Coleman this weekend. There will be a Saturday performance at 7:30 p.m. and a Sunday performance at 3 p.m.

Based on Louisa May Alcott’s life, “Little Women” follows the adventures of sisters Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy March. Jo is trying to sell her stories for publication, but the publishers are not interested – her friend, Professor Bhaer, tells her that she has to do better and write more from herself. Begrudgingly taking this advice, Jo weaves the story of herself and her sisters and their experience growing up in Civil War America.

“Little Women” offers a night filled with laughter, tears, and a lifting of the spirit.

The production stars Raegan Amos as Jo March, Madison Stowe as Meg March, Cassidy Mills as Beth March, LillyRuth Beck as Amy March, Laura Hutchins as Marmee March, Scott Carpenter as Professor Bauer, Greg Matthews as Mr. Laurence, Django Burgess as Theodore Laurence III “Laurie,” Walker York as Mr. John Brooke, Shawn Murphy as Aunt March, Ashley Mills as Mrs. Kirk, Madelyn Holladay as The Hag, Alexis Holladay as Sir Braxton Prendergast, Kaitlyn Holladay as Rodrigo II, Thomas Holladay as Rodrigo, Abbie Schuyler as Clarissa, Kori Hawks as The Troll and Robert Parks as The Knight.

The Surry Arts Players are welcoming newcomer Laura Hutchens who has performed with the Piedmont Opera and serves as an adjunct professor of voice at High Point University. Madison Stowe is also a newcomer and is from Martinsville, Virginia. has performed in numerous community theater productions around the tri-state.

Serving on the production crew is Director/Choreographer Shelby Coleman, Music Director Katelyn Gomez, Conductor Hollie Heller, Costume Designer Khriste Petree, Lighting Designer Tyler Matanick, Set Design by Shelby Coleman, Set Construction Tyler Matanick and David Brown, Set Painting Shelby Coleman and Lori Hawkins Beck, Prop Master Shelby Coleman and Cassidy Mills, Sound Engineer Tyler Matanick, Production Assistant Reese Cox, Pianist Teresa Martin, Trumpet Allen Nichols, Percussion RJ Heller, Clarinet/Tenor Saxophone Bobby Heller and Stage Crew Revonda Petree, Noah Petree, Reese Cox, Isabelle Cowan, Patrick McDaniel, and Noah Wilkes.

Performances are on Saturday] at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Andy Griffith Playhouse. Tickets are $20. Tickets are available online at www.surryarts.org, via phone at 336-786-7998, at the Surry Arts Council office at 218 Rockford Street, or at the box office one hour before the performances. For additional information, contact Marianna Juliana at 336-786-7998 or marianna@surryarts.org.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi has been holding induction ceremonies throughout the school year, including services for several local residents.

– Meredith Cox, of Mount Airy, at East Carolina University;

– Hollie Bowers, of Pinnacle, at East Carolina University;

– Diane Palmieri, of Pilot Mountain, at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro;

– Amy Snow, of Pilot Mountain, at The University of Alabama in Huntsville;

– Stephen Sasser, of Elkin, at University of North Carolina Wilmington.

They are among approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10% of seniors and 7.5% of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10% of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 325 campuses in the United States, its territories and the Philippines.

Rain or not, Dobson area residents — and most anyone willing to drive to the county seat — will have a chance to get all wet on Saturday.

And every day afterward, too, until mid-September.

The town is reopening its popular, and freshly painted, splash pad at Dobson Square Park.

“We have given it a fresh new coat of paint. It’s blue and it looks beautiful,” Town Manager Laura Neely said.

It is also free, no doubt another attractive feature for area residents who make good use of the facility.

“It brings people in not only from different towns in the county, but from different counties altogether,” Neely said. “Schools do field trips, usually in May for end of school year. Daycares, elementary schools come in. It’s heavily used.”

The nearby picnic shelter has already been reserved for the day by a local group, but the splash pad itself is open for all to use.

Officially the splash pad opens at 8 a.m. Saturday, and is available for use until 8 p.m. It sticks to those hours six of the seven days each week. Only Wednesday is different, when it is open from noon until 8 p.m.

“Wednesday morning we have maintenance hours,” she explained.

Neely said the pad has proven popular since it was opened in 2015, although there is no way to keep an official count on how heavily it is used.

“We do have park staff on site during the summer months to clean up trash and monitor that the rules are being followed, that everyone is safe at the splash park,” she said, but otherwise visitors are on their own to go in and out of the water as they please.

The water does turn off every 15 minutes, to keep from wasting the resource if the splash pad is empty. However, users can keep the water running simply by pushing a button. The only time it is off during normal operating hours is when there is lightning in the area.

“We’ll turn it off until the storm is over,” she said.

While the splash pad is free to use at any time during the normal operating hours, Neely said two picnic shelters at the park can be reserved for use by organizations and families for birthday parties and other gatherings.

“The easiest way to reserve the park is online,” she said. But those wishing to do so can call the office, email town officials, or stop by at 307 N. Main Street. The town’s website is https://www.dobson-nc.com/181/Splash-Pad and the phone number is 336-356-8962.

While the splash pad was shut down in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was open last year. That doesn’t dampen the enthusiasm among town staff for its reopening this year.

“We get excited about it every year…it’s such a great thing for the town,” Neely said.

Authorities have released the name and cause of death of a man found earlier this week dead while sitting on a lawnmower, and a second man — identified as a “person of interest” in the shooting, is now dead.

Deputies with the Surry County Sheriff’s Office initially responded in the case at 1:18 p.m. Monday to a house in the 600 block of Golf Course Road in Pilot Mountain. There they found Vincent Lee Bray, 65, dead from an apparent gunshot according to Surry County Sheriff Steve C. Hiatt.

Working with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, officials ruled the death a homicide, and identified Michael (Mike) Patrick Alford, 71, of 657 Golf Course Road, Pilot Mountain as “a person of interest,” the sheriff said in a statement released Thursday afternoon.

“It appears that Mr. Bray and Mr. Alford had a history of disagreements dating back years,” the sheriff said. “Investigators interviewed Mr. Alford on May 9…in the evening hours pertaining to the incident. Mr. Alford abruptly concluded the interview with investigators and left walking from the Surry County Sheriff’s Office,” the sheriff said.

The next day Alford’s wife, Debra Alford, reported her husband missing, saying she had not spoken to him since his Monday night interview with the sheriff’s office.

On Wednesday, the sheriff said his office received a call about “a possible suicide incident” in the 400 block of Shoals Road, Pinnacle. There deputies arrived on the scene to find Michael Alford in an open field, dead from “an apparent self-inflected gunshot wound.”

The investigation is still active, the sheriff said, adding that no additional information will be released “at this time.”

Westfield Elementary School recently named 13 students as Leaders of the Month for April.

“These students were chosen by their peers for demonstrating the leadership attribute, being considerate,” school officials said. “Being considerate is thinking of other’s feelings and having or showing others they care.”

Each of the students received a book to take home.

The Mount Airy News is running question-and-answer articles with candidates leading up to the May 17 primary. We posed the same three questions to candidates for the Republican nomination for the North Carolina House of Representatives District 90 seat, which covers Mount Airy and Surry County, along with parts of Wilkes and Alleghany counties. Here are their answers.

Benjamin Romans is from the Roaring River community.

Question: In recent years, there has been a lot of public discussion on the role of government, big vs. small government, intrusion in private lives vs. basic freedoms, and the like. In your opinion, what is the role of the state government in North Carolina?

Romans: Government should seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state; emphasizing free association, freedom of choice, individualism and voluntary association.

Question: What do you believe are the two or three biggest issues facing North Carolinians today, and how do you believe the state government should attack those issues

Romans: Abortion. Abortion was not a decision made by the supreme court in 1973. In fact it was an opinion. Therefore it falls under the Tenth Amendment and is a state’s issue. Abortion should be illegal because it is murder. We must protect the unborn. Legislation should be put into place to criminalize abortions.

Liberty. There are far to many victimless crimes currently in North Carolina and throughout the country. Big government has reduced many of our God-given, constitutionally protected rights. Unconstitutional taxes and unreasonable regulations have crippled our economy thus creating a nation of dependent slaves who no longer know true freedom. So in conclusion the government should get its nose out of our business. Big government is a big problem.

Question: Why are you running for office, and why should voters cast a ballot for you? What sets you apart from your opponent?

Romans: I am running for office to bring forth true change. To institute true freedom and Liberties. Voters should vote for me because I care. I am the common man. I have counted change in order to make it to my next payday. I have the backbone to stand up to crooked politicians who have systematically destroyed this state and country. I am the true liberty candidate.

Sarah Stevens is a Mount Airy attorney, who has served seven consecutive terms in the House of Representatives. She is the House Speaker Pro Tempore, and in the 2021-22 session, she served as chair of the Judiciary 2 committee, as well as being a member on the appropriations, appropriations capital, and regulatory reform committees. She was also co-chair of the Joint Legislative Administrative Procedure Oversight Committee and the Social Services Regional Supervision and Collaboration Working Group, as well as holding other non-standing committee assignments.

Question: In recent years, there has been a lot of public discussion on the role of government, big vs. small government, intrusion in private lives vs. basic freedoms, and the like. In your opinion, what is the role of the state government in North Carolina?

Stevens: Government should be limited but it s necessary to maintain law and order. The government is also critical to having the necessary infrastructure. Local government should be a limited function and often oversteps its allowed purposes.

Question: What do you believe are the two or three biggest issues facing North Carolinians today, and how do you believe the state government should attack those issues?

Stevens: Today it is inflation. People are struggling with getting necessary food and medicine and housing. The federal government has aggravated this issue with limiting our supply of fuels from a myriad of sources. Food and medicine come from transportation as does building supplies. The cost of everything continues to rise. The federal government should restart the (Keystone) pipeline and reduce the extra fees they have added to public leased lands which provide oil.

Question: Why are you running for office, and why should voters cast a ballot for you? What sets you apart from your opponent?

Stevens: I know that this job is public service. I have been in this office for the past 12-and-a-half years. Experience and seniority matter in Raleigh. What we do is important. I am a lawyer and that gives me an advantage in critical thinking. I ran my own office so I know what it takes to make a payroll and pay taxes.

A murder will take place this weekend on Jones School Road in Mount Airy — not really, just make-believe as part of a production to benefit the historic facility where it will be held.

This involves the staging of a play titled “Lights! Camera! Murder!” in L.H. Jones Auditorium on the grounds of the former Jones School and present community resource center in the northern part of town.

A local drama club, The Good Time Players, is putting on the production for which shows are scheduled Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

Proceeds from the performances will benefit the J.J. Jones Alumni Association, which owns the former school auditorium that is now used for various community events. It operates separately from other parts of the old campus long owned by the county government, with the funds raised to go toward the ongoing maintenance of the auditorium.

“I am in the play,” Alumni Association President Nancy Bowman Williams said.

“Lights! Camera! Murder!” — described as a comedy murder mystery — has about 10 cast members altogether. The plot concerns the slaying of the leading man in a detective movie and efforts to unmask his killer. The story is set in the 1940s.

Tammy Denny of The Good Time Players Drama Club is the play’s director. That group is known for its staging of productions as fundraisers for worthy causes, with Denny involved for several years.

The doors open at 6 p.m. Friday for the first of the three “Lights! Camera! Murder!” presentations, with the play starting at 7 p.m. The audience will be seated at tables.

On Saturday night, the same schedule will be observed for a dinner theater event. “Saturday is a sellout,” Williams said of a 100-plate limit imposed by the caterer for the evening.

However, space will be found around the auditorium then for those who simply want to watch the play with no meal included. “We’re not going to turn anybody away,” the Alumni Association president said.

A matinee is planned Sunday afternoon, when the doors will open at 2 p.m. for a 3 o’clock show.

Organizers say a “dessert-theater” setup will be in place Friday night and Sunday afternoon, for which tickets were still available at last report.

The cost is $20 per person all three days, with those interested in attending asked to show up at the door.

Unlike some community theater productions that include several weeks of rehearsals, the local staging of “Lights! Camera! Murder!” has involved a much longer undertaking.

Rehearsals actually began in June 2021 for shows that originally were to be held much earlier than now.

“And COVID happened,” Williams explained.

© 2018 The Mount Airy News