Nash Arts is hosting its Founders Day Celebration this evening, Thursday, Oct. 23,  from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The organization is honoring past and present board members and volunteers plus celebrating the 100th birthday of its facility in downtown Nashville which was the original location of  Nashville Baptist Church.  The event will kick off at 5:30 p.m. with a ribbon cutting followed by a brief program and light refreshments. For additional information call 459-4734.

A project on Nashville’s wish list for many years is one step closer to becoming a reality.
Nashville’s Town Council voted earlier this month to purchase property on Cross Street.
The property was purchased with the intention of aligning Western Avenue and Cross Street, to make it a straighter path. The property is owned by Jimmy Hinton and Jerry Creekmore.

Nash County residents had a chance to express their concerns about a proposed natural gas pipeline at a public hearing that was held last Wednesday evening at Nash Community College.
Dominion announced on September 2nd a partnership with Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and AGL Resources to build and own the proposed pipeline.

A Nashville veterinarian was one of four inducted into the N.C State Fair Livestock Hall of Fame this weekend.
Dr. R. Cole Younger was inducted into the sheep and goat category. Younger was inducted on Sunday at the State Fairgrounds.
Since 1980, there have been 149 inductees into the Livestock Hall of Fame.

A candidate forum begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23 in the Auditorium at the Rocky Mount campus of the Edgecombe Community College. The event is sponsored by the Rocky Mount Branch of the NAACP for candidates who have filed to run for seats that are up for election in November 2014.  “Because early voting is upon us and because this is a critical time in our country’s history, the NAACP is giving candidates an opportunity to speak to citizens in the Twin County area about issues that impact our economy and quality of life,” Andre’ Knight, President of the Rocky Mount Branch said.

Spring Hope commissioners voted to reallocate certain NC Step Project Funds in order to tackle additional projects for the improvement of the town. The move came at the most recent business meeting held on October 20. At the same meeting, commissioners further discussed possible plans to raise the price for lots in the town’s cemetery and discussed the progress in hiring a new chief.

A Nashville scout received the highest honor bestowed to boy scouts, as he received his Eagle Scout rank last Saturday.
Jacob Allen was officially recognized last Saturday, October 11 at Nashville United Methodist Church in the bus garage.
The bus garage was actually the focus of Allen’s Eagle Scout project. He chose to have a lean-to shelter built on the side of the bus garage. The shelter was built as an addition to the Compassion Cafe.

Every Friday afternoon, Richard Glenn Ricks sets up a tent and two chairs at the empty lot between Fellowship Church and Nashville’s Glover Park.
Ricks spends his time there praying for others and just talking to those who stop by.
Ricks, a member of Fellowship Church, said after retiring, he felt led to pray.

Amanda Lamb has seen the effects of domestic violence firsthand.
As a reporter for WRAL, she has covered the issue for over 20 years and has interviewed many people who have either witnessed domestic violence or been victims themselves.
And though things have changed over the years, there’s still work to be done.

INCIDENTS
A larceny was reported on 10/12/14 at Wal-Mart, 1205 Eastern Avenue
A damage to property (vandalism) was reported on 10/13/14 at 545 Indian Trail
A larceny was reported on 10/14/14 at Faith Christian Ministries, 245 W Washington Street

A damage to property was reported on 10/13/14 at 4605 N Old Carriage Road
A sex offender violation was reported on 10/13/14 at 529 Dexter Street
A breaking, entering and larceny of a residence was reported on 10/13/14 at 7312 Alvins Lane
A larceny of a golf cart was reported on 10/13/14 at 4884 Dorothy Lane

Nash County Planning and Inspections issued the following building permits from October 6 through October 10

Jon Hardy
Profession: Teacher/coach (Nash Central Middle, Spaulding and Southern Nash Jr. High), Assistant Principal/ Principal, (Nashville Elementary and Middlesex Elementary) Board Member District Two. 36 years in education.Currently Retired.
Family: Wife, Joan and two sons and two grandchildren. Son: Jeremy and his wife Sharon and their two children Mckenzie and Braydan. Son: Joshua

Wendy Wilson
Age:  46
Profession or Background:  Attorney; Adjunct Professor
Family:  Husband, Tim Wilson
Daughters, Callie (age 11) & Abby (age 9)

Linwood Weeks
Age: 52
Profession: I currently work for ValuTeachers, a company dedicated to educating teachers on the State Retirement System. We provide information to help close the retirement gap for all teachers throughout the country.
Hobbies: I enjoy hunting, fishing, playing golf, and spending time with my dogs. 

Robert A. Bynum
Age: 50
Profession or background: Minister
Family: Wife, Theresa; six children: Kira, Reggie, Robert, Ayenna, André, Vance
Hobbies: Coaching, mentoring, music

LaShawnda Washington
Profession: Literacy Instructor, Edgecombe Community College
Family: Husband, two children, one grandson
Hobbies: Reading, Spending time with family

Bonnie Baker Batts
Age: 65
Family: Married to Rusty Batts, one son, Christopher, daughter-in-law, Jennifer, two granddaughters and one grandson.
Hobbies: Reading and dancing

Tiffany Dawn Delano
Age:  40
Profession or background:  Application Tech Support Analyst with HED, LLC.  15 Years
Family:  Married to Trevor Delano and a five-year-old son, Evan Delano
Hobbies:  Running, Jr. Guild, Working Out, Faith Christian Competition Cheer Coach

Steve Williams
Age: 59
Profession or background: Manufacturing manager (retired) - Hospira.
Family: Spouse, Sarah; Children: Amy and Matthew.
Hobbies: Reading, gardening, fishing

Wayne Doll
Age: 65
I am  a 36 year resident of Rocky Mount having served in a variety of Administrative positions with Nash-Rocky Mount Schools. I am married to the former Beverly Jo Herring, a retired Nash-Rocky Mount School Teacher. We are parents of two adult children who attended Nash-Rocky Mount Schools and one grandson who is a first-grader at Winstead Avenue Elementary School.

Michael D Grover II
Age: 38
Profession/Background: Vice President of Business Development with OptiCare Managed Vision, a division of Centene Corporation, a Fortune 500 company.  I also have a background in medical administration, information technology, and community college instruction.

Latasha B. Sledge
Age: 40
Profession of Background: Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Education; Opening Doors Real Estate, LLC– Broker/Owner
Married; 2 kids (Trevor & Makayla)
Hobbies: Spending time with family and meeting new people

Ricky Jenkins
Age: 48
Profession or background: Management in the Department of Public Safety for NC.
Family: Wife, Kelly; children: Caroline, Bryson and Brady.
Hobbies: My free time is spent with my three children and wife in their many athletic endeavors while we try to balance that with their educational focus and goals as well. My family is my top priority.

Reginald Silver
Profession or background:  Founder and CEO – Sozo Ministries, Inc., a non-profit organization addressing the spiritual, health and social needs of the community, i.e., HIV Disease, STDs,    health education, Peer Programming for Teens, Parents/ students relationship with schools. Develop a mobilization effort to get the faith community involved in health education in a wholistic approach.

Steve Bulluck
Age: 61
Profession or background: retail management and sales.
Family: married, with one son age 9.
Hobbies: Hunting and fishing, some golfing, and spending time with my family.

The Nash-Rocky Mount Public School System has much to celebrate but still faces challenges.
That was the message Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson gave to parents, teachers and other members of the community at the second annual State of the Schools address on Tuesday evening.
Jackson said the address is a way to have a conversation about what the school system is doing, the progress it has made and the challenges ahead.

The newly merged Nash Rocky Mount Habitat for Humanity presented information on the organization’s plans at Nashville’s Town Council meeting last Tuesday.
Bob Sutter, who served as President of Nashville’s Habitat for Humanity prior to the merger on October 1, said up until the merger, Nashville’s group had operated fully as a volunteer organization. That, he added, was getting harder to do.

In response to a request by Middlesex Christmas parade organizer Cindy Ridgway, Middlesex commissioners voted on Monday night to convert the annual Middlesex Christmas parade to a town-sponsored event.
For the past three years, the Middlesex Christmas parade has been sponsored and produced by the Christmas-N-Middlesex organization headed by Ridgway. However, Ridgway had expressed concerns over possible liability and insurance issues and felt that it would be best for the town to sponsor the event if it were to continue.

Departments within the Town of Nashville are once again partnering to offer local youth a safe, family friendly place to participate in Halloween activities.
Nashville’s Harold D. Cooley Library will start off the festivities on Friday, October 31 at 4 p.m. with its Kid’s Fall Festival. The event will include trick-or-treating, face painting and activities.

Mr. T. H. Robbins was the guest speaker at the September Meeting of UDC Bethel Heroes Chapter 636.  He is the N.C. Division Color Sergeant for Sons of Confederate Veterans.  Robbins spoke on Confederate Flags used during the War Between the States.  He will be the keynote speaker for the Robert E. Lee/Stonewall Jackson Luncheon to be held on January 24, 2015.

Dr. Wiley Cockrell was recently named medical director of the Nash Wound Care Center. The center offers state-of-the-art treatment for non-healing wounds.  Dr. Cockrell will be responsible for reviewing patient care and results, evaluating new clinical products, and providing oversight and guidance on policies and procedures.

The worship service at Peachtree Church on Sunday was focused on the children and youth.  They assisted in the service, under the direction of their leaders:  Dianne Tucker, Amy Sykes and Linda Edwards.  They sang several songs as directed by Pastor Whitehouse.  Solo parts were sung by Sarah Jones and Destiny King.  The adult choir joined them in singing one selection.

The flowers Sunday were given by Julia and Steve Wheeler and were really enjoyed. Sunday School began at 9:45. Our classes all met together again and the teacher was Randy Goodbrod. I feel everyone is getting a lot of helpful information as to the Biblical meaning of what we want to accomplish at Beulah Church of Christ. Church service followed at 10:45.

Do you have your shoeboxes?  October 19 was the kick off for Operation Christmas Child  at Red Oak Baptist Church.  You can use a shoebox (wrapped or unwrapped), a plastic storage box, or the preprinted GO boxes from Samaritan’s Purse.  Pack your box with new toys, school supplies, toiletries, and other fun items. Use a label from the Operation Christmas Child pamphlet or go online, print a label, and then they can track your box to let you know where it is delivered.

The Bible is full of blessings and curses. Jesus utters them both. Many of His blessings are in the form of beatitudes. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”
(Matthew 5:8). The opposite is the pronouncement of woe. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness

My wife Kristi and I are celebrating 23 years of marriage this month. At least I am, since I believe I got the better part of the deal.
With that having been said, I have a list of highlights from our marriage, in no particular order:
•The honeymoon in Edenton. Operating on a tight budget, we had a short weekend of a honeymoon in Edenton.

Earlier this month, Nashville’s Habitat for Humanity merged with Rocky Mount’s Habitat for Humanity, forming the Nash Rocky Mount Habitat for Humanity.
Nashville’s Habitat has been a fairly active group over the past year, especially considering the group is all volunteer.
In all, the group has made the dream of home ownership come true for 10 families.

Dear Editor:
As a proud American Citizen, I have a passion for encouraging fellow Americans to exercise their constitutional right to vote and to fight to protect their constitutional right.  I am old enough to remember how humiliating it was for my mother, who would be 99 today, to exercise her right to vote.

MORE HARVEST FESTIVAL SNAPSHOTS –– This photo of a float in the 1961 Harvest Festival is from The Graphic’s 1961 archives.

FREE pets = DEAD pets!
There are many reasons why a pet owner may need to re-home their pet. There are far too many reasons to list. It is not our place to judge their decision. When faced with re-homing under a time constraint, many owners will give the pet away for free through local advertisements without researching the new owner’s background. The risks of giving pets away for free are huge.

RACE TO THE BALL. (L to R) Northern Nash’s Richard Wells and Rocky Mount’s Duncan Carmichael converge on the ball during last Thursday afternoon’s Big East Conference boys soccer showdown on the RMHS campus.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Northern Nash veteran coach Joe McCarthy didn’t like the beginning or the end of his club’s Big East Conference boys soccer showdown last Thursday at backyard rival Rocky Mount.
But the in-between part proved to be to McCarthy’s satisfaction, and it was enough to propel the Knights to a 3-2 decision over the Gryphons in the regular season league finale.

TURNING THE CORNER. (L to R) Nash Central’s Jacob Allen and Southern Nash’s Travis Coggin make a move toward the ball during last Thursday’s Big East Conference boys soccer event on the NC campus.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Southern Nash couldn’t have asked for a more inspiring first-round matchup at the Big East Conference Boys Soccer Tournament.
SN drew Rocky Mount -- a club which had defeated the Firebirds in close fashion twice during the regular season, despite the fact that Southern somewhat controlled the territorial advantage in each showdown.

A MAN AND HIS TEAM. Legendary Northern Nash High School cross country team Jeff Dodrill (center) poses with his Knights and Lady Knights after they swept the Big East Conference championships on Monday afternoon at Red Oak Middle School.

RED OAK -- Regardless of the sport, few events in recent Big East Conference history have served as a formality more than Monday’s league cross country championships at Red Oak Middle School.
It was all but a foregone conclusion that Northern Nash would claim the boys and girls team crowns after a dominant regular season.

GOOD TIMES AT SN. Veteran head coach Brian Foster and the Southern Nash Firebirds are currently tied for the top spot in the Big East.

RED OAK -- Three weeks into the regular season, the Southern Nash Firebirds were 1-2, and nobody was certain what direction the squad would head toward for the remainder of its 2014 campaign.
The Firebirds, however, haven’t lost since, reeling off five consecutive triumphs -- two of which have happened in Big East Conference action.

NASH COUNTY -- Listed are updated results from the Nash County Parks and Recreation Department’s Fall Youth Soccer League:

FAYETTEVILLE -- The USA South Athletic Conference has released its preseason coaches polls for men’s and women’s basketball. 
North Carolina Wesleyan College’s men received a 4th-place billing among 11 league institutions, while the Bishop women were tabbed 8th in their respective poll.

RALEIGH -- The North Carolina Wesleyan College Battling Bishop men’s soccer team cruised to a 5-1 USA South victory at William Peace last Saturday afternoon thanks, in part, to a pair of goals from senior Sambe Cande that included the eventual gamewinner.
With the win, the Bishops move to 10-5-1 on the season, officially making this the winningnest season of 4th-year head coach Frankie Taal’s tenure.

RED OAK -- It was another big week for the Northern Nash Knights during last Saturday’s action against Selma in the Johnston County Football League.
The up-and-coming Knights saw their Rookie League record improve to 5-1 overall with an 18-12 decision.
Randall King delivered a pair of touchdowns for Northern Nash, while teammate Damien Clemmons also found the end zone.

RED OAK -- The Color Your Feathers 5-K Turkey Trot will be held Nov. 22 at 10 a.m. at the Red Oak Middle School Cross Country Course.
Participants can either run or walk over the fun-filled course, which will feature six color zones.
Cost is $40 for adults or $25 ages 5-17.

2014 ALL-BIG EAST BOYS SQUAD

ELM CITY -- Mother Nature was smiling down last Saturday as drivers, crews, staff and fans filed into County Line Raceway for the 2nd Annual Four Cylinder Nationals.
After running 2 laps of qualifying each ave 5 heat races, the fields were set both the Super Stock 4 Cylinder 40 lap $2,000 to win feature & the Pure Stock 4 Cylinder 25 lap $500 to win feature.

Northern Nash’s Jason Michaels controls the ball near midfield last Thursday against Rocky Mount.

Northern Nash High School’s Ben Roy (22) elevates for a header during last Thursday’s match.

Southern Nash’s Travis Coggin (right) dribbles the ball as Nash Central’s Stephen Turner makes up ground during last Thursday afternoon’s Big East Conference soccer event.

Northern Nash’s Natalie Bernat comes out of the woods portion of the Red Oak Middle School course during Monday’s Big East Conference Cross Country Championships. Bernat and the Knights swept the boys and girls team titles to cap off an amazing regular season under Coach Jeff Dodrill.

Northern Nash’s Tyler Jones (left) makes a quick move through the midfield for the Knights during last Thursday afternoon’s road soccer victory against rival Rocky Mount.

Nash Arts will host the work of a Nashville native through the end of the month.
The work of Dreamweaver will be on display through October 31 at Nash Arts. A reception was held on Friday, October 10.
Dreamweaver, an Indian artist, grew up in the Nashville area. He was the son of Charlie and Tabitha Cooper. His grandfathers were the Rev. C.H. Richardson and Walter Cooper.

Barbara Williams Jones, 75, of Nashville, passed away October 14, 2014. She and her husband, Larry, were both originally from Craven County.

Bobby Ray Mayo, 60, of Rocky Mount, died on October 15, 2014. A funeral service will be held on Monday, October 20, 2014 at 1 p.m. in the Rocky Mount Chapel of H.D. Pope Funeral Home. The Interment took place immediately after the Service at Rocky Mount Memorial Park.

Charles “Pee Wee” Griffin of Rocky Mount, 61, passed away Sunday, October 20, 2014.  He was born in Edgecombe County February 19, 1953 to the late Harold and Elizabeth Griffin. 

ROCKY MOUNT - Deserie Clark, 66, of Rocky Mount, died on October 16, 2014.

ROCKY MOUNT - Lannie Debro, 54, of Rocky Mount, died on October 15, 2014. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by the Rocky Mount location of H.D. Pope Funeral Home.

Lester Hugh Starling of Rocky Mount, 88, passed away on October 19, 2014. He was born April 25, 1926 in Wilson County to the late Hubert Lester and Maud Perry Starling. Lester was also preceded in death by brothers, Wesley and Roger Starling; sisters, Margaret S. Hayes and Marie S. Johnson; and nephews, Dickie Millinder and Lance Mitchell.

Lois Elizabeth Green, 82, of Rocky Mount, died on October 15, 2014.