Farmer Vernell Switzer is known for his sweet watermelons.
Photo by Kevin Walker
Farmer pens kids book
BY COURTNEY GAILLARD
THE CHRONICLE
Farming isn't hard work in
the eyes and hands of 58-year
old Vernell Switzer. Even
after 25 years of "raising
watermelons," as he puts it.
his love for the land endures.
He shares his passion for all
things agricultural in "Puffy
the Watermelon," a 21 -page
illustrated book that tells the
story of a boy named Vern
who learns a valuable life les
son by growing a walernlelon.
"Farming to me is the
greatest thing in this
world. ...It's not hard work.
Dop't let anybody tell you
that," said Switzer. "This book
is about a boy who kept the
faith, "said Switzer, who is
full of faith. Chances are
when you see Switzer in per
son, he'll be sporting a black
baseball cap with the words "I
Walk by Faith" across the
front.
"It don't take a whole lot.
People want a whole lot of
something. But it only takes
one seed," said Switzer. "This
boy has faith and a watermel
on seed. If you have that kind
of faith, God will give you
anything."
Ed McCarter, owner of
Special Occasions bookstore,
said "Puffy the Watermelon"
is worth reading, especially
since tlje author and his mes
sage are home grown.
"The author is right here in
our own back yard. The fact
that he talks about things
growing is very important,
especially for young people,"
said McCarter. "He's such a
pleasant person to be around.
He just exudes confidence in
people."
Born and raised in East
Winston on a small farm,
Switzer spent 15 years in New
York before returning to his
hometown. He ran Mary's
Grille for eight years before
selling it and buying the farm
he runs today on Germanton
Road
"I was determined that I
was going to grow watermel
ons. I didn't know how but I
was going to learn/' said
Switzer. And learn he and his
wife. Annie, did. The couple
tilled an acre of land by them
selves to turn their first crop.
"We went out there and
worked that field, and the first
watermelons 1 ever raised Was
a great field of watermelons,"
said Switzer. "From 1979
until now I haven't had one
year of bad watermelons."
Those who crave Switzer's
watermelons will even travel
to a farmers market in Greens
boro on Yanceyville Road if
they don't catch him at the
farmers market in Winston
Salem. where he's been sell
ing produce since it opened.
There the sweet smell of his
fruits welcome you as you
approach his stand.
Switzer also mentors other
young farmers through an
agricultural program at N.C.
A&T Slate University. He was
the only black farmer to
receive the grant to participate
in the program.
"My main product is pro
duce. If I can't eat it, 1 don't
grow it. Simple as that. I don't
grow things that I don't partic
ularly like to eat. Eggplant is
something I never particularly
liked. But since I've been
growing it, guess what? I eat
it," Switzer said.
Switzer wants to start a
summer camp for children to
learn how to grow watermel
ons just like Vern does in
"Puffy the Watermelon."
Lessons like watermelons
must be cultivated, and he
hopes that's what his readers
will extract from his book.
"That's what I want to
teach children. If you grow it
you'll learn to like it. Even if
a child only. grows but one
green bean, you need to eat
that green bean," said Switzer.
Switzer will sign copies of
"Puffy the Watermelon" on
Saturday, June 26, from noon
to 2 p.m. at Special Occa
sions, 112 N. Martin Luther
King Jr. Drive.
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News
Clips
Compiled Irom staff. wire and
submitted reports
Freeman elected
to UNCF board
r
Dr. Algeania Freeman, pres
ident of Livingstone College,
was recently elected to the cor
porate board of directors of the
II n I I .. .1
Negro
College
Fund.
She is the
first Liv
ingstone
president
in 22
years to
be elect
Freeman ed to the
board
and will serve on the board
through March 2007.
Freeman will serve on the
board with its chair, Raymond
Gilmartin, chairman, president
and CEO of Merck and Co.
Inc.: and vice chair. Jack Stahl,
president and CEO of Revlon.
Goler-Depot Street
Renaissance Community
Development Corp. receives
$33,000 grant
Goler-Depot Street Renais
sance Community Develop
ment Corp. nas been awarded a
grant of $33,000 by the Win
ston-Salem Foundation. The
grant will be used to provide
sixth-year startup support for
staff.
Funds for this grant were
made from the Lila Church
Bradford Fund.
"Our organization has taken
the vision of Goler Memorial
AME Zion Church and the
Goler CDC board of directors
and turned it into a reality." said
Evon J. Smith, executive direc
tor. "We have facilitated first
time homeowner workshops,
started construction on six new
town homes in the 'Goler
Heights' community, and
embarked on renovation and
development projects that will
add MX) new units of affordable
and market rate housing units
when all projects are complete
"The grant from the Win
ston-Salem Foundation will
give us additional resources to
leverage additional financial
support to complete over six
projects outlined in the master
plan."
Summer art scholarships
awarded
Several local students
recently received scholarship
awards to the 2004 Summer
Art Honors program, spon
sored by the Sawtooth Center
for Visual Art.
The scholarships were
sponsored by a number of
agencies. The winners are:
? Sawtooth Center for
Visual Art: Tobias Ludwig.
Ashley Moore, Justin Hiatt,
Ben Long, Amber Cox, Ben
Byrom. ChriVYaerger
? Winston-Salem Foun
dation: Christine Fleming,
Miriam CornaUer, Megan
Scott, Rachel Cornatzer.
Rourn Vandorn.
? Margaret Graham Art
Fund: Rose Cornatzer, Logan
Gibson, Marella Johnson.
? Northwest Middle
School: Jontae Miller.
A&T awarded
$1.4 million grant
An inter-institutional multi
disciplinary team headed by
N.C. Agricultural and Technical
State University's Center for
Advanced Materials and Smart
Structures (CAMSS) has been
awarded a $1 .4 million grant by
( n e
National
Science
Founda
t i o n
(NSF).
D r .
Dhanan
j a y
Kumar,
an assis
tant pro
fessor in
Kumar
t h e
department of mechanical and
chemical engineering, will head
this initiative and will be the
project director.
The award was made under
the NSF's Nanoscale Interdisci
plinary Research Team (N1RT)
initiative to support fundamen
tal research and to catalyze syn
ergistic science and engineering
research and education in
emerging areas of nanoscale
science and technology. Specif
ically, N.C. A&T's program will
be on "Science and technology
of self-assembled magnetic and
superconducting nano arrays."
The other members of the
team are from N.C. State Uni
versity. University of Florida,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
IBM TJ Watson Research Cen
ter and Indian Institute of Tech
nology. Kanpur, India.
Masons to celebrate St.
John's Day
The 30th District of
Prince Hall Masons will cele
brate St. John's Day on Sun
day, June 27. at 3 p.m. at Oak
Grove Baptist Church in
Walkertown. The Rev. Broth
er Paul A. Lowe Jr., 33?, pas
tor of Shiloh Baptist Church,
will be the guest speaker.
The Rev. Ira Anthony is
the host pastor.
St. John the Baptist,
whose festival falls on June
24. and St. John the Evange
list, whose festival occurs on
Dec. 27. have been selected
by Christian Masons as the
patrons of this order, and to
us, unddr the appellation of
the Holy Saints John, all
Christian lodges should be
dedicated. Thus, we celebrate
the incorporation of these
two saints as patrons of our
order.
The public is invited to
attend.
NCNW will sponsor Bethune
Recognition Gala
The N.C. Coalition of the
National Council of Negro
Women Inc. (NCNW) will
sponsor its fourth annual
Bethune Recognition Gala on
Saturday, June 26, from 6 to
9 p.m. at the Holiday Inn
Express Hanes Mall.
The Winston-Salem Sec
tion of NCNW will proudly
recognize Winston-Salem
Police Chief Pat Norris (adult
honoree) and Chance Wig
gins and Ivory Paysour
(youth honorees) as our local
community honorees.
Summer Praise Break
"Let Freedom Ring"
Hanes Mall - Belk Court
Friday, July 2, 2004
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
If you continue in my word... you will know the truth
and this truth shall he your freedom. John 8:31-32
Join us as we celebrate our liberties in song, music and dance!
Featuring from Union Baptist Church:
lirst Friday Choir ? Shekinah Glory Praise Team ? Dance Ministries
Soldiers 4 Christ Steppers ? Literary Arts Ministry
Special Guests:
Dr. Larry Keefauver, Ministries Today Magazine
Lt. Colonel Franz D. Cone - Piper
Galvin Crisp - Saxophonist
Sophia Feaster - Contra-Alto Soprano
Agape Faith Church Choir
Reserve the Date!
First Friday,
August 2, 2004, 7:00 pni
Byron Cage
and a Hack to School Hype Night!
Please bring toiletries for Deployed Ser
vice Men & Women