Upchurch band served
as county ambassadors
Two weeks ago the band from Upchurch Junior High School
marched in the Red Springs Appreciation Day Parade, and by all
accounts, did an excellent job as Hoke County's only marching
representative.
The band was able to get to the parade and back to Raeford with
the help of buses furnished by Red Springs. In addition, the town
made a $100 donation to the band for playing.
When told of the donation, the Raeford-Hoke Chamber of Com
merce agreed to reimburse Red Springs to help defray the town's
costs of putting on the parade.
We commend the Upchurch band members, their director Gil
Clark and those responsible for the group taking part in the parade
and doing a good job as this county's ambassadors.
Their extra effort put forth to spread the neighborly spirit of
Hoke County paid off.
It is that sort of effort which will continue to let others know that
this is one of the best communities in the state in which to live and
work.
Hats off to the Upchurch band.
New spirit emerging
in Hoke County now
After years of disappointments, good things are beginning to
happen again in Hoke County, and there is a new spirit emerging.
Last week, a Hookerton firm was given a green light to construct
a 100-bed nursing home facility in Raeford. The $1.59 million pro
ject, which will be built and managed by Britthaven Inc., will
employ from 55 to 70 persons and will give this county a new level
of medical care.
Britthaven had the endorsements of the city and county govern
ing bodies and from the board of directors of the Raeford-Hoke
Chamber of Commerce. Local officials and concerned residents ap
peared last week at a public hearing to help argue the firm's case
before the Cardinal Health Agency, and had they not done so, this
county could have suffered.
Arguments put forth by the local delegation overcame the objec
tions of the Cardinal staff and landed the approval for Britthaven,
whose announced interests seem to parallel those of the entire coun
ty.
Britthaven plans to begin construction in the spring and to open
the doors on the new facility the following year. Once completed,
the care unit should attract skilled workers from the ranks of those
who live here and from those who could become new Hoke County
residents. The added employment, the additions to the tax base and
the improved level of health care, should make Britthaven a
welcome asset.
Hoke County was also remembered last week by the state Depart
ment of Transportation (DOT), whose board of commissioners
voted to return U.S. Highway 401 to the state's construction priori
ty list.
The work is scheduled to begin in 1988, but with effective lobby
ing by county leaders, the timetable could be moved forward. The
road would not have been restored to the construction lists had it
not been for the effort of local residents joining with political
leaders like Congressman Bill Hefner and state Rep. Danny DeVane
to force the DOT action.
Now that the road is on the priority list, pressure on the DOT
must be redoubled to insure that the four-lane project is con
structed.
A widened Highway 401 is vital to this county's future and now
the project, which has been a dream for more than a decade, is
within our grasp.
Another hope for the future also came true recently, when the
Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad made a Christmas gift of the old
Depot building on Main Street jointly to the city and county. Plans
are to use the structure as an office for the Chamber of Commerce
and the industrial recruiter.
With a little community effort, the building could serve as the
cornerstone of the downtown revitalization movement in Raeford.
It is hoped that once the old terminal is remodeled and the lot land
scaped, others with Main Street property might follow the example.
The recent successes would not have been possible without the
new spirit of pride in Hoke County which has emerged in recent
years. Although the spirit has a long history, it has recently be
rekindled by a small group of residents, who are working to im
prove the quality of life here.
The spirit is growing now, and others are beginning to lend a
hand to help. At the first annual Hoke County Mullet Roast last
week, county leaders used the forum to let residents know that the
door is open to all who want to be a part of this county's future.
The message of the mullet roast was clear. If this county is going
to survive, all ages, races, sexes and political factions must join
together to work for the success of the common goal of making
Hoke County a better place to live.
Good things are happening in Hoke County, and they will con
tinue as long as a community spirit among all residents is kept alive.
Merry Christmas.
The News-Journal
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Special Y ule moment recalled
What I try to write in this col
umn is, for better or for worse, my
own stuff. But I ran across
something recently, an excerpt
from Moss Hart's Act One, that 1
would like to share with you. It's a
poignant reminder that personal
values can easily be misplaced at
Christmas-time:
"We hurried on, our heads bent
against the wind ... Tugging at my
father's coat, I started down the
line of pushcarts ... I would merely
pause before a pushcart to say,
with as much control as I could
muster, 'Look at that chemistry
set!' or, 'There's a stamp album!'
or 'Look at the printing press!'
"Each time my father would
pause and ask the pushcart man
the price. Then without a word we
would on to the next pushcart.
"Once or twice he would pick up
a toy of some kind and look at it
and then at me, as if to surest this
might be something I might like,
but I was 10 years old and a good
deal beyond just a toy; my heart
was set on a chemistry set or a
printing press.
"There they were on every
pushcart we stopped at, but the
price was always the same and
soon I looked up and saw we were
nearing the end of the line. Only
Lucien
Coleman
Things That Matter
two or three more pushcarts re
mained.
"My father looked up, too, and
I heard him jingle some coins in his
pocket. In a flash I knew it all.
He'd gotten together about 73
cents to buy me a Christmas pre
sent, and he hadn't dared say so in
case there was nothing to be had
for so small a sum.
"As 1 looked up at him 1 saw a
look of despair and disappoint
ment in his eyes that brought me
closer to him than I had ever been
in my life. I wanted to throw my
arms around him and say, 'It
doesn't matter ... I understand ...
This is better than a chemistry set
or a printing press ... I love you.'
"But instead we stood shivering
beside each other for a moment
--then turned away from the last
two pushcarts and started silently
back home ..."
"I didn't even take his hand on
the way home nor did he take
mine. We were not on that basis.
Nor did I ever tell him how close to
him I felt that night - that for a lit
tle while the concrete wall between
father and son had crumbled
away, and I knew that we were too
lonely people struggling to reach
each other."
Letters Policy
Letters to the editor are encouraged and welcomed. Writers should
keep letters as short as possible. Names, addresses and telephone
numbers should be included and all letters must be signed. Names
will be printed, however, other information will be kept confiden
tial. We reserve the right to edit letters for good taste and brevity.
Letters should be received by The News-Journal by noon on the
Monday of the publication week.
Letters
To The
Editor
Police were pros
handling robbery
To the Editor:
I wish to express our sincere ap
preciation for the alert and profes
sional manner by which the City of
Raeford Police Department car
ried out their duty in the apprehen
sion of the suspect involved in our
December 5th robbery. The im
mediate response enabled the of
ficers to capture the suspect within
a few yards of the bank property as
he fled on foot.
The Sheriffs deputies, highway
patrol, and FBI arrived on the
scene and were available for
assistance, and we thank them for
responding.
The Raeford Police Depart
ment, officers and dispatcher did
an outstanding job and we at
United Carolina Bank wish to ex
press our appreciation for a job
well done.
Sincerely,
R.L. Conoly
City Executive
Editorial wrong
To the Editor:
As a member of the Hoke High
Marching Band, I fully disagree
with the editorial in the December
12 News Journal.
This year the band has 190 peo
ple and it costs very much to go
places. We fully regret that we did
not attend the Red Springs parade,
but I do not feel that it is nec
cessary to print such slander.
That article not only puts down
the band members, it puts down
the directors, also.
When the paper speaks of such
slander it puts down the school.
I am proud that 1 go to the Hoke
High School, but when you print
such information it could very
easily change the mind of someone
who was planning to move here if
they have children who will be go
ing to school.
It just might change their minds
because more than likely the peo
ple don't want their children to go
to a sfchool that is always having
stuff printed in the paper that isn't
true.
Proud Band
Members
Leah Hendrix
Chrissy Williams
Note from Santa maintains mysteries
The other evening as my wife and I were sitting around the fire,
she began complaining how the great mysteries of Christmas seem
to fade the older one gets.
"Wouldn't it be nice if we could retain the Christmas spirit that
we had when we were little?" she said.
"Christmas is exciting today, but it's just not what it used to be.
The suspense has gone."
This Yule musing started me thinking about Christmases when I
was a youth, and about the time Santa Claus wrote me a letter.
The message arrived shortly before Christmas when I was six and
had begun to hear rumors that Santa might not be exactly what I
always had believed him to be.
It was one of those chilly December 23 nights.
My family was sitting around the supper table. A bitter draft
wafted down the stairs of our two-story Atlanta house, flooding the
normally cozy kitchen with a sock-hiking cold.
My father instructed me to go upstairs and close the window, that
I had obviously left open.
I protested, noting that I had not opened a window since June,
and that I was far too young to be trusted with such an important
task. I recommended that one of my three older brothers tackle the
job.
"Beside, it's dark up there," I argued.
"Come on. Make it snappy," my father said impatiently.
Reluctantly I mounted the dark stairs, groping for the light
switch. As usual, the hall lights did not work when I really needed
them.
I complained, but received no sympathy from bdow.
"Don't be a baby," everyone from the lighted warm kitchen
shouted in unison. "Close the window. It's cold," they said.
The draft was coming from an opened window in my bedroom. I
knew I had not left it open, and suspected that a burglar could be
lurking in the closet or under my bed.
A dim glow was coming from an overturned lamp near the win
dow. The curtains were flapping in the wind.
It was obvious someone had entered through the window. I rush
ed back down the stairs for reinforcements.
"Someone has broken into the house and at this very moment is
hiding under my bed," I told my family, who seemed abnormally
amused.
"Can't you do anything right,?" my complaining brothers said,
as they escorted me up the stairs.
?-* ? Warren Johnston
a The Puppy Papers
"We thought you were a lot tougher."
My brothers played football. Being "tough" was an important
part of life around our house.
"Hey. I'm tough. This just happens to be a job which requires
more than one person," I told my escorts in a high-pitched six-year
old voice.
While my brothers checked the closet and under the bed, I
discovered a white powder on the window sill.
A tiny set of footprints led from the window across the rug to my
bed. Pinned to my pillow was a note on brownish pink paper. The
edges were burned.
"Obviously, elves have been in here," my oldest brother.
Whatever my oldest brother said was considered to be the truth. I
was confident he knew about elves.
"I thought it must be elves all along," I said, buoyantly noting
that I had just brought the three of them along to confirm my suspi
cions.
"This is just a quick note to remind you that Christmas is just
two days away," the scrawlings on the parchment said.
"On occasion I'm forced to tell children I'm keeping a watchful
eye on them. You are no exception,'* the note said.
"I must remind you that failure to meet all of the good behavior
guidelines could result in a Christmas morning filled with switches
and lumps of coal," it went on.
"With fondest regards to your family, Santa." the note was sign
ed.
Well, if Santa cared enough to write me from the North Pole and
have an elf deliver it, I certainly was not going to let him down by
being bad.
Since then, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Santa. I
have never wavered in my belief that the Jolly Ole Elf exists, and
that he is keeping a watchful eye on all of us, particularly at this
time of year.