Latest news with #RebeccaSalmon
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
City to celebrate Juneteenth with music, fellowship
The City of Sanford Appearance Commission is inviting the community to its second annual 'Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom,' a free evening of performances that celebrate the values of freedom, resilience and unity. Juneteenth is a federal holiday that commemorates June 19, 1865 — the day when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas with news of freedom. Juneteenth has been celebrated in Texas since 1866 but only became a national holiday in 2021. The event will be held Thursday, June 19, at W.B. Wicker Elementary School starting at 6 p.m. It will start with a special reading of Sanford's Juneteenth proclamation by Mayor Rebecca Salmon along with members of Sanford City Council. The Community Fellowship Choir will open the musical portion of the program with select songs before turning the stage over to the North Carolina Central University Jazz Studies Collective for several jazz standards. Rod Brower and the Together-N-Unity Choir return with Ray Owen for their second Juneteenth in Sanford. 'Our performance will offer a message of peace and hope,' Brower said in a release. 'These are two things that the world needs right now.' W.B. Wicker School was built in 1927 by prominent African-American contractor Link Boykin to serve Sanford's black high school students. The W.B. Wicker Alumni Association will offer a curated exhibit of historical photographs and memorabilia from the school's early days. 'W.B. Wicker School stands as a beacon to all things good and favorable; to have attended it is to love it, then and now,' Margaret Murchison, president of the school's Alumni Association, said. 'We are proud that the Appearance Commission chooses W.B. Wicker School as the venue for its Juneteenth celebration each year.' 'Bringing the community together is a small but fitting way to commemorate this culturally and historically significant anniversary,' said Liz Whitmore, a historic planner for the city and a liaison to the Appearance Commission. A new addition this year is the participation of local members of historically African-American fraternities and sororities, many of whom have roots at W.B. Wicker School. 'As this celebration grows, we want to fill it with the people and organizations that represent the triumphs and resiliency of the African-American community,' Whitmore said. The Appearance Commission received funding for the event from Friends of Sanford, Inc., the Lee County Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Agricultural marketplace one year from opening
Construction is well underway at the Pilgrim's Sanford Agricultural Marketplace on Charlotte Avenue and First Street. Several members of the Sanford City Council recently visited the site. 'This incredible project has brought many folks together with a shared common vision,' Mayor Rebecca Salmon said in a press release. 'We cannot wait to see how this grows, how this develops, and how it becomes a key cornerstone of the things that make Sanford truly special.' Set to open in the spring of 2026, the marketplace will serve as a regional hub for farmers, artisans and visitors across the Sandhills region and surrounding counties, the release states. In addition to serving as the home for the Sanford Farmers' Market, the site will offer year-round programming in partnership with the N.C. Cooperative Extension, including educational workshops, cooking classes and demonstrations on food preservation. The building will also provide a commercial kitchen to support local food-based businesses. Councilwoman Jean Dabbs emphasized the marketplace's role in supporting local entrepreneurship. 'It will provide a place for our farmers and all kinds of vendors every Saturday, and as we continue, it'll be open multiple times during the week.' 'It's going to be a big boon,' Councilman JD Williams said. 'We already have people going to the local farms, my wife included. They won't have to do that anymore. All they have to do is come to the marketplace arena.' 'Growing up in Sanford, whether or not my mother had a successful summer depended on how many canned goods she had,' Councilwoman Linda Rhodes said. 'With support from our Cooperative Extension agency here in Sanford, the new farmers' market will offer instructions on how to properly can vegetables.' Salmon noted the marketplace will also serve as the gateway to the future Sanford Central Green. The revitalized public space will extend from downtown to the Sanford Municipal Center at 225 E. Weatherspoon St. 'This innovative green space will offer opportunities to engage not only in the farmers' market, but also in various green spaces and interactive activities — all designed to create a phenomenal quality of life for generations to come,' she added. Over $3 million has been raised through the support of public and private partners. Contributors include the Ruby and Ernest McSwain Worthy Lands Trust, the North Carolina Department of Commerce Rural Transformation Grant Fund, the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, the Pilgrim's Hometown Strong Fund and Lee County Farm Bureau. The City of Sanford will make the remaining investment using federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, according to the release. Follow construction progress on the city's projects hub at
