Images Kinston-Lenoir County, NC: 2008

2007 | VIDEO TOURVIGNETTES ONLINE 2008| |IMAGESMAGAZINE.COM IMAGESKINSTON.COM | VIDEO TM

OF KINSTON-LENOIR COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

TAKE ME OUT TO THE K-TRIBE Enjoy Kinston Indians baseball on warm summer nights

PLOWING AHEAD Industrious retirees buy up acreage for gentlemen farming

The Beat Goes On Downtown district continues as heart of entire community

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Heritage Place – a genealogy museum, only one of its kind in eastern North Carolina

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One of the oldest athletic programs in the community college system offering cross-country, men’s basketball & baseball, women’s basketball & volleyball

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P.O. Box 188 • Kinston, NC 28502-0188 (252) 527-6223 • Fax: (252) 233-6879 www.lenoircc.edu

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KINSTON OFFICE Back: Kim Weeks, President Jerry Smith, Teresa Heath Front: Danielle Poirier

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2200C W. Vernon Ave. (Next to Highland TV – across from the mall) (252) 559-8866

415 Hwy. 13 S., Ste. C (252) 747-9111

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Discover the past, present and future

Come experience sports, history, camping, arts, drag racing and shopping in a single destination. History lovers can explore the CSS Neuse II, the world’s only full-size replica of a Confederate gunboat, or see the original boat, rescued after 100 years of sitting silently on the bottom of the Neuse River.

Children will delight in the whack of a baseball in historic Grainger Stadium and the Nature Center and Planetarium will capture their imagination. So come and see all that the area has to offer!

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LENOIR COUNTY

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301 N. Queen St., Kinston, North Carolina • (800) 869-0032 • www.visitkinston.com

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CONWAY & CO. REALTORS

2914 N. Herritage St. Kinston, NC 28501 www.coldwellbanker.com

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Financial Services Supercenter

Helping people plan their financial futures.

We provide the help needed for retirement planning, wealth accumulation, estate planning and innovative ideas to life and health insurance needs.

Your independent insurance agency providing quality service and competitive prices.

With more than 35 insurance companies, why go anywhere else?

Kinston and Lenoir County’s premier real estate office.

Helping our friends and neighbors buy and sell real estate for more than 30 years.

Professionally managing your residential and commercial real estate and providing rentals for Lenoir County residents for more than 30 years.

ALL THE TOOLS IN ONE LOCATION!

2914 N. Herritage St. • Kinston, NC 28501 • (252) 522-1911 • Toll-free: (800) 522-1939 www.conwayfinancialservices.com

2008 EDITION | VOLUME 1 TM

OF KINSTON-LENOIR COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

10 CO NTE NT S F E AT U R E S 10

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24 Biz Briefs

A PASSION FOR PRESERVATION

26 Chamber Report

Kinston’s history has inspired a passion for preserving its many historic sites.

27 Economic Profile

THE BEAT GOES ON With centuries-old architecture, a picturesque riverfront and more, downtown Kinston is thriving.

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KINSTON BUSINESS

D E PA R TM E NT S 6 Almanac: a colorful sampling of Kinston culture

FUN IN MANY FORMS With 11 parks and its own nature center, the Kinston/Lenoir Recreation Department has plenty of offerings.

22 GOLDEN YEARS ON GREEN ACRES

3O Education 35 Arts & Culture 37 Health & Wellness 38 Community Profile: facts, stats and important numbers to know

A growing number of retirees are buying land here and becoming gentlemen farmers.

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TAKE ME OUT TO THE K-TRIBE The Kinston Indians – or the K-Tribe, as fans call them – are enjoying success on the field and at the turnstiles.

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ON THE COVER Adnett Tutt Productions Photo by Ian Curcio

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ACTION! ADVENTURE! “IT KEPT ME ON THE EDGE OF MY LAPTOP!”

“ KINSTON LIKE IT’S NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!”

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What’s Online More lists, links and tips for newcomers

OF KINSTON-LENOIR CO. SENIOR EDITOR ANITA WADHWANI COPY EDITOR JOYCE CARUTHERS ASSOCIATE EDITORS LISA BATTLES , SUSAN CHAPPELL, KIM MADLOM ASSISTANT EDITOR REBECCA DENTON STAFF WRITERS CAROL COWAN, KEVIN LITWIN, JESSICA MOZO, JESSY YANCEY DIRECTORIES EDITORS AMANDA MORGAN, KRISTY WISE CONTRIBUTING WRITERS PAMELA COYLE, BILL LEWIS, DAN MARKHAM, JOE MORRIS REGIONAL SALES MANAGER CHARLES FITZGIBBON ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER TODD POTTER INTEGRATED MEDIA MANAGER BRYAN BAIRD ONLINE SALES MANAGER MATT SLUTZ SALES COORDINATOR SARA SARTIN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS JEFF ADKINS, WES ALDRIDGE, TODD BENNETT, ANTONY BOSHIER, MICHAEL W. BUNCH, IAN CURCIO, BRIAN McCORD

CREATIVE DIRECTOR KEITH HARRIS WEB DESIGN DIRECTOR SHAWN DANIEL PRODUCTION DIRECTOR NATASHA LORENS ASST. PRODUCTION DIRECTOR CHRISTINA CARDEN PRE-PRESS COORDINATOR HAZEL RISNER SENIOR PRODUCTION PROJECT MGR. TADARA SMITH PRODUCTION PROJECT MGRS. MELISSA HOOVER, JILL WYATT SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS LAURA GALLAGHER, KRIS SEXTON, VIKKI WILLIAMS GRAPHIC DESIGN JESSICA BRAGONIER, CANDICE HULSEY, JANINE MARYLAND, LINDA MOREIRAS, AMY NELSON, CARL RATLIFF WEB DESIGN RYAN DUNLAP, CARL SCHULTZ WEB PRODUCTION JILL TOWNSEND DIGITAL ASSET MANAGER ALISON HUNTER COLOR IMAGING TECHNICIAN CORY MITCHELL AD TRAFFIC MEGHANN CAREY, SARAH MILLER, PATRICIA MOISAN, RAVEN PETTY CHAIRMAN GREG THURMAN PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BOB SCHWARTZMAN EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT RAY LANGEN SR. V.P./CLIENT DEVELOPMENT JEFF HEEFNER SR. V.P./SALES CARLA H. THURMAN SR. V.P./PRODUCTION & OPERATIONS CASEY E. HESTER V.P./SALES HERB HARPER V.P./VISUAL CONTENT MARK FORESTER V.P./TRAVEL PUBLISHING SYBIL STEWART EXECUTIVE EDITOR TEREE CARUTHERS MANAGING EDITOR/BUSINESS MAURICE FLIESS PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR JEFFREY S. OTTO CONTROLLER CHRIS DUDLEY ACCOUNTING MORIAH DOMBY, DIANA GUZMAN, MARIA McFARLAND, LISA OWENS, JACKIE YATES RECRUITING/TRAINING DIRECTOR SUZY WALDRIP COMMUNITY PROMOTION DIRECTOR CINDY COMPERRY DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR GARY SMITH MARKETING COORDINATOR AMY AKIN IT SYSTEMS DIRECTOR MATT LOCKE IT SERVICE TECHNICIAN RYAN SWEENEY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER PEGGY BLAKE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR NICOLE WILLIAMS SALES SUPPORT MANAGER, CUSTOM MAGAZINES PATTI CORNELIUS OFFICE MANAGER SHELLY GRISSOM

Images of Kinston-Lenoir County is published annually

by Journal Communications Inc. and is distributed through the Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce and its member businesses.

For advertising information or to direct questionsor comments about the magazine, contact Journal Communications Inc. at (615) 771-0080 or by e-mail at info@jnlcom.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce 301 N. Queen St. • Kinston, NC 28502 Phone: (252) 527-1131 • Fax: (252) 527-1914 E-mail: info@kinstonchamber.com www.kinstonchamber.com VISIT IMAGES OF KINSTON-LENOIR CO. ONLINE AT IMAGESKINSTON.COM ©Copyright 2007 Journal Communications Inc., 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067, (615) 771-0080. All rights reserved.

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MOVING PICTURES VIDEO 1 INSIDE LOOK Join us on a virtual tour of Kinston-Lenoir through the lenses of our award-winning photographers at imageskinston.com.

PLUS SHARE E-mail articles to a friend, Digg them, or use the RSS feed function to keep track of content updates.

INSTANT LINKS Read the entire magazine online using our ActiveMagazine™ technology and link instantly to community businesses and services.

VIDEO 2 THE C.S.S. NEUSE Join us on a virtual tour of a sunken Confederate battle ship at imageskinston.com.

EVEN MORE Read full-length versions of the magazine’s articles; find related stories; or read new content exclusive to the Web. Look for the See More Online reference in this issue.

GARDENING IN NORTH CAROLINA From the Outer Banks to the Great Smokies, North Carolina’s diverse climate and topography afford tremendous opportunities for growing a variety of plants. Find out more at imageskinston.com.

NORTH CAROLINA’S BARBECUE One of the simple pleasures of Southern dining is the downhome barbecue experience, served with side dishes such as coleslaw and hush puppies. Get a taste of regional cuisine at imageskinston.com.

A B O U T T H I S M AG A Z I N E Images of Kinston-Lenoir County is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is sponsored by the Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce. In print and online, Images gives readers a taste of what makes Kinston-Lenoir tick – from business and education to sports, health care and the arts.

“Find the good – and praise it.”

– Alex Haley (1921-1992), Journal Communications co-founder

jnlcom.com

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Almanac

Still Plowing Ahead It features a little bit of the 1840s, yet is still alive in 2008.

Unusual tractors, farm equipment and other interesting agricultural artifacts are on display at the Wilbur A. Tyndall Tractor Museum, 406 N. Front St. in Pink Hill. Longtime historian and Lenoir County resident Wilbur Tyndall has collected rural life memorabilia and has it on exhibit in his family’s 1840 farm house on North Front Street.

The family’s Stephen H. Davenport General Store is also on the property and available to tour. Along with old John Deere and Massey tractors, Tyndall also has a collection of bicycles from the 1930s and 1940s.

Bring Your Banjo A bluegrass festival in the winter?

The 15th annual Kinston Winter Bluegrass Festival will strum into town Feb. 16-17, 2008 at Lenoir Community College. The Kinston Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Community Council for the Arts present the event, which helps preserve an important part of eastern North Carolina’s musical heritage.

Recent past entertainers at the two-day music fest include The Grass Cats, David Peterson & 1946, The Bluegrass Reunion, Lonesome River Band, Mountain Hart, Charlie Waller & The Country Gentlemen, and Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time.

Chugging Right Along Next stop: Kinston.

An annual Model Train Show brakes in Kinston every February at the Community Council for the Arts, 400 N. Queen St. Besides the show, the Kinston Area Railroad Modelers Association has been erecting a permanent display in the arts building as a salute to the long-standing railroad industry.

The annual show features more than 50 one-of-a-kind model train displays, and people of all ages are encouraged to attend the event that is billed as the best in eastern North Carolina. The 2008 show is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 9-10. For information, call (252) 527-2517.

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Super Bowl of Swine Be sure to bring your appetite to the Festival on the Neuse/Hog Happenin’ at Tiffany West/Neuseway Park.

The annual April event has been occurring in Kinston for the past 24 years. Top grillmasters compete for thousands of dollars in cash and prizes at the competition that is sanctioned by the North Carolina Pork Council. Winners go on to compete in the North Carolina Championship Barbeque Cookoff.

Entrants are judged in categories such as taste, texture and appearance as well as showmanship. The festival includes live music, and the 2008 get-together will occur April 25-26.

All Fired Up Here is a museum whose building is as old as many of the artifacts.

The Caswell No. 1 Fire Station, 118 S. Queen St., was constructed in 1895 and is Kinston’s oldest municipal building. The historic structure also served as a city hall, county jail and stable prior to its fire station days, and was finally converted into a museum in 1993.

It now tells the story of fire fighting from the late 1800s through today. It houses a prized 1922 American LaFrance Pumper as well as a variety of fire hoses, ladders, old nozzles, helmets and several fire extinguishers.

Hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and there is no admission charge. For information, call (252) 527-1566.

Fast Facts ■ Besides Kinston, the incorporated cities in Lenoir County are LaGrange and Pink Hill.

■ Harmony Hall is the restored home of North Carolina’s first Constitutional Governor, and is open for tours.

■ The only planetarium in eastern North Carolina is in Kinston – the Neuseway Planetarium, Health and Science Museum.

■ The city is home to the Kinston Indians, the Class A franchise of the Cleveland Indians.

■ Kinston’s industrial park complex spans more than 15,000 acres.

■ Kinston Regional Jetport, the city’s airport, boasts one of the longest runways on the eastern seaboard. At 11,500 feet, the runway is long enough to accommodate a space shuttle landing.

SEE MORE ONLINE | For more Fast Facts about Kinston, visit imageskinston.com.

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FREE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET • FITNESS CENTER & POOL • MEETING AREA • FREE CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST 156 Hill Farm Rd. • Kinston, NC 28504 • (252) 559-6588 • www.holidayinnexpress/kinston

Almanac

Life Is a Drag

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Ah, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing like the smell of methanol in the air.

Kinston Drag Strip is a 1/4-mile, International Hot Rod Association-sanctioned drag strip that opened in 1960. The landmark track on Old Pink Hill Road (NC Hwy. 55) has seen a number of world records over the years, and its motto is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Where Southern hospitality and traction are No. 1.â&#x20AC;?

Famed drivers who have competed at the strip include Richard Petty, Don Nicholson, Hubert Platt, Ronnie Sox and Scotty Cannon. These days, racing takes place on Friday nights in the spring and summer, and Sundays in the fall.

SEE VIDEO ONLINE | Take a virtual tour of KinstonLenoir at imageskinston.com, courtesy of our award-winning photographers.

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Kinston | At A Glance Fore Evermore Teeing off from concrete?

The Barnet Park Disc Golf Course was built in 1999 and today features an 18-hole layout that winds its way through the woods around the park. It includes seven par 3 holes, nine par 4s and two par 5s.

Disc golf has the same rules of regular golf, only competitors use Frisbees that are tossed along fairways and eventually into basket-like goals. The Barnet Park facility measures 4,272 feet from the standard tees, and 5,668 feet from the pro tees. The course record is a 47 from the pro tees.

POPULATION (2006 ESTIMATE) Kinston: 22,729 Lenoir County: 57,662 LOCATION Kinston-Lenoir County is in east-central North Carolina, about 75 miles east of the Raleigh state capital. Kinston is the county seat of Lenoir County.

BEGINNINGS The community of Kingston was established in 1759 and named for King George III of England.

The â&#x20AC;&#x153;gâ&#x20AC;? was dropped from the name in 1784 after the Revolutionary War. Kinston was incorporated in 1826.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce 301 N. Queen St., P.O. Box 157 Kinston, NC 28502 (252) 527-1131 Fax: (252) 527-1914 www.kinstonchamber.com

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A full-scale replica of a Civil War battleship in downtown Kinston is an eye-catching sight.

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A

Passion for

Preservation SHIPBUILDER’S ODYSSEY TO BUILD LIFE-SIZE REPLICA OF SUNKEN SHIP DRAWS TOURISTS

STORY BY PAMELA COYLE PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN CURCIO

T

he first known reference to the Kinston area is from 1584, when two British ship captains wrote favorably about the landscape “situated on a goodly river called Neuse.”

Since then, Kinston and surrounding Lenoir County have served as the stage for many of the dramatic events in American history.

It’s a history that has inspired a passion for preservation of its many historic sites – in some cases, a passion pursued to amazing, even heroic, lengths.

Take Kinston resident Alton Stapleford, for example.

On an empty lot in the middle of Kinston’s downtown business district, the retired master shipbuilder has worked nonstop for several years to re-create an exact replica of a Confederate ironclad ship that sunk off the shores of Kinston nearly 150 years ago.

At 158 feet long – from bow to stern, the size of two tennis courts laid end to end – Stapleford’s mission has attracted a lot of attention.

Some 6,000 intrigued tourists have flocked to the hard-tomiss site to watch construction in progress.

A nonprofit organization is now raising money for the reconstruction. Separate plans are also in the works to create

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Alton Stapleford surveys his work-in-progress.

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The original ironclad, the C.S.S. Neuse, sits waiting to be transferred to a more protected site. More than 10,000 artifacts, such as lock and tackles and cannons (right), were recovered from the ship.

an adjacent museum to house some of the more than 10,000 artifacts carefully removed from the original C.S.S. Neuse.

And a public-private partnership is spearheading an ambitious effort to move the wooden hull of the original C.S.S. Neuse – currently on display in a riverfront park – several miles to a downtown location. Estimated weight: 250 tons.

History clearly isn’t something left to the textbooks in Kinston.

Community leaders have gone to great lengths to capitalize on its historic landmarks, considered by many to be the area’s greatest asset and a huge draw for heritage tourism.

The region features two battlefields that are among 360 deemed most significant by the U.S. Congress. Lenoir County also boasts eight markers on the Civil War Trail, with more planned.

The area is also noted for its Civil War and Revolutionary War re-enactments, which draw thousands.

In 2007, scores of history buffs and local residents attended a celebration that reopened the Richard Caswell State Historic Site. Caswell, North Carolina’s first governor, was a Revolutionary War hero who made his home in Kinston.

Wyse Fork Battlefield, about 57 acres, has some of the state’s most pristine earthworks. The land will forever be preserved, thanks to grants from the National Parks Service and the Center for Civil War History. Plans include adding a parking lot, trails and interpretive displays near the earthworks. Like Wyse Fork, the first Battle of Kinston Battlefield is a significant Civil War skirmish site. A three-day re-enactment there in March 2006 drew more than 6,000 people.

“We would like to turn that into a facility where re-enactors can come and practice,” says Jane Phillips, President of the Historical Preservation Group.

The Culture Heritage Museum honors the AfricanAmerican soldiers and white officers who fought for Union forces. It also houses an impressive collection of classic texts for Civil War research.

Heritage Place at Lenoir Community College has original diaries and notebooks from the period as well as Moore’s Roster, a listing of men who served in the Confederacy, on microfilm. The collection also includes old genealogical records for 27 counties in eastern North Carolina, says Ranita Pressley Gaskins, a library media technical assistant.

History is very much alive in Kinston and Lenoir County, and the region is trying to capitalize on these assets.

“You put all these things in one central location, and that’s a pretty big draw,” says Phillips.

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SEE MORE ONLINE | Join a local historian on a virtual tour of the C.S.S. Neuse at imageskinston.com.

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The Beat

Goes On

DOWNTOWN KINSTON IS STILL THE HEART OF THE CITY

STORY BY JESSICA MOZO PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN CURCIO

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istoric downtowns across America are struggling to make themselves prosperous again, but that’s not the case in Kinston. With centuriesold architecture, a newly opened visitors center, picturesque riverfront, shops and restaurants, downtown Kinston is thriving today as much as ever.

“There’s a lot of new activity down-

town,” says Mark Pope, director of Lenoir County Economic Development. “City and county leaders are working to make it more attractive, and we continue to see more shops and attractions pop up.”

Downtown Kinston’s good fortune is in part due to the foresight of community members who, in 1984, formed Pride of Kinston Inc. – an organization dedicated to helping downtown remain the heart

of the city. Pride of Kinston uses the Main Street approach developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to promote economic development while preserving the historic feel of Kinston’s main drag.

“A group of downtown business people started Pride of Kinston because they wanted to make sure downtown stayed alive,” says Adrian King, executive director of Pride of Kinston Inc. Housed in a historic Queen Street building that used to be a Sears, Roebuck and Co. store, Pride of Kinston oversees several projects that have contributed to downtown revitalization. One is the Kinston Enterprise Center, which opened five years ago in the same building and acts as a small business incubator for aspiring entrepreneurs.

“The Kinston Enterprise Center has offices for 25 entrepreneurs and offers them very reasonable rent and utilities as well as infrastructure help like copy rooms, conference rooms and computer hookups,” King says. “It’s quite a deal for entrepreneurs just getting started.”

Another Pride of Kinston project is

Grounded Gourmet Coffee and Juice Bar on Queen Street Right: Historic buildings line Queen Street.

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Kinston’s Waterfront Now! Task Force, an organization of 24 business, civic and government leaders that plans to build a pedestrian walkway across the Neuse River connecting Neuseway Park to the Neuseway Nature Center. The group also hopes to create a system of river walkways along the banks of the Neuse and expand the Neuseway Nature Center’s outdoor learning activities.

“It’s a fairly involved multimillion dollar plan,” King says. “The first thing is the pedestrian bridge, and we hope it will be in construction by summer 2008.”

In an effort to draw more people downtown, Pride of Kinston launched the “Sand in the Streets” outdoor concert series and the “Kinston 8,000 Run for the River,” an 8K race held the last Saturday in March. Both events debuted in 2006.

“We had five concerts in summer 2006 at Neuseway Park, and we offered seven concerts in 2007,” King says.

“They attracted throngs of people. We had beach music, jazz, country, an African-American band and several local bands with large followings.”

The race attracted 150 runners in 2006 and 175 runners in 2007.

“The town really got behind it,” King says. “We had 165 volunteers help with the race.”

A highly-anticipated development happening in downtown Kinston is the creation of a new Civil War museum, which will display thousands of Civil War objects, as well as the CSS Neuse ironclad gunboat.

“The gunboat was launched up the Neuse River in 1865,” King explains. “It

burned and sat at the bottom of the river until a group of Civil War enthusiasts raised it up in 1963. The longtime idea was to move the boat downtown and create a Civil War museum. It’s a $3.5 million project, and we hope to finish raising money for it in the next couple of years.”

The Civil War museum will enhance Kinston’s existing Museum Row, a downtown cluster of historic sites and museums that includes the Cultural Heritage Museum, Harmony Hall, the Caswell No. 1 Fire Station Museum and the historic Colonial, Maplewood, Cedar Grove and Hebrew cemeteries.

“A lot of people have given of themselves to create this town,” King says.

“What we’re doing today will benefit future generations.”

The Kinston Community Council for the Arts building on Queen Street Left: Ryan Davis’s 2007 mural depicting historic scenes from Kinston on the corner of Queen St. and E. North St.

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Fun in

Many

Forms

NATURE CENTER & CITY PARKS OFFER A WEALTH OF RECREATION OPTIONS

Sunset on the Neuse River

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Matthew Sorbough climbs down an eye-tunnel at The Exchange Nature Center next to the Neuse River.

STORY BY PAMELA COYLE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN CURCIO

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ith 11 parks, the Kinston/Lenoir Recreation Department has plenty of offerings – among them golf, tennis, basketball, softball, bridge, aerobics, line dancing and crafts

for adults.

Kids have options galore, and the community last summer hosted 28 baseball and softball tournaments, some with 100 teams, says Bill Ellis, the department’s director.

The department owns its own nature center on 55 acres along the Neuse River, with trails, ponds stocked with catfish, an 18-foot wall for rock climbing and a saltwater “touch tank” where wee hands can feel sea urchins, starfish and other creatures. There are native and exotic animals, including lots of snakes.

Soon the parks will have a new constituency.

Dogs.

The department is opening a 26-acre dog park, tailored to host retriever competitions. The space also will have a more traditional-style dog park area for family pets to romp off-leash.

The land is part of 1,600 acres of floodplain claimed by Hurricane Floyd in September 1999. The Federal Emergency Management Agency bought the flooded homes in the lowlying area near the river and relocated the residents, Ellis says.

That left a hefty parcel that landed in the public’s hands.

Most of it, Ellis says, will be left to grow into a natural area,

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though plans are underway to develop areas for skeet shooting and hunter safety courses.

The additions will augment the region’s already impressive line-up of outdoor activities. The area has 18 baseball fields for Little League and eight high school-sized fields.

Lenoir County also has two private, one public and one disc golf course.

Nature lovers can easily spend a full day at Neuseway Nature Center. Mile-long trails are family-friendly. The park allows tent and RV camping as well as picnicking. The playground looks like a jungle, with new equipment every year.

Bobby Cox, the center’s naturalist and curator, also plans to add a train big enough for even adults to ride near the playground area.

Change keeps folks coming back, he says.

The price is right, too. Admission is free to the countyowned center; rock climbing is just $2 per person.

New attractions help bring in visitors – the center hosts 75,000-80,000 people each year – but old standards still have their draw.

“They love to come in and see the rattlesnakes,” Cox says.

The center’s most popular animal, though, is Oliver, a 20year-old Cockatoo donated by a local Realtor six years ago.

“He’s probably Kinston’s favorite pet,” Cox says. “He loves to sing ‘Happy Birthday.’”

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Portfolio

From Stealing First to Being First NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUE GREAT CARL LONG IS BEHIND NEW MUSEUM EFFORT

uring his brilliant baseball career, Carl Long was accustomed to attracting crowds to the ballpark. Today he is helping attract visitors to the Cultural Heritage Museum and helping the museum fulfill its primary mission of generating jobs, promoting economic expansion opportunities and creating a unified community vision for progress.

The museum on South Queen Street in Kinston will pay tribute to the more than 200,000 black soldiers and their 7,000 white officers who fought with the Union in the Civil War, with special emphasis on the contributions of the U.S. Colored Troops from North Carolina, says museum President Malcolm E. Beech Sr. The museum also pays tribute to black military veterans from all wars.

It honors Long and the Negro Baseball League players, local heroes, Africa and black history in general.

During his baseball career, Long played with Willie Mays, played against Henry “Hank” Aaron and was known for his dedication to the game and its fans. After an injury abruptly ended his baseball career, Long became renowned for his contributions to his community.

Off the field, he set a number of firsts, including becoming the first AfricanAmerican deputy sheriff in Lenoir County and becoming the first black police detective in Kinston’s history.

The museum will feature educational displays and technological presentations, which will complement the activities and themes of the many Civil War attractions and battlegrounds throughout the East Carolina region

and the South. The museum will also serve schools, history buffs and the community and nation at large.

“Everyone involved with the Cultural Heritage Museum is grateful to our supporters and contributors whose

generosity made possible the purchase of the building at 242 S. Queen Street,” Beech says. “We invite all members of the community to join now and make a contribution toward building a better quality of life for our community.”

PHOTOS BY IAN CURCIO

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The planned state-of-the-art Cultural Heritage Museum will be dedicated to African-American history.

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I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

KINSTON

Country Living? City Living? It’s Here A

ffordability, opportunity and options are the key words describing the residential real estate market in Kinston, which offers a variety of choices ranging from unique downtown lofts, cozy tree-lined neighborhoods drenched in history and more recently constructed single-family and multi-family homes.

There is something to suit everyone’s taste and price range, whether they want to invest in a large single-family house or are interested in a condominium or townhouse, says Deborah Hood, president of the Kinston Board of Realtors. Amenities range from converted tobacco warehouse lofts with exposed brick and 14-foot ceilings to brand new homes surrounded by lush lawns.

Because the cost of living in Kinston is substantially lower than the national average, housing is a greater bargain than in Charlotte and the Triangle markets. Affordable housing is especially important to two of the area’s fast-growing segments – senior citizens and retirees. Seniors also value con-

venience and access to services and shopping, which helped drive the planning for Kinston’s first gated community.

“Kinston is one of the few markets where affordable housing is so prevalent,” Hood says. “For example, one can purchase a lovely home with over 2,500 square feet in a nice neighborhood in Kinston for well under $200,000.”

Fortunately, Kinston avoided the real estate bubble that caused prices to spike in some markets. As a result, the market in Kinston was not negatively

affected when the bubble burst and prices began falling rapidly in many markets across the country, destabilizing many local economies.

Kinston’s real estate market is dynamic, Hood says. By mid-year, 172 homes had been sold so far in 2007, comfortably outperforming the previous year’s pace when a total of 245 residential properties were sold during the year. Homes spend an average of 205 days on the market and sell for an average price of $103,627.

FAMOUS FOR BAR-B-QUE AND CHICKEN Since 1936

Bar-B-Que Pork, Beef, Chicken, Turkey and Ribs Fresh Seafood Homestyle Vegetables Daily Specials Mon.-Sun. 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Breakfast – Sat. & Sun. (Hwy. 70 Only)

Hwy. 70 E. • 527-2101 N. Queen St. • 523-3303 W. Vernon St. • 527-1661 The Nantucket Lofts, once a tobacco warehouse, is on Herritage Street.

KINSTON

www.kingsbbq.com I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

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Portfolio

Golden Years on Green Acres

IAN CURCIO

S

J.C. Moore Produce sells tomatoes at the Fresh Market on Herritage Street.

The New

VERNON P A R K M A L L

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mall-town charm and Southern hospitality are not the only reasons retirees and others are drawn to Kinston.

A growing number of new arrivals are leaving the city and their old careers behind, buying some land and becoming gentlemen farmers.

Whether you call them hobby farmers or lifestyle farmers, these individuals are keeping the dream of the family farm alive – but on a small scale. Their choice of a new lifestyle is strengthening the real estate market in Lenoir County, says Linda Strickland, spokeswoman for East Carolina Farm Credit.

“People are coming in and buying 10 to 50 acres,” Strickland says. “They want some land, some horses. Or they enjoy getting out on the tractor and puttering around on Saturday.”

In other instances, investors are buying tracts of land of 300 acres or more to use as private hunting preserves, she says.

“In our area, there are so many people moving in. It’s really growing rapidly because many people want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and find some peace and solitude,” Strickland says.

In addition to meeting the needs of the region’s newer lifestyle farmers, East Carolina Farm Credit continues to serve the more traditional farmers, including tobacco planters whose crop is still an important part of the economy, she says.

East Carolina Farm Credit, a farmerowned financial cooperative with headquarters in Raleigh, is the leading provider of credit to farmers in central and eastern North Carolina. It has more than $1 billion in loans and commitments outstanding to nearly 3,000 farmers.

Strickland says the 90-year-old cooperative makes loans to finance land, homes, farm buildings, operating expenses, livestock and equipment, as well as other purposes. As a memberowned institution, the co-op has made patronage refunds to its customers for 19 consecutive years. Since 1988, it has returned a total of $141 million to its member-borrowers.

KINSTON

Where Air Force One Practices Its Landings “We have all of the infrastructure in this facility that you would expect to find in a major metropolitan area,” Waddell says.

Global TransPark enjoys a strategic central East Coast location that is ideal for domestic and international shippers, with convenient highway access and a planned railway spur. Adding to the attraction for international businesses, GTP includes one of only a few foreign trade zones in all of North Carolina.

Companies bringing goods into the foreign trade zone benefit from not having to pay duties and tariffs until

An F-15 does touch-and-goes on the runway of the Kinston Airport.

Homegrown Heroes

K

inston may be a small town, but thanks to the commitment of the Kinston/Lenoir County Parks and Recreation Department and Kinston High School, it has developed more than its share of famous professional athletes.

“We’ve always had a strong program, and 95 percent of the kids here grow up playing sports,” says Bill Ellis, director of the recreation department. “We believe it builds character and leadership skills, sportsmanship and camaraderie.”

That record is reflected in the growing number of athletes who have been inducted into the Lenoir County Sports Hall of Fame, which currently displays photos and memorabilia from the careers of 18 star athletes. Inductees are honored at a banquet every two years.

A number of local athletes have achieved the ultimate in sports success, Ellis says. He points to athletes whose names were familiar to hometown crowds long before they became nationally prominent, including Jerry Stackhouse with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, Cedric Bryan “Cornbread” Maxwell with the Boston Celtics, Tony Dawson with the Sacramento Kings, and Ron Wooten and Lin Dawson with the NFL’s New England Patriots.

The community’s commitment to athletics benefits young people who do not go on to a professional sports career as well, Ellis says. Many students are able to continue

KINSTON

their products leave the zone and actually enter the U.S. economy.

“That makes [North Carolina] emerging companies more competitive in the world economy,” Waddell says.

GTP also offers an industrial park with more than 300 site-ready acres, a 33,000-square-foot state-of-the-art education and training center and 5,775 acres that already have environmental permits for development.

Thanks to all of the advantages that GTP has to offer, Waddell enthusiastically says, “We feel we are finding our niche.”

IAN CURCIO

t North Carolina Global TransPark (GTP), it’s not unusual to see Air Force One practicing landings. Like many others, the Boeing 747 jumbo jet used by the president of the United States is attracted by GTP’s 11,500foot runway.

“Seeing the presidential seal on the side of the airplane is inspiring,” says Global TransPark Executive Director Darlene A. Waddell.

GTP boasts the longest runway between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta.

It is one of the few in the region with Category III Instrument Landing System capability, which means GTP can maintain regular flight operations even when bad weather shuts down other airports.

It’s part of this state-owned enterprise’s goal of creating a vibrant and dynamic industrial and commercial complex that attracts new businesses to the region and increases economic opportunities for the citizens of Eastern North Carolina.

their educations thanks to athletic scholarships. Many who do not receive a scholarship are able to qualify for financial aid thanks to the assistance of coaches interested in recruiting them.

“Sports is a ticket to success in life,” says Ellis.

The department’s children’s programs include arts and crafts, drama, golf and tennis classes, summer day camp programs, baseball, basketball, football, soccer and swimming. Adult activities include golf, tennis, basketball, softball, bridge, aerobics, line dancing, crafts and Senior Olympics.

– Stories by Bill Lewis

PHOTO COURTESY OF NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

A

Jerry Stackhouse, No. 42, of the Dallas Mavericks.

I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

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Business | Biz Briefs

The Chef & The Farmer’s menu features Sugar Baby Watermelon in the Red Farm Goat Cheese and Pistachio Salad. IAN CURCIO

GOURMET MEALS IN A MULE STABLE? People from across eastern North Carolina are flocking to a former mule stable for fine dining.

At the Chef & The Farmer restaurant in Kinston, chef/owner Vivian Howard and partner, Benjamin Knight, serve artfully presented regional cuisine using fresh ingredients provided by local farmers.

The menu includes items such as truffled asparagus potato skins, espresso crusted hanger steak, ricotta cheesecake and homemade ice creams.

Chef & The Farmer guarantees freshness by preparing seasonal foods provided by local producers, including fresh produce from Kinston’s farmer’s market and beef and chicken from nearby farms.

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I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

“We change our menu according to what’s available locally,” says Howard.

“It’s fresher, and the flavor is so much better. And buying locally is a great way to support the local economy.”

The old mule barn is now as dazzlingly modern as the dishes, with black walls, exposed ceilings, a sleek bar and open kitchen.

WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT OR BIKE Whether they prefer paddling or pedaling, kayaking and bicycling enthusiasts are finding what they are looking for at Riverside Bicycle and Outdoor Sports in downtown Kinston.

The store, operated by Bert Statum and other family members, caters to

long-distance bicyclists, those who ride for fitness and others who ride just for the fun of it. Those who prefer having their fun on the water will find a complete selection of family-style kayaks designed for use on smooth streams and coastal waters.

Statum’s son provides guided kayak tours on the Neuse River, which flows right by the store.

“We can take people out or start right behind the store,” Statum says.

“Our customers love the convenience.”

The family revitalized the building, which had formerly been a dry cleaners, and opened Riverside Bicycle and Outdoor Sports in September 2006.

“I’m doing what I enjoy. It’s a passion,” Statum says.

KINSTON

BIG, BUT LEAN Major facilities in Kinston are helping Smithfield Foods strengthen its position as the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer while also strengthening the local economy.

Smithfield Packing, a subsidiary, has invested about $140 million in two modern facilities in Kinston that employ approximately 1,000 local workers. The company is a major player in the local economy, paying half a million dollars in property taxes each year, spokesman Dennis Pittman says.

At its newest facility, the 87-acre Kinston II plant, the company uses high-tech procedures and equipment to produce deli meats.

Smithfield employs advanced technology to meet the world’s growing demand for pork products that are bigger, meatier, and significantly lower in fat. The company has developed a branded product that in many cases is even leaner than chicken breast.

Smithfield’s Lean Generation is the first fresh pork to have select cuts certified by the American Heart Association.

DON’T GO OUT OF YOUR WAY …

Russell Rhodes believes Neuse Sports Shop’s motto helps explain the reason the store has been so amazingly successful since opening in 1953.

“Kinston’s slogan is ‘We’re on the way,’” says Rhodes, Neuse Sports Shop’s president and CEO. “Our slogan is, ‘We’re on your way.’”

Every day, at least 30,000 vehicles travel by the store’s location on the Highway 70 East Bypass. Many are driven by hunters, salt water and fresh water fishermen, campers and beachgoers who depend on the 43,000-square-foot store for firearms, ammunition, gear of all kinds and apparel. The store even offers hunting and fishing licenses and hunter safety classes. The knowledgeable staff also dispenses sage advice that helps make customers’ outdoor adventures successful.

“We don’t sell boats and motors, but we sell everything else,” says Rhodes.

ANOTHER DIMENSION Spatial Integrated Systems Inc., a Maryland company specializing in information technologies and engiKINSTON

neering services for the U.S. Navy and the aviation industry, is bringing its high-tech presence to the North Carolina Global TransPark.

SIS, headquartered in Rockville, Md., will bring 37 jobs to the region.

The company is installing equipment valued at about $700,000. The facility will host an information technology center that supports digital manufacturing – creating visual and 3-D prototypes of factory machinery, for example – IT hosting and engineering that supports production of aircraft

parts. The Global TransPark Authority agreed to build a specialized 20,000square-foot building for SIS. SIS says the location in Global TransPark will support the company’s business growth with the Navy, the aerospace industry and with other commercial customers. SIS is a co-founder of the North Carolina Aerospace Alliance, established to support North Carolina military bases and companies in the design, certification and manufacture of parts for aging aircraft.

– Bill Lewis

Kinston and Lenoir County’s premier full-service commercial real estate company for over 50 years!

Check out available properties at: www.perrysinc.com 518 Plaza Blvd. • P.O. Drawer 1475 • Kinston, NC 28503 (252) 523-5107 • Fax: (252) 523-8858 I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

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IAN CURCIO

Business | Chamber Report

Kinston’s “We’re On The Way” billboard on U.S. Highway 70

On Billboards & Bumper Stickers KINSTON TOUTS SUCCESS WITH IMAGE CAMPAIGN THAT HIGHLIGHTS ECONOMIC GROWTH

K

inston is on its way, and this growing community wants everyone to know it.

In just three years, Kinston and Lenoir County have added more than 1,400 new jobs and seen nearly $200 million in new and expanded businesses. The region’s reputation as an attractive retirement destination is growing, too.

But ask average locals if they know that Lenoir Community College added a $6 million culinary arts program or that Smithfield Packing Co.’s new complex in Kinston created some 200 jobs, their answer may be no.

The Committee of 100, a nonprofit membership group that tackles business and industry recruitment, is turning that around. A $100,000 grassroots image campaign, “Kinston! …

We’re on the Way!” is touting the region’s success stories in a series of billboards, bumper stickers, construction signs, newspaper ads and television spots.

“The concept is we are really trying to unite the community and show the positive things that are going on,” says Ely Perry III, president of The Committee of 100. “A lot of people don’t realize everything.”

The campaign’s logo appears on billboards, Web sites and even the sign for a local Chevrolet dealership. “Branding” Kinston/Lenoir County, Perry says, also involves 15-minute presentations to Kiwanis and Rotary clubs, other service organizations and churches.

Targeting the local community is the campaign’s primary 26

I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

goal, with the idea that the word, and image, will spread.

The county has much going for it, Perry says. It’s centrally located in eastern North Carolina; it has a solid employee base; and it has good roads connecting it to the rest of the state. The Kinston Regional Jetport is home to a portion of the North Carolina Global TransPark, part of a statewide effort to create an international hub for business and manufacturing.

“Kinston! … We’re on the Way!” launched in early 2007, but the work started in 2006.

Laura Lee Sylvester, president of the Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce, was among a dozen or so people tapped for input early on.

“I felt it was a really good match for what the Chamber does,” she says. “We really are ambassadors for the community.”

The group grew, brainstormed and The Committee of 100 hired Hoyt-Hamilton LLC, a Raleigh-based marketing and advertising firm, to help put the campaign together.

Now the Chamber’s Web site, www.kinstonchamber.com, prominently displays the “Kinston! … We’re on the Way!” logo and links to a list of new and expanding businesses, public sculpture projects and upcoming school construction.

It’s no accident that the acronym for “We’re on the Way” is WOW. “We are setting the tone for the community,” Perry says.

– Pamela Coyle KINSTON

Business | Economic Profile

KINSTON-LENOIR COUNTY BUSINESS CLIMATE Since 2002, the Lenoir County Economic Development Department has announced 1,624 new local jobs and $210,040,000 in new investments. Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new companies or expanding current businesses, this county proves to be rising economically.

Allegiant Air

Employment, 26,688

www.allegiantair.com

Unemployment percentage 5.60%

(702) 505-8888

TRANSPORTATION Airports

N.C. Eastern Region (2006)

LABOR FORCE STATISTICS

Labor Force, 442,696 Employment, 419,038

Kinston Regional Jetport

Lenoir Co. (2006)

522-4929

Labor Force, 28,283

Unemployment percentage 5.30%

MAJOR EMPLOYERS Company

Product/Service

Caswell Center

Services for the mentally disabled

1,675

Lenoir County Public Schools

Education

1,410

Lenoir Memorial Hospital

Health care

1,100

MasterBrand Cabinets Inc.

Kitchen & bath cabinets

900

Electrolux Home Products

Dishwashers

870

Associated Materials Inc.

Vinyl windows

635

Lenoir Community College

Education

520

Vernon Park Mall

Retail sales

500

Smithfield Foods Plant #1

Ham processing

486

Lenox China

Fine china

449

Lenoir County

Government

427

Hillco Ltd.

Health-care supplies & services

371

City of Kinston

Government

365

Tidewater Transit Co.

Transporter of raw materials

300

Wal-Mart

Retail sales

300

KNC (Crown)

Electric forklift trucks

272

William Barnet & Son Inc.

Textile fibers

265

Dopaco Inc.

Fast food service containers

226

Smithfield Foods Plant #2

Ham processing

222

West Pharmaceutical Services

Rubber pharmaceutical supplies

215

Alsco

Uniform, linen & rug service

200

Dobbs Youth Development Center

Rehabilitation school

200

U.S. Post Office

Mail delivery

197

Vermillions Five Star Food Service

Catering & vending service

195

KINSTON

No. of Employees

I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

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Business | Economic Profile PROPERTY TAXES 2006-07 TAX RATES PER $100 ASSESSED VALUATION

Counties and Municipalities

Lenoir Grifton

(Lenoir Co.)

Kinston

LaGrange

Pink Hill

0.84

0.84

0.84

0.84

0.84

0.55

0.6

0.5

0.58

1.39

1.44

1.34

1.42

Latest Revaluation, 2001 Countywide Municipal Service District City or Town Total Of All Jurisdictions

0.84

Notes: Eleven fire districts: North Lenoir, $.045; Hugo, $.04; Grifton, $.03; Mosely Hall, $.04; Southwood, $.05; Deep Run, $.04; Seven Springs, $.04; Sandy Bottom, $.08; Wyse Fork, $.065; Sand Hill, $.07; Cherry Tree, $.08. ***Kinston downtown municipal service district, $.27.

Source: North Carolina Department of Revenue

TAXES Sales Tax 4.5% to state 2.5% locally Basic Business Taxes Franchise Tax – $1.50 per $1,000 on issued and outstanding stock allocated to NC operations Corporate Net Income Tax – 7.25%

DISTANCE TO MAJOR CITIES Atlanta 449 miles Baltimore 343 miles Boston 766 miles Charlotte

CHECKING • SAVINGS • CDS • MORTGAGE • EQUITY LOANS

208 miles Chicago

Offering personalized, full-service banking.

WE WANT TO KNOW YOU!

899 miles New York

Member FDIC 1101 W. Vernon Ave. • Kinston, NC (252) 939-3900 • Fax: (252) 939-3888 WWW.THELITTLEBANK.COM

541 miles Norfolk, Va. 164 miles Philadelphia 441 miles

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I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

KINSTON

Kinston was developed around a tobacco inspection warehouse.

A century later, the business climate grew to encompass three carriage factories, two turpentine distilleries, gristmills, sawmills and more. Today, manufacturing is still a big driver of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy.

Child Care Resource and Referral We can help you ďŹ nd child care, pre-schools and other programs for your child.

Resource Center Check out our books, videos, toys and parenting resources.

Pittsburgh 533 miles

Lexington-Thomasville 89.6

Raleigh 81 miles

Raleigh-Cary 99.1

Richmond, Va. 198 miles

Wilmington 103.8

Washington 305 miles

Winston-Salem 91.2

Wilmington, Del. 101 miles

ACCRA COST OF LIVING (Fourth Quarter 2006, 100% Composite Index) Asheville 101.2

Sign up for free home visits, helpful parenting tips and playgroups.

Development Department 301 N. Queen St. P.O. Box 897 Kinston, NC 28502 Phone: 527-1963 Fax: 527-1914

Charlotte 92.7

Kinston-Lenoir County

Gastonia 87.7

301 N. Queen St.

Durham 90.4

Phone: 527-1131

Chamber of Commerce

Kinston, NC 28502 www.kinstonchamber.com

Greenville 97.1

KINSTON

Parents as Teachers

Lenoir County Economic

www.lenoiredc.com

Kinston 91.9

Learn how to enroll your child in this free, high-quality Pre-K program for four year olds.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Burlington 94.5

Hickory-LenoirMorganton, 92.2

More at Four

Ensuring all children enter school healthy and ready to succeed.

For more information, call (252) 939-1200 or (252) 747-3331, or visit us at www.partnership4children.com

Sources: http://factfinder.census.gov www.kinstonchamber.com www.visitkinston.com www.lenoiredc.com

I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

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IAN CURCIO

Education

Lenoir Community College’s new culinary arts building.

Learning in Lenoir County LENOIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE APPEALS TO STUDENTS OF ALL AGES AND INTERESTS

W

ith a wide array of high-tech classes, one-of-akind programs, convenient satellite locations and expansions, Lenoir Community College is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary in style.

From its inaugural class of 80 students meeting in rented space at a local high school in 1957, the college has grown to serve more than 14,000 students at its 90-acre main campus and six extension centers, as well as online.

And the college is fast gaining a reputation for its worldclass programs in aviation, engineering and culinary arts.

“We go a step beyond other community colleges in that we understand that the reason we’re here is for our students, and they always come first,” says Dr. Brantley Briley, LCC’s president.

LCC has partnered with three engineering universities across the state to provide the unique 2+2 engineering program, which allows students to transfer into another school as a junior without losing credits. During their time at LCC, they take classes from outside instructors using video streaming technology.

The school offers a similar 2+2 aviation program with Florida’s Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, billed as the world’s leader in aviation and aerospace higher education.

A renowned program in its own right, LCC’s aviation management and career pilot technology classes are housed at the school’s Center for Aviation Education, located at the Global TransPark’s Kinston Regional Jetport.

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Still, students who wish to stay close to home can choose from a myriad of other options – no matter if their interests are cooking or customizing cars.

“We have a world-class culinary arts program, with two chefs on staff,” Briley says, noting that the college’s new culinary technology center is home to one of the state’s premier culinary programs. “It’s for all of the jobs associated with being in the restaurant business and also teaches the business skills for developing and owning your own restaurant.”

The automotive customizing technology program, new in 2007, was designed by the school.

“It incorporates so many other programs – electronics, welding, machining,” Briley says, adding that a Porsche donated to the college will be the first vehicle customized.

He adds that these students ultimately benefit Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties by graduating college to join the workforce.

“We are an economic powerhouse for our three-county region,” he says.

The school’s financial aid program also helps the economy.

“LCC has a very strong foundation, with assets totaling over $2.5 million,” Briley says, adding that for the 2006-07 year, they gave away 138 scholarships.

A Lenoir County native, Briley himself graduated from LCC before attending Eastern Carolina University.

“I am a product of the community college of which I am now president,” he says proudly.

– Jessy Yancey KINSTON

Creating SMILES and Building Confidence

A Helping Hand PROGRAM BENEFITS CHILDREN, PARENTS

F

or many parents, choosing a child care facility can be a daunting task.

That’s where the Partnership for Children of Lenoir and Greene Counties comes in. With a focus on kids up to age 5, the statefunded, nonprofit organization serves as a helping hand for parents in their search for a place to trust with their children.

“The state has a five-star rating system for child care,” says Keith Sylvester, executive director of the Partnership. “We explain to families what to look for in a quality center.”

Both counties boast ratings higher than the state average, with Lenoir County alone offering two-dozen child care facilities with four- and five-star ratings.

However, the Partnership does more than help families; it provides technical assistance, teacher education and other support to the childcare centers themselves.

“We will work with any facility to increase their star rating,” Sylvester says. “We have a grant program to assist the owner of the facility, and for teachers who go back to school and complete their degree or take graduation classes, there’s a bonus incentive program.”

The Partnership also works with local schools to enrich parent education, funding child care for parents to take classes.

“Not only does it improve their education,” Sylvester says, “but it will improve the workforce as well.”

The Partnership also hosts holiday events for child care centers and in 2007 sponsored the first ever Kid’s Fest on the Neuse.

– Jessy Yancey

KINSTON

Carlyle Dental Ricky Carlyle, DDS 206 Airport Rd. • Kinston, NC 28504 (252) 522-1777 • Fax: (252) 522-3707

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Specializing in custom printing for all businesses!

Advantage Printing can assist you with all your printing needs: Custom Forms • Stationery • Checks Brochures • Newsletters • Booklets Wide-format Signs Kinston Plaza Shopping Center 2425 N. Herritage St. • Kinston, NC 28501 (252) 523-8133 • Fax: (252) 523-3114 E-mail: advantageprinting@embarqmail.com

I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

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Rouse Road Apartments

Coastal Connections Marketing, Inc. and the Kinston Indians .....

Two Winning Teams

Photo by Potter Photography www.bpotterphoto.com

A C o m m u n it y o f G a r d e n- L i k e 1 & 2 Bedrooms

Who says garden-like living is limited only to home owners?

Let Amy, Debbie and Caroline help you with your marketing needs. We carry over 600,000 custom imprinted promotional items and serve over 400 customers throughout the United States.

• Customer Appreciation Items • Golf & Sports Promotions • Wedding/Party Invitations & Gifts

• Employee Incentive Gifts • Corporate Event Ideas • School Uniforms

Named Kinston-Lenoir Co. Small Business of the Year

(252) 526-9862 • www.coastal-connections.com Rouse Road Apartments are tucked away in a nice and quiet residential area. We’re also conveniently located … schools, museums, shopping and dining are minutes away.

Security Systems Fire Alarm Systems Access Control Systems CCTV Systems Home Entertainment Whole House Audio/Video Enjoy all the benefits surrounding our apartment homes:

Electric Gate Motors Telephone Systems Voice/Data Wiring

• Beautiful landscaping • Spacious grounds • A community recreational area

Kinston, NC (252) 520-7804 http://home.earthlink.net/ ~rrakinston/

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I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

Intercoms 2006 N. Queen St. P.O. Box 1415 Kinston, NC 28503 (252) 939-9500 Fax: (252) 523-6464

Central Vacuum Systems

KINSTON

IAN CURCIO

Sports & Recreation

The mascot and a young baseball fan have fun at a Kinston Indians home game at Grainger Field.

Take Me Out to the K-Tribe FUTURE CLEVELAND INDIANS ON DISPLAY NIGHTLY AT GRAINGER STADIUM

K

inston’s century-long relationship with professional baseball has been anything but a smooth ride. But with solid local ownership and a healthy relationship with the Cleveland Indians, the future is on much firmer footing going forward.

The first professional baseball was played in Kinston in 1908, though the city’s history is littered with collapsed leagues, lost affiliates and wartime disruptions. But since its re-entry into the Class A Carolina League in 1978, followed by its affiliation with Cleveland in 1987, Kinston has been a model of stability.

Today, the Kinston Indians – or the K-Tribe, as fans call them – are enjoying success on the field and at the turnstiles.

The team won Carolina League championships in 2004 and in 2006, and was poised for another title shot after winning its division in the first half of 2007.

KINSTON

Shari Massengill oversees the club’s operations as the K-Tribe’s general manager, though she deflects credit for the team’s on-field success.

“They’re sending us quality players,” she says of the parent club.

Massengill is in her 11th season with the Indians, holding virtually every position in the organization before assuming the general manager’s job in 2006. She didn’t set out to become a baseball executive, though she’s quickly excelled at the role. In 2007, she was named the Carolina League Executive of the Year.

“I never dreamed I would wind up staying,” says Massengill. “But it’s something you’re either going to love or hate.”

Massengill’s new assistant general manager is Jessie Hays, giving the K-Tribe one of – if not the only – all-female front office teams in professional baseball.

While the Cleveland Indians supply the players and coaches, it is the front office staff who is responsible for all of the other aspects of running the ball club, including scheduling promotions, working with the media and the community and delivering a quality experience for the 1,800 fans who attend the average game.

“Everybody does a little bit of everything,” says Massengill, whose full-time staff numbers less than a half-dozen.

Further solidifying the club’s future is the community ownership behind it.

In 1994, a consortium of more than 60 mostly local investors – led by local restaurateur Cam McRae – purchased the team. The ownership group’s commitment to the K-Tribe was evident in 2003, when it refurbished both the field and the grandstand at 4,100-seat Grainger Stadium, which has been hosting professional baseball for nearly 60 years.

“The tradition of professional baseball has been an integral part of the history and culture of Kinston for well over 50 years,” says McRae. “The only professional sports team in North Carolina east of I-95 is something everyone in Kinston should be proud of.”

– Dan Markham I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

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We are a full-service nursery staffed with experienced, knowledgeable gardeners, nurserymen and horticulturists to assist you with all your gardening needs.

We also provide landscaping design, installation and maintenance services including sprinkler systems.

Annuals and perennials, birdhouses and feeders, plant foods and other amenities for the garden.

I spy something green.

Everyday moments can be learning moments with your kids. For more tips, visit bornlearning.org

2418 Dobbs Farm Rd. Kinston, NC 28504 (252) 527-4839

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Arts & Culture

Jodi Hollnagel-Jubran’s sculpture is among the public art collection of the Kinston Community Council for the Arts.

A World Full of the Arts VIBRANT COUNCIL DELIVERS MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES TO EMBRACE THE ARTS

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o traverse the ancient Silk Road of China or get a glimpse of a Sudanese holy man whirling in a prayer dance, go no further than downtown Kinston’s Community Council for the Arts.

The facility’s six galleries highlight the works of area, national and even international artists.

“It’s important to not only have a show, but to educate people of the community, young and old, about other cultures, other histories, other beliefs,” says Sandy Landis, executive director of the council and one of only three paid staff members. “We’re able to do that through art.”

The council has hosted eight international shows in the last five years, including such presentations as the Silk Road of China, an exhibit of the works of Chinese weavers, painters and sculptors brought to life by two artists-in-residence from China who lived in Kinston during the show.

The arts, Vickie Robinson says, are for everyone. And Kinston’s Community Council for the Arts makes every effort to make art accessible.

“Our continuing mission is to get people to realize that the arts are not just fluff, but a necessity,” says Robinson, chairman of the council’s board of directors. “We’re always trying to think of ways to get different groups, different populations, engaged in the arts.”

With its broad array of arts programs, public displays in and out of its building and educational opportunities, the

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council provides the people of Kinston and the surrounding region every opportunity to find their artistic niche.

The council is located in the 30,000-square-foot Sumrell and McCoy building on Queen Street, a facility that is a work of art by itself. The building, bought and renovated by the council in 1990, is regularly used as a demonstration project for rehabilitating older buildings for more modern uses.

The educational efforts available through the council also involve more hands-on training. The council offers an extensive series of art instruction for ages 3 and up. During the summer months, the council offers nine weeks of arts camps for children, with programs for music, theater, art and crafts.

The artistic endeavors aren’t restricted to what goes on inside the walls of the Sumrell and McCoy building either. The council has commissioned 18 public arts pieces, including murals and sculptures that are located in various high-traffic locations throughout the city.

While a healthy arts community is its own reward, it also can have an impact on a bottom-line basis. Paul Busick joined the council board as a result of his position with Global TransPark Authority, a state agency that worked recruiting companies to the Kinston area.

“It’s a quality of life issue for recruiting companies,” says Busick, who served as chairman of the council board. “Companies are surprised that a town as small as ours has as vibrant and forward-thinking an arts council as this.”

– Dan Markham I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

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Health & Wellness

Lenoir Memorial has a medical staff of more than 100 physicians.

Comfortable Health Care AT LENOIR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, THE PATIENT ALWAYS COMES FIRST

P

roviding patients with more elbowroom in its new MRI is a perfect example of the many innovative ways Lenoir Memorial Hospital is serving the health care needs of Lenoir, Greene, Jones and surrounding counties.

“Our new ‘Elbow Room’ MRI helps prevent feelings of claustrophobia. It is part of our commitment to our patients’ comfort and well-being,” says Gary Black, president and chief executive officer of the not-for-profit hospital in Kinston, which is licensed for 261 beds.

With a medical staff of more than 100 physicians, Lenoir Memorial provides residents of the region with inpatient, outpatient and preventative health services close to home. Lenoir Memorial is committed to offering state-of-the-art technology and recruiting highly qualified physicians who provide medical services that patients might expect to find only at medical centers in larger cities, Black says.

In addition to general medical, surgical, obstetrical and gynecological services, Lenoir Memorial provides a broad range of specialties, including cardiology, pulmonology, oncology, radi-

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ology and urology. The hospital recently added vascular and thoracic surgery as well as laparoscopic procedures. Lenoir Memorial broke new ground when it added the area’s first hospital-employed physician, an orthopedic surgeon, to its medical team.

Lenoir Memorial is committed to helping its community stay healthy, Black says. The hospital provides many educational health programs, screening and seminars at no charge, including Infant CPR training and screenings for glaucoma, colorectal, skin and prostate cancer, mammogram screenings and sickle cell screenings. Monthly nutrition seminars teach healthy eating habits.

Residents are invited to use the Lenoir Memorial Community Walking Track 24 hours a day.

The Injury Prevention Center offers education and advocacy to reduce or eliminate the threat of injuries to children. The SAFETEENS program instills safe and responsible driving habits in teenagers. The ATV Safe Rider curriculum teaches all-terrain vehicle safety. The child passenger safety program offers periodic free clinics for

caregivers to have their child passenger seats inspected by certified child passenger safety technicians.

The hospital also offers a variety of additional programs, including a certified Cardiac Rehabilitation Program for people who have heart disease. The expense of the program is usually covered by health insurance.

The Prescription Assistance Program helps qualifying senior citizens obtain medications from a multitude of pharmaceutical programs. LinkLine enables callers to access information about food banks, legal services, literacy programs, mental health, childcare, job training and more.

Employers can utilize Lenoir Memorial Corporate Health programs, fee-based services that can reduce absenteeism and disability costs, increase productivity and reduce health care costs.

“Lenoir Memorial is proud to be our community’s health care partner,” Black says. “The health care team at Lenoir Memorial is always exploring new ways to have a positive impact on the health of our community.”

– Bill Lewis I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

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Community Profile

KINSTON-LENOIR COUNTY SNAPSHOT Eleven Pro Body parks are scattered around Kinston and Lenoir County, with opportunities for tennis, aerobics, arts and crafts, summer day camps, baseball, and even line dancing. With 250 days of sunshine per year, there’s plenty to keep anyone entertained.

EDUCATION

Average rainfall 47.8 inches

Early Childhood Partnership for Children of Lenoir & Greene Counties 939-1200

Average relative humidity: 73.7%

Board of Education 527-1109 Lenoir County Public Schools 527-1109 Private Schools Arendell Parrott Academy 522-4222 Bethel Christian Academy 522-4636 Children’s Village Academy 939-1958 Higher Education East Carolina University 238-6640 (undergraduate), 328-6012 (graduate)

POPULATION Kinston 2000, 23,729

Progress Energy Carolinas Inc. (910) 346-1453 Tri-County Electric Membership Corp.

(919) 735-2611

2006 estimate, 22,729 Lenoir County 2000, 59,648

MEDICAL FACILITY

2006 estimate, 57,662

Lenoir Memorial Hospital 522-7846

LOCATION Located in eastern North Carolina, Kinston-Lenoir County is 75 miles east of the state’s capital, Raleigh, and 75 miles west of Morehead City.

UTILITIES

Lenoir Community College 527-6223

ElectriCities of North Carolina Inc. (919) 760-6363

CLIMATE

North Lenoir Water Corporation 527-8352

Average temperature 62.6 F

Piedmont Natural Gas 634-1651

HISTORIC SITES/ MUSEUMS Caswell Center Museum and Visitors Center 208-3780 Caswell Center No. 1 Fire Station Museum, 522-4676 Civil War Site: Will King Memorial – 1st Battle of Kinston Community Council for the Arts, 527-2517 CSS Neuse State Historic Site 522-2091 CSS Neuse II, 527-0442

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Harmony Hall, 522-0421

NUMBERS TO KNOW

Heritage Place, 527-6223 Neuseway Planetarium, Nature Center and Health & Science Museum 939-3302 Wilbur A. Tyndall Tractor Museum, 568-3261

SPORTS Kinston Drag Strip , 527-4337 The Kinston Indians (Class A baseball affiliate of the Cleveland Indians) (800) 334-5467

LIBRARY Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library 527-7066 La Grange Library 566-3722 Pink Hill Library, 568-3631

For all emergencies, dial 911 Kinston Fire Department 939-3220 Kinston Police Department 939-3161 Kinston Rescue Squad 522-7895 Lenoir County Health Department, 526-4200 Lenoir County Rescue Squad 522-7895 Lenoir County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department, 559-6100 N.C. Highway Patrol (800) 441-6127 State Bureau of Investigations 756-4755

GOLF COURSES Barnet Park Disc Golf Course 523-7053

Bill Fay Park Par 3 Golf Course 939-3356 Falling Creek Golf Course 522-1828 Kinston Country Club 523-2197

MEDIA Newspapers Kinston Free Press, 527-3191 www.kinston.com Kinston Press, 527-6120 www.kinstonpress.com The News & Observer (919) 829-4500 www.newsobserver.com ENCToday, www.enctoday.com Radio Next Media Operating Inc. 639-7900 Television ETC Television, (910) 818-8251 TACC 9, 527-8845

Salon Steven All Italian exclusive color & product salon Specializing in all cuts and colors 209 N. Herritage (252) 523-4800 www.stevenparnell.com

The area code for Kinston is 252 .

2947 Hull Rd. Kinston, NC 28504 (252) 523-3874 www.cherryenergy.com

I M AG E S K I N S T O N . C O M

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Community Profile LINKS City of Kinston www.ci.kinston.nc.us Pride of Kinston www.downtownkinston.com Kinston Drag Strip www.kdsmotorsports.com Kinston Indians www.kinstonindians.com Kinston-Lenoir County Convention & Visitors Bureau www.visitkinston.com Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library, www.neuselibrary.org Lenoir Memorial Hospital www.lenoirmemorial.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION Lenoir County Economic Development Department 301 N. Queen St. P.O. Box 897 Kinston, NC 28502 Phone: 527-1963, Fax: 527-1914 www.lenoiredc.com Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce 301 N. Queen St. Kinston, NC 28502 Phone: 527-1131 www.kinstonchamber.com

Sources: www.kinstonchamber.com www.kinstonlc.com www.lenoiredc.com www.visitkinston.com

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LENOIR COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS CULTIVATING EXCELLENCE … WATCH US GROW

College Bound

Building Better Schools

Lenoir County Public Schools Construction of one of three new schools being built in the Lenoir County School District.

Building Boom THREE NEW SCHOOLS AND RENOVATIONS AT FOUR MORE MARK SCHOOL GROWTH PLAN

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isitors to just about any school in Lenoir County might be forgiven if they think the official mascot is the construction crane.

Thanks to a $69.7 million construction bond approved by the county’s voters, the school system is in the midst of an unprecedented building boom, expanding existing buildings and constructing three new schools.

Even though the student population has declined slightly, there is a need for expansion and renovation across the entire system to keep the district 21st-century ready, says Kenneth Shaw, finance director for the Lenoir County Public Schools.

“We are consolidating some of our older schools into newer ones for better efficiencies, and preparing viable new schools for our children,” Shaw says.

There are seven major projects under way: three entirely new schools, one major expansion and significant renovations at three other schools.

The plans call for constructing two new elementary schools and one K-8 school.

“The elementary schools were a priority for the board of education, so that's where as much of the money as possible is going to be spent,” Shaw says.

Construction crews broke ground in July 2007 for the new Pink Hill Elementary. Construction of Contentnea/Savannah, the combined K-8 school, is also under way.

At La Grange Elementary, crews are building a new K-2 wing, cafeteria and other improvements. Other schools in the renovation mix are Banks, Moss Hill and Southeast elementary schools.

The new and renovated schools are a strong selling point for community business leaders who are actively recruiting new industries to the growing region, school officials say.

Beginning in the fall of 2008 with the opening of Pink Hill Elementary, the county will be ready to take on a much larger student population.

Two of the new schools will be highly visible, located just off Highway 11, which may lead to developers targeting that area for new housing and other development, Shaw says.

“One of the reason we’re building so much is to help stimulate the economy around here,” Shaw says. “We haven’t had

any new buildings since the 1970s, and the community understood that. And we’re working hard to be good stewards of the voters’ money, making sure the community knows about all the projects.”

There’s a lot of excitement already among the district’s parents and students, especially as they learn just how well outfitted the county’s educational facilities are going to be.

“We tried not to keep anything back from a budget standpoint,” Shaw says. “We put in everything we could, including a lot of bells and whistles that the current schools don’t have, and would be unable to add because of the facilities’ sizes and limitations. We want to have buildings that will be able to expand and grow as technology changes.”

This special section is published for the Lenoir County Public Schools

by Journal Communications Inc.

ON THE COVER: Construction work at one of three new schools being built in Lenoir County.

Photo by Ian Curcio

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The Littlest Learners ARRAY OF PROGRAMS TARGETS PRE- K STUDENTS, ENHANCES EARLY DEVELOPMENT

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t’s never too early to start learning in Lenoir County public schools.

Among the offerings for the district’s littlest learners are More at Four, a state-funded program that allows at-risk 4-year-olds to attend a program that prepares them for kindergarten; the Exceptional Children’s Preschool Program, which targets 3- and 4-year-olds who need special development assistance; and Family Literacy, which provides classroom learning for children ages one through four while their parents are working in ABE/ GED and English as a Second Language classes at the same site.

“We have several programs available to prepare children for entering kindergarten, all designed to reach as many children and parents as possible,” says Felicia Pressly, Family Literacy/ Preschool Coordinator.

Much of Pressly’s focus is on spreading the word to families who may not realize they qualify to participate.

For example, a family of four with an income of up to $62,000 may qualify to have their child participate in the More at Four program. The More at Four program is administered by the Lenoir/Greene Partnership for Children, which has approved Lenoir County Public Schools to serve 63 four-year-old children during the 2007-08 school year. Parents interested in enrolling their children in the More at Four pro gram must submit an application to the Partnership for Children, which, in turn, assigns children to an approved site.

The LCPS Exceptional Children Preschool Program is available for children

ages three through five who are eligible for special education services to aid in meeting developmental goals.

Children receiving services through the Children’s Developmental Services Agency transition into LCPS Exceptional Children’s Department at age three if they are eligible. Preschool special education services are provided in early childhood classrooms, in community facilities and in children’s homes.

Parents have hands-on involvement when it comes to the Family Literacy program, which operates at Southeast Elementary. Adults attend ABE/GED and ESL classes, and their children ages one through four attend early childhood classes. The primary focus of family literacy is to break the inter-

generational cycle of poverty and lack of education for parents and their young children.

“The program’s philosophy is ‘Teach the Parent, Reach the Child,’” Pressly says. In addition to educational training, adults also take part in parenting sessions, parent and child literacy time and home visits. “Home visits are conducted to extend the learning experience from school into the home,” Pressly says.

“Home visits are conducted to extend the learning experience from school into the home,” Pressly says.

The chief goal of the preschool programs is to provide developmentally appropriate experiences to preschool children to ensure they enter kindergarten ready to learn.

WAITING ON NEW PHOTO

Playground play at Southeast PreK.

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Education in Giving SCHOOLS RAISE FUNDS PROVIDE NEEDED SUPPLIES TO AREA CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS

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A committee of teachers and other administrators came up with a list of five worthy organizations: the Salvation Army’s food bank; ICOR (InterChurchOutReach), another food bank; SAFE in Lenoir County, a safe house for women and children; a homeless shelter; and Mary’s Kitchen, which cooks and provides meals to the shelter and other groups.

Three schools each month were tapped to take part in the project.

Guzman contacted each principal and provided a list of one organization’s needs, making sure to keep tabs with the organization itself so it wouldn’t get inundated with items they already had on hand.

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ot all lessons are learned in the classroom.

During the 2006-07 school year, Lenoir County Public School students discovered the joys of giving back, helping several charitable organizations in the community. And they’re ready to do it again – on an even bigger scale.

“Our superintendent wanted to make sure that – as one of the largest employers in the county – we gave back to the community,” says Lidia Guzman, director of public information. “And this wasn’t meant to be a two-way partnership; we wanted the school system to do this to benefit the community, not get anything in return.”

Friends Of The Homeless is one of many charitable organizations that students assist throughout the year with donations of food, money and supplies.

“When it was a school’s turn, they then knew what to collect,” she says.

“Then when the collections were done, the schools took the items directly to the organization.”

The schools jumped on the opportunity, donating everything from paper goods and food items to toys and Christmas baskets for children in the shelters or at the safe house. Along the way, funds were raised for some extra items, such as new bunk beds for SAFE, which had identified new furniture as a pressing need.

The pilot year was so successful that a sixth organization, the American Red Cross, is being added to the list of recipients.

The only surprise was not that the students got involved, but just how much enthusiasm they showed early on.

“This was all voluntary – nobody had to participate if they didn’t want to,” Guzman says.

“The kids came up with things they wanted to do to raise money and buy what the organizations needed. When it was a canned-food collection, they had a competition between grade levels, and built in a reward system. The class with the most had a pizza party. And we never made that sug gestion; they just came up with the idea on their own.

We were really proud to see how much all the schools really got into it.”

Such community spirit doesn’t surprise anyone who knows Lenoir County.

“This is such a giving community,” Guzman says, “and our district reflects that. For people around here, it’s just second nature.”

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Cultivating Excellence ... Watch Us Grow

College Bound HIGH SCHOOL GIVES STUDENTS A JUMP ON COLLEGE PREP WORK

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ome students don’t even start thinking about college until their senior year of high school. Not so in Lenoir County, where the new Early College High School enrolls students in college-level courses as early as the ninth grade.

The school, which first opened its doors for the 2007-08 school year, lets students pursue their high school diploma while simultaneously taking college-credit courses and getting on-the-job training. At the end of five years, they’ll graduate with a diploma, an associate’s degree or two years’ worth of transferable college credit.

“It’s an opportunity for them to complete high school and college courses at the same time, while gaining valuable work experience,” Principal Wynn Whittington says.

“We’ll have work-based learning opportunities with area employers. If a student has decided he or she is going into engineering, then we’ll try to connect with an individual or company here in the community that does that.”

Located on the campus of Lenoir Community College, the school was funded by a grant from the state of North Carolina and is modeled on similar institutions in other states around the country.

The school has nine faculty members, and began laying the foundation for its inaugural class in 2006 when it made presentations to all eighth-graders in the Lenoir County Public Schools system. Whittington and his staff also held

informational meetings with parents, so they could be part of the process. The initial class has 52 students, and the goal is to have about 50 pupils per class.

The chief aim of the school is to accelerate the students’ education. As such, the school will also enroll children who may not be interested in a traditional high-school setting.

Some of the students may focus on two-year degrees with an eye towards entering the workforce immediately upon graduation.

The school is working hard to create business-community partnerships so that companies are linked to a well-trained workforce – and play a role in the education process, Whittington says.

“We definitely want all our businesses around here to know that we’re interested in working with them,” he says.

“We want to talk to everybody to see what kind of partnerships we can create.”

For the students themselves, the Early College High School experience can only give them a leg up in the workforce, no matter what they decide to do after graduation.

“If they’re placed in the hospital, or a doctor’s office, they’re going to gain valuable work experience in addition to obtaining that two-year degree,” he says. “And even if they do decide to go on to a four-year college, they already have two years of work experience in the field they’re interested in.”

Marice Raynor (left) and Christopher Saquit (right) at work in an Early College High School class.

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Lenoir County Public Schools

Promoting Excellence ACADEMIC PROGRAMS PROMOTE CUTTING-EDGE LEARNING FOR ALL STUDENTS

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elping all students achieve their highest academic potential is a goal for the Lenoir County Public Schools, and several programs are in place to make that happen.

The system’s educators and administrators stay on top of employment trends and put programs and activities in place to help students who are drawn toward high-demand fields.

For instance, those who are looking at a career in engineering can get into Project Lead The Way, a pre-engineering program for high school students. Lenoir County is the only school system in the eastern part of North Carolina to offer the program, which it began working on in 2005 and rolled out one year later, says Jay P. Thomas, principal at South Lenoir High School.

The program consists of a four-year sequence of courses, beginning with three foundation classes in ninth and tenth grades, then offering students four areas in which to specialize in their junior year.

In their senior year, students can take engineering design

and development computer courses.

Students “also keep a portfolio of their work over the four years, so when they graduate they can walk into an interview, or apply to a college, and be far ahead of other kids who are just getting into the field,” Thomas says.

The system has partnered with Lenoir Community College for the program and also has developed ties to North Carolina State, the University of North Carolina’s various campuses and Duke University, where the school system’s teachers were trained in the program.

From the start, student reaction has been “phenomenal,” Thomas says.

“When we implemented the program during the 2006-07 school year, we were hoping for 25 or 30 kids,” he says. “We had 60 sign up, and we’re at about 80 right now.”

And then there’s Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, which targets children who are neither in gifted nor at-risk programs.

“This program gives those kids an extra push, gives them the support they need to work to their potential and get into those advanced and gifted classes,” says Steven Hill, secondary education coordinator for the school system. “We take the kids in the middle, the kids making B’s and C’s, and push them. Our only requirement is that they do go into an honors or advanced-placement class. It really gets them away from just being mainstreamers.”

AVID was launched as a pilot program at Kinston High School three years ago, but the program has since expanded to the other high schools and middle schools throughout Lenoir County.

The results are impressive.

“We took kids that weren’t supposed to be in honors English, and they did well,” Hill says. “We pair the kids with AVID-trained teachers in English and other curriculums, and AVID becomes kind of a surrogate parent. The teachers communicate with each other, find out what the kids need, and even do things like work on college plans and field trips to colleges, so they know where they’re going to go before they graduate. We’re going to have them researching colleges even as far back as middle school.”

At South Lenoir High School, Project Lead the Way challenges students to apply the principles of math, science and technology to solve real-world problems.

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Project Bright Idea sets a high academic bar for second graders while instilling in them the confidence to succeed.

Closing the Gap INVENTIVE TEACHING BOOSTS KIDS’ POTENTIAL

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here are ideas, and there are bright ideas. In the Lenoir County Public Schools, there is even a Project Bright Idea.

Designed as a way to challenge students in second grade, Project Bright Idea is aimed at developing a child’s full potential, says Ellen Benton, elementary school coordinator.

“It’s an accumulation of strategies that are recommended by experts in different areas,” Benton says. “It helps the child to develop his or her academic potential to the fullest. It’s not a set program, really, but more like a different way of thinking about teaching children. It is very rigorous in areas such as vocabulary development and math, and sets very high expectations for the children.”

In Lenoir County, the program has been up and running for three years.

“Our teachers really embraced it,” she says. “It was a bit overwhelming to begin with, but now they say that it has given them a whole new approach to teaching.”

Middle-school students aren’t being left out of the cutting-edge program arena, either. Algebraic Thinking, a teaching methodology designed to encourage abstract thinking, has been boosting math grades in the county’s sixth- and seventh-grade classrooms for two years, and last year was introduced at the eighth-grade level.

“It’s giving the teachers and the students a lot more hands-on time,” says Lou Rose, middle school coordinator.

“It’s very different. It encourages our teachers to get away from their overhead projectors.”

Lisa Schueren, a consultant from Algebraic Thinking, has trained math

teachers at each of the county’s four middle schools and returns regularly to provide new material, work with teachers and model lessons in the classroom. Rose says Schueren also does classroom observations and gives teachers feedback. Schueren makes sure that everything is being done the right way, Rose says.

“We have ongoing support from them, and our teachers are seeing the kids really benefit from it,” Rose says.

The program’s chief objective is to create new ways of thinking so that kids who aren’t particularly math-oriented can increase their comprehension.

“Kids learn in a lot of different ways, and this is more hands-on, using things like graphing calculators,” Rose says.

“The kids are catching on, and I’ve heard nothing but good things from everyone.”

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Doing What She Loves

A

ny time someone wins an award that ends with “of the year,” it’s a good feeling. For one middleschool teacher, the accolade is just more proof that doing what you love pays off.

Woodington Middle School teacher Ginger Harrison was tapped as the county’s teacher of the year for 2007.

Harrison works with the school’s Exceptional Children students, and says that special needs children are her life’s work.

“My students are my motivation,” says Harrison, who has taught in Lenoir County for 18 years. “I see them struggle every day just to fit in, to be a part of everything. When I see them be successful and graduate, that’s what keeps me going.”

In fact, even though she only teaches sixth through eighth grades, she makes

a point of attending every high school graduation so she can see her former students on their big night.

“I love to see them walk across the stage, get that diploma and go out and be productive citizens,” she says.

One of four teachers in her family, the Pink Hill native actually attended the school where she now teaches. That kind of lifelong community connection has given her the ability to see how the county has successfully addressed its special needs students over the years.

“Here in the county they strive to meet the needs of those children, to identify them early on and get them into a program that will meet their needs,” she says. “I’m very pleased at what I see taking place for these children, and I have been very proud to represent Lenoir County.”

Raising the Bar KINSTON HIGH PRINCIPAL GARNERS LOCAL STATE RECOGNITION

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t Kinston High, the awards just keep coming in for principal Craig Hill. A recipient of the county’s principal of the year honors, he also has been named the 2007 Wachovia Principal of the Year for the state of North

PHOTOS BY IAN CURCIO

TEACHER OF THE YEAR HAS DEEP ROOTS IN COMMUNITY

Teacher of the Year Ginger Harrison teaches at Woodington Middle School.

Carolina, drawing praise from business leaders and educators from around the state. A 25-year veteran of the Lenoir County Public Schools, Hill has been principal at Kinston High for nine years.

During his tenure at Kinston, Hill has overseen the implementation of several programs, including International Baccalaureate, Freshman Academy and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination). He also has been a strong advocate for using pieces of other educational programs that target specific groups of students.

“If you’re going to lift anything, you need to pick it up from the top, middle and bottom,” he says. “You try to make sure your focus is direct enough to affect every child, but broad enough to make sure that resources are applied equally to all the groups within the school. That can be hard.”

These days, Hill and his staff are all working to be more connected with the students, so much so that he jokes he should move his desk into the classroom.

“My role is changing to that of a facilitator between different subgroups, and our assistant principals, guidance counselors and others are doing the same thing. I feel like I should move my office from the front of the building out to the middle.”

Principal of the Year Craig Hill at Kinston High School.

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Visit Our Advertisers Advantage Printing Carlyle Dental Chef and the Farmer Cherry Energy www.cherryenergy.com Classic Landscapes & Garden Center Coastal Connections Marketing Inc. www.coastal-connections.com Committee 100 Conway & Company Corporated www.conwayfinancialservices.com Down East Protection Systems www.depsnet.com Grady Dental Laboratory Inc. Holiday Inn Express Suites www.holidayinnexpress/kinston Imagine Wireless www.imaginewireless.us King’s Restaurant www.kingsbbq.com Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce www.kinstonchamber.com Kinston-Lenoir County Convention & Visitors Bureau www.kinstonchamber.com Lenoir County Public Schools www.lenoir.k12.nc.us Lenoir Memorial Hospital www.lenoirmemorial.org Lenoir Community College www.leniorcc.edu Partnership for Children www.partnership4children.com Perry Management Inc. www.perrysinc.com Rouse Road Apartments www.home.earthlink.net/ ~rrakinston Salon Steven www.stevenparnell.com Smithfield www.smithfieldfoods.com Spring Arbor of Kinston www.springarborliving.com State Farm Insurance www.judyjones.us Sylvia Chiropractic Center The Briary at Herritage Landing The Little Bank www.thelittlebank.com Vernon Park Mall

The area code for Kinston is 252 .

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