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Grins and Gripes
Christmas Festival
Thurs. - Sun. | Nov. 25 - Dec. 23 | 6-9pm
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• Hayride • Walkthrough • See Santa • Make an Ornament • Write a letter to Santa • Free piece of candy in the candy store • Grain train • Jump on the jump pad • See the farm animals • Play on the playground • See the Grinch
$15 Thurs., $20 Fri., $25 Sat., $25 Sun. (2 and under FREE)
Very limited photo sessions with Santa and the Grinch available for an additional fee Tickets available at the gate or online (cash only at the gate) Use NWO2022 for $3 off each ticket
(online only) mclaurinfarms.com
Delighted or dismayed by something in your community? Share your thoughts in 40 words or less
Grins & Gripes are published based on available space and editor’s discretion.
Bruce, the election poll worker at Oak Ridge Town Hall, who was so helpful and courteous to two seniors while they were voting at curbside. Christine, Alex and Steve at Lowe’s Home Improvement on Battleground Avenue. They were very kind and professional when we needed help calculating the amount of tile needed and with loading our cart and vehicle. Amazing humans who sell vehicles at pre-inflation prices. They deserve recognition! I needed a different vehicle and my husband surprised me with a paidfor Cadillac Escalade. I don’t consider having equity either – instead, I would pass the savings on. Bloom Counseling of Stokesdale. It is so good to have quality counseling in this area after years of driving into Greensboro for this service. Oak Ridge Presbyterian Church for hosting a fun and joyful Trunk or Treat. Our family had a great time! Young Guns softball team and their coaches. We have so enjoyed watching these young ladies play this season at our park in Oak Ridge, and we thank all of you for your team spirit and dedication to the game. The Well Truck at Summerfield Farms for serving fancy drinks, smiles and good vibes on a bartender’s salary. Tip your local bartender! Pineapple Porch in Oak Ridge. Great little store with unique crafts and décor, and great folks. Support our local businesses. The Northwest Observer • Totally local since 1996 Purple Wagon Events’ “Fall in the
Park” in Oak Ridge on Nov. 5, which supplied great vendors, great food, great music. Some hardworking vendors with a small-town feel. Well done! Kevin Champion, owner of StokeRidge Tavern, for providing a free and soooo delicious lunch for the 12 workers at Oak Ridge Town Hall on Election Day. It was so appreciated and thoughtful. Heather Lemon from Craft and Vine for helping me wrangle all those balloons and cats! The 16,368 voters who trusted me (Michelle Bardsley) to represent them in the N.C. House 57 campaign. We fell short, but I am hope-filled to serve our community in 2023 and beyond. All the wonderful people at Lowes Foods in Oak Ridge and the surrounding businesses who help to take care of the beautiful, chubby stray cat. It is nice to see kind people in a world that has gone mad. Editor’s note: In response to a gripe we published in our last issue regarding the lights being out in the parking lot at Oak Ridge Town Hall, Sandra Smith, Oak Ridge’s town clerk and assistant town manager, asked that we share this: “Because staff is not usually at Town Hall at night, we don’t know the lights are out unless someone tells us. Once an election worker reported the issue to me, we had Duke Energy expedite the request to fix the lights, which they did.” Neighbors who every year invite guests and come to us at Halloween for trick or treat, but never hand out any
candy themselves. Even more gripes to the neighbors of my colleague, who took all their candy and even their bowl. Truist, who would not take my piggy bank of change to deposit into my account. It is legal tender! I went across the street where they gladly accepted the money, and will be transferring my account this month! Oak Ridge for the lack of sidewalks/bike paths. Ms. Mayor, this is not an NCDOT speed limit problem. Oak Ridge needs to own this safety issue. Give our kids a safe place to walk. Guilford County Planning Department for delaying the permit for the new bagel shop that’s been trying to come to Oak Ridge for over six months. So much for supporting small businesses! Editor’s note: We spoke with Luis Martinez in the county’s planning department about this, and he told us there was a lengthy delay in getting the contractor’s plans to upfit the space. Martinez confirmed the county does have the plans now, but said the project is being further delayed because the planning department is extremely short-staffed, despite aggressive efforts to hire qualified planners. The Fogleman Road neighbor annoyed by noise from Summit Church - Oak Ridge. Is this a regular occurrence, or was the church serving our community by hosting a special event? If they were, good for them, and be a good neighbor yourself. Whoever stole the catalytic converter off my 30-year-old red farm pickup truck on Hwy. 158 Halloween night. I am a 65-year-old widow. Did it look like I have a lot of money to replace it? Shame on you! NWHS for not being prepared to host HOCO. My daughter and her friends waited two hours in line and never got into the dance! Tickets sold in advance, so what happened? Refund our $. Editor’s note: We reached out to NWHS principal Ashley Young about this, and she confirmed there was a long line to get into the dance at the beginning of the night. “But after 8:15 or so, there was no line at all,” she said. “The students all seemed to have a ...continued on p. 42
gems in downtown Stokesdale
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blast, and we heard no complaints from them. The dance ended at 10:30.” Castelli’s representatives outside Summerfield First Baptist Church for aggressively approaching my 80-yearold mother before she was out of the car. For whom my mother votes and why is personal. Voter intimidation is totally unacceptable. Northern Guilford High School and Janelle Robinson. Parents want accurate and complete information about safety threats at school, not rumors and information without sources spread on social media. This makes things worse! The young man who runs on Bunch Road, in the dark without reflective clothes. It is not always easy to see you. Please make yourself visible to drivers.
OAK RIDGE BAGELS
...continued from p. 18
said they’ve been slowed down in the county’s planning approval process. In a conversation with the Northwest Observer earlier this week, he said with a little luck, they hope to finally get approval to move forward with construction later this month. He’s got his fingers crossed.
Construction is expected to take eight to 10 weeks… and then there will be multiple layers of building and health inspections. With a little luck, the restaurant will open in early 2023.
Ironically, the couple haven’t made their living in the restaurant business, but Corey’s a self-described “bagel enthusiast.” In fact, he said he eats bagels for breakfast about six days a week. His “go-to” bagel shop is New Garden Bagels (NGB) off New Garden Road in Greensboro, where he’s such a regular
HOSA WINNERS
...continued from p. 39
won first place. Part of the competition consisted of a test which assesses knowledge of how to solve problems and find creative solutions. Students traveled to the host school and were given 30 minutes to create a solution to a medical issue, with up to eight minutes to present to judges.
“I learned that you have to step outside your comfort zone to succeed and sometimes, it’s good to be uncommon,” Torey Cagno said.
Sanjita Suryadevara competed in prepared speaking, an event in which participants must craft an impactful speech based on a given theme (Beyond All Limits) and presented in a way that is coherent, persuasive and organized.
“Being able to have a platform in which I could share my thoughts about an issue, and have it taken seriously, was very encouraging,” Sanjita said. “It helped me realize that my voice matters, that I can make others care about healthcare as much as I do, and that I can influence change even as a high school student.”
The Northwest Vikings were honored to participate in this competition and look forward to continuing on to states. Go Vikings!
customer that staff members start his order when they see him walking toward the front door. He almost always orders a rosemary bagel – with bacon, an egg and two slices of cheddar cheese.
Over the last few years Corey frequented NGB so much that one day the owner asked if he had thought about getting into the business and said they should talk. They did, and they’re now planning to partner in Oak Ridge Bagel & Deli. Nicole, who will oversee the day-today operations of the business, is working at NGB while absorbing as much as she can about the bagel and deli business.
“She’s learning from the best,” Corey said.
When deciding where to locate their bagel and deli shop, the couple’s first choice was Oak Ridge, and Corey said he’s very happy to have found the perfect space for it.
Stay tuned for info about Oak Ridge Bagel & Deli’s grand opening in early 2023. ...continued from p. 1
property, the school board will complete the sale to Summerfield, according to Napper, who represents Summerfield Elementary and Northern Guilford high and middle schools.
The Summerfield Town Council decided in the closed session of its Oct. 11 meeting to offer to buy the property, Town Manager Scott Whitaker said in a recent interview. After reconvening into public session, the council didn’t disclose its decision because the transaction was pending, he added.
During the school board’s meeting, Summerfield wasn’t identified as the potential buyer of the property. Instead, the board voted unanimously to accept the $2.2 million offer from a client of the Brough Law Firm in Chapel Hill. That’s the practice where Summerfield Town Attorney Bob Hornik serves as a principal.
The Laughlin school property at 7911 Summerfield Road consists of nearly 11.2 acres where Guilford County Schools (GCS) operates the Laughlin Professional Development Center. The district plans to relocate the staff training center to a new building in Greensboro.
Sessoms discussed Summerfield’s negotiations to buy the property during the council’s meeting Nov. 10. He said he has spoken to GCS Superintendent Whitney Oakley and county commission Chair Skip Alston and members Justin Conrad and Carly Cooke.
“We are trying to connect all the dots and put the pieces together,” Sessoms said.
If the sale goes through and Summerfield’s council decides to relocate Town Hall to the property, Sessoms said the facility would host not only town meetings but also gatherings of community groups. He recommended naming the facility Laughlin Memorial Center, honoring Duella M. Laughlin, a longtime teacher and principal at the school, which opened in 1866 to educate the children of freed slaves.
Sessoms and Whitaker have led Summerfield’s exploration of Laughlin as the possible site of a new town hall since last May. That’s when architectural firm Creech & Associates and Samet Corp., the project’s construction manager, presented the town council with final design and construction plans and costs for building a new town hall on 13.3 town-owned acres that front U.S. 220 at N.C. 150.
Higher prices for a wide range of construction materials pushed costs about $1.3 million over the original budget of $3.5 million, prompting the council to vote 3-2 to abandon its plans to build a new town hall.
Sessoms then suggested town leaders consider renovating Laughlin, an idea he had raised two years earlier that faded amid planning for the new building.
During the council’s May 10 meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Lynne Williams DeVaney and councilman John Doggett raised concerns that unexpected costs may plague renovation of the Laughlin buildings.
If Summerfield were to acquire the Laughlin property, council members discussed with Creech and Samet representatives the possibility of unexpected expenses, such as asbestos and lead paint removal, in renovating the buildings on the property. They concluded that an inspection of the property would be required to determine potential problems.
Who will be the VOICE for this child?
Over 250 children in Guilford County will go to court alone. Learn how to be an advocate for an abused or neglected child by becoming a Guardian Ad Litem.
