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Nashville Chamber of Commerce members Tonja Philbeck and Cliff Joyner work at the chamber booth selling festival t-shirts.

Maybe you remember that song that helped start the folk music scene of the late 1950s and 1960s.
Maybe you remember the Darlings “scratching one off” for Andy Griffith.
Or, maybe you just are into folklore.
At any rate, in May 1868, Tom Dula from Wilkes County was hanged for murder.

It’s budget season, which for public officials across Nash County, means lots of meetings.
It means lots of meetings for me as well.
Budgets tend to throw me for a loop each and every year. It’s really hard to function this time of year when you’re covering five different boards and their budgets.

It’s hard to believe we just wrapped up the Nashville Chamber of Commerce’s  18th Blooming Festival. Time sure flies when you’re having fun!
I was looking through some old photo albums of the festival Sunday night noticing that many of the original organizers and volunteers are still working hard every year planning the event. Such commitment is hard to find these days. Some might think planning the event comes easy after 18 years, but actually it’s still challenging and we’re never too old to learn new things.

NEW LEGION OFFICERS 1972 –– This photo originally published in The Graphic June 22, 1972. The American Legion installed new officers.

INCIDENTS
A driving while impaired was reported on 5/6/14 on Cross Street, near Barnes Street
A larceny was reported on 5/6/14 at Wal-Mart, 1205 Eastern Avenue
A larceny (shoplifting) was reported on 5/7/14 at Wal-Mart, 1205 Eastern Avenue

A larceny of a firearm was reported on 5/5/14 at 915 Mamas Run Lane
A narcotics violation was reported on 5/6/14 at 4206 Stoney Hill Church Road
An injury to personal property ws reported on 5/6/14 at 1158 Benbrook Drive
A breaking and entering of a residence was reported on 5/6/14 at 9364 Red Oak Boulevard

The Town of Middlesex plans to unveil its proposed budget for the 2014-2015 fiscal year at a special meeting later this month.
Mayor LuHarvey Lewis said budget preparations were still under way. Commissioners held a budget retreat last week to discuss budget items and discussed several more on Monday night, during the board’s regular meeting. Items discussed included health insurance and police cars.

Dr. June Atkinson, State Superintendent of North Carolina Public schools, recently spoke to the local League of Women voters about the effects that current state legislation is having on the administration of public school goals. The event was held at the Booker T. Washington Theatre in Rocky Mount on April 26. Nash-Rocky Mount Superintendent Anthony Jackson and Edgecombe County Superintendent John Farrelly were also in attendance and took part in a panel discussion following Atkinson’s speech.

Down East Partnership Board Members Angela Burton and Linda Mann enjoy the new swings at the park, which was unveiled during the Week of the Young Child celebrations. The focus for the State of the Child Luncheon was play and how important play is for children.

The Nashville Lions collected socks during the month of February to give to Cedar Grove School as part of the club’s “socks for cold feet.” project. The project gives socks to be used when a student comes to school without socks or their socks get wet. Pictured above are Lion’s Club members with some of the socks that were donated.

The 10th class of UNC Buckley Public Service Scholars were honored on May 9 at a special ceremony at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Graduates received a Carolina blue and white cord to wear at commencement, which was held on May 11 to represent their achievement.

Nash Community College is a recipient of the United Way Tar River Region’s Community Cheer Team Award for its 2013 campus campaign. The award recognizes the top workplace campaigns, out of 130 campaigns across Nash & Edgecombe Counties, that have exhibited creativity, spirit and enthusiasm for the United Way campaign.

Pat Taylor, Eta State President, and Mu Chapter member, of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, inducted Mu Chapter officers, for 2014-15.  They are from left to right:  Reba Fulghum, 1st Vice President; Tobey Worthington, President; Pat Taylor, Eta State President; Margie Parker Brantley, 2nd Vice President; Anita Wesche, Secretary; and not pictured, Marianne Matthews, Treasurer.

Air Force Airman Tyasia L. Cooper graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.
 The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Kathy Freeman, of Castalia, graduated from Ohio Christian University with a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership & Ministry.
Ohio Christian University, founded in 1948 is one of the fastest growing universities in the nation, and is committed to offering a complete education that develops students intellectually, professionally, and spiritually.

Saturday, May 17 from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. at Light of Peace Missionary Baptist Church, 510 S. Glendale Avenue, Rocky Mount
Wednesday, May 21 from 2:30 p.m. at 6:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 100 S. Church Street, Rocky Mount
Wednesday, May 28 from 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at BB&T, 1114 Benvenue Road, Rocky Mount

B. Mayo Boddie, Sr., Chairman of the NorthEastern Entrepreneur Roundtable (NEER) has announced the names of the four finalists for the organization’s 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
“As usual, we received a large number of highly qualified nominations for this year’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award competition, which made it difficult for our NEER Advisory Board to narrow the field.

Nash Community College students were recently inducted into the Beta Upsilon Delta Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society which recognizes and encourages scholarship among two-year college students. Phi Theta Kappa provides opportunities for the development of leadership and service, for an intellectual climate with the exchange of ideas and ideals, for lively fellowship for scholars, and for stimulation of interest in continuing academic excellence.

The folks at Peachtree Church paid great homage to its ‘Mothers’ on Sunday.  To begin the day, the men of the church served a sumptuous breakfast to all of the mothers and their guests.  It was like a ‘five star’ restaurant meal.
Pastor Whitehouse’s sermon was titled “7 Ways to Love Your Mother.”  It was based on scripture from John 19: 26-27.

Our choir sang “She Will Be Called Blessed” for the call to worship. Pastor Ronnie welcomed everyone and prayed the prayer of invocation. Hymns of worship were “Faith of Our Mothers” and “Happy the Home.” Kenneth Parker prayed the morning prayer.
After receiving of tithes and offerings, everyone sang the doxology and greeted one another. Our choir sang “Family of God” for their special.

I hope all mothers had a great Mother’s Day. We were really blessed with some beautiful weather in this area. If your mother is still with you, show her your love every day. If you are a mother, show love to your children every day. I was blessed with a loving mother, Wrater Skinner Griffin who passed away at an early age, 35 years ago. I am now blessed with our three loving children and their families who show their love every day.

May is Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, a time to focus on the disease and ways to support the search for a cure.
According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, more than 30,000 children and adults in the US have Cystic Fibrosis and 1,000 new cases are diagnosed each year and 70,000 people worldwide are affected. 
The fight continues.

RED OAK -- Two schools of diamond thought accompany the Northern Nash Knights into the first round of the Class 3-A State Baseball Playoffs.
The young Knights, with only one senior, have shown plenty of poise while winning a handful of tight games down the stretch. That effective work helped Northern Nash win the Big East Conference regular season crown under first-year head coach Leonard Allen.

RED OAK -- Alexus Hill’s storybook high school hoops career isn’t quite over just yet.
Hill, Northern Nash’s standout senior guard, has been selected to take part in the annual East-West All-Star Girls Basketball Game.
This year’s event will be held July 21 at the Greensboro Coliseum.