Inside: Island of Spies, Farmville Rebranded,
Outer Banks backdrop for latest mystery by Farmville’s Shelia Turnage
Un bon repas: Detour to Café Madeline discovers a French delight in every bite.
Farmville rebranded: New logo, website and marketing campaign aim to capture tradition, sell the future
Space for the arts: A new gallery beside the Paramount theater will provide space for exhibitions, intermissions and more
What’s new: Art trail, pavilion among new amenities for residents and guests.
Community banking: Small sta at Southern Bank makes a big impact through community service.
Farmville’s historic eatery is a labor of love for resident and restauranteur Tommy Brady
Believe it or not, when best-sell ing author Sheila Turnage rst got the idea for her latest middle-grade novel, she was just a fourth-grader herself.
Walking along a Hatteras Island beach with her father, then 9-yearold Turnage saw something black and shiny that drew her attention. Former Navy serviceman A.C. Tur nage didn’t need to embellish the story to whet his daughter’s curios ity; the truth would do just ne. It was oil that had continued to leak for years from ships sunk o the island during World War II.
“He said, ‘ at’s part of our secret history,’” Turnage recalled. “I think he also mentioned spies, and it’s like the hook was set.”
But it would be several decades before she would land this one. e 384-page mystery, “Island of Spies” was released Sept. 20.
“ is has been in the works for a
very long time,” Turnage, 68, said, explaining that once she began the project, the coronavirus pandemic caused what is generally a two-year process to extend to three and a half years. “But I think it was worth the
wait.”
Set in 1942 on Hatteras Island, it is inspired by true stories of U-boat bombings o the Outer Banks. So numerous were the German attacks on Allied shipping vessels that the region earned the nickname Torpe do Junction. ough the onslaught occurred years before Turnage was born, she would later hear the stories of ships burning at sea. News reports of the assaults, which began about six
weeks a er Pearl Harbor, were clas si ed. So while island residents were instructed to keep their house lights o at night to keep from lighting the way for the enemy, many Americans were in the dark about what was happening.
“I’ve always been intrigued by World War II ... because it changed so much for our country,” Turnage said. “(But) this isn’t a war story. World War II is simply the backstory for
‘Island of Spies,’ which is about three young friends trying to track down a spy on Hatteras Island. is is also a book about the importance of family and fathers in particular. It’s about three friends learning to stand up for
“This isn’t a war story. World War II is simply the backstory for ‘Island of Spies,’ which is about three young friends trying to track down a spy on Hatteras Island. This is also a book about the importance of family and fathers in particular. It’s about three friends learning to stand up for themselves and learning they can always count on each other.”
– Author Shelia Turnage of Farmville
themselves and learning they can always count on each other.”
Turnage, who remem bers climbing to the top of Hatteras Lighthouse when she was about the age of the Dime Novel Kids detectives in “Island of Spies,” has always loved the history of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, the Grave yard of the Atlantic.
“So this has been perking in the back of my mind for a long time. But it didn’t really occur to me to use it as a backstory for a book until I really started think ing about what I wanted to write next.
“It’s just been a slow accumulation,” she said, chuckling to herself, “kind of like lint.”
Now what kind of writer rolls out a simile about lint to describe a part of the creative process? An award-winning one.
Turnage, known for her love of metaphor and
her Southern wit, saw her 2012 novel, “ ree Times Lucky,” go on to become a Newbery Honor Book, a New York Times best-sell er, an E.B. White ReadAloud Honor Book and an Edgar Award nalist. It was the rst of four titles
in the celebrated Mo and Dale Mystery series, which features the adventures of sixth-grade detectives Mo LoBeau and best friend Dale Earnhardt Johnson III in the ctional North Carolina town of Tupelo Landing. e series re
mains popular four years a er the publication of the nal installment, “ e Law of Finders Keepers.”
“People cried,” Turnage said of the announcement the beloved Desperado Detectives were closing their last case.
e author also went through a grieving period of sorts. A er all, she had spent the better part of a decade with these charac ters.
“I loved Mo and Dale,” she said. “It was hard to leave them, so it took a
little while. I think that’s another reason this book took a little longer. I need ed a little bit of time to shi gears and think.”
While she had the Hat teras Island storyline in mind, Turnage needed to take some time to frame
this work of historical ction and to develop the voices of a new cast of characters.
Like Mo from the ear lier series, Sarah Stickley Lawson is spirited and headstrong. e 12-yearold, known as “Stick,” is a
would-be detective, along with friends Neb and Rain. Stick has aspirations of becoming a scientist, an uncommon career choice for women in the 1940s.
“We never think about that (now). Of course, you can be a scientist,”
Turnage said. “But that, alone, was enough to make her odd in this time period.”
e character is mod eled a er Turnage’s moth er, Vivian Taylor Turnage, a longtime Farmville phys ics and chemistry teacher.
e character of Rain is loosely based on artist Minnie Evans, who grew up near Wilmington.
Rain and her mother live in a wine cask that washed ashore on Hatteras, an idea surprisingly inspired by an old photograph. Because Rain is biracial, Turnage is able to explore themes of segregation and racial tension from this turning point in history.
“All these characters change because the war
makes them change, but they’re able to hold on to who they are,” she said. “(It’s) just like the pandem ic has changed us, but we’ve held on to who we are.”
In early 2020, Turnage and her husband, Rodney Beasley, had just returned from Florida, where she was conducting an ed ucational workshop on the Mo and Dale Mystery series just before much of the country shut down.
e coronavirus pandemic ended school visits the author had been making for nearly a decade.
So -spoken and shy by nature, she had initially assumed that she would not enjoy standing in front of a group of students to discuss her work, but the
opposite turned out to be true.
“I love doing school visits,” she said. “It did make me sad when that stopped. I think it made a lot of writers sad not to have that exchange. I really missed that. … It wasn’t detrimental to this book, but it was detrimental to my heart.”
Had “Island of Spies” been completed six months earlier, Turnage said, she would not have been doing any in-person school visits. But with virus-related restrictions li ed and presale orders from schools and libraries across the country, she is looking forward to return
ing to classrooms this fall.
“Talking to kids gives me so much hope for our future because they’re so smart and they’re so engaging and they’re so energetic,” she said. “It is amazing how many kids already know they’re writ ers. I can tell when they raise their hand from the question they ask. ey’re writing novels. ey’re just unbelievable.”
“Island of Spies” is published by Dial Books for Young Readers. For more information about author Sheila Turnage, visit sheilaturnage.com or www. facebook.com/SheilaTur nage.Author.
On a rainy and severely overcast Sunday on the trip to New Bern, I could not stop thinking about a NC’s North Carolina Weekend about a French
good fortune of being “right as rain” about by this place was a case in chief — I knew it was
The reviewer had spoken ecstatically about its absolutely “divine” food and, on a stretch of highway nearing that town, I suddenly decided I would not be dissuad the inordinately high price of gas by the rest our driver to take a detour threw in all the theatrics ing you that Indian curry
Once we were seated, the owner, Coleen Star ling, in a great show of at length as well as good taught baker “with delu sions of grandeur,” she opened the business al ing in French pastries and and falling in love with a outskirts, her husband and Raleigh with the hope of and throwing that town’s
neighborhood but didn’t boast a single French plenary and pleasing to our eyes — sand
arons, espresso drinks, and international wines replete with the option of
Coleen assured us that
ing the creation all the all three orders arrived on the table, I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry sheer visual beauty of it
Minutes later, quietly reveling in the fact that I pretty and unpretentious brick front in a historic neighborhood with the words “Café Madeleine”
The business eventually held court over the whole
of desserts were long since gone but we were regaled by the idea of a a croissant/French toast raspberries, blackberries and strawberries in a decadent Grand Marnier
Whether this was a ticularly a dessert I do not know, but I can say with
At times like this,
sitting in a French cafe, my mind returns to the French I heard spoken in my home by my Par is-raised mother. “Un bon repas adoucit l’esprit et regenere le corps” (a good meal so ens the mind and regenerates the body, nourishing the soul).
is croissant/French toast was really too good to be true. When I re turned to Greensboro, I ran across the saying in a food magazine: “Desserts are the sweet threads of the warp and we of our lives” by someone named Nicolette M. Dumke. I had never heard of her but she sure got that right!
I can say without res ervation that everybody
needs to go to this darling little place in Farmville where everything is scratch-made and clearly pre pared with bounteous shots of love.
Coleen herself is a doll. Chatty and warm, she contributed so much to our consumption of a delicious meal in a sweet and unprepossess ing setting.
Learn a lesson from my family though — don’t wait until the last minute to drop by.
Café Madeline is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. ursday-Saturday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. Be at the ready to buy anything there since everything is simply so yummy and please (if you will) spread the word about this wonderful establishment in Farmville which delivers some French delight in every bite.
About the author:
Renee Skudra of Greensboro is a transplant to North Caroli
na from the San Francisco Bay area. She picked up a law degree in her travels and worked in the profession for a while but always
knew in her heart that her true love was writing and by gosh, that was the road that really feels right as rain.
OPEN: Wed-Fri: 9:00
–4:00PM Sat: 9:00 AM –2:00
Dr.Susan Morphis info@willowgrovevet.com
An initiative between the Town of Farmville and the Farmville Group is relaunching marketing e orts for the town with a new rebranding campaign.
Known for its rich tradition in agriculture, religion, industry and small-town charm, the new cam paign will move in a more contem porary direction while honoring the signi cance of Farmville’s historical strengths.
“We have always wanted to pre serve our history and not forget our past, but we are a di erent town than we used to be. ere are a lot of new things going on in Farm ville,” said town manager David Hodgkins.
Mayor John Moore said the town
recently celebrated its 150-year anniversary. “As we begin our next 150 years, this gives us a fresh, new look for Farmville. It lets us know
that we are moving forward while we are looking a er the traditions of Farmville. is allows folks to see all the great things Farmville has
In the past 10 years, community members have seen the town blossom from vacant stores and streets to a busy hub, rich with commu nity, businesses, and the arts, Hodgkins said.
“
ere used to be a fair number of vacant store fronts that were in need of updating or repair in the last 10 years or so. We have been aggressive with facade and other grant programs that have facilitated renovations of vacant spaces. Now Farmville’s downtown is in demand with people wanting to relocate to it from out-of-town and other parts of town,” Hod
gkins said.
Farmville also has enjoyed a renaissance of the arts and has added murals everywhere that re ect the town’s culture. Its unique downtown has attracted artisan shops such as Café Madeline, a french bakery, Lanoca Co ee Institute and the N.C. Furniture School.
e town also is host to the ECU GlasStation, which teaches the art of glassblowing, provides a workspace for artisans and sells their works in a retail shop.
e town’s newly con structed public library also is a draw.
“It’s one of Farmville’s biggest economic engines. It brings people to town
who then go and visit other businesses,” Moore said, adding that the town will soon have a new stateof-the-art re department as well.
As downtown has re vived, Farmville also has seen an increased demand for housing. Its unique three-school campus also has attracted more resi dents to the area, Moore said.
e town has been pro active in securing grants and funding to improve its infrastructure including replacing old sewer and water lines while enhancing its walkability and ADA compliance so that all residents may safely enjoy the town for years to come,
o cials said.
Farmville Parks and Rec reation has seen a boost in enrollment with the addi tion of programs designed for all ages.
With all the growth and change, the town and the Farmville Group were com pelled to tell the communi ty’s story beyond the town limits.
“A lot of people have talked about rebranding for years. We were even part of some e orts early on. A lot of folks have tried to tackle it, but it’s a big thing to tackle,” said Todd Edwards, member of the Farmville Group and owner of Todd D. Edwards Construction.
“ is is just a rallying point for “Farmville,” he said. Farmville has im proved so much over the past few years. It’s really coming into its own. e biggest thing is telling the story to the rest of the world. We want to lay the framework to tell the world how great Farmville is.”
To tell the story, the Farmville group hired Scott Laumann, a graphic designer and marketing specialist. Being a new resident to Farmville, Laumann was able to look at the town as an outsider and with a new perspective.
Like many, Laumann was unaware of Farmville’s story before moving to the area
in 2020. A er relocating from Colorado with his wife for work, the Lau manns lived temporarily in Greenville.
“We decided on the y to drive to Farmville and see the town. We didn’t hear a whole lot about it and couldn’t nd a lot of infor mation about it,” Laumann said.
“When we drove in, my wife and I were immediate ly surprised by its character … It’s a small town with all these cool things. A er that drive, we felt we needed to be here.”
With Laumann at the helm, members of the Farmville Group, town leaders, business people and community members
The new logo will be incorporated into town symbols. The elemental shapes –rectangle, quarter and half circles and circle – “create an updated, yet timeless look” Laumann said.
of blue. e colors are symbolic of the topography and surrounding area in all seasons,” Laumann said.
Laumann also saw a need to increase the town’s digital presence and suggested the creation of a visitor’s web site. e site would o er the town a customized site, allowing visitors, residents and everyone in the world an opportunity to see the businesses, community and happenings of Farm ville. With this thought, visitfarmvillenc.com was created and has been a source for Farmville-related information for visitors.
“We wanted to put together a site that show cases the character and personality that represents Farmville.”
Along with a logo and visitor’s website, the re branding initiative includes a phased system to incor porate the logo and market ing schemes into daily life.
Changes are coming to decals throughout the town, way nding signage, new clothing for employees and for purchase, banners and more.
began to work through Farmville’s rich history to cultivate a brand that would aptly represent the town.
“A big part of the process was to look at the history of the logo. One of the things we found in doing research was that Farmville had all these features that have existed for decades here, ag riculture, industry, religion and history,” Laumann said.
A er some initial revi sions, Laumann began to experiment with the logo.
“ e nal logo represents a simple, sophisticated and iconic solution. It takes its cue from and reimagines
the original seal in concept and shape in an updated ‘F.’ e elemental shapes –rectangle, quarter and half circles and circle – create an updated, yet timeless look that works at small or large scale and in color and monochrome,” Laumann said.
“Its qualities obliquely re ect that foundational concept of agriculture and culture with a green rect angle for agriculture and an orange sun illuminating a blue open sky and yellow optimistic future.”
A uni ed color scheme was also chosen for the rebranding initiative.
“ e green and yellow, which were featured in the historic Farmville seal, have been slightly reimagined in di erent tones. Green is primary, with accent colors in orange and two shades
“It is very important to get that established and continue with that for people who want to visit,” Laumann said.
In August, Farmville commissioners approved the rst phase of imple mentation. Phase one includes signage for the
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town’s three entrances, di rectional signs at Town Hall and cemetery signs. Decals on town-owned vehicles and town o ces will also be included. New banners will also be seen through out the town.
In later phases, the town will add murals at the splash pad, Farmville Mu nicipal Recreation Com plex and on the former hardware store, with more coming.
“We wanted to break up the rebranding initiative into doable chunks. We wanted to concentrate on areas that would be the most visible initially and within our budget,” Hod gkins said.
So far, the rebranding initiative has been suc
cessful in garnering grants from the Greenville-ENC Alliance and community entities such as the Farm ville Group.
“It’s all a cooperative e ort. But we’re trying to do it in pieces so we don’t rush anything and we can stand back and say hey we’ve done this and then gauge the impact,” Hodgkins said, adding town funds and addition al funding sources will be sought.
e power of marketing and the power it holds is a familiar concept with Pharmville Drug owner, Staci Garner.
Garner, a Farmville native, opened Pharm ville Drug in July 2020 a er transforming an old
downtown storefront into to a modern and beautiful destination.
Coupled with good service, word-of-mouth customer satisfaction and a strong social media footprint, Pharmville Drug has been able to grow and prosper, Garner said.
“We’ve had people from di erent towns come and shop with us just from our social media and word getting out. I’ve seen
people wearing our shirts in Raleigh and we’ve had customers from Raleigh,” Garner said, adding she has seen people wearing her merchandise on the coast as well.
“It makes me feel really happy. My heart and soul is in the store and I enjoy what I do there. ere is always something new to look at and new to look into. It’s very exciting to know people like what you
have created.”
Garner is excited about the changes taking place in the town and has been a part of the process.
“I’m happy to be a part of it. e town is going for a more modern look,” Garner said.
e change in Farmville has been well received and much energy, and e ort has been put forth to better the town. With new rebranding and market ing campaigns, the town
and people involved are all hopeful the Town of Farmville will continue to prosper.
“I hope that this in stills in people pride and attracts attention from folks outside of the area so that they may want to learn more about Farm ville. We are putting the community and our best foot forward by trying to show folks all the great things about Farmville.” Hodgkins said.
A new space adjacent to the Paramount eater will give Farmville more room and accessibility to grow its love a air with the arts, supporters and advocates said.
e Farmville Commu nity Arts Council opened the newest addition to the 100-year-old the ater on Main Street on Sept. 9 with the help of a community development
block grant.
Fred Austin, a longtime member and president of the council, said the gallery was created with art accessibility in mind. Before construction start ed for the new wing of the theater, the bathrooms were not accessible to wheelchair-bound indi viduals.
“ e door, and how wide it is, it is 23 inches,” Austin said. “So anything
100 years old is accessible to nobody with special needs. Accessibility didn’t exist 100 years ago. It’s
been a problem of ours (the Community Arts Council’s) trying to gure out how to cater to more
Austin said the arts should be accessible to everyone and the gallery will make that happen in Farmville.
folks who might be in a wheelchair or might need assistance.”
e council applied for the grant to help fund the $350,000 construction project with concerns for accessibility in mind, Austin said.
e new space is in a building the arts council owned, Austin said. How ever, the building was rarely used and it was not connected to the theater from the inside.
“It wasn’t very well uti lized,” Austin said. “So we found the grant through the town of Farmville. We were always in want of a nice art gallery space and the opportunity came up
e federal community block grant provided 80 percent of the funding needed for the project, while the Community Arts Council was respon sible for coming up with the other 20 percent.
A ribbon-cutting cere mony celebrated the com munity e ort to raise the funds, including naming the gallery for benefactor Emily Monk Davidson, who helped signi cantly in the e ort, Austin said.
“ is wonderful lady said ‘let’s get it done, let’s do it!’” Austin said. “So she pushed us up the hill to get this done.”
As the newest addition
to downtown Farmville, the Emily Monk David son Gallery will bene t everyone, Austin said. While it directly bene ts the arts council, the gal lery will add to the town’s already bustling art scene, he said.
Lori Drake, the ex ecutive director of the Farmville Chamber of Commerce said the Par amount eater is used to promote Farmville as a community of the arts.
“We’re always excited when there’s a renovation of an existing building and especially this build ing because in 2021 we celebrated the 100th anni versary of the Paramount eater,” Drake said. “Less than a year later, we’re
doing these major renova tions.”
e community con tinues to grow and thrive,
Drake said. Within the past year, the growth on Main Street has been tre mendous, and the theater
addition adds to that as well, she said.
Something that the gallery adds to the Par
amount eater is a meeting place during intermissions of shows, Drake said. Compared to
the existing small lobby of the theater, she said the new space will give audience members the
ability to mingle with others during breaks of the theatrical perfor mances produced by the arts council at the Para mount.
“I think it (the gallery) directly bene ts many people and many groups of people,” Drake said. “It de nitely bene ts the Farmville Community Arts Council because they will be able to pro vide more opportunities for people to see and en joy the visual arts; they also have made it more available to handicapped people.”
Local businesses pro vided much of the ex pertise to carry out the renovation, including Farrior & Sons construc tion and McDavid Asso ciates engineering.
e Neighborhood Re vitalization block grant
funding funded work to remove architectural barriers and construct handicap-accessible restrooms to serve the fa cility, said Mike Barnette, the project manager from McDavid Associates.
Work includes the construction of the restrooms in the annex building and providing access from the theater to the annex, he said.
Linda Adele Goodine, a member of the Com munity Arts Council and a long-time art educator, said art is an important thing in everyone’s lives.
With that, art acces sibility is something that she is proud that Farmville is prioritizing through this addition of the Paramount eater.
“Lots of people think that art is hard to un derstand or it’s just for
Austin, with Fussell, right, and Chris Cruz, left, look at the space and lighting at the gallery.
people who have lots of leisure time,” Goo dine said. “Actually, art enriches everyone that comes in contact with it
because strong art is like a window into the world, the world of the soul and the imagination.”
As a life-long cre
ator, Goodine said a er moving to Farmville in 2015 she was eager to get involved in the local arts scene.
“So if you have a city with the kind of history that Farmville does of appreciation for culture and the arts, to have the
Austin stands on a ramp that will allow wheelchairs to access the gallery from the Paramount Theater as contractor Chris Cruz, right, looks at a photo display of the work.
doors open and the windows open to this space for people to see that ‘You can exhibit in this space, this is your space.’ I love that,” Goodine said. e development of any communi
ty, not just Farmville, relies on spaces like the new gallery and the Para mount eater, Goodine said. Art and culture promote growth within all communities, she said.
e new gallery in Farmville is going to o er new opportunities for all types of art to all types of people, Goodine said, “Build it and they will come.”
An art gallery at the Paramount eater is among several new addi tions to town, including an interactive art trail and a community pavilion.
Farmville leaders un veiled the town’s down town Art Trail on June 2 during a ceremony at the H.B. Sugg mural and pocket park. e trail shows o colorful murals, ghost signs and sculptures scattered throughout the downtown district. Each stop includes a QR code that links to audio clips explaining the pieces for visi tors on self-guided tours.
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Maps are available at the Farmville Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Center, 3747 S. Main St. Chamber Director Lori Drake said her favorite
stop on the trail is the Pu rina Chow mural, painted on a building that former ly served as a feed and seed warehouse for the Turnage Company and
now is home to Farmville Hardware Co. e mural includes a red and white checker board design that dates back to the original 1934
building. A chicken and pig were added, because they were “reminiscent of some of the other Puri na Chow signs that were common in the mid-20th century,” town booster Todd Edwards explains in the accompanying audio clip. “ is sign has be come a cornerstone image of Farmville’s rebirth,” the clip states.
e trail also features stops at the ArtSpace and GlasStation and the his toric Paramount eater.
e Nathan R. Cobb Sr. Foundation Community Pavil ion opened on Sept. 8 at 3876 S. Walnut St. e outdoor event venue will be used for foun dation events and will be available for community
gatherings.
“We want to add value to Farmville,” says Alma C. Hobbs, foundation presi dent and daughter of the late Nathan R. Cobb Sr. “We plan to rent it out to communi ty groups and the proceeds will help us provide more scholarships, which is one of the mission programs of the foundation.
Financed through a USDA Rural Develop ment grant, the structure will provide an outdoor area for people to gather as well as an enclosed space that houses a kitch en, restrooms and storage area to help facilitate a variety of events.
Farmville Community Arts Council will host its second Farmville Ghost Walk in October. e event will include guided tours to visit with local specters portrayed by some of the community’s best drama tists. Staggered tours run from 7-9 p.m. on Oct. 20-21 and Oct. 27-29 from 6-9 p.m. ere will be an indoor performance for those who are less ambu latory at 7 p.m. on Oct. 26. Tours will begin at the Monk Art Gallery, 3725 N. Main St., with reservations required for groups 15 or larger at farmville-arts.org.
e council also is plan ning an Evening with Poe at the Paramount eater at 7 p.m. Oct. 6-7 and 3 p.m. Oct. 9.
e Town of Farmville will host its third annual Halloween Trick or Treat from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 31. is old-fashioned Hal loween event will be held all over Farmville at par ticipating businesses and homes. A list of participat ing homes and businesses will be available closer to the event. Follow the event at https:// .me/e/3stN S5aK3.
Town boosters will host the annual Christmas Tree Lighting at 6 p.m. on Dec. 2 at the Walter B. Jones Town Common and it will feature Christmas music, food, activities for the chil dren and a visit from Santa Claus.
Come shop and expe rience the wonders of Christmas during Taste of Farmville from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Dec. 2 in downtown Farmville. Enjoy extended shopping hours, refresh ments and music from local merchants.
e town’s annual Christ mas parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 10. Parade applications can be found at farmvillenc.gov.
For more information about Town of Farmville events, nd us on Facebook, Instagram or sign-up for the town’s newsletter.
By Beyonca Mewborn
The culture of Southern Bank fosters
“And by having our locations in the we’re able to be a part of what goes on in everyday life, and we all know life will throw you a curve because there’s year and a half, is the freshest face there but said he is very active outside of the bank coaching baseball with several kids pride ourselves in taking care of our greeted with a friendly face, but they’re and that they’ve gotten to know over the Cannon said he played baseball grow than playing ever was and he gets to see the kids grow not only as players but
“It is very rewarding and I hope what they’ll grow up to be better adults and
Barbara Allen has been in banking service representative for Southern Bank she said that she volunteers for a lot of want to invest in the town that they’re in because then the town reciprocates and you know that’s why we want to give
She said that she hopes that because she grew up, went to school here, and town what it was when she was growing
Sharon York has been with Southern Bank for about 10 years; she left and
with her children’s church youth group and volunteers for local fundraisers like
in Ayden and has been overseeing activities at the year, lending support as a because she has friends and was with Southern, they notes, keep in touch with what was happening in the
that’s how they really got to Southern Bank branch in
their voices on the phone, I inside the bank, so it’s like
“I work on the Dogwood with the festival every year and I’ve been doing that
and all of the the weather was perfect, we had huge crowds, and I think that people really
Justice, left, speaks with customer service rep Barbara Allen in Farmville. A Farmville native and branch manager in Ayden, Justice says teams like the one in Farmville connect Southern Bank to the community.
a little girl living in Warren ton, she read every book in
“I started at one end and went all the way through ev ery book off of every shelf,” genealogy, and for lots of dif portant and you see it in the they’ve signed at the bank,
because of being at Southern Bank, she’s very visible in the
“Southern Bank knows new businesses, we contact new businesses in town to it, and they see us out in the
new businesses, we need to
ed so that we have a good downtown business relation ship, and they do work well
and I think that’s what you have to do to support the itself, you have to be a posi could not succeed without of giving back — it has
Bank’s success, has allowed a lot of growth, and has been
By Ariyanna Smith
Running Bonnie’s Cafe is a labor of love for resident and restauranteur this piece of the town’s history alive for as long
the cafe for nearly 30 years before selling it to it until 2014 when the weathered the building
The beloved cafe is District on North Main Street, a place described was opened by Randolph “Bonnie” Allen and his
Brady said he had been asked to reopen the cafe, but he only agreed after agreed to renovate the was retired so I did it as a
Renovations
home atmosphere.
Brady inherited his barbecued pigs for the Al lens before he opened his own restaurant in town,
ys later opened a seafood restaurant business and he worked until retire Brady was eager to revive the town’s cafe when the renovation at the start of 2020, after
One of the renovation priorities was to keep as acter of the cafe intact counter and the original side dining area called the
Additionally, a nod to the Allen and Brady Brady is bringing you cooking and the traditions
A small sta helps treat regulars to good cooking that includes daily specials like chicken and pastry, turkey and dressing and country style steak.
blow caused by the pan
Brady hadn’t antici after opening that the
would signal the start of the restaurant business
“If I was trying to
savings to keep it alive, all I could really do was
Ourcompany stands amongthe most respectednames in the design, buildand installationtrade. We specialize in custom metal fabricationand mill rightser vices.
workers and Brady is the run the business, so he
“My son is too busy to take it on, and I want to who knows how to do it so that when I bail out, But, nobody has stepped
Despite the hardships, cafe for the past nearly and everybody knows where to go, they can cooking — he doesn’t even have a favorite dish
One of the highlights to be creative with his which are known to chicken pastry, fried tenderloin, turkey and dressing, country style and ends every now and
The plates are available like hot dogs, burgers, of Bonnie’s, Brady says that he hopes the cafe will
“Really, it could be 12 who is going to keep it
