Get your tickets and join us as Cape Fear Valley Health presents CITYVIEW MEDIA’S FIFTH ANNUAL LADIES NIGHT!
An evening of shopping, eating, drinking, dancing and entertainment at the Carolina Barn at McCormick Farms.
Join us as Cape Fear Valley Health presents CityView Media’s fourth annual Ladies Night Out April 10 at the Carolina Barn at McCormick Farms. You and your besties are invited for a fun evening of food, wine and entertainment. We’ll have vendors for shopping, music, a silent auction and demonstrations.
YOUR $40 TICKET INCLUDES:
• Entry into the event
• Food samplings from local eateries
• Two drink tickets
• One raffle ticket into our prize drawing
Where Your Children Come First
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• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Vaccines & Immunizations
• ADHD Testing & Treatment
• Asthma Symptoms & Treatment
• Breastfeeding Support
• Urinalysis
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10 Faith rooted in history and service
First Presbyterian Church kicks off its 225th anniversary and caps off 15-year effort to prepare one million meals
18 Spring rolls for a cause
The 47th annual Spring Roll Bazaar by local Korean Presbyterian Church returned bigger and better in February .
24 Lafayette Bicentennial Ball turns back time
Previous president of the Fayetteville Lafayette Society said experience was the city’s spotlight moment during the national bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour
30 Fayetteville Museum Aims to Right the Record on Civil War History
The N .C History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction will use local stories to tell “the truth with all its blemishes”—even if it upsets some people
36
Providing end-of-life comfort
Volunteers participating in the Cape Fear Valley Health No One Dies Alone program support patients in their final moments .
Over 100 volunteers meet at the First Presbyterian Church of Fayetteville as it packs its one-millionth Rise Against Hunger meal to help alleviate global hunger on Feb. 22.
Photo by Tony Wooten
COVER PHOTO BY TONY WOOTEN
EDITOR'S TAKE
The different meanings of faith
BY VALERIA CLOËS
As a music lover, when I think of the word “faith,” the first thing that comes to mind is George Michael’s iconic ‘80s song “Faith .” Hear me out on this .
As he repeats the words, “I gotta have faith,” he’s talking about something we all do every day He’s holding onto hope — he’s trusting — that good things are still to come
As members of the Fayetteville community, many of us put our trust in all sorts of beautiful places: a beloved friend, a neighbor, a belief system, an organization, ourselves .
In this “Faith Issue,” we explore faith through its different definitions, focusing on religious faith for our first two features .
The first highlights First Presbyterian Church of Fayetteville’s 225th anniversary, which they are formally recognizing in September, but are celebrating throughout the year Their kick-off celebration was their meal-packing event in February, where they reached one million packed meals over the course of 15 years
The second spotlights one of the ways the congregation of the Korean Presbyterian Church practices their faith through food . Each year their Spring Roll Bazaar brings together churchgoers and community members alike for that crunchy goodness
A new Cape Fear Valley Health initiative, the No One Dies Alone program, provides compassion and comfort through volunteers to those dying who don’t have loved ones near them as they pass The sponsored feature on page 36 explains how volunteers provide dignity in dying not just through companionship but also prayer or secular meditations
At the beginning of March, the Marquis de Lafayette came back to Fayetteville — well, his reenactor did — in celebration of the Bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour! From March 4-5, Fayetteville received over 350 people at the two-day celebration’s events, said Hank Parfitt, the president of the Lafayette Society Flip to page 24 to read a recap of the event .
Want to learn more about the new Civil War museum opening in Fayetteville? Thanks to our publishing partnership with The Assembly, a statewide in-depth news outlet, you can read more about the building that has been two years in the making, starting on page 30
Our columnists this month have different interpretations of faith: one focuses on her relationship with spring cleaning, the second describes her first “God
wink” and the third emphasizes the need to have faith when times get tough
Instead of a list of book recommendations, our reading enthusiast suggests just one — it was that impactful for her Find it on page 42
And this April magazine has a special column on page 8 with exclusive news from the nonprofit that supports CityView
The long-awaited CityView Media 5th Annual Ladies’ Night Out, presented by Cape Fear Valley Health, is just around the corner! Scan the QR to secure your tickets for the April 10 event at The Carolina Barn at McCormick Farms in Spring Lake Don’t wait until the last minute or they’ll sell out!
For more fun events to fill your calendar with go to page 44 for our April To-Do List
Did you attend Vicious Pig BBQ’s first annual BBQ Competition at Haymount Truck Stop on March 22? Check page 48 to see if you were Seen @ the Scene
Whether you relate to a more secular definition of faith or its religious one, we hope this “Faith Issue” reinforces our faithful community’s dedication to supporting one another
Thank you for reading!
Editor’s note: An earlier version of the "Changing lives braid by braid" feature in the March 2025 "The Women's Issue" magazine did not provide full context around how FTCC and the North Carolina Community College System adopted its natural hair care curriculum. This process also involved FTCC’s Amy Slate McLamb, dean of career and community enrichment, and Juanita Williams, cosmetology department chair, as well as the Corporate & Continuing Education department. The article has been updated with the complete information. CityView apologizes for this error.
For comments, questions, feedback, or to submit story ideas, email vcloes@cityviewnc com
When you think of April, what kinds of images come to mind? Do you see a perfect spring day with every garden in full bloom, or do you see a landscape covered with enough pollen to make you sneeze for a week?
Do you picture an Easter egg hunt, with children clutching colorful baskets, running around trying to outdo their friends in the number of eggs they can find? Perhaps you imagine that you have created the cleverest gag in the history of April Fools’ Day, and you visualize yourself executing it .
Then there is the matter of spring cleaning, something that pops into my mind immediately when I think of April . As someone who has spent many spring days climbing on ladders to reach closet shelves and reaching under beds only to discover missing clothes or Halloween candy that has seen its better days, I can assure you that spring cleaning is about more than scrubbing floors or polishing furniture
One of my first experiences with the emotional aspect of spring cleaning happened when I helped my friend Susan go through her mother Hazel’s belongings after she died Susan was extremely close to her mother, and her death was a tremendous loss for her I think Susan wanted help going through her mother’s closet because she didn’t want to do it by herself, so I offered to help .
Susan’s mother, like my mother, grew up during the Great Depression, when everything you owned was used until there was nothing left . Clothes, shoes and food were precious commodities that were never wasted
When we opened the door to Hazel’s closet, we were surprised to see the contents . Susan’s mother had always made all of her own clothes, and judging by the number of patterns and pieces of fabric we saw, she never threw anything away . The “waste not, want not” world Hazel had grown up in remained with her all of her life
Susan decided to give the patterns and fabric scraps to one of Hazel’s friends . While this entire cleaning experience had been difficult for Susan, I think she was glad she managed to get through it She alternated between laughing and crying while we cleaned out the closet, but I think more than anything else, she felt that she knew her mother better now than she ever had before Who knew that opening a closet door could lead to a moment of personal
I discovered the joy of wearing yoga pants and T-shirts most of the time I no longer blush when it is time to do some spring cleaning because I am not sorting through a wardrobe that makes me cringe and question my taste in clothes Instead, I have gone from throwing away a lot of trendy clothes to throwing away very little Hazel would be so proud of me .
A lot of us do not like the thought of doing such thorough cleaning, whether it is in the spring or any other time, but it has advantages that go far beyond having a clean house In Susan’s case, she discovered that her mother was a practical, frugal woman In my case, I discovered that scaling down my wardrobe works for me . Thanks to spring cleaning, I now have a new appreciation for Henry David Thoreau’s belief that we should “Simplify, Simplify .” Like Susan, I found enlightenment by opening a closet door
Mary Zahran, proud owner of yoga pants, may be reached at maryzahran@gmail .com .
PHOTO BY PRISCILLA DU PREEZ ON UNSPLASH
FAMILY MATTERS
GOD WINKS
BY CLAIRE MULLEN
When you’re in the business of writing a monthly column for a magazine, you tend to think ahead What will I muse about next month? What about the month after that?
Sometimes I draw inspiration from something seasonal, and sometimes from a holiday or special occasion that happens to fall in the month for which I’m writing . Oftentimes, my column goes along with the theme of the issue, which our editors thoughtfully select far in advance
In my thinking ahead, I’d originally planned to share this story in our May issue as an apropos reflection on Mother’s Day But, when I really thought about it, although the story does center around Mother’s Day, it might just speak even more to the theme of this month’s issue — faith
Maybe you believe in “God winks,” and maybe you don’t Perhaps you’ve never even heard anyone say, “Wow, now that’s a God wink!” As I understand it, a “God wink” is a personal happening or circumstance so fortuitous that it transcends pure coincidence and could be perceived as divine intervention: a sign of hope for, or a reflection of, the faith of the person experiencing such a “God wink ”
It could be a beautiful rainbow breaking through the clouds during a graveside service It might be a red cardinal that seems to often find its way to a tree branch in perfect view through the window of a home whose occupants gather to celebrate a happy occasion while also remembering a lost loved one It could be the stranger in front of you in the Starbucks drive-thru paying for your latte when you’re having a miserable day or a particularly beautiful sunrise the morning your new baby makes its arrival .
Cynics or non-believers might say that these things are nothing more than pure coincidence — overexaggerations from someone stretching to turn a random occurrence into something more than just that
While I’ve been a person of faith my whole life and have known what “God winks” are for most of it, nothing stands out in my memories of my first 19 years that stopped me in my tracks and made me think, “Wow, now that’s a God wink!”
I spent many years after my family lost my mom to breast cancer when I was a sophomore in college desperately looking for “God winks” anywhere and everywhere that I could What I’ve learned is that sometimes “God winks” happen when you’re not even looking
The series of events that led up to my “God wink” story
began on a family trip to Disney World back in the late ’90s At the start of our vacation, our parents told us kids that they would treat each of the four of us to one special souvenir I spent the next few days perusing the gift shops for the perfect memento
An 8th-grader at the time, I considered myself much too mature to appreciate the stuffed Mickeys and Cinderella tiaras that my younger siblings selected On the last day of our trip, I found my souvenir in a tiny kiosk in the Asia pavilion at Epcot: a beautiful, hand-painted, small wooden pagoda, complete with a delicate chain attached to the top for hanging, and the tiniest little door with its own knob that could open and close
When we returned from Florida, I placed my pagoda on the corner of my dresser, where it sat for years, until I returned from a summer cross-country camping trip in high school to find, much to my surprise and delight, that my mom had redecorated my bedroom . As I surveyed my refinished antique furniture, new bedding and the fresh coat of paint on the walls, I noticed that she’d hung my special pagoda from its chain by a hook she’d screwed into my ceiling in a sunny corner What I did not know back then was that as my mom was lovingly updating my childhood bedroom, she also knew that she was very sick and was beginning to make small preparations just in case Several years later, I took my pagoda down from its hook and packed it up along with the rest of my belongings that would move with me to Chapel Hill for college My pagoda sat on a shelf in two different dorm rooms and decorated my desk in my first college apartment . It was during those college years that we said goodbye to my mom
My pagoda spent several years atop the dresser in the guest bedroom of the tiny house in Durham my husband and I proudly bought as newlyweds, and it was packed into our boxes when we made the move back home to Fayetteville in 2011 . In the hustle and bustle of moving into a short-term rental while we looked for the perfect home to start our family, my pagoda landed on the dusty top shelf in the back corner of a small storage shed in the backyard of our rental home, where it was eventually obscured by half-empty gallons of paint, cans of WD-40 and stacks of flower pots
We lived in that house on General Lee Avenue until April 2014, when we relocated to our current home Exactly two weeks from our moving date, on April 20,
Easter Sunday, we welcomed our first child, a baby girl Sadie made me a mother exactly three weeks before Mother’s Day, a day that would, for the first time in a decade, not be overshadowed by sadness .
One afternoon in late May, I got a call from the wonderful owners of our rental house to let us know that they’d found something that we’d left behind in the shed and asked if they could return it in person and meet our new baby Jim and Debby Krepp came to the door of our new home, my forgotten wooden pagoda in hand As Debby oohed and aahed over our daughter, Jim handed me my pagoda and quietly said, “You might want to look inside ”
I opened the tiny door of the pagoda for the first time since I picked it up in the gift shop all those years ago Inside was a piece of paper, folded neatly into a perfect square As soon as I unfolded the paper, I recognized my Mama’s beautiful handwriting . I read, “Hi Claire! One day you will take this down and open the little door . You’ll find this note that says, “I love you!” Today you’re in California, and I’m cleaning your room and missing you — thinking you’re real messy and really wonderful, too! Xxo Mama ”
I like to think that things don’t always happen by accident and that sometimes, uncanny coincidences might just be something a little bit more Maybe my mom hoped that I’d discover her hidden note on a special day I can’t think of a more perfect day than the start to my very own, very first, Mother’s Day weekend If that’s not a “God wink,” I don’t know what is, and I choose to keep faith in believing in them
Join us for the 2025 Cumberland County Scam Jam
This free event is open to the public and geared towards older adults and their caregivers. Presentations by state and local organizations will focus on increasing awareness and education regarding scams and fraud encountered in our community Presenters will include representatives from the NC Department of Insurance, NC Department of Justice, Secretary of State’s Office and Fayetteville Police Department.
RSVP IS REQUESTED: Ellouise Garvin, (910) 484-0111, ext 221 or egarvin@ccccooa.org Eventsponsoredby NCSeniorMedicarePatrol
Time to Save, Time to Conserve!
Big changes are coming to Time-of-Use rates! Starting April 1st, Peak hours are shifting to Summertime schedule to match when energy demand is highest. But here’s the bright side: You now have an extra hour to save with more Off-Peak hours. The Time-of-Use schedule is now 365 days a year, including holidays and weekends. Off-Peak hours give you the power to save with rates 35% lower than Peak hours!
Put Time to Save hours to work for you and save BIG:
• Do laundry & dishes during Off-Peak hours.
• Keep the oven off in summer—fire up the grill or air fryer instead!
• Set your thermostat wisely to stay comfy and cost-savvy.
• Use the PWC Online Account Manager to learn about your usage history and reference the Energy Resource Center for more ways to save.
Claire Mullen can be reached at clairejlmullen@gmail
The power to save is in your hands! Learn more at FayPWC.com.
It’s time for a reintroduction
BY TIM WHITE
My wife Rachel and I were in the kitchen, making dinner, when she asked me to explain the business structure that includes CityView Magazine, the daily CityView Today newsletter, and the CityView News Fund — the nonprofit that supports most of the CityView reporting staff .
It was a good question that should have gotten a good, and simple, answer Instead, we launched into a conversation that sounded like Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First?” routine
The roadblock to a simple explanation was the News Fund, which began after Tony Chavonne, then publisher of CityView, decided to publish a daily newsletter that revived journalism in Fayetteville
“How could it be called CityView News Fund,” Rachel wondered, “and not be under the same management umbrella as the magazine and daily newsletter?”
Good question, I realized — especially after the magazine and daily newsroom became part of The Assembly, the statewide news organization fostering good, in-depth journalism across North Carolina .
Foundation of Greater Fayetteville, a more descriptive name that better explains what we do . In practice, nothing has changed We still raise money to support good journalism in Fayetteville We still support the reporting staff at CityView . And we still have greater ambitions — a bigger, more robust daily report on Fayetteville’s and Cumberland County’s government and institutions, with a goal of holding public officials accountable to taxpayers and residents
My amazing bride is one of the smartest people I know, with a string of academic and professional letters after her name to prove it If Rachel didn’t get that the CityView News Fund was an independent nonprofit whose only goal is good journalism in Cumberland County, who would? Who’s on first?
Turns out I wasn’t the only one who’d had that thought We talked about it at News Fund board meetings, and most of the members reported similar conversations, even with some donors
It was time for a name that better expressed who we are and what we’re doing . This month, we become the News
When we ask for your support, it should be clear that you’re helping underwrite good journalism in your own community, and nowhere else That includes recent stories on the sudden halt of construction of a downtown performing arts center or the move of a proposed recycling business after strong neighborhood opposition Your contributions to the News Foundation stay here in Cumberland County, supporting stories like those, no matter who owns the magazine and newsletter With our new name, we’re making that clear .
All of this would have been unnecessary even a few years ago Journalism, for my lifetime, my parents’ lifetime and my grandparents’ lifetime (which puts us back in the 19th century), had the same business model Newspapers — and later, radio and television — reported the news every day . They were funded by advertising purchased by local, state and national businesses
It was a good and lucrative business, allowing local media to hire big staffs and provide thorough coverage . The best of them also channeled some profits into support of local institutions and initiatives — as longtime Fayetteville residents know well .
That changed in the internet era The old business model is disappearing Every week, across the country, a couple more newspapers print their last edition and die Advertising dollars that supported them go to internet giants like Google and Facebook, which have no stake in our communities, no interest in supporting them
The definition of good journalism hasn’t changed, but business models have In communities across the country, journalists and people who value strong news coverage are writing new business plans and creating new models Most include support from nonprofits . Some are entirely nonprofit organizations Others are hybrids, finding some advertising support in their communities as well as getting financial help from foundations and individual donors . That’s what we’ve created in Fayetteville — a daily news report that emphasizes coverage of key institutions, supported by advertisers and donors large and
Faith rooted in history and service
First Presbyterian Church kicks off its 225th anniversary and caps off 15-year effort to prepare one million meals to fight global hunger
BY TERI SAYLOR | PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY WOOTEN
AA hush fell over 140 volunteers gathered at First Presbyterian Church of Fayetteville participating in a years-long quest to help alleviate global hunger as Jennifer Fueston held up a package of food and announced, “I have in my hand, your one-millionth meal ”
Mick Noland, a member of the church’s mission committee, banged a brass gong commemorating the milestone as cheers rang out, sealing a 15-year effort to help feed underserved people around the world
“The impact you have made together over 35 mealpacking events and many years together is not something we can put words to,” said Fueston, partnership manager for Rise Against Hunger, a Raleigh-based global organization devoted to alleviating global hunger and the church’s partner in this effort
Then everyone went back to work, packing more meals . By the end of the day, they would pack 15,120 meals,
bringing the grand total to 1,020,194 meals .
On this sunny winter morning, the church fellowship hall was a flurry of activity — “organized chaos” — as church leaders described the scene
Hairnet-clad volunteers of all ages worked stations, carefully measuring rice, soy and dehydrated vegetables into plastic bags, and including vitamin and mineral supplements before passing them to others who weighed, sealed and packed them for shipping to Haiti and the Philippines .
Church member Dan McInnis has participated in every meal-packing party since the effort was launched in 2010
“This is a great event for all ages and a way for the church to come together to help those in need far away from Fayetteville,” he said “And it’s a way for the volunteers to be a part of something much larger than themselves ”
More than 100 volunteers met at the First Presbyterian Church of Fayetteville as it packs its one-millionth Rise Against Hunger meal to help alleviate global hunger on Feb. 22.
Left, Rise Against Hunger gifts a gong to the First Presbyterian Church, recognizing their one-millionth packed meal.
Below, 140 volunteers meet on Feb. 25 at First Presbyterian Church to pack meals, kicking-off the church's first 225th anniversary celebration.
Bottom, Jennifer Fueston, Rick Kearney, Mick Noland, Michael Garrett and Debra Chestnutt prepare for the recognition of the one-millionth Rise Against Hunger meal.
Opposite, Kimberhly Hopkins and another volunteer enjoy each other's company as they help pack meals.
History and legacy
Mission and outreach have been as much a part of First Presbyterian Church as its centuries-old brick walls and magnificent steeple
Those walls stood strong around the building’s charred shell when Fayetteville burned in 1831, and survived General William T Sherman’s “March to the Sea” during the Civil War, two World Wars, the Great Depression and shifting political winds
Across 225 years, the church has seen 46 U S presidents, the advent of motor vehicles, the Wright brothers’ first flight, NASA’s man on the moon and the evolution of technology
While church leaders are proud of the legacy the building symbolizes, they know a house of worship is more than a building, no matter how beautiful or historic First Presbyterian’s legacy is about the people who have nurtured their faith and each other for generations .
“Our 225th Anniversary is an important milestone for our congregation,” said Mike Garrett, First Presbyterian’s 31st pastor, who has served the church in that role for the last decade “We want to observe it in a way that honors
the past, and looks to the future ”
Bengie Hair’s family tree has roots in the church dating back to its beginnings . He recently compiled First Presbyterian’s story starting in the mid-18th century, when a lineup of Presbyterian ministers began arriving from Scotland and preaching in the area .
Reverend John Robinson of Cabarrus County was the inaugural pastor at First Presbyterian Church when it was chartered in 1800 . He ordained the church’s first board of elders and led its first celebration of The Lord’s Supper on Sept 6, 1801, with 150 communicants participating In 1816, the church laid the cornerstone for the original sanctuary building where the congregation worshiped until the Great Fire of Fayetteville burned it and most of the town in 1831
“When the fire was extinguished, the outer walls still stood tall amidst the ashes and are still in place, supporting the current building,” Hair said “And for more than 200 years, the steeple has served as a beacon to people in this community ”
If those walls could talk, what stories they could tell Ann Highsmith, a longtime member and church leader who was baptized and married there, has a favorite story
The original brick outer walls, visible at the entrance of First Presbyterian Church, survived the Great Fire of Fayetteville in 1831.
that stands out among the many church legends and lore
Highsmith describes the 1824 gift of a silver communion service set by the Society of Young Ladies at the church . In 1865, during Sherman’s March across part of the South, which took his Union troops through Fayetteville, members of the congregation hid the silver in a wooden trunk and spirited it away to a home outside town
“As the story goes, Sherman’s troops went to the home where the communion silver had been hidden, and found it,” Highsmith said “But inexplicably, they left without taking it, and to this day, we still use those original pieces for special occasions . ”
Oldest living church
First Presbyterian is recognized as the oldest organized Presbyterian church in Cumberland County It stands on the corner of Ann and Bow streets in downtown Fayetteville
Garrett, the current pastor who arrived in 2015 from his post as senior pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Snellville, Georgia, is carrying on the church’s legacy and mission
“I feel responsible for shepherding the church and believe I serve a dual role to lead our living community of faith in honoring the past but also remaining actively engaged in our future,” he said
Perhaps no other story can describe the power of the congregation in keeping First Presbyterian alive during tough economic hardship than the generosity of its members Garrett illustrated how wealthy church members ensured the church’s books stayed balanced by contributing money
“They provided financial support year after year for decades and would not allow our church to go into debt,” Garrett said
For Bud Lafferty, a church elder, service to the church and the community are among First Presbyterian’s chief tenets
“Our congregation has always believed in reaching out beyond the walls of the church to serve others, and this has been key to our membership stability and growth,” Lafferty said “Over time, we’ve become a haven for people seeking a church home . ”
Today, church membership numbers 587, Lafferty said
Communion silver and its storage chest, gifted by The Young Ladies Society in 1828, are displayed in the Historical Room.
Standing strong
In 1976, the United States Department of the Interior placed First Presbyterian Church on the National Register of Historic Places, after being nominated in 1975 The nomination form cites the building as a “monument to 19th-century building technology,” containing “the only known extant wooden truss roof of the type patented by Ithiel Town in 1820,” who was an American architect and civil engineer
The truss system was installed in 1832 when the church was rebuilt after the fire
The trusses, which are visible in the church’s attic, span 60 feet and are constructed out of solid wood, Lafferty said .
“It has been said that the trusses were so large and heavy that the city held a prayer vigil the day they were pushed into place,” he said . “I believe it’s symbolic that just as those trusses have been holding the roof up, they have also played a role in holding the church together over 200 years ”
Right, a portrait of Reverend John Robinson, the first pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, is on display in the Historical Room; below, the rebuilding of the First Presbyterian Church, designed by A. J. Davis and completed in 1832, included the use of a Town Lattice Truss, initially developed by Ithiel Town for building bridges, which provided support between distant walls without the need for additional vertical support.
Presbyterian beliefs are grounded in the historic Protestant Reformation Church tradition, recognizing the authority of the Bible and the Word of God . The congregation is mission-driven and rooted in the words of the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds, which recognize one God and Jesus Christ, the Son of God .
“Presbyterianism is built on our belief that God is sovereign and the God of all things,” Garrett said “And our tradition focuses on the Word, recognizing the Bible as the ultimate guide for Christian faith and practice ”
Celebrating 225 years
The anniversary celebrations commemorating both the faith and the faithful are already underway, with the Rise Against Hunger event serving as the unofficial kickoff .
“We’ll be conducting historical tours of the church, both for our congregation and the public,” Highsmith said “And we’re considering creating a church oral history featuring some of our oldest members ”
Other plans call for special concerts and sermons A choir member is composing a piece of music that will debut this fall
Near the official 225th anniversary date in September, the church will host a special family day for its members to celebrate as a congregation
In addition to the church’s 15-year journey to provide one million meals to people in need, the church also serves its local community by contributing time and resources to numerous organizations, including Fayetteville Urban Ministry, Better Health, The Care Clinic and its own initiative, the Stephen Ministry, which serves individuals in crisis
“There are not many churches in the country that can say we’ve been invested for over two centuries in the community where we began,” Garrett said “And I think maintaining these connections is part of the secret to our future and continued relevance .”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Teri Saylor is a freelance writer based in Raleigh
Recent renovations expanded seating distances and added marble flooring in the main sanctuary.
Spring rolls for a cause
The annual Spring Roll Bazaar by local Korean Presbyterian Church returned bigger and better in February for its 47th year
BY ALLISON UNDERWOOD | PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY WOOTEN
WWhen the early days of February arrive, some might say that love is in the air . But for others, chocolates and flowers aren’t the February tradition they look forward to the most It’s the warm, crisp crunch of a savory spring roll dipped in special sweet and sour sauce And there’s only one place a person can find a love like that: at the annual Korean Presbyterian Church of Fayetteville Spring Roll Bazaar
Held each year for the past 47 years, the Spring Roll Bazaar has made its name known among community members It’s a simple notion: make spring rolls, sell spring rolls and help those in need with the money made . But simple is far from what the Spring Roll Bazaar is
It’s nearly 50 years of refining not only the perfect recipe, but also the flawless system to make it all work seamlessly As a result, you get almost 100,000 handrolled treats, fellowship among churchgoers and the community and a lot of happy customers
Behind the spring roll magic
The cool, late winter breeze drifts the sweet smell of cabbage and carrots through the air as Jay Yi, owner and operator of The Happy Deli and first in command of spring roll production at the Korean Presbyterian Church, zips around in a hurry Getting pulled left and right, Yi said there’s nowhere he’d rather be
“My wife and I have the deli in the Courthouse, but I tell her, ‘You got it . I’ll be at the sale,’” he joked .
It’s the first day of production for the Spring Roll Bazaar and the church gymnasium, aptly dubbed the Joy Gym,
is bustling with excited volunteers ready to mix and roll thousands of spring rolls for the next seven hours . In exactly one week, the Joy Gym will be filled with eager customers, cash in hand, ready to bring home a box of that crunchy goodness .
Several large fridges line the walls of the garage outside the gymnasium, each filled to the brim with thousands of pounds of fresh cabbage and carrots, spring roll wraps and rice noodles
After the vegetables are freshly shredded in the gymnasium kitchen, they’re handed off to the mixing team where the ingredients are tossed in large metal bowls
From there, the bowls are distributed to the several rows of tables full of chattering ladies diligently rolling . Yi said there’s never a daily goal or quota to meet The numbers just always work out
In the kitchen, cooks drop the rolls into boiling pots of vegetable oil Yi said fresh oil and quality cooking are what make the spring rolls so good
“It costs a lot of money to use more [oil], but it’s better for our mission,” he said
When the bazaar started in 1992, the goal was a simple $3,000, according to Yi Their mission this year is to make $90,000 for the church and to support the surrounding community, $10,000 more than last year Considering the sale sells out early every year, Yi believes this will be an easy task .
The secret to this success lies in the mission behind it all — and in the special sauce
Held each year for the past 47 years, the
among community members.
Spring Roll Bazaar has made its name known
The secret recipe to it all
The “special sauce” — as it’s known among the bazaar regulars — alone could turn a significant profit Aside from the 90,000 4-ounce cups included in each box of spring rolls, customers can also purchase a jar of the sweet and sour concoction for $10 The sauce is so sought after that customers have begged for more in the past, upping the container from 2 to 4 ounces just a few years ago .
But what is the secret sauce? No one quite knows, not even Kim Robinson, second in command of spring roll production
“I’ve been at this church for 41 years and I still don’t have the exact recipe,” Robinson chuckled to herself
Yi said only three of the volunteers know the recipe . Made in secret when all the volunteers have left for the day, the results change slightly each year
“People say, ‘Why is it different from last year?’” he smirked, knowingly, “I say, ‘Is it good or is it bad?’”
The answer can be found in the endless line of excited customers stretching through the gymnasium and out the door each year
The clock strikes noon, and production stalls as a group of church ladies bring in that day’s homemade lunch: a helping of white rice, pickled green peppers, anchovy
salad, kimchi and a bowl of hot soup
Volunteers settle into their seats with their meals, hot ramen available in the center of each table, and conversation fills the air
Mothers and daughters, new and old church members, friends and strangers make the magic of the bazaar come to life Robinson said with approximately 300 members at Korean Presbyterian Church, some of the volunteers never talk to each other until they’re working together on the bazaar
“It’s not only money and revenue [for the church], it’s time to be together,” she explained Robinson, a longtime volunteer of the event, has witnessed the Spring Roll Bazaar from almost the very beginning The people at the church are like no other, she said
“We are very proud of this faith community in Fayetteville,” she said
With 100% of the sale’s proceeds going towards things such as local fire stations, the Fayetteville Police Department and the church’s own missionary work, Robinson believes the success of the Spring Roll Bazaar stems from just one driving force: to bring glory to God and to contribute to flourishing the community they call home
Select church members and volunteers fill containers with the church's famous secret sauce served with the spring rolls.
Church members and volunteers prepare spring rolls for customers.
Spring roll regulars
Hundreds of containers of fresh, hot spring rolls line the entryway to the Joy Gym, ready to be purchased by the dozens of awaiting customers, while the kitchen continues to fry up more rolls hot and fresh
“You know, one time somebody said if we connected all the spring rolls together, they’d reach from Fayetteville all the way past Raleigh,” Robinson chuckles
Some have followed the spring roll crumbs from as far as Raeford, like Patsy Hawkes who heard about the bazaar from a friend
“They’re delicious . And we like to support local missions too,” she said
From nurses to soldiers to hairstylists and construction workers, satisfied faces exit the Joy Gym, spring rolls in hand Some even roll up in their cars and load up totes full Louise Bordeaux, a local hairstylist, popped over during her lunch break to load up until next year .
“I buy a lot and put them in the freezer and then stick
them in the air fryer when I want them,” she explains, “I wait for it every year ”
Fresh or frozen, spring roll lovers come from far and near each year, not only in search of that crunch and to taste that sweet, secret sauce, but to support a mission that goes far beyond a Styrofoam box of delicious spring rolls
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Allison Underwood is a Fayetteville native who graduated from East Carolina University in 2022 with a degree in journalism . During her time at ECU, Allison was a writer and an editor for two university magazines and was featured in Countenance magazine .
Yearly customer Bridget Richard picks up a large order of spring roles she shares with her family and friends.
Lafayette Bicentennial Ball turns back time
Previous president of the Fayetteville Lafayette Society said experience was the city’s spotlight moment during the national bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour
BY JAMI MCLAUGHLIN
RRegency dancing was a lively, graceful style of dancing popular in the time of the Marquis de Lafayette, Fayetteville’s namesake and honoree of the Fayetteville Lafayette Society’s Farewell Tour Bicentennial and Ball
Guests arrived in full Regency and formal attire and were met with synchronized dancing set to the sounds of Syllabub, a trio of musicians who played live period music, at the March 4 ball held in the Ralph and Linda Huff Orangery at Cape Fear Botanical Garden
Dr Hank Parfitt, a member and past president of the Fayetteville Lafayette Society, said that this type of experience is novel in Fayetteville and was the city’s spotlight moment during the national bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour, which stopped in Fayetteville on March 4-5 . The two-day event welcomed over 350 attendees to experience the once-in-a-lifetime celebration
“A true period costume ball is very uncommon in Fayetteville — the one we had for Lafayette’s birthday celebration in September 2023 was the first in about 20 years,” Parfitt said
In the last month, those attending the bicentennial event took dance lessons, preparing to fully immerse themselves in the celebration
Jeremy Gershman, a professional dance master, served as the Regency Society dance instructor teaching ball attendees how to move with the light feet, upright posture and precise movements reminiscent of the time .
Gershman, who assumed the identity of Charles Steplively at the ball, provided expert instruction in
English country dancing, a type of “social dancing” that was prevalent throughout the 18th and 19th centuries .
Gershman resides north of Charlottesville, Virginia and has been a professional dance master for over 15 years
He said his persona Charles Steplively was inspired by a special event he was a part of about a dozen years ago, and just adds to the overall experience
“As a creative person, as an actor, musician and dancer, it all worked together for me to become an English dance master,” Gershman said “As a trained musician, I could understand the structure of music, tempo and took a bit of pride as an insider to that language I could communicate about the music as well as teach dance to students like a dance master would have 200 years ago ”
Gershman said that his training and experience was not formal — he learned more like they did back in that time through social events and watching others
“Historical dance is a niche form, generally one who is interested does research and attends social functions to learn,” Gershman said “In my early years, I attended week-long intensives and workshops . I was also interested in history and enjoyed Masterpiece Theatre on PBS along with shows on BBC From there, I started going to parties and it really took on a life from there . ”
Gershman has traveled to different communities teaching the dance steps for Lafayette’s Farewell tour celebration including Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Fredericksburg, Virginia, Cheraw and Camden in South Carolina, but Fayetteville stood out
Professional Dance Master Jeremy Gershman from Virginia, a.k.a. Mr. Charles Steplively. Steplively conducted a series of dance workshops in spring 2025 preparing participants for the Lafayette Bicentennial Ball.
Photo by Tony Wooten
“I was quite charmed with Fayetteville,” Gershman said “There was a core group who came to all of the workshops so we were able to do a special performance at the ball with a more advanced dance It was a highlight of the night Actually, the whole night felt special ”
He said that most people wore historical or reproduced costumes so the entire room was full of elegance
“It had a different feel and elevated the dance,” Gershman said
Parfitt said that the dancers had a great time, laughing while helping each other through the steps
“At one point, there were 80 people lined up doing the synchronized English country dance that is so fun to watch,” Parfitt said “Jeremy Gershman aka Charles Steplively is the best in the business . ”
Parfitt also said guests traveled from eight states to attend the events
“Half of the people who participated in some or all of our events were from out of town, and over a third of those were from out of state,” he said
Lloyd Kramer, a former history professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, and his wife Gwynne Pomeroy came from Chapel Hill
to stay at the MacPherson House in Haymount to attend the Lafayette celebration events and tour Fayetteville
Although he and his wife traveled to the Bicentennial Ball by car, and not by carriage, he said the dance allowed him to build community connections akin to how it might have been centuries ago
“It was a learning experience,” Kramer said “It replicated the social significance of the dance for the community . Two hundred years ago, it was a way that neighbors got to know each other And here we were, different generations and different social backgrounds, but one community on the dance floor . ”
Kramer said he’s taught history for 38 years, and had studied the history of that period through books, artwork and letters, but learning the dance gave him a new perspective as to what it was like to live in that time
“It was an experiential connection with Fayetteville’s history,” Kramer said . “There are many ways to learn history, but dancing added another layer of historical knowledge and experience It connected people now like it did back then ”
Laney Rogers came to the event from Cheraw, South
Above, dancers line up opposite one another to receive their first set of instructions on period-based dancing from Charles Steplively at the Hay Street United Methodist Church on Feb. 23, 2025. Photo by Tony Wooten; opposite top, the Marquis de Lafayette and his private secretary, Auguste Levasseur, arrive in a horse-drawn carriage to Fayetteville on March 4 in a reenactment of their arrival 200 years ago. Photo by Maura Trice for The Lafayette Society; opposite bottom, throughout the two-day celebration, eventgoers dress in period costumes and, during the Lafayette Ball on March 4, dancers line up in typical English Country Dance style. Photo by Maura Trice for The Lafayette Society
Carolina with her husband Timothy and said it was one of her favorite nights of her life
“It really felt like we had traveled back in time,” Rogers said “There was a real welcome for Lafayette where we got to wave our gloves and handkerchiefs and shout ‘Vive Lafayette!’ And throughout the dances, Mr Steplively provided a little instruction and called the dances, but many people had a basic knowledge of the dances, so they went fairly smoothly ”
She likened English country dancing as a precursor to modern line dancing, but dancing in costume added another layer to the experience
“It provided such verisimilitude that you really could imagine you were back in 1825, but with Germ-X and indoor plumbing,” Rogers said with a laugh “It was amazing to look out over the room and see so many people dressed in period costumes doing period dances Dancing with so many people in costume was surreal ”
Rogers said she and her husband would come back again if another opportunity presented itself .
And there might be good news on that front Gershman hopes to come back for A Dickens Holiday,
the downtown Victorian event celebrated the day after Thanksgiving, where there have been talks of hosting a Fezziwig’s Ball The ball would be based on Mr Fezziwig, the kind and cheerful mentor to Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, who generously throws a festive annual Christmas party and dance
“I hope that everyone who came to the Bicentennial Ball takes the spark and keeps it going,” Gershman said “It would be lovely ”
To learn more about the Fayetteville Lafayette Society, visit lafayettesociety .org . Their mission is “to promote awareness of the many contributions to America’s freedom by the Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolutionary War .”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jami McLaughlin is a freelance writer for CityView She can be reached at jmclaughlin@ cityviewnc .com or at 910-391-4870 .
The attendees of the Lafayette Ball wave their white-gloved hands and white handkerchiefs as they welcome the Lafayette and Levasseur reenactors — portrayed by Sam Powell (left) and Don Summers — at the Ralph and Linda Huff Orangery at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden. Photo by Maura Trice for The Lafayette Society.
In that spirit, the Lafayette Society offers fabulous souvenirs from The Lafayette Shoppe in Williamsburg, and a bronze medallion and other items created especially for Fayetteville!
Available now at The Pilgrim Gift Shop and City Center Gallery & Books, or online at www.LafayetteSociety.org
As the last surviving Major General of the American Revolution and a symbol of Liberty, Justice, and Equality around the world, everyone wanted to see Lafayette during his Farewell Tour of 1824-25. It is estimated that 2 out of every 3 Americans did!
Now Lafayette is back for the 200th anniversary of the Farewell Tour! Like the original tour, the celebration will last 13 months, covering more than 6000 miles and 250 cities.
One of the PREMIER sites for the Celebration is Fayetteville, North Carolina, where you are Party like it’s 1825!
Tuesday afternoon, March 4 – Lafayette arrives in a horse-drawn carriage accompanied by the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry – his bodyguard 200 years
Tuesday evening, March 4 – Dance Master Charles Steplively of Virginia and the historical musical group will help you polish your dance moves at an authentic Regency Period costume ball. A truly magical experience!
Wednesday, March 5 – Explore Fayetteville’s 250-year history! See Lafayette’s carriage, the Liberty Point Resolves (signed a full year before the Declaration of Independence), and 200-year-old Lafayette souvenirs at Methodist University. Take the Lafayette Trail Tour with a guide or with a free app.
Wednesday evening, March 5 – Enjoy a sumptuous dinner in the elegant Orangery at Cape Fear Botanical Garden along with live music and theatrical portrayals of scenes from Lafayette’s visit.
For more information on how you can participate in this once in-a-lifetime event, visit www.lafayettesociety.org
FAYETTEVILLE
Fayetteville Museum Aims to Right the Record on Civil War History
The N.C. History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction will use local stories to tell “the truth with all its blemishes”—even if it upsets some people
BY JIMMY RYALS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREW CRAFT/THE ASSEMBLY
DDuring the Civil War, North Carolina contributed more soldiers to the Confederate cause than any other state .
North Carolina was also the next-to-last state to secede, and it was home to pro-Union movements that persisted throughout the war .
Those are all facts, and they’re part of the complex history the state is taking on in building the $87 million N C . History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction Organizers say the Fayetteville museum, which has been two decades in the making, will help North Carolina’s educators teach a nuanced, factual story as unresolved racial and political divisions continue to cleave the country
One thing the museum’s backers are clear on: That story is about more than a war It’s a long, dark period in the state’s and nation’s history, not a Lost Cause The history center’s job is to “right the historical understanding” of events between 1838 and 1898, according to Michael McElreath, the center’s education initiatives director
“The perspective that the war was really about arcane issues of constitutional balancing between the states and the federal government—that’s just not an acceptable perspective, given all that we’ve now learned,” he said .
Or, as the subject line of a February 2024 History Center email to reporters put it: “The Civil War WAS about slavery ”
North Carolinians, it seems, are still divided on the war’s causes In a 2021 poll of North Carolinians by Elon University, 51 percent of respondents said they believed the Civil War was “mainly about” states rights; 49 percent said it was mainly fought over slavery
It will be two years before the museum opens But teachers around the state are getting a first look at the museum’s approach now in a series of two-day symposiums that bring together K-12 educators with scholars to learn about local Civil War history .
At one of these symposiums in October, 20 teachers from Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Gaston, and Lincoln counties gathered in Charlotte to tour a plantation and hear from experts about the war and post-war Reconstruction period in the Piedmont Barton Myers, professor of history at Washington and Lee University, talked to the teachers about persistent pro-Union sentiment in Guilford and Randolph counties, spurred by the Confederacy’s introduction of a draft in 1862 .
“That took the power of the state and military right to the door of people who may never have been involved with the Civil War at all,” Myers said .
That led the group to discuss the experience of Stephanie Whitehead A pro-Union slaveholder in Pitt County, she attempted to pay her sons’ way out of the war with money and enslaved people One son still got drafted and was killed in action At one point, Myers said, Whitehead threatened to shoot Confederate soldiers who came to her plantation seeking food Teachers debated whether Whitehead was truly anti-Confederacy or “just anti-my-son-going to war .” The focus on individual North Carolinians, in all their complexities, revealed truths the group hadn’t encountered before
“A lot of this is stealth history,” said Bobby Harley, a teacher at Warlick Academy in Gastonia
The ghost tower in Arsenal Park marks where the northwest tower of the arsenal once stood.
A recently completed pavilion near the ruins of the Fayetteville Arsenal.
The Stories We Tell
A nuanced look at history like that is difficult to bring into the classroom, given the time constraints and sensitivities N C teachers face, said McElreath, who is also the experiential learning director at Cary Academy, a private school that teaches grades 6-12
North Carolina public school students study the Civil War and Reconstruction three times: in the fourth, eighth, and 11th grades The state sets broad standards for what students should learn across the social studies curriculum in those grades . Eighth-graders should “understand the role of conflict and cooperation in the development of North Carolina and the nation,” according to one of the seven standards for that grade .
How that understanding gets built is largely up to local school districts and teachers, said Tom Daugherty, a K-12 social studies education consultant at the N C Department of Public Instruction
A state textbook committee has approved social studies textbooks for each of those grade levels But, Daugherty said, most districts choose not to use them because there’s no mandated end-of-course test to teach toward and there are so many materials available online That means there’s not much consistency in how it’s taught outside of Advanced Placement courses Instead, districts tap groups of teachers to write curricula, and the educators themselves largely choose the materials .
interplays between that history and memory deserve more space than we typically have time to give them . That’s the hardest thing about teaching this ”
The teachers at the symposium agreed that the time crunch is a challenge for them, particularly at the high school level In 2019, the General Assembly passed a law adding personal finance and civic literacy classes to social studies requirements To accommodate them, American history was condensed from a yearlong course into a single semester
“It’s easy to paint in broad brush strokes, especially with the time we have,” said Cale Thornburg, an East Lincoln High School history teacher who participated in the October symposium sponsored by the history center
Symposium participants also cited a dearth of materials on local events and the challenges of taking on the volatile subject matter, given the strong opinions students may bring and the developmental stages that teenagers go through, particularly in the eighth grade
“We’re covering 50 years of history in about four weeks,” said Mike Savoia, a third-year teacher at Parkway Middle School in Monroe “The depth of information and the images—13- and 14-year-olds don’t always understand how to fully take that in and use it for good . ”
McElreath’s symposiums aim to arm teachers with primary source materials that tell local and state stories . Focusing on local history and the people who
It’s important for students to grasp the ‘why’ behind the ‘what ’
– Jocelyn Roundtree
Other states are more prescriptive about how the Civil War is taught . Standards in eight of the 11 former Confederate states identify slavery as one of several causes of the war, alongside states’ rights, sectionalism, and, in some cases, differences over the role of Congress . A 2023 rewrite of Florida’s social studies standards identifies slavery as one of several causes of the war It also directs middle school teachers to cover “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit ”
Teaching the truth about the Civil War and Reconstruction matters, McElreath said, because so many of the problems that went unresolved in the 1860s and 1870s still plague America today . In the 2021 Elon University poll, nearly two-thirds of respondents said they believe slavery still affects the status of Black Americans either “a great deal” or “a fair amount . ”
To McElreath, images of people carrying a Confederate flag as they stormed the U S Capitol on Jan 6, 2021, are evidence enough of the Civil War era’s ongoing relevance .
“That memory has been used as a cudgel to keep certain people down,” he said “All of the really, really complex
experienced it “is a powerful tool for engaging students and their families,” according to the American Historical Association’s Criteria for Standards in History
“Having more specifics from here makes it easier for the kids to understand,” Savoia said . “When they go out in this city, they can see that something happened right over there, instead of in California or New York or Florida ”
Beyond new tools, the symposiums give educators a forum for talking honestly together about the challenges of teaching painful, politically fraught history “Get comfortable being uncomfortable” is a mantra McElreath repeats throughout the two days That’s something the teachers steeled themselves to do at the close of the event When the college scholars departed, chairs that had faced a lectern were moved into a circle so the educators could speak and listen to one another
“What’s salient to you from the last two days?”
McElreath asked them
“What I want to focus on from this is origins,” said Jocelyn Roundtree, a social studies teacher at Olympic High School in Charlotte . “We spend so much time in the classroom doing and making things without knowing why
we do them It’s important for students to grasp the ‘why’ behind the ‘what . ’”
Harley and Imani Rankin discussed how the Civil War and Reconstruction echo in their own professional and educational histories . Harley was a teacher at Charlotte’s Julius Chambers High School in 2021 when it was renamed from Zebulon Vance High School Vance, a slaveholder, was governor of North Carolina for most of the Civil War . Chambers founded the first integrated law firm in North Carolina in the 1960s and was a longtime civil rights attorney .
“I think of HBCUs,” said Rankin, who graduated from North Carolina A&T, a historically Black university “Something beautiful did come out of Reconstruction . ”
Several of the teachers referenced letters and other primary source documents as tangible ways they’d carry the symposium with them .
“Having these primary sources and documents will give us the courage and the confidence to talk about this with our students,” Harley said .
An Opportunity and an Odyssey
The start of construction on the main building of the N C History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction in mid-2025 will mark the final chapter of a somewhat uncomfortable two-decade effort to bring a Civil War museum to Fayetteville
That odyssey began in the early 2000s, when a group of local museum backers began looking for a way to make the Museum of the Cape Fear, a state-run facility focused on the history of the 20-county region around Fayetteville, more relevant . A consultant suggested the answer was in the ground beneath the existing museum That plot of land, on a hill overlooking downtown Fayetteville, had been home to a federal M that passed through Confederate and Union control during the Civil War Mac Healy, a local businessman who co-chairs the museum’s board of directors, said the group saw possibilities and peril in the idea of expanding the existing museum and refocusing it on the Civil War
“If we got the best minds in the state and told the truth
Mac Healy, chair of the board of the N.C. History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction
with all its blemishes, this would be a world-class center,” he said “That may upset people ”
And it did
Resistance came from City Council members concerned the museum would hallow the Confederate cause, Healy said Members of the council balked at the center’s original name, the North Carolina Civil War History Center Backers eventually changed it to address concerns that the museum would focus too squarely on the Confederate era The name change helped secure $6 6 million from the city
The group also drew complaints from members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans unhappy that the new history center wouldn’t fly the Confederate flag, according to David Winslow, a consultant who helped develop the museum’s concept and raised funds for it (The group didn’t respond to a request for comment )
As Healy, Winslow, and museum co-chair Mary Lynn Bryan worked to address objections and raise money, the task of commemorating Civil War history became far more fraught A wave of protests between 2015 and 2020 led to the removal or renaming of Confederate monuments throughout the South . In North Carolina alone, 23 monuments came down in 2020, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center
Fayetteville felt that upheaval acutely . During a May 2020 protest after the murder of Fayetteville native
George Floyd in Minneapolis, two men set fire to the Market House, a historic downtown building that was a center of trade, including the sale of enslaved people, in the mid-19th century
In 2022, Congress announced that Fort Bragg, the massive U S Army base named for Confederate Gen Braxton Bragg, would be renamed Fort Liberty In February 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the base would once again be named Fort Bragg, this time in honor of Roland L Bragg, a U S Army private who won a Silver Star in World War II
The unrest wound up helping the group secure state funding for the new museum . John Szoka, a Fayetteville Republican who chaired the N C House Finance Committee from 2015 to 2022, said he was disturbed by Floyd’s murder and saw the planned N .C History Center as “something tangible that helps us heal ”
Szoka helped Healy and other museum boosters make their case directly to legislators . When necessary, he also used his power as a longtime finance chair to wrangle colleagues The state allocated $59 6 million to the project in 2021 and another $10 million in subsequent budgets . That money joins the funds from the city, $7 5 million from Cumberland County, and $15 million from private backers
“I had some juice in the legislature,” said Szoka, who retired from the House in 2022 “When I said it was a good
thing, people trusted me ”
For museum organizers, the post-Floyd upheaval “made us more relevant,” Winslow said “It was even more important that we do this and do it right . ”
Doing it right, to the museum’s organizers, means telling a fact-based story that elevates the experiences of enslaved people, women, Black and
Native American soldiers who fought for the Confederacy, and North Carolina Unionists .
“Learning these stories makes us all wiser and more empathetic to the lessons the history can offer to us and, even more importantly, how the knowledge that they offer can help make us more empathetic towards one another,” said Spencer
Crew, former director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, at the June 2022 groundbreaking for the new museum Crew is one of several contributing scholars who’ve helped write the story the history center will tell
The museum’s exhibits will cover an era beginning in 1838 and ending in 1898, when the Wilmington massacre effectively ended an era in which Black people shared political power in North Carolina . When it opens in 2027, the physical facility will include a state-of-theart, 65,000-square-foot museum and several historic buildings that have already been moved to the site Private collectors in 2019 donated a $6 5 million cyclorama painting of the Battle of Gettysburg, but it won’t be on display when the center opens
There will also be a digital educational component that includes more course materials for teachers and stories sourced from all 100 N C counties
And the history center will become part of the network of museums owned and administered by the N C Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, fulfilling a goal Healy set when planning began 20 years ago
“When my kids wanted to study the state of North Carolina, they got on a bus and went to the zoo or something,” he said . “I’m ready for people to get on a bus and come to Fayetteville to learn about the state of North Carolina .”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jimmy Ryals is a writer based in Raleigh A Kinston native, his work has appeared in Slate, several eastern North Carolina newspapers, and little notes in his kids’ lunchboxes . You can see more of his writing at jimmyryalswrites com
Mary Lynn Bryan, vice chair of the board of the N.C. History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction
HEALTH
Providing end-of-life comfor t
Volunteers participating in the Cape Fear Valley Health No One Dies Alone program support patients in their final moments
BY JAMI MCLAUGHLIN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY WOOTEN
TTwo years ago in May, Rachel Thurnher was sitting bedside with her father, George Caley, at his home as he quietly slipped out of this world, surrounded by love, comfort and peace
“It was everything he wanted,” Thurnher said “He had my brother on one side, me on the other and was not in any pain All his wishes were honored, and it was a good death ”
Thurnher said her father was the inspiration for bringing the No One Dies Alone (NODA) program to Cape Fear Valley Health in January 2025 The program brings in volunteers to provide comfort to those dying who have no loved ones or family to be at their bedside during the last moments of their lives
“He started my hometown's hospice program in Virginia and 40 years later became the patient,” Thurnher said of her father, who was the president of the Winchester Medical Center
When he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, Caley was told that he would only have a few months left to live He had time to plan and he was able to have all of his wishes upheld for the end, which sparked the drive for others to have the same, even if they did not have anyone available to be at their side
“Everyone deserves a good death,” Thurnher said
“Everyone deserves dignity, comfort and respect and to have someone there showing compassion ”
“Patients qualify for NODA once a provider orders ‘comfort care‘ for them This means that the hospital will not do anything further to prolong their life and the focus becomes keeping them as comfortable as possible,” according to Thurnher
Comfort care means that the hospital will not do anything further to prolong life, according to Thurnher Feeding tubes are taken out, IV fluids are stopped and her team of volunteers can step in to help the patient pass peacefully
“We are truly just there to be a positive presence,” Thurnher said “We pray, we meditate, we read, we provide a comforting touch, we play music according to their preference We do anything a loved one would normally do ”
Thurnher keeps a comfort cart stocked with fuzzy blankets, flowers, flameless candles, lotion, lip balm, a CD player with Bluetooth to play anything the patients want, cards if they would like to write to loved ones and all sorts of books, both religious and secular
“We try to have it all in that cart and provide whatever the patient would like as we sit vigil, talking softly with them in their final moments,” Thurnher said
Rachel Thurnher, education coordinator for Cardiac Diagnostics and the Cardiovascular Recovery Unit at Cape Fear Valley Health, now also serves as the program coordinator for the hospital system's No One Dies Alone program.
For Thurnher, the education coordinator for Cardiac Diagnostics and the Cardiovascular Recovery Unit and now also the program coordinator for NODA, it is an honor to be with someone at the end of their life to help them achieve what she calls “a good death ”
“I always enjoyed cardiac nursing throughout school and in my professional career,” Thurnher said, “but I also knew after I was with my dad that I wanted to volunteer with end-of-life patients . ”
When she started researching how to help those who might not have support in the area, she found the NODA program and knew it would be a perfect fit for Cape Fear Valley Health
The program was created on the other side of the country, according to a Cape Fear Valley Health press release The Sacred Heart Medical Center in Oregon started the NODA program in 2001, eventually becoming an international program, where volunteers, or “Compassionate Companions,” help ensure every patient has someone by their side in their final moments
“The founder of No One Dies Alone, Sandra Clarke, has
even written a program guide to help other hospitals start their own chapter of NODA,” Thurnher said Thurnher held the first interest meeting with pastoral care and volunteer services departments in May 2024
When the hospital introduced the program in January of this year, over 100 volunteers raised their hands to help within two days of the program’s announcement
She attributes some of the interest in the program to Fort Bragg’s military families who pass through duty stations and learn to help those around them
“As a military spouse in a military town, we take care of each other,” Thurnher said . “If you live here, it’s integrated in what we do We live in a special place ”
Thurnher said she has been blown away by the level of compassion that is being shown by the volunteers .
Shortly after the program launched in January, the team had their first patient The man, on his deathbed, might have been alone without Thurnher and her volunteers who took shifts with him until he ultimately completed his life’s journey
“Our first patient was really special for everyone,”
Cape Fear Valley Health's Clinical Staff Chaplain Melanie Swofford briefs volunteers on addressing cultural, spiritual and religious sensitivity as it relates to patients during the NODA program training.
Thurnher said “He had no family readily nearby so we had someone sit with him the entire time We facilitated a good death without pain . He was clean and comfortable . It was really meaningful for our volunteers ”
She said she was honored and proud that the program was in place for him and that it functioned exactly how she’d hoped
“It's as much of a gift to the volunteer as it is for the patients and their families . It’s really just a win-win-win,” Thurnher said “It’s an opportunity to be with someone at the end It’s an honor It’s uplifting for your soul and your well-being to be present, to face humanity and give this gift to someone ”
She said it is as much of a gift to the volunteer as it is for the patient and their families .
“For questions or to refer a patient in Cape Fear Valley Health to the program, you may call 910-850-8634, which is always answered 24/7,” Thurnher said . “We are always here to help and someone will come ”
Bereavement training for volunteers is on the third Saturday of every month from 8 a .m . to noon at the
Center for Medical Education at 1638 Owen Drive in Fayetteville “Volunteers are given specialized training in compassionate communication, comfort care, death and dying, health care ethics and spiritual care,” Thurnher said She encourages anyone who wants to find out more about the program to attend .
For more information, visit capefearvalley.com/ volunteer-services, email noda@capefearvalley.com or call volunteer services at 910-615-6783. There is also an Amazon Wishlist to help stock the comfort cart or Thurnher says that donations can be made to NODA through the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jami McLaughlin is a freelance writer for CityView She can be reached at jmclaughlin@ cityviewnc com or at 910-391-4870
Thurnher conducts a training for the NODA program at the Center for Medical Education and Neuroscience Institute on Saturday, March 8.
WE REMAIN
BY JAYLIN KREMER
Let me be the first to admit that sometimes life can be overwhelming I know of the pain and the struggle Of course we know it’s not supposed to be easy, but sometimes it’s difficult not to wonder if it’s supposed to be this hard Sometimes nothing seems to come out quite right or go your way, yet you still have to find a way to keep going .
If you’re reading this, you’ve done that at least a few times over You found your way out of the darkest places you’ve been, with no idea how you’d make it out, but somehow you did And you’ll do it again
Generally, life has no shortage of challenges, things that everyone can be susceptible to . Death of a loved one, debilitating poverty, crippling mental or physical illness, devastating accidents, painful divorce, and the list could go on forever . No one is lucky enough to never find themselves lying awake in the middle of the night in a place darker than the room they are lying in
Military life offers its own extenuating circumstances that guarantee some will find themselves on their knees praying to whatever they believe in, and likely, more often than on the civilian side Agonizing isolation due to constantly moving, heartbreaking separation from your spouse, frequent sad goodbyes to people and places that become home, and torturous uncertainty about too many things to name
The uphill battle doesn’t end until we let it, and we’re all doing the best we can to climb it When it feels like you’re always up against the odds, remember these are the things that mold you . These are the things that guide you . As long as you don’t let them defeat you, they will only make you that much stronger
Though they may be invisible, you’ll always have the things you need to survive Faith, love, joy and happiness These are the greatest things that you’ll ever know . You can’t touch them or see them, and sometimes, you can’t always feel them But I assure you, they are always there . Look to your faith, hold high and have hope Even when your strength is gone, as long as you have faith, you will never be weak You feel broken and exhausted because you are fighting for what’s next You are fighting to move mountains to reach your final destination, and we can only hope that stays far away If it were easy, or if we reached our destination too fast, what would it be worth? Know what you’re Know that you will continue to move mountains and that your effort will bring you everything you deserve .
Take a step back when tragedy strikes, your pockets are full of nothing, you’ve had a few too many bad days in a row, and you find yourself feeling like for every door you open, two have been slammed in your face You’re looking too closely This is just where you are right now Take a good look around You are not here for nothing; you have had better days, and you have better days coming
It’s okay to need a little help It’s okay to break down and cry It’s okay to scream and let it all out The most important thing to remember is that you cannot give up . Even when it feels like the hardest thing you’ll ever do, remember, you just have to have faith The sun will shine again, and where the sadness is, you’ll find happiness instead At the end of this pain, you will remain
Jaylin Kremer, is a HomeFront columnist for CityView She can be reached at jaykremer95@gmail com
PHOTOBYBENWHITEON
UNSPLASH
GOOD READS
You’ve got to read this book!
BY DIANE PARFITT
There’s nothing better than a book you can’t put down — or better yet, a book you’ll never forget .
In most of my Good Reads articles, I often select five or six books related to CityView ’s theme for that month’s magazine . There are so many good books out there that it is easy to find books for a particular theme . Once in a while I come across a book that warrants its own article
This month I found that book . Actually, I found it last year at a used book sale and the title grabbed me right away — You’ve GOT to Read This Book!: 55 People Tell the Story of the Book That Changed Their Life by Jack Canfield and Gay Hendricks
Jack Canfield and Gay Hendricks
When I started the book, I opened to the middle and read the essay by Max Edelman, a Holocaust survivor Mr Edelman was a teenager in Poland in the 1930s The book that he felt completely changed his life was Mein Kampf, by Adolf Hitler . Why would a Polish Jew — during the rise of Hitler, no less — find that this book, considered the bible of Nazism and anti-Semitism, would have such a life-changing effect on him?
In fact, he attributes what he learned from this book to saving his life when he was in the concentration camps during World War II It was what he learned about the mindset of the Nazis that taught him how to stay alive during the horrors he experienced
I then went on to read the other essays in the book
Most are only three or four pages long In most cases, it’s not necessarily the book that the writer says changed
their life, but the process they went through in reading the book and thinking about its shared lessons to be learned . We read books at various times in our lives that touch us in different ways . This is most notable when we read a book at a younger age and come back and read it again when we are older Our life experiences affect how a book touches us and what we take away from it .
Some of the essays refer to self-help books Others are about novels such as To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell . Rafe Esquith, a 5thgrade teacher, had read Harper Lee’s book several times before finally deciding his students were ready to read it When he re-read it again, he found that not only was the book about a lawyer defending a case he would not win, but about being a role model . He said that if he really wanted to be a great teacher, he would have to be the person he would want his students to be
When EllyAnne Geisel wrote her essay about Gone With the Wind, she said it had always been her favorite book, but she had never thought about the author, Margaret Mitchell . Then one day, she was intrigued by the bio of Mitchell on the jacket cover of the book Geisel proceeded to look her up in an old set of encyclopedias and found that Mitchell had much the same tenacity and drive that Scarlett demonstrated in GWTW When Mitchell broke her
ankle, her husband would bring her piles of library books to read during her convalescence . Finally, he brought her a typewriter and said if she wanted more to read, she would have to write it herself . That story inspired Geisel to seriously begin her own writing and become a published author
This book inspired me not only to consider what book was most lifechanging for me, but also to share it with others . Not just this book, but the experience of discovery and inspiration Because I belong to five book clubs, this was a great opportunity for members to read a great book, think about what book they felt changed their lives, and share that with others This could even result in great lists of books for the clubs to read
So, I suggested to each book club that after reading and discussing the book, they each should take a few minutes to talk about the book they felt changed their life It was also suggested that they pick one of the essays in You’ve GOT to Read This Book! and tell us about that So far, all my groups have agreed enthusiastically, and when the first book club discussed it, we had an incredible experience Some recalled books from elementary school and even had their original copy of the book Another member talked about a poetry book that his teacher introduced to him, starting him on the path to becoming a college English professor .
Books can touch us in so many ways You’ve GOT to Read This Book! can get us thinking about a book that inspired us to become who we are today
Diane Parfitt owns City Center Gallery & Books in downtown Fayetteville She can be reached at citycentergallerybooks@gmail com .
Registration open for a wide variety of short classes for rising 1st-12th graders. Classes start each week from June through early August. Classes include but not limited to the following:
• Animation
• Billiards
• Culinary Arts
• Drawing & Painting
• Gardening & Outdoor Fun
• Intro to HVAC Systems
• Math
• Music & Drama
• Needlecraft & Sewing
• Piano
• Pickleball
• Reading
• Recreation
• Self-Enrichment
• Technology
CORPORATE & CONTINUING EDUCATION
Register online or in person at the Neill A. Currie Building at 218 Hull Road.
Jenna Grace, Miss Fayetteville's Teen 2024, and Janae Johnson, Miss Fayetteville 2024, attend Ladies' Night Out at the Carolina Barn on April 18, 2024.
Photo by Tony Wooten
THE TO-DO LIST
Here are just some of the things happening in and around Fayetteville this month. Scan the code with your phone for more events, additional information and to post your event on our website. Events are subject to change. Check before attending.
March 27–April 13
Steel Magnolias
Cape Fear Regional Theatre
1707 Owen Drive cfrt org
April 10
CityView Media’s 5th Annual Ladies’ Night Out
Carolina Barn at McCormick Farms 7765 McCormick Bridge Road, Spring Lake cityviewnc .com
April 11–12
82nd Museum Easter Egg Hunt
82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum
5108 Ardennes St , Building C-6841 distinctlyfayettevillenc com
April 11–13
The All-American Tattoo Convention
Crown Expo Center
Crown Complex
1960 Coliseum Drive allamericantattooconvention com
April 12
Dog Day in the Garden 2025
Cape Fear Botanical Garden
536 N Eastern Blvd capefearbg org
April 12
Earth Day is Every Day Festival
Festival Park
335 Ray Ave . sustainablesandhills org
April 12
The Dirtbag Vintage Market
Dirtbag Ales Brewery and Taproom 5435 Corporation Drive distinctlyfayettevillenc com
April 13
We Run For Autism 5K Jordan Soccer Complex 445 Treetop Drive runsignup com
April 15
Berry Best Practices for Home Blackberries
N .C Cooperative Extension
301 E Mountain Drive cumberland ces ncsu edu
April 17
Lake Rim Morning Kayak Tour
Lake Rim 2214 Tar Kiln Drive fayettevillenc .gov
April 23
Denim Day Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations
Cape Fear Botanical Garden 536 N Eastern Blvd eventcreate com
Festival Park and downtown Fayetteville thedogwoodfestival .com
April 26
2 Chainz Live in Concert
Crown Theatre
Crown Complex
1960 Coliseum Drive crowncomplexnc com
April 26
Beethoven V
Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra
Seabrook Auditorium at Fayetteville State University
1200 Murchison Road fayettevillesymphony org
OUT PRESENTS CITYVIEW MAGAZINE’S
NIGHT
THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 4 TO 9 PM • THE CAROLINA BARN
Get your tickets and join us as Cape Fear Valley Health presents CITYVIEW MEDIA’S FIFTH ANNUAL LADIES NIGHT!
An evening of shopping, eating, drinking, dancing and entertainment at the Carolina Barn at McCormick Farms.
Join us as Cape Fear Valley Health presents CityView Media’s fourth annual Ladies Night Out April 10 at the Carolina Barn at McCormick Farms. You and your besties are invited for a fun evening of food, wine and entertainment. We’ll have vendors for shopping, music, a silent auction and demonstrations.
YOUR $40 TICKET INCLUDES:
• Entry into the event
• Food samplings from local eateries
• Two drink tickets
• One raffle ticket into our prize drawing
2025 SCHEDULE
SEEN @ THE SCENE
Haymount Truck Stop’s 1st Annual BBQ Competition
Haymount Truck Stop held its first annual BBQ Competition on March 22 with musical performance by Dear MariBella and the Pigkickers . Vicious Pig BBQ, Smokin’ Dreams BBQ, Bac 2 Mac and Dad Bod Dishes competed, with Vicious Pig BBQ winning first place, Bac 2 Mac coming in at No 2 and Smokin’ Dreams BBQ at No 3 Dad Bod Dishes won the “best pulled pork” award Photography by Oriana Evans .
Want CityView at your event for Seen @ the Scene? Email us at cmalson@cityviewnc.com.
Dear MariBella and the Pigkickers: Chris Trakimowicz, AnnMari Trakimowicz, Pete Trakimowicz and Isabella Trakimowicz
Ashley Bowen and Keith Bowen
Trina Jones and Kim Medley
Daniel Culliton, Bruno and Maggie Culliton x
Evan Woollis
Vicious Pig, Dad Bod Dishes, Smokin' Dreams BBQ and Back 2 Mac
“Everything looks better on me now.”
After the birth of her children, Michelle Runyan started to think about a tummy tuck. She didn’t like what four pregnancies had done to her body, and she was ready to do something about it.
She found Cape Fear Valley Plastic Surgery, and “right away, felt completely at ease.” Runyan left her consultation with a plan for three procedures: the tummy tuck, a bit of liposuction and a repair to some abdominal muscles that had separated during her pregnancies.
Now fully healed, Runyan still makes the drive from Anson County to Dr. Nordberg’s office for aesthetic procedures, such as Botox and lip fillers. Aesthetic services performed in the office are less invasive and offer more immediate gratification.
