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Cover illustration by Nicole Pajor Moore
Fayetteville State University's Bronco statue
U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum and Iron Mike statue
Orange Street School
Prince Charles Hotel
Fayetteville History Museum
Market House
First Presbyterian Church
Cape Fear Botanical Garden
Cumberland County Historic Courthouse
J. Cole mural
Native American powwow drum
Find your way in Fay
BY VALERIA CLOËS, MAGAZINE EDITOR & LEAD COPY EDITOR
For its fifth straight year, CityView is helping you find your way in Fayetteville thanks to our annual DestinationFAY magazine. This ultimate guide to the Greater Fayetteville area and Cumberland County brings you the newest restaurants, shops, festivals, recreation activities and so much more to explore.
We’ve highlighted some local landmarks and businesses on the cover: Fayetteville State University’s Bronco statue; the Orange Street School; the U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum and its Iron Mike statue; Segra Stadium; the Prince Charles Hotel; the new Sol’s Arcade + Taproom; the Fayetteville History Museum; the Market House; the J. Cole mural; First Presbyterian Church on Ann Street; the Cumberland County Historic Courthouse; Cape Fear Botanical Garden; and a Native American powwow drum pointing you in the direction of the Third Annual Cumberland County Culture Class Powwow.
And this year, we’ve got three original stories: The first walks you through the highly anticipated Sol’s Arcade + Taproom, which is finally set to open this summer across the street from Segra Stadium. The next celebrates the Third Annual Cumberland County Culture Class Powwow, which took place on May 3 on grounds adjacent to the Cumberland County Association for Indian People. The last introduces you to a variety of pet resources in the area, from a mobile groomer to day cares, a pet bakery and more.
And we don’t stop there. We’ve updated our shopping, dining, arts and entertainment, festival, recreation and sports directories so you have the most up-to-date intel. Start filling your calendar with all the exciting events and new places to explore.
This guide is also your one-stop-shop for all things schools: public, private, charter and higher education. And don’t forget our impressive public libraries, health systems and places of worship for all things mind, body and spirit.
One of the biggest updates of the year is North Carolina’s largest military installation by population returning to its original name, Fort Bragg. The name now honors a World War II veteran, Army Pfc. Roland L. Bragg. Learn some fast facts about the base since its renaming in this guide.
We also help you navigate local
government. We break down the statistics and facts of Cumberland County and Fayetteville, and introduce you to the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, the Fayetteville City Council and the Cumberland County Board of Education.
Whether you’re an area native, a military service member, a family member who moved here for a permanent change of station or here just for a day, we’ve got you covered.
Find your way in Fay within these pages.
Thank you for reading!
View of the 100 block of Hay Street in downtown Fayetteville. Photo by Tony Wooten
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DestinationFAY is published annually by CityView Media, LLC.
No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission.
Publication of an advertisement in DestinationFAY does not constitute an endorsement of the product or service by CityView or CityView Media, LLC.
Antonella's Italian Ristorante on Hay Street
The Urban Dog has specialized in dog day care and boarding since 2010. Photo by Robyn Royal Pitt
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New year, new spots 2025 welcomes new local retail shops
BY JAMI MCLAUGHLIN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHARILYN WELLS
Embracing the spirit of new adventures and connections can be as easy as exploring fresh dining options, supporting small businesses, and improving yourself — all in your backyard.
With new hot pot and fusion restaurants and large-scale renovations of Fayetteville favorites (skip to page 14 for both), and vintage and consignment shops, you can find new adventures without leaving town.
NEW RETAIL OPTIONS
Shopping at small businesses helps support the backbone of our economy, preserves the local character of the community and shows appreciation for our entrepreneurs, according to Forbes magazine.
When Michelle Clark and her fiancé Jamil Rashad opened Westdale Vintage in October, it became a homage to their love for vintage clothing and to Michelle’s father who encouraged her to take chances.
Michelle was also excited to be a part of the Haymount retail and restaurant renaissance that she sees as inspiring.
“Haymount is also going through a big revival of retail,” Michelle said, “and we wanted to be a part of it to share our love of vintage with the community.”
Originally from Fayetteville, Michelle traveled all over the country working in television production before moving back from Raleigh a couple of years ago to care for her dad after he was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy and began to develop issues with balance and speech. The rare neurodegenerative disorder damages certain areas of the brain and progresses more rapidly than Parkinson’s Disease, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
She said while living in Raleigh, there were avenues to find vintage clothing in local shops, but when they moved to Fayetteville, she realized there were not the same options.
“I started to source my own clothing and Jamil started to joke I was becoming a hoarder,” Michelle said. “He has retail experience so we started talking about it.”
When her father passed away, the opportunity presented itself with a vacant storefront. Two weeks later, Michelle said, they signed a lease and were owners of a new shop.
“One thing my dad said in his last days was there were a lot of things he did not do in his life because he was scared,” Michelle said. “That’s one of the reasons we opened the store. It’s a tribute to him. You’ll see my family all over this store.”
Westdale Vintage is located at 1225 Fort Bragg Road in Fayetteville.
Another new Haymount retail shop is Taylor Lawrence Bridal, an upscale bridal salon with a full shopping
Westdale Vintage is owned by Michelle Clark and Jamil Rashad, far right.
experience.
Husband and wife team Lawrence and Taylor England said that they started with Taylor’s jewelry line. When she started collaborating with bridal shops, they realized there was a need in the area.
“Everyone drives to Raleigh or Charlotte and almost as soon as we started talking, Taylor drove by the building for sale,” Lawrence said.
The pair opened the store in November after spending almost a month doing the entire renovation themselves. They kept the hardwood floors and created a space where brides and their support systems would feel comfortable and beautiful, according to Lawrence.
“It’s more than just a dress try-on, it’s a full experience,” Lawrence said. “We have a wine and champagne bar, a giant reveal curtain with a pedestal, and high vaulted ceilings. It’s truly a catered service.”
Taylor Lawrence Bridal also offers options for groomsmen and bridesmaids with an AI-generated customization system and private event space.
Taylor Lawrence Bridal is located at 1007 Arsenal Ave. in Fayetteville.
Stoke Outfitters, a new Haymount shop, aims to provide outdoor adventurers with the gear they need to hike, climb, or paddle on their next excursion.
Jesse and Jhovanna “Jo” Therrien will offer outdoor gear and apparel — resale and consignment — with quality brands including The North Face, Patagonia, and Big Agnes.
“We are both outdoors people and this is going to be a landing spot to help facilitate their outdoor experience,” Jesse said.
He studied outdoor education before joining the U.S. Army, and his wife Jo is the founder of the Running Wild Collective, a local running group. They hope his military friends, Scouting families, and people who love to camp, come to check out their inventory.
“There is an accessibility piece to this as well,” Jesse said. “We are going to be able to put, in their hands, things that they might not be able to get elsewhere.”
Stoke Outfitters is located at 116 Broadfoot Ave. in Fayetteville.
shopping DESTINATIONS
SPECIALTY SHOPS
Bell’s Seed Store: Seasonal plants, lawn care essentials. 230 E. Russell St., Fayetteville. 910-483-8400. bellsseedstore.com
Betty Kelly’s Gift Shop: Home decor, invitations and gifts, including scented candles, jewelry and women’s clothing. Carries McKenzie-Childs, Vietri and Julie Vos lines.1228 Fort Bragg Road, Fayetteville. 910-484-4044. bettykellygifts.com
A Bit of Carolina: Gift shop with North Carolina-made and -themed goods, and specializes in custom gift baskets. 306 Hay St., Fayetteville. 910-551-6537. abitofcarolina.com
Blue Bike Antiques and Gifts: Home to local vendors offering antique and vintage items, furniture and collectibles. 2608 Raeford Road, Fayetteville. 910-920-2146.
Cursive: Cottage shabby home furnishings, vintage finds, jewelry, greeting cards, home fragrances, handbags and totes, decorations, and gifts. 223 Franklin St., Fayetteville. 910-482-0005. shopcursive.com
Fleishman’s Tiny Town: Children’s clothing, shoes and toys, baby registry, and children’s furniture. Highland Center shopping center, 2800 Raeford Road, Fayetteville. 910-323-1991. visittinytown.com
Greg’s Pottery: Paint-your-own pottery studio, art gallery and gift shop. 122 Maxwell St., Fayetteville. 910-483-8355.
John Allen Shoes: Family-owned store sells shoes for all ages. 214 Owen Drive, Fayetteville. 910-484-3161. johnallenshoes. com
Leclair’s General Store: Coffee, wine, craft beer, specialty groceries, vintage decor, antiques, fine art and prints, jewelry, and local goods. 1212 Fort Bragg Road, Fayetteville. 910-491-1060. leclairsgeneralstore.com
Lisa’s Custom Framing: Besides framing nearly anything, owner Robin Huske Kelly offers a gallery of work by local artists and gifts. 1226 Fort Bragg Road, Fayetteville. 910-484-3585. lisascustomframing.com
The Pilgrim: Gift shop offers Vera Bradley, Cat Studio and Radko ornaments, Byers Choice Figurines, jewelry, and scented candles. 160 Westwood Shopping Center, Fayetteville. 910-867-9750.
Reverie Goods & Gifts: Independent gift shop where founder Meghan Reed offers her own jewelry line, Square Peg Meg, along with accessories, art and bags. 101 Hay St., Fayetteville. reveriegoodsandgifts.com
Stevies on Hay: Boutique shop with candles, coffee and eclectic gifts. 318 Hay St., Fayetteville. 910-229-2577.
Stoke Outfitters: Outdoors and adventure gear and clothing. 116 Broadfoot Ave., Fayetteville. 910-241-4879. stokeoutfitters. wordpress.com
Turner Lane: Novelty gifts, organic handmade soaps and bath products, artisan foods and beverages, custom gift baskets, and muscadine slushies. 242-A Hay St., Fayetteville. 910-818-2157.
Greg's Pottery is located at 122 Maxwell St. Photo by Tony Wooten
CLOTHING BOUTIQUES
An Affair to Remember: Bridal, prom, pageant and formalwear clothing. 5407 Ramsey St., Fayetteville. 910-486-5323. aatrnc.com
Epiphany Boutique: Women’s clothing and jewelry. 3710 Morganton Road, Suite 108, Fayetteville. 910-323-5591. epiphanyboutique.com
Fabulous Finds Boutique: Trendy, affordable styles, jewelry, dresses and shoes. 310 Hay St., Fayetteville. 910-483-0733. fabfindsboutique.com
Monkee’s of Fayetteville: Boutique designer fashions, shoes, jewelry and gift items. 322 Glensford Drive, Suite 106, Fayetteville. 910-867-6001. monkeesoffayetteville.com
Taylor Lawrence Bridal: Upscale bridal boutique offering dresses and tuxedos. 1007 Arsenal Ave., Fayetteville. 910-568-9470. taylorlawrencebridal.com
Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming: 1216 Fort Bragg Road, Fayetteville. 910-860-1200. woofgangbakery.com
Aqua-Rama Pet Center: 4929 Bragg Blvd., Fayetteville. 910-868-3482.
Luv My K9s: Pet salon. 2629 Raeford Road, Fayetteville. 910-425-3558.
Naturally Unleashed Pet Nutrition Center: Three locations. Boone Trail shopping center, 3035-C Boone Trail Extension, Fayetteville, 910-486-4636. Glensford shopping center, 330 Glensford Drive, Fayetteville, 910-8681556. Traemoor Village shopping center, 3010 Traemoor Village Drive, Fayetteville. 910-868-8200. naturallyunleashed.com
Lisa’s Custom Framing is well known for its creative designs, superior craftsmanship, excellent customer service, competitive pricing, and quick turnaround.
The staff is experienced and skilled in all types of framing, including shadowboxes, needlework, awards, uniforms and more.
• 1226 Ft. Bragg Road • www.lisascustomframing.com
The Urban Dog: Dog day care, boarding and more. 216 Meed Court, Fayetteville. 910-822-3647. urbandognc.com
The Fayetteville Pet Resort: Play areas, suites for boarding and more. 2110 Strickland Bridge Road, Fayetteville. 910426-3400. thefayettevillepetresort.com
Bed and Biscuits: Day and overnight stays. 2401 Stonegate Road, Stedman. 910-484-0300. bedandbiscuitscamp.com
SHOPPING CENTERS
Bordeaux Center: Known for its replica of the Eiffel Tower. Medical professional businesses and retail, including a Carlie C’s IGA grocery and restaurants. Owen Drive at Village Drive, Fayetteville. 910-323-0063. bordeaux center.com
Cross Creek Mall: More than 100 retail and dining options, including a food court. 419 Cross Creek Mall, corner of Skibo Road and Morganton Road, Fayetteville. 910-868-7668. crosscreekmall.com
Cross Pointe Center: T.J. Maxx, Ashley HomeStore, GameStop, Shoe Carnival, Ulta Beauty, Nona Sushi, Cold Stone Creamery, and more. 5075 Morganton Road, Fayetteville.
Eutaw Village: Over 40 businesses, including Round-a-Bout Skating Center, The Day Spa Rejuvenation Center, Carlie C’s IGA grocery store, Carolyn’s Hallmark Shop and Dollar Tree. Adjacent Eutaw Village North has an N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles office. 2620 Bragg Blvd., Fayetteville. Fayetteville Pavilion: Stores include Food Lion, PetSmart, Marshalls, Michaels and Rack Room Shoes. 2061 Skibo Road, Fayetteville.
Freedom Town Center: 50 acres of stores and restaurants, including Dick’s House of Sport, HomeGoods, Hobby Lobby and First Watch restaurant. 2271 Freedom Parkway, Fayetteville.
Marketfair Shopping Center: Movie theater, Planet Fitness, Lidl food store, Rocket Fizz soda pop and candy store, and more. 1916 Skibo Road, Fayetteville.
Tallywood Shopping Center: Known for its landmark, multi-story parabolic cone out front. Publix supermarket, Mi Casita Mexican Restaurant, Crumbl cookies and desserts. 3114 Raeford Road, Fayetteville.
Westwood Shopping Center: Food Lion supermarket, Sky Zone Trampoline Park, The UPS Store, Roses discount store, the county’s largest ABC store and others. Corner of Morganton Road and South McPherson Church Road, Fayetteville.
FRESH PRODUCE AND OUTDOOR MARKETS
City Market at the Museum: Vendors offer produce in the parking lot of the Fayetteville History Museum. 325 Franklin St., Fayetteville. Second and fourth Saturday mornings of the month. 910-433-1457.
Dirtbag Ales: Brewery with a Sunday farmers market. Locally grown produce, food trucks, live music, local vendors and adult beverages. 5435 Corporation Drive, Hope Mills. 910-426-2537. dirtbagales.com
Gillis Hill Road Produce: Ninth-generation, family-owned farm. 2899 Gillis Hill Road, Fayetteville. 910-308-9342. gillishillfarm.com
Pate’s Farm Market: Fresh produce, a butcher shop, bakery and a hot bar serving Southern favorites. Adjacent is a nursery with flowers, shrubs, vegetable and spice plants, trees, and lawn decor. 6411 Raeford Road, Fayetteville. 910-426-1575. patesfarmmarket.com
SPECIALTY FOOD STORES
Apple Crate Naturals: Organic, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, whole-grain, allergysensitive foods and teas, along with supplements and natural soaps. Bulk section offers trail mixes, dried fruits, grains and herbs. 3983 Sycamore Dairy Road, Fayetteville. 910-426-7777. applecratenaturals.com
Compare Foods: Independently-owned supermarket with fresh produce, meats, beer and wine, and international products not found in other stores. 155 Bonanza Drive, Fayetteville. 910-826-9820. compare foodsnc.com
The Fresh Market: Fresh produce, meats and seafood are featured, as well as a specialty cheese section, bakery, wine and beer, and ready-to-go meals. 230 Glensford Drive, Fayetteville. 910-867-2588. Website for the chain: thefreshmarket.com
Indian Food and Spices: Shop for fresh vegetables, spices, local specialty meats, sweets and toiletries. 2417 Hope Mills Road, Fayetteville. 910-229-2263.
Mediterranean Mart and Indian Foods: You’ll find Indian spices, pita bread, Greek and Turkish coffees and teas, and hard-to-find items. 5924 Cliffdale Road, Suite 104, Fayetteville. 910-864-1646. mediterraneanfoodmart.com
Pan’s Thai & Asian Market: Fresh produce and hard-to-find sauces and spices. 805 Hope Mills Road, Fayetteville. 910-424-6909.
Sprouts Farmers Market: Fresh, natural and organic foods, including fruits and vegetables, as well as a full-service deli and meat and seafood counters. Freedom Town Center, Fayetteville. 910-748-5985. sprouts.com
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A view of the 300 block of Hay Street. Photo by Tony Wooten
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DINING
Sol’s Arcade + Taproom: Set to open, finally, summer 2025
Owner Cameron Carlotti didn’t let problem after problem keep him down
BY PAUL WOOLVERTON
Four NBA Hoops game cabinets arrived at Sol’s Arcade + Taproom in downtown Fayetteville at the end of April, around 10 months later than planned.
Nearby, a partly finished wall waited for plumbing and equipment to be installed between the metal studs for self-serve beer taps. Also around 10 months behind schedule.
Across the room, another attraction, a shooting range simulator with two wallsized screens was finished. One screen played a cartoon pirate game play, while another flashed animated targets. Patrons will use modified but real 9 mm pistols to “shoot” the pirates and targets.
Sol’s owner Cameron Carlotti plans to have customers sipping beers, rolling skeeballs, playing air hockey, shooting hoops, pirates and targets, and playing other arcade games in Fayetteville’s newest arcade bar in July.
He had aimed to open in August 2024. And August 2024 was later than he had originally planned. In September 2023, Carlotti told The Fayetteville Observer he hoped to be open in February 2024.
“So it’s just been one battle or barrier after another,” Carlotti told CityView in April. “That just makes the finish line that much sweeter.”
Sol’s (rhymes with souls) is at 421 Maiden Lane, across from Segra Stadium
in the former Advanced Internet Technologies building. Carlotti named his bar arcade after the dog that he and his wife, Morghan, adopted. Sol’s face is now on a large outdoor mural.
The business was born out of adversity. And adversity has bedeviled it since its inception.
ENTREPRENEUR TO SOLDIER TO ENTREPRENEUR
Five years ago Carlotti operated a fitness gym and was a personal trainer and nutritionist in Eureka, California, he said.
Then, he said, he “got the military itch” and joined the Army to become an engineer in the Special Forces.
His military career was cut short in a training accident at Fort Bragg in April 2022. A Humvee Carlotti was riding in went out of control and rolled over. One soldier was killed. Three others, including Carlotti, were hurt.
“I had a torn shoulder, torn calf, slipped disc in my back. I fractured my spine. I had a traumatic brain injury,” he said. The wreck also gave him PTSD, he said, that surfaced with a panic attack months later in another Humvee.
“I just couldn’t hang it. I thought I was good. Wasn’t good,” Carlotti said. The Army put him in PTSD therapy, but “ultimately they ended up deciding the best decision was to medically retire me.”
Sol's Arcade + Taproom. Photo by Kaylynn Suarez for Sol’s Arcade + Taproom
As Carlotti transitioned back to the civilian world, he and Morghan decided to stay in Fayetteville.
“So I was like, ‘I’ve got no interest to go anywhere. She likes her job. We just bought a house.’ I was like, ‘Well, I want to open another business,’” he said.
He looked around the community and looked at demographic data, he said. He concluded the Fayetteville area needs more entertainment options for young people. In August of 2023, he and a silent partner formed Sol’s Barkade LLC, which will do business as Sol’s Arcade + Taproom.
Sol’s will be a family-oriented entertainment and events venue by day, and cater to adult clientele by night, Carlotti said. Food trucks will provide the food. And Sol’s will be dog friendly, day and night.
Opening Sol’s has proven far more difficult and expensive than Carlotti expected.
DELAY AND DELAY AGAIN
An early hurdle was access to the space Carlotti intended to lease in the former AIT building. He signed a lease in January 2024, he said, but the previous tenant, Advanced Internet Technologies, was not able to vacate as quickly as it planned. (AIT still occupies part of the building.)
AIT finished its move in May 2024, Carlotti said, and he thought he could open in August.
More headwinds emerged. The city office that assesses whether construction projects comply with Fayetteville’s building, design and safety codes repeatedly rejected the design and engineering plans submitted by Carlotti’s engineering and architectural consultant.
“They gave me 13 pages of violations,” he said.
The engineering firm took the list, made revisions and resubmitted the plans. They were rejected again, Carlotti said.
This cycle repeated six times from May 2024 to early 2025, he said.
Every day of delay added to Sol’s expenses, which Carlotti estimated have reached nearly $500,000 as of late April. And every day of delay was a day of lost potential revenue, which he projects to be $120,000 per month.
At the sixth cycle, a new problem surfaced: The engineering and architectural consultant that had been
designing and revising the plans went out of business. In January, Carlotti was scrambling to find a replacement.
By this point, the list of problems with the arcade bar’s plans had been knocked down from 13 pages to two items, and a new engineer, Chris Locklear, quickly resolved them to the city’s satisfaction, Carlotti said.
Since then, the mural of Sol has been painted, the signage installed, the games brought in and the remodeling continued. Carlotti hopes to open in early July.
He said he has been working 50 to 60 hours a week, and hasn’t had a paycheck in two years. “So the grind of an
entrepreneur,” he said.
Other business owners have told Carlotti, “I wouldn’t take on an ordeal like this,” he said.
His answer: “I’m gonna die anyway, man. I might as well make something of my life that I can while I can.
“If it fails and it goes bankrupt? Okay, I fall, I get back up, I make it work. I fall, I get back up, I make it work,” he said. “Like, why are you here, you know, if you’re not going to make the best of it that you can?”
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.
Cameron Carlotti and his dog, Sol — the namesake of Carlotti's business — at Sol's Arcade + Taproom. Photo by Kaylynn Suarez for Sol’s Arcade + Taproom
NEW DINING OPTIONS
New restaurant flavors
If you are looking to explore fresh dining options and new culinary horizons in the new year, there are several new spots.
BY JAMI MCLAUGHLIN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHARILYN WELLS
Two Korean barbecue and hot pot restaurants opened across the street from each other in the Cross Creek Mall area. Although their menus are similar, there are some differences.
Gangnam Korean BBQ and Hotpot at 1800 Skibo Road in Fayetteville is buffet-based, where the hot pot and sushi are included. You can fill a plate with different seafood or meats, vegetables and
noodles to cook in either a hot pot filled with a soup base of your choice or on a tableside grill.
KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot, located at 419 Cross Creek Mall in Fayetteville, is also a hands-on place, where you cook your own food at the table. You order at the table and small dishes are brought out to you. The hot pot is a separate expense so you can choose to do one or the other — or both.
Above, Gangnam Korean BBQ and Hotpot is located at 1800 Skibo Road. Below right, meat and vegetables can be cooked on a tableside grill at the restaurant.
Dank Burrito is a new quick-service restaurant, specializing in burritos, which opened in April 2025. The slang word “dank,” according to Cambridge Dictionary, means something is good, and in this case refers to the fresh flavors the menu serves, which are the “best of the best,” according to franchise owners Josh and Brittany Allen.
“Our burritos, tacos, salads, and bowls are made from a scratch-made kitchen,” Brittany said. “It’s fusion flavors in a burrito vessel. We make our own spice blends, slaws, salsas, and sauces. It’s all made in-house.”
Josh added that the food is curated by a chef.
“You can’t get any fresher than a kitchen making their own sauces,” Josh said. “We cut jalapeños every day, roasting meats for hours. We don’t freeze anything.”
Dank Burrito is located at 5508 Raeford Road.
New food trucks worth mentioning are Ty’s Uptown Grill with New York and New Jersey cheeseburger, hotdog and sandwich options, and Red, White and Blue BBQ run by Army veteran ArRee Bateman with amazing brisket, pulled pork, ribs, pork chops and even lamb. Both trucks move around, but Haymount Truck Stop is a regular stop for each of them.
LOCAL FAVORITES GET RENOVATED
Mi Casita, a Fayetteville favorite Mexican restaurant opened a new, larger space on Raeford Road next to their current location where they have been for 35 years.
From their first restaurant in Tallywood Shopping Center at 3122 Raeford Road, Juan Macias and his family now have ten restaurants in Cumberland County and seven more in surrounding counties.
“God works in great ways,” Juan said. “We are running out of the lease where we have been since we started this location, our first, and we were blessed to have the land.”
Juan in December said the new restaurant space will be able to serve 280 customers along with a full bar — which
will be expanded — and new menu options, although he said he will be careful to keep current favorites. The new space will also host a private room with a 100-person capacity for special events.
“We are looking forward to more years in Fayetteville,” Juan said. “This is home, where we have raised our families and we have appreciated all of the great, great support from our community.”
Down the street at 1105 Highland Country Club Drive, Highland Country
Club is also debuting its own set of renovations for members, including a complete refresh of the inside space, according to Club House Manager Cami Blackwelder.
“We are also adding a covered outside patio in addition to new furniture, paint, fixtures and carpet on the inside,” Cami said.
Highland Country Club is a private member club with events, golf, and tennis.
Gangnam Korean BBQ and Hotpot offers seafood on its all-you-can-eat buffet.
DINING DESTINATIONS
From traditional American fare to Asian cuisine and more, Fayetteville has something for everyone’s taste.
BY TERI SAYLOR
Known as one of the country’s most culturally diverse cities, Fayetteville serves up a melting pot of cultural delights from a variety of restaurants, cafes, coffee shops and food trucks. If your sweet tooth needs satisfaction, or you have a hankering for a savory meal, you can find all that and more right here.
Here are a few favorites:
BURGERS & ‘DOGS
A few years ago, the longtime popular food truck, R Burger added R Kitchen, a brickand-mortar restaurant near downtown Fayetteville. The mushroom and Swiss burger on a toasted white bun with a side of crispy fries is a top pick.
Archway Burgers, Dogs and Beer in downtown Fayetteville lets customers build their own meals. Look for the little white order pads and pencils up front and check off
your favorite condiments and toppings of all kinds — even fried green tomatoes and beer onions. Grab a craft beer and take a seat at one of the tables on the sidewalk or under the brick arch, a prime spot for people-watching.
Hot Diggidy Dog on Roxie Avenue serves hot dogs so delicious you’ll jump for joy, as the name implies. The restaurant also makes melt-in-your-mouth Carolina-style burgers complete with mustard, chili, slaw and onions. The strawberry shakes are the real deal.
PIZZA, PIZZA!
Elizabeth’s Pizza on Hope Mills Road is known for its consistency and friendly service, which keeps hungry customers coming back not just for its pizza, but also the authentic pasta dishes and salads.
Chef and Pizzaiolo Nadia Minniti, owner of Gusto Napoletano Italian Restaurant
Giuliano Giannone, a staff member and brother of the owner of Antonella's Italian Ristorante, discusses Alex and Devyn Hartman's evening after their main course. Photo by Tony Wooten
and Pizzeria on Raeford Road, was named one of 10 U.S. Women in Pizza to Watch in 2024 by PMQ Pizza magazine. A certified VPN pizzaiolo (Vera Pizza Napoletana or true Neapolitan pizza maker), she opened Gusto Napoletano in 2019.
If you measure the quality of a pizza by its crust, you can’t go wrong at Little Italy Pizzeria and Restaurant near Cape Fear Valley Medical Center and Brooklyn Pizzeria on Ramsey Street where the crusts are neither too thick nor too thin and the toppings are perfectly fresh.
A TASTE OF THE WORLD
Fayetteville’s international food scene takes you around the globe, bite by bite.
For soul-soothing pho, you can’t go wrong at Vietnam Kitchen in Westwood Shopping Center. Pile on fresh cilantro, basil, sprouts and jalapeno, and make your tastebuds happy.
For Chinese takeout, the place to go is Hong Kong Kitchen, also in Westwood Shopping Center. Garden-fresh ingredients and generous portions turn one meal into two — or more. And you can’t beat those steamed dumplings.
If sushi is what you’re craving, be sure to visit Nona Sushi Asia on Ramsey Street. The lobster and dragon rolls are the stuff of dreams. Hibachi dishes are also featured. The modern dining room is beautifully lit, setting the scene for making romantic memories.
Taste of West Africa on Person Street serves up healthy homestyle cuisine in a casual environment. The dishes have been described as bold, exciting and cooked with love.
From small plates to full meals, Agora Mediterranean Restaurant on Person Street is a delicious and nutritious choice. Menu items like hummus, baba ghanoush, falafel and kabobs are satisfying and flavorful.
For Indian food, a perennial favorite is Bombay Bistro, located in Cliffdale Square. Chef Kelly Kishan is known for working his magic on legumes and vegetables, prepared to perfection in aromatic sauces, herbs and spices. The vegetarian saag tofu and curries are splendid, as are the tender tandoori chicken and korma dishes. And if you like it hot, go with the vindaloo.
VEGAN BITES
Vibe Gastropub is downtown Fayetteville’s go-to destination for creative vegan delights served in sophisticated boho surroundings. Ambery Edge, the owner and chef, also operates Authentique Cafe, a popular food truck.
The Vegan Spot offers a variety of vegan meals, including classic American dishes such as burgers, fries, pizza and even a meatless meatball sub. The restaurant opened in January 2024 at Murchison Marketplace.
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Haymount Truck Stop is located at 100 Broadfoot Ave. Photo by Tony Wooten
FAMOUS “Q”
Southern Coals on Raeford Road serves up some of the most authentic eastern-style pork barbecue, beef brisket and burnt ends in the state.
You’ll also dig the Q at the stalwart Barbeque Hut, which has been serving up its famous crispy fried chicken wings, slaw and hushpuppies since 1965. No barbecue dinner is complete without a proper glass of sweet tea to wash it all down. Visit one — or both — of the restaurant’s two locations on Fort Bragg Road and Owen Drive.
MEXICAN FOOD
At El Cazador Mexican Restaurant, owner/ chef Agustin Alvarez offers all your Mexican favorites, from overstuffed beef burritos to shrimp, chicken and steak fajitas, to tacos, quesadillas and tamales. And while you’re there, don’t miss out on the great guacamole and margaritas. Distance is no reason to miss a meal at El Cazador. The restaurant has three convenient locations: Skibo Road, Gillespie Street and Good Middling Drive in western Cumberland County.
DATE NIGHT & SPECIAL OCCASIONS
Fayetteville is home to steak and seafood restaurants that are perfect dining choices for special occasions or when you want to treat yourself because, well, you deserve it. Luigi’s Italian Chophouse and Bar on North McPherson Church Road prides itself on its ribeye marsala. Chilean sea bass is another winner. Luigi’s serves up a fine plate of pasta, too.
Chris’s Steak & Seafood House on Raeford Road boasts exceptional meats, including the popular filet mignon. Kebabs, grilled salmon, and salads are also rave-worthy. Both Luigi’s and Chris’s restaurants offer stellar wine choices and a happening bar scene.
BREAKFAST SPOTS
Zorba’s Gyro on Raeford Road is the real deal. This Greek restaurant is not only known for its gyros and homemade baklava, but hungry customers love its hearty breakfast choices that are served up at bargain prices and inspire you to start your day with a smile on your face.
Just down the street from Zorba’s you’ll find Lindy’s Restaurant, where friendly staff will make you feel like family and promise you
won’t leave hungry. Come for breakfast and stay for lunch at this classic diner. The omelets and hamburger steak are standouts.
SWEET TREATS
Superior Bakery on Hope Mills Road is famous as a bakery wonderland. You might be tempted to stay all day, sampling the fresh breads, doughnuts, Greek baked goods and Southern-inspired cakes. It’s a feast for the senses.
If German sweets are your jam, be sure to hit up Max & Moritz in Cliffdale Square where apple strudel, Black Forest cake and Linzer cookies are specialties.
Craving a cupcake? At The Sweet Palette downtown, choose from dozens of varieties, from key lime to red velvet. And the colorful macarons taste as good as they look.
COFFEE, TEA AND SMALL BITES
Hay Street is home to a row of locally owned coffee shops where you can have a meeting, catch up on work or get your morning caffeine fix along with pastries and savory breakfast fare.
Rude Awakening Coffee House opened in 1999 after saving the building that housed
The Sweet Palette is located at 101 Person St. Photo by Matthew Wonderly
Brady’s Soda Shop and refurbishing it as an award-winning coffee shop on Hay Street.
Rude Awakening offers a nearly endless variety of elixirs to get your day off to a wideawake start.
At The Coffee Scene — with locations on Hay Street and Morganton Road in Fayetteville, and one on Fort Bragg — you may just feel like royalty when you sample the delicious beverages and small bites in an intimate setting.
If you keep a lookout, you might just spot Vagabond Café in your own neighborhood. Vagabond is a mobile espresso bar that moves around the Sandhills area and offers a brickand-mortar shop downtown on Hay Street.
Winterbloom Tea offers all things tea-related. From curative teas to soothe your spirit and heal your body to tea cocktails crafted with the finest liquors, Winterbloom may just be one of the most unique tea houses you’ve ever visited, and it’s also on Hay Street.
The Red Desk Café, with a vibe like the coffee houses of the 1960s and ‘70s, gives guests a little live music with their coffee. Home to a local music collective, The Red Desk Café on Hay Street features live music on select nights.
Winterbloom Tea offers a friendly vibe and a cup of comfort. Photo by Matthew Wonderly
Rude Awakening Coffee House courtyard. Photo by Tony Wooten
Still hungry?
Here are more tasty choices:
Circa 1800: Billed as the place for “locally focused New Southern cuisine,” this restaurant serves up classic regional delights, including its signature Boudin Balls and Fayetteville Hot Buns. 108 Person St. 910-568-4725
Blue Moon Café: After more than 15 years, Blue Moon Café has earned the right to be called a Hay Street institution. 310 Hay St. 910-860-4700
J.K.’s Deli & Family Restaurant: Whether you crave comfort food for breakfast, lunch or dinner, J.K.’s serves your favorites. This restaurant has been family-owned and -operated since 1984. 125 Owen Drive. 910-485-3711
Latitude 35 Bar & Grill: Craving an island vibe? Latitude 35 offers a laid-back scene and food to match. Enjoy Key West Shrimp Bites or Key Largo Kabobs while dreaming of your tropical escape. 1217 Hay St. 910-485-4777
Pan: You can’t beat a good sandwich any time of day. Drop in at Pan to grab your favorite or just be surprised. You never know what the special invention of the day might be, and the only thing for sure is that it will be delicious. 105 Hay St. 910-491-3105
Peaden’s Seafood & Catering: A longtime favorite, Peaden’s serves up a taste of the coast to tickle your vacation vibe. Try Calabash-style seafood, Southern fried chicken, and eastern North Carolina barbecue. 1600 McArthur Road. 910-488-1972
Uptown’s Chicken & Waffles: Chef Judy Cage-McLean, who competed on the Food Network show “Chopped,” prepares her signature Southern pairings. She also offers catering and personal chef services. Ramada Plaza, 1707 Owen Drive. 910-676-8039
Vicky’s Famous Biscuits & Chicken: This popular spot features biscuits stuffed with country ham, pork chops, sausage, chicken or steak. Breakfast and lunch only. 128 Grove St. 910-491-2681
more than 15 years,
FROM A TO Z (Antonella’s to Zorba’s)
WHERE TO FIND THEM
Antonella’s Italian Ristorante: 300 Hay St. 910-486-0046
Archway Burgers, Dogs and Beer: 113 Person St. 910-758-9449
Bombay Bistro: 5945 Cliffdale Road, Suite 1101. 910-487-0020
The Coffee Scene: 450 Hay St., 910-568-3758; 3818 Morganton Road, 910-864-0555
Vagabond Café: 108 Hay St., Suite 1B. 910-500-3009
Winterbloom Tea: 238 Hay St. 910-491-3536
After
Blue Moon Café has earned the right to be called a Hay Street institution. Photo by Tony Wooten
Mission BBQ patrons stand during the playing of the national anthem at the 1932 Skibo Road restaurant in Fayetteville on June 7, 2022.
Photo by Tony Wooten
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Magical props
Theater props — and costumes — at local theater companies spark imagination and transform productions through the efforts of its creators.
BY TERI SAYLOR | PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY WOOTEN
Anight at the theater has the power to conjure up a special kind of enchantment, changing adults into children and children into true believers.
Using the right props and costumes, theater productions can send audiences on spellbinding journeys to new places in time or around the world.
With its production of Cinderella, Cape Fear Regional Theatre brought its own brand of magic to the local stage last February. Cinderella is a beloved tale of transformation, the story of an abused young girl who encounters a magical fairy godmother who transports her to a
glamorous ball in a carriage made from a pumpkin.
Backstage is David Louder, the costume shop manager and the genius behind Cape Fear Regional Theatre’s interpretation of the fairy godmother’s magic spell. But instead of a wand, David wields a mighty sewing machine, and using snaps, Velcro and magnets, he constructed an enchanting costume for Cinderella that transforms from a mundane pink house dress into a golden ball gown right on stage.
“I basically combined two dresses into one, with a little pocket underneath to hide the ballgown,” he said.
Prop designer Mathew McDonald sits outside Fayetteville State University's Butler Theater with the helmet he designed for the Sweet Tea Shakespeare Theater's production of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
The Cape Fear Regional Theatre in downtown Fayetteville. Photo by Tony Wooten
On a hot day last August, a mannequin was wearing the top half of Cinderella’s house dress in the Cape Fear Regional Theatre offices on Hay Street.
Artistic director Mary Kate Burke helped David demonstrate how a little stage magic goes a long way. With Mary Kate anchoring the mannequin, David grabbed the bodice, gave it a tug, and opened it to unfurl Cinderella’s golden ball gown, its skirt cascading to the floor.
On stage, Cinderella spins in a circle as she pulls open her bodice to release the gown, and from the audience’s point of view, the transformation is seamless.
It’s not as easy as it looks. It never is.
“Making the magic happen involved a lot of research and trial and error,” Mary Kate said.
To stage the show, the theater brought in Emily White, a New York Citybased costume designer who worked closely with David to research how transformational costumes work, what to expect when constructing them, and how the actors incorporate them into crucial scenes. The pair created two gowns for the show.
“One of the first things I had to learn was how to hide the ball gown underneath the house dress so the audience wouldn’t see it,” David said. “At the same time, it couldn’t be too bulky because we didn’t want it to look like she was wearing a pool floaty underneath her dress.”
David grew up in Maryland and was educated at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
“My interest in costuming was sparked years ago in high school when a friend asked me to help him make a Star Wars costume,” he said.
With his mother’s help, he learned how to use a sewing machine and discovered a love for making fashion. Then came theater costumes.
“My high school theater department tapped me at one point to help reimagine the show ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ and that’s when I knew I wanted to work in theater,” he said.
Over the years, David has created thousands of costumes. Many of them hang on racks, organized according to periods in time for easy access.
“There’s also a wall full of hats, and a wall full of shoes,” Mary Kate said. “It’s
David Louder, the costume shop manager for Cape Fear Regional Theatre, stitches a costume for an upcoming show.
really fascinating.”
On stage, miracles can happen at the intersection of props and costumes.
Just ask Jeremy Fiebig, founder and director of mission for the Sweet Tea Shakespeare production company and professor of theater and directing at Fayetteville State University.
Last year, Jeremy commissioned Mathew McDonald to craft a vintage diving helmet for Sweet Tea Shakespeare’s production of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, with an underwater scene featuring a spearfishing diver.
To transport his audience back to the 19th century when Jules Verne penned the classic tale, Jeremy needed convincing props and a perfect venue.
“We selected the Fayetteville Pie Company (now Friends Table) as the setting,” Jeremy said. “Its two-level structure and exposed metal and wrought iron decor provided the nautical look and old-ship ambiance that we needed.”
Jeremy founded Sweet Tea Shakespeare about 12 years ago.
“We produce plays year-round, and they are usually small Shakespearean productions,” he said. “We bounce around town, popping up in breweries and restaurants, church halls or outdoors in gardens, and other public spaces.”
In addition to Shakespeare, the company performs adaptations of classic works like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Last month, the theater company staged Homer’s The Odyssey
Mathew, who works as an electrician, describes himself as an artist and a “maker,” a member of a culture devoted to creativity and innovation. He grew up in Fayetteville and recently moved to Franklin, North Carolina, to pursue his love of the outdoors.
He was excited about the chance to craft a vintage diving helmet for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and studied photos of vintage underwater helmets and viewed other helmets in real life. Two things stood out.
“The helmets were shiny and so heavy, an actor wearing them would not have been able to move around easily and it would have been impossible to use,” he said.
He crafted a realistic helmet using
lightweight EVA foam, the kind of material that makes up floor mats in gyms. He rigged the helmet with LED lighting on the inside and used a 3D printer to make a battery box and some of the trim and fixtures.
He knew he would have to make it appear realistic and put his imagination to work.
“This is a diving helmet that has been on a ship for a long time. It’s been exposed to the effects of salt water, and somebody’s probably dropped it a time or two,” he said.
He colored the helmet a dull shade of copper and painted the trim in brass and silver. He used various shades of green and brown paint to craft the appearance of oxidation.
The crowning touch was the LED lighting he installed, giving the helmet an eerie glow from the inside and allowing the audience to see the actor’s face inside.
Mathew was pleased with the result.
“I thought the actor used the helmet excellently,” he said. “Thanks to the lighting, you could see his face illuminated inside the helmet and it did exactly what it needed to do.”
Props are a way to tell a story quickly and clearly and spark the audience’s imagination and help advance a story, Jeremy said.
“I don’t think we could have had an underwater scene without Mathew’s helmet,” Jeremy said. “It illustrated instantly that we were staging an underwater scene.”
When considering props, Jeremy banks on simplicity and relies on the audience’s own vision to fill any gaps.
“I ask myself if I can get this done with a piece of fabric, two pieces of wood, and a little paint,” he says. “And if it can’t be simple, it can still be beautiful, magical and catch us off guard, surprise us, and take our breath away.”
Sometimes props are a part of the script, Jeremy said. And sometimes they are implied or interpreted. They spark imagination, draw the audience in, and make them aware of circumstances and context.
“For example, Hamlet carries a skull, one of the most famous props in the world, and the script calls for him to pick it up and talks to it,” he said.
“Implied props might be candles and torches, not mentioned in the script, but when the actors talk about the darkness before suddenly being able to see one another, they’ve signaled that they’ve lit a torch.”
For Randy Burkhead, imagination is a gateway to props that surprise and delight audiences.
On a late summer evening, Randy is at the Gilbert Theatre attending rehearsals for the September production of Heathers: The Musical , a dark comedy about a clique of high school girls with murder on their minds.
She has put together a pretend bomb made up of authentic-looking red sticks of dynamite bound together, complete with fuses and a detonator, all of which she made using a 3D printer.
“You can see these dynamite sticks have some ink bleed on them, and that makes them look real,” Randy said. “I mean, I don’t really know what dynamite looks like, but this is what I imagine it would look like.”
She has also crafted firearms and blood packets for the show and says figuring out how to use them has been both challenging and fun.
“I had found a couple of ideas for the blood packets, like sandwich bags filled with fake blood,” she said. “I’ve also considered rigging up bubble wrap filled with blood so when the actor gets shot and puts his hand up to the wound, he pops the bags, and his hand comes away bloody.”
Randy has a doctorate in information technology and works in cybersecurity. She is from Fayetteville but spent some time exploring new places after earning her degree. She says she fell in love with theater in Fayetteville while performing in The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Gilbert Theater in her youth.
Randy moved to Illinois in 2020 and was volunteering with a horse therapy program for special needs kids when she discovered props and prop-making.
“I started showing up at the ranch as characters like Bo-Katan Kryze from Star Wars and Belle from Beauty and the Beast and bringing props I made,” she said. “At the end of the year, I made medals and prizes for the kids and items the program directors could auction off to raise money.”
When she moved back to Fayetteville in 2022, she returned to the Gilbert Theater and started making props using 3D printers. One memorable piece was a realistic-looking severed head for The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
“They were just going to use a Styrofoam head, and I knew I could just scan the actor’s face and make a model and print it,” she said. “So, we did that and were able to use a replica of his severed head with his face on it.”
She recently collaborated with Sweet Tea Shakespeare to make a bow for its September production of The Odyssey, which tells the story of the journey of Odysseus, a Greek mythological hero with enough strength to string his heavy bow and win a contest to win back his wife, Penelope.
“I made the bow out of PVC pipe and leather wrapped around it and did the bridging and everything,” she said. “I think it’s one of the coolest things I’ve made yet.”
But even the cleverest props can fall flat if they don’t work or if the actors
don’t use them correctly. So Randy had to show the actor playing Odysseus how to string the bow she made so it would curve enough to build the pressure and tension it needed to fire an arrow.
And in Cinderella , a malfunctioning ball gown might have ruined the whole show.
“Nothing would be worse than having a transformational costume that would not transform,” David said.
During every fitting, the actress playing Cinderella transformed the two gowns over and over to monitor how well they worked. One day, she and David spent almost an hour setting and resetting the dresses and releasing them while looking for problems and ways to make them open perfectly.
“It took many attempts to really get them working consistently,” David said.
Cinderella became such a hit, its run was extended for a few days.
“It was so much fun,” David said. “I get a sense of pride every time something I work really hard on gets a few cheers and laughs.”
Randy gets her joy from simply finishing the props she makes.
“You put in a lot of work and effort to have something you hope people appreciate,” she said. “Whether it’s in theater or a display piece, or something you wear just to make kids happy.”
When props are done well, they blend into the scenery, simply adding to the storyline without stealing the show.
Randy compares them to her cybersecurity practice.
“When I’m doing my job right, nobody knows it, but when something goes wrong, everybody knows,” she said.
In a production like Heathers: The Musical , for instance, the props don’t make the show, but they can certainly break it.
“If an actor comes out with a piece of paper labeled ‘bomb,’ people are not going to suspend their disbelief for that,” Randy said, “but if a prop maker is doing their job right, their work is almost unnoticeable, and supports what’s happening on stage and makes the show work.”
Mathew shares how he adds finishing touches to the props he designs for stage productions in his workshop on Aug. 23, 2024.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Coming soon to a theatre near you
Fayetteville rocks the stage with music, drama and more this 2025-2026 season
BY JAMI MCLAUGHLIN
Whether you are looking to laugh, dance or be entertained, Fayetteville has great seasons ahead and even comedy nights on stage with local to national performers. Between our theatres, dance studios and musical venues, there is much to look forward to this year.
Performances are subject to change — please check before attending.
ON STAGE
The Cape Fear Regional Theatre stages musicals, dramas and comedies, and has educational programs for children and adults throughout the year. The 2025-26
season: 9 to 5 in September; Little Shop of Horrors in October/November; The Best Christmas Pageant Ever in December (for the 34th year!); Disney’s High School Musical in January/February; Driving Miss Daisy in March/April; Crowns in May/June. There are also special events during productions, military appreciation nights and teacher appreciation nights.
For more information, visit the Cape Fear Regional Theatre’s website at cfrt.org or call the box office at 910-323-4234. The theatre is temporarily located at the ballroom in the GoodHomes Bordeaux at 1707 Owen Drive (the former Holiday Inn Bordeaux).
The Gilbert Theater at 116 Green St., above Fascinate-U Children’s Museum, entertains audiences in a black-box theater with productions ranging from quirky to serious. The 2025-26 season’s shows: Cabaret, Sept. 12–28; a reprise of A Christmas Story, Nov. 21–Dec. 7; The Revolutionists, Jan. 30–Feb. 15; On Golden Pond, March 20–April 5; and Rent, May 15–31. All productions showcase local talent. 910-678-7186 or gilberttheater.com.
“We chose shows that we thought audiences would like to come and see,” said Matt Lamb, artistic director of the Gilbert Theater. “We want the community to take a look and know that there is something for everyone at the Gilbert Theater.”
Sweet Tea Shakespeare traditionally intertwines live music into their stage productions. Performance locations vary and are announced as the show approaches. This season’s upcoming shows include Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Sept. 18–21 and 25–28; The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Nov. 6–9, 13–16 and 20–23; Behold, Dec. 4–6; Sense and Sensibility based on the book by Jane Austen, Jan. 22–25 and 29, Feb. 1; Romeo and JuliLIT, Feb. 12–14 (for adult audiences only); Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, Apr. 16–19 and 23–26; Three Musketeers based on the book by Alexandre Dumas, June 11–14, 18–21 and 25–28.
CONCERTS
Celebrating their 90th season this year, Community Concerts brings artists you love to the Crown Theatre. Last year, the season featured Billy Ocean, Kansas and ZZ Top. For information on the 2025-26 season, call 910323-1991 or go to community-concerts.com
The Crown Complex hosts musical acts and stage shows, as well as sports, trade shows and more. Venues include the Crown Coliseum, a theatre, an arena, an expo hall and a ballroom. Upcoming shows include Paw Patrol, Sept. 20–21; World Ballet Company: Cinderella, Sept. 27; Nurse John, Oct. 11; Grace & Glory Tour: Crowder, Oct. 12; Clint Black: Back on the Blacktop Tour, Oct. 16; Katt Williams, Nov. 14; and the Fayetteville Fishing Expo from Jan. 30–Feb. 1. For more shows, call 910-438-4100 or visit crowncomplexnc.com
Dr. Ronnal Ford is featured as the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra performs Ahmed Al Abaca's Fantasy in 4 Moods at Seabrook Auditorium on Feb. 22, 2025. Photo by Tony Wooten
Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra brings the best performers from across the state to performance venues from Seabrook Auditorium at Fayetteville State University to the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church on Green Street. The lineup includes season concerts, community concerts and student concerts. It also presents Symphony on Tap, a musical series with free admission at local breweries.
The Independence Concert, in partnership with the City of Fayetteville, and fireworks show are scheduled for July 4 at Festival Park. The 2025-26 season includes Total Eclipse of the Chart: Music of the ‘80s a musical tour of the 80s, including Lionel Ritchie, Tina Turner, Eurythmics and more on Sept. 20; Jubilate Deo, Oct. 11; Coffee Cantata, a comedic piece for voice and strings that tells the story of a girl and her father arguing over love, life and caffeine Nov. 22; The Road to America 250 concert by American composers in St. John’s Episcopal Church, Jan. 17; A Night on the Town featuring Kebra-Seyoun Charles, Feb. 28; and John Williams and His Influences concert, April 18 in Huff Concert Hall.
Single tickets range from $7 for children to $36 for adult general admission. Discount ticket pricing is available for seniors, Cumberland County Schools employees, military and college students. There are also Symphony on Tap events which bring different ensembles to various areas of town like Dirtbag Ales, James Creek Cider House, Haymount Truck Stop and District House of Taps. For more information or future performance times, call 910-433-4690 or visit fayettevillesymphony.org.
Fayetteville State University brings musical acts, national artists and more to Seabrook Auditorium. 910-672-1724 or uncfsu.edu/ about-fsu/community/seabrook
STAND-UP COMEDY
Paddy’s Irish Pub, 2606 Raeford Road, Suite B, has comedy shows on Thursdays. paddys irishpub.com
The Locals Comedy holds shows at various locations in and around Fayetteville. Shows are announced on Facebook. facebook.com/ TheLocalsComedy
DANCE
There are two options for The Nutcracker this Christmas season with the Charlotte Blume School of Dance and Leslie’s Dance Academy. The 56th annual performance of The Nutcracker by the Charlotte Blume School of Dance, home of the North Carolina State Ballet, will take place on Dec. 12 and 13 at the Crown Auditorium. Performances for Cumberland County Schools will take place Dec. 5 and 8 and area private schools and homeschool groups will be on Dec. 12. More information can be found on
their social media page at facebook.com/ charlotteblumeschoolofdance
The Nutcracker will also be performed the first weekend in December at Methodist University. For more information on Leslie’s Dance Academy, which has been in Fayetteville for over 30 years, visit lesliesdanceacademy.com
GALLERIES
The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County is a nonprofit organization that serves as a link between artists and cultural organizations and provides grants to local artists. The organization’s Art Center Gallery hosts free exhibits throughout the year. The Arts Council is at 301 Hay St. in downtown Fayetteville. 910-323-1776 or thearts council.com
The Art Gallery at Fayetteville Technical Community College displays exhibitions each semester that feature the artwork of students, faculty and outside artists. Exhibitions are free and open to the public, and they run year-round. The gallery is in the foyer of the Paul H. Thompson Library at 2221 Hull Road. 910-678-0092
Cape Fear Studios offers art lessons and hosts a community of artists in residence. The nonprofit organization is in downtown Fayetteville. It includes a retail gallery and a main gallery that exhibit artworks in an array of media by local, national, and international artists. The exhibits are free and open to the public. The studio is at 148 Maxwell St., 910-433-2986 or capefearstudios.com
Rosenthal Art Gallery, in the Rosenthal
Building on the campus of Fayetteville State University, is part of the university’s Department of Performing and Fine Arts. It hosts exhibits of works by students, staff and internationally known artists throughout the year. 910-672-1057
MUSEUMS
U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum has exhibits on the past, present and future of the Army’s airborne and special operations forces. It is owned and operated by the Army. The museum, which also hosts special programs and guest speakers, is at 100 Bragg Blvd. Admission is free and open to the public. 910-643-2778 or asomf.org
Fascinate-U Children’s Museum, in the heart of downtown Fayetteville at 116 Green St., is a hands-on interactive museum created to educate as well as provide hours of fun for children up to 12. The museum offers family memberships, art classes, and children’s birthday packages. 910-829-9171 or fascinate-u.com
Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex features exhibits bringing the Cape Fear region’s diverse history to life with livinghistory programs, tours, special events, interactive programs, and demonstrations. The Poe House, a restored 1897 home, and Arsenal Park, the remains of an ordnance factory from the Civil War era, make up the historical complex at 801 Arsenal Ave. 910-500-4240 or museumofthecapefear.ncdcr.gov
Jami McLaughlin writes for CityView. She can be reached at jmclaughlin@cityviewnc.com or at 910-391-4870.
Ryan LeBrun and and Nyla Springer in a performance of The Nutcracker at Methodist University’s Huff Concert Hall by Dance Theatre of Fayetteville. Photo by Oriana Evans
FESTIVALS
Third Annual Powwow
Cumberland County Culture Class hosted its Third Annual Powwow on the grounds adjacent to the Cumberland County Association for Indian People on May 3
BY TERI SAYLOR | PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY WOOTEN
With their colorful regalia and sparkling embellishments flashing in the sunlight, Native American dancers of all ages, looking like works of art, made their grand entry into a sacred arena as the sounds of singing and drumming rang out.
The start of the Third Annual Cumberland County Culture Class
Powwow on May 3 was underway. As the afternoon unfolded, participants would compete for cash prizes in a variety of dance specials. An event emcee made introductions and kept the competition moving at a lively pace.
Held on grounds adjacent to the Cumberland County Association for Indian People, an afterparty dance, featuring a DJ closed out the festivities.
Above, The Grand Entry signals the start of the Third Annual Cumberland County Culture Class Powwow on May 3, 2025. Below right, Nina Martinez is an instructor for the Cumberland County Culture Class.
Nina Martinez says the powwow came about due to popular demand from the Native American community in the Fayetteville area who participate in the Cumberland County Culture Class, where she is an instructor. Her husband, William “Nakoma” Maiden, founded the program in 2016 to deepen awareness and understanding of Native American traditions, including music and dance.
“A lot of our students love dancing and singing, so we started the powwow to create a safe and enjoyable space for the kids and their families,” Martinez said. “One of our goals was to help build cultural awareness about American Indians locally, and in doing that, not only can we help preserve our culture and get our kids excited about it, but we also have an opportunity to spread awareness and education to our nonNative neighbors.”
Martinez said a variety of tribes were represented at the powwow — including Cherokee, Lumbee, HaliwaSaponi, Occaneechi-Saponi, Coharie, Sappony, Waccamaw Siouan, Tuscarora, Meherrin, Apache, Blackfeet, Yaqui, Taíno and Navajo.
“There are a lot of powwows in North Carolina and a lot of the tribes and communities show up to help support us,” Martinez said, adding that, while other tribes across the southeast and beyond may not have been listed, they were still present to celebrate and support. “So, we think of it as an extended family gathering that serves a greater purpose.”
Martinez’s heritage is Haliwa-Saponi, Apache and Yaqui, and her children identify with those three nations.
The Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage defines powwows as reflecting real, lived experiences among Native American communities. They are “ceremonial gatherings with traditional music and dances. They happen around the world and throughout the year.” According to the “Powwow Calendar” on PowWows. com — a website aiming “to provide a place where everyone can experience and explore Native American culture” — there are about 20 powwows across North Carolina, including the annual Running Waters Powwow taking place in
Fayetteville on Sept. 6.
Celestine Raineri-Smith has lived in Fayetteville almost her entire life. She is of Blackfeet heritage on her mother’s side and Taíno on her father’s side. She grew up attending powwows, but drifted away from tradition until three years ago, when she enrolled her two daughters in the Cumberland County Culture Class.
“The class has impacted us in a positive way, and we appreciate that everybody, both Native and non-Native, is welcome,” she said. “My children love singing and dancing and competing at powwows.”
Raineri-Smith’s daughters, Giuliana, 14, and Genevieve, 9, have won dance awards, but that’s not the only reason they participate. It is important that they learn the varied traditions, beliefs and practices of other regions.
“My children have learned a lot beyond what I can explain to them, and we want to teach them to be respectful of the ways here where my family originates,” she said. “They like to go out there and dance for themselves, and for those who can no longer dance, and to bring good medicine to anybody who is watching.”
Genevieve Raineri-Smith, left, and her sister Giuliana Raineri-Smith, middle, stand with their mother, Celestine Raineri-Smith, right, during the Third Annual Culture Class Powwow.
FESTIVALS
Celebrations all year long
Discover Fayetteville’s vibrant festival calendar, including Juneteenth Jubilee, Pride Festival and other cultural celebrations, as well as seasonal festivities.
JUNE
Lumbee Homecoming: The largest Native American cultural celebration in the Southeast features pageants, a parade, music and other entertainment, and vendors from June 24 to July 6 at 636 Prospect Road in Pembroke. For more information visit: https:// www.doa.nc.gov/news/events/lumbeehomecoming-2025
Juneteenth Jubilee: This celebration of Black history, culture, liberation and joy took place on Saturday, June 14, at Festival Park, 335 Ray Ave. in Fayetteville. This year’s theme, Sovereign, focused on the accomplishments and contributions of Black women. For details on the event, check distinctlyfayettevillenc. com/event/2025-juneteenth-jubilee%3Asovereign/27325/.
2025 Fayetteville Pride Festival: The festival featured main stage performances, food and beverage vendors, and educational workshops. For the first time in its history, the festival was held at the Crown Expo Center from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 21. For details on Pride Festival check, fayettevillepride. org/#/.
JULY
Fourth of July celebrations
Fayetteville
Independence Day Concert with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra: The city and the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra will present a free concert at 7:30 p.m. July 4 in Festival Park. Gates open at 6 p.m. Food
and drinks are available via a beer tent and other on-site vendors. fayettevillesymphony. org/2024-2025-family-community-concerts/ Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg’s Red, White, and Boom Fest: Visit the Main Post Parade Field on June 28 to enjoy food and beverages or take in parachute free-fall demonstrations and a flag ceremony before the fireworks finale. The event also features music from three artists — Ludacris, Parmalee and Neon Trees — and the 82nd Airborne Division Rock Band. The celebration is free and open to the public, but those without a valid DOD ID will need to obtain a pass for installation access. All guests must have a REAL ID to obtain an installation pass. Gates open at 3 p.m. Additional information about traffic flow, tent rental and prohibited items can be found at bragg.armymwr. com/calendar/event/red-white-and-boomfest/6867516/98875
Hope Mills
Independence Day Parade: Begins at 10 a.m. July 4. Starting point is Rockfish Elementary School, with the finish at Hope Mills Middle School. nc-hopemills.civicplus.com/349/ Independence-Day-Celebration
Car enthusiasts take in the sights at the Person Street car show at the 2025 Fayetteville Dogwood Festival. Photo by James Throssel
SEPTEMBER
Running Water Powwow: The powwow will be held on Sept. 6 at 200 Indian Drive, according to Nina Martinez, Cumberland County Culture Class instructor. To stay up to date with the Cumberland County Culture Class, visit facebook.com/ groups/2908067639495353/.
Greek Festival: Experience Greek culture in the form of pastries and other food, dance and more! Sept. 20–21 at Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 614 Oakridge Ave. in Fayetteville. More details to come at facebook.com/faygreekfest/
Oktoberfest: Fort Bragg's Iron Mike Conference Center (2658 Rock Merritt Ave., Bldg. 5-5348) hosts Oktoberfest, a free event open to the public, from noon to 8 p.m. Oct. 4. A variety of German food and a beer garden, German dancers, live music and a fall market are among the day’s features. liberty. armymwr.com/calendar/event/86774.
International Folk Festival: Hosted by The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, the 47th edition of the annual festival in downtown Fayetteville will celebrate the area’s diversity on Sept. 27. The event that draws 50,000-plus patrons will feature an international cafe, with food from a variety of countries; live music and dance; a Parade of Nations; an art market and interactive installations; kids area; and more. More details to come at eventeny. com/events/47th-annual-international-folkfestival-17006/?srsltid=AfmBOopGh_qPX hLK7k8xWXqDMwPSeYmM4STuCaBoIJsY
vendors, and live entertainment. Hayrides and “Historic Hauntings” will also show visitors the history of downtown Fayetteville. This year, the Dogwood Fall Festival will be held on Oct. 18 and 19. For more information, visit thedogwoodfestival.com
Zombie Walk/4th Friday: The undead will take over the October version of the Cool Spring Downtown District’s monthly 4th Friday. From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 24, the event that highlights the area’s visual and performing arts and local businesses will be supplemented with a costume contest and procession of the walking dead through the streets. visitdowntownfayetteville.com/ events/october-4th-friday-zombie-walkdowntown-fayetteville/ Halloween in Hope Mills: Trunk R Treat details are forthcoming at townofhopemills. com/calendar.aspx
NOVEMBER
Holly Day Fair: The holiday event, hosted by the Junior League of Fayetteville at the Crown Expo Center from Nov. 6–9, features more than 150 vendors with local food and drink products, toys, decor, gifts, apparel, accessories and more. Look out for updates on the 58th annual event here: facebook.com/ hollydayfair
A Dickens Holiday: The Christmastime event in downtown Fayetteville in late November celebrates the Victorian era, with character actors in period wardrobe, horse-drawn carriage rides, and musicians and carolers. Also featured are food and product vendors
Christmas parade will be published at townofhopemills.com/350/Christmas-inHope-Mills
JANUARY/FEBRUARY
MLK Parade: Parade honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. in downtown Fayetteville. Details forthcoming at mlkmemorialpark.org
MARCH
Rumba on the Lumber Festival: In downtown Lumberton on March 6–7, 2026, a chili cookoff, beer garden, craft vendors, food trucks, plastic duck derby, touch a truck, live music, and kids zone complement the 5K, 10K and family fun mile runs. Get updates on the event at rumbaonthelumber.com
APRIL
Dogwood Festival: Friday through Sunday during the last weekend of the month, carnival rides and a series of concerts at Festival Park in Fayetteville are surrounded by live street performances and local products, and food and beverage vendors elsewhere in downtown. In 2026, the Dogwood Festival will be held April 24–26. Check for updates at thedogwoodfestival.com
MAY
All-American Week: Hosted by the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, the event that is open to the public honors veterans and active-duty service members with a memorial ceremony, a run by members of the 82nd and a division review, and events
RECREATION DESTINATIONS
RECREATION CENTERS
Bill Crisp Senior Center 7560 Raeford Road
Features: Fitness room, warm-water aquatics center, multipurpose room, arts and crafts, health screenings, bingo, book club, walking club, movies, technology workshops and more Contact: 910-433-1248; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/Bill-Crisp-Senior-Center
Cliffdale Recreation Center 6404 Cliffdale Road
Features: Open gym, senior aerobics, senior line dancing, tutoring and more Contact: 910-433-1127; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/Cliffdale-Recreation-Center
College Lakes Recreation Center 4945 Rosehill Road
Features: Fitness center, line dance, martial arts, open gym, dodgeball, ballet and more Contact: 910-433-1564; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/College-Lakes-Recreation-Center
Dorothy D. Gilmore Adaptive Recreation Center
1600 Purdue Drive
Features: Recreation and leisure programs for people with disabilities, dance, adaptive Karate, adaptive Zumba, baking class, Special Olympics, splash pad and more. Contact: 910-433-1000; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/Dorothy-D.-Gilmore-AdaptiveRecreation-Center
Eastover-Central Recreation Center 3637 Pembroke Lane
Features: Senior fitness, pickleball, homeschool gym, open gym, Zumba, quilting, Senior Citizens entertainment nights and more Contact: 910-433-1226; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/Eastover-Central-Recreation-Center
E.E. Miller Recreation Center
1347 Rim Road
Features: Pickleball open gym, fitness class, senior cards and crafts, softball skills development camp and more
Features: Indoor basketball court, fitness room, multipurpose rooms and more Contact: 910-426-4109; townofhopemills. com/483/Parks-Amenities
John Dove “J.D.” Pone Recreation Center at Gray’s Creek
2964 School Road
Features: Family game night, fitness room, taekwondo, gym, diabetic clinic and more Contact: 910-433-1015; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/John-Dove-JD-Pone-Sr.-RecreationCenter-at-Grays-Creek
J.S. Spivey Recreation Center
500 Fisher St.
Features: Outdoor basketball, splash pad, family game night, athletic fields, horseshoes, playground and more Contact: 910-433-1572; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/JS-Spivey-Recreation-Center
Kiwanis Recreation Center
352 Devers St.
Features: Baseball/softball fields, fitness room, walking track, open gym, preschool soccer, basketball and baseball, karate, line dancing, bridge, playground, splash pad and more Contact: 910-433-1568; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/Kiwanis-Recreation-Center
Lake Rim Recreation Center
1455 Hoke Loop Road
Features: Walking track, splash pad, athletic fields, playground and more Contact: 910-433-1175; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/Lake-Rim-Recreation-Center
Massey Hill Recreation Center 1612 Camden Road
Features: Youth group, ping pong open play, fitness room, outdoor pickleball, horseshoes, playground, splash pad and more Contact: 910-433-1569; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/Massey-Hill-Recreation-Center
Pine Forest Recreation Center
6901 Ramsey St.
Features: Youth open play, fitness room, dance class, kickboxing class, karate, athletic fields, Zumba classes and more Contact: 910-433-1196; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/Pine-Forest-Recreation-Center
Senior Center East 917 Washington Drive
Features: Billiards, bingo, card games, chess, fellowship and Bible study, health coaching, sewing and crocheting classes, movie nights and more
Features: Outdoor basketball, playground, pool, martial arts, club meetings and more Contact: 910-433-1571; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/Smith-Recreation-Center
Spring Lake Recreation and Senior Center
245 Ruth St. and 301 Ruth St., Spring Lake
Features: Sewing room, open gym, cheer camp, dance, fitness classes, splash pad and more Contact: Recreation Center, 910-433-1350; Senior Center, 910-433-1121; fayettevillenc. gov/Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/ Recreation-Centers/Spring-Lake-Recreationand-Senior-Center
Stedman Recreation Center 175 Circle Drive, Stedman
Features: Open gym, walking track, taekwondo, playground, athletic field and more Contact: 910-433-1440; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/Stedman-Recreation-Center
Stoney Point Recreation Center
7411 Rockfish Road
Features: Walking track, kids cooking class, library, Native American culture class, karate, cheer, quilters guild, playground and more Contact: 910-433-1435; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/Stoney-Point-Recreation-Center
Tokay Park and Senior Fitness Center
328 Hamilton St.
Features: Exercise classes, chair aerobics, line dance and stretch class, cornhole, once-ayear CPR certification class, health education seminars, once-a-month health screenings, table tennis, tennis courts and more Contact: 910-433-1414; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/RecreationCenters/Tokay-Senior-Fitness-Center
RECREATION CENTERS
Westover Recreation Center
267 Bonanza Drive
Features: Gymnasium, neighborhood association meetings, Pokeno group, Cricut crafts group, badminton, pickle ball, outdoor basketball, athletic fields, playground, pool and more
Features: Civil War trail markers; ruins of the U.S. Arsenal that was destroyed in 1865 by Union troops commanded by Gen. William T. Sherman. Part of the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex. Contact: 910-500-4240; museumofthecapefear.ncdcr.gov/arsenal-park
Cape Fear River Trail
511 Sherman Drive
Features: 7-mile one-way paved trail along the Cape Fear River between Jordan Soccer Complex and past Clark Park. Open to walkers, joggers, bicycles, rollerblades, other non-motorized transport, and the Cape Fear Mountain Bike Trail. The trail is not a loop. Parking is available at Clark Park and Jordan Soccer Complex.
Features: Nature Center, StoryWalk, playground, trails, mountain bike trail and more Contact: 910-433-1579; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Trails/J.-BayardClark-Park-Nature-Center
Cross Creek Linear Park
324 Ray Ave.
Features: Greenway that connects historic sites and points of interest
Features: Athletic fields, Hope Mills Veterans Memorial, skate park, dog park, playground, tennis courts, VicBlends Basketball Court, horseshoes, picnic shelters, 1.6-mile walking trail and more
Features: Tennis courts, athletic field, disc golf, playground, trails, fishing and more Contact: 910-433-1575; fayettevillenc.gov/ Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Trails/MazarickPark
Edward Mendoza Municipal Park
1774 Little River Road, Spring Lake
Features: Athletic fields, picnic areas, playground, trail and more Contact: 910-436-4622; townofspringlake. com/park-facilities/
North Carolina Veterans Park
300 Bragg Blvd.
Features: 3,500-square-foot Visitors Center, Service Ribbon Wall, N.C. Soils Wall Contact: 910-433-1457 or 910-4331224; fayettevillenc.gov/Parks-andRecreation/Parks-Trails/North-CarolinaVeterans-Park
Features: Eight zip lines, three suspension bridges, three spiral staircases
Contact: 910-488-8787; zipquest.com
Destination
Fayetteville Sports Club announces 2025 Hall of Fame class
BY EARL VAUGHAN JR. | PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY WOOTEN
The Fayetteville Sports Club was honored to announce the 2025 class of its Hall of Fame in late February. This year’s induction ceremony was held on April 17 at 6 p.m. at the Tony Rand Student Center on the campus of Fayetteville Technical Community College.
DEAN SAFFOS
Saffos enjoyed a long and successful career as a head football coach that saw him make two stops in Fayetteville, once as head coach at E.E. Smith from 1984-89 and later at Pine Forest from 1998-2006. He was a coach in Cumberland County during a golden era of local high school football that included contemporaries like fellow Hall of Famers Douglas Byrd’s Bob Paroli, South View’s Randy Ledford and Seventy-First’s Bobby Poss.
Saffos made other coaching stops in the eastern half of the state at Jacksonville, Wilmington Hoggard and East Columbus.
While on the staff with Ray Durham at Jacksonville in 1982 Saffos helped guide the Cardinals to a state championship.
He was recognized three times as the Coach of the Year in the old Mid-South 4-A Conference along with being named Southeastern Regional Coach of the Year and the state Coach of the Year by N.C. Preps. He also won a distinguished service award from Mid-South Sports. His teams made multiple deep advances into the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs and he averaged seven wins per season during his career.
CURTIS FRYE
Frye served as an assistant football coach on the staff of Douglas Byrd coach and fellow Hall of Famer Bob Paroli. He went on to be an assistant at East Carolina, Florida, N.C. State and North Carolina.
He carved out his greatest success during a lengthy and outstanding career as the head women’s track coach at the
University of South Carolina.
He guided the Gamecocks to the school’s first NCAA title in any sport as his women’s track team won the 2002 national championship.
He has coached some of the finest track athletes in NCAA and Olympic history. The list of names includes another Hall of Famer, Demetria Washington of Terry Sanford.
Of the approximately 200 athletes he coached while at South Carolina, all but one earned a degree from the school.
Frye also founded the Frye Foundation to increase awareness of diabetes and deal with mental illness in the AfricanAmerican community. His foundation hosts diabetes benefit runs and fundraisers for nursing scholarships.
GLENN RIDDLE
Riddle is thought to be the only Cumberland County native who officiated men’s basketball in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In 1983, he officiated games involving both the NCAA men’s and women’s national championship teams that season, North Carolina State and Old Dominion respectively.
In 1986 he was chosen to officiate the NCAA 1-AA football championship playoffs at the regional level.
He also officiated the N.C. Coaches Association East-West All-Star game in Greensboro as well as state championship football games for the N.C. High School Athletic Association at the 1-A, 2-A, 3-A and 4-A levels.
He officiated with such greats as Lou Bello and Lenny Wirtz. Among the coaches and athletes he called the games of were Mike Krzyzewski, Dean Smith, Jim Valvano, David Thompson, Len Bias, Tommy Burleson, Jay Bilas, Clarence “Cornbread” Maxwell and Ralph Sampson.
He also officiated high school, college and American Legion baseball.
In addition, Riddle served as an assistant superintendent for both the Cumberland County and Lee County school systems.
BOB MCEVOY
McEvoy was a successful coach and athletic administrator.
He started out as the men’s basketball coach at Douglas Byrd High School where he took a program mired in losing and
Gregory Harris, son of 2025 Hall of Fame inductee Bishop Harris, Bob McEvoy, Curtis Frye, Dean Saffos and Glenn Riddle are the 2025 Fayetteville Sports Club Hall of Fame inductees.
turned it into a state playoff qualifier.
Eventually he landed at then Methodist College as basketball coach where he served seven seasons. In 1996-97 Methodist was 22-8, setting a school record for wins, and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight.
He was honored as National Association of Basketball Coaches South Region Coach of the Year.
In addition he was twice named conference Coach of the Year.
He became the Methodist athletic director and held the position for 25 years. During his tenure Methodist teams earned 15 NCAA national titles and placed in the top five 15 other times.
Methodist won the President’s Cup for overall athletic excellence five times, including three in a row from 2013-2016.
Since 1998, Methodist has won 100 league titles, more than any other conference member.
McEvoy served on numerous NCAA committees overseeing various sports and was tournament director for a number of NCAA regional and national championships.
BISHOP HARRIS
Harris, a product of E.E. Smith High School and N.C. Central University, had a lengthy career as a coach at the collegiate and professional level.
He coached for a few years at the local high school level before moving up the ladder.
Harris coached at Duke and N.C. State before becoming became the first black coach on the staff of Louisiana State when he was hired by Bo Rein in 1979. Harris coached with Rein at N.C. State.
After leaving LSU, Harris coached at Notre Dame and Minnesota, then served as head coach at his alma mater N.C. Central for two seasons.
After that he moved to the NFL for the rest of his coaching career.
Over the years he was on the staff of the Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.
Among his best players were future Pro Football Hall of Famer Curtis Martin of the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers AllPro Frank Gore.
A 1963 graduate of N.C. Central, Harris earned a master’s degree from Duke in 1972.
SPORTS Home game thrills
For sports lovers, Fayetteville is the place to be with professional baseball, hockey and soccer teams providing year-round excitement.
FAYETTEVILLE LIBERTY
A new Fayetteville basketball team, Fayetteville Liberty, will start its inaugural season in March 2026 at the Crown Complex. The team has held combines and other events since joining The Basketball League on Dec. 12, 2024.
To keep up with Fayetteville Liberty, visit faylibertync.com. 910-727-5550
FAYETTEVILLE WOODPECKERS
The Fayetteville Woodpeckers is the city’s Minor League Baseball team and the Single-A Affiliate of the Houston Astros. Its regular season spans from April to September with home games at Segra Stadium.
To see the rest of the 2025 season schedule and to purchase tickets, visit milb.com/ fayetteville. 910-339-1989
FAYETTEVILLE MARKSMEN
The Fayetteville Marksmen, Fayetteville’s longest-running professional team, has been playing in one form or another since 2002 and competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League. The Marksmen play 28 regular-season home games from October to April at the Crown Coliseum. The complete 2025-26 game schedule will be released later in the year.
Tickets can be purchased on game day at the Crown Coliseum box office. For fans interested in season tickets, visit marksmenhockey.com/season-tickets/. 910-321-0123
FAYETTEVILLE FURY
The Fayetteville Fury is the city’s professional indoor soccer team with men’s and women’s squads — both with the same name. Fayetteville Fury is a member of the National Indoor Soccer League, the United Premier Soccer League in the Mid-Atlantic Conference, and the USL W League. Stay updated on the website and social media for current season schedules. To see the team schedule or to purchase tickets, visit the team’s website at fayettevillefury. com/home. Contact Fayetteville Fury on Instagram at @fayettevillefury.
HOPE MILLS ROCKFISH
The Hope Mills Rockfish, previously the Fayetteville Chutes, is a collegiate summer baseball team in the Coastal Division of the Old North State League. Its regular season spans from the end of May to the end of July.
To see the rest of the 2025 season schedule and to purchase tickets, visit hopemillsrockfish. com, contact billy@hopemillsrockfish.com or call 919-922-2137.
The Fayetteville Woodpeckers' regular season spans from April to September with home games at Segra Stadium. Photo by Tony Wooten
EDUCATION
Cumberland County’s classrooms
From public, private and charter schools, Cumberland County has a variety of options for children’s education.
Cumberland County Schools (CCS) serves nearly 50,000 students across 86 schools, representing students from 76 countries who speak 118 languages. With specialized support for over 14,700 military-connected students, CCS prioritizes data-driven decisions and innovative curricula aligned with The Cumberland Commitment: Strategic Plan 2026.
CCS Choice Programs empower students to explore passions in science, arts and culture. Dedicated teachers foster student potential through rigorous academics and holistic support, building positive relationships and engaging parents as partners. CCS is committed to excellence and community engagement to nurture capable, confident and successful individuals. Learn more about CCS’ community of schools at ccs.k12. nc.us.
Jalia Branch was recognized as an outstanding student in Cumberland County last year with achievements in academics, volleyball and soccer. Photo by Tony Wooten
THE BEST CHOICE: COMMUNITY SCHOOLS WITH EVERYTHING YOUR CHILD NEEDS.
A COMPLETE EDUCATION TO CREATE A WELL-ROUNDED AND SUCCESSFUL PERSON.
Your partner for success.
We educate all children while serving the individual interests, goals and needs of each child and family We are committed to making sure each child gets personal attention, keeping families informed and seeking their input as partners in their child's education.
Choices to fit the education to your child. We know that one size doesn’t fit all. Our Choice Programs provide educational approaches that help families fit their child’s education to their interests and the ways they learn best.
Great teachers no matter where you go. At every one of our schools in every neighborhood, you’ll find skilled, caring and dedicated educators who will build strong relationships with your child and bring out their potential.
Everything your child needs.
Rigorous academics, positive relationships, a focus on the whole child and the support every child needs to succeed—Cumberland County Schools builds pride in children in ways that make a community proud.
Public schools
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Alderman Road Elementary
Grades Pre-K – 5 2860 Alderman Road
Fayetteville, NC 28306
Phone: 910-321-0398
Alma Easom Primary Grades K – 1 1610 Westlawn Ave. Fayetteville, NC 28305
Phone: 910-484-0194
School of Choice: Core Knowledge
Armstrong Elementary
Grades Pre-K – 5
3395 Dunn Road Eastover, NC 28312
Phone: 910-483-2425
School of Choice: Technology
Ashley Elementary Grades 3 – 5 810 Trainer Drive
Fayetteville, NC 28304
Phone: 910-484-4156
School of Choice: Communications w/ Foreign Language
School of Choice: International Baccalaureate Academy and Academy of Public Safety and Security
Terry Sanford High Grades 9 – 12 2301 Fort Bragg Road Fayetteville, NC 28303
Phone: 910-484-1151
School of Choice: Academy of Global Studies
Westover High Grades 9 – 12
277 Bonanza Drive Fayetteville, NC 28303
Phone: 910-864-0190
School of Choice: Academy of Engineering Technologies and Academy of Health Sciences
Private & Charter schools
Alpha Academy Charter Public School 8030 Raeford Road, Fayetteville, NC 28304
Bal-Perazim Christian Academy 4921 Bragg Blvd., Fayetteville, NC 28303
Berean Baptist Academy 518 Glensford Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28314
Birds Nest Montessori School 6867 Raeford Road, Fayetteville, NC 28304
Capitol Encore Academy Charter Public School 126 Hay St., Fayetteville, NC 28301
Cornerstone Christian Academy 3000 Scotty Hill Road, Fayetteville, NC 28303
Destiny Now Academy 6974 Raeford Road, Fayetteville, NC 28304
Fayetteville Academy 3200 Cliffdale Road, Fayetteville, NC 28303
Fayetteville Christian School 1422 Ireland Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28304
First Impressions Academy 6925 Nexus Court, Fayetteville, NC 28304
Flaming Sword Christian Academy & Daycare 3230 Legion Road, Hope Mills, NC 28348
Freedom Christian Academy 3130 Gillespie St., Fayetteville, NC 28306
Greater Fayetteville Adventist Academy 2601 Lone Pine Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28306
Guy Schools Inc. 985 S. McPherson Church Road, Fayetteville, NC 28303
Liberty Christian Academy 6548 Rockfish Road, Fayetteville, NC 28306
New Life Christian Academy 1420 Hoke Loop Road, Fayetteville, NC 28314
Northwood Temple Academy 4200 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28311
Northwood Early Education Academy Peace Campus 3203 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28301
Renaissance Classical Christian 6427 Cliffdale Road, Fayetteville, NC 28314
Riverside Christian Academy 2010 Middle River Loop, Fayetteville, NC 28312
Rockfish Christian Academy 7604 Rockfish Road, Raeford, NC 28376
St. Ann Catholic School 365 N. Cool Spring St., Fayetteville, NC 28301
Saint Patrick Catholic School 1620 Malborough Road, Fayetteville, NC 28304
The School of Hope (students with autism only) 111 Burns St., Fayetteville, NC 28301
Trinity Christian School of Fayetteville 3727 Rosehill Road, Fayetteville, NC 28311
Village Christian Academy 908 S. McPherson Church Road, Fayetteville, NC 28303
910-223-7711 pre-K–12
910-487-4220 K–12
910-868-2511 pre-K3–12
910-867-4073 Age 2 and up and K
910-849-0888 K–12
910-867-1166 K–12 *
910-494-6566 K–12
910-868-5131 pre-K–12
910-483-3905 pre-K–12
910-339-0524 pre-K–8
910-764-3500 K–12
910-485-7777 pre-K–12
910-484-6091 pre-K–12
910-484-8308 pre-K, K–2
910-424–1205 K–12
910-868-9640 K–12
910-600-5810 K–12
910-600-5810 pre-K3, pre-K4
910-221-0400 K–12**
910-323-4026 pre-K–12
910-848-6000 pre-K, K–12
910-483-3902 pre-K–8
910-323-1865 pre-K–8
910-339-5683 K–12
910-488-6779 pre-K–12
910-483-5500 K–12
*Dress code ** pre-K now at Northwood Early Education Academy Peace Campus
Landon Witherspoon was recognized last year as an outstanding student in Cumberland County, with involvement in Student Government Association at John Griffin Middle School, band and other extracurriculars. Photo by Tony Wooten
Cumberland County Board of Education
AT A GLANCE
• Cumberland County Schools is the fifth-largest public school district in North Carolina, with a student enrollment of 49,183.
• Cumberland County Schools includes 50 elementary schools, 17 middle schools, 17 high schools and 2 virtual schools.
Deanna Jones Dist. 2 Chair 910-678-2312 deannajonesboe @ccs.k12.nc.us
Susan Williams Dist. 5 910-678-2312
susanwilliamsboe @ccs.k12.nc.us
Judy Musgrave At-Large Vice Chair 910-678-2312
judymusgraveboe @ccs.k12.nc.us
Terra Jordan Dist. 6 910-678-2312
terrajordanboe @ccs.k12.nc.us
Mary Hales Dist. 1 910-678-2312
maryhalesboe @ccs.k12.nc.us
Jacquelyn Brown At-Large 910-678-2312
jacquelynbrownboe @ccs.k12.nc.us
Leadership
The Board of Education has nine nonpartisan members. Six members are elected by district, and three are elected at large. Each member serves a four-year, staggered term. Regular board meetings are held at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month
Delores Bell Dist. 3 910-678-2312 deloresbellboe @ccs.k12.nc.us
Jackie Warner Dist. 4 910-678-2312
jackiewarnerboe @ccs.k12.nc.us
Greg West At-Large 910-678-2312
gregwestboe @ccs.k12.nc.us
Eric C. Bracy Superintendent 910-678-2300 ccssuperintendent @ccs.k12.nc.us
Utilizing public libraries
Cumberland County public libraries offer free programs, story times and more for people of all ages.
Cumberland County Public Library is more than just books — it’s a hub for learning, connection and fun for the whole community. Every library branch offers free programs for all ages, including toddler story times, tech help for adults, hobby/craft programs and hands-on learning for youth. Sensory-friendly toys and interactives are also available to create a welcoming environment for children of all abilities.
Headquarters Library features exciting “learn through play” areas like a giant light wall, a construction crane and a train table. It also offers a reservable ocean-themed sensory calming room, featuring fiber optics lights, bubble tube and multi-sensory experiences that encourage relaxation and rejuvenation. For history enthusiasts and family researchers, the Local & State History Room at Headquarters Library offers a wealth of resources, including newspapers, maps, yearbooks and directories. It also features a digital preservation lab to help you convert older media — like VHS tapes, cassette tapes, vinyl records and printed photos — into digital formats for easy storage and sharing.
At West Regional Library, stop by Miller’s Brew at Café West — a cozy coffee spot staffed by individuals with special needs. This unique café supports job training while offering a warm, welcoming place to relax. West Regional also features a private nursing room, available by reservation, for families who need a quiet space for infant care or family needs.
Getting a library card is easy. Just bring a photo ID and proof of Cumberland County residency to any branch. Kids under 16 need a parent’s permission. A Cumberland County Public Library card gives you access to children, juvenile and adult collections, e-books, audiobooks, computers, learning tools, homework help and so much more.
Stop by and explore your local branch — there’s something new every time you visit!
Find events and locations at cumberlandcountync.gov/library or call 910-483-7727.
Headquarters Library: 300 Maiden Lane, 910-483-7727, ext. 1351
Bordeaux Community Library: 3711 Village Drive, 910-483-7727, ext. 1381
East Regional Library: 4809 Clinton Road, 910-483-7727, ext. 1414
Hope Mills Community Library: 3411 Golfview Road, 910-483-7727, ext. 1425
North Regional Library: 855 McArthur Road, 910-483-7727, ext. 1436
Spring Lake Community Library: 101 Laketree Blvd., 910-483-7727, ext. 1459
West Regional Library: 7469 Century Circle, 910-483-7727, ext. 1481
Headquarters Library sensory room. Photos contributed by Cumberland County Public Library
HIGHER EDUCATION
Exploring continued education
From HBCU pride to technical training, local colleges offer an array of continued education pathways.
FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY
“Bronco pride” reigns at Fayetteville State University (FSU), part of the University of North Carolina System and the state’s second-oldest public institution of higher education, having been founded in 1867.
FSU is a historically Black university with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in high-demand and high-paying career fields, including computer science and cybersecurity, business, nursing, criminal justice and social work. With more than 7,200 students, FSU is among the most diverse
institutions in the nation.
Led by Chancellor Darrell T. Allison, FSU’s exciting growth and economic development include a new Chickfil-A and Starbucks and new facilities currently under construction, such as a new 338-bed residence hall, a state-ofthe-art College of Education, a first-ofits-kind Health and Wellness Center, and more. The University’s renovations on campus and in Bronco Midtown are at the center of revitalizing the Murchison Road corridor in collaboration with the City of Fayetteville.
Contact: 910-672-1111 or uncfsu.edu
FAYETTEVILLE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) represents the first stop for those wishing to pursue education for advancement to the next chapter in life, whether that involves continued education at the four-year college/ university, short-term studies for new skills to enhance job performance or pursue a new career, or for opportunities to pursue interesting hobbies. FTCC offers students a broad range of programs leading to the award of associate degrees, diplomas and certificates, as well as a
The Charles W. Chesnutt Library at Fayetteville State University. Photo by Tony Wooten
robust Continuing Education program, including Summerscapes, an educational summer program for youth. FTCC is military-friendly and has a wide variety of affordable and flexible education programs for students at all stages of life.
“Community colleges have played a significant role in increasing educational attainment, improving lifetime earnings, and powering the nation’s economic growth,” said Mark Sorrells, the fifth president to serve FTCC. “FTCC represents the starting place where students can begin their educational journeys to shape their future, offering a variety of pathways to achieve success.”
Study programs include many areas falling under the category of healthcare, plus law enforcement, firefighter training, emergency management and other public safety fields; cybersecurity, computer programming, digital media technology and other computer technology fields; supply-chain management, accounting, hospitality management and other business fields; engineering; welding, carpentry, plumbing and other skilled trades; and media and fine arts, as well as university transfer options.
FTCC’s new Nursing Education & Simulation Center at the Fayetteville campus provides state-of-the-art training and facilities, providing students with an excellent foundation to achieve success in health care professions. The new FTCC, Cumberland County Regional Fire & Rescue Training Center, including the unique (only indoor facility on the East Coast of the United States) Swift Water Rescue Training Center, provides safe and critically important all-weather training to students pursuing a career in the field of emergency response. FTCC offers training in commercial driver’s license (CDL), a popular program for transitioning military students and others, plus more options for soldiers who plan to transition into the civilian environment.
Founded in 1961, FTCC is the thirdlargest community college in the state, with the Fayetteville campus at 2201 Hull Road, a 10-acre satellite campus in Spring Lake, and a location at Fort Bragg Training and Education Center (BTEC).
Contact: 910-678-8400 or faytechcc.edu
METHODIST UNIVERSITY
As Cumberland County’s only independent, four-year institution of higher education, Methodist University’s reputation is unmatched, with employers seeking graduates who are grounded in the liberal arts tradition and expertly prepared for a variety of careers and educational pursuits.
MU offers more than 80 areas of study on its beautiful 600-acre campus, plus online degrees that give students of all ages (and from any location) opportunities to advance their education and career. MU offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees to approximately 2,000 students from across the United States and more than 50 countries.
The expression “numbers don’t lie” couldn’t be more appropriate when looking at the unique opportunities Methodist University affords its students, employees, community, and state.
MU has more than 100 student clubs
and 20 NCAA sports programs (that have won nearly 80 team and individual national championships).
MU was recently named one of 10 “Must Watch” Universities in North America by Higher Ed Digest, and The New York Times listed MU in the top 16% for social mobility of its graduates.
MU was named the No. 1 most diverse university in North Carolina by Niche Rankings for two of the past three years and gives more than $25 million in scholarships every year. Nearly all (97%) students receive financial aid.
With hundreds of graduates, students and staff serving in the military, it’s no surprise MU receives Military Friendly and Best for Vets Gold Rankings annually. On-campus and online programs are perfect for busy/working adults, active military, veterans and their families.
Contact: 910-630-7000 or methodist.edu
Methodist University. Photo contributed by MU Marketing & Communications
Here's to your health
Local hospital systems offer specialized care for civilians and service members alike
CAPE FEAR VALLEY HEALTH SYSTEM
Cape Fear Valley Health, which has eight hospitals in the region, continues to expand its health care services. In the past year, it has opened a 100bed expansion project at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, grown to over 80 associated outpatient clinics, and continues in partnership with Methodist University to open the state’s newest medical school soon.
Overall, the system has more than 1,000 beds and sees more than 1 million patients annually. The private, notfor-profit health system has more than 8,000 employees and 1,300 providers on its medical staff. Its main campus is Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Other facilities include Highsmith-Rainey Specialty Hospital, Cape Fear Valley Rehabilitation Center, Behavioral Health Care, Bladen County Hospital, Hoke Hospital, Health Pavilion North, Health Pavilion Hoke, Betsy Johnson Hospital and Central Harnett Hospital.
“Cape Fear Valley Health’s mission is to provide exceptional health care for every patient, and our goal is to improve the quality of every life we touch,” said Mike Nagowski, CEO of the health system. “We are proud to be part of the communities that we serve across the region.”
Since Cape Fear Valley Medical Center opened in 1956, it has grown to become North Carolina’s eighth-largest hospital. It specializes in cardiac care, cancer treatment, and surgical services as well as neuroscience, pediatrics, rehabilitation, orthopedics and more.
For more information, call 910-615-4000.
FIRSTHEALTH OF THE CAROLINAS
FirstHealth of the Carolinas is a private, not-for-profit health care system headquartered in Pinehurst. Its more than 6,300 employees serve 15 counties in the mid-Carolinas. The health system is licensed for four hospitals with 546 beds. The system includes FirstHealth Moore Regional
Hospital in Pinehurst; FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital-Hoke in Raeford; FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital-Richmond in Rockingham; and FirstHealth Montgomery Memorial in Troy. In Fayetteville, FirstHealth offers primary care, convenient care and specialty services such as orthopaedics, women’s care, gynecologic oncology, interventional pain medicine, ENT and neurology services.
FirstHealth offers specialty and subspecialty care and technologies typically exclusive to academic institutions, including cardiothoracic surgery, interventional cardiology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, oncology, neonatology, behavioral services and bariatric surgery.
The system includes Reid Heart Center, a comprehensive cancer center, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, hospice and palliative care, home care, community outreach programs, behavioral health, fitness facilities, concierge, functional, specialty, primary
Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Photo contributed by Cape Fear Valley Health
and convenient care practices, medical and surgical weight-loss services, dental care centers, a hospitality house, EMS and critical care transport services, a philanthropic foundation, and a host of other services. FirstHealth demonstrates a commitment to treating the whole patient and improving the health of the communities it serves.
For more information, visit firsthealth.org.
WOMACK ARMY MEDICAL CENTER
Womack Army Medical Center offers a number of health care services, including cardiology, hematology-oncology, obstetrics-gynecology, inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services, pulmonology, orthopedics, vascular surgery, a mild traumatic brain injury clinic, pain management, internal medicine, services for substance abuse, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, preventive medicine, physical therapyoccupational therapy care and pharmacy, gastroenterology, allergy care, physiatry, podiatry, optometry, physical exams, and refractive eye surgery.
Other health care resources available are the Fayetteville Rehabilitation Center, Fort Bragg Intrepid Spirit Center, Fort Bragg Blood Donor Center and Womack Health and Support Center. The on-post clinics include Byars, Clark, Joel Pediatric, Womack Pediatric, Robinson Health Clinic and Womack
Family Medicine Residency Clinic.
The two primary care clinics for family members and retirees are Hope Mills Medical Home and Linden Oaks Medical Home. The emergency department also encompasses a Fast Track Clinic, open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday.
For more information, call 910-9076000 or visit https://womack.tricare.mil/.
FAYETTEVILLE NC VA COASTAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
The Fayetteville VA Medical Center and Fayetteville VA Health Care Center are part of the Fayetteville NC VA Coastal Health Care System, one of the fastest-growing veteran health
care systems in the nation, with an enrollment of more than 95,000 veterans across southeastern North Carolina.
The system includes one medical center in Fayetteville; two health care centers in Fayetteville and Wilmington; nine community-based outpatient clinics in outlying counties; a jointly funded Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense Rehabilitation Center; a jointly funded Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense Acute Care Dialysis Center located at Womack Army Medical Center in Fayetteville; and a VA dental clinic located on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro.
In Cumberland County, veterans can receive care at one of several VA facilities that provide primary care, women’s health services, mental health care, pharmacy services, surgery, imaging services, and medical and specialty services.
Health care services offered at the Ramsey Street and Raeford Road locations include cardiology; dermatology; neurology; gastrointestinal, pulmonary, gynecological, urological and orthopedic care; and general surgery. The main campus on Ramsey Street includes a Community Living Center, which provides skilled nursing and medical care. The Fayetteville VA Dialysis Center, at 2301 Robeson St., provides kidney care.
For more information, call the Fayetteville VA Medical Center on Ramsey Street at 910-488-2120
Womack Army Medical Center. Photo by Isaac Peterson/Womack Army Medical Center
FirstHealth Moore Regional HospitalHoke in Raeford. Photo contributed by FirstHealth of the Carolinas
"Thirty-two OH-58D Kiowa Warriors with the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, conduct a flyover during farewell flight, Fort Bragg, N.C., April 15, 2016," according to the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. "The flyover serves as a final 'thank you' and farewell to the residents of the Fort Bragg and the Fayetteville community." DOD photo by Kenneth Kassens, courtesy 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, identified through DVIDS.
Fort Bragg is back
Here are some quick facts about Fort Bragg after being renamed, again, this year
ABOUT FORT BRAGG
According to Military One Source and Fort Bragg Garrison Public Affairs Officer April Olsen, Fort Bragg is home to:
• Over 48,000 total troops
• Over 1,600 Reserve Components
• Over 2,000 Temporary Duty students
• Over 16,000 DOD civilians and contractors
• Over 80,000 military family members
• 97,000 retirees and family supported Key commands include the XVIII Airborne Corps, known as the nation’s Contingency Corps, and the 82nd Airborne Division, which provides the
majority of the Global Response Force.
The Army Special Operations headquarters is also on post, as is the secretive Joint Special Operations Command.
The sprawling installation includes the headquarters of the Army’s largest command, U.S. Army Forces Command, which oversees the bulk of the nation’s warfighters.
Not only a military powerhouse, Fort Bragg is also an economic juggernaut, with a yearly impact of more than $8.8 billion for the state of North Carolina, with most of that centered on Cumberland and surrounding counties.
TOP COMMANDS
Here is a list of top commands, according to Olsen:
• U.S. Army Forces Command: Led by a four-star general, Forces Command is the largest organization in the Army, with oversight over more than 750,000 active and Reserve soldiers. Forces Command trains and prepares combat-ready forces to meet Combatant Command requirements.
• XVIII Airborne Corps: Without advance warning, the XVIII Airborne Corps deploys globally, forms a seamless Joint and Coalition team, and deters or defeats any adversary.
• U.S. Army Special Operations Command: The Army’s special operations forces are commanded from Fort Bragg. They include Rangers, Green Berets, elite aviators, and civil affairs and psychological soldiers.
• Joint Special Operations Command: These are the leaders of America’s most elite and secretive units.
• U.S. Army Reserve Command: The headquarters for the Army Reserve is centrally located alongside Forces Command.
• 82nd Airborne Division: The largest single soldier population on Fort Bragg, the 82nd is best known for the Global Response Force and its ability to deploy quickly when needed.
• 1st Special Forces Command: The nation’s irregular warfare experts include its Green Berets.
• U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School: The U.S. Army’s Special Operations Center of Excellence, responsible for preparing and producing Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations soldiers.
• Security Force Assistance Command: This command oversees the Army’s Security Force Assistance Brigades, which help train and advise partner nations around the world.
• U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command: This Army Reserve command has units spread across the nation providing specialized skills that are largely found only in the Reserve component.
FIVE FACTS ABOUT FORT BRAGG
• From Bragg to Liberty and back again: The initial change from Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty in June 2023 was part of an initiative by the Department of Defense to rename military installations that bore the names of Confederate soldiers. In February 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum that shifts the installation’s name back to Bragg, now honoring Army Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, who served during WWII.
• Conservation for Endangered Woodpeckers: Fort Bragg is home to several endangered and rare plants and animals. The most notable is the red-cockaded woodpecker, the presence of which threatened the post’s existence in the early 1990s and spurred a conservation effort that has been repeatedly praised for helping protect both military training and the small, palm-sized birds. Other species that call Fort Bragg home include the St. Francis’ Satyr butterfly — the only known population lives on post — and the Venus flytrap, a rare carnivorous plant whose exact locations are a close-kept secret to protect them from poachers.
Olsen, Fort Bragg is home to eight dining facilities (DFAC) “on the Fort Bragg main cantonment area,” which serve an average of 7,200 meals every day and, in fiscal year 2024, served 2.4 million meals.
• Religious Diversity at Fort Bragg: The Religious Support Schedule on Fort Bragg offers services for six different religions at different times, according to Olsen, “including Asatru/Norse, Buddhist, Christianity (Catholic, Protestant, Latter-day Saints, SeventhDay Adventists), Islamic/Muslim, Jewish, and Wiccan.”
• Major Leagues on Post: Fort Bragg made history in the summer of 2016 when Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association partnered to host the first regular-season professional sports matchup on an active military base. The Miami Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 5-2 in the contest, which was broadcast on ESPN. While the grandstands were removed after the game, the field itself is still used by the Fort Bragg community.
• Keeping Soldiers Fed: According to
VISITING FORT BRAGG
There are numerous entry points to Fort Bragg, but if you don’t have a military ID, your first stop will be the All American Visitor Control Center.
The center, located where the All American Freeway meets Fort Bragg, is open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, including federal holidays. A government-issued REAL ID card, proof of insurance, and vehicle registration, as well as a valid reason for entering the installation, are required.
Soldiers uncase the colors denoting Fort Bragg during a redesignation ceremony changing the name of Fort Liberty to its previous name Fort Bragg on March 7, 2025. Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits
Places of worship
Fayetteville’s rich religious landscape offers something for every faith and community.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY WOOTEN
Fayetteville, and Cumberland County at large, is home to a plethora of houses of worship with distinct architectural styles, services, and languages, representing the faiths practiced by its congregants.
The Hindu Bhavan of Fayetteville gives offerings of nuts and holy basil water (prasad) to the deities during a pooja; Beth Israel Congregation welcomes visitors with a menorah at the entrance and offers loaner kippahs to wear during prayer; St. John’s Episcopal Church catches eyes with its white exterior and multiple spires; Holy Trinity Episcopal Church guides congregants’ attention to the center of the worship space with its labyrinth tiles; Haymount United Methodist Church sneaks in light through the mesmerizing stained glass windows; First Presbyterian Church reminds downtown Fayetteville of the time with its looming bell tower; and St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church's powerful organs sing with the churchgoers in the pews.
Whether you’re Protestant, Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Unitarian, or other, you’ll find the perfect place of worship for you.
Sri Venkateswara is one of the deities represented on the Hindu Bhavan of Fayetteville’s shrine at 907 Cedar Creek Road.
A view from the inside of the bell tower of First Presbyterian Church at 102 Ann St. in Fayetteville.
FAITH
HERE IS A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF PLACES OF WORSHIP IN FAYETTEVILLE:
Abney Chapel, 2996 Rosehill Road; 910-488-7525
Arran Lake Baptist Church, 1130 Bingham Drive; 910-424-7211
Village Baptist Church, 906 S. McPherson Church Road; 910-678-7178
Walstone Memorial Baptist Church, 260 Walstone Road; 910-488-6311
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2505 Village Drive; 910-485-8128
Fayetteville
AT A GLANCE
• Fayetteville is the sixth-largest city in North Carolina with a population of about 209,496 people. It is the county seat of Cumberland County.
• It is home to Fort Bragg, the largest military installation by population in the nation.
• In 1783, Fayetteville was named after French Gen. Marquis de Lafayette, remembered for fighting for America in the Revolutionary War.
Fayetteville City Council
The Fayetteville City Council includes nine council members and the mayor. Council members are elected to represent nine districts with two-year terms. The mayor is elected at large. All the seats are up for election in November 2025.
Mayor Pro Tem Kathy Jensen Dist. 1 910-433-1992 kathyjensen @fayettevillenc.gov
Malik Davis Dist. 2 910-973-0256 malikdavis @fayettevillenc.gov
Brenda McNair Dist. 7 910-433-1992 brendamcnair @fayettevillenc.gov
Mario Benavente Dist. 3 910-635-5458 mariobenavente @fayettevillenc.gov
Courtney Banks-McLaughlin Dist. 8 910-433-1992 courtneybanksmclaugh @fayettevillenc.gov
The mayor acts as the official head of city government and presides at city council meetings. The mayor is a voting member of the council who appoints council members to committees and liaison positions.
Every month, the Fayetteville City Council holds regular meetings every second and fourth Monday, which are open to the public. Meetings can be attended in person or watched live on FayTV, located on the city’s website and Channel 7 of Spectrum Cable.
Mayor Mitch Colvin 910-433-1992 mitchcolvin @fayettevillenc.gov
Doug Hewett City Manager 910-433-1990 doughewett @fayettevillenc.gov
Cumberland County
AT A GLANCE
• Cumberland is the fifth-largest county in North Carolina, with a population of 338,430.
• It is home to nine municipalities: Fayetteville, Eastover, Falcon, Godwin, Hope Mills, Linden, Spring Lake, Stedman and Wade.
• It was named after the Duke of Cumberland, Prince William Augustus, the British commander who defeated the Highland Scots at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners has seven members who are elected to four-year terms. Two members are elected from District 1, three members are elected from District 2 and two members are elected at-large. The terms are staggered, and the members elect the chairman and vice chairman annually. No seats are up for re-election in 2025, though several are in 2026. Every month, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners holds regular meetings every first and third Monday, which are open to the public. They can be attended in person or watched live on Cumberland County North Carolina TV, available on the county’s website and Channel 5 of Spectrum Cable.
Glenn Adams Dist. 1 910-678-7771 or 910-223-1400 gadams@ cumberlandcountync.gov
Henry Tyson Dist. 2 910-678-7771 htyson@ cumberlandcountync.gov
Jeannette Council Dist. 1 910-678-7771 or 910-488-0691 jcouncil@ cumberlandcountync.gov
Clarence Grier County Manager 910-678-7723 cgrier@ cumberlandcountync.gov
From dog bakeries to grooming, boarding and more, Fayetteville is filled with businesses offering pet services.
Here’s a peek into a selection.
BY JASON CANADY | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBYN ROYAL PITT
Fayetteville is a pet-friendly city — and it shows. From mobile grooming and luxury boarding to specialty shops and dog bakeries, Fayetteville offers paw-some choices for furry companions.
WAGGIN WHEELS GROOMING
Waggin Wheels Grooming is a veteran-owned small business based in Fayetteville, serving South Harnett
and Cumberland County. This mobile pet service comes to its clients, helping relieve stress for both pets and their owners.
Owner Jon Pride, a U.S. military veteran of 22 years, says he treats his clients’ fur babies like his own, with the pet’s happiness as the top priority.
“We go to the client’s house — whether they can’t get out or their pups are too stressed to visit a brick-and-mortar
location,” Jon said. “We do full grooms inside our self-contained mobile unit, which has everything you’d find in a salon. It saves clients the hassle of transporting their pets and spares pets the stress of being around other dogs.”
Waggin Wheels Grooming is also committed to giving back to the community, partnering with the Fayetteville Police Department and the Fayetteville Woodpeckers for free grooming events and holiday giveaways. 910-446-8637
NATURALLY UNLEASHED PET NUTRITION CENTER
Naturally Unleashed has been a family-owned and operated local pet nutrition center and store since 2009.
Owners Ashley and Aaron Hill, along with Frank and Sheere Hill, are dedicated to offering high-quality, natural pet products and services.
“We provide natural, holistic, healthy food and pet products — more
Jon Pride is the owner of Waggin’ Wheels Grooming, a mobile pet grooming business.
Xaena Cruz, a team member at The Urban Dog, and one of the boarded dogs enjoy quality time together and a cool breeze outside.
Jade, a German shepherd, gets her ears gently cleaned by Pride.
personalized service and better health options for pets,” Ashley said.
In addition to full-service grooming for dogs and cats, Naturally Unleashed offers a wide selection of pet products, including apparel, beds, crates, feeders, dry food, grooming supplies, leashes and more. Their Pack Perks rewards program gives customers access to discounts, exclusive in-store rewards and coupons.
Naturally Unleashed has three locations: a Boone Trail Extension location at 3035-C Boone Trail Extension, 910-486-4636; a Glensford location at 330 Glensford Drive, Suite 109, 910-868-1556; and a Traemoor Village location at 3010 Traemoor Village Drive, Suite 170. 910-868-8200.
The Urban Dog: Owned by Cristena Piltz and Lisa Adams, The Urban Dog has specialized in dog day care and boarding since 2010, according to their website. They offer baths and nail trim services as well as amenities including play areas, 4-by-5-foot boarding rooms and more. 216 Meed Court. 910-822-3647
The Fayetteville Pet Resort: Since 1999, The Fayetteville Pet Resort has offered accommodations for pets. According to their website, their amenities include 3,000 square feet of covered play areas, suites for boarding and more. Run by a military family, the resort offers a 10% discount to military personnel and first responders. Guests are encouraged to stop by and take a tour. 2110 Strickland Bridge Road. 910-426-3400
Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming: Located in Haymount, Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming is a neighborhood pet store with a gourmet twist. They offer grooming and an in-house bakery featuring pet treats. In addition, they carry accessories, toys, doggie spa products and more. Local delivery is also available. 1216 Fort Bragg Road. 910-860-1200
Bed and Biscuits: Located in Stedman, Bed and Biscuits is an award-winning “camp for really cool dogs.” With a deep love for animals and a personalized approach, they treat the pets like part of the family, according to their website. Bed and Biscuits offers both day and overnight stays. 2401 Stonegate Road, Stedman. 910-484-0300
Neighbors Serving Neighbors
Check out the Benefits Your Hometown Utility Provides
At PWC, our employees are also your friends and neighbors who make the difference for our customers. Our commitment to excellence enables us to provide world-class utilities and exceptional customer service, as well as programs and services with added benefits for you.
4 4 4 4 4
Incentive Programs – To earn bill credits and lower your bills by taking steps to conserve
Several Payment Options – Online, Mobile App, Automatic Bank Draft, Pay by Phone, 24/7 Self-service Station and more - for your convenience
Time-of-Use Rates – Save by taking advantage of Off-Peak hours
Electric Outage Map – To keep you in the know
Social Media – To keep you connected and informed Visit our website for more information, including tips to conserve power and water.
Where Your Children Come First
www.kidsfirstpedsraeford.com
Kids First Pediatrics of Raeford and Fayetteville has created a professional and caring medical environment for infants, children, adolescents and their families. We provide complete pediatric and adolescent care.
Pediatric Services We Provide Check Ups, Sick Child Visits & More in Raeford and Fayetteville
• Well Child Visits
• Sick Child Visits
• Vaccine & Immunization Schedule
• 2023-2024 Guide to the Flu
• School, Sports, & Camp Physicals
4005 Fayetteville Road Raeford, NC 28376
Mon. to Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Vaccines & Immunizations
• ADHD Testing & Treatment
• Asthma Symptoms & Treatment
• Breastfeeding Support
• Urinalysis
• Strep and Mono Screen
• Vision and Hearing Tests
Jose Buenaseda, MD, FAAP
Leamor Buenaseda, MD, FAAP
Sreelekha Sashidhar, MD, FAAP
Christine Arnold, CPNP-PC
Melanie Pitts, DNP, NP-C
Beverly de La Rosa, CPNP-PC
Danielle Trigg, CPNP-PC
Rachelle Olson, FNPC
Ashley Monroe, PA-C
Sarah Lewis, PA-C
2694 NC 24-87
Cameron, NC 28326
Mon. to Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 910.500.KIDS (5437) 2035 Valleygate Dr., Ste. 101 Fayetteville, NC 28304 Mon. to Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 910.677.0007
Mon. to Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 910.306.KIDS (5437)
