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Samson and Delilah: From Pulpits to Pop Stars

PITTSBORO — The Chatham Community Library will host “Samson and Delilah: From Pulpits to Pop Stars,” with North Carolina Humanities Council Road Scholar Billy Stevens, beginning at 1 p.m. in the Holmes Meeting Room on Dec. 7.

This program will focus on the impact of Negro spirituals on American popular music with a fascinating journey spanning a century of American history.

Using archival recordings of two songs based on the biblical story of Samson and Delilah, “My Soul is a Witness,” and “If I Had My Way,” Stevens describes how spiritual songs contributed to American popular music while transforming African American culture into the mainstream. In the process, audiences are introduced to some of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century: black preachers and congregations, jubilee singers, itinerant bluesmen, folk musicians of the 1960s, and rock bands of the 1980s. Their shared vocabulary of religious symbolism, along with their message of freedom and equality, creates a common bond spanning genres and generations.

This event is free and open to the public and is made possible with funding from the North Carolina Humanities Council.

Chatham Cares Pharmacy sets Christmas luminary service

Before you know it, the Christmas season will be here and with it will come a host of activities ranging from family gatherings to worship services celebrating the birth of Jesus. Seasonal sights and sounds will be in full bloom as part of many of them.

Among the local events coming up is the 2nd annual “Magical Lights of Christmas and Song,” a luminary service sponsored by Chatham Cares Community Pharmacy and scheduled for 4 p.m. on Dec. 8 at Siler City First United Methodist Church, 1101 West Raleigh St.

Luminaries may be purchased in memory or in honor of a family member or loved one for $10 each and will be placed along the driveway in a display of light. The program will include a wide range of Christmas music by area groups and choirs, including the Dowdy Boys, Danny Spivey, Holy Trinity United Holy Church, McKinley and Sophie Loflin, St. Julia’s English Choir, Autumn Davis, Sarah Southern and Samantha Zarate. Light refreshments will be served after the program.

Luminaries can be purchased at Chatham Cares Community Pharmacy, 127 East Raleigh St. (across from the Siler City post office) during business hours: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Wednesday. The deadline to purchase is 1 p.m. on Dec. 4. Tickets are also available from any board member of by contacting Lynn Glasser at 919-542-9411, Patricia Dowdly at 91-542-9300 or Becky Loflin at 919-548-6142 or by calling the pharmacy at 919-663-0177.

Chatham Cares serves the un- and under-insured residents of Chatham County by providing certain prescription drugs and equipment at little or no cost to those in need. The pharmacy operates on grants and donations to provide thousands of dollars worth of services and benefits to residents. Opportunities to make donations for those interested will be available at the upcoming service.

Chatham hosting farmer-focused trade show

PITTSBORO — The first Mid-Atlantic Hemp Show & Conference, which begins Friday at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center, will bring our region’s top agriculture business leaders together to explore the latest in hemp growing, processing, harvest and supply chain.

Organizer Lucy Grist says exhibitors are coming from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, California and as far away as Canada.

“There will be booths for business to include farm management and consulting, insurance, legal advice and marketing,” she said. “Others will exhibit clones, debunking equipment, drones, planters, plows, extraction equipment, grow lights, harvesting equipment, nutrients, organic plants, and CBD processors and retail.”

The show is from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The run of show was curated from the results of a survey that asked more than 100 individuals in the hemp industry how a trade show and conference would best benefit their business. From “Knowledge Share” panel discussions and Equipment Demonstrations, to the business “Hemp Hub,” the trade show added an additional day to ensure ample opportunities for networking.

General admission tickets are $5 per day; conference admission, which includes lunch, is $35 per day.

There are more than 1,300 licensed growers in North Carolina right now, growing on more than 16,000 acres and in more than 6 million feet of greenhouse space.

For more information, go to gristandco.com

Film Screening: No Small Matter

PITTSBORO — The Chatham Community Library will host a screening of the documentary, “No Small Matter,” at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 4 in the library’s Holmes Meeting Room

Eleven million American children need childcare each week — and yet somehow, the U.S. lacks a comprehensive early care and education system. Who exactly is taking care of America’s kids? While the vast majority of the childcare workforce is female, it is diverse in many other ways — from demographics to education level to the kind of “program” they offer, whether a preschool, a family childcare provider, or even relatives and friends.

“No Small Matter” is a feature length documentary film about early childhood education in America co-produced by Chicago filmmakers Siskel/Jacobs Productions and Kindling Group.

DMV adding drivers license transactions to the myNCDMV platform

RALEIGH — The online driver license services available on the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles website moved into the myNCDMV section of the site, effective Nov. 17.

Drivers will now be able to renew their licenses through the application where vehicle owners now go to renew their registration and pay their property tax online.

Drivers will be able to skip traveling to a local license office by using the myNCDMV online service to renew their license, order a duplicate license or update their address. Unlike the current DMV online system where customers must complete transactions one by one, the myNCDMV platform allows customers to complete multiple transactions at once even if they vary between vehicle and driver services.

Like the vehicle services procedures, there will be a $3 transaction fee that the vendor, PayIt, collects to pay for its work to improve the DMV site and add services, such as the REAL ID Wizard and online renewal reminders. There is no upfront cost to the DMV for the work, as the company is paid through the transaction fee. The DMV does not collect or benefit from the transaction fee.

For more information including the list of online DMV services, visit myNCDMV.gov.

Frigid temperatures and holiday cooking create a recipe for home fires

RALEIGH — Combine the recent cold snap across North Carolina with that of fires that stem from holiday cooking and you have an increased potential for home fires, warns Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Mike Causey.

“The holidays are a dangerous time of the year for fires because of the use of space heaters as well as the increase in cooking and baking,” said Commissioner Causey. “That’s why it is important for family members to know the dangers space heaters present and to be careful while using the oven and stove, especially with children roaming around the house.”

Each year during the winter months, there is an increase in the number of home fires related to the various forms of heating. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), heating is the leading cause of fires in U.S. homes. Nearly 90% of home heating fire deaths involve stationary or portable space heaters. The leading factor that contributes to home heating fire deaths was heating equipment too close to things that can burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattresses or bedding.

Home fires peak on major U.S. holidays that traditionally involve cooking with Thanksgiving listed as the holiday with the most reported cooking fires, according to the NFPA. According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), there are approximately 2,000 home fires that occur each Thanksgiving that result in deaths, injuries and millions of dollars in property loss. Many of those fires are caused by turkey frying.

So far in 2019, 96 people have lost their lives in North Carolina because of fire.

The North Carolina Department of Insurance, Office of State Fire Marshal and Safe Kids NC recommend the following NFPA safety tips to prevent fire, injury or poisonings:

Heating

• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment.

• Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.

• Never use your oven to heat your home.

• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

• Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel-burning space heaters.

• Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container, placed on a non-combustible area and stored a safe distance away from your home.

• Test smoke alarms at least once a month.

Cooking

• Always stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling or broiling food. If you need to leave the kitchen, turn off the stove.

• Keep flammable items such as oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels and curtains away from the cooking area.

• Establish a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet around the stove and other areas where hot food or drink is being prepared or carried.

• Be alert when cooking. If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t cook.

• If your stove catches on fire, when in doubt, just get out! Call 9-1-1 from outside the home.

To learn more about fire and holiday safety, visit the OSFM website.

Death and Cupcakes: Coffee, Cake, and Conversation

PITTSBORO — The Holmes Meeting room at the Chatham Community Library will be transformed into a safe space to share stories, and ask questions, of sorrow, grief and love around death, dying and beyond.

The “Death and Cupcakes” event, scheduled from 2:30-4 p.m. on Dec. 14, is not a grief support group, but a place to share stories and to be witnessed, a place to ask questions. It is a place to bring positive awareness around death and to be with community around living and dying.

This program will be facilitated by the clinical director of heart2heart, Cathy Brooksie Edwards, with music by Sheila Fleming. The mission of heart2heart is to support individuals, families and communities as they navigate the living path during the dying time and beyond.

Coffee, tea and cupcakes will be served.

This event is free and open to the public. Funding for this event is made possible by the generous support of the Friends of the Chatham Community Library.