Some more of this and that on an Easter week

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It will be another “little bit of this and little bit of that” column this week which have become my personal favorite.

Unfortunately this week I will start by talking about another huge loss for our community and county in the passing of a great man in Bill Walden. Just over a week after losing Dr. Powell, Siler City lost Walden, another instrumental figure in the area in many, many avenues ranging from a pastor, civic leader, and a well-known business man.

Like Powell, Mr. Walden was instrumental in many ways in my life. I played high school football with his son Chris, was around his youngest son Joey when he played all three sports at Jordan-Matthews, and proudly coached one of his granddaughters, Tamaya, in middle school soccer. So I was fortunate to see him a lot in those years and more so just out and talking when he became more than just a teammate’s father, but a real friend who I admired and looked up to. Bill was just a great man, simply put.

Now, everyone knew his mother, the Rev. Mattie Walden. For my first 11 years at the Chatham News and Record she would come in weekly and the place immediately got louder — and I mean that in a good way. She could light up a room like no other and you always looked forward to her coming in. Bill, on the other hand, was quieter, but had just as big an impact on me. He was just a first class person who did so many things for area businesses, the community through his musical talents, and in keeping festivals going almost singled handedly in Siler City for many years. His impact can never be understated.

And it’s little wonder that his family — including his wife of 50 years, Melinda, sons Chris and Joey, and daughter Angela, and their families — are just salt of the earth, wonderful people. Bill was a role model in every sense of the word and will be greatly missed.

Shifting gears to the baseball tournaments over the Easter break, kudos for John Will Headen and his staff for another great event at Jordan-Matthews. In its second year, the event was first-class all the way from atmosphere to organization to food, which if you were there, was as good as it gets. And let’s not forget that Jordan-Matthews and Chatham Central both played some very good baseball, and Headen and CC coach Brett Walden have their teams playing well down the stretch and primed and ready to make a real impact come conference tournament and state playoff time.

The same can be said for coach Bill Slaughter and his Chatham Charter bunch who shook off a slow start at the Graham Booster’s Easter tournament to pound Graham in the finale. And let’s not fail to mention what Northwood and coach David Miller are doing down in Fayetteville at the Terry Sanford Bulldog Easter Tournament. The opening game alone was an eye-opener. I mean, absolutely dismantling a 17-0 Midway team in the tourney opener 13-0 shows just what type of talent the Chargers have, and what they can do come state playoff time when they bring their A game.

Keep an eye on the local teams as they close out the regular season this week before conference tournament action gets underway on Monday at the higher seeds.