News
Click HERE
to download a 2009 schedule of Chamber meetings and events!
Hot Rooster Chosen as Featured
Performer for 2009 Hog Day
Hillsborough, NC -- On Saturday, April 25, the Hillsborough/Orange
County Chamber of Commerce held its First EVER Battle of the
Bands competition at the Hillsborough Moose Lodge Family Center.
Ten local bands competed, battling for the opportunity to
be the featured performer at the 27th Annual Hillsborough
Hog Day festival in June. Though competition was fierce, and
the amount of talent in the room was enormous, a panel of
judges declared the Hillsborough-based band, Hot Rooster,
as the winner.
“The talent was awesome,” said Margaret Wood
Cannell, Chamber Executive Director. “We had four bands
who were all under 18 and they just ROCKED. It was very difficult
to narrow it down to just one group, but our judges did it!”
The Battle was so successful, Cannell continued, that the
Chamber will definitely host another one in 2010, and may
consider presenting a Battle of the Bands during a future
Hog Day.
Hot Rooster is an all-original, homegrown "funk-and-roll"
band and features the talents of Rodney "The Rooster"
Dixon (guitar, vocals), Leland Little (guitar, vocals), Kevin
Murphy (bass, vocals), Vernon Little (drums), Paul Coleman
(percussion, vocals), and Joe Waddell (keyboards, vocals).
Hot Rooster recently released their third full-length album,
"It's In The Cards," which is available online (www.myspace.com/hotrooster)
and at their live performances.
Hot Rooster will perform as the featured musical act Saturday,
June 20th, at the 27th Annual Hillsborough Hog Day festival.
Additional information regarding the festival can be found
online at www.hogdays.com, or by calling (919) 732-8156.
The Chamber wishes to thank the Hillsborough Moose Lodge
Family Center for hosting the Battle of the Bands, and Andy’s
Restaurant for providing food to attendees. Thanks also to
the bands who entered and performed: Rivera, Moonfisher, Didact,
Under the Atmosphere, The Verge, Lori T and NRG, The Cliches,
The Cadillacs, and Red Rhythm.
Hillsborough’s Gold
Park and Portion of Riverwalk to Open April 18
HILLSBOROUGH — The Town of Hillsborough will open its
first community park and a portion of Riverwalk with a ribbon-cutting
at 10 a.m. April 18.
“Many people have dreamed, planned and worked diligently
to create Riverwalk, and with the opening of this park we
are crossing a major milestone,” Hillsborough Mayor
Tom Stevens said. “What a beautiful place for our community
to gather, to play, to picnic and to celebrate the river and
natural environment that distinguishes our corner of the world.”
The 24-acre Gold Park on Dimmocks Mill Road includes a multi-purpose
field, playground equipment, picnic structures, a fenced dog
park and a little less than half a mile of Riverwalk.
Riverwalk is a 1.5-mile greenway that will connect downtown
Hillsborough with Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area,
off Orange Grove Road in western Hillsborough.
Hillsborough’s mayor, as well as representatives of
the Hillsborough Parks and Recreation Board and the N.C. Parks
and Recreation Trust Fund Authority, will speak briefly at
the ribbon-cutting. Then Gold Park will be opened for play
before 10:30 a.m.
The park was made possible through the donation of land from
the Gold family and a $500,000 grant from the N.C. Parks and
Recreation Trust Fund.
The park is located at 415 Dimmocks Mill Road, just west
of Nash Street. It is in the sharp curve of Dimmocks Mill
Road, just south of the railroad trestle.
HILLSBOROUGH CHAMBER NAMES
RECIPIENTS OF BUSINESS OF THE YEAR, BUSINESS PERSON OF THE
YEAR AND HELPING HAND AWARDS
At
its holiday gathering, held in Hillsborough on Wednesday,
December 17, the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce
announced the recipients of its Business of the Year, Business
Person of the Year and Helping Hand Awards.
The
Business of the Year Award recipient
is Cardinal State Bank. Cardinal
State Bank is a relative newcomer to Hillsborough and was
originally opened by former CCB employees and is now owned
by Yadkin Valley Bank and Trust Company. Danny Lloyd, City
Executive and First Vice President of the Hillsborough Branch,
said “We are committed to being good citizens of the
communities we serve. We’re proud to be in our new location
on South Churton Street, and very happy to be affiliated with
the Hillsborough Chamber.” Cardinal State Bank consistently
supports Chamber events, providing a mobile ATM for Hog Day
and volunteers for various events, and also is a major supporter
of the Duke Home Care and Hospice and it’s “Oh
What a Night” gala fundraiser.
The
Chamber’s Business Person of the
Year award goes to Dave Gephart
of Gephart Marketing Solutions. Dave is a member of
the Board of the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce
and the Chamber’s representative to the Board of the
Alliance for Historic Hillsborough, where he serves as Treasurer.
Dave is also an active member of the Hillsborough Exchange
Club. He is also a member of the Hog Day Planning committee
and has acted as the Industrial Row Coordinator on Hog Day
for the past several years. In addition to working hard to
represent the Chamber, Dave’s company, Gephart Marketing
Solutions, has introduced two new lines this year, Gephart
Green, featuring environmentally friendly items and Gephart
Pink, supporting breast cancer research.
The
2008 Helping Hand Award will
be awarded to both an individual and a group.
The
Helping Hand Award - Individual - Mary
Ellen Petrin. Mary Ellen is incoming president of the
Hillsborough Exchange Club, and has been active with Orange
County Schools and their PTSOs and Sports Booster Clubs. Mary
Ellen can always be counted on to provide assistance where
it is needed, whether it’s putting the finishing touches
on a house minutes before the Candlelight Tour, recruiting
other volunteers (including her family members), selling tickets
for the Exchange Club’s reverse raffle, or serving as
the Hog Day Crafts coordinator. “Mary Ellen is such
a valuable asset to this community,” said Margaret Wood
Cannell, Chamber Executive Director. “She is so enthusiastic
about so many causes and very dedicated to making Hillsborough
a better place.”
Helping
Hand Award - Group - The Kiwanis Club of Hillsborough.
This roughly 30-member service organization provides support
to Orange County Schools as well as individual students, recognizing
their achievements through scholarships and through its Terrific
Kids program. In 2008, Kiwanis was able to extend the Terrific
Kids program to all seven elementary schools in the county.
Other
nominees for Business of the Year included The
Saratoga Grill, Telesis Construction Management and Home Helpers.
Other nominees for Business Person of the Year were George
Horton of Telesis Construction Management, Beverly Blythe
of the Hillsborough Farmers Market Group, Tom York of Hillsborough
Sign and Trophy, and Kathy Lawrence of Home Helpers.
Other nominees for the Helping Hand
Award were The Orange County Campus of Durham Technical Community
College, Neighbor House of Hillsborough and the Torains, Beverly
Blythe and Barbara Descisciolo. “The Board wanted
to recognize all the nominees this year,” said Cannell.
“We are fortunate in Orange County to have companies,
individuals, and organizations that are willing to be involved
in the community and be good corporate citizens. Our recipients
are in good company and we welcome the opportunity to recognize
these fine folks.”
Nominations Sought for the
2008 Pauli Murray Human Relations Award - The Orange
County Human Relations Commission is currently soliciting
nominations for the 2008 Pauli Murray Human Relations Awards.
The Pauli Murray Award is presented annually by the Orange
County Human Relations Commission to an Orange County youth,
an Orange County adult, and an Orange County business that
have served the community with distinction in the pursuit
of equality, justice, and human rights for all citizens.
Deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, January 23,
2009. For applications or more information please visit website
address: http://www.co.orange.nc.us/hrr/events.asp or contact
the Orange County Office of Human Rights & Relations at
919 960-3875.
The awards will be made during the Annual Pauli Murray Awards
Ceremony on Sunday, February 22, 2009.
Hillsborough Farmers’
Market Moves to Home Depot - For the past 12 years,
SunTrust Bank has allowed the Hillsborough Farmers Market
the use of their parking lot in the center of town for their
market. Beginning in 2009, they’ll be moving to the
Home Depot on NC 86 and I-85.
Paul Reil, a member of the HFM Leadership Team, said “While
the HFM doesn’t want to leave its long-time home in
the downtown historic district, we realize that we are continually
growing and need more space for vendors as well as well as
customers.”
The HFM Winter Market will be held the first and third Saturdays
from 10 am to noon, beginning January 3, 2009. The Saturday
market will be held from 8 am to noon beginning on March 21
and the Wednesday market, 4 pm to 7 pm, will begin in May.
As in the past, there will be musical entertainment, activities
for kids, special event days, and appearances by guest chefs
at the Saturday market.
The Hillsborough Farmers Market had its beginning in 1987
in the Southern States parking lot and since that time held
their market on various County and private properties with
Historic Downtown Hillsborough. If anyone is interested in
being a vendor for 2009, the application and guidelines are
available online at www.hillsoroughfarmersmarket.org or by
calling 732-8315.
Click
HERE to read Dist. 23 Senator Ellie Kinnaird's report
from each week of the Legislature's session.
Click HERE
to read Dist. 50 Representative Bill Faison's report from
each week of the Legislature's session.
|