Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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22 UCW AUGUST 29-SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Hope Mills News & Views Meetings For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Town Clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113. Most meetings take place at Town Hall or the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation center. • Labor Day Holiday Monday, Sept. 3. Town Hall will be closed. • CANCELLED: Board of Commissioners Monday, Sept. 10, 7 p.m. • Lake Advisory Committee Tuesday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m. Activities • Registration underway for the next Hope Mills Citizens Academy, which is designed to help citizens gain insight into how local government works and promote open lines of communication. e next Citizens Academy sessions be- gin ursday, Sept. 6. Register online at www.townofhopemills.com. For further information, call Jane Starling at 910-424-4902 or email jstarling@townofhopemills.com. • Hope Mills Area Kiwanis Club at Sammio's, second Tuesdays at noon and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. For details, call 910-237-1240. • Hope Meals Food Truck Rodeo ursday, Sept. 6, at the parking lot be- tween Town Hall and Parks & Rec Center. 5 p.m. • Registration open for the 4th Annual Miss Hope Mills Cotton Pageant Applications are now being accepted at Hope Mills Parks & Recreation. Regis- tration Deadline is Friday, Sept. 14. e pageant is for ages are 3 - 22 years old. Visit www.townofhopemills.com/375/Miss-Hope-Mills-Cotton-Pageant and see applications for rules and important information for contestants. e pageant takes place Oct. 5 for ages 3-9 and Oct. 6 for ages 10-22. • Ole Mills Days 2018 Saturday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more details and vendor information, contact Parks and Recreation Director Kenny Bullock: 910- 426-4107 or kwbullock@townofhopemills.com. Promote yourself: Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com. CALENDAR NEWS Awards continue to come to the town of Hope Mills with the restoration of the town's centerpiece, Hope Mills Lake, now that the dam has been repaired. At last Monday's meeting of the Board of Commissioners, the town was officially presented a special recognition award from the 10th anniversary meeting of the Fayetteville-Cumberland County Joint Appearance Commission. "This is the first time the town has gotten an award from the whole commission,'' said Mayor Jackie Warner. "This award is something the whole commission decides. It was presented to the town for restoring Hope Mills Lake to its former glory. It was really special.'' The town also received some other awards at the meeting. Warner's business, Carleen's, was recog- nized for best restoration of a historical nonresiden- tial property. The South Main Street entrance to the town on Cameron Road was honored for best hous- ing development gateway. But the special recognition prize was the big one, and the one that had the most meaning for long- time Hope Mills resident Sally Bailey. Bailey, who has called Hope Mills home for 38 years, is a former member of the town's Appearance Committee and currently serves on the Parks and Recreation Committee. She made the presentation to the Joint Appearance Commission earlier this month that led to Hope Mills winning the special recognition for the restoration of the lake. "To me, it's like winning the Oscar,'' Bailey said. "You're competing with everything in Cumberland County that's been done." Bailey said the award was especially meaningful after all the town has endured to get the lake back. "It's taken us years and court battles and every- thing to get it back,'' she said. "The award was for the citizens of Hope Mills for never taking no for an answer and never giving up. "The town officials worked hard. There were citizens that worked hard. We had so many road- blocks. We'd get this far and go back to the drawing board, making trips to Raleigh and having people come here.'' Bailey said the lake is special to Hope Mills for numerous reasons. "It's the center point of our town,'' she said. "To me, it is the memories. The beauty of it. The stillness and calmness when you stand by it and see the pride in this town for this lake, how hard we've fought for something.'' Bailey said she's excited about plans for the lake moving forward. "I'd like to see more trees out there, picnic tables, an upscale lake area,'' she said. "The town of Hope Mills has so much potential. We are growing. I look at that potential and see what can become of this town. "It takes a lot of hard work. I'm sure this town is going to do it.'' Restored Hope Mills Lake earns town beautification honor by EARL VAUGHAN JR. L-R: Town manager Melissa Adams, Cathy Johnson of the Appearance Committee, Mayor Pro Tem Mike Mitchell and Mayor Jackie Warner receive special recognition from the Joint Appearance Commission. Hope Mills Lake Photo credit: Trey Snipes