Up & Coming Weekly

March 17, 2020

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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4 UCW MARCH 18-24, 2020 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Stephanie Crider editor@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com EDITOR Jenna Shackelford jenna@upandcomingweekly.com HOPE MILLS AND SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR Earl Vaughan Jr. EarlUCWSports@gmail.com REPORTER Jeff Thompson news@upandcomingweekly.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Elizabeth Baker art@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING ASSOCIATES Linda McAlister Brown and Melanie Twine linda@upandcomingweekly.com melanie@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING COORDINATOR FOR WOMEN'S VIEW AND FAYETTEVILLE LADIES POWER LUNCH Caroline Schafer caroline@upandcomingweekly.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER/SALES ADMINISTRATOR Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.G. Martin, Pitt Dickey, Margaret Dickson, Karl Merritt, John Hood, Jim Jones, Shanessa Fenner, Prudence Mainor, Avery Powers, Crissy Neville PAGE 6 Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden#/ media/File:Joe_Biden_(48548455397)_ (rotated).jpg ––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan St. P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: 910-484-6200 FAX: 910-484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and information on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Up & Coming Weekly is published weekly on Wednesdays. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for publication consideration, but assumes no responsibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distributed at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. © 2020 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Various ads with art graphics designed with elements from: vecteezy.com and freepik.com. PUBLISHER'S PEN This week, Publisher Bill Bowman yields his space to Jenna Shackelford, editor of Up & Coming Weekly. Over the past few weeks, the effects of the coronavirus and the panic surrounding it have slowly unfolded in our community. Between mad dashes to the store for enough toilet paper to stock up a small country, waiting in long lines at local big box stores, and slathering our hands in sanitizer, people have watched and listened as the news, social media and experts have told us that the numbers of presumptive and confirmed cases of COVID-19 are on the rise. Unfortunately, in our efforts to prepare for the worst — and don't get me wrong, we should be prepared — our local businesses are paying the price. With a decrease in traffic, stores in the area whose doors are wide open to their customers are suddenly finding themselves in financial predicaments. Cumberland County residents need to shop local now, or else when COVID-19 has come and gone, local businesses will have came and went, too. With the spread of germs, though, how can consumers be smart about how they support local entrepreneurs? By now, most people are aware that large gatherings are banned; but small gatherings with simple precautions, like thorough hand-washing, are allowed and are much lower risk. Bear in mind that owners of businesses don't want to get sick either, nor do they want anyone else who visited their establishments to fall ill, and are taking precautions to ensure that their workplace is santized. Many restaurants utilize delivery services, so support local restaurants by or- dering carry-out. You could also support stores that sell local produce and make a meal at home to share for a night in. Check your calendar. Do you have some birthdays, wed- dings or other occasions marked that you'll want to purchase gifts for? Now is a great time to do that. While outings are still safe, many small businesses have an online presence that you can order from and stay in. For those that don't, consider calling the business and making purchases by phone. If you don't have any- thing you particularly need from your favorite local business now, but you might later, purchas- ing gift cards for a future use is also an effective way to support the local economy. If you need to purchase items wholesale, putting in your orders now could provide a much-needed monetary boost. Spring is a beautiful time of year to explore the outdoors. Throughout Fayetteville, there are a plethora of outside ad- ventures. From events for all ages at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden to activities like kayaking trips with Lake Rim Park, you'll find events that everyone can enjoy. The Greater Fayetteville Chamber is a wonderful resource with an extensive list of their members, complete with the addresses and phone numbers. Visit http://www.faybiz. com/ and click "member directory" under the "shop local" tab to explore all the great possibilities in our community. Who knows — you might find a new favorite hangout spot or resource you hadn't learned about yet. Our community is resilient. Think back to all the storms — both literal and figurative — that we have collectively weath- ered. One of the best qualities of the people in Cumberland County is that, through thick and thin, we watch out for each other. We love our neighbors. We help in times of need. Now is no different, and it's time for us to invest in local entrepre- neurs the way they have invested in the community. Thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly. Supporting small businesses amid COVID-19 concerns by JENNA SHACKELFORD HIGH HIGH 58 58 LOW LOW 47 47 HIGH HIGH 55 55 HIGH HIGH 86 86 HIGH HIGH 72 72 HIGH HIGH 68 68 LOW LOW 40 40 LOW LOW 55 55 MARCH 23 MARCH 22 MARCH 20 MARCH 21 MARCH 24 Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Showers Cloudy Showers Showers MARCH 19 THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY HIGH HIGH 83 83 LOW LOW 65 65 Humidity 66 66 61 67 62 40 LOW LOW 44 44 TUESDAY LOW LOW 65 65 JENNA SHACKELFORD., Editor of UP & COMING WEEKLY. COMMENTS? editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Now is the time for us to invest in small businesses.

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