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.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1265063
4 UCW JULY 1-7, 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 linda@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 ––––––––––– 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 I doubt that those calling for the eradication of Fayette- ville's historic Market House know much about its history. In 2020, Fayetteville's big- gest threat is perceived to be a 188-year-old structure steeped in North Carolina history and tradition, which remains mostly ignored — the Fayetteville Market House. Recently, there have been calls for it to be torn down because it offends the sensi- tivities of a particular faction of residents. I know what you may be thinking. Downtown establishments in the '60s, '70s and '80s offended the sensibilities of many local resi- dents, and some were finally torn down. This is true. But in the years that followed, the people who were responsible for demolishing them had laser-focused plans for Fayetteville and Cumberland County's future and the leadership skills to see it through. They knew exactly what they wanted Fayetteville's future to be for all its citizens. Local city and county government leadership had vision, tenacity and plenty of practical business experience. They had a well-thought-out and workable plan to improve and enhance the quality of life for all citizens — without regard to race, color or religious affiliation. Former mayors J. L. Dawkins and Bill Hurley, County Commissioner Thomas Bacote, city manager John Smith, city attorney Bob Cogswell, Democrat Sen. Tony Rand, Danny Fore of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation and David Ja- mieson of the Chamber of Commerce are just a few of the re- spected names that come to mind when I think of prominent Fayetteville and Cumberland County leaders who contributed to our valuable, however brief, renaissance. This was an exciting time for our community. When down- town was cleaned up, it marked a rebirth of our community. People were excited and willing to engage. Cumberland County and downtown Fayetteville became vibrant and alive. Commerce returned to downtown, a new city hall and police station were built on Hay Street, the Prince Charles Hotel was salvaged, the Airborne & Special Operations Museum and Veterans Park came to be, Fayetteville Little Theater became Cape Fear Regional Theatre, the Crown Coliseum Complex was built, and the third Thurs- day Chamber Coffee Club was standing room only in antici- pation of hearing updates on new local projects and pro- grams. Everyone benefited from the community's success, and the Market House solidi- fied itself as the city's symbolic icon of pride, perseverance and progress. And, as history has proven, the Market House has never been depicted as "the slave market house" or a place of human degradation. I have lived here over 50 years and never once felt Fayetteville was a racially hos- tile community. And, saying it is does not make it so. Nor does destroying the Market House prove the point. My closing message relates to 2020 as an election year. The things we are now experiencing — from protests and riots to toppling statutes to the Black Lives Matter movement — are staged political distractions. Dissension means votes. Across this country, politicians need the black vote desperately. Without it, they have no political careers or future. These leaders stoke racially charged issues then stand down in the comfort of affluent neighborhoods while racial conflict and disharmony consume and destroy the communities in major towns and cities. Blacks and other minorities should never be used as pawns for anyone's personal gain. Politicians use race as their weapon of choice. In politics, the color of one's skin makes no difference. In politics, the rich get richer. In politics, power is both the objective and an intoxicating drug. All humanity needs to take a closer look at the people and the purpose of things to which we are asked to support and pay allegiance. The Market House is a historic symbol of pride that, as time passes, measures how far we have progressed in 188 plus years. We do not want to go backward. Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly. The Market House — a symbol of progression by BILL BOWMAN BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, UP & COMING WEEKLY. COM- MENTS? BILL@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. HIGH HIGH 92 92 LOW LOW 74 74 HIGH HIGH 93 93 HIGH HIGH 89 89 HIGH HIGH 93 93 HIGH HIGH 87 87 LOW LOW 74 74 LOW LOW 71 71 JUNE 29 JUNE 28 JUNE 26 JUNE 27 JUNE 30 Scattered Thunderstorms Partly Cloudy PM Thunderstorms Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Isolated Thunderstorms JUNE 25 THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY HIGH HIGH 83 83 LOW LOW 69 69 LOW LOW 74 74 TUESDAY LOW LOW 71 71 e Market House is a historic symbol of pride that, as time passes, measures how far we have progressed.