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/1377230
4 UCW MAY 26 - JUNE 1, 2021 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com EDITOR April Olsen editor@upandcomingweekly.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Dylan Hooker art@upandcomingweekly.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Keyuri Parab REPORTER Jeff Thompson news@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING ASSOCIATE Linda McAlister Brown linda@upandcomingweekly.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER/SALES ADMINISTRATOR Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Margaret Dickson, Pitt Dickey, D.G. Martin, John Hood, Jim Jones, Shanessa Fenner, Crissy Neville COVER Cover photos by Dylan Hooker. –––––––––––- 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 Post-COVID-19 Fayetteville: Hear the music and smell the f lowers by BILL BOWMAN 82 64 82 83 79 82 63 64 83 66 64 65 THU MAY 27 FRI MAY 28 SAT MAY 29 SUN MAY 30 MON MAY 31 TUE JUN 01 96 71 93 69 89 68 91 68 89 68 91 68 Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Thunderstorms Thunderstorms Thunderstorms Thunderstorms Association of Community Publishers Well, from where I sit it looks like Fayetteville is starting to come alive again after being stymied for nearly two years dealing with the COVID pan- demic. We see more and more people venturing out eating, shopping and actively searching out events, activities and things to do outside the confines of their own home. Art, cultural and recreational events that were so bounti- ful prior to the pandemic are starting to make a comeback. I recently received a call from Sarah- grace Snipes, the new Executive Direc- tor of the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival. She was very excited and eager to tell me that the City of Fayetteville has final- ly given them permission to use Festival Park for this year's Dogwood Mini Fest. is event was previously scheduled to be held in April at Westwood Shopping Center, but again COVID-19 ended up being Dogwood's party pooper. Since arriving in Fayetteville from Wilming- ton, Sarahgrace has literally "hit the ground running." And, standing up the Dogwood Festival's Mini Festival at Festival Park on such short notice will be a major accomplishment. One that will be very much appreciated by this community. e Dogwood Festival is free to the public and will feature many of their traditional events like the car & motorcycle show, art and craft displays, local vendors and entertainers, and, of course, great food and a live music concert. Everyone needs to support this event on June 11 & 12. Speaking of music concerts, Fayette- ville residents eager to be outside in the fresh air are turning out in huge numbers to the many musical con- certs scheduled for the Fayetteville/ Cumberland County community. Gates Four Golf & Country Club launched their Summer Concert Series on May 16 with a Beach Music Bash at e Pavil- ion. eir musical series of five monthly concerts will present award winning musical talent and entertainment rang- ing from classic Carolina Beach music to the Beatles and hits from the 60s. On July 17 they will present a Retro 80's Rock Concert & Party. e Series is pro- duced by the Fayetteville Dinner e- atre in conjunction with Gates Four and the public is invited. All the concerts are ticketed events but with a twist: all food, beer and wine are included in the ticket price. For the list of concert times and dates go to www.fayettevilledinnerthe- atre.com. Another great outdoor music concert series was launched last week when Rock'n On e River showcased two great bands on the banks of the Cape Fear River at Deep Creek Outfitters. Hundreds of rock music enthusiasts turned out to see, hear and experience Mostley Crue and Shoot to rill. ey did not disappoint. is concert series is produced and engineered by local Fayetteville resident Greg Adair with Healy Whlse., Up & Coming Weekly, 96.5 Bob FM and e River 106.5, and the support of dozens of local businesses. eir next event is on June 18 featuring Reflections II and the Journey tribute band Trail by Fire. Follow Rock'n On e River on Facebook for details. Yes, Fayetteville is coming alive again. e sights and sounds of the joyful outdoors are everywhere. Seek them out, enjoy and support them. Here's a few suggestions: Clark Park, Cape Fear Botanical Garden, Veterans Memorial Park, Lake Rim Park, Cape Fear Trail, the Rose Garden at FTCC and one of my very favorites, Fayetteville's newest and most exciting destinations, the Sweet Valley Ranch and Dinosaur World. So, whether you are into attending a local festival, enjoying a music con- cert on the river, or smelling the pretty flowers, Fayetteville and Cumberland County have a never-ending array of wonderful outdoor places for you to go, see, enjoy, relax and de-stress. anks for reading Up & Coming Weekly. BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, UP & COMING WEEKLY. COM- MENTS? BILL@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. e Dogwood Mini Festival is scheduled for June 11-12 at Festival Park. Musical entertain- ment, food and vendors are planned. (Photos of previous events courtesy Fayetteville Dog- wood Festival.)