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/1464360
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM APRIL 13 - 19, 2022 UCW 5 Anyone who says there's nothing to do in Fayetteville doesn't have a clue about the town they reside in. Fayetteville of- fers concerts, live theater, sporting events, art shows, history museum reenact- ments, wine tastings, parks and walking trails, arts, entertainment and family adventures; the list is practi- cally endless. is week my focus is on the wonderful experi- ence several hundred Fayetteville/ Cumberland County residents and I had this past weekend when we attended the Child Advocacy Center's annual fundraiser, e Ultimate Lip Sync Show- down. e event was graciously hosted by Michael rash and the talented Nicki Hart. After a two-year COVID hiatus, this fun and unique annual event raised thousands of dollars for a worthy cause. e CAC provides services for the protection of neglected and abused children. In Fayetteville, Fort Bragg and Cumberland County, over 900 children a year are abandoned, neglected and abused. e CAC works diligently to meet the needs of these children and their families. e event was held at the Crown Coliseum Complex. It was well attended by hundreds of local busi- nesses, organizations and CAC support- ers. CAC Executive Director Roberta Humphries, the staff and their conscien- tious and supportive board of volun- teers are to be commended. It was great to see Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin in attendance, but then extremely disappointing that he was the only city or county elected official in the room. at's the difference between our elected officials' quality, dedication and commitment today compared with a de- cade ago. Our elected officials today are elusive. You seldom see them mingling with the general public or actively par- ticipating in community-related events. ere was a time when city and county elected officials prioritized being "front and center" at all the major community events. ey led by example, mixing and mingling with residents, getting to know them while listening to their ideas and concerns. Now, not so much. It's almost like they're hiding and afraid to face the general public and their constituents. And, given the poor decisions (or lack of decisions) they have made lately, you really can't blame them. Specifically, I'm referring to the city council kicking the can down the road on a recommenda- tion to repurpose the Market House. at discussion has gone on way too long with many involved people and agencies. For them not to be able to decide at this point, it becomes appar- ent they don't want to reveal that they are uninformed, ignorant, incompetent, lazy or all of the above. Many feel they are incapable of mak- ing sound and reasonable decisions on behalf of the Fayetteville community. e parking meter issue in downtown Fayetteville is the perfect example. Downtown Fayetteville businesses and organizations want and need a friend- lier, more accessible downtown. One solution is to reduce the parking fee hours, currently 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. like most other towns and cities in the U.S. But no, our city council chooses not to follow the regimen of what thriving other towns are doing suc- cessfully and decides to suggest a two- hour reduction compromise to 7 p.m. A change that accomplishes nothing has little benefit to the merchants and only serves to reduce the city revenues while not helping the businesses and organi- zations downtown at all. ese are near-perfect examples of how the existing city council ac- complishes nothing, and why, come election time, they need to be replaced with people who care about the entire Fayetteville community and not just about themselves or their districts. I cordially shared these same thoughts with Colvin during our brief encounter at the CAC event, along with the notion that remedies and positive solutions to the city's most complex situations are just a conversation away. All they need to do is listen. ank you for reading the Up & Com- ing Weekly community newspaper. PUBLISHER'S PEN BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, UP & COMING WEEKLY. COMMENTS? BILL@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Mayor Mitch Colvin: Read My Lip Sync by BILL BOWMAN Victoria Hardin's Team Alien Horse Hotwheels per- form to Space Mash Up: "Space Oddity" by David Bowie, "Astronaut in teh Ocean" by Masked Wold and "The Power by SNAP! at the annual Child Advocacy Center Lip Sync fundraiser, April 10.(Photo by Bill Bowman.) And a special thank you to our generous Sponsors! Thank you for giving every child a voice! Sponsors Benefactors Champions for Children Celebrities CityView | Crown Complex - Spectra Venue Management Debbie Bender Designs | Evans Environmental Inc. Up and Coming Weekly | Valley Auto World, Inc. Paparazzi Hardin Law Firm PLLC Groupies Fairfield by Marriott | Andy Anderson Moving Company | Margit Hicks Kimrey Law, PLLC | Yvette McAlister Stokes, DDS, PA The Orozco Firm, PLLC | Watson Family Dentistry Heroes Brown & Associates Investment Services, Inc. Timothy D. Edwards Family Law Attorney | Mike and Ann Morketter Joyce and Howard Loughlin | Array Publishing & Marketing LLC Stars Lucy and Wes Jones | CityView | Cape Fear Eye Associates | Truist Systel Business Equipment | Robin and Debbie Jenkins | Player McLean, LLP Fayetteville Area Plumbing Contractors Association Rock Stars Back-up Vocalists Chick Fil A – Ramsey Street | Williams Printing | Burney's Sweets & More Your sponsorship will help the CAC serve approximately 700 child victims of abuse each year.