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/1508412
4 UCW SEPTEMBER 27 - OCTOBER 3, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com MANAGING EDITOR Renee Holtz editor@upandcomingweekly.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Aly Hansen assistanteditor@upandcomingweekly.com ART DIRECTOR Courtney Sapp-Scott art@upandcomingweekly.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Isaiah Jones graphics@upandcomingweekly.com STAFF WRITERS Hannah Lee, Katrina Wilson, Carrie Jackson, Amber Little, Jamie Bishop CONTRIBUTING WRITERS John Hood, Ashley Kelsey MARKETING ASSOCIATE Linda McAlister linda@upandcomingweekly.com SALES ASSISTANT Sheila D. Barker salesassistant@upandcomingweekly.com COVER Cover design by Courtney Sapp-Scott 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. 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 Army Airfield, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. © 2020-2023 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. Association of Community Publishers The Best of Fayetteville starts now! by BILL BOWMAN PUBLISHER'S PEN For 27 years, the Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper has served residents, visitors and guests by providing timely, accurate and trustworthy news, views and relevant community infor- mation to enhance the quality of life in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. e Best of Fayetteville initiative recog- nizes those people, businesses and orga- nizations who have gone the extra mile by investing their time, passion and financial resources into defining value and excel- lence in our community. Annually, we receive thousands of ballots and painstak- ingly record the comments and sentiments of our dedicated readers. e Up & Coming Weekly Best of Fayetteville reader's survey is not scien- tific, but it is an informal, well-executed and documented survey that has proven incredibly reliable. Its longevity, popularity and success bear this out. It is imperative that Up & Coming Weekly's Best of Fayetteville survey not be confused with other local advertising, marketing and promotional programs. Our readers decide the merits of our winners by their survey entries. We do not accept nominations; no per- son, business or organization is required to purchase advertising space, sponsor- ships or event tickets to find out who the winners are. Best of Fayetteville does not award or recognize 2nd or 3rd place finish- ers or honorable mentions. We use well-defined, regulated voting guidelines that ensure and elevate the value, honor and prestige of the Best of Fayetteville designation. ere can be only one Best of Fayetteville winner for each category. We celebrated the occasion with our annual Best of Fayetteville Awards Party at the Crown Coliseum Complex on Sept. 26 to recognize and honor these outstanding people, businesses and organizations. Up & Coming Weekly, Transworld Business Advisors, the UPS Store, and the Greater Fayetteville Chamber hosted the event. Our community, like our newspaper, has changed over the last 27 years. However, our Best of Fayetteville survey and our commitment to our readers have not. We continue to accentuate the "Best of the Best" aspects of the community. And, we thank you for being part of it. e Up & Coming Weekly Best of Fayetteville edition you are holding in your hands will serve you well throughout the year. It is a valuable visitor's guide, service directory, event and cultural resource. In print and online, the visitors bureau, the City, County and Chamber will use this special edition throughout the year to promote the Fayetteville community and the people, businesses and organizations that define it. Since the first ballots were cast more than two and a half decades ago, Up & Coming Weekly has proudly told the Best of Fayetteville winners' stories. With your votes and support, we are incredibly proud to share this year's Best of the Best winners. Please join me, the Up & Com- ing Weekly staff, and all our 2023 Best of Fayetteville winners and sponsors as we begin this year-long celebration. is special edition will be posted online at www.upandcomingweekly.com with 24/7, 365-days-a-year access to the Best of Fayetteville winners directory. While on the website, sign up for your free electronic subscription to the Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper and receive it on your home or work computer. I want to thank our sponsors for their support and participation in making this year's BOF a success. Nat Robertson, Presi- dent of the Greater Fayetteville Chamber, and Debbie and the late Steve Milburn of e UPS Stores in Westwood Shopping Center, Hope Mills, and Fort Liberty, for their support and the creation of the beau- tiful Best of Fayetteville awards. Ashley and omas Kelsey, owners of Transworld Business Advisors, make their living pro- viding expert information and consulting on all aspects of business success. Every legitimate survey needs the oversight of a competent CPA, and we have the best. Lee Utley of Utley & Knowles CPAs has partnered with us for over two decades. His services have been invaluable in main- taining the integrity of the survey. General Manager Seth Benalt and Assistant Manag- er Dorothy Strahley of the Crown Coliseum Complex did an outstanding job coordi- nating and setting up the Awards Party. Last but certainly not least, a very special thank you to Don Garner and the entire Up & Coming Weekly staff, who have spent months working tirelessly on this major undertaking. Best of Fayetteville is our most significant and challenging event and the most popular and most-read edition of the year. With pride, they have gone above and beyond their duties to produce this award-winning publication. Keep it handy and refer to it often. We sincerely thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly and supporting this community newspaper. Photos from the 2022 Best of Fayetteville Party by Kriss Ward Photography. BILL BOWMAN, Publisher COMMENTS? BILL@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200