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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22 UCW SEPTEMBER 13 - 19, 2017 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MELISSA ADAMS, Hope Mills Town Manager. COMMENTS? hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com. (910) 484-6200. Hope Mills is full of up and coming events for residents and our neighbors to enjoy. We are working on plans to improve our services to the residents. We are developing a history of Hope Mills museum and a new shared training facility for our fire and police departments. We are in the process of developing a master plan for the old golf course, and our lakefront park master plan aims for optimum recre- ational use of our lake area. And, as always, our parks and recreation center is buzzing with activity for all, ranging from youths to seniors. e Town of Hope Mills has activi- ties for everyone. Whether you are a resident or you want to visit and check us out, all are welcome. We have a va- riety of road races throughout the year, parades on at least two occasions, Christmas and Fourth of July, the Hope Meals Food Truck Rodeo begin- ning the first ursday of the month and the Miss Cotton Beauty Pageant. Ole Mill Days has many festivities over the course of two days to include an Ole Mill reunion. We have Trunk R Treat in our Municipal Park, multiple events for the Christmas holiday with visits from Santa, Valentine's dinners, St. Patrick's Day dinner and multiple events for Easter with a visit from the Easter Bunny. We honor our fallen heroes on Memorial Day and Veterans Day with commemorative services. Of course, the Fourth of July is a big holiday for us as well, with all kinds of fun things for the entire family, including fireworks. If you haven't gathered as much so far, Hope Mills is a family-oriented com- munity, and our services are geared to keeping that our priority. Our staff has developed a Citizens Academy that started again on Sept. 7. e academy is free of charge and ex- ists for all citizens who would like to ex- pand their knowledge of the workings of our town. It is an excellent avenue for anyone seeking potential service to the community in either elected or volunteer positions. ere are interac- tive demonstrations throughout the eight-week course. At the first board of commissioners meeting in November, graduates of the academy will receive certificates to acknowledge their com- mitment to and completion of the program. ere will also be a small reception to celebrate their outstanding accomplishment. Hope Mills is a growing community with a wide range of diversification, and we are making every effort to in- clude everyone in the celebrations and joyful events we sponsor. Over the last year, Hope Mills formed a committee to help raise funds with matching sponsorship from the Cumberland Community Founda- tion. We not only reached our goal for the year, we surpassed it and are now on the way to having one of the few playgrounds that's compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act for children in the county through Reid's Journey. We are also contributing to the Alms House Backpack for Children program and helping with the begin- ning stages of the South View High School Arboretum. Hope Mills is definitely on the way to bettering its community and making this an awesome place to live. We are proud of our community and encour- age you to visit us for one of our many events. Who knows, you might find yourself looking at real estate. The Town of Hope Mills has activities for everyone. Hope Mills: A Growing Community with Vision by MELISSA ADAMS Community Celebrates Third Annual Miss Hope Mills Cotton Pageant A STAFF REPORT e 3rd Annual Miss Hope Mills Cotton Pageant is set for Friday, Sept. 29, and Saturday, Sept. 30, with contestants 3-9 years old competing Friday and 10-22 years old competing Saturday. e pageant starts at 6:30 p.m. each evening at South View High School at 4184 Elk Rd. Here are the details to assist you in enjoying this annual event. Age groups: Contestants are be - tween the ages of 3 and 22 years of age. ey are broken up into appro- priate age groups based on ages: Wee Miss (3-5), Jr. Miss (6-9), Young Miss (10-12), Teen Miss (13-16), Miss Cot- ton (17-22). Awards: e pageant is judged in divisions based on participant's age group. A trophy, crown and banner are awarded to the winner in each cat - egory. First, second and third runner- ups in each category are also awarded a trophy. Sponsorship Award: A sponsorship award is given to the top contestant who raised the most sponsor money overall. is person receives a crown, trophy and banner. e other top four in this category also receive a trophy. Judges: Judges are from the sur - rounding area. Contestants are judged based on the criteria of the pageant. e judge's decision will be final. e judges' score sheets will not be given to contestants on the night of the pag - eant ; however, they can be picked up on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at the Hope Mills Recreation Center. e score sheets will be destroyed on Friday, Oct. 20, if not picked up. Photographer: ere will be a pho - tographer on-site to take pictures. A Miss Photogenic is named the night of the pageant by the photographer and receives a trophy. Interviews: Contestants in the age groups 13–16 and 17–22 have an onstage question that will be added to their score. Questions may come from the pageant application or from other sources chosen by the pageant committee. People's Choice Award: Vote for your favorite contestant by purchasing a flower and placing it in the vase pro- vided with the contestant's name. e winner will be announced on Saturday night. e People's Choice Award win- ner will receive the flowers from the vase plus the cash of the amount of flowers purchased in their vase only. Other contestants will receive their vase and flowers. Admission: Admission to the pag - eant costs $5 per person when paid at the door. You may purchase advance tickets at the Hope Mills Recreation Center up until Wednesday, Sept. 27, by 8 p.m. Each contestant is given one ticket for a parent or friend. For more information, call (910) 426-4109. The pageant will be held Sept. 29-30, 2017. Hope Mills News & Views