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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Goodness Grows at FTCC A Taste of Home at Yulemart by JEFFREY WEBB by DR. SHANESSA FENNER The sun is just peeking through the trees that line the banks of the Cape Fear River when the first students arrive for classes at the FTCC Horticulture Education Center. When they arrive, students are excited to see the 4,000-square-foot greenhouse filled with plants. Many of these students may eventually own and operate their own greenhouses or In Soils and Fertilizers class, students compute the plant nurseries and amount of fertilizer needed to follow the recommendaare getting valuable tions of a soil test. hands-on experience through their training at FTCC. Students in the Horticulture Technology curriculum take the Plant Propagation class and Greenhouse Operations class to learn about sowing seeds, transplanting seedlings, rooting cuttings, potting, feeding and watering plants as they participate in the day-to-day experience of producing plants for sale. At FTCC, students in the Horticulture Technology program are given the opportunity to put learning into practice. Students in the Landscape Construction class learn the skills necessary to build, such as a brick-on-sand walkway and a zigzag wooden bridge. Material presented in class is followed up by experiential learning — students get to practice the skills they are being taught. A few thumbs may get smashed, but even beginners quickly learn how to create and build elements of a landscape. In Soils and Fertilizers class, students compute the amount of fertilizer needed to follow the recommendations of a soil test. Students will apply the skills they learn here in other classes, such as Turfgrass, Greenhouse Operations and Landscape Management. FTCC's Horticulture Technology curriculum has a unique partnership with our next-door neighbor — Cape Fear Botanical Garden. Students have access to the gardens and grounds of CFBG to study plants and landscaping. Cooperative projects are also carried out that benefit both the garden and the FTCC horticulture students. The Horticulture Technology curriculum at FTCC offers an Associate of Applied Science as well as three certificate programs: Basic Horticulture, Basic Landscape Maintenance and Horticulture Science. Students can complete the AAS degree in five semesters while going to school on a fulltime schedule; students can complete the certificate programs sooner. A wide range of individuals enroll in the program. Our students are of all ages and include those just completing a high school diploma, those who are retired and older adults seeking lifelong learning opportunities. Some companies send their employees to FTCC to obtain valuable training needed to advance in their careers. The horticulture program covers most aspects of a diverse field of endeavor, and the program's emphasis on management means that students learn the basics of business and entrepreneurship. Careers in horticulture include a wide range of choices: landscape installation and management, wholesale and/or retail greenhouse and nursery, retail garden centers, turfgrass manager, private gardener, garden designer and interiorscape technician, to name a few. Each student receives the opportunity to learn a little about all these and more. In addition, the horticulture program encourages high school students to participate in dualenrollment programs which may be available in their schools. High school students can enroll for no charge in specific FTCC horticulture classes and begin earning college credit while still completing their high school diploma. Contact me for more information about the Horticulture Technology curriculum at webbj@faytechcc.edu or by phone at 910-6788447. There was a time when Christmas meant homemade gifts under the tree and fresh baked goodies all through the holiday season. That can be tough to pull off sometimes with the hustle and bustle of the modern day commitments. While there may not be time to make all the gifts for Christmas morning, Yulemart offers some unique options for oneof-a-kind gifts that fit the bill. Get into the Christmas spirit at this year's Yulemart, hosted by the The Association Association of Bragg Spouses. of Bragg Spouses (ABS) presents the 23rd Annual Yulemart Craft Fair from Friday, Nov. 22 through Sunday, Nov. 24. "Yulemart is a three-day craft fair that has homemade items,"said Melissa Kedrowitsch, first vice-president of the Association of Bragg Spouses. "We use the funds to give out in the spring in the form of welfare grants to organizations such as The Fisher House and the Armed Services YMCA." Kedrowitsch added that some of the money is given out for performance scholarships to children in the community and adult military dependents who are headed to college. Over the last fifteen years the association has donated $645,000. "This year we are having some exciting crafts," said Kedrowitsch. "We have everything from scarves, baby clothes, homemade wreaths, wooden ornaments and toys, jewelry and other items." She added that the association has a gift shop on post that includes Fort Bragg-specific items and boutique items for sale such as welcome gifts, farewell gifts, wedding gifts and more. The shop is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays of each week from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. A booth will be set up at the craft fair with some of these items. There will also be a shop called "Fantasy Gift Shop"for children to purchase gifts for their loved ones. Kids pay $3 and they will be able to shop in the store with elves to pick out a gift for their mom, dad, grandparents and others. "It is a way for children to buy presents for their parents," said Kedrowitsch. "Last year we had X-Box games that were donated to us and there are many other gifts that are well worth the $3." Food vendors will be at the event this year. "We are going to have food trucks from Raleigh that we would normally not be able to get around here," said Kedrowitsch. "Along with these vendors, we will also have photos with Santa for $3 -$5." Kedrowitsch added that it is really economical for families to be able to get pictures taken. The Association of Bragg Spouses was founded upon four principles: charity, friendship, hospitality and support. The group is composed of military spouses who are dedicated to the army. "This is a very serious event for the local area," said Kedrowitsch. "It takes a lot of volunteer hours and manpower to try and pull off these large events and it is for a great cause." The hours on Nov. 22 are 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Nov. 23 from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Nov. 24 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Ritz-Epps Physical Fitness Center in the 82nd area. For more information DR. SHANESSA FENNER, Principal Alger B. visit www.fortbraggabs.org. Wilkins Elementary School. COMMENTS? JEFFERY WEBB, FTCC Department Chair, Horticulture Technology. Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Editor@upancomingweekly.com. NOVEMBER 13-19, 2013 UCW 17