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: https://www.epageflip.net/i/25625
STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman bbowman@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Janice Burton Joy Crowe editor@upandcomingweekly.com STAFF WRITER Stephanie Crider stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Marybeth Leiby Marybeth@upandcomingweekly.com OFFICE MANAGER Deborah Baughn deborah@upandcomingweekly.com –––––––––––––– GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alicia Miller art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Soni Martin, D.G. Mar tin, Pitt Dick ey, Margaret Dickson, Bob Cogswell, John Hood, Jhana Lewis, Erinn Crider, Karen Poppele, Heather Griffi ths, Beth Solzsmon-Carpenter –––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan Street 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 infor- mation 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 per- son. Subscriptions can be purchased for $30 for six months or $60 for 12 months, delivered weekly by first class mail. ©2007 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. INSIDE PUBLISHER’S PEN by JANICE BURTON The Vietnam War has always been a sensitive topic in my family. My father was called Gramps by the young men who served with him. He was not the normal soldier. He was in his 30s. He had fi ve children. I was a toddler during those years. I grew up hearing stories of how much I missed my father while he was gone. Prior to his going to war, I would wait patiently at the front door for him to come home. No matter how hard they tried, my family couldn’t break me of that habit while he was gone. My mother and my grandfather would try to coax me away from the door, but I wouldn’t budge. Only after I fell asleep could they move me to my bed. When they got up in the morning, they would fi nd me sleeping in front of the door. Patiently, I waited. The father who left my family wasn’t exactly the same one who came home. He was wounded in an explosion, and spent quite a bit of time in the hospital when he returned home. That father cried out in his sleep. It wasn’t wise to surprise him. His patience wasn’t what it had been. He had no love for hippies or protesters and even today, the name Jane Fonda is an anathema in his home. He recalls the protesters, the anger, the lack of a welcome home. He, like his fellow service members, had no heroes welcome. There were no ticker tape parades. No yellow ribbons. Flags did not fl y to symbolize a service member. It was more a mark of shame than anything else. Knowing this, you now know that the Vietnam War shaped a part of my life. The idea of Fayetteville fi nally holding a Fayetteville’s Weather Forecast February 25 Thursday February 24 Saturday February 26 Fayetteville’s Weather Forecast Friday welcome home for Vietnam veterans holds a special place in my heart. The controversy raging around it does not. To me, the old saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions seems apt in this situation. I believe Fayetteville Mayor Tony Chavonne and his volunteer group have nothing but good intentions. I also believe that their intentions are not shared by Chuck Fager or those in his organization. (Note: I support their right to believe what they want, but I don’t have to agree with it. Bottom line, up front, I don’t agree with them.) I believe that veteran’s groups and other volunteers should step up to the leadership position for the welcome home event — not because Mayor Chavonne’s heart is not in the right place, but rather that circumstances and people — the Quaker House and members of the media who have sensationalized the reporting around the controversy — have compromised Chavonne to the point that he is becoming a distraction. That being said, I hope that all those who have it in their hearts to honor the service of our Vietnam veterans step forward and support this endeavor. I implore the veterans and others in the community not to let the controversy ruin the event. Participate. Mend wounds. Ignore sensationalism. Become a part of the solution. To do less is just another slap in the face of the heroes the event is designed to honor. JANICE BURTON, Associate Publisher, Up & Coming Weekly, COMMENTS? editor@upandcomingweekly.com. CalCall 910.354.1679l 910.354.1679 Sunday Monday February 27 February 28 Calendar ........................................... 14 Concert Connection ........................ 19 Movie Review .................................. 22 Games .............................................. 22 Free Wheelin’ Feelin’ ....................... 23 Classifieds ........................................ 24 News of the Weird ........................... 26 Horoscopes/Advice Goddess ......... 26 The Road to Hell is Paved With Good Intentions Tuesday February 29 High 67° Low 47° Partly Cloudy High 72° Low 48° Partly Cloudy 4 UCW FEB. 23 - MARCH 1, 2011 High 65° Low 39° Sunny Forecast available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. High 59° Low 40° Partly Cloudy High 59º Low 45º Partly Cloudy High 56º Low 38º Showers WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 24/ 7