Up & Coming Weekly

‘The Big Read’ Continues Throughout the County by KELLY TOMITA With The Big Read now in full swing, we hope you have already attended one of Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center’s special events associated with this year’s novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. One reason The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter was chosen is because McCullers fi nished writing it while living here at Cool Springs Tavern on North Cool Springs Street. But, what happened after she departed from Fayetteville to New York City? As the keynote speaker for The Big Read on April 6 at 7 p.m. in the Pate Room of Headquarters Library, author of February House, Sherill Tippins will tell us about that fascinating time. Tippins fi rst learned about that part of COMMUNITY NEWS a STAFF REPORT On Saturday, April 3, runners will gather to commemorate the life of John Velandra, a local fi tness expert who was killed in a motor vehicle accident at the beginning of the year. The John Velandra Run to Remember 5K Fun Run will be held on the campus of Methodist University. The starting line/ registration will occur in front of the auditorium. This is not an offi cial course nor will there be a timing system. The event is designed to do what Velandra encouraged everyone he met to do — go out and play. The race is being held on Velandra’s birthday and is organized by members of the staff of Designs In Fitness. Start time is 8 a.m., with registration beginning at 7 a.m. The race fee is $25, and includes a T-shirt. All proceeds go to support Velandra’s family. For more information, contact Ashley Collinsworth at owen.ashleyb@gmail.com. 16 UCW MARCH 31 - APRIL 6, 2010 Kindergarten Open House Set All elementary schools in the Cumberland County School (CCS) system will offer 2010-2011 Kindergarten students and their parents the chance to see what a typical school day is like. The Friday, April 23 event, known as CCS’ Beginners’ Day, will engage the students in numerous classroom activities while parents enroll their child in school. The times of Beginners’ Day activities vary from school to school, but parents should bring their child’s birth certifi cate, updated shot records, a copy of physical exam, and proof of parent/custodian’s address. For more information about Beginners’ Day, contact your child’s school. Rabies Confi rmed in County This afternoon the State Public Health Lab in Raleigh confi rmed a case of rabies in Cumberland County. A raccoon was picked up by Animal Services on Abbottswood Drive in Eastwood Village and was sent to the state lab for testing. Residents in the vicinity should remain alert for sick or abnormal acting wildlife. Offi cials will be in the vicinity to alert residents of the incident. All pet owners are urged to check the vaccination status of their pets. If pets are not vaccinated or are due for a booster shot, they should be taken to any local Veterinarian for rabies vaccination immediately! The fi rst sign of rabies in animals is a change in behavior. Animals may become aggressive, attacking for no reason, or they may become very quiet. Wild animals can lose their fear of people and act tame. Rabid animals may walk in a circle, drag a leg or fall over. Some cannot swallow so they are not able to eat or drink and often drool. Animals usually die within a week after fi rst becoming ill. Avoiding wild animals and keeping your distance from stray dogs and cats is the fi rst step in preventing an animal bite. Any pet that appears to have been in a fi ght while outside, should be handled very cautiously and seen by a veterinarian. If you are bitten or scratched by an animal, immediately wash the wound with lots of soap and water. Seek medical attention/advice. Call Animal Services at 321-6852 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Call the Sheriff’s Offi ce at 323-1500 after 5 p.m., weekends and holidays. Go to the emergency room. It is also important to vaccinate your pets for rabies and keep their shots current. Pet owners are reminded that all dogs and cats must be vaccinated against rabies, as required by N.C. state law. Pet owners are subject to a fi ne of $100 for each unvaccinated dog or cat. Pets must be vaccinated when they reach the age of four months. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM COMMUNITY NEWS Run to Celebrate the Life of John Velandra McCullers’s life while volunteering for a program that delivered meals to the elderly and homebound in her Brooklyn, N.Y., neighborhood. According to the publisher of February House, Tippins was intrigued when one of those neighbors began telling her about the “extraordinary experiment in communal living — involving a British poet, a southern novelist, one of the world’s great opera composers, and a celebrated stripper — that had taken place 60 years earlier just a few blocks from her home.” From those stories, Tippins began collecting facts and anecdotes about that shared life of W.H. Auden, McCullers, Jan and Paul Bowles and Gypsy Rose Lee. With her work complete, February House was published in 2005 and chosen as a Best Book of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle. For more information about Tippins’s visit and other The Big Read programs, go to www.Cumberland. lib.nc.us where you can download a Schedule of Events or stop by your nearest library location. The Big Read Programming Notes Programming takes place throughout April and includes a recycled art show and contest, movies, Depression Era kitchen gardens, activities for children and more! Admission to all programs is free. Our community partners include: Cumberland County Schools, Charles W. Chesnutt Library, Fayetteville State University; Davis Memorial Library, Methodist University, Fayetteville Technical Community College, Fort Bragg John L. Throckmorton Library and the Museum of the Cape Fear. Cumberland County’s The Big Read is sponsored by The Friends of the Library, The Fayetteville Observer, Up & Coming Weekly, The Drive 96.5 FM and KISS 107.7 FM. The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest.

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