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ONLINE FEBRUARY 21, 2019 |
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Stories
and photos by Wingate
Lassiter unless otherwise noted
This month's sponsors: W. Landis Bullock; John H. Scovil & Associates; 7th Street Marketplace (Stancil Oil Co.); Carroll Pharmacy; Pernell, Inc.; Realtor Susan Lassiter |
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 CHURCH YOUTH SEND VALENTINE'S
ROSES TO SHUT-INS These young folks at Smithfield's
Centenary United Methodist Church filled 175
vases with red rose buds that were delivered
on Valentine's Day to every resident at
Smithfield Manor Nursing and Rehab: (right to
left) Camryn Outen, Austin Outen, Blaine
Outen, Graham Henderson, Ellie Pippin, Tristan
Matthews, James Foy, Brayden Parr, Connor
Parr, Crecia Parrish, Riley Pippin, Elijah
Matthews, Emory Foy, Jenna Pearce, Lily
McLamb, and Olivia Fisher. The church's
congregation collected the vases, Carolina
Pottery donated ribbon for bows, and a
"special donor" purchased the flowers. Members
of the "delivery team" were Hayley and Grace Ann
Henderson,
Connie Johnson, Meagan Matthews, John and
Sharon Parrish, John Stearley, and Carolyn
Williams.
Centenary
Church photo
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Johnston Health gets yet another
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Under the Oak Cafe joins Downtown lineup
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 Blake and
Megan Gotliffe and son Landon (who just
turned one) have imported a taste of their
Under the Oak Farm near Clayton to Downtown
Smithfield.
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"Farming had been my hobby for some time," Blake said. "We started out pickling our produce and selling it at the Clayton Farmers Market."
Then they began hosting private dinners at Under the Oak, and their catering business grew to the extent they expanded last summer into a former restaurant space next to the Howell Theatre on Downtown Smithfield's Third Street.
"We needed a commercial kitchen,
and this place had it," Blake noted.
"People kept asking us: 'Are you open for lunch?' We had a great sandwich catering menu," Blake boasted. And so this week they opened Under the Oak Cafe, serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday from the same kitchen where they prepare their dishes for catering.
Along with all that, wife Megan has a baking business she calls "I Do Cakes" --- special orders for weddings, of course.
Back to the farm: Blake said the couple "wanted some land to grow our own food." Very soon they'll be planting "root vegetables" to supplement the ingredients for their catering and cafe offerings, he said.
"Ninety percent of our ingredients come from North Carolina," he noted. "Nowadays how important it is to know where your food comes from."
With the addition of Under the Oak Cafe, Downtown Smithfield now has half a dozen eateries within a block or so of the Johnston County Courthouse in the heart of town. That wasn't so barely a decade ago.
For more information about Under the Oak, follow this link>
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 Photos from Johnston County Public Schools |
OUTSTANDING STUDENTS RECOGNIZED
Among students receiving congratulations from the Johnston County Board of Education last week: (left-hand photo, left to right) For demonstrating the character trait of fairness: Ean Newcomb of Swift Creek Middle School, Cooper Harris of South Smithfield Elementary, Billy Bowen of West Johnston High, and Brandon Stackhouse of South Johnston High; (right-hand photo) Jude Reece of Smithfield Middle School, overall winner of "MathCounts" competition involving more than 100 students from Johnston's 12 middle schools.
SSS boys, Neuse Charter girls advance
Both teams are competing in the semi-finals of their respective conference tournaments this evening (Thursday).
Get scores and more on this week's SPORTS PAGE>
7th Street Marketplace & The Chicken Barn
Woodruff heads county elections board
The Johnston County Board of Elections now has five members rather than four under a new statewide scheme resulting from recent lawsuits and a new law enacted by the N.C. General Assembly. Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, has appointed Gordon Woodruff of Smithfield, also a Democrat, as the new board's chairman. Other members, appointed by the State Board of Elections, include two Democrats: Shirley Bell and Deborah Hooker, both of Clayton; and two Republicans: John Shallcross Jr. and Debbie Zink, both of Smithfield.
The next round of elections here are for municipal offices. The filing period opens July 5 and lasts just two weeks, till July 19. Election Day is November 5.
Town of Smithfield offices before voters this year are the mayor's chair, now held by Andy Moore, and three at-large seats on the Town Council, now held by Emery Ashley, John Dunn, and Steve Rabil. Four other council members, elected by districts, hold seats that aren't up for election again till 2021.
DEATHS & FUNERALS
Each week we'll post links to obituaries about persons who have died during the past week. We will monitor the websites of local funeral homes to compile our list, and we welcome links provided by readers to obituaries of persons with Smithfield connections who have died outside our immediate area.
LINDA SUE JONES BYRD - died February 19
NCDOT's "re-do"
aims to reduce confusion where four highways meet.
The preliminary plan includes four round-abouts in
place of stop signs.
I-95-US 701 interchange plan to be shown
The N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will host "open house" at Four Oaks Middle School next Thursday evening (Feb. 28) to answer questions and collect public comments about its plan to reconfigure the complex interchange of I-95 with U.S. 701, U.S. 301, and N.C. 96. NCDOT representatives will be on hand from 4 to 7 p.m. in the school's cafeteria to present the plan's details.
For a look at the plan, follow this link>
Town Council to meet at 6:30 p.m. today
The Smithfield Town Council will convene this evening (Thursday) to conduct public hearings on amendments to its Unified Development Ordinance. Among several changes under consideration: one would require public notice prior to preliminary approval of a subdivision; another would reconstitute the town's Historic Properties Commission as the "Historic Preservation Commission." Also on today's agenda is discussion concerning adoption of an annexation policy.
Want a "say" in the Smithfield Town Plan?
Citizens can still "have a say" in development of the Town of Smithfield Comprehensive Growth Management and Transportation Plan, even after a public workshop this past Tuesday evening hosted by Kimley-Horn of Raleigh, the consulting firm employed by the town to assemble the plan. At the workshop, citizens were able to inspect preliminary elements of the plan and make suggestions. Now, through an online survey, you can put in your "two cents' worth."
Here's the link to take part>
Black History program: "Dancing Stories"
Actress, dancer, and storyteller April C.
Turner will present "Dancing Stories" at the Neuse
Little Theatre hut by the river in Smithfield at 6:30
p.m. today (Thursday).Sponsored by the Black History Committee of the Johnston County Heritage Commission, her program will use traditional dances, stories, and songs from West African culture to affirm community-building concepts, notes Todd Johnson, director of the Johnston County Heritage Center.
Members of the audience will be invited to play instruments and dance at the end of her performance.
Ms. Turner is an accomplished writer and has played roles in several television dramas, including Army Wives, ER, and Unanswered Prayers.
Admission is free, "although donations are graciously accepted," Mr. Johnson said. For more information, call the Heritage Center at 919-934-2836.
"Women @ Work" conference March 9
The N.C. Junior Women's League of Smithfield is planning its second annual "Women @ Work" Conference on Saturday morning, March 9 at the Johnston County Agricultural Center. Keynote speaker for the event --- entitled "Empowerment: Achieve the Impossible" --- is Nicole M. Cranley, Ph.D., a published behavioral scientist who focuses on communication, burnout, and self efficacy. Breakout sessions will be led by Dr. Cranley as well as Lorri Lofton, co-founder of ProSocialites, and Frieda Clark, senior vice president with Atrium Health Medical Group-Regional Physician Networks. Registration deadline is this Friday (Feb. 22). For more details, and to register, follow this link>
Want to grow a "Pollinator Garden"?
Johnston County Cooperative Extension's "Master Gardener" volunteers will host a day-long symposium on Saturday, Sept. 21 (that's right, September) on "Birds, Bees, and Butterflies and Growing a Pollinator Garden." For more information, e-mail jocomastergardeners@gmail.com. To register, follow this link>
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SUSAN LASSITER Smithfield real-estate broker 919-669-9235 LassiterSusan@aol.com |
THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS
Once an icon of Downtown Smithfield, Fred's Place was famous for its hot dogs, especially the "secret chili recipe" concocted by owner and operator Fred Adams. In the 1950s and '60s folks referred to the delicacies as "Fred's steaks," in part because they were so tasty, in part because he dared to charge twice as much for his offerings as most other hot-dog vendors around here. And yes, his were the red, "Bright Leaf" brand dogs made famous by Smithfield's own Carolina Packers. The location of Fred's Place on South Third Street today houses an office of Edward Jones, the national investment-services firm. (Photo from the archives of the Johnston County Heritage Center)
Here's what you'll find there:• Local weather data, current & past
• Monthly jobs reports
• Quarterly retail-sales reports
• Official population estimates
• Agricultural statistics
• Local government links
• Things to see and do
www.smithfieldselmasun.com
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