2023—A Year Forward for Weldon In Action
What could be better than starting the year by celebrating Assistant Secretary of State Gentry Smith, a native of Weldon, as our second Weldon Heritage Series speaker? The town turned out to welcome him home for a day.
We ended the year with another Weldon Heritage Series event: a panel of experts talking about the Roanoke River, its past and future. “Boots” Branch and his son Bob, Chad Thomas, Charlton Godwin, and Benjamin Ricks recounted stories, showed a video and presented slides about efforts underway to protect and maintain the rockfish stock in the River.
In between, Weldon In Action (WIA) through its monthly programs brought people resources to the community who can provide assistance in the future for projects and events: Olivia Percoco with Resourceful Communities, David Proper with the Conservation Fund, Larry Perkins, chair of the 250th Events Committee for Halifax County.
As part of our Safety Awareness project, WIA member Tom Robinson brought Weldon Police Chief Davis and Halifax County Sheriff Davis to talk about safety and crime control in Weldon. The District Attorney, Kim Scott, shared vital information about state regulations that determine when and what kind of prosecutions her office can undertake.
On August 1, WIA participated in National Night Out, a community program sponsored by the Weldon Police Department, at Halifax Community College.
You could see our banner and volunteers at other sponsored events around town: Earth Day cleanup in the spring; Aqueduct clean up in the fall; Weldon Mills’ Bourbon Fest in September, the Weldon High School Reunion in October, the Weldon Christmas Parade in December where we cooperated with the Sunshine Grill to give away coffee, cocoa, candy and cookies.
With the Town carrying forward some of our initial projects, we turned our attention to other projects and to continuing to support engraved brick sales for the downtown sidewalks. The bricks are here, waiting to be installed when the sidewalks in the 300 block of downtown are reconstructed, which the Town anticipates getting underway during the first quarter of 2024.
All Things Weldon, the gift shop created by Andrea Irby to provide funds for Weldon, got its sea legs this year. It was able to generate proceeds sufficient to make a contribution to Weldon In Action. John Carver, manager of Riverside Mills, supported efforts to establish the shop in the Mall and assisted with management and marketing expertise. The goal for 2024 is to go online to expand its customer base. SUPPORT WELDON: BUY YOUR GIFTS AND T-SHIRTS AT ALL THINGS WELDON!
A WIA member, J. W. Shearin, in cooperation with Cathy Scott of Halifax Economic Development, initiated a DOT grant for the Town of Weldon to develop a plan for bike paths, walkways, and trails in Weldon. Members of WIA serve on the Advisory Committee. The study report, likely to be issued early in 2024, sets the stage for critical improvements in Weldon’s capacity to handle pedestrian traffic and to identify locations for future trails. Weldon has beautiful natural resources that, if developed, can contribute to healthy living and economic growth.
Outdoor resources can contribute to increased awareness of local history, enhanced community awareness, and expanded tourism. With expanded and new parks and trails, Weldon can become even more a destination spot for visitors and can offer new outdoor opportunities for its families. Toward that end, a group of WIA members began discussion with the Weldon School Board about developing a small park in memory of the Ralph J. Bunche school on First Street that served African American students until 1969. First Street is where it all began — where the first lots of Weldon were sold. It’s important to tell its story!
Communicate, Communicate! To engage volunteers, to encourage residents to participate, to build relationships, to inform friends and the public, we created a publicity team—Rev. Francis Kyle, Caroline Long, John Carver—and we developed a website, Weldon In Action, and are on social media, Facebook and Instagram. We stay in touch with local media: The Maverick Radio Show, FM 102.3 WPTM, The Herald, and RRSpin.
SO LOOK FOR US! LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
We can’t say goodbye to 2023 without mentioning our friends at the Halifax County Chamber of Commerce (Ginny Lewis), the Halifax Community College (especially Kelly Barber), and the Conservation Fund (Olivia Percoco). We also appreciate our Town Council and Mayor and our Weldon School Board, with whom we hope to work closely to improve life in Weldon in 2024.
Speaking of 2024, we are starting the year with a community engagement grant from ABC2 which will enable us to sponsor Watch Parties to encourage citizens to observe, listen, learn, and be engaged with our local government agencies. To cite Cathy Scott and the motto of Halifax Horizons: “Working Together Works.”
Join us in fulfilling our WIA mission:
“Through projects and events, we will encourage community engagement, assist in economic development, and create accessible public gathering places to honor our rich history and inspire the future.”
- WIA Team Members
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