Wednesday, January 15, 2025
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Wood pellet manufacturers setting up shop in southeastern va nc

By
Miguel Lopez
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Wood pallet manufacturing factory

Wood biomass fuel has quickly emerged as a big deal around the world, and wood pellets are a form of a timber-derived product that is converted to energy. To prove the point, three companies have recently announced plans to establish wood pellet manufacturing facilities within the area. One of these sites being seriously considered is the former International Paper mill in Franklin. There are three others proposed.

In Europe, wood pellets are all the rage for producing electricity. Add in the abundance of the southern yellow pine tree here in the area along with the area’s Atlantic port advantages, and it all comes together.

Jason Berthiaume, a membership coordinator for the Pellet Fuels Institute in Arlington, has told reporters that southeastern regions of the United States have become home to these kinds of wood pellet manufacturing companies.

An example of this would include Wood Fuel Developers in Chester. In January 2010, the company released a press release that stated plans to build an $18.7 million pellet plant in Greensville County. The business was expected to create close to 40 jobs.

Only a year later, Wood Fuel Developers now proposes to replace a shuttered particleboard plant. The company has a plan for a new manufacturing center for wood pellets in Waverly. The $8.6 million project is expected to deliver 28 jobs to Sussex County.

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Another wood pellet manufacturer is making news around here. Enviva, the globe’s largest wood pellet producer, announced in December its plans for the construction for a wood-pellet factory in Ahoskie, N.C. The biomass fuel experts plan to employ more than 50 at the plant. The site features the former Georgia Pacific lumber facility.

Enviva’s new plant would have the capacity to generate 350,000 tons of wood pellets annually. The new building is scheduled to open later this year.

Enviva is not done yet. Back in February, the company had purchased the Giant Cement Co. port terminal in Chesapeake. The price tag for that one came in at a hefty $11.7 million. The facility will be designed to export its wood biomass products, including those made from Ahoskie.

Franklin Pellets is another company looking to do business here. Franklin Pellets is a newly formed alliance between Multifuels and CMI. In April, the company announced its interest in using International Paper in Franklin for a wood pellet facility. The mill is expected to begin operations in about a year and a half. How many jobs the new facility would create is not known at this time.

Wood pallet manufacturing plant

Former Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe is a partner with Peter O’Keefe. O’Keefe says that opening a wood pellet plant is a sound decision because it’s a market in Europe that has sky-rocketed, and the numbers seem to tell the story.

According to O’Keefe, the market has jumped from 11 million tons burned last year and should reach upwards of 100 million by the year 2020.

O’Keefe believes that the southeastern part of the nation is excellent for the wood pellet industry because of its ready wood supply and manpower. He says that folks living in the area get it when it comes to the timber trade and have been involved with the industry for about a century.

Berthiaume adds that when it comes to wood pellet use around here, it’s a great option for heating homes and commercial establishments because the capsule-sized pellets are more economical and a cleaner choice than something like electric or oil heat.

Looking ahead to the future, Berthiaume believes that fuel prices will command the industry’s growth. When fuel oil prices run high, the pellet industry profits.

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Scholarships for fall semester still available

By
Elijah Davis
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pdccc-honors

Fall Semester Scholarships Still Available

Time still remains for interested individuals to apply for fall scholarships. The following is a few of the scholarships available to students at PDCCC.

Bertella C. Westbrook Scholarship for Nursing

Bertella Westbrook is a registered nurse who is a great supporter of the field and an advocate for educational opportunity. A $750 scholarship has been established in her honor that is available in both the spring and fall semesters. The following criteria are necessary to be considered for this scholarship:

  • Acceptance to the PDCCC nursing program.
  • Residency in the PDCCC service area.
  • Three recommendation letters.
  • A written essay on why the candidate chose nursing as a profession.

Dean Nancy Sandberg Scholarship

The $500 scholarship named in honor of Dean Nancy Sandberg is available to students who are at least 25 years old and possess a GED or high school diploma. Applicants should also be enrolled at PDCCC and obtain two letters of recommendation. Finally, each applicant must write an essay that explains there financial need and why they view PDCCC as a place that provides “second chances.”

Perry W. Barnett Scholarship

Perry Barnett was the “larger than life” welding instructor who worked at PDCCC for a number of years. The $500 scholarship in his honor was started by friend Nancy Pindur with some help from other friends, family, and colleagues of Barnett. The scholarship is available to welding students at PDCCC who demonstrate a need for financial assistance.

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Jim Lassiter Faculty association Scholarship

Students who are chosen for the Jim Lassiter Scholarship receive their awards letter in the Fall and have the option of renewing the scholarship in the spring. The scholarship will pay for up to six hours of tuition for students. Applicants must have a 3.25 grade point average to apply for the Jim Lassiter Scholarship and must maintain this GPA to renew for a second semester. Applicants must also write an essay that explains the future changes they see in store for the education profession.

Shirley N. Barnes Scholarship

This scholarship was founded by the former president of PDCCC, Dr. Edwin Barners. Barnes started the scholarship to honor his wife, Shirley. The scholarship is for $250 and is available to students who demonstrate a financial need. Applicants must also possess a 2.5 grade point average.

PDCCC Golf Tournament

The PDCCC hosts an annual golf tournament each August in Franklin at the Cyprus Cove Country Club. The Paul Camp Community College Golf Event is used by the foundation to raise money for student scholarship funds and purchase equipment for faculty. This year’s tournament will be held on August 29 and is set to begin at 1:00 P.M.

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The cost to participate for each person is $75 and includes carts, green fees, range balls, a box lunch, and drinks. The tournament will be played in a four-team format. Players without a team will be placed with other golfers. The tournament is limited to 144 golfers so early registration is recommended.

The following sponsorship packages are available:

  • Gold Package – Pays for four green fees, four carts, and sponsors receive a hole sign. the cost is $500.
  • Silver Package – Pays for one hole sign. The cost is $300.

There will be a number of tournaments and prizes to win including $250 for any golfer that scores a hole-in-one. Certificates and prizes will also be given for winners in the categories of straightest drive, longest drive, and closest to the pin.

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Water Moccasins Eat Catfish for Breakfast

By
Elijah Davis
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On a warm Memorial Day, Erik Neave went fishing in the Nottoway River in Southampton County. He was in for a surprise that would remind him to be cautious while out on the water. He spotted a 6-foot long water moccasin having a 1.5–2-pound catfish for breakfast. This is an exceptionally large snake and one that is the source of many myths and legends.

What Is A Water Moccasin?

A water moccasin is a type of viper and a snake whose bite can be fatal. They are found throughout the south and along the east coast. They are also known as the swamp moccasin, black moccasin and cottonmouth. They often range from 2-4 feet long and have a thick body. Their favorite prey is frogs, but catfish, bass, bluegill, salamanders and other snakes are also on the menu. They spend much of their time in the water hunting, but they can be found on sunning themselves on the banks and logs.

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The cottonmouth gets its name from its behavior when startled. When frightened, it will open its mouth wide to show its fangs and the inside of its white mouth. They are not known to be aggressive unless they are defending their territory. Often the threat is more than enough to make the animal back away. If not, they may receive a potentially fatal bite.

How Dangerous Are They Really?

There is no doubt that the threat display of the water moccasin will get the animal more than its amount of due respect, and with good reason. They have a reputation for being aggressive, and stories abound of them trying to crawl in boats. If a water moccasin was trying to crawl in a boat or canoe, it might have thought the boat was a floating log. They are not trying to “get you.”

Another legend is that cottonmouths will hang out in trees waiting to drop into passing boats. Water mocassins will climb trees, but not often. More than likely these were common water snakes that look similar to water moccasins and like to hang out in trees. If they happen to land in your boat, it was probably just luck, not an aggressive attack. They are nonvenomous but are often the target of unfounded attacks because they are mistaken for their deadly lookalikes.

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Water mocassins generally will not strike unless they feel they have no other choice. They will try to get away, but if they think they have no choice, they will stand their ground. Snakes, including water mocassins, are prey for hawks and owls. Their first instinct is to head to the water when they feel threatened.

Local legend would have you believe that you need to add water moccasins to your list of fears, but in actuality, there are less than ten deaths every year from snakebites. A majority of them are from rattlesnakes, with copperheads coming in second.

It is highly unlikely that a water moccasin will try to get in a boat in an attempt to kill everyone, but this makes a much better fishing tale around the campfire than a frightened nonvenomous snake trying to get away. That does not mean that we should abandon a healthy respect for them. It is important to keep an eye out and try not to frighten any snake that you see. This is also not to say that this did not happen to someone at some time in the past. It is just not as likely to happen as these colorful fishing tales would have you believe. For the most part, have a healthy respect for nature and keep calm, it will more than likely go away.

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Homeschooling Transformed Over The Decades

By
Elijah Davis
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homeschooling

There’a trend among education that’s been growing for the last several decade. Homeschooling involves a parent educating their child at home. They don’t put them in school, and they are in charge of what their child learns. Homeschoolers used to face a lot of scrutiny. Many people thought that these children couldn’t get a decent education, and they were not as socialized as their peers. As homeschooling has evolved so have these feelings. Homeschooling has transformed quite a bit over the decades.

There’s No Longer Shame

Homeschoolers used to feel isolated. Many parents would hide their decison to homeschool over shame. They didn’t want others to bash their decision to educate their children at home. Today, homeschooling has become more socially acceptable. A majority of homeschooling parents no longer feel as if they need to hide the fact that they are homeschooling. In fact, many of them feel proud about their choice to educate their children at home. Because homeschooling is no longer looked at as being taboo, the number of homeschoolers has grown substantially. In 1975, only around 20,000 children were homeschooled each year. That number has grown to over two million currently.

Many Options Available

There are many more options for homeschoolers than there were in the past. Academics go far beyond workbooks and worksheets. Children can learn through computer courses, or they can take co-op classes led by other homeschooling parents. Parents don’t have to be former teachers in order to successfully educate their child. If they don’t know how to teach a subject, they can find someone that can teach it for them. Parents are also able to find a lot more options as far as extracurricular activities go. Many cities have sports programs just for homeschoolers. These can include everything from soccer to gymnastics.

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It’s No Longer Just About Religion

Many families used to homeschool because of their religious beliefs. While some families still do homeschool for this reason, others homeschool because they worry about violence in schools, want an education that is tailored to their child’s needs or are needing some flexibility in their schedule that traditional schools can’t provide. Today you can find homeschool families from all religions, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Homeschooling Is Legally Protected

Parents don’t have to worry about facing legal action against them just because they homeschool. Homeschooling has been legal in every state since the 1990s. For parents who are worried about their right to homeschool, they can join a legal defense association that protects homeschoolers. While it isn’t necessary to join one, these associations can provide parents with the piece of mind in knowing that they have extra protection if someone questions their right to homeschool their children.

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Colleges Are Recruiting Homeschoolers

Parents no longer need to worry about their homeschoolers being accepted into college. Many colleges are recruiting homeschoolers because they see what an asset they are. They have found that homeschooled children tend to be more motivated, driven and are better prepared for life than many of their peers.

In conclusion, homeschooling has changed a lot over the decades. It went from something that many parents hid to something that has grown leaps and bounds. Homeschooling parents now have more rights than they have ever had, and there are numerous options available to educate your child at home. As both public and private schools continue to have difficulty trying to educate the vast amount of children in their classrooms, homeschooling may continue to gain even more popularity in the decades to come.

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Peanut crops expected to be down this year

By
Miguel Lopez
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Peanuts-fields

At the same time cotton growers in Virginia are planning to increase their planting in the coming spring, peanut growers in the state are planning to reduce such plantings.

Peanut planting in the state is expected to be reduced by more than 20% this planting season, from 18,000 acres to 14,000 acres. This is according to an estimate made by the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Due to drought in the previous season, peanut growers in the state had a poor year. Peanut yields dropped and they produced 27% less peanuts than they did the year before.

Del Cotton, who is the director of the Franklin-based Virginia Peanut Growers Association, forecast the decrease in peanut planting last month. He said that planters would not be growing as much peanuts as the year before, especially in light of current cotton prices.

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Cotton added that he expects to see a decrease in peanut production in both Isle of Wight and Southampton counties, as what is true of the state as a whole is true of those two counties as well.

Of Virginia’s 18,000 acres of peanuts last year, Southampton County produced 6,800 acres of it while Isle of Wight County produced an additional 2,300 acres. In the year prior to this, of Virginia’s 12,000 acres of peanuts, Southampton County produced 4,800 acres of it and Isle of Wight County produced another 1,200 acres.

Cotton mentioned two major challenges that are affecting peanut growers in the area. The first concern is the recent economic downturn and the second is the bad winter weather. Also, the demand for snack and candy peanuts has decreased during the previous 5 years. At the same time, there has been a more than 20% increase in demand for peanut butter. The problem is that Virginian peanuts are mostly used for snacks and candy while cheaper peanuts produced out of the state are what are mostly used for producing peanut butter. These peanuts are typically grown by other southeastern states.

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While the demand for Virginian peanuts has softened considerably, the demand for the state’s cotton has risen dramatically, along with the prices of it. This has led many farmers in the state to switch from peanuts to cotton. Jonah Bowles, who is an agriculture market analyst for the Virginia Peanut Growers Association, says that cotton is not the only crop in the state that has seen significant rises in prices. According to him, both soybean and corn prices have also risen.

Bowles went on to say that cotton ending stocks have never been as low as they are right now. At the same time, demand for cotton in China has increased considerably. He added that, for a number of weeks, the price for cotton exceeded $2 per pound. He further said that, at the moment, corn is winning the battle for acreage over soybeans.

Gary Cross, who is a farmer in Southampton County that grows both peanuts and cotton, warns that peanut growers in the state could in fact reduce peanut crops even further than what has been estimated by the government. He said that peanut production is largely dependent on whether or not the spring weather is conducive toward peanut planting.

Cross insists that spring weather is such a key factor in determining the planting of peanuts that he could change his mind over whether or not to plant them on the very day that he intends to plant to them, or pretty close to this date. He indicated that if the region experiences a particularly dry spring, he will be more likely to plant cotton instead of peanuts.

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Murfreesboro tractor brings record bid

By
Josh Howell
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murfree

When it comes to farming equipment built to last, the John Deere brand is a famous one and always in demand. As proof, a recent estate sale for the late Vernon Joyner brought in a record whopping amount for a vintage tractor in Murfreesboro, North Carolina. A Canadian collector took home the big haul and won the bid at $23,250.

Joyner’s widow, Agnes, told reporters that she knew the 1972 tractor was a classic model and that plenty of folks were eyeing the auction piece. She believed it could go for about $13,000, but when the bidding continued, she knew the tractor would deliver a considerably higher amount. She’s thankful that her husband’s old tractor sold for a such a hefty price.

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The sale of the 1972 John Deere 2520 tractor (side console, SN# 023060R) was conducted by Rich and Rich Bonded Auctioneers International, Inc. According to reports, interested bidders arrived from Texas, Indiana and Ohio to the farm estate auction on January 6th, 2011.

Word has it that the late Vernon Joyner took very good care of his farm equipment during his long farming career, and it’s paid off well for his widow. He used the tractor for a good 38 years, and back in those days, Joyner paid $8,9802 for the power shift model.

Even before the sale took place, interested parties called from around the country asking about the JD tractor. The particular model is one that is hard to hunt down today, and some folks like to purchase vintage tractors as a collection, and others are interested in completing their fleet of tractors from the 20s series, for example.

Vaughn says the early pre-bidding interest was a good indication that it was a hot item that would do very well, but when the bidding went past the expected amount, the auctioneers knew it was quite a rare piece.

tractor

Vaughn expected the tractor to bring in about $17,000, but the vintage item surprised even experts like himself.

For example, Vaugn listed other examples of old John Deere tractors that have recently sold at auctions:

A 1969 John Deere 3020 sold at auction for $8,900.
A JD L, unstyled brought in a price tag of $13,250.

Before Vernon Joyner’s 1972 John Deere 2520 was put up for auction, the record-high bid for a JD 2520 tractor had brought in $18,500. That vintage tractor was part of a major collector’s auction in July that was held at Wolf Point, MT, on July 17, 2010.

Vintage tractors are a hot commodity, and even the Wall St. Journal recently featured an article about old tractors making excellent investments.

The John Deere brand happens to be one of those in-demand farming equipment items folks are seeking. As the old saying goes, “If it’s painted green, it’s worth green.” If anyone is familiar with JD equipment, they cannot help but notice the bright green-colored, rugged machines.

Even today, you can walk into a John Deere dealer location and purchase an engine gasket that goes with a 1932 model A, according to vintage experts.

John Deere was originally a blacksmith and designed his first farm plow at age 33.

The late Vernon Joyner appears to have been an organized individual because he left behind the tractor’s old invoice. Agnes Joyner found the almost 40-year-old receipt and says the serial number on her husband’s tractor matched the serial number on the receipt.

At the moment, no one knows much about the new owner of Vernon Joyner’s 1972 John Deere 2520 tractor. He’s from Canada, but that’s about it. He is an unnamed collector.

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Windsor alpaca farm to host shearing day

By
Carly Jones
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Most people probably aren’t aware of this, but Virginia is alpaca-crazy with the beautiful creature. The state has more than 100 alpaca farms, and the United States has more than 150,000 alpacas.

If you’ve never been close to these amazing animals, now there’s a wonderful event happening that is great for folks of all ages.

Cornerstone Farm Alpacas in Windsor will host its Shearing Day Open House, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday, April 8, at 26298 Spivey Town Road. The farm is located in the heart of Isle of Wight County in southeastern Virginia.

Visitors will see demonstrations of spinning, weaving and felting by the owners Daren and Chris Wingard. There will be plenty of craft items, concessions by Isle of Wight 4-H Club and music by local bluegrass/gospel band, Route 58.

The farm yarn/gift shop will also be open. Admission is $1. Children 4 and under get in free.

So what is an alpaca, you ask?

An alpaca is a long-haired animal related to the llama and is from South America. These animals are revered for their exceptional wool or fiber. The wool is very soft and very durable. National Geographic says that alpaca fur is the second strongest animal fiber after mohair.

It may sound hard to believe, but alpaca produce wool in 22 different shades. The special wool has often been called one of the world’s greatest natural fibers.

Chris Wingard would like folks to see the beauty of the alpaca and its gentle personality and intelligence. Visitors will be able to pet the animals and get to feel the elegance of their fur wool fiber.

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Wingard says that most people are surprised to find that the fiber feels as soft as cashmere. “Alpaca fiber is softer, stronger and warmer than wool,” says Winguard.

Winguard says that the goal is to have enough alpacas to develop a national textile mill. The alpaca is easy to handle and train, according to experts.

Shearing an alpaca is important because this animal does not shed its fur. If its fur or fiber is not removed, the animal will overheat during the summer. Shearing keeps an alpaca comfortable and healthy. The practice is usually done once a year.

Do not be mistaken, however. Alpaca are not sheep and cannot be shorn in the same manner because its physical body is different than a sheep’s. Shearing day at Cornerstone Farm Alpacas will be educational as visitors witness this interesting and normal animal care process and see how the wool or fiber is removed.

The Cornerstone Farms Alpaca website explains what the owners do with the animals, and it centers around the alpaca’s fiber. “The leg and belly fiber is used for rugs, blankets or composting. The neck fiber can be used to make yarn, but it is primarily the blanket that we get our best yarn and roving from.”

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Cornerstone Farm Alpacas was founded in 2004. At the time, there were just three alpacas. The farm now has more than 40 alpacas and offers everything from the sale of natural alpaca yarn to educational farm tours to alpaca sales and breeding, consultation and informational presentations for local groups.

For those who want to start their own alpaca farm, Cornerstone will assist and help design a package that fits an individual’s lifestyle and plans. For example, the animals are easy on the land, are clean and hardy creatures and disease-resistant. Those who raise alpaca call them a joy to be around.

To schedule a farm visit and to get directions, call (757) 651-6335. Or contact them at info(at) cornerstonefarmalpacas.com

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Judgeship to be filled

By
Josh Howell
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SHAWSENTENCE

There will hopefully soon be a new judge serving Suffolk, Franklin, Isle of Wight and Southampton counties.

With Westbrook Parker retiring from his position on the 5th District Circuit Court, Virginia’s General Assembly recently approved filling the now empty judgeship and will be responsible for selecting a new judge.

Rodham T. Delk Jr., who is currently the chief judge of the court, said that he was not aware of anyone who has shown interest in the position, which pays $163,000 per year. But William Barlow, who is a Democratic delegate in the General Assembly serving Smithfield and who sits on the Courts of Justice Committee, said that he knew of a handful of qualified people who might be interested in the job. Though he declined to name any of them at the moment.

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In order to qualify for being a circuit court judge, a candidate must be a lawyer who currently lives in the 5th district. The candidate must also be under 70 years old. After they are initially selected by the assembly, judges on the circuit court serve terms consisting of 8 years.

The selection process is quite quick. One day after the assembly interviews a candidate, his or her election is put to a vote.

At the moment, control of the legislature in Virginia is split between Republicans and Democrats, with the former controlling the House while the latter controls the Senate. According to Del. Barlow, this makes the process of selecting a judge a little more “challenging.”

Still, Barlow insists that, when it comes to selecting to local judges, the legislature usually lets the local representatives choose someone. He added that he thinks that the current list of candidates he has for the position is “excellent,” and he feels very confident that the legislature will ultimately approve one of them.

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However, there have been times when the legislature has been unable to come to an agreement on a judge. Barlow says that, if by chance the General Assembly is unable to select a candidate for the 5th District opening, there is a process in place that allows the governor to appoint a judge on a interim basis.

But the interim appointment is temporary, Barlow insists. He says that, if the governor makes such an appointment, the General Assembly reviews this appointment during the assembly’s next session. At this time, the assembly has two choices: either they can accept the governor’s appointment, which would mean that the interim appointment becomes permanent, or they can decide to replace the interim appointment with a judge of their own choosing.

Barlow says that sometimes filing one judgeship requires that they must fill another, which means that they must fill multiple appointments. He says that this typically happens when the General Assembly fills an opening for a circuit judge by selecting someone who is currently a district judge. In such cases, the assembly then must select someone to fill the district judgeship that has become open because of such an appointment.

Westbrook Parker served on the 5th District Circuit Court for 25 years before retiring. His retirement has left a big hole on the court, according to Rick Francis, who is a clerk working on the Southampton Circuit Court. Francis says that there is now only two judges currently sitting on the 5th District Circuit Court: Chief Judge Delk and Judge Carl Edward Eason Jr., who now have to handle all the additional workload. Though Francis says that a group of 8 substitute judges have been assisting the two men on cases that have come in front of the court since Parker’s retirement.

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Middle School Student Suspended for Opening Exterior Door

By
Carly Jones
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school-hallway

When a middle school student in Southampton opened the door for a visitor at his school, he got in trouble. A school administrator explained that this is strictly forbidden, and any kid who gets caught letting an unauthorized person into the school will be punished in a likewise fashion.

The school in Virginia is standing by their decision to suspend the young student who had an outstanding academic record. The parents in the community voiced opinions that the punishment seemed too harsh for the infraction, but the school authorities are unrelenting in their determination on the matter. The rules state that students are not permitted to open exterior doors at any time for any reason, and it had been made very clear to everyone.

Some of the parents were upset because they knew the visitor. She was well-known in the community, and the kid was doing what any decent person would do for a lady who was struggling to enter a door with her hands full. The child’s parents said they are fighting the decision, and they want his record expunged with an apology.

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Part of the reason for the rule that is in effect for the whole school district is due to a $10,800 security system that was installed in order to prevent doors from being accessed from the outside. When students or staff circumvent the system, it undermines the security of the facilities.

All the doors of the district schools are kept locked during the day, and visitors have to ring a buzzer and be viewed on an exterior camera before an authorized staff member can let them in. The boy knew about the policy, but he let the visitor in regardless. Staff members reported that this is why he was punished. The unidentified middle school student was the first person to be punished for breaking this rule, and it was not reported how many days of suspension the boy received for the infraction.

The story was released to the local news via an anonymous e-mail. The sender stated that the boy was an “A” student, and he let a woman into the building because her hands were too full to open the door unaided. The e-mail stated that the student would be suspended for one day of which would be spent out of school. Wayne Smith, a school administrator, said that this information could not be confirmed for reasons of confidentiality. When the school superintendent, Charles Turner, was interviewed, he claimed that he didn’t know the details about the incident.

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Superintendent Turner claimed that the suspension of the student was necessary in order to make the security system effective. He explained that the mission of the school system is to provide a safe environment for children to receive their education. There needs to be a security system that is consistently effective. If people don’t follow the security protocols, the security system is ineffective.

The superintendent said that the security system was developed partly from observing past experiences in their schools and also from observing what other schools have done to improve their security systems. The security systems were installed in the secondary schools in order to verify their effectiveness before they were put in place at the elementary schools.

Turner states that the parents of the students were informed about the new security systems after they were installed, and they reacted very positively when they were notified of the increased security for their children. With the increasing frequency and violence of tragic incidents that are shown on the news on a regular basis, this news served to quell some of the anxiety of parents in the community.

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Source: https://instaherald.com/

Carrsville man built more than 10,000 kites

By
Carly Jones
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kites fly

Most of us have heard of the old saying “Go fly a kite.”

Well, Junious Bradshaw of Carrsville gets it and knows how to fly a kite and create them. In fact, he is a master crafter and has built more than 10,000 kites, thus far. Bradshaw is now 86 and still in love with kite making. When he gets a little inspiration, he has his tools ready nearby to begin making another one.

Bradshaw is well-known in the industry and was even quoted in a New York Times piece on kiteflying. He mentioned that he really likes flying kites and gets enjoyment out of the hobby and said that it’s a calming obsession next to landing a big fish.

He’s so revered in kite making that the New York City Police Athletic League (PAL) once asked Bradshaw if he could send them step-by-step instructions on building a simple, flat kite. PAL was planning its annual kiteflying contest and needed help for its young members.

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Bradshaw was flown out to NYC and held workshops there to teach them how to make a kite that soared high.

A young girl, the daughter of an NYC firefighter, won the $500 prize for first place thanks to Bradshaw’s instructions.

These days, Bradshaw enjoys speaking with people on how he fell in love with flying kites and building thousands of them over the years. He says that the hobby was actually launched when his son Gerald, 8, was a member of the Boy Scouts, and that was some 35 years ago.

The Scouts were holding a kiteflying contest. Now, the Bradshaw duo could have purchased a kite for the contest, but the elder Bradshaw insisted they create their own.

Bradshaw decided to use paper from the company where he was employed. At the time, Union Camp Corporation was an American pulp and paper business and a private owner of timberland in the United States. The company was established in Franklin.

Their first effort was a good one but failed. Bradshaw and his eldest son didn’t give up and kept trying to build the ultimate model, and they soon succeeded. The kite soared into the blue sky about a mile upwards, and the father/son pair proudly took home a gold cup for first place.

After that, Bradshaw never looked back or down and resumed his kite making prowess. Word got out among the Scouts, and he was asked to help the young men build kites across the area.

Bradshaw has maintained his humbleness over the years and was a guest on the Today show and the subject of numerous articles about kites. He was also the cover boy for a 1976 book about kiteflying by author Will Yolen.

kite-pharma

The hobby never waned, and his family was always supportive, including his late wife, Emily Freda and another son, Steven.

What’s the recipe for the perfect, flat, high-flying kite?

Bradshaw says its starts with 40‐pond Kraft wrapping paper, two oak sticks for each kite and the brattle string properly tied on the front.

He even boasts about a motorized hand reel he invented back in the 1980s for supreme kiteflying. He claims that no one else has flown a kite that way.

Kiteflying has been around for a very long time, and here in the United States, Benjamin Franklin applied his background of kiteflying to learn more about the elements such as electricity.

Even the Wright Brothers flew kites, and that eventually led to the evolution of the airplane.

Junious Bradshaw knows that kiteflying, present in almost every culture, will never go out of style.

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