Brown

Louisburg MLK
The Louisburg Martin Luther King Jr. event will be Monday, Jan. 20, starting at 11 a.m. at St. Paul Presbyterian Church. The speaker will be the Rev. H. Maurice Barnes, pastor of White Rock Presbyterian in Kinston.

Franklinton MLK Jr Day event
The Franklinton Martin Luther King Jr. event will be held 11 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 18 at First Baptist Church, 304 S. Main St., Franklinton. with the Rev. Barnard Allen, and speaker the Rev. Dr. Henry D. Wells Jr. The march begins at the Franklinton Elementary School roundabout on Martin L. King Jr. Boulevard.

County's MLK holiday schedule
Most Franklin County offices will be closed all day on Monday, Jan. 20, to observe the Martin Luther King holiday.
However, all convenience centers will be open from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. that day and the solid waste transfer station will be open from 7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
All branches of the county library will be closed on Saturday, Jan. 18 and Monday, Jan. 20, and the county's airport will be open on Jan. 20 from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Retired NFL Star to speak
Jason Brown was the highest-paid center in NFL history, but he walked away from a 35-million-dollar contract with the St. Louis Rams. Why? He felt God's call to become a farmer. Jason will share the story of his journey of learning to farm, finding the land and growing & harvesting over 100,000 pounds of vegetables - as well as the many extraordinary events which made it all possible.
Brown will speak 11 a.m., Thursday, January 23 in the Seby B. Jones Performing Arts Center (JPAC) on the Louisburg College campus. Call (919) 497-3251 for more information. The JPAC is located at 501 N. Main Street directly behind the Robbins Library. Admission is free, and tickets are not required. The event is presented by the Tar River Center for History and Culture.

Nominations for volunteer award sought
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 Governor's Volunteer Service Award. The awards program, created by the Office of the Governor in 1979, recognizes North Carolina's most dedicated volunteers.
Each county selects up to 10 individuals, businesses, groups/teams and one paid director of volunteers to be recognized for their outstanding contributions to their communities. One of the nominees will be nominated for the Governor's Medallion Award for Volunteer Service, which is awarded to the top 20 volunteers in the state. A local committee evaluates the nominations.
Nomination forms are available in Franklin County at the N.C. Cooperative Extension Center. They can also be found at www.volunteernc.org. Nomination forms are due by Jan. 31, 2025 to the Franklin County Center of N.C. Cooperative Extension office (103 South Bickett Boulevard, Louisburg, NC 27549). They can also be emailed to charles_mitchell@ncsu.edu. For more information, contact N.C. Cooperative Extension at 919-496-3344.

American Legion provides U.S. Flag disposal
The American Legion Post 52, located at 40 American Legion Road, Franklinton, has installed a U.S. Flag drop box for the community to respectfully discard unserviceable U.S. Flags. The drop-box is located in the parking lot at the start of the sidewalk. Simply fold up your flag and put it in the drop-box opening. They collect unserviceable flags throughout the year and hold a disposal ceremony in June. The American Flag stands for freedom and sacrifice. The American Legion continues this time-honored tradition to show respect for what it stands for.