Lori’s Ace Home & Hardware will host the Women in Power workshop to teach women how to operate lawn and landscaping equipment with confidence.
The workshop will be from 4 to 5 p.m. July 11 at the hardware store, 2800 Raeford Road, Suite 24A, according to a news release.
Participants will learn to safely operate a leaf blower, weed trimmer and hedge trimmer; the features, benefits and pros/cons of various gas and battery models; and how to maintain the equipment, the release said.
“Since opening in March, we’ve had several female customers ask us how to operate the outdoor power equipment,” said Lori Tracy Stobbe, president and co-owner. “Many women are taking care of the lawn and landscaping duties but may not feel confident in their ability to use the equipment. We can help them.”
The workshop will include a hands-on demonstration and Q&A session. Presenters will include Nate Stobbe, co-owner, and Aaron Russell, assistant store manager. Both have extensive experience operating outdoor power equipment and teaching customers how to use it, the release said.
Reservations can be made by calling the store at 910-900-4455.
Lori’s Ace opened March 15. The nearly 20,000-square-foot store includes an outdoor garden center, patio furniture, home decor and gifts, toys and games, kitchen and bath accessories, and wild bird food and feeders.
Optometrist opens practice on Ramsey Street
Optometrist Joseph Ballard has opened his own practice, Northside Family Eye Care, at 5811 Ramsey St.
Ballard is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and has a doctoral degree from the Southern College of Optometry. He worked at Professional Eye Care in Hope Mills for eight years before opening his practice at the first of the year.
Northside is a full-service eye care practice that helps patients with routine eye exams for eyeglasses and contact lenses, emergency eye care needs, chronic eye treatment and prevention of diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, and dry eye disease. It is the only locally owned and operated eye care practice in north Fayetteville, according to a news release.
New patients are being accepted, and most insurance coverage is accepted.
Stress recovery center secures art therapy grant from Arts Council
SPRING LAKE — Enclave Stress Recovery Center has received a Mini Grant from the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County.
The grant is for seed funding for art supplies and equipment to host adult art therapy classes called “Weekly Wind-Down,” according to a news release. The counselor-led therapy classes will begin at 6 p.m. June 30.
“We are very fortunate to have an art therapist and two licensed counselors on our team at the Enclave,” said Executive Director Taneshia Kerr. “They put a lot of time and research into the curriculum creation, and we are ready to use this award as a steppingstone to bring even more stress recovery opportunities to Cumberland County.”
The Weekly Wind-down will be a 90-minute art therapy program that is open to the public. Participants will meet in a suite that has been prepared with therapeutic-grade aromatherapy diffusion and Tibetan singing bowls, the release said. These modalities are designed to lower physical tension and improve mood.
The program includes a five-minute talk about a stress recovery technique, a guided deep breathing exercise, and an art station with mixed media, the release said.
The Enclave has been providing mental wellness and emotional support services to Cumberland County since 2020. For more information, call 910-354-6287 or email Info@EnclaveStressRecovery.com.
School resource center named for former Superintendent Harrison
Cumberland County Schools’ Educational Resource Center, located at 396 Elementary Drive, has been named in honor of William "Bill" Harrison, former superintendent of the school district.
Principals, Board of Education members, district staff, elected officials, retired personnel who served with Harrison as well as his family and friends attended a renaming ceremony on June 13.
Current Superintendent Marvin Connelly Jr. presented Harrison with a plaque.
“Today, we stand on the shoulders of Dr. Harrison’s remarkable legacy,” Connelly said. “His tireless efforts, vision and passion have transformed the lives of countless students, educators and families in our community.”
Harrison spoke candidly about the significance of the honor.
“This is more special to me than a school would have been ... because of my history with it and because of how important I think professional development is,” he said.
Harrison began teaching in Fayetteville after receiving a bachelor of arts degree in intermediate education from Methodist College in 1974. His work began at Vanstory Elementary School in 1974. He was superintendent starting in August 1997 and served until March 2009.
He was appointed by former Gov. Bev Perdue as chairman of the North Carolina Board of Education and served from 2009 to 2012. He then was superintendent of the Alamance-Burlington County School system and retired in 2018. In total, Harrison served Cumberland County for 26 years.
The Board of Education approved naming the center for Harrison on Feb. 14.
