Beautiful day yesterday, and hopefully another today…
Mostly sunny today, with a high near 78. Light south wind becoming southwest 6 to 11 mph with gusts as high as 18 mph. Mostly cloudy tonight with a low near 56. Thursday, patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, partly cloudy with a high near 70, windy with gusts as high as 26 mph
Cooler weather later with low near 30 Friday night. Saturday, sunny with a high near 54.
Ever sit back and think about improvements in the area over the past 20, 30, 50 years … I hear folks complaining from time to time … put my thinking cap on and began to recall many upgrades in the area…
Blueberry Festival began … mmm in 60s, maybe, 70s, many years ago. Later the Water Festival, drawing thousands to White Lake … During that time frame our medical providers were aging, needed to recruit replacements … Chamber of Commerce took the lead, a facility was built, many local citizens purchased stock ‘few shares’ and attracted new Doc and more came later as hospital was upgraded and affiliated with larger hospital…
High schools were consolidated … good?, bad? but many other facilities were upgraded … Veedor Root came to town, beginning of several big companies that came to the area … Dupont, Smithfield, Industrial parks developed in Elizabethtown and Bladenboro … Airports upgraded … Economic Development recruitment efforts increased, now more jobs than people to work. A community college in the Dublin area…
New Social Services facility, Library, Health Department facilities, new farm-related facility, new jail. I know, some have been in place for years … but all a part of the changes in Bladen County over the years…
Farming has changed … for years farmers produced small amounts of various crops … corn, peanuts, tobacco, cotton, pork … Today, less farmers, more acreage…
I have not captured everything. It’s been a long journey, a long, mostly successful journey … Bladen has been, and continues to move forward … and it doesn’t just happen…
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” Maya Angelou
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly; but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” Maya Angelou
“Nothing will work unless you do.” Maya Angelou
robert g hester
rgh4612@gmail.com
910-876-2322
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