^The ANSON BIZ-ZINE
WADESBORO, ANSON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A.

     (February 1, 2008) -- Thank you, Anson County, for making the 2008 Barn Blast a blast! Anson County Partnership for Children’s second annual fundraiser for literacy activities was a tremendous success thanks to the support of our Anson County community. Approximately 175 people danced, ate, bid on auction items and enjoyed the fellowship of the Barn Blast at the Wadesboro National Guard Armory on Friday evening, January 25.
     I especially want to thank our 2008 Barn Blast presenting sponsor: Poisson, Poisson and Bower, PLLC, Attorneys at Law. In addition, I want to thank Anson Community Hospital, Wadesboro Rotary Club, Progress Energy, Leavitt Funeral Home, Pee Dee Electric Membership Corporation and Hobbs, Upchurch and Associates, P.A. for their major contributions. Over 100 other local and regional organizations and individuals purchased sponsorships, made donations or donated auction items to the 2008 Barn Blast for literacy in Anson County. Thanks also to Betty and Jack Ratliff, Perdue Farms, Wadesboro IGA, Wadesboro Kentucky Fried Chicken, Russell Sikes, Ronnie Morgan and Dave Trotti for their very generous donations of food, catering and cooking for the Barn Blast. Special thanks to the board and staff members of the Anson County Partnership for Children. Without their hard work and diligence, this event would not be possible.
     Because of the community’s support, the 2008 Barn Blast raised well over $26,000 (and counting due to donations still arriving) for the Partnership’s literacy projects. All of these funds will be used to purchase books for children in Anson County. Currently 800 children from birth to age five are registered to receive free hard cover books in the mail each month through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. These books cost the Partnership $30.00 per child per year. The funds raised by the Barn Blast will pay for 866 children to receive these books for another year. It is the goal of the Anson County Partnership for Children to register all 1900 children birth to age five in Anson County for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. If your child (or a child you know) is in this age group and is not receiving a book a month in the mail, please come by our office at 117 South Greene Street and complete a free registration form.
     Research clearly shows that children who are read to from an early age are more likely to succeed in school. The success of our 2008 Barn Blast clearly shows that Anson County believes books make a difference in the lives of children. Thank you, Anson County, for your support to this literacy effort. Please mark your calendars now for Friday, January 30, 2009 for the third annual Barn Blast.

In Service of Children,
Elaine B. Scarborough
Executive Director
Anson County Partnership for Children

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     (February 6, 2008) -- The Anson County Utilities Department and the Wadesboro Rotary Planetarium has teamed up with Wadesboro Primary School and Wadesboro Elementary School in an effort to get Anson County recycling. Both schools are recycling aluminum cans, plastics (drink bottles, water and milk jugs, detergent and shampoo bottles, ect.) and newspapers and magazines.
     The school that collects the largest amount of recyclable materials (we are measuring them in pounds) will win $500. The contest started in January and will end on May 30th. The kids have been really working hard to not only recycle at school, but they also bring in materials from home each day and put them in the recycling bins. In the three weeks this contest has been going, almost 1,000 lbs of plastics have been collected. This means that this plastic is not going in our landfill.
     Anybody from the community, who would like to recycle their aluminum cans, plastics bottles, or newspapers and magazines, can take them to either Wadesboro Primary School or Wadesboro Elementary School between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Recycling bins are set up in each school near the main office.

Misty Harris
Anson County Utility Department

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     (February 14, 2008) – "We're excited," said owner Richard Allen, now that Allen's General Store is open for business on U.S. 74 in Peachland.
     The 2,400-square-foot structure offers a variety of convenience store merchandise, a breakfast and lunch menu from the grill, and a garden and supply center.
     Allen's General Store is a family affair – Allen's son Brian serves as manager while his wife, Laura; son, Brad; and son-in-law, Travis pitch in on weekends to maintain the store's hours (6 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday). "This is a learning experience, from the ground up," he observed.
     "We hope to extend our grill hours (now serving from 6 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday) to 8 p.m. when our store employees are in place, said Allen, who added the store will eventually be open on Sunday – perhaps in time for the summer travelers.
     The breakfast menu includes: country ham and egg, fried bologna, sausage and egg, and bacon and egg; the grill menu includes: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, all-beef hotdogs, barbecue, grilled chicken, corndogs, chicken tenders and French fries. Jackie Springer and Susan Johnson are the regular cooks. (For takeout orders, call 704.272.7207.)
     "Our intention is for our customers to eat at our picnic tables outside. However, at the request of some of our customers, we are putting bar stools in the store's front area to allow limited seating," Allen said.
     Aside from the stock of soft drinks, bottled water, chips, grocery items and tobacco products, Allen's General Store offers deer corn and bagged food for dogs, horses, birds and rabbits. Once a satellite dish is installed, the store will serve as a North Carolina Education Lottery stop – the only lottery distributor in Peachland.
     The store does not sell alcoholic beverages or gasoline.
     As spring-time nears, Allen said the garden center will offer all types of garden seed, flowers, plants and hanging baskets. "You can buy whatever kind of seed you need to plant a garden," he said.
     The garden center's decor includes mounted raccoons and deer, a boar and a bobcat, plus antique farm implements. Once local growers' gardens flourish, Allen said the produce bins will feature Anson County-grown or North Carolina-grown produce.
     The store has a rustic look with wood paneling on the walls. "When people say general store, they think of olden times," Allen said. "Our rustic look still has that modern flavor, though.
     "People can feel comfortable here," he said. "They can just run down and get what they need."

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     (February 22, 2008) – The Asian Garden has opened in the Wadesboro Place Shopping Center that is located adjacent to the Wal-Mart Supercenter complex in Wadesboro.
     Offering Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamest cuisine, Asian Garden is open from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. In addition, Asian Garden has a Southern-style breakfast menu that includes eggs, grits, hash browns, Rayfield sausage links, smoked sausage and omelets.
     The Chinese menu includes seafood, beef and chicken selections with broccoli and/or mixed vegetables, along with traditional sweet and sour, chow mein and lo mein items. The Japanese dishes include hibachi and teriyaki chicken, and combinations with steak or shrimp. The Vietnamese menu includes grilled jumbo shrimp and pork chops, or shredded grilled pork. Each Vietnamese plate is served with steamed rice, egg cake, tomatoes, cucumbers and special sauce.
     Appetizers include chicken wings, soups (egg drop, wonton or beef noodle), egg rolls and salads.
     For more information and/or to place a takeout order, call 704.694.3323.

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