YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1978 w w w. j a m e s t o w n n e w s . c o m
Weekly editiOn
AUGUST 20-26, 2025 Vol 47 No 34 | 1 Section | 6 Pages
County to hold hazardous mitigation meeting By CaROl BROOks FREELANCE WRITER cab1hp@gmail.com Are you concerned about possible severe weather hazards around us, including flooding? Do you know what is being done to avoid disasters? If you want more information, Guilford County is offering a MultiJurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update public input meeting on Aug. 26 from 6 to 7 p.m. The meeting will be held at High Point Public Library, 901 N. Main St., and no registration is
needed if attending in person. The event also may be viewed online at guilfordcountync.gov/HazardMitigation but a free preregistration is required. The County is working with High Point and other jurisdictions and community partners to update the plan, which identifies and assesses the area’s hazard risks for natural disasters and identifies strategies to minimize or manage the risks. The last plan update was in 2021 and is set to expire Jan. 19, 2026. Hazard mitigation is any sustained action taken to
reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards. With all the severe storms that have plagued the country this year, not to mention hurricane damage in the mountains last year and recent local flooding, it is important the plan adapt so agencies can be prepared. The participating municipalities need to remain eligible for various forms of Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) pre- and post-disaster hazard mitigation funding. Participation in the event will help officials identify
risks, discuss past efforts and shape the 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan to improve the community’s resilience. It is designed to engage with the community, provide input and make sure that the plan reflects the community’s unique needs. Participants both in person and online will have the opportunity to share experiences and identify recurring risks. Prior to the meeting, Guilford County residents are urged to complete the Hazard Mitigation Plan 2025 Survey at guilfordcountync.gov/Mitigation-
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
Survey. It will also be available online through Aug. 31. For more information, visit the Guilford County
Hazard Mitigation Plan Update at storymaps.arcgis. com. The current plan and other information also is available on this site.
Delayed career choice is now main goal By nORMa B. dennis FREELANCE WRITER ndworddesign@gmail.com
The auditorium at Jamestown Public Library rang with laughter and squeals Aug. 14 as Matt Sandbank closed out the summer reading program with a special shadow puppet performance. New to some, shadow puppetry likely originated in ancient Central Asia, China or India. It uses flat cut-out figures which are held between a source of light and a translucent screen. Puppeteers can make the figures appear to move in many different ways, such as walking, running, jumping, etc.
As a youth, it was not really Brooks Pritchett’s intention to become a professional baseball umpire. He attended the University of North Carolina Charlotte with plans to major in marketing. An internship with an insurance company gave him the opportunity to move back to Greensboro where he grew up and that suited him perfectly. “But I do think baseball is in my blood,” Pritchett said smiling. “My dad umpired at the collegiate level for ACC games and for the Division II College World Series in 2011-2012. My mother worked for the Baltimore Orioles in the late ‘80s-early ‘90s and I was named after Brooks Robinson, third baseman for the Orioles because she liked the name.” Today, Pritchett is in his second year as a Minor League Baseball umpire. Baseball umpires officiate games and enforce all rules. There are four umpires in major league, one at home plate and at each base. In minor league there are two. They travel to games as
see enteRtaineR, PAGE 6
see CaReeR, PAGE 2
More than an entertainer By nORMa B. dennis FREELANCE WRITER ndworddesign@gmail.com
51st Annual Day in the Park Festival presented by High Point Arts Council PRess Release The High Point Arts Council presents its annual Day in the Park arts festival at the High Point City Lake Park in Jamestown from noon to 4 p.m. on Sept. 20. This marks the 51st anniversary of Day in the Park, which is one of the longestrunning arts festivals in the Triad region. The event is free and open to the public, and it will feature two stages of live music and dance performances, multiple food trucks, children’s activities, folklife exhibitions, arts-themed activities, and over thirty for this vibrant, familyartists and crafters. friendly arts event. “We are thrilled about For more information, hosting the 51st annual visit https://www.highDay in the Park,” said Catpointarts.org/dayinthepark. ena Bergevin, executive direcYou may contact the High tor of the High Point Arts Council. Point Arts Council by emailing “It’s such an important event for programs@highpointarts.org or our community to come together calling 336-889-2787 ext. 26. and appreciate the arts, and it’s always a nostalgic time for attend- The High Point Arts Council supports comees to remember the event through- munity arts programs and organizations: out the years. We look forward to Arts Splash Summer Concert Series, Arts seeing everyone there to support and Entertainment Events, Day in the local arts and continue this tradi- Park, High Point Ballet, High Point Comtion.” munity Theater, John Coltrane Jazz WorkYou’re invited to join us at High shop, Pullman Poet’s Society, Songwriter’s Point City Lake Park, located at Circle, Regional Artist Grants, Teacher Arts 602 W. Main St., Jamestown, NC Grants, and Titan Civic Band.
Photos submitted from 2025 season
Baseball players are not the only ones with fans. umpire Brooks Pritchett is pictured with his grandfather Ross Pritchett at a Bowling Green Hot Rods game, with his dad david and younger brother luke at a Greensboro Grasshoppers game and with an array of friends after a game played by the Winston-salem dash.
Reading program ends as it began — with fun By nORMa B. dennis FREELANCE WRITER ndworddesign@gmail.com The summer reading program at Jamestown Public Library kicked off in mid-June with a fun-filled presentation by Mad Science of the Piedmont Triad. In keeping with the theme Color Our World, the program included colorful and captivating demonstrations. Participants in the summer program were “invited to embark on a journey of art and creativity, celebrating the myriad ways in which art enriches our lives.” “Libraries handle summer programs in different ways,” said Jim McGaha, JPL manager. “We choose to follow the Collabora-
Photos by Norma B. Dennis
(at left) using string and straws, participants created large bubbles. (Below) Hulahoops can be enjoyed in various ways.
tive Summer Library Program which was created in 1987.” There is nothing new about participants coming in weekly to check out books, but McGaha finds giving small incentives for books read during the summer see ReadinG, PAGE 2
(left) tattoos are always a favorite at these events. (at right) Volunteers were kept busy filling balloons with helium for participants at the final day of Jamestown Public library’s summer reading program.
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Photo by Norma B. Dennis
following the show, sandbank took time to chat with some members from the audience and show them how the puppets work.