50th Anniversary Celebration is October 3

Come celebrate with us our 50th Anniversary at the Wallace Chamber Commerce on Saturday, October 3, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Wallace Depot on Railroad Street. The Chamber will be recognizing past Chamber presidents and charter members. So if you know of someone that falls in either category, contact Lou Powell at the Chamber office so she can put your name on the list of honorees. During its celebration that day, the Chamber will be offering ice cream and cake. Chamber members and prospective Chamber members and guests are encouraged to stop by and say hello. Don't forget to walk around and enjoy the sights and sounds offered by the Longleaf Arts Guild during their Art at the Depot "Fall into the Arts Day” which will also be held at the depot.

Hog n Hens for Hope

Hogs n Hens for Hope is an all day event benefiting the Lazarex Cancer Foundation. The event will be held Saturday, October 17th at the Duplin County Events Center and will run from 10 am-10 pm. There will be events for kids, a barbeque cook-off, a motorcycle ride, craft vendors and live music. Get details of all the events and how to become a sponsor or volunteer at their web site www.lazarex.org or stop by the Wallace Chamber of Commerce office for an information packet. A portion of the proceeds will be given to Duplin General Hospital to be used for cancer screenings for underinsured..

Lazarex’s mission is provide resources for cancer patients who’ve been told they have no other options, but who are not yet done with their journey in life and refuse to give up now.

The Lazarex Cancer Foundation builds a bridge to hope, dignity and life for cancer patients and their families. We provide financial assistance to defray the costs associated with patient participation in FDA clinical trials. Additionally, we help patients navigate their clinical trial options and provide community education and outreach services. We help patients of all ages and walks of life, with all forms of cancer and help patients take advantage of medical breakthroughs today, because they may not have a tomorrow. We believe that the size of a patient's checkbook should not stand between them and the choices they make or the treatments they need. We provide resources to fill the gap that exists between when a patient is told there is no more hope and when they are truly done with their journey in life. The Lazarex Cancer Foundation was formed in 2006 when Dana Dornsife became the president and later created it as an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Dana first became involved in cancer patient advocacy when her brother-in-law, Mike Miller, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003. Mike had three children, the youngest of whom was only four years old.

Cycle North Carolina is coming

Cycle North Carolina is a recreational mountains-to-the-coast bicycle tour of the Tar heel state. Over 1,000 bicyclists from 44 states and two countries participated in the October 2008 tour. CNC expects to have more than 1,100 participants on the 2009 ride scheduled for September 26 to October 3. The 2009 route will begin in Blowing Rock and end in Surf City, with overnight stays in Lenoir, Statesville, Thomasville, Sanford, Dunn and Kenansville. The meeting point in Duplin County will be the Duplin County Events Center is in Kenansville. There will be camping available there, but many riders choose to stay in local hotels along the route. The riders and their families and support staff will also be looking for local restaurants to visit, and local shops to explore. The Chambers of Commerce and Duplin County Tourism will be looking for volunteers to help at the Events Center, to direct riders to local restaurants, hotels and shopping both Friday, October 2, and the morning of October 3. Duplin County area restaurants should be prepared with extra staff and extra supplies for meals those days. The estimated economic impact to the area from this event is $50,000.00-$75,000.00. This is a great opportunity for our county to make new friends with a great many tourists- so pleae call Rob Wells, Duplin County Tourism Director at 910-296-2181, and find out how you can help!

Now OPEN!

The Wallace Chamber of Commerce President Sheila Young, Lou Powell, Executive Director, and its Board of Directors joined other local dignitaries for the ribbon cutting ceremony that opened the new Walmart. The Walmart Foundation donated $20,000 in grants to local civic organizations as part of the grand opening celebration. The store, which is open 24 hours has doubled the number of employees, and will draw customers from Duplin and neighboring counties.