Celebrating 25 Years of Positive Social Change!

(1978-2003)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Century Rest Stop for Virginia Bikers at

Remembering Tillery History House

Tillery, NC, USA – Tuesday is always busy at the Tillery Community Center, but Tuesday, June 27, 2006 things were really rolling as more than 400 bikers dropped in!! The Concerned Citizens of Tillery (CCT) hosted a Century Rest Stop for riders in the “Bike Virginia Tour de Love.” The sky was often gray with intermittent shower sprinkles, but good conversation and laughter was everywhere on the grounds of the Tillery Community Center. Several members of the Open Minded Seniors (OMS) pitched in and helped in preparing the snacks, making sandwiches, filling snack bags and slicing fruit. The coolers were kept full and the energy snacks were continually replenished as Sadie Green of the OMS and Jarrett Pittman, a current student at UNC-CH and a graduate of Southeast Halifax High volunteered and coordinated the efforts of the young volunteers from Southeast Halifax High School.  Sadie and Jarrett also provided stickers for the bikers’ “passports” and answered questions about the historic Tillery community or directed them to Dorothy White Cannon or Gary R. Grant. Volunteers were spread out on the grounds to insure that riders never had to look far for assistance. Dorothy White Cannon, CCT’s “Ambassador of Goodwill,” spent the day hosting tours of the Tillery History House. Gary R. Grant, CCT’s Executive Director was also available to answer questions about the New Deal Resettlement Communities and how they were an important part of the local economy of the New Deal era. Coordinator for CCT was Kathy Knight, who gets a big round of applause for taking on this awesome responsibility.

            Coach “Ed” Larry Edwards recruited and transported students from Southeast Halifax High School. Coach Edwards and the students were great in assisting the CCT staff with all the set up to receive the bikers. Students from SHHS were: Shenella Haymon, Kendra Williams, Rekia Jeffries, Crystal Cofield, Edward Alston, Heath Grant, Willie Williams, Elton Williams, Charles McGuire, and Michelle Demery, President of the CCT Nubian Youth.

            It was also a time of reunion for the CCT family too, as former Nubian Youth Morrisa Demery and Gary R. Redding both came from Greenville to help make the day successful. Both Morrisa and Gary are graduates of Southeast High and East Carolina University (ECU).  Morrisa is now teaching elementary school in Pitt County and Gary is an English Instructor at ECU. All of the volunteers enjoyed meeting the bike riders from different states and exchanging information about home towns.

            Others members of the OMS and CCT providing assistance were: Doretha Whitfield, Cary White, Jr., Catherine Lockley, Marjorie McGee, Glenn Brown, Betty White, Ruth Mallard, Mamie Boone, Erica Alexis, Hazel Ford, Doris Taylor Davis, Gary R. Redding, Anastasia Fenner, Marie Taylor Moore, and Barbara Reynolds.

            We cannot leave out “Little Anton Green,” the three year old who attends all the OMS meetings who provided a ray of laughter for the bikers with his antics as he ran around the Center grounds.

            The Lionel Whidbee Funeral Home, Scotland Neck provided a tent for workers and bikers.  Shade was important as was the tent when the showers came.

            Over 200 of the bikers took time to visit the Remembering Tillery History House with personal tours by Dorothy White Cannon.  Comments about the History House ranged from “fantastic” to “I have never seen a museum created by Blacks before.  This is stunning.”

For More Information Contact:

Concerned Citizens of Tillery
P.O. Box 61
Tel: 252.826.3017
FAX: 252.826.3244
Internet: tillery@aol.com

Last modified: 08/18/06