SERVING THE LIBERTY, STALEY, JULIAN, CLIMAX AND SNOW CAMP AREA

100-Man Project AnnouncesReading Contest

The 100-Man Project, a non-denominational, non-proﬁt, Libertyarea men’s service organization, hasannounced its second project, areading contest to promote readingat Liberty Elementary. The group’sﬁrst project, of course, is CARS(Community Area Ride Service),which provides transportation formedical or emotional needs to Lib-erty area residents. The group pur-chased a handicapped accessible van, which you can see parkedat Liberty’s Bargain Box, and has drivers available every busi-ness day of the month to take residents to hospitals from Salis- bury to Durham. Now the group has taken on another project inan attempt to encourage Liberty Elementary students to readmore.

The 100-Man Project is sponsoring a pizza party for each classwithin its grade level that reads the most books between Janu-ary 3 and May 2, 2011. This means six pizza parties, one eachfor kindergarten through the ﬁfth grade. Letters will go out toparents of Liberty Elementary students later in the month ex-plaining the contest. In addition to the “Battle of the Books” atLiberty Elementary, the 100-Man Project has come up with an-other contest in cooperation with the Liberty Library. Duringthe same period, any Liberty Elementary student, K-5, whochecks out a book or books at the library, will be entered in adrawing for a $100 Walmart gift card. Second and third prizeswill be $50 and $25 gift cards respectively. Any student whovisits Liberty’s new Nature Research Library during this periodwill also be entered in the contest. The more times studentscheck out books, the more chances they will have to win a giftcard. The Liberty Leader will have more information on thesecontests in its January issue. In the meantime, if you are inter-ested in learning more about the100-Man Project, CARS or theLiberty Elementary Reading con-tests, you may call Warren Dixon,622-2731(Reading Contest), TomMeachum, 622-1998 or Gary Davis,622-3835 (100-Man Project in gen-eral), and Terry Stutts, 622-3451(CARS).Story By Warren Dixon

Biker For Boobs

Breast Cancer Event

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The Liberty Leader

Free Community Paper By The Community And For The Community

RTC Helps Schools

RTC Give ClassroomBags Out....

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Rockin F Farm

Harvest Days kick off fall in the area

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Colored Canvas

New Art Program HitsLiberty

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Free Monthly Newspaper December 2010 Volume 6 * Issue 12

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Teen Night

Hurricane Jane’sSunday Night TeenSpot

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INSIDE

Chamber Luncheon

Chamber luncheon, great food, fellowshipand facts

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New Poem Writer

Meet MexanaOxedine...New Poemwriter

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Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difﬁcult moments,SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD

MoreInside

Christmas Shopping in Liberty

When are you taking us Christmas shopping, Mom?"

"When are we going to Walmart?" My response was that Iwanted to take them when we had time to shop. I did notwant my kids rushing into the box stores, being so over-whelmed with the materialism of Christmas and picking outgeneric gifts that they had not put any thought into. Thechildren's conversation continued. "What if we had to do allof our Christmas shopping without even going to Walmart...or the mall? The next question was presented as more of achallenge. " What if we had to do all of our shopping in Lib-erty?????"

"NO, that would be impossible!!!" ....But wouldit? If we really put some time and thought into it, could wedo our all of our Christmas shopping in Liberty? It mighttake a little more creativity, a little more thought, but that iswhat makes gift giving special...finding that perfect gift forthat special someone. I'm sure we could find Daddy andyour older brother something at the Hardware store. Wecould find something special for Grandma at The ShadowBox Antique shop. I'm sure there is something just right, youcould find for me and your sister in town. Awesome Findshas unique gifts. Carolyn's always has a nice selection of accessories. There is a new Liberty Artisan and Craft Gallerythat just opened. It has a wide selection of gifts made bylocal NC artist. Masten's Music offers music lessons.Woosley's Photography is offering art classes. The local flo-rist can provide holiday plants or flower arrangements. GiftCertificates are available at several downtown businesses aswell as restaurants.

The local businesses and shop ownerswould be glad to accommodate your shopping needs andprovide friendly customer service as you check the namesoff of your holiday list. There are many unique possibilitiesfor the perfect gift right here in Liberty. You just have to puta little thought into your gift giving.Story By Teresa Bruchon

Cold Blistery Night ButTons Of Warm Hearts

The Annual Christmas Tree Lighting was deﬁnitely for the brave hearts due to the frigid cold 29 degree night. Of all theevents that I help do in this great town of ours, I would saythe tree lighting is my most fun event of all to plan. This yearsI had a dynamic team of volunteers that stepped up to theplate to help me do this year's event. The list is so many Iwould be afraid I would miss one, so the gang knows whothey are and I say a sincere THANK YOU. I was over-whelmed at all their dedication and help they provided. Wehad such a great time this night. So much was on hand thatwas free. That has been one of the main themes we have keepthroughout the years, FREE. I would like to thank the follow-ing people for making this event so great with their free itemsand sponsorship. Check Out Santa’s List For Christmas TreeLighting, Free Photos With Santa

By Freedom Family Church& Chamber, Sound System & MC By Ben Suggs with South-ern Entertainment and Chamber, Free Hotdogs By TheBruchon Family & Dr Tom Blake, Free Hot Chocolate By Ya’llCome Back Restaurant, Free Cheerwine By Cheerwine Dis-tributor, Free Popcorn By Loﬂin Funeral Home Of Liberty,Free Coffee & Water By Liberty Tax of Liberty, Free PuppetShow By Bethel Baptist Church, Free Cookies By HickoryGrove UMC Youth, Free Balloons By Randolph Telephone,Free Music Lined Up By Celebrate Liberty Children, LightsFor Tree Provided By Liberty Chamber Commerce, SpecialThanks To Liberty Chiropractic For Use of Building, .....

Continued on page 2

Merry CHRISTmas From The Leader Leader Newspaper

Remember The True Meaning Of The Season Is Jesus

THE LIBERTY LEADER10

Fresh Pecans& PeanutsIn - Stock

Be Ready For TheColdWe Have SeveralKerosene Heaters

I LOST MY HEART TO LIBERTY

My heart was rather rareLooked just like a Teddy Bear.Was loving, kind and fun to hold,And it wasn't even very old.Said it was mine and had come to stay.Then all of a sudden just went away!Please if you see my heart,Would you send it home right away!If at ﬁrst, you are not sure, that it'smy heart you see. Just ask it, if it remembersTHE LAMPPOST AND ME!!!!

MY HEART

The night that you saw my eyesThrough the lamppost light.You stole my heartWith much delightIt went with you that cold January night.So lonely and cold asThat engine roared to life.It rode with you in frightAs that PETER BUILTDrove out of sight!Now, I've tried with all my mightto forget about that night.I've tried and tried,To get on with my life.While you are out thereWith your new life.So much pain withNothing to gain.As I sit here once againAnd try to pretend.That my heart maySomeday mend!

Dear Liberty Leader,Here is what I would like printed:

Hi MerryChristmas & Happy New Year to all, there isonly one person in your pretty little town whothese poems would possibly mean anything to.

So I am hoping beyond hope that he sees thisand remembers!

To the one who ten years agomade my holiday season the most magical everand then drove out of my town never to return.

May you know that you were loved then and you are loved still, if you don't know who youare by now below are a couple of poems thatmay help to jog your memory.

If you happen toremember and would like to contact me please feel free to do so atblancotam@yahoo.com.Once again thank you for being kind enough tolet me do this, please wish me luck!!!!!

Below Are The Poems

Back by Popular Demand

St. Stephen A.M.E. Church presents…

“The Cotton Club”

Come saved and leave saved!

Honoring Black History and the legacy of Black Music

A Cultural and Liberal Arts presentation celebratingTrailblazers in the genres of gospel, blues, jazz and soul.You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll reminisce and you’ll enjoy!

If you or any member of your church would like to participate

this year, pleasecall and leave a message at 622-3722. or 622-2585.

This event will take place inFebruary so practices will begin this month!

Tickets will go on sale December 15, 2010.

Get yours early!

Contact: Tonya Shoffner at 622-2585 or tonyashoffner@yahoo.com for info

Send Us Your Stories And EventsCall 336-404-9791

Email libertynewspaper@aol.com

THE LIBERTY LEADER

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At The Well

At the center of the Village is a deepwell of life-giving water where thetownspeople meet. As they draw watertheir voices blend in the culture, societyand wisdom that they share. Eachmonth meet here at the well to hearthose voices. Unexpected gifts are theones we like the best. Sometimes truthis stranger than fiction. This is one of those times. I am riding with my sisterand her family to celebrate Christmas Eve at Granna and Pop’s. Wewill meet the rest of our family there for an evening meal. It is verycold, with a glaze of ice forming on the trees already, but the road isclear. Our drive will take us almost an hour north and west. Theweather is supposed to improve, and we sincerely hope this is thecase. When I join them in their car, I feel tension. Some conversationtips me off that the 14-year-old Hannah, had to do her make-up threetimes, causing us to run late. She was an only child until Rena was born 3 months ago. It has been a rocky road since then. Rena wasplanned so that Hannah would have a sister to share life with, nowand forever. Hannah has little to do with Rena and sees her as ‘theproblem’ that rocks the boat of their whole life. “What else can gowrong?” the father and driver, Randy, asks no one in particular. “Thefuel light is on, which means we have a half gallon of gas in the tank.I planned to fill up on the way and was distracted when we ran late.I think we can make it. No need to turn back now, we will stop onthe way home”. Crisis averted for now, I speak of today’s plan tocook the meal together after we gather. Instead of giving gifts, wewill create memories. “I think it’s stupid”, quips the teenager, “Iwon’t get any gifts at all”. She pouts and stares out of the window atthe trees holding even more ice as we travel north. “I hate the old,drafty house at Granna and Pop’s, with those old fashioned long,square sofas” she continues, in her mood. “Are we sliding?” two of us ask at the same time. “Yes, it’s black ice,” confirms Randy, adding“But we’re almost there now”. Minutes later we arrive. We hurryinto the house with our raw foods on this raw day. Only Granna andPop are there, waiting for us. No others have arrived. “Some of theothers have called and say to start cooking the meal and they’d comea little later if the weather gets better” reported Pop. “Glad youmade it here safely, the weather’s getting really rough now”.Granna had put small hens in the oven to bake and they were abouthalf done. This would give us perhaps an hour to cook the rest of themeal. It was just turning dark outside, earlier now on these shortdays. Suddenly, the whole house goes dark. “Did we trip a breaker?” Mom calls to Dad through the semi-darkness, while therest of us are shocked into silence. He goes feeling for the flashlight.We hear a click, click and dark remains. “The batteries must bedead” he mumbles. “Where are more batteries?” asks a voice in thedark. “I meant to buy some”, which tells us there aren’t any. “Do westill have the lamp from Great Grandma?” “Maybe in the garage”.We hear folks speaking and can only see outlines of them now. Thelamp is found, but the globe is smoky and dusty. The oil is thick with yellow clumps in it. The wick crank is rusty and stuck solid.The wick is lit and burns away where it is out of the oil finally hittinga steady flame. Granna picks up the phone to call the neighbor.“The phone isn’t working either,” she laments. “Is it a wirelessphone?” I ask. “Yes, why” she answers. “Because only phones withcords work when the power is out”, I say. “We threw that old phoneout, I thought it was outdated”. “I can use my cell” Hannah joins in.“There are no towers near here. Remember, that’s why wedon’t have cell phones” says Pop. This is beginning to feel,not like Christmas Eve, but like some bad dream. We soonfind that the power outage is wide spread when we go outsideand look toward the neighbor a quarter mile away. We alsonote the heaviness of the ice on the trees and that the roads areimpassable now. It would be extremely unsafe to travel. Itlooks as if we are on our own. With the original windows inthe old farmhouse, it truly is cold and drafty and has begun tosend us to find our coats. Hannah has worn a top with spa-ghetti straps. “Get your coat, why would you dress likesummertime?” her mother asks a double question when sherealizes what Hannah has worn. “Everybody wears this, it’scool” Hannah answers “and I did not bring a coat since I wasgoing to the warm car and riding to a warm house. I didn’tplan to be cold. Let’s go run the car engine and turn the heaton high.” “Great idea from the make up queen, remember wehave no gas in the car?” “We will find a blanket” I say, toavert more tension between them. Granna finds all the ‘non-cotton’ clothes that she can find. Fleece, wool and polyesterclothing is warmer than cotton. We soon look like the Salva-tion Army sitting around the table wearing our ‘new’ clothesand blankets. We eat only the vegetable tray and fruit salad because they are the things that did not need cooking. Grannaadds some cheese and crackers that she finds and prepares in thedark. She put the half-baked hens outside on the screened porch tofreeze. There is no water, because the well pump is electric, so it’sgood we brought tea. “Hope the power comes back on soon”, some-one says in the lamplight. “It’s really not so bad” says Hannah, look-ing as if she is playing military dress up with wool. “I think it is kindof fun”. This is the most positive thing to come out of her mouth in along time. Rena begins to cry, not enjoying her bottle since it is cold.Hannah reaches for Rena and cradles her close inside the big army jacket to keep them both warm. The adults would have rolled eyesat each other if they could see each other’s eyes. This was a first.With ‘dinner’ done, Pop did what had been done once when he wasa boy. He dragged the mattress into the big mostly empty livingroom, flipped those long, old, square sofas onto their faces, made thewhole thing comfortable with the big couch cushions and coveredthe whole thing with one of those plastic table covers to keep the body heat inside the structure. We all watched and helped when heinstructed us as to what he needed help with. “Come get in” hefinally spoke, after his masterpiece was finished. “ It will be verywarm and comfortable”. We all had room inside, thanks to those bigsofas, and settled in to keep warm. It was one of those times when it just feels so good that nobody talks. It didn’t matter whether youreyes were open or closed. It looked the same. In the silence, Rena began to whimper, and then the most astounding thing happened.In the dark and cold of this Christmas Eve, a voice began to sing.Hannah, in the most-lovely high soprano voice, began to sing ‘Awayin a Manger’ to her baby sister. It was so crystal and unworldly,there in the dark, that it sounded angelic. We were transported toanother cold, dark Christmas night in an unlikely stable where an-other teen mother, awkwardly held her baby boy and sang to soothehim. Rena fell asleep in Hannah’s arms. Granna was sniffling, and Ihad tears freely flowing. This unlikely girl, receiving the gift that thiswhole evening had brought, and sharing it with us. We had notheard her voice, except for complaint, in a very long time. This is hergift to us this Christmas. It is unforgettable. Early the next morning,Hannah sees light through a crack in their ‘igloo’. “It is the ChristmasStar” she exclaims, jolting us all awake. The sky has completelycleared. Could this be the Christmas Star? They crawl out into thecold, then go out onto the porch. Truly, there is a bright object in thesky. Realizing it is Christmas Day, whether a star or planet it be-comes THEIR Christmas star. In the pasture are Granna and Pop’shorse and two goats. They stand eating hay from the feeder. Theyalso are proclaimed to be special Christmas gifts, looking like thestable, animals and manger of the Christ Child. It is a winter won-derland of ice and has never been more beautiful. We all agree thatthis is the best Christmas EVER! It is the Christmas story that we willtell again and again. Just then, the power is restored and Grannawants help to make a much needed, hot breakfast. The house beginsto heat from the cooking and the baseboards. At the breakfast table,conversation turns to what impacted each of us most. Hannah saysshe ‘got’ everything she wanted, and realized that she didn’t evenneed fancy clothes, make up or a cell phone to be truly happy. Theadults agree that every home needs, candles, matches, flashlights(working) with extra batteries, water (for when the pump doesn’twork), a phone with a cord, MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat),a workingand clean oil lamp, Kerosene heater (perhaps with a cook top), plentyof fleece and wool clothes and blankets AND some big, old, squaresofas to make a warm igloo. Remember a vehicle empty of gas is likehaving no vehicle. “Wouldn’t hurt to keep a coat inside the car aswell” adds Hannah! Merry Christmas, everybody! Hope you haveelectricity at Christmas and hope you can do without it just fine if you don’t.

Teague’s Farm & Market

8912 Pleasant Hill Ch Rd, Snow Camp, NCPhone (336) 376-6660

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New Fall Shipment Of Muck BootsCompost &Top SoilFor YourGarden

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(Why not give a gift of a dessert this Christmas)

Let us take the hassle out of Holidays.Appetizers to Meals

Give Us A Call

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