Thanks for supporting Neely School
The purpose of this letter is to recognize and thank those who have helped with the Neely School Preservation Project.  
In the early 1900s, my grandparents, Julius Erastus (a minister and the son of a slave) and his wife Katie McKenzie Neely were concerned that their African American children did not have an opportunity to become educated. Julius made an agreement with the Rowan County Superintendent to obtain a teacher, if Julius would provide a school. Family and friends helped establish the erect school, which educated over 700 children in grades 1–7 before closing in 1948. In 2010, the Neely grandchildren established a foundation to restore the school. We salute the philanthropy of the following organizations, which are helping us remember and preserve this important North Carolina history: Blanche and Julian Robertson Foundation, Preservation North Carolina, The Marian Stedman Covington Foundation, Wells Fargo Bank, Food Lion, The Country School Association of America and The Covington Foundation.
These funds will be used to continue with the restoring of the Neely School, including placing it on the foundation. The school has been moved to a location immediately in front of its future permanent home on the Neely Home Site. It will continue to be a physical reminder of educational advancement and achievement attained by African Americans in rural North Carolina and the struggle for the right to a quality education in the segregated South in the early 20th century — a story that needs to be remembered.
— Mary Neely Grissom
Winston-Salem

Grissom is president and executive director of the Historic Neely School Foundation

The next president of the United States
The United States will be electing a new president in two short years. It’s time to start thinking about who we will support.
I believe I found the perfect man for the job. He’d have to run as an independent, but I believe he could draw enough bipartisan support to pull it off. He’s a big-time supporter of faith and has spent years preaching the word of God. We just need to accept right now that religion is a must-have if you’re going to win an election in the United States.
The left is going to love this guy. He’s all for free health care; he believes the poorest and sickest people deserve to be cured free of charge. He feels the rich should give up their riches to the poorest members of society.
It sounds like this candidate is a bleeding-heart liberal, but the Republicans are going to love this guy, too.
First, more reasons the liberals will like this guy: He realizes the poor are often victims of their own conditions, because he’s willing to support them with health care, food and finances, rather than just telling them it’s their fault they don’t have a good job.
He believes you should forgive those who trespass against you rather than to deport them or blow them up. We’ll have to change the Constitution to allow him to run for president; he wasn’t born in America. I’m willing to wager the Republicans will pay all costs for him to become a citizen and support his campaign, despite his liberal stances.
Why? Because though both parties are religious, those advocating for the treatment of America as a Christian theocracy are mostly Republican, and the candidate I just described is Jesus Christ himself.
Come on, GOP, you’d vote for that candidate.
Wouldn’t you?
— Jerry Cook
Salisbury

Salisbury Salon & Spa appreciates teachers
I am the very grateful recipient of a “Spa Day” that was one of the generous prizes donated by local businesses at our county’s Back to School Pep Rally. When I called to schedule an appointment, I was told to plan to be there all day and that they would provide lunch for me. Can you believe that? A $400 prize and lunch as well.
From the time I arrived, I was treated like a queen. Leslie Tran, her husband, Craig, and their entire staff really pampered me and made me feel welcomed, valued and appreciated. I received a massage, facial, manicure, pedicure and highlights. Please stop by and see them, get a gift certificate for someone who needs pampering, and remember to thank them for supporting teachers.
— Wendy Fontenot
China Grove

Questions about the fair
This year I received a flyer in the mail about the Rowan County Fair, which leaves me with some questions. I attended Friday night when they opened. They were charging $1 for parking, but the flyer I received says free parking. It also states that there would be a demolition derby on Sunday, Sept. 21. But the fair’s website has no mention about a derby.
Why would one receive a flyer in the mail that states parking is free when it is indeed not? I would like to see an article in the paper with some answers. After finding this confusing info and attending the fair, I do not think it is worth going to again. There aren’t as many rides and barely anything for small kids under 4.
— Kristina Wilkerson
Rockwell