Liberty Building Supply ClosesSadly, a staple that has been in the community for decades closes its doors. Letters went out in the mail to all the faithful customers of years past, letting them know first. As Susan Teague, owner, stated in the letter, “We want you to be the first to know, after over thirty years of business, we have decided to liquidate. We will  start a STORE CLOSING SALE at once to sell out our entire inventory of hardware, housewares, paint and painting supplies, hand tools, power tools, lumber, plumbing, electric, lawn & garden supplies and much, much more. Every price will be cut for this gigantic storewide event. Even the store fixtures and equipment are for sale. This will be the largest sale in the history of the store . . . and the LAST!” I talked to Suzie (as all her customers know her) about this. With tears in her eyes, she stated, “It just had to come to this, I was having to put money into the company for over a year. With all the large supply houses like Lowes and Home Depot, it makes it hard to compete.” If you have ever visited this location, you will know that there were always a few 'mascots' there. Her boxers, Max and Mollie, are always there to greet the customers. Not only does Suzie have a love and friendship for her customers, but her four-legged friends as well  . This was a morning meeting place for all trades, from local painters to building contractors. Yes, they may be in competition with each other, but they also are friends. Tina Sams, an employee who has worked there since graduation in 1985, stated, "This is going to be hard on all of us. You see, the customers are not just friends, but family. They have helped me over the years to learn this business, always with the personal connection both ways. People like Dwayne Staley and Max Henry to mention a few." This is something you do not see at the large building supply places. Suzie and her late husband Larry Teague took over ownership of Liberty Hardware along with their current business, State Electric, which by the way, will continue its daily operation, as it has since 1968. Prior to the Teague's, the business was owned by a group of ten stockholders and before that by Tom Blake. The employees of Liberty Building Supply are more than workers, they give that extra personal touch. For example, it is nothing to have one of the construction workers stop in and have a splinter removed. On one occasion, a worker cut his hand and needed to be taken to doctor. Guess what, that is exactly what happened. They left their post at the counter, got in the car and drove him there. Suzie stated, “I even remember having one of our good customers calling and saying he was broken down. Well, the next thing I knew, down the road we went to provide a rescue.” Wow, bet you would not get that service at Lowes or Home Depot. I asked Suzie what was one of her most memorable experiences while being in business. Without hesitation she stated, “Hurricane Fran, you see, there was no power and damage was everywhere. We opened the door and people flocked in for supplies. We had to take their names and use the honor system. Guess what, they all returned later and everyone paid their account. That is what a true small town business is about, looking out for each other. “ Suzie asked Tina if she had any memories. With a chuckle she said, “You know it has to be story of the customer who needed a piece of glass cut. You see, he came in asked for a piece of glass to be cut, we provided it and then he said, 'Oh, I am on a motorcycle.' He then asked if we could tape it to his back so he could get it home. We did and off he went.” Another missed item will the local sign in front of the store. For years, Suzie and Tina have posted sayings on the sign for passersby. Our family has always looked forward to seeing the changing words of encouragement. I would also like to pass on other examples of love shown by the Teague family. They are always ready to step up and help support local community events and nonprofit groups, but let me share some of the stories about their love of dogs. Several years back, the late Larry was given a boxer (Ellie) for a Father's Day gift. She was a true new member of the family, but as Ellie got older, she developed spinal problems and Larry stepped up to the plate. He constructed Ellie a set of wheels so she could continue to move around. After losing Ellie, Suzie started looking for another dog and that is when she starting working with the Boxer Rescue. That is where Max and Mollie came from. There was also Mandy, but after Larry's sister lost her husband, Mandy was given to her for companionship. You see there is just something special about local mom-and-pop stores. The bottom line is that mom-and-pop stores are a dying breed--most of these folks care passionately about their business and will give you the best in service and advice. It's great that we have food chains and big-box stores, but I am always impressed by the mom-and-pop establishments in our area and hope they stay in business. I am writing this note to encourage people to help the "little guy" who runs his own business stay open by shopping in these mom-and-pop establishments. If you know of any good small businesses please, share that info with the Liberty Leader Newspaper, so we can give that business the positive strokes it deserves. Do business with the mom-and-pop dealers--they add the element of humanity which the behemoths sorely lack, and in most emergencies, these guys are there when you need them. Day to day, their support services are invaluable, something you're not going to get from chains like you-know-who. | Liberty’s Farmer Market A Sure Hit
If you have not stopped in for a peak of the Liberty’s very own farmers market, you have missed a great opportunity. Saturday is the big day, where local farmers and crafters bring their wares for sale. You can also find others there each day of the week in addition. Why not support the local business. This year they need your support more than ever. With the weeks of little to no rain and high temperatures has caused many farmers to loose most of their crops this year. Also the late frost and cold hurt many of the tree and vine crops. You have the regulars and each week I have found a new face that has popped in. Last week I had the opportunity to meet one of local watermelon growers for over 50 years. He even had a special item for people to view, a 136 pound water melon. Yes this was not a typing error , 136 pounds. Raeford Coble who lives in Climax, on old 421 S just past South East Community Center. You may have seen his fields full of watermelons in the years past. I know I have. Mr Coble has had up to 500 hills of watermelons. When you multiply that by the number of watermelons that can be produced by one hill of watermelons, well, that is a lot of melons. Mr Coble has one first prize at the Greensboro Fair several years. He is noted for having the sweetest watermelons in the area. Mr Coble at a young age of 89 years has been growing melons for over 50 years. I asked him if we grew the 136 pound melon he had on display and the answer was now. Mr Coble stated, “ With the hot temparatures and dry weather it is hard to get large melons in this area. I actually purchased this melon last week at the Watermelon Festival at the Farmers Market in Raleigh. This was one of 8. The winning one was at 176 pounds. “ I asked Mr Coble, how do you even go about growing a melon this large. Mr Coble with over 50 years of growing stated quickly the secrets, “ You have to spend a lot of time with that vine. You have to keep all blooms and other watermelons off the vine. This lets all the nutrients go to the melon. You have to give it plenty of light and water. You also have to feed it when the right mixture of plant food and other secrets. I guess that is the jest of it.” He continued to add, “ The worlds record to my knowledge is 239 lbs. “ You see, not only do you get great products at the market, you can even get an education. See you there soon!!
 
Goat Lady Dairy Fall Open House
Oct 7 - Hours 1 to 5pm - Free
Come out for a family afternoon on the farm. Get up close and personal with goats, chickens and pigs! Tour the organic gardens, milking parlor and cheese-room. Taste handmade, award winning cheeses and buy some to take home. Make a pot on the porch and enjoy a special art exhibit of farm and animal paintings by the Piedmont Outdoor Painting Society. *No pets please *Hours: 1 - 5 pm* Admission FREE. For more information contact Steve Tate at the Goat Lady Dairy which is located at 3515 Jess Hacket Rd, Climax. You can reach them by phone 824-2163 or 1-800-626-2672. So what is this Goat Lady Dairy? This is just another of the many day trips you can have in your own back yard. A working family farm with over 200 years of rural traditions. They offer handmade farmstead cheeses to dinner at the Dairy. Their motto is , " Nuturing the land, our family and our guests through creative work and quality products." When the North Carolina Department of Agriculture granted the goat dairy a license in 1996, one of only a handful in the state, it was only natural for us to take the name "Goat Lady Dairy." Ginnie raised goats as a hobby for many years and was affectionately known by her friends and customers as "the Goat Lady." Their name also signifies to us that our goats are ladies with gentility, grace and individual character! Our herd consists of three breeds: the pure white Saanen, the long-eared Nubian and the multi-colored French Alpine dairy goats. They keep a herd of only 50-75 goats in order to maintain maximum herd health and keep our operation simple. They follow the natural dairy cycle, milking for ten months of the year, breeding in the fall and kidding in early spring. Mid-December to mid-February is our "Sabbath" time when goats and farmers rest, rejuvenate and prepare for the next cycle. Each spring they sell more than 100 purebred baby goats for family herds. Located in the lovely rolling hills of northeast Randolph county, the farm and its log buildings are more than 200 years old. The family began restoring 60 acres of the original homestead in 1983. Today their working farm is rich in the diversity of pastures, ponds, meadows, gardens, woodlands, wildlife and livestock. Using sustainable agriculture, they work with nature to enrich rather than deplete our environment. They intentionally limit the size of our farm operation in order to maintain the personal quality of our products and continue to enjoy what we do everyday. In addition to their handmade farmstead cheese, they offer monthly Dinner At The Dairy and Sunday Brunch. The large hospitality room in their new dairy barn is also available for family or group rental. Open House time is here on Oct 7th. Several times a year, they schedule a Sunday OPEN HOUSE from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. They invite you to bring the whole family to experience our farm for yourselves. There are animals to touch, eggs to gather, herbs to smell and gardens to tour. You can also stroll in the woods or meadows, relax by the pond or even picnic. These events are open to all. The family will be there to help you learn about our life on the farm and give you a taste of our farmstead cheese. Of course, you can also purchase some cheese to take home. At other times, they provide farm tours for school groups, garden clubs, seniors, bus tours and other groups. The $5.00 per person charge includes a cheese tasting and a 60-minute guided tour. Starting in 2006 they will offer tours on selected Thursday mornings only. Individuals and families are invited to join a previously scheduled tour. Please phone for the schedule. Because of the high volume of request for tours and the demands of a working farm, they regret they can not offer tours at other times. You can purchase cheese at the dairy but phone (336) 824-2163 to make your order before you come. Because they are a working farm, they are not open for unannounced visitors.
| New Addition At Liberty School
Not only are there new students and new teachers at Liberty Elem. School this year but there is also a new parking lot. Located in front of the remodeled Liberty Early Childhood Center is the new "Staff Only Parking Lot." I asked Principal Billy Tanner how this new addition came about. He stated, "Last spring the church added some programs which required their parking lot to be available. Our staff was not able to continue parking there. As you know we are landlocked and the only practical solution was to create more parking spaces by using the space in front of the Early Childhood Center. Staff will be able to park there, which in turn will open up street parking for the public. Any available spaces in the new parking lot are also available to the public (such as WIC days). The garden club has built a nice area for the placement of the childhood center sign and some landscaping is in the works." This is just one of the many great changes always taking place at Liberty School. Do not forget their upcoming Fall Festival on October 5.
Maria’s Restaurant New Ownership
Well if you have been one of several in the local area call the traditional phone number 622-2000 to order a pizza and get no answer, do not worry the story has been solved. Maria’s has been closed part of August to get ready for business under new ownership. With a new look inside and also a new menu the faithful location many of us have visited is back open for business and better than ever. They have made some improvements to their menu. Their new phone number is 622-4689. I asked the new owner why here and why the number change. Well he stated, “ The number we would have loved to have kept but the current number is registered to the previous owner and he is keeping for now. We hope down the road we may be able to get the number back. Why I choose to reopen Maria’s is the fact I love this area and its people. They are more than customers. With all the new changes inside I believe we will make the current customers happy. We will still offer delivery and catering. We will have specials throughout the week. We will be open seven days a week. Mon to Thur 10:30am to 11pm, Fri & Sat 10:30am to 11:30pm and Sun 11am to 11pm. We also have several changes in the process on the outside that people will be seeing in the weeks to come.” Well pictures do not do this justice. Make a point to stop in and visit the owners. You will be glad you did. 
Working Dairy Farm--A True Trip
Homeland Creamery is just down the road and another great day trip. Homeland Creamery is owned and operated by the Bowman’s. They are the sixth generation of farmers on the same homestead operating this dairy since the 1930’s. The herd has grown from a half dozen to over two hundred cows. They milk the cows with automatic milking machines. Their cows are never given hormones. The cows are healthy and the milk is natural in quality. They pasteurize their milk the old-fashioned way, using vats for a creamier, richer taste! They supply the local area with milk products of the highest quality, freshness, good taste and free from added hormones and antibiotics. You can purchase at the Creamery or at retail stores. Also at the Creamery you can take a tour of the farm. Children should have the opportunity to learn that our food (including milk) is produced on a farm and is not just a product of the local grocery store. Their goal is to make sure that your trip to the farm is a good learning experience. They are proud to share this opportunity to see your local dairy farm in action. Thank you for supporting your local farmer! So what will your tour include? On the Dairy Tour...Your actual tour (about 1-1/2 hours) will be divided into several stages, starting with a hay ride (20 minutes). You will see the beautiful view of the family farm and crops, the cows in the pasture, baby calves being bottle fed, get to hand milk their “simulated” cow, and get a firsthand look at the milk parlor (no live cows being milked at this time). The group will get a better understanding of how milk gets from the cow to the grocery store. Everyone will sample their delicious creamery-made ice cream. They will gladly work with the group to customize the tour to the appropriate age level. (Teachers, ask about the educational CD offered with the tours.) In the fall they offer a fun and challenging Corn Maze. Plan additional time and cost for this to be included in your tour if you choose to do both. See below for details. Tour days are Monday–Friday at 10:00 a.m. (March–mid November). Special requests please ask. The tours are education-based and lots of fun for all age levels. Just tell them your needs and expectations and they can alter to accommodate. So how much does this great program cost? $6 per person 2 years and up. (Corn maze tours are an additional cost per person. Corn Maze 9/1-11/1 additional $6.00 w/tour, $7.00 without.) Please call Vicky at 674-8598 to schedule required reservations.
Siler City Begins Pumping Water From Liberty
From the minutes of the Liberty Town Council Meeting held on August 27, Town Manager, Roger Davis stated that Siler City will begin putting pumps in place to allow them to pump water from Dodson Lake. They will not begin pumping until September 4, 2007. With the water restrictions added to the residents and business in Siler City due to the recent drought conditions we have all been feeling, they have set up plans to start receiving water from Lake Dodson located north of Liberty along 421. Numerous years back the city laid pipe along the media of 421 from Siler City to Liberty during a similar drought. Now the work is paying off. Siler City in Chatham County, extreme measures are beginning to take effect. Beginning Monday, mandatory water restrictions will be implemented for the town's water customers. The restrictions will prevent customers from washing cars, watering lawns and filling a swimming pool. Fines for violation the mandatory restrictions will include a $500 dollar fine
|