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Field Notes: Editing is the hardest part
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. The apex of my college years occurred on an October Sunday afternoon in 1982. Just after 2 p.m., I typed the last word of a paper on Egyptian boat-building...
Field Notes: A romantic stance on farm stands
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. You are driving home. It's not a long trip, not so long as to be tedious, anyway. You're coming from a joyful event, a wedding maybe or a birthday party for a...
Field Notes: That’s not much of an organ, Magnus
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. Mine was not a musical family. None of my siblings played an instrument, my mother didn't even like listening to music, and none of us could carry a tune in a...
Field Notes: And now, the rest of the story
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. As a writer, I tend to be a tinkerer. I want to rewrite and rewrite forever and ever. That's why I like writing this column every week for the Speckled Paw....
Field Notes: It’s still moving
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. The Easter pictures from Ohio in my family's Facebook posts were of the winter wonderland variety; my hometown got three inches of snow over the weekend. April...
Field Notes: Building an outdoor economy
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. Economic developers have a long-running joke that if a community has absolutely nothing going for it – no infrastructure, no businesses, no skilled workers –...
Mary Lucas not resigning; mayor says matter ‘resolved’
By Kyle Poplin Town Board member Mary Lucas said today that she has “no intention to resign,” adding, “I serve at the board’s pleasure, and my conscience is clear.” Downtown businessman Chuck Routh asked Lucas to resign in March, adding that if she didn't step down...
Field Notes: I yam what I yam
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. It is common to see semi-trailers emblazoned with "Atlantic Packaging" chugging down U.S. 74 through Wadesboro. But I was under a misconception about...
Field Notes: Perhaps the biggest economic development win in the history of N.C.
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. It is surprising to some that a weekly column written by an economic developer rarely ever directly addresses economic development. The fact is, much of what I...
Field Notes: War on ice
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. On Feb. 15, 1978, Leon Spinks shocked the sports world, beating defending heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali in a nationally televised fight. Although...
YOU be the change!
The author, David Smith, is Mt. Gilead’s town manager. Times are changing and there will be new people coming to Mt. Gilead to visit, play, work and live … if we let them. There’s a new trend called “Zoom towns.” The folks behind the organization Save Our Towns said...
Field Notes: Always proofread your work
The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. On Sunday, the Yale Bulldogs defeated the Princeton Tigers to win the Ivy League basketball tournament and secure their berth in the "Big Dance." The team...