Events and Sunshine Stories

A timely enchanted box lands in the Town of Cameron with David R. Stoke’s story

See an image of David Richard Stokes of Cameron.

A box of old letters on thick, velvety paper, crumbling official documents, bright advertisements with , opened and unopened mail belonging to David R. Stokes found its way into the possession of Aberdeen Mayor Robert Farrell. He presented to Cameron at the June 24, 2025, regular meeting.

According to Find A Grave, David Richard Stokes lived in Cameron at the same time period as the David R. Stokes addressed on the stamped envelopes and in letters, court records, billing statements, and Maple Stokes’ name, the wife listed on Find A Grave, was in the same box of documents.

Perhaps Stokes trimmed off the stamps to reuse after he used a dab of lye soap to remove the postage ink.

In Central North Carolina Collection, Volume 1, by James Vann Comer, on page 20, a Crane’s Creek teacher says Dave Stokes was a mathematical genius. The other pupils’ birthdates coincide with his within ten years. It is assumable that this Dave Stokes was the same or a close relative.

The following images reflect life in Cameron when trading was a way of life, and by the looks of the shirt on the David Richard Stokes image from Find A Grave, as seen in the link at the top of the page, if this is the same person, he appeared as a gentleman. He is not wearing overalls, a commonality for rural living. He is in a vest and button-down shirt.

A thick paper, like cloth, holds a handwritten letter. No, it is a bill of sale. Pay attention to the peculiar signature at the bottom, an “X.”

Focus on each word from the beginning only to learn Peyton Stoke bought a human being, “Tom,” to keep forever for the sum of $400 in 1848.

America abolished slavery in 1865.

The slave bill of sale shows the good old days were not as golden as many want to believe.

The discovery of this fact leads to a conclusion that perhaps Cameron should ease up on vintage idealism and abolish regulations preserving every single detail, for the sake of “Tom.”

June 26, 2025

Stephanie M. Sellers

Lee–All roads lead to Coal Miner’s Diner

Lee County native Tommy Smith renovated a longtime vacant building on Cumnock Road in Lee County and finished in Jan. 2025. He sat down at the dining table and shared some fascinating stories after lunch in his homestyle restaurant, Coal Miner’s Diner.

The restaurant’s name is a derivative of the Egypt Coal Mine, about a mile down the road.

Esther Smith, Tommy’s mother, and niece Morgan Barnes and other family members tended to customers while he talked for about twenty minutes and ultimately revealed he’d renovated more than a building.

Tommy Smith provided a detailed overview of regional information. He said the church two buildings over has a plaque stating it is “the center of the world.” The Egypt Coal Mine gave workers filling its giant coal hoppers certificates to spend on consumables, but they were only good at the company’s store. When there was a train derailment, the company store was made into a makeshift hospital. People from as far away as Sanford, Maine, and even Turkey have dined at his family restaurant. (A white plate with a cheeseburger thick enough to choke a hopper boy lofted off Morgan Barne’s hands onto a nearby table. The Tuesday shrimp platter was great, and the cranberry salad was perfect, but next time, it is the cheeseburger.) The tractor club meets at his restaurant on the third Tuesday of the month, and he allows private parties when they are not open regular hours, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

Check his hours before you go because Facebook indicates the restaurant began with seven days a week, changed it to five days, and changed it again, and Smith retired at 42 and sometimes takes a nap. But there is a good reason for the fewer hours.

Tommy Smith said covid sent him into intensive care for 71 days and when he regained his health said he saw life through a different lens and sold his refuse business and retired. With a passion for vintage vehicle restoration, his former refuse truck garage became his “toy” car garage where he has a vast collection and a hired mechanic. Still, staying home was not his plan. He bought his father his classic dream car and opened the restaurant.

Esther Smith announced to her son the news she had just learned the night before. Her grandfather, Roman Hart, lead mules down the mineshaft in the Egypt Coal Mine and suffered a stroke that kept him in a wheelchair for his last 13 years, and the 1895 explosion from the buildup of gasses took Hart’s brother’s life.

Tommy Smith continued his vintage vehicle restoration slide show on his cell phone and chatted up his collection until the kitchen staff let him know his talents were needed. It is clear that hard work, good folks, and preparing fine homemade meals won his heart in the heart of Cumnock.

June 24, 2025

Stephanie M. Sellers

Moore County

Born terminal

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
Death will come to all of us
Bottled ashes or six feet underground
Our thoughts will be empty; we utter no sound
Here today, maybe gone tomorrow
Friends feel the loss, saddened by sorrow
When your eyes open shortly after birth
You have no idea of your time on earth
From the first breath, we begin our aging path
Enjoying our lives as time moves fast
It’s hard to believe we turn to dust
The death you see is a terminal must
Do you think of death in a profound way
No one knows night or day
Some leave early, and others late
The man above picks the date
Or ever imagine a time without you
The Grim Reaper comes regardless of who
Childhood friends are a growing list
I am saddened by the names already missed
Death is a disregarded thought in time
Buried deep inside one’s mind
Life is short and quick to pass
Our time clock moves way too fast
Smile, love life, and enjoy each day
Forgive and forget, hold anger at bay
Treat your friends with love and kindness
Time with them is far from timeless
Always keep this thought in mind
You’ll never outlast the word called TIME.

William Larry Pickard 2020
Wilapics Art

June 24, 2025

Moore County- Larry Pickard

Larry Pickard Paintings and Photography on Facebook

Lee County- Music fine-tunes Robert Thomas’ ministry

Music has been a lifelong love for Robert Thomas of Broadway. As a child, he took piano
lessons in the first and second grades. However, that did not ignite his passion.
Later his father taught him to play the guitar. From there, Thomas taught himself more licks.
This became a lifelong love. He was a member of his high school glee club for four years.
He has recently begun performing as Robert C. Thomas Acoustic Music; he performs Gospel,
country Gospel, classic country, and blues.
While music remained a constant in Thomas’ life, later in life, he found a new love: preaching
the Gospel of Jesus.
Thomas felt a calling to preach. He enrolled at Carolina Bible College in Fayetteville (now called
the Carolina College of Biblical Studies). He eventually graduated and was ordained.
Sixteen years ago, he became the pastor for First Congregational Christian Church, which is non denominational.
In between high school and Bible College, Thomas worked with the sheriff’s department, drove
a farm produce truck, and was an equipment operator with the NC Forestry Service.
Throughout the years, he and his wife of nearly 50 years, Susan, were members of the Living
Waters Quartet. They would perform Gospel music all over North Carolina.
Thomas and Susan have two children, Shannon and David.
Music is a tradition in the Thomas family. Shannon married John Godfrey, a former member of
Workin’ on Commission, a local contemporary Christian group. Shannon, John and their
daughters, Savannah and Lauren, perform at local churches as a quartet.

Robert C. Thomas Acoustic Music – 2-

The music tradition continues with David’s daughter, Sophie Jo, who joins her grandfather when
he performs with Front Porch Ministry, a group of musicians that perform old Gospel and
country Gospel songs.
Thomas and his family view music as a ministry. Those who have heard the family perform tend
to agree.

June 24, 2025

Lee County- Roxanne Ray

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_{Andrew Nicholson prepares for a challenging bike ride June 22, 2025, at San Lee Park in Sanford, NC.}

Fort Bragg soldier takes on challenging degrees at San Lee Park in Sanford

Lee County—Sunday at 2:35, it was 91 degrees in the parking lot and sweat dotted the young man’s knuckles as he aligned the wheel assembly to the frame of his mountain bike.

Fort Bragg communications specialist Andrew Nicholson traveled an hour to challenge himself on “Gravity Park and hit a bunch of runs.” He said the ride lasted a couple of hours and the waterfall sounded tempting.

Nicholson is from upstate New York where the summers are hot and humid, so the challenging weather was not something new. The mountain bike’s tough terrain tires offered the needed traction, and San Lee’s Gravity Park offered the challenging degrees. Sanford’s San Lee Park has 12 miles of mountain bike trails.

Three other vehicles with bikes and young men prepared for Gravity Park as Nicholson hydrated for the hot afternoon ride.

June 22, 2025

Stephanie M. Sellers

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Area pollinator gardens buzz with tourists

The air is ripe with fragrant blooms, so if you want to enjoy the bliss of pollinator gardens without getting your hands dirty, take a stroll down these blooming lanes.

Lee County—Self-guided tours of Pollinator Haven are available during regular hours at the Lee County Agri Extension Office at 2420 Tramway Road in Sanford. Free tours and pollinator-related programming for groups are available by calling the (919 )775-5624.

Lee County—San Lee Park began a pollinator garden in 2022 at the site of the original nature center.

Moore County—Pinehurst Greenway Pollinator Garden is at 170 Memorial Drive in Pinehurst.

Harnett County—If you know of a public pollinator garden in Harnett County, please share it with us. SandhillsNewsEditor@gmail.com

Roll up your sleeves and dig into the soil. Pollinator gardens are an enriching experience for us and the bugs. Grow a pollinator garden.

Another option is to stroll through Big Bloomers Flower Farm at 275 Pressly Foushee Road in Sanford. That’s where I captured the bee on the yellow verbena.

June 22, 2025

Stephanie M. Sellers