Reading Between the Wines fundraiser scheduled for Sept. 24
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on September 5, 2016 1:46 PM
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The Vinson home, location for this year's Reading Between the Wines fundraiser for Literacy Connections of Wayne County, will be open for touring the evening of the event.
The fifth annual Reading Between the Wines, a fundraiser for Literacy Connections of Wayne County, will take place Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
Each year the event is held at a local historical home. This year it will be at the home of Barbara Ann Vinson and her late husband, Jim, at 809 Park Ave.
The home was built by Col. T.L. Yelverton in 1910 and constructed entirely of heart pine lumber, which was cut on the Yelverton Plantation in Wayne County and hauled to the construction site by mule-drawn wagons. Since it was purchased by J.A. and Lula Baker Vinson in 1926, it has been home to four generations of the Vinson family.
Mrs. Vinson said many of the furnishings in the home are original pieces, passed down by the family.
A hitching post still stands in the yard on the Herman Park side of the home.
The major portion of the interior of the house consists of a large reception hall flanked by east and west parlors. A spacious dining room and a master bedroom and bath also adjoin the reception hall. Front and rear staircases lead to the second floor, which contains four bedrooms and two bathrooms.
During Reading Between the Wines, those attending will have the opportunity to tour the Vinson home.
The event itself will be held on the front lawn in a tent.
There will be wine supplied by HealtHabit and heavy hors d'oeuvres provided by local gourmet cooks.
Two musicians will provide background music -- Pat Preston on the piano and Scott McConnaughy on the saxophone.
"It really adds to the event," said Literacy Connections interim director Lee Hulse.
Each year, Reading Between the Wines features an author, who talks about one of his or her books and also about the craft of writing.
This year it will be Marjorie Hudson, who was born in a small town in Illinois, grew up in Washington, D.C., and now lives in Chatham County.
Her stories, essays and poems explore themes of loss, conflict and a yearning for community deeply threaded throughout American history and contemporary life.
Her creative nonfiction book "Searching for Virginia Dare" was a North Carolina Arts Council Notable Book, and was reviewed and recommended by Our State magazine, North Carolina Literary Review, North Carolina Library Journal and The Junior Tar Heel Historian.
The money that is raised from Reading Between the Wines will be used for Literacy Connections' work with adult learners, Mrs. Hulse said.
The first event raised $6,000. Last year, it raised about $9,000.
"The event has definitely grown," Mrs. Hulse said. "We want it to grow and raise as much money as possible, but we also want it to remain an intimate evening and not just have an author come and speak in an auditorium."
Mrs. Hulse said Literacy Connections serves 15 to 20 new students a month. The program targets adults 18 and older, who are Wayne County residents.
"Sometimes students come and do really intensive things for 30 or 90 days," she said. "Then there are students who are in the program for several months. It depends on what their needs and goals are."
Mrs. Hulse said for someone who can read, it's hard to imagine not being able to read.
"I take for granted that I can write a check if I need to or fill out paperwork or go to the doctor's office and usually understand the instructions they give back," she said. "It's those things we do every day that I can't imagine how challenging life would be without the ability to read."
Tickets to Reading Between the Wines are $60 per person, available at the Wayne County Public Library. For more information about the event, call Literacy Connections at 919-731-1633.