Seven Springs trims Christmas tree
By Steve Herring
Published in News on November 27, 2016 12:09 AM
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Brylie Crook, 3, looks for a spot to add an ornament during the Seven Springs Trim-the-Tree program. She is the daughter of Dustin and Brittany Crook of Wilson.
SEVEN SPRINGS -- Brylie Crook was placing ornaments on the Seven Springs Community Christmas Tree as fast she could. Several times the 3-year-old even hustled up a 10-foot ladder, with some help from Steve Smith, to hang ornaments near the top of the tree.
The Saturday night trim-the-tree celebration was just the spirit uplifting that this riverside village needed in the wake of Hurricane Matthew that all but washed away Wayne County's oldest town.
Held at Seven Springs Baptist Church fellowship hall instead of the still devastated downtown area, the event attracted a crowd of more than 50 people.
"Considering the situation, I think we had a pretty good turnout," said organizer and town board member Ronda Hughes. "Everybody is displaced right now, but I think that we had a really turnout. People's spirits seemed to be good tonight. I am very appreciative of everybody who came out for their support."
The ceremony held an extra special meaning this year, she said.
"To have the unity of getting together again and seeing each other just to let you know there is still hope," Mrs. Hughes said.
It is still early on to make any predictions about the town's fate, she said.
"I want to thank all of you for coming tonight," she said. "I wasn't sure if anybody would show up because everybody has been displaced. I really didn't know what to expect.
Mrs. Hughes choked back tears as she explained why she had started the event four years ago.
"I wanted something to pull the community together after (Hurricane) Floyd in 1999," she said. "Matthew has proven to be a little bit tougher than Floyd was. We don't know what is in the future for our town.
"We've still got a lot of heart there ... a lot of us who want to be there, and if the good Lord is willing we are going to keep our feet planted on firm ground. It takes a little bit more than water to wash us out."
Mrs. Hughes placed the first ornament on the tree after writing 2016 on it. As she was talking, the ornament fell from her hands bounced on the stage before falling off and bouncing on the floor.
But it did not shatter.
"You saw how that ball did," she said. "It just kept on bouncing and didn't break. So that is what we are going to do, we are going to keep on bouncing. We are not going to break."