Rowan County is a place where you can be as connected as you desire to be.

The Rowan County Chamber of Commerce and the Rowan County Economic Development Commission partnered with local companies to offer a summer job fair Saturday, June 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at West End Plaza Events Center, 1935 Jake Alexander Blvd. W. in Salisbury. Free transportation is provided by Salisbury Transit, and folks looking for jobs can participate in a scavenger hunt with a $200 gift card prize.

There may be “money on the ground” coming toward Rowan County in The American Jobs Plan, now before Congress, and it is good news for all of us who travel on roads and bridges that the North Carolina Department of Transportation has declared structurally deficient.

We would not be where we are today — in this opportune place to live, work and play — without the generosity of others that came before us and it continues today. It is important that we “pay it forward” and never let go of that spirit, taught to us by the hard-working, community-minded people who made the right choices.

The summer plans are to operate as “normal” as possible by serving meals to children enlisted in programs at various sites around Rowan County and by serving meals in our heavily populated rural areas via our mobile meal “Yum Yum Buses”.

Parents and teachers have been forced more than ever to work together to meet the needs of their children. As Washington State Superintendent Judith Billings said, “Children are the priority. Change is the reality. Collaboration is the strategy.”

For four consecutive summers and in collaboration with Rowan- Salisbury School System, Bread Riot has been on a mission to feed low- income families in Rowan County through Summer Feed. Summer Feed is a program that runs from early June to late July at a variety of Rowan County schools and communities. Food is collected from local and sustainably- run farms and brought to handout locations by volunteers and Bread Riot members. A table is setup with a variety of fruits and vegetables where community members can walk up, drive up, and socialize with volunteers. The volunteers are also there to answer questions, provide delicious recipes, distribute donated books, and inform attendees of the agricultural processes behind the scenes.

Mark your calendars! Rowan County’s third annual Rowan Arts & Ag tour is scheduled for June 5, 2021 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. This self- guided tour provides the opportunity to enjoy local art, local farms, and local people.

Lifestyle Medicine uses evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic intervention—including a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances (drugs. Tobacco, alcohol), and positive social connection—as a primary treatment, delivered by physicians trained and certified in this specialty, to prevent, treat, and often reverse chronic disease, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020 there much attention has been given to healthcare workers to include parades, recognitions, and naming them heroes. This attention is well deserved and long overdue!

As we head into the second summer of COVID 19 we are hopeful of being able to safely enjoy “eating out” and the many wonderful restaurants Rowan County has to offer. We are thankful that many of our restaurants have survived the pandemic and we look forward to eating locally and helping them thrive once again.

Its July, and there is lots to do and see – get ready to get out on the lake and enjoy our gem. Even if you don’t live on the lake, you can still visit and take advantage of its opportunities.

The Seventh Annual Rowan Chamber Dragon Boat Festival will be held on Saturday, July 24th and it just may become the social event of the summer. We all have been cooped up for more than a year, and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Festivities begin at 9 a.m.at the Shrine Club on High Rock Lake, 6480 Long Ferry Road, Salisbury, N.C.

I know we are all ready to get out on the lake, but are we? We have been on High Rock Lak a thousand times but really what should we do BEFORE we get out there and let the breeze flow through our hair?

The Rowan County Chamber of Commerce and the Rowan County Economic Development Commission partnered with local companies to offer a summer job fair Saturday, June 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at West End Plaza Events Center, 1935 Jake Alexander Blvd. W. in Salisbury. Free transportation is provided by Salisbury Transit, and folks looking for jobs can participate in a scavenger hunt with a $200 gift card prize.

There may be “money on the ground” coming toward Rowan County in The American Jobs Plan, now before Congress, and it is good news for all of us who travel on roads and bridges that the North Carolina Department of Transportation has declared structurally deficient.

There’s a change in the wind, and it involves the word “music.” It’s a good change, or rather a good addition. More and more, our cities and towns are beginning to provide musical entertainment for their citizens, much of it in the form of live music. It’s everywhere, especially this time of year.