Transcript
Speaker: Hey, Smithfield Sidewalk Story listeners. Just a few top of the episode notes. In our first episode, when I am introducing the interview with Brent Rettke and I to Heidi, I accidentally referred to Brent as the town manager. He is not. He is the planning director for the town of Smithfield.
Speaker: Next, in the what's going on in Smithfield at the end of the episode, I forgot to mention that on Tuesday, August eleventh which will be tomorrow. If you're listening on Monday, when we drop, we will be doing the library park ribbon cutting. So August 11th at 11 AM m at the park next to the library, we will be unveiling the official name of the library. There will be popsicles and we'll be hearing from the people that made that park happen. The landscape architects, the people that installed the turf, the DSCC board, county commissioners, the ladies that painted the mural and the person that suggested the name for the library of park will also be there. So it'll be really fun time to meet your community and just have a little bit of last summer fun on Tuesday, August 11th at 11. Now get ready to hear me chat with our DSDC board president, Mary Reese. My cohost Heidi Gilmond was out of town at a conference. So Mary stepped in as cohost for week. Heidi does come back at the end. for our current event. So stay tuned for a whole episode and thanks for listening and we'll see you on the sidewalk.
Speaker: Good morning, Mary.
Speaker: Good morning, Helen. How are you today? Doing well this bright, brilliant summer morning. Yes. Smithfield, yes. So I don't have Heidi here with us today. This morning we have Mary Reese, who is the board president of the Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation. She is also a partner at Reese & Reese Attorneys in Downtown Smithfield and a Downtown Smithfield resident.
Speaker: So, welcome, Mary. Thank you for being here with me this morning on the podcast. Thank you. And I will correct, I'm a South Smithfield resident. Oh. I'm a downtown business owner. Yes. Okay. So, Mary, tell me a little bit about yourself and your connection to downtown Smithfield.
Speaker: Well, I was, my my parents, you've got you gotta to go back a generation. My parents grew up a large portion of their lives in North Carolina and specifically ended in Smithfield. Went to high school at the old Smithfield High School. Okay. And met here and got married. We, my dad was in the Navy. I was a Navy brat. We traveled both coasts of the United States. He was in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. And then when he retired, he' was ready to come back to Smithfield.
Speaker: Oh, nice. they did. And so I moved back here when i was 12. Wasn't sure what I thought about after living in all these big cities and and then to come back to Smithfield. But obviously it took because back. Here you are. What made you decide to stay in Smithfield as you became an adult? um After graduating from law school, I got married, that my husband Mike, and we decided we were looking at where we wanted to practice. Then we were not averse, you know, we're north both North Carolinians and not at all averse to being in a small town. And Smithfield just had what we wanted. It we had a lot of hometown spirit. We thought it would be a pleasant and fun place to practice law.
Speaker: Awesome. And it worked. So have you always had your practice here in Smithfield? I practiced for a little while nearby in Goldsboro. has always practiced in Smoothiel. So yeah, and then we decided it was time to go in together after having children because Smoothiel's nice place to be with our kids. And we started Reese Reese.
Speaker: Awesome. Tell me what brought you to law? What made you decide to make a career out of law? Wow. Yeah, I don't know. That's a good one. So I always thought that I was interested in practicing law.
Speaker: Like everyone else, you know, we enjoy reading about and watching on TV courtroom drama, but also just fascinating issues. And it Hard to say how how kids get the idea. You know, when they say, well, an 18-year-old decided or a 21-year-old decided what I was going to do Maybe there is some aspect of that, but I have never never looked back.
Speaker: When I was in the third grade, i made the declaration i wanted to be a lawyer. And I also really loved PT cruisers at the time, if you remember those cars. Yes, ma'am. And so I said I was going to have three PT cruisers. I was going to have a red one, a white one, and a blue one. What a dream. And i would whenever I was practicing my law, when I was going to murder cases, I would drive my red PT cruiser. And whenever I was practicing family law, I would drive my white PT cruiser. And then whenever I was practicing civil law, I was going to drive my blue PT cruiser. So... Helen, I love that. I wonder if it is too late for me to act a scene like that now. that's What a great plan you had.
Speaker: I don't know. I don't know that I would want my red PT Cruiser to get a lot of miles on it. no. And I also think that that's a lot of law to cover as a single individual. To be a general practitioner and handle, be a specialist, as they say, in both civil and criminal law.
Speaker: So you were the board president for downtown Smithfield Development. What made you decide to be a part of the board and then take on that extra role of being Being our fearless leader.
Speaker: My husband and I, we we had practiced for a while in Smithfield, in downtown Smithfield, had our building on 3rd Street, and just got interested in issues that were bubbling up in the downtown and wanted to be part of making decisions about it And really had no designs on being the president, I can tell you.
Speaker: But I really just wanted to participate and be a part of it. Was very interested in the design aspect of it, trying to get, not because I have any design experience, but because I think the beauty of the downtown and new beautiful things in the downtown are an important part of what the DSDC does. And wanted to be a part of that. That's wonderful. What does community mean to you? Wow. Way to go with the deep question. Yeah. um As applies to the downtown, I think it's about very people coming together for work, for enjoyment, you know raising their families, having a space where you can both work and recreate to your heart's content, and having a place where you can do all of that and have your family nearby. That's all a nice part of community.
Speaker: Awesome. Oh, tell me about your family and what things make Mary, Mary and what you love about our town. like a three prong question there. My family and my husband, Mike and i we practice together. We have two children who are now not children so much. They're now 21 and 26 years old and are in other places right now, but come back to visit Smith Field and are always glad to see what has changed downtown, whether it's the mural or the pocket park or whatever. I always make them look at that stuff yeah and they they enjoy seeing those kind of changes.
Speaker: ah Smithfield's really moving along and got new new things happening here. So that's always nice to do. What was the rest of your question? Wait, I'm trying to remember your tri-prong question. Talking about your family and what is it that just love about Smithfield? And what makes Mary, Mary? Hmm.
Speaker: I am fascinated by, you know, the river runs through an aspect of Smithfield. It is both a huge, at times difficult thing to deal with. If the river breaks through the middle, we have a highway that comes through, but also brings a lot of interesting traffic and interesting events to downtown Smithfield. i just think that that's a really interesting and and kind of old school aspect of the town, having that those things. And also very Southern. What makes Mary, Mary?
Speaker: I don't know if I have an answer to one. It remains to be seen. Do you have any fun hobbies or pet? We are a cat family. We always have cats. Right now, I have only my grand cat living with us. So we're, you know...
Speaker: But as far as what makes Mary Mary, I like to do things when my kids are in the schools. I really enjoy doing things with the schools. you want to make You want to help where you can. When you're focused on work, you also want to help in that space where if it's the downtown, the downtown is in the legal community. yeah So, you know, trying to make change for a better place.
Speaker: in each of those venues. And I can see in the eight months that I've gotten to know you, you very much are a, you put action behind your words. You were always volunteering at our events. You stepped up as board president.
Speaker: You are active in the community. And I i love that you are a a face of Smithfield that is such a warm and inviting person. So I thank you so much for all that you do for us.
Speaker: Today, you also have some news for, not news, but some history on your building. i do. We are at, on 3rd Street. We are at the pink building on 3rd Street today. It has been a lot of things over the years, but it kind of has an interesting history, our building at rees and Reese & Reese. The... builder of that space, the guy who put it together, was Ashley W. Smith, who was a very prominent black citizen in Smithfield. He was born into slavery either in 1850 or 1853. The census records are just a little bit unclear on that, as they were at that time. Once he regained his freedom, he had an entrepreneurial spirit and began buying, renovating, and making, building things downtown. And one of them is our building. That's so cool. I did a throwback Thursday about Ashley Smith several months ago, but he owned a lot of spaces in downtown and where the library is now was one of yeah his most well-known. Yes. That was his his house. And so he was the first African-American landowner in Smithfield. Absolutely. And, you know, I went back, you know, when we got into this building, my husband pulled some of the history of it. And I found this old Smithfield Herald, which was the old, for those people who do not remember, Smithfield newspaper for many, many years, and found an article about the building of our building. And I'm going to lay it on you, just this paragraph. Yeah.
Speaker: Another large building it is entitled. Must have been a lot growth in downtown Smithfield. The appearance of 3rd Street will soon be considerably improved by a large two-story brick building which will be erected by Ashley Smith, one of the a leading citizens of our town. Sorry, the microfuge, terrible print. yeah The building will be located opposite Holtz Hardware Store and will be 24 feet in size.
Speaker: It will be complete in every detail and will be furnished in such a manner as to present quite an imposing appearance slowly by degrees our and steadily our old town moves forward What a great Old Holt's Hardware Store, is that where mary nell ferguson's father's store was i believe that is yeah where We've got to get Marielle on so that she can ask her because she knows a ton of minimaries about stuff like that.
Speaker: And then I just love how connected everything is in Smithfield. Just because of, you know, you name one person and there are six other stories that are all related to that person or that place. And so that's so cool. ah we' are very We're very proud to be in such a historic old building and give it a modern day. It has been many things. It has been a hair salon most recently before we bought it. It's been a lot of things, but that building has stood the test of time, I think. now Do you have any ghosts?
Speaker: You know, hard to say. Yeah. is Is it a ghost or is it a draft? yeah Well, yeah, in and in an old building like that, but I gotta say they are very well built from from that day. And I would say, know, this was,
Speaker: That's an old building, old construction, and it has it's still serving us well. Stood the test of time. has. Did you paint it pink? It was pink when we got it, and then it became, well, our building is the pink one, and it has remained pink.
Speaker: it It looks fantastic. Once you go pink, you can't go back. Well, perfect. Mary, is there anything else that you want to plug for us today? Tell us about, make sure that all of our listeners know. As far as the DSDC goes, i would tell everyone our doors are always open. Our board meetings are wide open. Even more importantly, maybe our committee meetings are wide open. And they those committees are staffed by volunteers.
Speaker: who are not even, are not on the board, but they attend monthly meetings, however often we need to meet, to get things like the Ham and Yam Festival planned and the Library Pocket Park put together and planned for and designed. So those are really important positions and I would encourage people to volunteer whenever they can and please feel free. Our doors are always open to come in and tell us your ideas or roll up your sleeves and go to work. We're we're glad for all of it. Yeah. The DSCC operates off of our volunteers. Absolutely. And so we would not be as successful as we're able to be if we did not have them. We could not do it without our ad hoc members, without our volunteer members. We really couldn't do it.
Speaker: Well, Mary, thank you for volunteering your time today and and coming and sitting with me. and Thank you, Helen. Thank you so much for having me i appreciate all that you do for downtown Smithfield. Thank you. Well, until then, I'll see you on the sidewalk. you the sidewalk.
Speaker: I'm back just in time to finish recording. Have fun. Yay. So Heidi, do you want to tell all of our listeners where you've been? So I just spent the week in Brevard, North Carolina. If you don't know where that's at, I hope you all do. It's in the mountains, right next to Asheville, actually about 30, 20 miles or so out of Asheville. A lovely place to go visit and they have a beautiful downtown. So we spent the week there in North Carolina, Main Street directors conference, learning all about the what everybody goes through on a daily basis and getting to share stories and learn about, you know, some techniques and tricks and things that have worked in other places. But even more than that, it is so much fun to see these cool projects and just amazing work that these directors are doing all over the state of North Carolina. So it was a five hour drive there a five hour drive back. I'm a little tired, but it was so well worth it.
Speaker: And you got to see the beautiful state of North Carolina. And I'm sure now our to-do list in the coming weeks are going be full of new ideas and great ways to make Smithfield even bigger and better. Absolutely. and we definitely are doing some field trips.
Speaker: Ooh, I love a field trip. Me too. Okay. So before we get into what is coming up, I wanted to say that applications for the Essence of AVA Downtown Smithfield Scholarship Pageant are open The best place to go for more information about the pageant and for the application is our website www.downtownsmithfield.com.
Speaker: And as you scroll down the page, there's a whole box that you can click into. You can find the permission slip for our parents' guardians. There is a one sheet page that gives you information about the pageant and then the application itself. And if you haven't heard about this yet, this is a really exciting, fun, and new way for our high school girls to earn a scholarship. The winner gets a $1,000 scholarship. That's nothing to at. First run of rep is $500 and I think the third one $250. The whole point of it is to learn from Ava Gardner's story. And if you haven't gone to read about who she was and what you know she was all about, please do so. Because she was fascinating, not just as this beautiful starlet, but she was really grounded in who she was and didn't ever compromise that. like Ava was Ava in front of her family, in front of the screen. It was who she
Speaker: And I love that we're bringing that essence of Ava feeling to this pageant because this isn't a beauty pageant. This is a pageant about girl power, right? Who you are, your individuality, what makes you special, how are you going to change the world? Yeah, how can being from Johnston County propel you towards your dreams and your goals? And, you know, that confidence and self-assurance that you have and knowing who you are, and that's hard when you're a teenager. I know when I was a teenager, I was just so afraid that other people didn't like me and that if I wasn't doing the same thing that everyone else was doing, that I wouldn't have any friends. And the truth of it is be yourself and you will find your people. And successful find you because people want authenticity. People are attracted to real people. And think that was Ava Gardner's whole thing. She just was unashamed of who she was. And her accent was so thick she had to be overdubbed in some movies. But she never changed that.
Speaker: She just was who she was. and And the other thing that I think is really kind of really amazing is that she was so humble. And one of the things that she said is she always wished that she had an education. she She got discovered, she got lucky, but she really wanted an education. So wrapping it all together into an opportunity for scholarships, this pageant is going to be, it's going to be fun. Like all pageants, it's going to have some entertainment and, you know, you're going to have to do a little work. You're going to have to get up and talk.
Speaker: um But also we want to see your personal sense of style. yeah And, you know, Ava Gardner was known for her fashion sense. So that's kind of a cool thing. And if you get your application in before September 30th, then the Ava Gardner Museum is going to let you into the museum so you can get a sense of who Ava was.
Speaker: Right. And that would be at the Ava Gardner Festival. So there's a gala that happens. It's a ticketed event. So if you are signed up for that, you get to come to that gala event and more.
Speaker: all the cool things, meet people that really love and appreciate Ava and yeah, explore the museum, check it out. The other thing is we are seeking vendors, sponsors, and volunteers for October Fest, which is going to be on October 10th. And then also for our Christmas tree lighting, which is going to be on December the 5th. So if you are interested in either of those opportunities, you can find those events on a Bitney, or you can email admin at downtownspencefield.com and I can get you plugged in for more information. Awesome.
Speaker: So Heidi, what's going on downtown? All right, moving on to the upcoming events. We've got a full schedule again. This is great. Town council meeting, August 18th. That's Tuesday night. Council meetings start at 7 p.m. And they're a great way to get plugged in and learn kind of what's happening in town, the decisions that are being made, and also to voice your thoughts and opinions on things. This town is run by the people, not just the council members. Yes. And also, On Saturday, August 22nd, we have the next Smithfield Signature Fresh Market downtown in the Town Hall parking lot, excuse me, in the Town Hall Park, yes which is right next to Town Hall. And that runs from 8 to noon. Perfect. and
Speaker: Sunday, August twenty third It's going be right before school starts. so First Baptist Church in downtown Smithfield is doing a back to school breakfast from 910 to 1010. Registration is required. So go to their web website to sign up if you want to come have breakfast to kick off your school year with blessing and a full belly.
Speaker: And then on Friday, September 11th, Smithfield Parks and Recreation is going to kick off their River Jam series with Antique Outlaws as our first River Jam concert. So that starts at 7 o'clock. There's a food truck. It's a great night to come downtown. It's a lot of fun. If you aren't familiar with it, in the fall, they do three different concerts, one per month, which is a lot of fun. So...
Speaker: Get those kind on calendar. September 11th. September Antique Outlaws. October 9th, Rigsby Road. And November the 6th is Soleil and the Super Band. Oh, and if you haven't heard them, Soleil and the Super Band has been at the Ham and Yam Festival. They are a high energy, a lot of fun band to listen to. So that's the same night as our Wine Walk, which is limited tickets. So folks, get on our website, downtownsmithfield.com and buy your tickets now. They are on sale.
Speaker: Yes, they they are on sale. Yeah. All right. Well, if you would like to know more about Downtown Smithfield and the work that we're doing at the DSDC, please visit our website, downtownsmithfield.com. And you are always welcome to email one of us and ask your questions or call our office. Email info, I-N-F-O, at downtownsmithfield.com or call us at 919-934-0887. We are always open to questions and a great cup of coffee if you want to go sit and visit.
Speaker: And until then, we'll see you on the sidewalk.
