Goldsboro, N.C.— Nearly 100 of North Carolina Wesleyan College’s Goldsboro area alumni and their families gathered on Sunday afternoon, October 14, at Goldsboro’s Herman Park for a picnic planned by the newly-formed Goldsboro Alumni Advisory Council.

 

Besides great food and fellowship, the event provided activities for all ages. The Goldsboro Police Department brought their SWAT team van, set up equipment displays, and talked about their role in the community. A K-9 unit dog and a police officer demonstrated how the dogs are trained and how they function at home and on the job. One of the highlights was a demonstration of how the police dog could search a vehicle for drugs. Also the police dog mascot, McGruff, staffed by a member of the local Explorers group, strolled through the crowd, entertaining kids of all ages.

Dozens of valuable door prizes donated by Goldsboro and Kinston area businesses were given away as part of the festivities, which also included face painting by Kathy Holmes, a 2005 Wesleyan graduate, and Vickie Wallace, a 1995 graduate, golf cart rides with Taco the Clown and his sidekick, and live music from 2007 graduate Hannah Smith’s band, Analytical Breakdown.

 

 

Lauren Bynum, daughter of James Bynam who will graduate from Wesleyan in December, performed solo gospel music between Analytical Breakdown’s sets.

 

Marion Everhart of Goldsboro’s American Red Cross office signed up volunteers for a blood drive to be held at Wesleyan’s Goldsboro campus next year.

 

The American Cancer Society also was on hand to spread information about the Relay for Life event to be held in the spring.

“The picnic was like a family reunion,” said Thetis Hoch, director of Wesleyan’s Goldsboro campus. “And at the end of the day, Phyllis Patterson, adjunct mathematics instructor, delivered usable food that was left over to a downtown church for use at their soup kitchen the next day. Everyone had a great time, and we hope this will be an annual event.”