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Celebrating the Fourth of July can be fun and patriotic -- or both -- as evidenced by these scenes from the Altert Fourth of July parade last Saturday. In the photo above, Jaylen, 8, and Aubrey, 5, Tharrington are just having fun riding.

LOUISBURG -- Filing for municipal elections opened last Friday and, already, a race for Louisburg mayor is under way.
Long-time Council member Boyd Sturges filed shortly after noon on July 2 and political newcomer Liz Seibel filed shortly thereafter. Council member Christopher Neal filed on July 6.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County school bus drivers got a raise and tuition to the county schools was increased during a special meeting of the Board of Education last Wednesday evening.
The school board held the session on the last day of the fiscal year to clean up its books with routine bookkeeping adjustments common at this time of the year.

After meeting electronically for more than a year, the Franklin County Board of Education is getting back to in-person sessions -- with some significant changes.
Beginning with the July 12 meeting, the board will start meeting at the Louisburg High School auditorium, 201 Allen Lane, Louisburg.
The regular meetings will begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted and they will no longer be streamed for off-site viewing.

LOUISBURG -- A development that could change the face of Louisburg remains on schedule, developers say.
And, it's being joined by similar developments that could change the town's fortunes.
Town planning staff and officials approved the 147-home, 62-plus acre project on the former Green Hill County Club in the fall of 2020.

BUNN -- For the first time in half a century, apparently, the town of Bunn has a new civic group.
On July 1, outgoing Lions Club District Governor Allen Swaim presented the Bunn Cert Lions Club with its charter -- paving the way for the group to get started on community projects to bolster the area.

Katie Allen at the Alert Fourth of July Parade

Don't look now but just over half of 2021 is now in the rear-view mirror and even the echoes of Fourth of July fireworks have faded away.
Not that there were as many fireworks this year, at least not locally, after the county's effort to celebrate our freedoms fizzled.
But at least Franklinton launched some "fire in the sky" to celebrate, even if they were a few days earlier than normal.

Patches O'Houlihan made dodgeball prep infamous with his Five "D's" of Dodgeball: Dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge.
His peptalk to the ragtag group of Average Joe's in the 2004 flick, Dodgeball, was further driven home when he unwrapped a sack of wrenches and notoriously told the group "if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball" before flinging metal tools at the hapless band of movie protagonists.

LOUISBURG, NC--Funeral services for Tony Burnette Williams, age 67, who died on Tuesday, July 6, 2021, will be held on Saturday, July 10, at 2 p.m. from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg. Burial will follow in the Mary Helen Jones Cemetery.

LOUISBURG -- Bri Tucker and Haleigh Joyner provided a one-two offensive punch rarely seen in the rich history of the Louisburg College softball program.
With Tucker batting leadoff and Joyner lining up in the high-leverage third spot, the Louisburg College lineup was dominant en route to the Lady Hurricanes posting an amazing 48-8 record -- along with a third-place finish at the National Junior College Athletic Association National Softball Tournament in Alabama.

BUNN -- Every high school is taking a different stance on awards ceremonies during the COVID-19 Era -- and Bunn is no different.
After a consultation with all of his coaches, Bunn Athletic Director Chris Lewis decided that the school would hand out individual awards for each sport -- but not the usual Athletes of the Year, along with other major awards.

FRANKLINTON -- One career came to an electric close, while another one is just beginning as part of Franklinton High School's wrestling postseason.
Will Germann, FHS' all-time wins leader, closed out his Red Rams' tenure by competing in the Class 3-A State Championships at Eastern Guilford High School in Gibsonville.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Most pundits felt like the 2021 baseball season would be a rebuilding one for the Bunn Wildcats -- but it didn't quite turn out that way.
Instead, the Wildcats were in contention for the Northern Carolina Conference Championship until the final week, when they were defeated by eventual league title winner Roanoke Rapids and Class 1-A State Semifinalist Granville Central.

FAYETTEVILLE - Brandon Knarr totaled a career-high 11 strikeouts while turning in his first career quality start, Zavier Warren homered, doubled and reached base five times and Ernesto Martinez went 2-for-4 with a triple as the Carolina Mudcats earned an 11-4 Independence Day victory over the host Fayetteville Woodpeckers at SEGRA Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

GREENVILLE -- East Carolina University's 2021 football season will kick off September 2 with a night game against the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the neutral site of Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
ECU's first home contest will be September 11 versus Southeastern Conference opponent South Garolina at historic Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville.

Franklinton High School senior veteran standout Will Germann (right) capped off his record-breaking career for the Red Rams' wrestling program by competing in the annual NCHSAA Class 3-A State Championships in Gibsonville.

UPCOMING NUPTIALS. Cornelius and Constalina Alston of Louisburg, NC are pleased to announce the upcoming marriage of their daughter, Taylor Mattee Alston, of Louisburg to Jeremy Dustin Bolton of Henderson, NC.

IT WAS A TIE for first-place in the Alert Fourth of July parade last Saturday. In the entry above are Wayne Smith and Aubree and Graycen Bowling.

Last Saturday was a picture-perfect day for a parade and the annual Fourth of July parade returned to Alert after being canceled last year because of the pandemic. But there were plenty of smiles, lots of candy, fire trucks and other entries helping to celebrate the nation's birthday and the freedoms Americans enjoy.

FRANKLINTON -- Local veterans chose a Franklinton High agriscience instructor as its teacher of the year.
The Wake Forest Memorial Veterans of Foreign Wars selected Tommy Kemp as its 2020-21 Teacher of the Year, presenting him with the award recently.
Kemp has taught at Franklinton High School his entire 21 years in teaching.

LOUISBURG -- A Wake County Superior Court Judge was slated to decide if two dangerous dogs get put down or get to go home to their owners -- recent Franklin County residents.
Back in April, the two dogs killed a seven-year-old Garner girl, Jayden Henderson, and injured her mother, Heather Trevaskis.

LOUISBURG -- A Wake Forest man was killed last weekend in a single-vehicle wreck.
According to the State Highway Patrol, Evan Carlton, 25, of Wake Forest, was driving along Clifton Pond Road just before 2 a.m. on July 3 when the pickup truck he was driving ran off the road to the left and hit a tree and overturned.

SPRING HOPE -- Authorities were searching for a missing Franklin County man this week.
Bobby Clay Bridges, 35, of 563 Williams Road, was last seen on July 6 around 4:30 p.m.
He was wearing an orange t-shirt, camouflage shorts, camouflage headband, black shoes and black socks.

LOUISBURG -- A Cary man arrested in Missouri on charges of a Franklin County murder last month was returned to Louisburg this week.
Bradley Hines made his initial court appearance Wednesday morning via video call.
Authorities allege Hines, 45, shot and killed Heather Guild sometime between June 18 and when her body was found in a home off Gilcrest Farm Road on June 24.