Jones County – “A Perfect 10” – What a PERFECT DAY!

Perfect 10" was held on Sunday, October 10, 2021 from 1-6 PM - With a 67% chance of rain, the committee made the decision to host the event. By 1 PM, the percentage chance of rain dropped to 17%. Many answered prayers!

How will the funds be used? Support the building of a Teaching Kitchen at The Filling Station
What was the goal? $25,000
Did we meet it? Almost, over $20,000 and funds still coming in for the project.

Thank you to our Title Sponsor, Carolina East Health, and all the other amazing sponsorships, donors, and volunteers that made this 1st annual event a HUGE SUCCESS! Thank you to Event Chair, Karen Plaster for her leadership. We are blessed to have you serving on the Board of Directors of The Filling Station.

Mary Ann LeRay
Executive Director

7 Hosts along Ten Mile Fork Road agreed to "host" activities at their farm - Check out the amazing generosity. Below is the description of the sites and history:

1. "Coming to Z.A.K.'S is like going to grandma's house" quote from "Our State" magazine - 2009.
   Z.A.K.'S began business in 1992 in Zack and Jo Ann Koonce's home. As the business grew, the construction of a building to resemble an old tobacco barn was built and Z.A.K.'S opened to customers in September 1997. At Z.A.K.'S you will find a jeweler on board with jewelry stocked in show cases. Also available you will find one room dedicated to candles and a large selection of gifts and decor to fill your home to your desires. Bluegrass music fills the air while visitors, especially children, enjoy feeding the goats and chickens on the property. A store like Z.A.K.'S offers more than a collection of goods, but a store that makes you feel safe and good. Stay and hang around the store where all worries go away! Z.A.K.'S Annual "24th" Christmas Open House will be held Saturday, Nov. 6, and Sunday, Nov.7, 2021. We hope that you will return for the festivities!
2. Hayrides are an autumn tradition. Be sure to stop by Beaver Dam Farm for a hayride that passes by a pasture of sheep, farm fields, a hunting club festooned with deer antlers, a stretch of woods, and a hidden clearing. Beaver Dam Farm has been in the Banks Brothers family for well over 200 years and was part of a Land Grant from the King of England. Many years ago, cotton was the cash crop, however, the brothers’ early remembrances were of corn, soybeans, and tobacco. Hogs and Angus cattle added a little flavor to the wild game that they ate growing up, and vegetables came from a large garden. The big white house was their dad’s home place, but the original residence of the Banks grandparents is up Banks Lane and is now the Beaver Dam Hunting Club. The timberland is managed as a crop since Mother Nature has her own way of timber thinning. The brothers, Ellis, Eddie and Joel, keep up the buildings, roads, ditches, and paths throughout the timber and work hard to keep up the family hunting tradition. They believe it's important to honor our parents and ancestors in every way we possibly can!
3. No day in the country is complete without a menagerie of farm animals. Wallace Farms is the place to go to see a mama donkey and her baby – Beau (he was born under a rainbow last June), 5 cows, 3 goats, 18 chickens, 2 barn cats and a baby rabbit. These friendly critters often come right up to the fence for a friendly pat or handful of grain. Wallace Farms was also the site of Cow Pie Bingo! At an appointed time, well-fed cows were put out in a small field that has been divided into numbered squares. The first cow to “do her business” on one of the squares will determine the winner. Bingo tickets have been sold, but a limited number ($10) will be available on site. The winner gets 10% of the pot. Lance and Gloria purchased 25 acres in 2016 and spent a year rehabbing the farmhouse to create the beautiful farm you see today.
4. The Plaster’s Tree Farm offers an opportunity to learn about forestry in eastern North Carolina. Allen and Karen purchased the property in 2003 and manage the land for a combination of objectives; the re-establishment of longleaf pine, quail and turkey habitat, and carbon sequestration, as well as income from thinnings and small clear cuts. They conduct yearly prescribed burns to improve the health of their woods. Activities include a display of tools and techniques used in the longleaf pine naval stores industry that thrived in the early years of our nation. Other highlights include a walk along trails that lead to a small carnivorous garden with Venus Flytraps, Pitcher Plants and Sundews, pollinator gardens, food plots, a recently established longleaf pine stand, an amphibian pool, a reclaimed tobacco pack shed and a She Shack.
5. With its spacious front lawn and beautiful bovines in the pasture across the road, Dan and Claire Jenkins’ farm was the site of the Moosic venue for Jones County – A Perfect 10. Their home was the birthplace of Dan’s mother, Mildred (Mallard) Jenkins, and has been in his family for six generations. His great, great, great grandfather, Henry Tillman Banks bought 1,563 acres in 1855 for $2500. Dan and Claire purchased the home place and land from his siblings in 2014 and grow field crops, beef cattle and have layer chickens for eggs.
6. Things from Yesteryear Museum opened to the public in 2004. The museum has four buildings loaded with small electrical appliances from 1901 to 1955. Displays include toasters, waffle irons, mixers, sewing machines, and more. Stop by and see the items used in the past. Antique cars are also on display at this site. You will find a 1925 Model T Depot Hack and a 1954 Desoto.
7. Kitty's Korner Etc. , a down-home ceramic shop that opened in Pollocksville in 2014. In 2018, they lost everything in Hurricane Florence and rebuilt at 4205 Ten Mile Fork Road. Thanks to the generosity of others, Kitty was able to restock her extensive inventory of molds. She pours 98% of the pieces in the shop which includes holiday items, plate ware, piggy banks, animals, and more. Open M,W, F 11-5 and Sat 11-3 or by appointment for groups. Kitty will deliver to schools and daycares.