First Fridays in Creedmoor

First Fridays returns in April with virtual Bingo on Friday, April 2 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Advance registration is not required and the event is free.

Community book drive

Granville County Public Schools is holding a book dive through April 2 for new or gently used books to build home book collections of students. Books can be dropped off at collection sites across the county. Local sites include Edward Jones, 302 N. Main St., Creedmoor; First Baptist Church of Creedmoor, 119 S. Main St., Creedmoor; and Butner Town Hall, 415 Central Ave., Butner.

Thrift store sale

CCM Thrift Store is holding a missions fundraiser on Saturday, April 3 from 9 a.m. to noon. The sale will benefit the Gray Rock UMC Lake Charles, Louisiana, mission trip. CCM Hut Thrift Store is at 1200 S. Industry Dr., Oxford.

Easter Sunrise Service

Easter Sunrise Service will be on Easter morning, April 4, at 7 a.m., in South Granville Memorial Gardens Cemetery located at 3040 Old Highway 75.

The service is for the community and is being conducted by the Agapa Center, Greater Joy Baptist Church, Community United Methodist Church and Stem United Methodist Church.

All are welcome.

Easter service

Hawkins Chapel Miss Baptist Church will have Easter Service on April 4 during the morning service at 11 a.m. in the church parking lot, 2199 Grove Hill Road, Franklinton. All are invited.

The speaker will be the Reverend Dr. Kenneth M. Williams. The male chorus will be rending music before and after the benediction, starting at 10:30 a.m.

Library hours change

Beginning April 5, all four branches of the Granville County Library System (Oxford, Creedmoor, Stovall and Berea) will be open to the public from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. All branches continue to be closed on Saturdays and Sundays until further notice.

Spring food drive

The Granville County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Granville County Detention Center, is collecting nonperishable food items for Area Congregations in Ministry. Bring donations to the new facility, 525 New Commerce Drive in Oxford, by April 9 to be included in this county-wide effort.

Call 919-693-3213 for more information.

Free tax services

Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program is offering tax services in the Granville area. The service is free to taxpayers who make $57,000 or less, persons with disabilities, the elderly and limited English-speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns.

IRS certified volunteers will be at:

• Granville Branch Public Library, N.C. Highway 56, Creedmoor. Drive-thru help is available 2-5 p.m. every Monday through April 12. No appointment is necessary.

• Richard H. Thornton Public Library, Spring Street, Oxford. Drive-thru help is available 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through April 10. No appointment is necessary.

Bring your Social Security card for you and dependents, valid picture ID, all income information, a copy of last year’s tax return, and bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit of your refund.

To schedule a remote appointment over Zoom, or for more information, call the church at 919-528-2715.

Granville Senior Care Packages

The Rotary Club of South Granville County is collecting items to deliver and distribute as care packages for local seniors. Its goal is to provide 100 care packages.

Those interested in volunteering to collect items and deliver them to the club by April 27 should sign up at https://bit.ly/3rYLudx.

Contact Angela Allen, club president, at angela.allen@granvillecounty.org or 919-725-6486 for details.

Volunteer are needed to distribute the packages from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on May 7 at the South Granville Senior Center. Sign up is available at https://bit.ly/3rYLudx.

Big Hats and Bow Ties fundraiser

Shepherd Youth Ranch in Creedmoor is holding a “Big Hats and Bow Ties Fundraiser for our Veterans” on Friday, April 30 from 7:30-10 p.m. Funds will support the ranch’s veteran therapy program with the Veterans Life Center in Butner.

Admissions is $5 plus a bottle of wine for the wine raffle and tasting. The event is adults only. Tickets are limited. For more information, email hope@shepherdyouthranch.org, call 919-480-1535, or visit https://shepherdyouthranch.org/bighatsbowties.

Spring Clean Out

The annual Spring Clean Out will be Saturday, May 15. This year, paints and household chemicals have been added to the list of accepted items. Other accepted items will be scrap metal, electronics, all types of batteries, outdated prescriptions, books, paper documents for shredding, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, flares, ammunition and more.

The event is scheduled from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Granville County Expo and Convention Center, 4185 U.S. Hwy 15 South in Oxford.

Contact Granville County’s recycling and sustainability coordinator Teresa Baker at 919-725-1417 or at bakertd@gcs.k12.nc.us for more information.

Rabies vaccines

Rabies vaccines are available at the Granville County Animal Shelter for dogs, cats and ferrets three months or older. This service is available by appointment from noon until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, for $6. North Carolina law requires that all owned dogs, cats and ferrets be vaccinated against rabies by four months of age.

The Granville County Animal Shelter is located at 515 New Commerce Drive in Oxford. Call 919-693-6749 for more details.

Register of Deeds

The Granville County Register of Deeds has a wide variety of documents available to the public, including deeds dating back to 1746, the same year that the County was founded. Those interested in local history or in researching their ancestry or family property are encouraged to contact the Register of Deeds at the Granville County Courthouse, 101 Main St. in Oxford. Call 919-693-6314 for more details about services provided.

Anniversary book preorders

The Granville County 275th Anniversary Planning Committee has extended the deadline to receive a discount when preordering the collector’s book releasing this year commemorating the county’s history. Orders placed by April 30 will cost $44.99 and will cost $49.99 afterward.

Order forms are available at http://www.granvillecounty.org/275th.

Anniversary coins

To mark the 275th anniversary of Granville County, souvenir coins for sale. These heavyweight metal keepsakes are $5 and feature an engraved image of the 275th anniversary logo, with the iconic Granville County Courthouse on the flipside. To buy a coin, call 919-603-1308 or visit http://www.granvillecounty.org/275th for more information.

Volunteering

If interested in delivering meals to local seniors, giving your time at the Granville County Animal Shelter or assisting with local activities and projects, check out volunteer opportunities with Granville County Government at www.granvillecounty.org/government/human-resources/volunteer.

Domestic violence order help

Families Living Violence Free can help Granville County residents with help filing a domestic violence protective order. Call 919-693-3579 to speak with an advocate who can help with planning and completing the order. Callers can also apply for free legal representation.

Granville County GOP

The Granville County Republican Party meets monthly on the third Thursday. Contact granvillegop@rocketmail.com or granvillecountygop@gmail.com for more information or to get the Zoom link.

Community Treasure Chest

Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church in Creedmoor welcomes all to its Community Treasure Chest facility filled with new to used clothes and shoes of all sizes and household goods. Coats, dresses, pants, suits, tops, blankets and other items are available in men’s and women’s sizes. All items are free.

Due to the pandemic, call the church at 919-528-2715 for an appointment.

Crisis hotline

The Families Living Violence Free 24/7 domestic violence crisis hotline is operating during the pandemic. Call 919-693-5700 for English or 919-690-0888 for Spanish. The center encourages people to call if they love or live with someone hurting or threatening them, putting them down or controlling their every move.

Families Living Violence Free also offers individual counseling, safety planning and case management for survivors of domestic violence of sexual assault.

Trained advocates provide confidential one-on-one counseling, which allows clients who are (or have been) victims of domestic violence and sexual assault an opportunity to begin the healing process.

Virtual story time

Virtual story time with the Granville County Library System is held every Monday at 2 p.m., during which an age-appropriate story is presented to toddlers and preschoolers. Visit https://granville.lib.nc.us for more details.

Teen Cuisine 101

Teens can learn to cook with Teen Cuisine 101, provided through the Granville County Library System. Learn how to make healthy meals that taste good and are good for you. Available monthly on Thursdays through the library’s website, Facebook page and YouTube.

Visit https://granville.lib.nc.us for more details.

Code Ninjas

Code Ninjas is available monthly online through the Granville County Library System. Learn the Scratch programming language that can teach kids how to code their own animations, games and online simulations while learning how to think creatively and reason systematically.

Contact Amy Carlson at 919-693-1121 or at amy.carlson@granvillecounty.org to learn more.