Golfing 'fore' Sampson's arts

Oct. 18—The Sampson Arts Council's 13th annual "Golf Fore the Arts" Tournament was held recently at Coharie Country Club in Clinton, and the Council was thrilled to announce the Oct. 6 event as a huge success.

They expressed a tremendous appreciation to the community for making the annual fundraiser so productive, as they wound up having 16 teams, including 64 golfers, and a total of 103 business and individual sponsors.

"The generosity of the community is amazing. This community is known for businesses and individuals that are supportive of the arts, and that really showed," said Susan Holder, Vice-President of the SAC Board of Directors.

On tournament day, the golfers were treated to breakfast from Burney's and Carlie C's and drinks from Han-Dee Hugo's. This was followed up by lunch from Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q.

The 16 teams were divided into two flights, each with its own winner. When everyone finished their rounds, and all the scorecards had been tallied, the GFL Environmental — Fayetteville team took first place in the first flight, and the Star Communications team got the win in the second flight.

The GFL Environmental — Fayetteville team was made up of Jeremy Freeman, David Sigmon, Tony Ammons, and Spencer Goodnough, and the Star Communications team featured Lucas McNeill, Dickie Walters, Johnny Eason, and Timmy Strickland.

For the first flight, Team Coharie and the SCC Viking Crew came in second and third, respectively, while the second flight ended with RNB Entertainment in second place and Team Fetterman in third.

"The number of businesses willing to donate auction and raffle items, and the number of companies willing to donate funding and put together teams — it was gratifying to see this community show its support for the art," Holder said.

Sponsors for the tournament included Prestage Farms, Star Communications, and Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q as Par Sponsors; Lafayette Farms as a Birdie Sponsor; GFL Environmental — Landfill Division and GFL Environmental — Fayetteville as Eagle Sponsors; and Deacon Jones of Clinton as the Hole-in-One Sponsor.

Holder said, "I think another thing that made it successful was a lot of committed volunteers — of course, the Samsung Arts Council board and the planning committee, but also people who volunteered to come out and help us that day. We also greatly appreciate Coharie Country Club for hosting us; they were terrific to work with."

She summarized, "I think if you put all those things together, it leads to a successful event, and we indeed did have a successful event. It was a beautiful day."

The "Par-Tee Fore the Arts" Reception, held at the Victor R. Small House the night before the tournament, on October 5 featured live country music by Sampson County native Chris Nelson and his bandmate Stephanie Sullivan.

Guests enjoyed participating in the raffle drawing and live auction, which featured items donated by 26 local businesses and artists on the docket.

Business sponsors for the Par-Tee included Emma's Delights, Alfredo's Ristorante Italiano, Southern Style BBQ & Chicken, Great Grandsons, Sandpiper/Oasis, La Hacienda, Pizza Inn, The Atrium Florist, and Grand Equipment Rental.

According to Kara Donatelli, director of the Arts Council, "Funds raised will provide three weeks of Summer Art Camps for 100 students in grades 1-12 in the summer of 2024. These students will have an amazing time exploring their creativity!"

"The SAC is excited to offer 40 art camp scholarships to select students from Sampson County and Clinton City Schools to attend art camp free of charge," she added.

Donatelli explained, "Funds raised also sustain ongoing operations of the Arts Council to continue producing programs and events that advance the arts and engage our county's residents and visitors.

"With your generous support, we are able to provide unique arts programming throughout the year, such as Gallery Exhibits, Artist Receptions, the Artists in Schools Program, Adult Art Workshops, and Pottery Classes," she continued, expressing the gratitude of the council.

"We cannot thank everyone enough for their support of the arts in Sampson County!"