About 30 legislators, heads of major state funding agencies and other dignitaries made a stop in Anson County Monday, March 22, as part of the North Carolina Rural Center's Rolling Workshop.

In two days, Monday and Tuesday, the group visited four counties (Anson, Montgomery, Richmond and Stanly), making stops along the way at notable spots such as Wadesboro's Lockhart-Taylor Center, Hamlet's renovated Depot, the Rock (Rockingham Speedway) in Rockingham, and the Fork and Farm Stable in Norwood. And that was just on day one. Day two took the bus tour to Montgomery County, including Mt. Gilead, Troy and Star.

"As participants become immersed in the people, history, culture and economy of the region, they develop a deeper understanding of the region’s strengths, challenges and opportunities," literature from the Rural Center reads. "Participants also develop a sense of connection with the people and communities they visit— opening up the door for exciting new partnerships in the future."

Participants in the Rolling Workshop included Sen. William Purcell and Rep. Pryor Gibson, who Rural Center senior vice president Elaine Matthews called "a fabulous tour guide" through Anson County, along with several other state senators and representatives, as well as representatives from the governor's office, lieutenant governor's office, Golden LEAF Foundation, N.C. Association of County Commissioners, N.C. Community College System, N.C. Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, N.C. Farm Bureau, N.C. Housing Finance Agency, N.C. League of Municipalities, N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, and many others.

In Wadesboro, the group spent about an hour at the Lockhart-Taylor Center, learning about the many services provided in that building before taking a tour of various rural areas in Anson County especially hard hit by poverty as part of an overview of the Circles program to prevent poverty in the community.

County Commission Chair Anna Baucom welcomed the group to the Lockhart-Taylor Center, joking that she'd expected to see them arrive on an old school bus, "because that's how we do things in Anson County." Wadesboro Mayor Pro Tem Ed Emory, speaking on behalf of Mayor Bill Thacker, commented that he'd left and come back to Wadesboro four times and truly loves the community. He added that he spent a lot of time in the center when it was a mill, and that renovating the mill and converting it to the Lockhart-Taylor Center is "one of the best things we've ever done in Anson County."

Dr. Don Altieri, former president of South Piedmont Community College (SPCC) and now executive director of New Ventures Business Development, and Dr. John McKay, SPCC president, then gave a presentation on the history of the Lockhart-Taylor Center.

The Lockhart-Taylor Center was one of his last projects before he retired as SPCC president, Altieri said. "It's amazing what we can do in a rural county," he said. "There are some very good things that can happen when everyone's on the same page."

Originally the West Knitting Mill building, the center was built in 1926 and vacated in 1995. "There was a lot of concern in the community," Altieri recalled. "We didn't want a building that was going to deteriorate. We were very concerned that we would have this old building that was not being used right off of 74."

At that same time, SPCC was growing by leaps and bounds, and Altieri and fellow SPCC leader Fred Sparger began to envision what the building could be.

As the process began to convert the building, Altieri said he was struck by how many people had worked in the building and still had an affinity for their former workplace. As a result, maintaining the original character of the building was integral. "The people who worked here really loved this place," Altieri said, relaying the story of one woman who'd worked there for 60 years and once showed him the exact spot where her sewing machine used to sit.

After two years of construction, the Lockhart-Taylor Center opened as a satellite site of SPCC in 2002. It now has many functions for the college, including offering adult basic education, GED classes and occupational extension education, as well as providing banquet space and a commercial kitchen, which held its grand opening two weeks ago.

Altieri also talked about New Ventures, which he held to found after his retirement. "We had thousands of workers out of a job at one time," he said. "In addition to the jobs, we also lost a lot of possible revenue sources."

As a result, Altieri envisioned a program that could help out-of-work people learn about entrepreneurship and be able to successfully own and operate their own local businesses. "That's where New Ventures comes in," he said. "We will do whatever we can to get more local businesses."

Altieri also talked about the Olde Mill Gallery, which gives local artisans a place to sell and display their work; the Women's Center, which offers resources for local women and their families; the commercial kitchen and a proposed program to help develop more local farmers (see story on page B4)— all of which are housed in the Lockhart-Taylor Center.

Matthews said the bus tour and particularly the Anson County portion were great tools for those who participated. "It's a great opportunity for decision makers to get out of the office and to the rural parts of the state and see it all first hand."