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Without fail, each and every time that Patricia Ferguson visits our office, all of us here feel a bit better about ourselves.

Patricia has this knack of lifting up your spirits, even when you are unaware they are in need of a boost. Her bubbling personality, accompanied by her broad smile and a mindset that the glass is half full rather than half empty, makes my day brighter.

The majority of her visits to the newspaper office are unplanned. She’ll simply drop by to say hello and discuss local news. Patricia will also keep me up to date on her sons and grandchildren….beaming with pride as she flips through digital photos on her smartphone.

Then there are times when Patricia visits to share an idea. She’s always been full of ideas of how to promote/feature local citizens.

Once such visit occurred in March of 2022. She pitched an idea to me to use our publications to help identify those residing in the four counties of the Roanoke-Chowan area who are talented in art, music, acting, writing, etc. We received limited response, but that didn’t sidetrack Patricia as she had even bigger plans.

Later in 2022, Patricia came back to the office and talked about having a film festival locally. She especially wanted to feature anyone locally who aspired to become a filmmaker, director, actor, actress or even a film production specialist.

Now two years later, the second annual Pecan Pickling Film Festival is scheduled for this coming weekend (Sept. 14-15) at Bertie High School. There’s a red carpet kick-off event at the Ag Center/Bertie Library meeting room in Windsor on Friday evening that will include special screenings of a handful of the selected films. From there, the filmmakers and special guests will enjoy an after party hosted by the Bertie County Arts Council.

To show just how much the Film Festival has grown in just two years, the 2023 event attracted 70 entries (short films and documentaries). This year there were 122 submissions from throughout the nation. Thirty seven of those will be shown on Saturday.

But that’s not all. TV and film personalities such as Nakia Dillard, D’Aja Fulmore and James Jones, Jr. will be on hand to share their wealth of knowledge.

Dillard is known for his roles in iconic TV series like “The Wonder Years,” “Black Lightning,” and “The Wire,” and movies such as “Night Catches Us” and “BMF.”

Fulmore signed a major film deal with Homestead Entertainment, a Los Angeles and New York-based global distribution company. Fulmore’s feature length film “Crossover” was featured on Tubi, and she is now working on part two of the movie.

Jones is a filmmaker, writer, director, and editor known for the award-winning film “Freedom of NC” and his latest project “Paydert: The Movie,” which premiered Aug. 3.

The great news is that all of Saturday’s screenings and Sunday’s awards ceremony are free of charge. That type of community spirit runs deep in Patricia Ferguson’s veins as she has always been a strong advocate of the people of her native Northeastern North Carolina.

Patricia was born in Bertie County to a single teenage mother. She says that it was her grandparents farming discipline and her mother’s sacrifice that gave her the work ethic to do the many things she does.

The bulk of her early years were spent in Philadelphia where she attended college. She started her first non-profit at age 15 when she brought children from the streets of Philadelphia into her home. She helped those children understand the importance of health and wellness while providing them a safe place to spend their day.

While in college she met her husband, Dr. Steven Ferguson, and the two of them shared a vision. That vision was to bring healthcare to underserved communities. Over 30 years later the duo is continuing to see that vision unfold in Bertie County.

Shortly after the move back home in 1993, Patricia became the first female to chair the board of commissioners in Bertie County and the first black female elected to that board.

Now with more than 30 years of public and community service, she has spent a life time working on behalf of children and families and a number of years refocusing her efforts redesigning strategies to help families and local communities thrive.

Patricia has always been passionate about the impact public policy makes on local communities and in particular, communities who have a long standing history of being economically distressed.

Creating strong families, caring for the elderly, and supporting economic development are very important arenas to Patricia. The Film Festival is just one of her ideas to help encourage others, particularly business owners, to invest in the local area. T

She has founded many organizations, including the Women in Business Task Force and the Katheryn Elizabeth Chavers Center for Healthy Aging.

Patricia was at the forefront of what was considered a “longshot” dream decades ago….that of improving Internet access in rural counties. Fifteen years ago she was a governor appointed member of the Rural Internet Access Authority. The fruits of that early labor are now being realized as citizens in all four of our local counties are seeing high-speed Internet fiber lines attached to their homes.

Ferguson has also served as the Bertie County Red Cross Disaster Action Team Leader, a member of the North Carolina Rural Center Board of Directors, and a member on the NC Commission for Volunteerism and Community Service as well as the NC Partnership for Children. She is a former board member of the National YMCA.

However, Patricia isn’t the type to rest on the laurels of success. I predict future growth for the Pecan Pickling Film Festival. What I can’t predict is the next project that will develop locally due to her efforts, but I’m confident that she will share that idea the next time I see her in my office.

If you’re looking for something to do this week, check out the Film Festival and be sure to take a moment or two to chat with Patricia….you’ll quickly see just how infectious her outgoing personality can grow on a person.

Cal Bryant is the Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contract him at cal.bryant@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7207.