All indications are that summer tourists will again flock to small towns such as New Bern and Kinston.
With an easing of COVID-19 restrictions, coupled with vaccinations, local restaurants, shops and tourist targets are ready for the best tourist influx in recent years, following two hurricanes and a pandemic. There is lots of excitement, because anywhere you read, people in bigger cities and densely-populated areas want to get to somewhere with fewer people, more open space, and that includes cities like New Bern, said Kevin Roberts, president of the New Bern Area Chamber of Commerce. We have already seen, just in the month of April, increased numbers of people coming into this market. That s very exciting, but in the process of coming out of this pandemic, it is also a little alarming to us, because mostly restaurants, but really all businesses, are having a lot of trouble getting people to come back to work.
The work of area volunteers and unsung heroes was honored Wednesday during the New Bern Sun Journal’s 52 Faces of Community Recognition Drive-Thru Celebration at Union Point Park.
Now in its fourth year, the event spotlights those individuals featured in the paper’s weekly 52 Faces of Community feature, which focuses on those who have made a positive difference in the community.
Antoinette Boskey-Chadwick was also chosen as this year’s recipient of the Jefferson Award for Public Service. The award honors “Outstanding Americans who are making a difference.”
She will represent Craven County this summer at the national Jefferson Awards event this summer. Past Jefferson Award winners include Tharesa Lee, Ben Watford, and Patti Peebles.
52 Faces of Community: David Finn
By Holly Desrosier
Former fire chief David Finn has a burning desire to preserve his community’s rich history. From extinguishing fires early in his career to recently assisting in the conservation of the history of New Bern’s earliest fire stations, he has actively contributed to his community for much of his life.
From Middletown, New York, David began his firefighting career during his four years in the Air Force Reserve. He then became active with the Middletown Fire Department and remained there for 53 years, as well as the Howells Fire District for about 45 years. During that time, he served two terms as fire chief and four terms as fire commissioner. He also worked as the vice president of operations for Cassel Brothers Stores, Inc., a high-end clothing retailer, for 30 years before retiring.