Plans public event to honor them July 18

The Town of Tryon will be honoring two Citizens of the Year for 2017: lifelong residents James Payne and Jim Jackson.

A public reception is planned for Tuesday, July 18 at 6 p.m. at the Tryon Movie Theatre. This special event is free, however, donations will be taken for a new town project that Mr. Payne and Mr. Jackson will approve and will be in their name.

The celebration begins at 6 p.m. with food and drinks. It will be followed by a screening of the new movie, The Tryonites, by Kirk Gollwitzer. Gollwitzer will host a brief introduction and the movie will start promptly at 7 p.m.

The one-hour and 13 minute film is rich with photography gathered from several sources including Mayor Alan Peoples, Crys Armbrust, Happy McLeod and others. The film weaves the memories of both men into a rich tapestry of historic Tryon, their separate travels around the world, and shared passion for equal rights.

“I just want to see a time when blacks and whites will come closer together. Integration helped, but we’re not quite there yet!” Jackson proclaims. During the film James Payne says, “We were separate but equal (back then) — there’s no such thing as separate but equal.”

“By the end of the film, I expect that most of you will reach the same conclusion as I did, that both men have a profound love for Tryon and a deep respect to their fellow human being,” said Gollwitzer.

For more information, contact Tryon Town Hall at 828-859-6655.

– article submitted by Tracey Daniels