Mayor Hardy gives Golden Keys to the City to community leaders
At the annual BBQ Fest on the Neuse, thousands of people strolled the streets of downtown Kinston lined with almost two hundred vendors from all over. After a night storm interrupted the festivities, throngs of people returned for their first taste of the staple eastern North Carolina is known for, BBQ.
As is tradition with the BBQ Fest on the Neuse, Kinston Mayor Dontario Hardy gave ceremonial keys to the city to worthy recipients on the Herritage Street stage. The keys ceremony returned to the BBQ Fest on the Neuse after the pandemic limited the ways communities could honor their most dedicated volunteers. The recipients’ dedication to the city of Kinston has been felt throughout the years as they touched the lives of the community.
Mayor Hardy said, “I’m here today to recognize great individuals in our community. Individuals who have done great work in and around our community.”
He then provided a Mayoral Golden Key to the City to the following recipients:
Robert L. Brown retired from the US Navy after 21 years as a Chief Warrant Officer 3 and was the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, and the First Oak Leaf Cluster. The Kinston native cofounded Lenoir County Crime Stoppers and is a founding member of the Kinston Community Health Center. He was also an Unsung Hero Award Recipient.
Jan Parson is the Kinston-Lenoir County Travel and Tourism Development Authority executive director, formerly the Director of Events and Programs Special Projects, owner of The Broken Eagle Eatery, co-owner of Neuse River Antiques, and has dedicated her time to the BBQ Fest on the Neuse for 16 years.
Anna Bell Car was the founder of Children's Village Academy (CVA) and a well-known business owner who has invested in Kinston with a beauty shop, restaurant, and a daycare. CVA is the first and only existing charter school in Kinston and services the highest economically disadvantaged students.
Joe Hargitt and King's Family restaurant has served the city of Kinston and eastern North Carolina for three generations. They have provided jobs for the people who live in the community and have been an active participant in the BBQ Fest on the Neuse.
