SALISBURY - The 2012 edition of the annual October Tour was a stunning success, due largely to the opening of the Hambley-Wallace House.

One of Salisbury's best known and most distinctive homes, it was opened for the first time to the public this year as it begins a new life as a venue for special events.

On Saturday and Sunday hundreds lined the Fulton Street sidewalk to get a glimpse of the home.  One of those who waited was Salisbury resident Liz Hood.  Liz is well known in the area as an entertainer, with particular gifts for singing and performing. 

I asked Liz if she would provide her own look at the experience of seeing the Hambley-Wallace House, and she kindly obliged.  I've also included a brief history of the house provided to WBTV by the Historic Salisbury Foundation.

Saturday I was finally able to see a house I had wanted to see--for years! When we first moved here, our son called it "Kitty's Room Behind the Clock." That was an expression from my mother's family--anything that went missing was in her sister, Kitty's room--behind the clock. Why David, age 3 at the time thought that, I will never know. But so I have thought of it ever since 1971!

KANNAPOLIS - N.C. State University’s Plants for Human Health Institute (PHHI) has developed a new mobile cooling unit for farmers. The five-by-eight-feet refrigerated trailer – called the “Pack ‘N Cool” – is designed to keep fruits and vegetables at ideal temperatures during transport to and from farmers markets or as they’re harvested in farm fields. The Pack ‘N Cool is the program’s latest postharvest quality and food safety project geared toward helping farmers.

Dr. Penelope Perkins-Veazie, professor and postharvest physiologist with PHHI, coordinated the effort to develop a mobile refrigeration unit that agricultural producers can use as a model for building their own versions. The Pack ‘N Cool unit combines the mobility of a cargo trailer with the refrigeration capabilities of a commercial cooler.

With construction spearheaded by Louis Wojciechowski, a lab technician with Perkins-Veazie’s research team, the model unit cost around $3,400 to construct, including a new cargo trailer priced at $1,500 (a pre-owned trailer can reduce costs). Construction guidelines, step-by-step photos and a sample budget are available on the Plants for Human Health Institute website.