Town of Benson, NC

06/12/2026

The Mary Duncan Public Library kicked off its 2026 Summer Reading program this morning (6-12-26) at the Lee Street Gym with the first Big Friday Event featuring Science Heroes!

There were all kinds of fun interactive demonstrations including lessons on air pressure, gravity, wind resistance, and more! Check it out!

Want to get in on the Summer Reading 2026 fun? Check out the full June 2026 schedule in this post! Don't miss Summer Reading Story Time on Monday at 10am at the library (319 S. Elm Street)!

06/12/2026

This week, we stopped by the Benson Fire Department to check out the latest addition to its fleet — a Polaris Ranger XP1000 UTV!

The BFD was able to purchase this UTV entirely through fundraising — no resident tax dollars or town budgeted funds were used. When you buy a golf cart raffle ticket during Mule Days, this is the type of thing that your money goes to support — equipment purchases, upgrades, and other things to help our firefighters better serve their community. A huge THANK YOU to everyone that participates in the raffle each year!

Side by sides have become popular with fire departments nationwide, especially departments that serve more rural areas. They can make their way into wooded areas, squeeze through trails and tight spaces, and are also more convenient for crowded events like Mule Days or the Run for the Brave 5K.

This new BFD UTV even has red emergency lights, a water tank, onboard chainsaw and winch, plus the ability to mount a Stokes basket/stretcher! It’s already been used on a few emergency calls!

On Thursday morning (6-11-26), we tagged along with Fire Chief Alan Johnson and new Fire Engineer Aidan Gathright as he navigated the UTV training course. We’ll let Chief Johnson tell you more about everything! Check it out!

06/11/2026

🦖 Spotted yesterday (6-10-26) at the Mary Duncan Public Library:

Wednesday morning's Toddler Story Time was the perfect preview for this year's Summer Reading program! The theme was dinosaurs and the kids got to do a classic craft — paint their own dino and name them! Check it out!

Don't forget! Summer Reading Swag Bags — with reading logs and all kinds of cool stuff — are available to pick up at the Mary Duncan Public Library (319 S. Elm) now!

This year's program will officially begin tomorrow (6-12-26) with the first Big Friday Show at the Lee Street Gym (312 S. Lee Street) at 10am! We'll see you there! Check out the full June schedule in this post!

06/10/2026

🎶 Kick off your weekend a little early tomorrow night (6-11-26) with the third Benson Area Chamber of Commerce, Inc. Sundown in Downtown concert of the year featuring Band of Oz!

💿 DJ Butch Halpin begins at 6pm
🎸 Band of Oz will take the stage at 7pm
🛍️ Come early and stroll Downtown Benson, NC before the show!

06/10/2026

💧Voluntary Water Conservation Request (6-10-26)

Due to current river levels and ongoing drought conditions, the Town of Benson is encouraging customers to employ voluntary conservation measures and limit non-essential water uses.

▶️ Non-essential water use is any use other than for drinking, healthcare, fire emergencies, or that does not significantly affect public health, safety, sanitation, or critical economic activities.

Reducing non-essential use during drought conditions helps to ensure that the water supply will be continuously available for essential uses such as drinking, healthcare, and fire emergencies.

Thank you for your assistance in area water conservation!

06/09/2026

LIVE BOC MEETING REMINDER (6-9-26):

Tonight's Benson Board of Commissioners meeting will go live on YouTube at 7pm.

▶️ Follow this link to view:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwyRPjnoG8w

📥View agenda here:
https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Organization/1593

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

06/08/2026

🥎 SOFTBALL REMINDER (6-8-26):
Registration is now open for Adult Co-Ed Softball AND Adult Men's Softball at Benson Parks and Recreation!

Note : You still will bring your own team, but each player must sign up individually rather than registering the team as a whole

▶️ Reminder — online registration and payments for Parks programs is now quicker and easier! If you want to register and pay online for Benson Sports simply follow this link:

https://www.townofbenson.com/FormCenter/Parks-and-Recreation-Registration-3/ADULT-REGISTRATION-FORM-42

‼️You will be redirected to the Parks online payment portal after clicking SUBMIT on the form.

‼️PLEASE NOTE: A 3.75% fee ($2.50 minimum) is included when using online payments. If you prefer to pay in cash, just close the payment portal page. Cash or check payments are accepted at Parks & Rec located at 403 S. Elm Street.

☀️ Looking for 2026 youth Summer Camps registration? Click here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GayWuSwuS/

06/08/2026

We want to shoutout two of our employees in Public Works — Doug Jackson and Dylan Rhodes — for helping the Code Enforcement Office with some cleanup late last month! Thanks guys for helping keep Benson beautiful!

Here’s what Code Enforcement Officer Marc Martinez had to say about their efforts in a letter of appreciation:

“I want to take this opportunity to formally thank Public Utilities Specialists Doug Jackson and Dylan Rhodes for supporting me while performing some much-needed cleanup at multiple locations throughout town.

Due to their forward leaning readiness, they prepared all necessary equipment including the operational checks of vehicles and leaf-vacs the night prior, saving time and expediting the completion of the task.

In all, we successfully abated one public nuisance and beautified four other locations in less than 90 minutes. Their can-do attitude, willingness to work as a team, and professionalism make them excellent ambassadors for the Town.”

📸 In the photos:
Doug and Dylan with Interim Town Manager Tanner O’Quin and Code Enforcement Officer Marc Martinez.

06/08/2026

BENSON BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING REMINDER:

The regular Town of Benson Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday (6-9-26) at 7pm will be live-streamed on the Town’s YouTube channel (link below) for all to view. The meeting will be held in the Benson Conference Center (303 E. Church Street).

This meeting will also include a public hearing to receive comments pertaining to the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 budget and fee schedule.

The Fiscal Year 2026-2027 draft budget and fee schedule was presented to the Board of Commissioners at their regular meeting on May 21, 2026 and is available for public inspection in the Town Clerk’s office, located within Benson Town Hall.

▶️ You can also view the proposed budget and fee schedule online here: https://www.townofbenson.com/DocumentCenter/View/1863/26-27-Proposed-BudgetFS?bidId=

▶️ The Town of Benson on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com//streams

📲 Full agendas can be viewed here:
https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Organization/1593

The official YouTube channel of the Town of Benson, North Carolina.

06/05/2026

🦖 📖 Summer Reading 2026 starts next week!

Don't forget! Summer Reading Swag Bags — with reading logs and all kinds of cool stuff — will be available to pick up at the Mary Duncan Public Library (319 S. Elm) beginning Monday, June 8!

This year's program will officially begin on June 12 with the first Big Friday Show at the Lee Street Gym (312 S. Lee Street)! We'll let Cultural Arts Director Derrick Barefoot tell you more!

🗓️ See the Summer Reading schedule for June 2026 here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Y5na2JRrk/