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Andrea Despot is the Eden City Hall September Artist of the Month.

Despot, a native of Martins­ville, is a photographer. She graduated from The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and is a photographer with Collinsville Printing Co.

Despot describes her photos on display at City Hall as those of ordinary items photographed to enhance their natural color, texture and shape. Photos of people and places are also included in the exhibit.

Despot studied sketching in high school. She eventually turned to photography.

“The first camera I had, I bought with the money I made baby-sitting during the summer after my freshman year of high school,” she said. “I found that I didn’t take the normal snapshots of my family and friends, but my eyes were drawn more toward ordinary objects.”

Despot, who has won several awards, is a member of the Piedmont Arts Association. Her photographs can be seen in collections in 10 states and the United Kingdom.

Her photos will be on display through the end of the month. They can be viewed weekdays 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Eden City Hall, 308 E. Stadium Drive.

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The Carolina Theatre in Greensboro will screen “Mandie and the Secret Tunnel” at 4 p.m. on Sept. 27, according to a news release on the Greensboro Convention and Visitor Bureau’s Web site. Some scenes of the independent film were shot at Chinqua Penn Plantation.

The filmmakers, Owen Smith and Joy Chapman, will attend the screening, and actors will be available to sign autographs.

Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for children 14 and under. They can be purchased at the box office or online at www.carolinatheatre.com/tickets. There is a discount for groups of 20 or more.

The film, set in the early 1900s, is the coming-of-age story of a girl living on her uncle’s North Carolina estate, where she finds new friends and adventures. It is based on the first in a series of children’s books by Lois Gladys Leppard.

Mike Moore of WLOE/WMYN radio in Eden and Mayodan will also be doing a series of interviews with the filmmakers and actors beginning Tuesday on “Let’s Talk.” Chapman will be on this week’s program, which airs at 11:30 a.m. Moore will be giving away family four packs of tickets on each program.

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The Eden Fire Department is able to purchase more equipment for its firefighters, thanks to a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The fire department received a $244,000 Assistance to Firefighters grant.

The grant was part of $1.3 million awarded to fire departments and organizations in North Carolina.

Bernie Moore, chief of the Eden Fire Department, said the money will be used to buy self-contained breathing apparatus, personal protection equipment and three thermal-imaging cameras.

The cameras, which Moore said are valued at $10,000 each, are used to locate hotspots in building fires. The department owns only one such camera now, he said.

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Mark Wells, executive director of the Rockingham County Business & Technology Center, was the featured speaker at the Aug. 26 Reidsville Kiwanis Club meeting.

Wells told members about the impact of the Horse Park of the South on Reidsville and Rockingham County. He told them the county is ranked sixth in the state in the number of people who own horses, and that Guilford County ranks second.

Wells told the group he expects ground breaking on the horse park to occur in October, and that it is expected to have a direct economic benefit of approximately $15 million a year.

The Reidsville Kiwanis Club meets Thursdays at noon at the Golden Corral on Freeway Drive.

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Derek W. Monjeau is in Basic Cadet Training at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., which will prepare him to begin his freshman year of the academy.

The two-phased training will help Monjeau adjust to military life. He will learn the proper way to wear his uniform, saluting policies and procedures, drill and ceremony, marching and standards for his living quarters.

Phase 2 focuses on living in field conditions. Monjeau will live outdoors in a tent, learning teamwork, cohesion and how to deal with demanding situations. He will undergo obstacle, confidence, assault, and leadership reaction courses, as well as participate in a rescue mission called Operation Warrior.

Monjeau, a 2009 graduate of Rockingham County High School, is the son of Douglas and Mary Monjeau of Eden.

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 627-4881, Ext. 126, or jonnelle.davis@news-record.comCutlineAndrea Despot is Eden’s Artist of the Month for September. Her photos are on display at Eden City Hall through the end of the month.