By FULLER ROYAL

For this column, I have decided to offer my own kudos and raspberries wherever I think they are needed.

We already have our “Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down” piece on the editorial page and TV Guide has its “Cheers and Jeers.”

Now I have “Kudos and Raspberries.”

Kudos is another way of saying congratulations for a job well done while “raspberries” is the same thing as the old “Bronx Cheer.” That’s for areas that need some work.

Kudos to Chadbourn’s Peg Kinlaw for the town’s unprecedented feat of raising the money for and, more importantly, building their own playground. No municipal government could have done such a turnkey job.

Raspberries to the City of Whiteville for allowing its oldest park – Felix Smith – to languish. It’s been more than five years since the town ripped up the “fun” playground equipment.

Felix Smith is in the middle of town and normally doesn’t require police protection. It’s a shame it doesn’t have any equipment save for a swing set. It is by far the prettiest park with its beautiful stand of trees.

We need a Peg Kinlaw to take on this project. Yes, the park does flood. But the playground portions could be built long ways on the two sides that stay above the water line and then a meandering elevated boardwalk could be created throughout the trees – without cutting any of them.

Kudos to South Columbus High School for honoring its academic award winners with a banquet. Every local high school has an athletic banquet, but only South has an academic banquet.

Kudos to Fair Bluff Elementary School and its principal, Dr. Jennifer Smith, for the turnaround it has enjoyed. The school nearly closed two years ago. There’s still a lot to do but they are off to a good start.

Raspberries to the powers that be for allowing Fair Bluff to get into that position in the first place.

Kudos to the four county and city high schools for mounting some pretty amazing and difficult musical productions this year.

Raspberries to the parents from each school who didn’t even bother to go and watch their kids perform.

Raspberries to the teachers and fellows students at each school who didn’t bother to go.

Raspberries to any school board members who didn’t make it to at least one of these spectacular shows. We know who you are.

Kudos to the Columbus County Theatre Association for sponsoring the Fourth Annual Discovery Awards. These awards recognize the talent behind those four high school productions.

Kudos to the Whiteville High School newspaper staff. Their eight High Times newspapers this year, printed in broadsheet form on real newsprint and in color, were exceptional. Their paper is the only one in the county printed like that. They also won a national first place honor for their work.

Kudos to the yearbook editors and staffs at each high school for putting together their school’s annuals. It takes a lot of legwork and elbow grease to publish these books.

Kudos to whomever planted the palm trees in downtown Whiteville. They will add a nice touch.

Kudos to innovative business owners throughout the county who are working to improve the appearance of their businesses.

For just one example, take a look at the old Tomlinson’s building in downtown Whiteville. Waccamaw Bank purchased that building and then removed the siding, exposing the original brick veneer.

They added an awning and some paint and turned an eyesore into an asset.

Kudos to forward thinkers like downtown businessman Jim Mauldin who is slowly purchasing one building at a time and renovating it. He has purchased the old Leder Bros. Building in downtown Whiteville and is planning to renovate that.

Kudos to the organizers of the annual Columbus County Celebrate the Arts. This festival continues to be a showcase for the talent in our local schools.

Raspberries to Celebrate the Arts for not having high school-level juried art competition this year. Art students are just as, if not more, competitive than any athlete. They deserve their day in the sun.

In the past, Whiteville High School dominated this competition because it had the strongest high school art program. There was a lot of animosity toward the city.

Today, the county high schools are just as strong, with students from West and East winning major state and national honors including the coveted Scholastic Gold and Silver keys.

These students need local countywide wins for their resumes. First place at one of our local town festivals doesn’t carry the same weight as a first place in a school-sanctioned, county-wide juried competition.

The irony is that one senior from a county school this year was pretty “put-out” that he didn’t have a chance to win anything. He presented excellent work and would no doubt have placed.

If Celebrate the Arts won’t do juried competition next year, then maybe someone else will.

Kudos to Dwight Burleson for his dedication and passion for being our Santa Claus for three decades.

Burleson is recovering from the triple coronary bypass surgery he underwent earlier this month. And what’s his primary concern? Making sure he has time to work on the Santa house and have it ready for this year’s crop of kids (and adults).

I played Santa for five years and it’s no easy task.

Kudos for the joint meeting between the city and county teachers on gang violence. More than 600 teachers and administrators from both systems were on hand to learn what they can do to deter the growth of gangs. It would be nice to see more cross-district activities.

Raspberries to many of our governing bodies, which, as entities, have shown little or no “vision” for the future of this county.

Sure, it costs money to act on a vision, but to sit down and create a vision, there is no charge.

Where are the long-range plans? Where do we want to be in 10 years?

Any good businessman will know where he wants to be one year from now, five years from now and 10 years from now.

Other counties have plans for the future, some of them grandiose. Where are our big thinkers?

Our local governments should look to the Cape Fear Council’s Boy Scouts of America and study the way it comes up with its long-range plans.

The local BSA involves hundreds of citizens, who meet and formulate the plans for the areas they have expertise in.

The Cape Fear Council has carried out nearly 100 percent of every five-year plan it has ever developed and is nearly finished with a $5 million capital improvement campaign.

Believe it or not, it’s not all about water and trash.