South Point marching band lands sweet deal with Dewey’s
Article Published by: gastongazette.com
A pop-up bakery is serving up tasty treats to support South Point High’s marching band.
That familiar aroma of sweet desserts that accompanies the holidays hits the senses the moment you open the door of Dewey’s Bakery on Wilkinson Boulevard in Belmont. The Winston-Salem-based bakery opens several seasonal shops for about a month during the holidays, this one being the only such location in Gaston County.
Students, teachers and parents are all volunteering to run the shop, which opened last week and closes after Christmas Eve. And 35 percent of all profits will go directly to the South Point High Band Boosters.
“I’m just glad that I know that I’m helping the arts community and the arts program keep going on at school because that’s very important to me and if we didn’t fund raise it just wouldn’t exist anymore,” said Elise Gray, a junior who plays alto saxophone in the marching band. She began working at the bakery Wednesday afternoon.
Customers can peruse the bakery’s many varieties of Moravian sugar cakes— a cinnamon coffee-cake type dessert popularized in the Winston-Salem area – cookies, hot chocolate, coffee, apple butter, pumpkin butter, Southern cheese straws and more.
South Point Band Boosters President Rhoda Berry asked Dewey’s if they could open and operate the shop earlier this year to offset the band’s expenses. She says the band has to raise about $48,000 every year to pay for its operations, including performing at football games and parades, instrument repair, purchasing new instruments, paying instructors, and special events, such as playing at the Russell Athletic Bowl last year in Orlando, Fla.
“We have to raise basically all the funds for us to do basically everything that we do,” said Berry, who has a daughter in the marching band. Eighty-six total students play in the marching band.
On top of that, the band purchased $41,000 worth of new uniforms this season. They were able to raise most of the money by working concession stands at Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Knights games. They also hold other fundraisers throughout the year, such as selling fresh fruit.
Want a taste?
Dewey’s Bakery is located in the strip mall at 7005 Wilkinson Blvd. in Belmont, next to the Dairy Queen.
The shop is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day through Dec. 23. It is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
But Berry saw Dewey’s Bakery as a great fundraising opportunity.
She was able to obtain the store’s location in a strip mall and the electricity to run it for free through a donation from the strip mall’s s owner, Charles Cato, who owns a mobile home park and other rental properties in the area. Dewey’s provided all the product on consignment, along with cleaning supplies, trash bags, toilet paper and more.
“They have been phenomenal,” said Berry.
Berry is hopeful the store will become a hit and bring in some more money for the band to keep on marching long after the holidays.
“If we do well, we’re hoping to do it every year,” she said.
About Scott Livengood
Scott Livengood is the owner and CEO of Dewey’s Bakery, Inc., a commercial wholesale bakery with a respected national brand of ultra premium cookies and crackers.
Previously, Scott worked at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts for 27 years, starting as a trainee in 1977. He was appointed President of the company in 1992, then CEO and Chairman of the Board.
Scott has served on numerous boards including the Carter Center, the Calloway School of Business and the Babcock School of Management, Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County, and the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce.
He started a new business, StoryWork International, in 2016 with Richard Stone. The signature achievement to date is LivingStories, a story-based program for improved patient experiences and outcomes in partnership with Novant Health.
