realizing that the career he wants will require a master’s degree, and, I believe, quietly wondering if he’s got the stuff to make that happen for himself.
by Brian Clarey
t’s fullon au tumn, and I can see from the win dow of my home office that the leaves are wilting on the trees. As the sun pulls away, taking with it the nourishing heat they’ve known their whole lives, they mature; their shade darkens; they prepare for freefall.
In the spring and summer, all leaves look the same. They do not take on their individual colors until the end, when every leaf is different.
Looking at the treeline as the autumnal fire blooms, one could be forgiven for thinking that the leaf’s entire purpose is to be part of that magnificent tapestry that turns our canopy into a cozy, patchwork blanket so that we can look at it in wonder, smell the cold air tinged with woodsmoke and take comfort as the end of the cycle approaches.
We’re not quite there yet down here, but up in Boone, where two of my own offspring live, the fall colors are just about to surface.
Our oldest should graduate from Appalachian State University this year, with a lot of ground to cov er before spring. He’s now fully
He does. He does. Whether or not he’ll tap into that reservoir of talent and strength remains to be seen; all I can do is watch.
After a couple pandemic years at App State, our middle child has found their tribe, is crafting an academic plan, isstarting to see the hazy outlines of their future. Still mostly green, that one’s potential is starting to make itself known. Like the turning of the leaves, it happens slowly and then all at once. Blink, and you might miss it.
Our last leaf still lives at home, but already she’s starting to display her colors. She’s got prospects, and my unspoken fear is that after she leaves for a fancy college, she’ll get swept up in the maelstrom of career and ambition that pulls in high achievers like a tornado does to a double-wide.
She’ll be fine. Not so sure about us.
Right now, it’s hard not to think about what a tree looks like at the end of autumn when all of its leaves have fallen, black and skeletal against a white winter sky.
LeBlanc
“Assembly” @ Greensboro Project Space (GSO) 7 p.m.
Each year, the NC Dance Festival, co ordinated by Dance Project in Greens boro, brings professional modern and contemporary performances to various venues in the state. NCDF Trailblazer Awardee Tommy Noonan draws inspi ration from his work with NC-based art ists, Restorative Justice specialists and more to form this single performance by Norwegian/Israeli artist/activist Mia Habib. For more information, visit danceproject.org/ncdf.
Foot Smarts Trivia @ Foothills Brewing (W-S) 8 p.m.
Aesthetic Abstractions by Kimberly Varnadoe & Reflections in Abstraction by James Gemma @ Artworks Gallery (W-S) 7 p.m.
Artworks Gallery presents two new exhibitions this month. Kimberly Varna doe creates chaotic yet orderly abstract paintings that tell stories of her expe riences with grief, loss, love and more.
In his abstract works, James Genna uses bold colors and shapes to explore the artistic relationship between them. Visit artworks-gallery.org for more information.
Parents & Toddlers: Bat Masks @ Piedmont Environmental Center (HP) 10 a.m.
During this hike with a PEC naturalist, parents and toddlers will learn about the habits and diets of bats. Then, create a bat mask to take home and enjoy. Call 336.883.8531 for more information.
Pumpkin Patch Festival 2022 @ McLaurin Farms (GSO) 10 a.m.
Gather your team of no more than six and test your knowledge during this exciting game of trivia. Visit the event page on Facebook for more informa tion.
First Friday Drum Circle @ Center City Oval Lawn & Pavilion (GSO) 6:30 p.m.
High Point Food Truck Rodeo @ Downtown (HP) 3 p.m.
McLaurin Farms’ Pumpkin Patch Festi val includes pumpkins for carving and/ or photos, grain train rides, a petting zoo and more family-friendly activities. Purchase tickets at https://mclaurin farms.com
Sharing Smiles Book Launch @ The Blooming Board (HP) 1 p.m. Join author Suzanne Santomieri for a discussion of her new children’s book “Sharing Smiles” about cleft lip and palate. Ticket includes a copy of “Shar ing Smiles,” light snacks and a glass of wine. A portion of each ticket sale will be donated to Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft charity. Purchase tickets at sharingsmilesbooklaunch.eventbrite. com
There’s seafood, burgers, sweet treats and more to indulge in at the High Point food truck rodeo. Head to Truist Stadium at the corner of Elm and Church Ave for your favorite foods. Follow High Point Food Truck Rodeo on Facebook for updates.
Young, Smart and Local Opening Reception @ Tanger Center for the Performing Arts (GSO) 5 p.m.
Join Healing Earth Rhythms for this free drum circle experience perfect for sharing with friends. Participants can also try acro-yoga, traditional Maori poi dancing and more. For more informa tion, visit www.greensborodowntown parks.org/thingstodo.
Elsewhere’s 13th Extravaganza 2022: Nightmare on S. Elm Street @ Elsewhere (GSO) 7 p.m. Elsewhere’s eerie extravaganza and fundraiser includes queer and trans-BI POC street vendors, Black-owned food trucks, a hell lounge and haunted mu seum tours. At 8, the Nightmare Party features a costume contest, spooky cocktails and more. Find more infor mation and purchase tickets at bit.ly/ nightmareonselmst
Greensboro is hosting this year’s Young, Smart and Local national conference, a three-day convention “designed to inform and engage lead ers from higher education, business, government, economic development, and community organizations on best practices around talent growth and attraction.” During this opening recep tion, join Nancy Vaughan, Mayor of Greensboro and G.T. Bynum, Mayor of Tulsa, OK as they discuss their mean ings of talent growth as city leaders. Visit youngsmartandlocal.com for more information and to register.
After five hours of contentious com ments and debate, Greensboro City Council passed three amendments to existing ordinances that critics say criminalize poverty and homelessness.
Council split along racial lines on two of them, with all of the Black members voting against and the white members voting in favor. After hearing comments from several speakers who opposed the changes, Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson suggested that council take more time to analyze the changes. She also suggested creating a focus group made up of homeless individuals, volunteer groups and down town businesses to come up with solutions, rather than penalties. The four Black members of council — Yvonne Johnson, Sharon Hightower, Hugh Holston and Goldie Wells — voted to table the amendments but ultimately the vote failed.
Mayor Nancy Vaughan who has been in support of these amendments said that she didn’t want to “kick the can down the road” and that the issues were about “public safety.”
“This is a public safety issue, to people not only in the homeless community, but to other people who frequent places not only in downtown, but throughout our city,” Vaughan said. “And quite frankly, it has only gotten worse.”
The adopted amendments are as follows:
● Sec. 16-10 was changed to state that anyone who leaves objects on the street or in a public space would be charged with a Class 3 misdemeanor and fined a maximum of $50. Previously, the wording of the ordinance was such that people who left “injurious objects” left behind would be in viola tion. However, the amendment passed on Monday took out the wording to state that “any object, substance, or waste” left in a public place would be considered.
○ This amendment passed 5-4 with Mayor Vaughan, Marikay Abuzuaiter, Zack Matheny, Tammi Thurm and Nancy Hoffman voting in favor.
● Sec. 18-44 was changed to specify that anyone or object that prevents 36 inches of clear access “to freely pass through a sidewalk, public passageway or entrance or exit to a building” would be charged with a misdemeanor and fined up to $50. Previously, the wording of the ordinance was more broad and simply stated those who “unreasonably obstructed” areas would be in violation. Added to the ordinance was a part that included not just persons blocking areas, but objects as well.
○
This amendment passed 6-3 with Mayor Vaughan, Abuzuaiter, Matheny, Thurm, Mayor Pro-tem Johnson and Hoffman voting in favor.
● Sec. 18-50 was changed to state that those who use amplified sound using a radio, stereo, CD player or cassette player within 30 feet from a building would be in violation. A penalty was not included in the amended ordinance. City councilmembers, at the urging of councilmember Hightow er, made an amendment to the ordinance on Monday evening, to include that protests and rallies would be exempt from this rule.
○ This amendment passed unanimously.
While the final amendment appeared to be targeted at street preachers known as the Black Israelites or Radical Hebrew Israelites who often set up in downtown Greensboro according to Yes! Weekly, the other two amendments target the homeless community directly, critics said on Monday.
“These individuals are people, humans deserving of fair treatment and respect,” said Heather Griffin, a local volunteer who helps feed the homeless population downtown. “Most homeless people travel with their belongings on them. They either have a suitcase or some kind of cart, sometimes it’s a backpack. If they leave it un attended, there’s probably a reason. Nobody wants all of their life possessions, their harmless possessions, thrown away simply because they went to get food or went to use the restroom. You can tell whether something is someone’s belongings or whether it is something that’s harmful.”
In previous reporting, Triad City Beat talked to a handful of people experiencing homelessness downtown. Many of them had backpacks or small bundles of items they carried with them to survive. One man, Dwayne Chapman, told TCB that he has some stuff, but it’s not much because he’s disabled and has to carry everything with him.
“Everything I own is right here,” Chapman said as he pointed to a few backpacks, some blankets, a sleeping bag and some snacks. “I don’t want a lot of stuff because I don’t want to carry it.”
As someone experiencing homelessness, Chapman is now vulnerable to being targeted by the new ordinance because he lives outside.
Paulette Montgomery, a vocal critic of city council, noted that if the changes were adopted, it could be life threatening for some on the streets.
“Trash is how I’ve heard of the unhoused belongings being referred to,” Mont gomery said. “I don’t know if you realize what could happen by removing a person’s belongings — a blanket to keep warm, water, clothes and maybe medicine to keep them alive. If you have a diabetic out there who takes insulin and you take those be longings, what’s going to happen to them? ... Are they just going to die on the streets from diabetic ketoacidosis? If they pass out and block the sidewalk are you going to fine them for obstruction too?”
s speaker after speaker — in total more than 20 — objected to the changes to the ordinances, many targeted councilmember Matheny directly. Matheny, who joined city council in July, has been concerned with safety and cleanliness in downtown, particularly in the parks, since his election a few months ago. As the president of Downtown Greensboro, Inc., Matheny’s involvement on city council is seen as a direct conflict of interest by many in the community. As reported by TCB on Sept. 29, Matheny has been vocal about trash left behind by volunteer groups that serve food to the homeless commu nity downtown. During a Sept. 1 coun cil work session, Matheny suggested that the groups should have to obtain licenses to continue doing the work that they do. However, his suggestion did not make it onto the calendar for Monday’s meeting.
Despite the many jabs at Matheny, he also appeared to be the only city council member who brought forth a potential solution that could help the homeless population. He voted in favor of all three amendments but also asked city staff to dig into the city’s contract with the Partnership Homes from
American Photorealism
Through December 31, 2022
Reynolda On the House · Saturday, October 15
Enjoy a visit to the Museum “on the house,” free of charge.
Includes a pop-up display of vintage cars by The Winston Cup Museum and a Chrome Dreams-inspired art activity for the family.
Presenting Sponsor: Salemtowne Retirement Community
Chrome Dreams Major Sponsor
2021. Last December, the city entered into an agreement with the nonprofit, which bought the old Regency Hotel and converted it into emergency winter housing for 100 homeless people. After being used for one season, the building has sat vacant for months.
“It is the epitome of what the city should be doing,” Matheny said. “Yet, when we bought that building, we didn’t have the plan when the folks move out. So they move out, and that building has been sitting empty since April. That is a problem…. But the city should have at that time when we bought that building, had our own money that when those folks moved out, we begin construction, people would be living in there right now and we could knock about 64 to 100 peo ple off the streets and into a home with wraparound services.”
He then asked staff to come back with a plan within the next two weeks to get permanent supportive housing at the Regency Hotel.
However, City Manager Taiwo Jaiyeoba told Matheny that the city didn’t own the building, but that they could come back with a plan.
Council members also said that if the Regency Hotel is reopened, that they would want to see additional shelters in other parts of the city too, because home lessness isn’t just a downtown problem.
Luis Medina with the Greensboro Working-Class and Houseless Organizing Al liance, said during Monday’s meeting that the group had demands for city council. He listed the need for public showers, bathrooms and water fountains, free public transportation and a houseless bill of rights. Later on during the meeting, coun cilmember Wells pointed to Medina’s solutions as possibilities that the city could look into.
“You say the problem has gotten worse,” Wells said about Vaughan’s comments earlier in the meeting. “They’ve gotten worse because we never found a solution in the first place.”
Wells, Hightower, Johnson and Holston all supported coming up with solutions before voting on the amendments. Hightower even alluded to the fact that coun cil moved quickly on the amendments because of Matheny’s election to council.
“[T]he bottom line is that Zack has been back three months and we’ve jumped through hoops for this,” Hightower said. “And there are ordinances that I have been pushing that have not moved for well over a year. And so, I think that to me, that’s problematic.”
She also had questions about how the ordinanc es would be enforced for people who are already struggling to get by.
“For them, their stuff is their home,” Hightower said. “[W]hat does the enforce ment piece look like if someone leaves their stuff in a doorway?”
Despite support from some of council, community members expressed their lack of belief that as a whole, council would change their minds. Anticipating that they would pass the amendments like they ultimately did, some speakers came with plans on how to continue to support the homeless population.
“I am personally setting up a patrol for downtown,” Montgomery said. “We have several members already and we will go daily, nightly and we will be checking for the so-called trash that you’re saying the organizations that feed the unhoused and the unhoused themselves are leaving behind. If we need to sit with someone’s belongings while they run to the bathroom or get something to eat, we will be doing that also.”
This year’s general election takes place on Nov. 8. Early voting will start on Oct. 20 and runs through Nov. 5. For more information on voting, including how to register, vote by mail and more, visit the Guilford County Board of Elections website.
In the races for Guilford County Commission this November, five of the nine districts will be up for grabs. Commissioners serve staggered four-year terms and are elect ed by district and at-large on even numbered years. Candidates for the at-large seat, District 1, District 2, District 3 and District 7 will face off and the winner will represent the districts for the next four years.
District 1’s representative, Democrat Carlvena Foster, does not have a challenger so she will be the only candidate listed on the ballot.
The Guilford County Board of Commissioners is comprised of nine total seats, including a chairperson and vice chair who are chosen every December to serve the upcoming year. Commissioners are responsible for adopting the annual county budget and establishing the property tax rate as well as adopting local laws. During the pandemic, the county commissioners also acted as the county Board of Health to pass mask mandates countywide.
TCB asked each candidate about their job experience as it relates to serving on the commission, what challenges they think Guilford County is facing, how they would spend federal COVID-19 funding and more. Candidates are listed alphabetically by last name with incumbents listed first.
The at-large seat represents the entirety of Guilford County. The current incumbent is Kay Cashion who has held the seat since 2004 when she was appointed to replace Democrat Jeff Thigpen who went on to become the county’s register of deeds. Cashion faces Republican Alan Branson who served as a county commissioner from 2012-20 when he narrowly lost his re-election bid to Democratic newcom er Mary Beth Murphy.
As an incum bent, Cashion mentioned that her 17 years of ex perience have helped her “get a good understand ing of priori ties.” She has served on multiple budget committees, including the county’s internal budget and the joint school and county budget committee. Despite being a Democrat, Cashion said that her background in running a business for 50 years means that he is “more fiscally conservative, but still has a heart and concern for those who need services.”
When it comes to what the county should be spending more money on,
Cashion said she would prioritize in frastructure, broadband access, home lessness issues and behavioral health services, including transitional housing for women with children who are in recovery.
Cashion has a strong volunteer back ground working with organizations that assist those in recovery, including her time chairing the county Family Justice Center and representing Guilford County on the Sandhills Mental Health Center.
When it comes to affordable housing, Cashion said that the county is working with nonprofit housing providers and with Greensboro and High Point lead ers to alleviate the issue. Cashion also serves on the housing coalition commit tee and on the continuum of care board that addresses homelessness.
As the Republi can candidate, Alan Branson highlighted his fiscally conver sative policies in his answers to TCB. Branson said that during his tenure he helped lower county taxes, something he would push for if re-elected. His priorities include increasing safety and security within the school system,
Branson said. As such, he said he is not in support of defunding law enforce ment and said that “they need more money, not less.”
“We need to provide adequate funding for our EMS, fire and sheriff depart ments,” he said. “We need to offer them good pay and benefits so that more people will join these forces to make our communities safer.”
He noted that the response time of offi cers and the number of shootings each day are of “utmost concern” for him.
In terms of spending, Branson said that the county should focus on spending more money on health and welfare, drug rehabilitation, the Family Justice Center and parks and recreation. Less money should go to nonprofit organiza tions, he said.
To combat the affordable housing crisis, Branson said that the county should “continue strong economic develop ment outreach in both the urban and rural areas of Guilford County.”
District 2 makes up the southernmost portion of Guilford County near Pleasant Garden as well as areas of the west including parts of High Point and Jamestown.
Incumbent Alan Perdue has repre sented District 2 since first elected in 2014. Because he did not send updated answers for the general election, TCB is
using informa tion that Perdue provided for the May primaries.
Perdue men tioned that one of his priorities includes making sure that county departments that provide essential ser vices are adequately staffed. This draws from Perdue’s experience as the former county Emergency Services Director and his time as a volunteer firefighters.
“The county must continue to evaluate their ability to compete and attract qualified
personnel in order to meet the demands placed upon them by the public,” he said.
He also noted that maintaining infra structure while keeping property taxes low is important for him. Like his Re publican colleagues, Perdue said a focus on fiscal conservatism has served him well as incumbent.
“It is vital to understand that simply spending more money on something does not automatically make it better,” he said. ‘It’s what you do with those resources that really matters.”
During his tenure, Perdue said he’s been proud of overseeing projects like the building of the new emergency-services facility, the new animal shelter and the new behavioral health facility.
While Dem ocrat Paul Meinhart has never run for political office, he told TCB that his expe rience work ing as an aide to NC State House Rep. Pricey Harrison from 2004-16 as well as his experience lobbying lawmakers will help his role as a county commissioner. Some of the topics that he is passionate about include environmental/sustain ability, social justice, equality, animal rights and fair/affordable housing is sues. As such, Meinhart told TCB plain ly that the biggest challenge to Guilford County currently is “the threat to democracy, brought on by authoritari an, right-wing fascists ie; Maga Repub licans and the majority of the current Republican party.”
He said that he believes in safe, afford
able access to abortion, same sex mar riage, safety protocols during pandemics and in democracy.
If elected, Meinhart said that he would also bring his professional experience working as a state-licensed general con tractor to the role.
“I have a keen insight into zoning and development issues, housing issues and codes and ordinances,” he said.
Given his background, he said that there is no easy, simple solution when it comes to affordable housing.
“There are so many variables involved,” he said. “There are private landlords, slum lords, commercial landlords; they all have different dynamics involved. Ul timately, human greed and profit is the main culprit behind real estate prices, so we need to start there.”
One area where Meinhart and his op ponent agreed was in law enforcement. Meinhart called the idea of defunding police “ridiculous” and said that more money is needed to properly compen sate officers. However, he does support reform, stating that “anyone who is
racist, homophobic, belongs to rightwing hate groups or has a history of criminal violence, should not be in law enforcement.”
DISTRICT 3
District 3 starts in the center of Greensboro and makes its way up towards the northwestern portion of Guilford County near Oak Ridge and Stokesdale.
The decision by District 3 incumbent Justin Conrad to not run for re-elec tion opens up the seat for a new face.
Political newcomer Derek Mobley faces long-time school board member Pat Tillman.
Democrat Derek Mobley currently works as a quantitative analyst, building mathematical models to predict how customers’ financial choices will affect the company. This experience, he said, would translate well to working as a county commissioner because of his in sight into how people respond to policy
decisions as well as his financial accounting and economics back ground.
As for his priori ties, Mobley said that combatting generational poverty and
violent crime are at the top of this list. He also said he wants to invest more in public schools and in first responders to alleviate the issues listed above. He also sees affordable housing and substance abuse as issues to tackle but said that job training and education programs for youth could help with those.
In addition to increasing pay for first responders, Mobley said he supports more funding for schools for infrastruc ture and educator pay. Looking back on past commissioner’s decisions, Mobley said that if it were up to him, he would have provided some property tax relief as well.
Building on his priority of decreasing
violent crime, Mobley said that he believes that too much money is spent on prisons and not enough is spent on actual law enforcement.
“Most developed countries have larger police forces than ours per person and less strict sentencing for offenses,” he said. “This makes it easier to deter crime and keep more non-violent offenders from going to prison, which can create lifelong obstacles that are difficult to overcome. I think we should spend our resources staffing our police force with well-trained officers instead of filling the jails.”
Pat Tillman currently serves as the school board member for District 3, a seat he won in 2016.
Because he did not send up dated answers for the general election, TCB is using information that Tillman provided for the May primaries.
As a school board member, Tillman said that one of his priorities if elected to county commission is funding the schools. He said that funding career academies, which provide training for students in areas such as health science, manufacturing and IT, will help to “reimagine public education.” Tilllman also said that the county needs to focus more on job creation and retention, noting that as a whole, more workers are moving to the Triangle and to Charlotte.
In terms of budgeting, Tillman said he would want funding to be focused on three areas: health and human services, education and public safety. He would look more closely at commissioners receiving raises and the 208 staff posi tions that make up the county for “any efficiencies there.”
Like many other candidates running for county commission, Tillman said that he supports funding law enforcement to attract and retain personnel.
He said that his vision for Guilford County is for it to be the most business friendly county in the southeast, the
safest county and the cleanest and most welcoming one in the region.
District 7 covers the multicultural southeastern suburbs of the city then runs along the eastern side of Greensboro, hooking slightly to the west before the lakes.
Frankie T. Jones, Jr. was first appointed to the District 7 seat after longtime incumbent Carolyn
Coleman, who had held the seat since 2005, passed away in late January at the age of 79.
As a new incumbent, Jones said that his priorities are affordable housing, economic development, education and health and human services. Since joining the board in March, Jones said his proudest accomplishments include helping get the school bonds passed, co-hosting a property tax town hall in Southeast Greensboro, working to allocate COVID-19 funds, passing a budget that included pay increases for educators and spending time mentoring youth in custody at the juvenile deten tion center.
Jones also noted that his professional experience working as an attorney, as well as the vice president in the invest ments department for Lincoln Finan cial, has come in handy during his time on the board.
“As an attorney, I have significant experience in advocating for others,” he said. “This experience translates into my ability to effectively advocate for the needs of the community.”
Part of advocating for the community includes pushing for affordable hous ing, which Jones said is critical. He said the county should explore diverse housing options and solutions including having more streamlined and consistent property permitting regulations. Jones is also focused on funding the health department, which would help commu
nities affected by infant mortality and hypertension.
“One potential solution is working with local health networks to support the creation of additional mobile units that can go to communities to deliver health services,” he said.
In addition to funding health and affordable housing, Jones said that more money should be spent on mental-health services to divert people from expensive trips to the emergency room. He also supports raising teacher pay and attracting high-paying jobs to Guilford County.
In terms of law enforcement, Jones said that he supports more training for officers, as well as community policing models. More resources and a focus on recruitment, is also important, he said.
According to Kenny Ab be’s candidate website, the Republican can didate supports transparency in government, the Second Amendment,
tax cuts, funding education and smaller government.
Abbe notes that he would not support tax increases and is actively against mask mandates, vaccine mandates or “other restrictions that infringe on indi vidual rights, business and commerce, or travel.”
Are there any unde cided voters left in regards to the Senate race in North Carolina? The choices are as stark as they come: a highly accom plished Black woman against a white male who voted to overturn the 2020 election. There is a lot more to it than that, of course, but it’s hard to imagine anyone who knows anything to be weighing this decision at this late date. So everyone knows who they are go ing to vote for, but no one knows what is going to happen.
You cannot ger rymander an entire state, you see.
On top of that, for just the second time in more than 10 years and after many, many lawsuits, NC voters will be voting in fairly drawn districts — fair enough, anyway, that even House Whip Jon Hardister, who is a part of Republican leadership in Raleigh, finds himself in a district that leans, ever so slightly, blue.
website and is not responding to interview requests from reporters.
Because you never know.
We don’t know who will win the down-ballot races, just as we don’t know who will win the Senate race, which means we don’t know what the balance of power will be in Washington, DC. So many questions, so few ways to answer them before Election Day.
Compounding the normal pre-election soul-searching is the seismic development in March — when independent voters became the largest political party in the state.
Everyone knows who they are going to vote for, but no one knows what is going to happen.
Plenty of them are extremists from both sides, unaffil iated because the parties don’t go far enough in their ideologies. Most, we suspect, are fed-up moderates. But don’t quote us on that, be cause we’re not really sure.
Fortunately for him, his oppo nent, Sherrie Young, caught a gun charge last month. But these days, there’s no telling how that might play to the GOP base, so Hardis ter must keep campaigning, even though his recently-arrested com petitor has not been campaigning, has not yet made a campaign
Even the US Supreme Court has put NC’s swirling, enigmatic elec torate on hold. Though they have agreed to hear Moore v. Harper — which if overturned would give all state legislatures, and not just NC’s, the power to overturn elec tions — the case has been pushed off the October and November dockets for the Supremes.
And people are not too sure about those folks either.
BY MIKE WILEY
o you want to do this?” Clarey writes in a forwarded email from the newly renamed Carolina Classic Fair. I scan it and the words “GUEST FOOD AND DRINK JUDGE” burn into my soul.
I respond immediately with a simple “YES.” Yes. Hell yes. YES, A MILLION TIMES YES. The vague “I’ve Got the Golden Ticket” melody starts to play on repeat in the back of my mind. Fuck the Pulitzer, the burgeoning journalis tic dreams I curated as an 8-year-old have now been actualized and I can retire and operate a moderately successful laser tag center/puppy store in a suburban haunted house. I don’t even scan the date or time. I’ll make it work, like anyone with an almost clinical case of FOMO and a habit of overstretching themselves almost always does.
I arrive at the fairgrounds half expecting to line up outside the gates and be welcomed in by some carny version of Willy Wonka, smoking a Pall Mall and nursing a hangover. Maybe they’ll sing a couple of songs along the way. Sure, I can be Charlie. I’m teamed with the other writers and my internal Wonka soundtrack goes into overdrive. There’s the freelancer, the magazine editor, the influencer, radio guy, even a morning anchor.
Bellies empty, we are given clipboards and led through the gates. I’ve never judged food, officially. I assume it’s a combination of taste vs. execution. Our first piece is from the Gummy Bear Guy. I was still in a daze from the pageantry one encounters upon entering a fair, so when I was handed a set of chopsticks and bowl of ramen, I didn’t think twice. Open ing the styrofoam cup revealed noodles, and pieces of carrots and peas. It wasn’t ramen. One taste and my internal Grandpa Joe pipes up with “That’s not Ramen, that’s candy, Charlie!” The Gummy Bear Guy had expanded his repertoire and pulled a fast one: Gummy Ramen. And we’re off.
What follows is a whirlwind of the savory, the sweet and the bizarre. Next up is Chester’s and their fried-pickle nachos. We are handed what they called a quarter of an order; it weighs a pound. Glorious. I scarf it, while the influencer looks for the best lighting in the full sun. Radio guy, a longtime
journalist and old friend, tells me to pace myself. Whatever, Wonka. A flash of Violet popping in a piece of gum appears, but I push it away. We stop at Stone Cold to get a bracing shot of sparkling espresso, and we keep going. All good. There’s only six spots on the ballot. We’re good! Freelancer turns her ballot over to reveal eight more stops on the back. Shit. The 6 places on the clipboard they provided have a 1-5 rating system for Taste of Item, Uniqueness of Item, and of course, Presentation. A plate of salmon tenders with a deep-fried crab ball over fries with more crab and a lemon sauce from a place called “Serving and Swerving” ap
appears before me. It’s bliss. A mariachi band begins to play in the distance and I wonder about food hallucinations. We move on, all accounted for. No losses or strangely appropriate punishments yet. Grandpa Joe decided to take a quick nap.
Miller and Company pass out a small cup of lemonade with pickles floating inside. It’s surprisingly refreshing. The Pick leback movement has finally expanded to the masses. I start to flag. We see the mariachi band stop and play at the sher iff’s HQ and I sigh with relief that I didn’t imagine them. I’m handed a bag with pastry that resembles a loofah. It’s a sugar waffle from Ross Confections. I realize why it’s in a bag when I take a bite and am immediately covered in powdered sugar. Looking like a drug mule walking away from a car wreck, I follow the crew to the Appalachian Mountain Brewery tent to try a cider they had named after the Carolina Classic Fair. The pacing of the tour was starting to become clear. A drink, a savory and a sweet, repeat.
We received a plate of breaded fish and Taki snacks that had been dyed with food coloring. One plate was a deep burnt orange while the counter part was an aquamarine shade that made the fish filet resemble a freshly used bar towel after someone spills a Blue Motorcycle. Each color-coded plate came with its own color-coded drink, probably the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted, very similar to the thawed out Icee stick I would rip open and down as a child.
I make a mental note to go get some bloodwork done as we are handed a peach sundae from the place with the old John Deere engine that also makes ice cream.
This is now a marathon.
The Struggle Bus hands out a cup of an apple-pie macchiato and, de spite my newly acquired lactose intolerance, I down it for the energy (and
because it’s absolutely delicious.). From there, we go from a nut-covered turtle funnel cake to a cotton-candy funnel cake. The latter resembles a Smurf that was perhaps in an industrial accident.
At our last stop, I look around and we haven’t lost anyone. I accept the fact that I will not inherit the fair, or a great glass elevator.
I blink away tears as I’m handed a “Carolina Classic BBQ Bomb” from Fork’et Me Not. A mac and cheese bowl covered in barbecue wrapped in pastry stares back. I want to enjoy it, I really do, but Icarus has flown too close to the sun.
We say our goodbyes, hand back our ballots and I stroll back to the car, wondering where I can catch a nap before work.
Maybe there’s a song in it.
Celebrating 85 Years of NCCJ serving the Triad
Addy & Paul Jeffrey and Linda & Tom Sloan
WHEN: Wednesday, November 9, 2022 5:45PM Reception 6:45 - 9PM Dinner & Program
WHERE: Join us in-person or virtually (your choice.) In-person guests will gather in the Guilford Ballroom at Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.
For virtual guests, we’ll send you the information you need to tune in for the livestream from 7:15 – 9PM. Each virtual guest in the Triad area will also receive a voucher for a takeout meal from Green Valley Grill in Greensboro.
QUESTIONS? Contact Gloria Hoover at ghoover@nccjtriad.org or 336-272-0359 x 160.
Rhonda’s Rites of Passage runs through this weekend at the Mountcas tle Forum inside the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts in downtown Win ston-Salem, with performances on Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. Visit intothearts.org for more information.
Every hero’s journey is the same, according to Christopher Vogler, a 12-step process that’s the same for them all, from Odysseus to the Lion King.
The Hero’s Journey embarked upon by Rhonda Morgan Lee starts where they all do: In the ordinary world, which for Rhonda means her job at the dentist’s office, her well-meaning but bumbling husband, her bratty adult children, her ailing granny, her busybody friends.
But as the audience soon finds out, there’s more to her than she lets on.
The arc of Rhonda’s Rites of Passage, a production of the 40+ Stage Co. running through this weekend at the small theater in the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts, actually begins years earlier, when the lead character turned down a promising acting scholarship to start a family in North Car olina. Rhonda gets the “Call to Adventure,” Stage 2 in the Hero’s Journey, in the form of another acting gig, an off-Broadway apprenticeship in New York City.
Playwright Grace Ellis admits to a drop of autobiography in the plot: She, too, had an opportunity to study theater for a year in New York when she was in her early forties, though Ellis says she did not endure Stage 3 of the Hero’s Journey, “Refusal of the Call,” or Stage 6, “Tests, Allies, Enemies,” on her way to Hunter College back in the 1990s. But she did “Return with the Elixir,” Stage 12, in the form of a wealth of theater knowledge and a new mentor, Tina Howe, the award-winning playwright.
Ellis has written dozens of plays since then, most of them shorts, and a few of them brought to life in various formats, most often community theater. Rhonda’s Rites of Passage, she says, was finalized back in 2017
and performed exactly once before, in a workshop read-through with the Greensboro Playwrights Forum.
This is the first full staging of Rhonda’s Rites of Passage, in a modest, community-theater setting but with sophisticated staging and blocking. The backdrop of the set represents Rhonda’s subconscious, filled with ran dom items and some other props that come into play as the story unfolds. Visible garment racks hold costume changes, which the actors often swap right on stage. A diverse ensemble cast, including local theater veterans Pam Berrins, Layla Grace and Patsy B. Hawkins, and UNCSA professor Geordie MacMinn, wrangle more than 15 roles. Lauren Rahill, as the lead, brings a large stage presence and strong vocal chops to the role.
Ellis’ classical training shines through in Rites, even beyond her ad herence to the Vogler’s Hero’s Journey: There’s a musical number, some scene-in-scene work, a little bit of slapstick.
“They are calling it a comedy,” Ellis said, “but it’s not always funny.”
It also harkens back to another classic, A Doll’s House, a Norwegian play by Henrik Ibsen from 1879, about a woman, Nora, who abandons her family to find fulfillment in a male-dominated world — the original Gone Girl, though far more controversial in its time.
Both end at Stage 9, “Reward” — Rhonda preps the night before leaving for New York; Nora makes a fantastic exit from Torvald’s mansion.
There’s a line about Ibsen in the script, and the program references the sequel, A Doll’s House 2, from Lucan Hnath in 2017, in which Nora reckons with the family she abandoned 15 years earlier for her own Hero’s Journey.
Spoiler: It doesn’t go well.
The Hero’s Journey can be a messy one — see Stage 7, the “Innermost Cave” — but in Rhonda’s alternate universe, a happy ending is implied — at least for her. Things worked out for Ellis, too, who watched the premiere with her husband from the back row.
BY CAROLYN DE BERRY
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