Forsyth de-stigmatizingCountysubstance use with drug checks and free Naloxone kits by Kaitlynn Havens | pg. 4 Black Luxe Expo in High Point pg. 8 NC FolkreturnsFestivalpg.11
EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK
2 |FRONTUPSEPT.8-14,2022 1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336.681.0704 First copy is free, all additional copies are $1. ©2022 Beat Media Inc. TCB IN A FLASH @ triad-city-beat.com BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brian brian@triad-city-beat.comClarey PUBLISHER EMERITUS Allen allen@triad-city-beat.comBroach OF COUNSEL Jonathan Jones EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR Sayaka sayaka@triad-city-beat.comMatsuoka CHIEF CONTRIBUTORS Suzy james@triad-city-beat.comJamesFieldersDouglas ART ART DIRECTOR Charlie charlie@triad-city-beat.comMarion SALES KEY ACCOUNTS Chris chris@triad-city-beat.comRudd AD MANAGER Noah noah@triad-city-beat.comKirby CONTRIBUTORS Carolyn de Berry, John Cole, Owens Daniels, Luis H. Garay, Kaitlynn Havens, Jordan Howse, Matt Jones, Autumn Karen, Michaela Ratliff, Jen COVER: The free Naloxone machine in the Forsyth County Detention Center in downtown Winston-Salem. [photo by Jerry Cooper]
The last one ingmornhe routine is so easy now. I nat urally wake up a couple hours earlier than I did when I started driving my kids to school, so impos sibly long ago, and school starts a couple hours later, so what was once a mad dash of breakfasts/ lunches/clean uniforms and other hurdles now seems downright leisurely. There’s just one of them now, instead of three. And this one’s fairly self-suf ficient: listens to her teachers, does her homework, brushes her teeth and all that without us standing over her. Even with one kid in school, the day is still dictated by its bookends: dropoff and pickup. But it’s a far cry from the days when we had three separate schools to navigate, when pickup took a couple hours from start to finish, when my wife would bring office work with her while she waited in three separate queues for ourBecausecharges.this one is the last one. Not only that, she’s in her last year of high school, so this is really it. And already, just a week or so into the school year, she’s waved off her afternoon ride — the one that my wife and I have built our lives around since 2005 — more than once, the way a shooter on the bas ketball court will wave off a pick, preferring to mess around with her friends after school before home work and dinner. Our secret: We love it, the non-ne gotiable pickup and dropoff dates that have buttressed most of our days. We didn’t always, but we do now. We’re hyper aware, my wife and I, that this is the last one, that there’s a finite number attached to those meandering rides to school, those open-ended pickups that sometimes involved sodas or ice cream and, always, candy on Fridays. And so we treasure them like the last few baubles in the bag, circle the days in our calendars, think up subjects to talk about or playlists we want to share on the ride and try not to think about that final circuit to and from school, which we know is coming in June. That will be the Last One.
T If you read then you know... . About Solar Panels in .GreensboroRichardBurr’s legal .problemsWhowon the Wyndham .ChampionshipThelateston the News & Record TRIAD CITY BEAT — If you know, you know To get in front of the best readers in the Triad, contact Chris. chris@triad-city-beat.com Even with one kid, the day is still dictated by its bookends: dropoff and pickup
WEBMASTER Sam LeBlanc Sorensen, Todd Turner by Brian Clarey
A Taste of Gold and Iron with Alexandra Row land @ Glenn McNairy Branch Library (GSO) 6:30 p.m. Author Alexandra Rowland will host an interactive discussion and Q&A session about their newest historical fantasy novel, “A Taste of Gold and Iron.” Call 336.373.2015 to register.
Send your events calendar@triad-city-beat.comto for consideration.
3 202214,-8SEPT.FRONTUP|CITY LIFE SEPT. 8-11
FRIDAY Sept. 9
Find adventure.your
Hispanic League 30th Anniversary
Miracle Heights Adventures engages individuals and groups in experiential learning activities that embody the spirit of adventure, build resilience, and empower collective success. Sign up today for corporate team building or a Pay-to-Play day on the ropes course! 1001 Reynolda Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27104 a program of: TCB-3x10-MHA-2022.indd 1 4/12/2022 11:21:21 AM
Bring in fall with this paint party by Radar Brewing and JK Woodworked Creations where you’ll create your own Hello Fall pumpkin sign. All paints and supplies will be provided. Find more information and register on the event page on Facebook.
Sunshine Breakfast Fundraiser @ Greensboro Farmers Curb Market (GSO) 8:30 a.m. Greensboro Farmers Curb Market invites you to a fundraiser to benefit food security programs at the Market. Chef Denzell Berry will prepare a grilled tortilla topped with eggs and Neese’s sausage and cheese accompanied by sliced apples drizzled in honey and enhanced by orange pecan granola. Head to gsofarmersmarket.org for more informa tion. Black Luxe Expo @ High Point Theatre (HP) 12 p.m. The Black Luxe Expo is a free community festival and trade show highlighting Black-owned busi nesses, entrepreneurs and brands. There will be live entertainment and music, kids’ activities, food trucks and more for you and your family to enjoy! Register on Eventbrite SUNDAY Sept. 11 Drag Brunch at SouthEnd Brewing Co. (GSO) 11 a.m. SouthEnd Brewing is hosting a Pride Week series of events leading up to the Pride Festival on Sept. 18. On this day, enjoy brunch, mimosas and a drag show. Find more information and register at https://linktr.ee/gsopride.
THURSDAY Sept. 8
SATURDAY Sept. 10
Hello Fall Painting Pop-Up @ Radar Brewing (W-S) 1 p.m.
by MICHAELA RATLIFF
Exhibition: Celebrating Our Legacy, Igniting Our Future @ Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (W-S) 5 p.m. Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County and Hispanic League is kicking off Hispanic Her itage Month with an opening reception for “Cele brating Our Legacy, Igniting Our Future.” This free, public exhibit highlights Hispanic/Latino culture, celebrates Hispanic League’s 30 years of service in the Triad, and displays works by artists of Latin American and Hispanic heritage. Visit hispani cleague.org for more information and upcoming events.
Professional Bull Riders Cowboy Days Fan Fest @ Winston-Salem Fairgrounds (W-S) 4 p.m. Carolina Cowboys is hosting a family-friendly three-day festival to celebrate the team’s upcom ing debut. Racing activities, musical performanc es, cowboy church and more will take place. Find a schedule of events on the event page on Face book, and purchase tickets from Ticketmaster. Elyse Winery Tasting @ Gallery 1250 (GSO) 6 p.m. Vintage 82 in Revolution Mill is hosting a wine tast ing with Lee Abraham, National Sales Manager for California-based Elyse Winery. Only a few tickets remain, so get yours at tinyurl.com/2s3buk9x.
FROST offers overdose awareness courses, as well as naloxone education for community members who are interested. Part of the organization’s expanded efforts includes broadening education about what drugs are in circulation.
One of the primary objectives of FROST is to educate the public through enhanced access to drug-checking, a precursor in harm reduction and a way to increase understanding of Forsyth County’s drug-using residents.
A changing landscape
rom afar, it looks like a regular vending machine — black, bulky with a front glass plane. This rectangular box that takes up space in the Forsyth County Detention Center is at first glance unassum ing. Upon closer inspection however, passersby will notice that the identical white boxes that line the inside are not sugary and salty snacks.
The naloxone vending machine, located in the lobby of the detention center in downtown Winston-Salem, is one example of their new approach.
Naloxone
4 |NEWSSEPT.8-14,2022
FROST is a subset of the Forsyth County Department of Public Health, a group of representatives from various community agencies along with communi ty members who have experience with and around substance use. Their primary goals are education, overdose prevention, harm reduction and the de-stigmatiza tion of substance use. The group initially formed in 2017 under the name Forsyth County Opioid Task Force as a response to the increase in use and deaths from opioid use. Although prevention remained a top priority, “Task Force,” implied work predominantly by law enforcement, which highlighted only a small portion of the organization. Now, they’re expanding their efforts.
Naloxone, often referred to as its brand name “Narcan,” is a medication de signed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. The kits included in the machine come at no cost, can be picked up anonymously and require no interaction with deten tion center employees. The front of the machine displays a flier with instructions on how to administer naloxone, as well as a QR code with access to community resources.According to the Centers for Disease Control, multiple doses of naloxone may be required during a fentanyl overdose. “Each box in the vending machine will contain two doses, if needed,” explains Amanda Clark, a substance use educator and FROST lead.
According to the National Institute of Health, of the 91,799 drug overdose deaths in 2020, 56,516 involved synthetic opioids — about 62 percent. Many of these are rapidly showing up in cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and MDMA.
PHOTO BY KAITLYNN HAVENS
Forsyth de-stigmatizingCounty substance use with drug checks and free kits Havens
or many years, prevention efforts focused on opioids, but the orga nization is changing to keep up with the diverse and complicated landscape of substance abuse.
On Aug. 25, in a partnership with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department, the Forsyth Regional Opioid and Substance Use Team, otherwise known as FROST, announced the placement of a Narcan/Naloxone vending machine in the front lobby of the Forsyth County Law Enforcement Detention Center. The move is part of a multi-pronged initiative by FROST to curb substance abuse in theIncounty.2021, there were 3,500 overdose deaths in the state, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, 131 of them in Forsyth County. Through FROST, and with the help of $21 million from a multi-billion dollar national opioid settlement with three major pharmaceutical companies, Forsyth County is working to reframe its approach to the opioid epidemic.
The National Institute of Health reports efficacy of overdose reversal following naloxone administration is between 75-100 percent.
Despite popular narratives, much of the intensifying opioid epidemic has been brought about by drugs that mimic opioid effects. Synthetic opioids, like fentan yl, are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths in the United States.
“FROST is a rebranding of the Forsyth County Opioid Task Force,” Clark explains. “The name change came because we wanted something that better represented the work we do, that made for inclusive and appropriate language. Our focus is wider than just opioids.”
Working in partnership with FROST, Twin City Harm Reduction Collective currently distributes fentanyl test strips that can help identify the presence of fen tanyl in unregulated drugs prior to use. They do not, however, have the ability to check the amount of fentanyl in the drug, or notify the user if other substances are present. With a current grant opportunity, along with opioid settlement projects, FROST plans to start a drug-checking program to change that.
An example of a free NARCAN Nasal Spray kit from the vending machine in the Forsyth County Detention Center.
by Kaitlynn
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“Drug-checking is different from drug testing,” Clark explains. “Rather than testing an individual to see what drugs they have in their system, this is the actual process of checking drugs to see what’s in them. It’s a really great addition to the harm reduction work we are already doing here.”
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department approved FROST’s drug checking program plans in late July.
After about a week of the vending machine being in place, Clark said 89 Narcan kits have been taken.
Colin Miller, who co-founded Twin City Harm Reduction Collective and currently works with the UNC-Chapel Hill on drug checking research, helps run a FTIR at North Carolina Survivors Union in Greensboro. The union has been operating their FTIR for more than a year, serving members of the community who use drugs and those close to them. “We can test a cotton that someone used to filter,” Miller says. “We can use residue from a bag that looks empty. We can swab it and actually get enough to test it. It’s not like people are bringing in usable amounts of drugs, but people are able to make informed decisions about their drug use.”“People have no idea what’s in their drugs these days,” Miller continues. “We are seeing tons of xylazine that causes all sorts of horrible skin conditions.”
Learn more about FROST at follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/forsythteam
NEWS A Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, or FTIR, can identify a sample in under a few minutes, including the dosage, components of the sample and levels of each component. The FTIR is able to identify an array of amphetamine and fen tanyl analogues, as well as genetic variants of cannabis, cocaine and both human and veterinary tranquilizers.
Funding for Forsyth County’s drug checking program will come from the North Carolina Opioid Settlement Funds, which is a portion of the national settlement to remedy the nationwide impact of opioids. According to the Forsyth County gov ernment website, Forsyth County is expected to receive more than $20 million over the next 18 years. The NC General Assembly’s appropriation budget also includes explicit endorsements of purchasing equipment for drug checking.
“We’ve had people throw away their drugs on site when they found out certain things were in them,” he says of the Greensboro site. “We’ve had people shift their route of administration from injecting to snorting, to minimize the harm.”
With increased education comes safer use, according to Miller.
Xylazine is used in veterinary medicine as a sedative and muscle relaxant. In human use, it can cause decreased responsiveness, slowed heart rate, low blood pressure, reduced breathing and, in some cases, skin ulcers and necrosis.
“With that FTIR, we can tell somebody within 10 or 15 minutes of them bring ing in a sample, exactly what substances are in their drugs,” Miller says. “Therein, we can coach them on how to be most careful if they’re going to use it. It allows us to provide a whole new level of public health coaching.”
The FTIR allows both regular and infrequent drug users to make informed deci sions about the drugs they test.
“The goal of FROST is to educate ourselves and educate our community regarding substance use and mental health,” she continues. “We want to de-stig matize these things. We want to move our community in a direction where we can make some progress.”
In addition to education, fighting the stigma of substance abuse is a huge push within the advocacy community. Part of that is putting the power back into the user’s“Wehands.want people using substances in Forsyth County to know that their county and their leaders care about them and want them to stay alive,” Clark says.
forsyth.nc.us/publichealth/frost.aspx
In Miller’s observation based interventions, intravenous use of substances that contain xylazine is far more dangerous.
Punitive drug policies, which have disproportionately affected people of color for decades, have proven to be ineffective in combating opioid usage and rising overdose numbers. In Forsyth County, FROST and other community partners hope this new multifaceted approach helps to curb overdoses through empathy and transparent education.
5 202214,-8SEPT.NEWS|
The rent is too damn high
When it comes to changes over the last year, North Carolina as a whole has seen a 58 percent increase with an average rent of $936 in 2021 rock eting up to $1,474 this year.
Forrest Hinton, who has been looking for a one-bedroom apartment since last year says the prices have been discouraging.
“It’s almost as if Greensboro only wants the working class within the city limits to work, then disappear,” he said. During his searches, he’s found apartments that have cost as much as $1,200 for a one-bedroom. The cheapest he’s found is about $800.
“Prices have gone up more since I started looking,” he said. “Depending on the area, the prices are absolutely ridiculous, especially for a newly built apartment.”
by Sayaka Matsuoka
With the added effects of inflation which has increased the cost of goods as well, lower-income earners are having a tougher time paying for rent, the report“Nearlystates.60percent of wage earners cannot afford a modest two-bed room rental home working one full-time job,” the report said. “Eleven of the 25 largest occupations in the US pay a lower median hourly wage than the wage a full-time worker needs to earn to afford a modest one- or two-bed room apartment at the national average fair market rent.”
A quick look on Zillow for apartments shows one-bedroom apartments in Greensboro priced anywhere from $700/month to $1,400. The average rent price for the city, according to Rent.com’s report, is $1,289. Greensboro saw a 74 percent increase in one-bedroom rent prices in the last year, the highest of any major city in the US, according to the report.
reportinone-bedroomsforGreensboro,says
Greensboro also made the Top 10 when it comes to rent increases for two-bedroom apartments. This time, the city came in 9th with a 43.1 per cent increase compared to Raleigh, which placed 6th with a 44.8 percent increase.Onlythree cities in the top 10 have experienced year-over-year price increases in both one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments: Greensboro, Raleigh and Little Rock, Ark.
6 |NEWSSEPT.8-14,2022 or those who have been looking for apartments in the last year, the statistic shouldn’t come as a surprise. Last month, Rent. com published a report that listed Greensboro as the top city in the country with the biggest increase in rent for one-bed room apartments over the last year. The study looked at the 100 largest cities in the country based on US Census Bureau population estimates. According to the report, Greensboro topped the list with a 74.2 percent increase for one-bedroom apartment rent. One other North Carolina city — Raleigh — made the Top 10, coming in fifth with a 42.1 percent increase.
The report notes that NC as a whole saw broad increases over the last month for rent. Nationwide, rent prices have gone up since July. Over all, one-bedrooms saw an increase of about 4 percent or close to $70. Two-bedrooms went up by about 2.8 percent or $60.
In an article in the News & Observer, Josie Williams, executive director of the Greensboro Housing Coalition said that the organization has seen an increase in homelessness and those at risk of homelessness in the last year.“We’re in the midst of a considerable shortage of decent, safe and afford able housing. If you leave your unit to find something you can afford, you’re going to be in an unsafe area with subpar housing,” she said. “The housing market is beyond the reach of the average person.”
NEWS F
overlookmightneighborsbeabletohisroleinhelpingtoelectDonaldTrump....
vote to impeach, eventually — and maybe even his silence on Trump’s threat to national security; Burr did his homework as chair of the Sen ate Intelligence Committee, so he knows exactly why there shouldn’t be classified materials stored in the basement of a country club. But they might not be so quick to forgive his financial crimes — some because, you know, they’re crimes, and others because he did not share what he knew with them.
His
7 202214,-8SEPT.OPINION| OPINION EDITORIAL Jen Sorensen jensorensen.com John Cole
ike it or not, Sen. Richard Bur is one of ours.He lives in Win ston-Salem. He played football at Wake Forest University, where, as a Kappa Sig, he likely acquired his habit of going sockless, even (or especially!) in a business suit. For most of his time in the Senate, we would sometimes see him around town, eating at restaurants or driv ing his ridiculous car We still remember when he advised his wife to start a run on the bank in the fall of 2008, when the becamewatchedcollapsed.economyWeasheoneof the most Senatemembersconservativeofthein2011,cringed when he became part of Donald Trump’s 2016 election team, gasped when he actually voted to impeach Trump after the second hearing. Now he’s embroiled in a scandal of his own making that he can’t seem to shake: the timely sale of $1.75 million or so in stock owned by him and a couple close relatives, executed between Jan. 31 and Feb. 13, after he learned about the COVID threat but before the general public knew what was coming. According to report ing by the News & Observer, the transactions enabled him to avoid nearly $90,000 in losses and make almost $165,000 in returns.
Just because no charges have been filed… yet… doesn’t mean this is not insider trading. Burr declared shortly after winning re-election in 2016 that he would be retiring after this term, making him the biggest lame duck in Senate history. So in his last year of service, this scandal is following him home like a string of cans tied to a dog’s tail. His neighbors in aldhelpingundeniabletomightWinston-SalembeableoverlookhisroleinelectDonTrump—hedid
Courtesy of NC Policy Watch
Can Richard Burr return to Winston-Salem?
L
Q Q A A
How did the first Black Luxe Expo become a reality?
After I was connected to all of the businesses, I created an introductory directory. I thought, I have all these connections, let me put them out there. There were a lot of businesses and a lot of really good business es. And I started thinking, Maybe I should introduce my business in High Point. So in October 2020, we had our first expo. We were still in the pandemic and it was a confusing time but I was trying to get out of that space and interact as much as I could. That first one I wasn’t really thinking about it in a large way, it was like, Let’s see how we can con nect. I was shocked at the response. I had about 50 businesses. Before I could finish the night, people were asking me about the next one. I had no inclination of doing this again the next year but I knew that nobody was doing this in High Point so in September 2021, we had our second expo and this time we had over 80 businesses with people
I was writing about things from a Black perspective like George Floyd and also highlighting local Black businesses. Due to my passion, peo ple started asking me to create them a logo or a website and suddenly, now I’m an entrepreneur. So, I thought, let me offer something to people at a good rate.
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hitney Middlebrooks is the CEO and founder of Black Luxe and Company, a marketing studio based in High Point. As a High Point native, Middle brooks has often wondered about the lack of Black businesses downtown, which continues to be dominated by furniture showrooms throughout the year. To change that, she started the Black Luxe Expo in 2020 that brings Black businesses from across the country together to share their goods and network.
Whitney Middlebrooks grew up in High Point and has never felt like the downtown area was for people who looked like her. Now, she’s working to change that.
Tell me how your business got started.
I founded the company in January 2020, right before the pandemic.
COURTESY PHOTO by Sayaka Matsuoka
moremakingtalksWhitneyQ&AMiddlebrooksBlackLuxeExpo,HighPointinclusive
I have a history in marketing, communications and I’ve done some freelance writing before too. I also had a blog years ago that had some relatively good traction that focuses mostly on celebrity gossip. I’ve always been deeply rooted in cultural things that I can relate to. I’m also passionate about racism, sexism and police brutality and all those things that have impacted me as a Black woman, so I wanted to use the blog as an outlet.
8 |CULTURESEPT.8-14,2022
This year’s expo takes place on Saturday at the High Point Theatre and is free to the public. Learn more at blackluxeco.com/expo or follow Black Luxe on social media @blackluxeco.
9 202214,-8SEPT.|CULTUREQQQ
In the last couple of years I’ve seen a little bit of growth downtown like the Gallery on Main and Unwind, a Black-owned wine bar. But I feel like there’s still not a lot downtown; there’s too much empti ness. I think the Furniture Market is a little deceiving as to what’s actually happening. If you’re not from High Point, do designers believe that’s what the city looks like all the time?
I went to Winston-Salem State and Winston grew so much, it’s insane. And I’m thinking, what’s stopping High Point? What effect do you think having the expo downtown has on the city?
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My goal is to keep doing this annually and maybe have some other odd things that I do throughout the year. Moving forward, maybe we’ll do themes or something like that. This year we have more experiences like a live band, more giveaways, a poet, a cash bar, a play area for kids and free health screenings. I just want people to enjoy the space. The incredibly important thing is that everything that I’m doing is rooted in authenticity. I want people to feel food and feel good in the city of High Point. That they don’t have to leave High Point to have a good community festival. I want this space to be a space of good energy, of Black excellence.
There are so many businesses that are doing great. I know someone who has a boutique now. Her parents were in the expo but she opened up her own business afterwards. I know of businesses who have expanded and I think the expo is a connecting piece. I’m not saying the expo created that but it created the confidence to put yourself out there.
QQ AA
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The expo in general is putting High Point on more people’s radar, in terms of people who look like me. They’re thinking about High Point in a different capacity. I’m hoping that it shows the city of High Point that there’s all these great businesses. There are people who can have shops; they are here. You don’t have to go outside to find that. I have a large database of businesses. I’ve been cultivat ing that list and some are new while some have been doing it for 10 plus years. My goal is that the expo helps people tap into who they are and is a space to create. A lot of people in High Point are looking for opportunities but don’t feel like those opportunities are afforded to them.
What do you want the future of your business to look like?
coming from Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina. Now we’re in year three and we have over 100 businesses with people from Florida and Maryland. Why was starting the expo important to you?
It’s changing because people want to come here. That’s traditionally not what High Point has been set up to be. It’s been isolated to be a design furniture space that really doesn’t have anything to do with the people who live here. The people here don’t go to Furniture Market. I specifical ly mean people that look like me, there’s no real connection to it. Now people are looking forward to the expo. To see people travel from all over to come here for this is amazing. People want to be in this space and this energy and it’s in High Point. High Point has never been on the radar for anything like that. What’s your connection to the city?
I am originally from High Point, born and raised. I graduated from Andrews High School and then went to Winston-Salem State. Then I graduated from High Point University with my second masters. I’ve never in my life looked at High Point as a space to do anything. There’s no nightlife; nothing can keep you here. No one ever thinks about down Whentown. I came back a few years ago, I noticed the huge presence of High Point University; that was major. I personally think that seeing the school highly represent and brand the city is a plus. A lot of people don’t like that. But to me, it can put us on the map like Raleigh and NC State or Greensboro and A&T. It can put us on other people’s radar.
How has the expo impacted the businesses that have participated?
The performances come to life as parts of three main acts of Passag es: An Homage to Our ‘Extra’Ordinary Lives, a production by the Activate Entertainment Project, a local circus performance company based out of Greensboro. The ensemble, which includes artists from all over the world, performed their piece on Saturday. The performance was the culmination of a five-month artist residency by Activate through the Downtown Parks association.“Thisisashow that was created here with a group of local, national and international artists,” says Houston Odum, the artistic director for Activate Entertainment Project, “Essentially the show was formed out of our obser vation of the daily life of people in Greensboro.”
While the performance is successful in captivating spectators with danc ing and controntions akin to Cirque du Soleil, there is also a message being conveyed throughout the piece that doesn’t go unnoticed.
As the show comes to a close, the loudspeakers leave the audience with a message: “In the end, it was never about the planting of the seed, but the journey of its growth.”
Performers with Activate Entertainment Project perform their piece, “Passages,” in LeBauer Park.
PHOTO BY JENNIFER SCHEIB, DOWNTOWN PARKS, INC.
10 |CULTURESEPT.8-14,2022
A ‘Passages’ circus act brings contemplative story to Greensborodowntown by Kevin Six
CULTURE
gleaming blue and pink canopy stretches high above LeBauer Park in downtown Greensboro, illuminating the venue for hun dreds of onlookers as the sun sets. The crowd watches and waits for a night of art, which begins as the speakers echo the opening monologue far and wide: “In the beginning, we planted a seed.”
“The performance consists of three main sections,” says Odum. “The first being about childhood and losing that childhood spark you once had and how you get back to it and not losing hope. The second piece is about people you meet everyday, people you bump into and how that can carry you through the rest of your life. The third section is about a struggle that it takes to actually reach a goal that for others may be easy. What we wanted to do with this piece was to make it fun, lively, family friendly and not bog you down. A simple message that still touches people in some way. The concept is about three different planting of a seed that becomes a flower.” Towards the end of the piece, the man in blue climbs a pole that has a bouquet of flowers at the top. He pulls himself further and further up but fails to reach the prize on his own. Suddenly, the other dancers rush around him and stack boxes beside the pole. It soon becomes too high for them to place more on top, but the dancer in blue begins to catch the boxes and place them atop the tower of boxes as he climbs further up. Finally, he reaches his destination.
“At times all we had was this flower, but it was enough to spark change,” opens the next act. The crowd gives thunderous applause to the performer as he balances rods on his head and flings them high into the air only to catch them and juggle them around and around.
All at once, an ensemble of marvelous characters, two in pink, two in blue and three yellow, run to attention. Their wide smiles fade as the speakers blare the sounds of thundering rain. The music softens and the perform ers symbolically plant a seed into the ground and dance gracefully to the sounds of the rains and contort themselves to the thunder.
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202214,-8SEPT.|CULTURECULTURE
FRIDAY Sam Bush Longtime multi-festival attendee (and mandolinist extraordinaire) Sam Bush is headlining. His mas tery of the form, good nature and wide collaboration with everyone from Patti Smith to Doc Watson has cemented his place in the an nals of folk. His infectious enthu siasm at live shows and extensive catalogue has made him a fan favorite for decades.
F
QWANQWA Hailing from Addis Ababa, this Ethiopian band plays folk music that spans all corners of their home country. The driving beats, catchy melodies, and soar ing vocals are all unique to Ethiopia as each region has distinct styles, instruments, dances and languages. The 60’s Ethio-jazz of popular fellow countryman Mulatu Astatke is reminiscent of these styles.
Funk is folk: A peek at this year’s NC Folk Festival
Friday: City Stage, 7:30-8:30p.m. Saturday: Cone Health Stage. 12-1 p.m. & City Stage, 3:15-4:15 p.m.
by James Douglas olk. Folks. Folksy. It brings up pastoral themes, bucolic settings over fields as the sun sets. A tight-knit community, a potluck in a town square. Neighbors helping each other wrap up a late summer harvest of hay or tobacco. The dry plucking of a banjo played from a dimly lit porch as the fireflies start up. Do not be mistaken; The people who think folk music is relegated to country pastimes and some idyll quiet existence are the same ones who were outraged when Bob Dylan plugged in a Stratocaster in Newport in ’65. The commonality of the people’s music and the songs our forebears taught to us as it was taught to them is inherent in all societies. Folk literally means “community.” It’s called “folk” because it is us, all of us. It’s a melting pot of origins with parts that span the globe. The NC Folk Festival arrives this weekend for a three-day free-to-attend celebration of music, dance, and us. The lineup of renowned artists is full of local, regional, national, and worldwide acts. Here are a few peeks at some of the 300 artists who will be appearing.
Friday: City Stage, 9-10 p.m.
A singer-songwriter, composer, and pianist based out of Raleigh, Anna Vtipil won this year’s Not Your Average Folk Contest and will be playing Saturday on the Old Courthouse Stage from 6-6:45 p.m.
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Friday: City Stage, 6-7 p.m. Saturday: Cone Health Stage, 7-8 p.m. Sunday: City Stage, 2-3 p.m. Black Opry
“I started to feel very uncomfort able with the culture of country music,” says Holly G., in a video introduction at a New York show. “So I decided to change that.” In a genre where Black artists are marginalized and ignored in a lot of cases, country music remains a staple of a white, red America. Black Opry Review seeks to be heard. Assembled in a round robin arrangement of the various artists at each show, it allows a showcasing of their individual styles along with group performances. This collective of musicians are breaking down barriers and offering inspiration to aspir ing Black musicians and artists who seek to not be sidelined as an oddity in the country folk genre.
SATURDAY
Michael Winograd & the MentshnHonorable Klezmer, a Jewish folk style of Central and Eastern Europe, is a staple of Jewish weddings and Bar Mitzvahs. Winograd’s clarinet is backed by his band of horns and woodwinds, cym bal-heavy drums, accordion and piano.
Friday: Lawn Stage, 8:45-9:45 p.m. Saturday: Lawn Stage, 7-8 p.m. Sunday: Lawn Stage, 5:15-6:15 p.m.
George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic Headlining Saturday is Kannapolis native (and Mothership Captain) George Clinton, aka Dr. Funken stein. Clinton’s eclectic style and take-no-prisoners approach to funk has earned him and 15 other mem bers of P-Funk legendary places in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Mothership will not be attending, as it’s been retired and is currently on display at the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington D.C.
Saturday: City Stage, 9-10:30 p.m.
CULTURE
Futurebirds
SUNDAY Big Bang Boom
BeauSoleil is a quintessential example of the French speak ing traditional Zydeco folk. Their popularity and ability to affect the crowd notwithstand ing, the decades on playing have established them as mas ters of the genre. Bandleader Doucet is a recipient of the National Heritage Award and the band has won multiple Grammys.
Sunday: City Stage, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
With a name inspired by medieval fowl who could predict battle outcomes, Futurebirds bring their Indie Rock stylings to Greensboro. Often sharing the stage with their Athens, GA, brethren, Widespread Panic, they’ve appeared at the Bonnaroo Music Festival and have toured across the country.
Sunday: City Stage, 3:30-5 p.m.
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A Greensboro based band, Big Bang Boom is an approachable pop/rock band that writes kid friendly songs. Their shows are notorious for involv ing the audience, keeping everyone up and dancing and bringing kids on stage to help with sing-alongs.
CULTURE BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet
Saturday: Old Courthouse Stage, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Sunday: City Stage, 12:45-1:30 p.m.
One of two sculptures by Greensboro native Vandorn Hinnant on the Downtown Greenway in the Ole Asheboro neighborhood.
SHOT IN THE TRIAD BY CAROLYN DE BERRY East Bragg Street, Greensboro The Triad’s Finest Dining Guide
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15 202214,-8SEPT.PUZZLES|‘Lettuce Wraps’ — a low-carb approach. SUDOKU LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:Across 1. Mr. Burns’s teddy bear on “The Simpsons” 5. Like some chocolate 9. Bogus customer 14. Frondy growth 15. Fisher of “The Great Gatsby” 16. “Pass Out” rapper ___ Tempah 17. Stewed meat dish with a French name 19. Getting grayer 20. Handheld flame starter 22. Braces (oneself) 24. Seething state 25. Suffix with Wisconsin 26. Broadcast 27. Main Street locales 30. Butler who voiced many Hanna-Barbera 31.charactersAgrees, casually 34. Serf of old Sparta 35. “Stayin’ Alive” singer 38. Antidote source 41. Alkaloid in tomatoes 45. Suffix with mega- or multi46. Expressive action in Fortnite 48. Blacktop material 49. Reply to a ques. 50. Late Beastie Boys member 51. Necklace parts 54. Northeastern U.S. locale known as an art colony © 2022 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) © 2022 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) CROSSWORD 58. Quebec school 59. Typical offerings from compilation channels like “Aww Animals” and “Pets Awesome” 62. “Meh” gesture 63. ___ Reader (eclectic magazine) 64. “No injury” 65. Overflows 66. Snippy comeback 67. 2022 award for Shohei Ohtani Down 1. Very close pal 2. “___ the ramparts we watched ...” 3. Illegal payment scheme 4. As scheduled 5. Fiasco 6. Part of NBA or NEA, e.g. 7. “Full Metal Jacket” actor ___ Ermey 8. Kato of O.J. Simpson trial fame 9. Play place 10. Elevated 11. Sign with letters? 12. Limerick segment that usually starts with 13.“Who”Part of some upscale theater seats 18. 2006 movie set in Georgia 21. 1040 issuers 22. Airline based near Stockholm 23. Carrere of 2022’s “Easter Sunday” 28. Trireme propeller by Matt Jones 29. “As a matter of fact, you’re wrong” 30. Target of a 2022 government relief plan 32. PNW-based coffee chain, on the NYSE 33. Orangey tuber 34. “House of the Dragon” network 36. “Scram,” in westerns 37. Glacial features 38. Least lavish 39. “___ Sol” (Ron Carter song that’s a poor transla tion of “The Night Sun”) 40. Correct a game outcome, perhaps 42. “So, apparently ...” 43. Snooze for a bit 44. Some TV drama settings 46. Prefix with friendly or tourism 47. Political activist Garvey 50. Downloaded clips, often 52. Deck total for Caesar? 53. Bill’s “Groundhog Day” costar 55. Vergara’s “AGT” seatmate 56. “So long!” 57. Chain components, for short 60. “And I ___” (Jasmine Masters meme) 61. Planetarium view
