TCB Nov. 24, 2021 — We're Still Here

NOV. 24 - DEC. 1, 2021 TRIAD-CITY-BEAT.COM

‘WE’RE STILL HERE’ Local Native Americans share the truth about Thanksgiving and their relationship to the holiday

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RETURNING DE JOY

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BY SAYAKA MATSUOKA | PG 12

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NOV. 24-DEC 1, 2021

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK Coronavirus in the Triad

(as of Tuesday, Nov. 23) Documented COVID-19 diagnoses NC 1,521,760 (+11,674) Forsyth 53,520 (+577) Guilford 69,205 (+527) COVID-19 deaths NC 18,642 (+128) Forsyth 578 (+2) Guilford 893 (+14) Documented recoveries NC 1,477,280 (+11,034) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 67,075 (+556)

water on 11 Street where, for the oysters.

I showed her how to do it, with a gentle squeeze of lemon and a dab of strong cocktail sauce, like a pro.

“Oh yeah,” she said, after slurp-

Hospitalizations (right now) NC 1,112 (+63) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 54 (+5) Vaccinations NC Partially vaccinated 5,934,465 (+31,684) Fully vaccinated 5,923,147 (56%, +30,164) Forsyth Partially vaccinated 235,803 (+1,910) Fully vaccinated 217,515 (57%, +638) Guilford Partially vaccinated 325,392 (+1,931) Fully vaccinated 303,297 (56%, +566)

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he’s 17 now, old enough for the sophistication of her palate to begin. So I got

by Brian Clarey her started on foie gras, raw beef of the highest quality, the thing known colloquially as gabagool. Today, while her mother and aunt made preparations for the service tomorrow, we walked from our AirBnB in Port th

Current cases NC 25,838 (+512) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 1,236 (-43)

BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Postcard from the Low Country

Carolyn de Berry, James Douglas, Matt Jones, Jordan Howse, Jen Sorensen, Clay Jones

COVER

Amanda Jacobs Ballard with her son Elijah Sheek and friend Jay Revels at the Onslow County Veteran’s Pow Wow. (photo by Shawna Houle)

shell.

There’s a long boardwalk here in Port Royal that meanders through and through the oyster beds. At servation tower called the Eagle’s Nest, made entirely of wood and vandalized by local miscreants

Last night we watched a glorious magenta sunset from the top level as it shifted and groaned from our collective weight.

The other two of my children are due here later today, down from the mountains in Boone for this brief ceremonial stop before Thanksgiving in Greensboro. Uncle Jack and Teddy got in late last night, and the rest will be trickling in today as we get closer to noon man to rest.

I petitioned for a turkey-free Thanksgiving this year, but I was outvoted by the traditionalists, who insisted on at least a small bird to go with the gravy and mashed potatoes. I’m making beef bourguignon — which is almost easier to prepare than it is to spell — for 20, which is as much to distract us from the man’s absence as anything else.

But we think about him at sunset, which we watch from the edge of the water, last night and tonight and tomorrow night for sure. They have a sunset every day out here, I understand.

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SANTA AT THE BILTMORE DEC. 4-5, 11-12, 17-19 SANTA CON DEC. 11

DEC. 11-12, 17-19 CLASSIC HOLIDAY MOVIES ALL MONTH LONG

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UP FRONT | NOV. 24-DEC 1, 2021

CITY LIFE Nov. 26 - Nov. 28

by Sayaka Matsuoka

FRIDAY Nov. 26

SATURDAY Nov. 27

SUNDAY Nov. 28

Really Really Free Market @ 1307 Glenwood Ave (GSO) 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Burn the Turkey Group Ride, Potluck & Canned Food Drive @ Bur-Mil Park (GSO) 9 a.m.

Drag Storytime @ Scuppernong Books (GSO) 11 a.m.

The best market in town is back this weekend for another round of mutual aid. The really, really free market is just that. 100 percent free. You can bring stuff to give away or you can come to sift through other people’s donations. You don’t have to donate to take and you don’t have to take if you donate. It’s for everyone. Learn more by following GSO Mutual Aid Hub on Facebook.

The annual tradition of working off the pounds of

Luxe Black Friday Holiday Eve Mixer (GSO) 4-9 p.m.

In case you didn’t get enough to eat on Thanksgiving, Luxe Soulfood and Cocktails is hosting an all-access buffet mixer on Friday that will feature

day where bikers of all ages and levels are welcome to join in a group ride. Participants will meet at an open shelter at the park in the morning where they’ll also be collecting canned food for Greensboro Urban Ministries. People are encouraged to bring food for the potluck which will take place after the ride.

Visit piedmontfattire.eventbrite.com for more info.

A Carolina Christmas with the Camel City Jazz Orchestra @ RJ Reynolds High School (W-S) 7:30 p.m.

If you’ve been missing live music, particularly of the jazzy variety, here’s your chance. Take your visiting friends and family to a jazz performance of Christmas hits by the Camel City Jazz Orchestra hosted by the Winston-Salem Symphony. Can’t make it on Saturday? There’s a performance on Sunday afternoon too. Learn more at wssymphony.org.

Small Business Saturday Market @ Foothills Brewing (W-S) 12-5 p.m.

collards and more. There will be feasting across two levels of the restaurant plus a DJ to keep the vibe rolling. To learn more visit luxeDayEve. eventbrite.com.

Camel City Yacht Club @ the Ramkat (W-S) 8 p.m.

If you get tired of hanging out with family and need to work some of that turkey off, head to the Ramkat this Friday evening for an evening of some groovy music. The Camel City Yacht Club will be tuning their guitars and bringing their mics to showcase their smooth tunes at the music hall for their inaugural event in Winston-Salem. Learn more at thekamkat.com.

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Get a headstart on your Christmas shopping by stopping by Foothills this Saturday. The market will feature more than 50 local vendors selling everything from handmade crafts to body products to locally-made food. Visit Camel City Craft Fair on Facebook for more info.

For those that have been missing the weekly storytime series by local drag queen, Jean Jacket, rejoice! The local queen returns this Sunday after a hiatus due to the pandemic to read some of her favorite stories to local kids. After the reading, kids can enjoy craftmaking while parents peruse the store and even grab lunch at the bar. Contact the store for more info.

Merry Mishmash @ Fairytale Farm Animal Sanctuary (W-S) 12-4 p.m.

its merry events which includes a hayride, a Christmas tree lot, a holiday market, bakery, visits with the Grinch and Santa and an opportunity to meet the furry residents. All proceeds from the events go to caring for the rescued animals at the sanctuary like donkeys, ducklings, goats and more. Visit givebutter.com/merrymishmash to buy tickets.

Open Mic with Bryan Toney @ Oden Brewing (GSO) 6-9 p.m.

Been hankering to belt out that new Adele single?

Want to test out some of your prime dad jokes?

Been working on your slam poetry? Try it all out during Oden Brewing’s open mic set this Sunday.

And if it goes poorly, don’t worry, the bar is just around the corner. Learn more on Facebook or just show up.

EVENTS CALENDAR WWW.FLATIRONGSO.COM 221 SUMMIT AVE. GREENSBORO, NC 27 NOV, SAT 26 NOV, FRI 3 – 11pm 9 – 11:30pm Aric Naylor Cel-

28 NOV, SUN 8 – 11:30pm

29 NOV, MON 9 – 11:30pm

The Hit w Chuck Pinckney

J Timber Open Mic

30 NOV, TUE 8 – 11pm

3 DEC, FRI 9pm

4 DEC, SAT 10 pm

Charlie Hunter Duo w George Sluppick

Colin Cutler - Full Band

3 Chambers After Party & Wutang Tribute Night!

8 DEC, WED 9pm – 12am

9 DEC, THU 9pm

10 DEC, FRI 9pm – 12am

Maia Kamil

Dj Harrison Album Release Party

Friendsgiving Old Heavy Hands

PREZ - In the Beat of the Night 103.1 WUAG

11 DEC, SAT 9 – 11:30pm Abigail Dowd

ebration of Life Various Artists

1 DEC, WED 9pm – 12am In the Beat of the Night w/ Maia Kamil

18 DEC, SAT 9 – 11:30pm Jive Mother Mary

23 DEC, THU 9 – 11:30pm Kaleta & Super Yamba Band Holiday Jam

NEWS | NOV. 24-DEC 1, 2021

NEWS

As nation faces nursing shortage, the Triad is no exception

by Sayaka Matsuoka According to data by NC Nursecast, by 2033, there could be a shortage of nearly 12,500 registered nurses and more than 5,000 licensed practical nurses across the state.

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he nurses are not alright.

That’s the main takeaway from a recent forecast released by UNC-Chapel Hill and NC Board of Nursing researchers earlier this month. According to the data, which is being called NC Nursecast, by 2033, there could be a shortage of nearly 12,500 registered nurses and more than 5,000 licensed practical nurses across the state. And that’s based on data collected before the pandemic.

“It’s been steadily happening for years,” said Meka Douthit El, the president of the NC Nurses Association and the director of nursing for Cone Health Systems about the nurse shortage. “We’ve always been challenged tem.”

According to the data, metropolitan areas will face far greater registered-nurse shortages compared to rural areas after adjusting for population size. And of those areas, the “Northwest/Triad” region which includes Greensboro and Winston-Salem, ranks the worst. For licensed practical nurses, the Triad region fares better, coming in third worst overall behind Western NC and the Triangle. And even though these projections show what could happen in how to increase retention of nurses for a long time.

“I’ve dealt with the question of retention and just havbeen working as a nurse for 25 years. “I’ve felt the heavi-

Deborah Napper, a GCS board member and a nurse educator

are getting sicker. We’re having to deal with increased And that signals one of the reasons why people are leaving the industry, El said. The job is getting harder, and the pandemic just made it worse.

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‘Go, go, go, give, give, give’ ccording to a survey of national nurses released by the American Nurses Foundation in September, 75 percent of respondents noted that they felt

Deborah Napper currently works as a nurse educator and sits on the Guilford County School Board as a representative for District 5. Prior to working as a nurse educator, Napper worked as a nurse in various capacities ever since getting her license

Meka Douthit El, the president of the NC Nurses Association and the director of nursing for Cone Health.

Baptist Hospital. Even then, before the pandemic, the job was tough.

“It leaves you with your own version of PTSD,” Napper said. “I had been working nights and I couldn’t sleep.”

During her shifts, she was seeing trauma and burn patients for hours. She treated gunshot wounds and tried to save dying infants. When the hospital started talking she quit.

“It’s a hard spot to be,” she said.

Even now, months after she left the ER, she says she has a recurring nightmare where blood runs up her legs as she tries to treat a patient who has been shot.

“I can hear people screaming,” Napper said.

According to the American Nurses Foundation survey, 47 percent of nurses said and wellbeing. And because of that, El said she spends a lot of her time trying to act “I call it doing a pulse check,” she said. “I’ll ask, ‘Are you okay?’ and, ‘Do you need

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worked in home health and in 2017, she returned to working in the ER at Wake Forest

them to have an area where they can feel vulnerable.”

NEWS | NOV. 24-DEC 1, 2021

As COVID-19 hit and nurses were tasked with trying to save patients on the frontlines, they were also having to deal with taking care of their families at home, childcare and schooling while others opted added stress from the pandemic.

According to a Consult of 1,000 health care workers polled for the pandemic and 79 percent noted that them.

go, go, give, give, give. Sometimes our

For registered nurse shortages in the state, the “Northwest/Triad” region which includes Greensboro and Winston-Salem, ranks the worst of all of the metropolitan areas.

of this work and for some people that meant choosing to step away from the profesNapper also noted that she thinks the highly politicized nature of COVID-19 im-

educators compared to practitioners.

is addressing the disparities in faculty pay, El said.

“If they can do that then we can increase interest and make that more of an attrac-

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‘It’s still worth it’

lack of Medicaid expansion, stagnated pay and a kink in the education pipeline.

If Medicaid is expanded in the state, that would help divert patients away from emergency rooms so they can receive care through the proper channels, El noted. said. “That will keep people from coming into the emergency According to a June 2020 study Health Services Research Journal states where Medicaid was expanded and hospital-wide readmission rates declined for those same hospitals during 2014-16.

Act or HB 277 and SB 249, which aims to modernize nursing

According to data

!"#$%&'(')$%*&%+'),-+.%-,% /)*0-,-+.%1+2%,()*+.%1,% 3*+.%1,%4$%133%/15% 1(($+(-*+67 – Meka Douthit El

As a nurse educator, Napper also noted the importance of recruiting new students

Health, one of the largest health systems in the Triad told Triad City Beat looking to recruit more individuals for their nurse residency program. on travel nurses, who often get paid higher rates than those working directly in the hospitals and act as direct competition to local nurses. Instead, they said that hospital systems need to value the nurses they have currently and make the changes so

El said.

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. According to their data, nursing school

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NEWS | NOV. 24-DEC 1, 2021

NEWS

W-S approves funds to help HIV-positive residents obtain housing

by Nicole Zelniker

ADOBE STOCK

The Winston Salem city council recently approved more than 500,000 in funds for persons living with HIV or AIDS

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gainst the backdrop of the city’s ongoing

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cont. on pg. 9

at high risk of HIV, such as people experiencing homelessness and those engaging in high-risk sex work. It is also a way to keep viral load low in people already living with HIV. “Our folks that are immunocompromised, for them to be in the shelter or in the streets is not conducive to health,” said Michael Anders, the lead case manager as well as the medical and housing supervisor at the Positive Wellness Alliance. “We want to build that foundation to keep them healthy at home.”

PWA is one organization

“I’ve been hearing the conversations about funding and in Winston-Salem particularly, there has been a challenge for housing for individuals living with HIV,” said Squire. “So to see this, I’m personally really excited because I know what it will mean for my clients.”

Given the current housing crisis, organizations will need think hard about how they use HOPWA funds.

“Folks within the HIV community are creative and have been able to make magic happen,” said Christina Adeleke, the policy and communications manager at NC AIDS Action Network. “But when we think about the number of

NEWS | NOV. 24-DEC 1, 2021

cont. from pg. 8

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HOPWA funds in Winston-Salem.

They are known for helping with case management as well as housing sistance for people living with HIV or AIDS. Once PWA has the money, it will funnel directly into client services, – Nathan Scovens including housing vouchers, which is their biggest need according to Anders, who now oversees HOPWA funds at PWA. The money can also go to mortgage, rent and utility assistance.

Like Anders, Savalas R. Squire Sr., who does HIV testing at Piedmont Health, has seen a number of clients that would

vouchers available for folks, there are waiting lists for folks that want to stay within the county. There are also vouchers for folks that want to move into surrounding counties.

That’s not always easy though.”

When it comes to HOPWA, the program does not necessarily have to be used as a housing voucher, but can be used as rental assistance or other kinds of support. case managers who work with folks long term, if the housing piece is not there, it’s a huge barrier for folks,” said Adeleke.

clients are on strict medication regimens and are sometimes unable to get or take their medication if they do not have stable to stay that night or long term, they’re housing. not thinking about their health. They’re “A person diagnosed with HIV, our not getting tested. If they’re already in access to that medication and can adhere to a medication plan,” said Squire. “If a person is on medication with HIV, their viral load can go to undetectable so they can’t transmit it.”

With HIV, if a person’s viral load is undetectable, that means they cannot transmit the virus to other people.

so important in that moment.”

The Positive Wellness Alliance will be hosting an event for World AIDS Day at Wise Man Brewing in Winston-Salem. The event will take place on Dec. 1 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and will include live music, food trucks and bingo.

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OPINION | NOV. 24-DEC 1, 2021

OPINION EDITORIAL

Louis de Joy may be returned to sender

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ike a stubborn skidmark that endures even after several washings, Greensboro resident Louis de Joy remains as one of the last stinking vestiges of the Trump Administration. ment of two new members to the USPS Board of Governors, de Joy can

Jen Sorensen jensorensen.com/subscribe

the USPS was dealt a near-fatal blow: a requirement that its pension account be completely funded for the next 75 years This requirement is unique among all federal agencies.

It’s important to understand that the USPS is not a business, which is

service, the goal of which is to provide something useful at the lowest posIt is a known thing that sible cost. Advocates de Joy was appointed of privatization often as postmaster general It is a known thing that conveniently forget that to jam up the works at de Joy was appointed every delivery service the US Postal Service as postmaster general — FedEx, UPS, DHS, before the 2020 Electo jam up the works at Amazon and virtually tion, just one of many every other one — uses the US Postal Service dirty tricks employed by the spine created by before the 2020 the former president to Election. subvert democracy and point in its distribution. instill corrupt loyalists Think about it: For the into the federal government. price of a stamp, which is currently Quality of service declined mealess than 60 cents, an agent will come surably under de Joy’s tenure, with your house, pick up a letter and deliver accusations of wage theft and it anywhere in the entire country withrecord-setting executive bonuses in a few days. Mail delivery is somehighlighting a long list of aggravating thing the federal government actually circumstances. does well, despite the fact that about The USPS has been under attack 80 percent of what they deliver goes from the right since the Reagan Era, straight into the recycling bin — which when Republicans began their camis a subject for another day.

So the USPS will likely survive. But their friends in the logistics sector. surely we have not seen the last of This includes de Joy, who became a Louis de Joy.

Claytoonz

by Clay Jones

In 2006, under President GW Bush,

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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Our history as our children know it hasn’t been traditionally written by indigenous people, our story hasn’t been shared in the mainstream. We have an obligation and a responsibility to teach the truth about this country to our children. If no one is taught as children about the real Thanksgiving and that actual event, if we are not teaching actual facts to our children, then we all to grow up believing whatever we have been taught.

– Jennifer Revels Baxter, pg. 12

claytoonz.com

CULTURE | NOV. 24-DEC 1, 2021

NOW LEASING THE STEELHOUSE CENTER FOR URBAN MANUFACTURING AND INNOVATION

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CULTURE | NOV. 24-DEC 1, 2021

CULTURE

by Sayaka Matsuoka

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hen Amanda Jacobs Ballard went to Southern Guilford High School in the late ’80s, the school mascot was the Indian.

The student newspaper was called the Totem Pole and the yearbook was the Drumbeat.

“I graduated in 1989, and two years later, they had someone dressed up As this year’s Thanksgiving holiday rolls around, local Native Americans like Ballard are sharing their relationship to the holiday and how they choose to celebrate it.

According to the 2020 Census, more than 130,000 Native Americans live in North Carolina, making the state the seventh largest Native American population in the country.

Ballard was born and raised in Greensboro. She’s part of the Lumbee Tribe, one of eight tribes that call North Carolina home, according to UNC’s American Indian Center. Originally known as the Cheraw community, members of the tribe originate from Robeson County in the southeastern part of the state near Fayetteville. They’re the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River and the ninth largest in the United States. They’re also the largest non-reservation tribe in the country.

As a child growing up in Guilford County, Ballard says that she was very aware that she was one of the only Native American kids in her classroom.

That meant when November and the Thanksgiving holiday rolled around, she was often singled out and bullied by classmates.

“The kids would be like, ‘Are you going to dress up as an Indian?’ and I Perry Hunt Jr. was born and raised in Greensboro and is also part of the Lumbee Tribe.

He too, remembers having to make pilgrim hats and headdresses out of construction paper in schools when the holiday rolled around. He didn’t “Kids would make jokes about it and they would do the whooping with body was doing it so you questioned yourself or you found yourself going Both Hunt and Ballard are members of the Guilford Native American Association, an organization that aims to teach the community about indigenous culture. Hunt, who sits on the Pow Wow committee of the association, says that it played an important role in helping him connect with this identity as a child.

“They did summer programs and took us to parks and zoos. It was a Jennifer Revels Baxter is a board member of the Guilford Native American Association and the chair of the Pow Wow committee. She’s also a member of the Lumbee tribe and says for her, being vocal about her community started when she was young.

“I have worked as an advocate for indigenous people, partly through the arts

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Baxter, who was born in Charlotte but grew up in Greensboro, says her parents were part of the group that started the Guilford County Native American Association back in 1975. She watched her parents advocate for indigenous

Amanda Jacobs Ballard is active in the local community and partipates in local pow wows.

Thanksgiving, she says.

According to several news outlets, much of what school children have been taught for generations about Thanksgiving is either false or only half the story.

There is no concrete evidence that the Wampanoag were invited to the meal and even afterwards, peace between the pilgrims and the tribe didn’t last long.

The Europeans brought with them diseases that wiped out swaths of the Wampanoags and the exploitation of resources on Wampanoag land led to During those events, the chief of the Wampanoags at the time Metacomet, otherwise known as King Phillip, was caught, beheaded and dismembered. Be-

CULTURE | NOV. 24-DEC 1, 2021 Jennifer Revels Baxter’s parents were part of the group that started the Guilford Native American Association back in 1975.

cause of the brutal history of the day, some Native Americans choose not to celebrate Thanksgiving and have renamed it as the Day of Mourning.

“None of our textbooks told the truth,” says Baxter. “Our history as our children know it hasn’t been traditionally written by indigenous people, our story hasn’t been shared in the mainstream. We have an obligation and a responsibility to teach the truth about this country to our children. If no one is taught as children about the real Thanksgiving and that actual event, if we are not teaching actual facts, to our children, then we all to grow up believing whatever we have been taught.”

That’s why during Thanksgiving, Baxter says she still gathers with her family for a meal, but makes sure to teach the true history of the holiday to her children and grandchildren.

Hunt says he celebrates the holiday with his family by cooking a feast and having everyone over. But he’s clear to say that he doesn’t think about it in the same way that many Americans might.

“We don’t celebrate it in the sense of the traditional American way of celebrating it,” he says. “We don’t do anything like that. It’s more of a family gathering.”

For Ballard, it’s a time to be thankful for her ancestors. She lights sage in the morning and thinks about the history of her people.

“Knowing how harsh that Thanksgiving was, when I get together with my family, I am thankful,” she says.

“Thanksgiving to me is just about being thankful. It’s about ‘look how far we have come.’”

All three of them noted that this Thanksgiving, they want people to learn more about them and their history. They want them to break free from the false narrative of the

More than 130,000 Native Americans live in North Carolina.

to celebrating their culture just in November for Native American Indian Heritage Month.

“I just think it’s kind of a slap in the face because we are this country,” Hunt says.

“Why is it just a month?…. We’re not just a piece of your American history, we are the history of this country.”

Ballard echoes his sentiment.

“It feels derogatory,” she says. “Every month is a month to celebrate. As some people say, ‘Today’s a good day to be Indian.’ We’re proud of who we are.

We’re still here; we’re not going anywhere.”

To learn more about the Guilford Native American Association, visit guilfordnative.com.

Perry Hunt Jr. grew up in Greensboro and is part of the Lumbee Tribe.

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CULTURE | NOV. 24-DEC 1, 2021

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IN THE WEEDS

The Solitary Regular

by James Douglas

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ith a soft click the streetlights turn on at dusk, emitting that yellow-orange glare that the modern LEDs do so well. The chill has come sighting of heavy coats on the street. Couples meander down the lit thoroughfares on their JAMES DOUGLAS way to a show, a bar, a restaurant. early evenings, they vary in age, race, sex, even politics, but The bar scene usually the one constant is that they accept each other and enjoy tapers off before the holidays, one of those gray areas of each other’s company while they’re here. the year where people save up and stay home in prepaDespite the naysayers who don’t care to be alone in ration for the upcoming winter months. The lull between public for a multitude of reasons, a good Halloween and Thanksgiving is noticechunk of people thrive on being alone. able in the available parking spots on a Some have a place that is theirs, and if Friday night, the newfound cold keeping For some solitary they don’t have a family, a church or a most customers from the patios, save regulars, the bar a smoker or two. With the advent of the This is church to them, and they worship holidays comes the inevitable gathergathering on at the altar of drink and conversation ings, the crowds and new faces traveling Thanksgiving night with people who ask you for nothing but through. the same.

The one thing that doesn’t change is the gathering.

The hospitality industry has their own is the Solitary Regular. Randy is one of part to play over the holidays. Every famthose. ily gathering has the standouts who say At most bars, there are people who their goodbyes after dinner to meet up at a local watering come in nearly every day. There are regulars who almost hole with old friends (or the family they get along with). For assuredly have a solitary bar ritual. Randy arrives alone, some solitary regulars, the bar gathering on Thanksgiving orders neat, stays awhile and leaves alone. I don’t know night is the main gathering.

Public spots on the holidays provide a valuable service chatter. I don’t ask, he doesn’t bring it up. But it’s not a for those who don’t have anyone. This is family, the one depressing sight. He’s there because he’s comfortable. The they choose to have. The holidays come around and this bar ritual differs with each person, and Randy is content to is where their Thanksgiving will be. Granted, they might be come in, talk with other regulars he knows and leave when lonely at times, and sometimes it shows, but who isn’t? he’s ready, like so many others. That ritual is repeated in Randy saunters back in, he’s not ready to leave yet. bars all over the world, and whether it provides a comfort It’s slow, most have left, and R.L. Burnside strums in the or an escape is up to them. Perhaps both. background.

The chill has picked up and the well-lit street I’ve got a couple sitting at the bar and I hear a laugh looks empty through the open window. He sits down and or two coming from the back porch. The crew out back contemplates his whiskey before taking a sip and asking if is made up of people who are all regulars who have met there’s a game on.

I leave him like that and start to clean up each other here. Garry and Kat have been meeting here for in the not-so-uncomfortable silence. years. Gene comes in with his wife, Bonnie. Perry is retired and co-owns a bar down the street. A common staple most

SHOT IN THE TRIAD | NOV. 24-DEC 1, 2021

SHOT IN THE TRIAD North Church Street, Greensboro

CAROLYN DE BERRY

Happy Thanksgiving!

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