TCB Feb. 8, 2024 — You Love It, They Hate It

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER FEB. 8 - 21, 2024

POETRY OUT LOUD PG. 11

How it feels to work Sunday Brunch

BY JAMES DOUGLAS | PG. 9

AN ASK, 10 YEARS IN PG. 8

UP FRONT | FEBRUARY 8 - 21, 2024

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FEB. 8 - 10

CITY LIFE THURSDAY

Wine & Chocolate Pairing @ The Anti-Valentine’s Party @ World of Beer Loaded Grape (GSO) 6:30 p.m.

(GSO) 7 p.m.

The Loaded Grape is partnering with Rhyme and Reason Chocolate Co. to introduce you to pairings of gourmet bean to bar chocolates and high-quality wine. Purchase tickets at loadedgrape.com.

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FRIDAY

Summer Adventure Camps Registration @ Reynolda (W-S) Online

NC Works in collaboration with the YCWA High Point Women’s Resource Center is hosting a series of workshops surrounding career preparation. Participants will learn the basics of Microsoft Excel, resume writing and interview skills. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.

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Singleness is nothing a good pint can’t fix! World of Beer is kicking off its “Local Lovers” weekend with specials on domestic buckets, house margaritas, mimosa bottles and more. There will also be live music by Dear Sister.

Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner @ Stained Glass Playhouse (W-S) 8 p.m.

Stained Glass Playhouse is putting on a production of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Set in 1967, “a progressive white couple’s proud liberal sensibilities are put to the test when their daughter brings her black fiancé home to meet them.” The parents must learn to navigate and accept the relationship in a time where it raises eyebrows.

Tickets can be purchased at stainedglassplayhouse.org.

Registration is now open for summer adventure camps at Reynolda taking place in June and July. Campers will explore the historic house, estate grounds, collection of art and more. Registration and more details are available at reynolda.org/summer-adventures.

NC Works @ YWCA High Point (HP) 11 a.m.

Scan the QR code to find more events at triad-citybeat.com/local-events

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SATURDAY

International Dance Nights: Afrobeats Last Stop on Market Street @ Pam @ High Point Arts Council (HP) 6:30 p.m. and David Sprinkle Theatre (GSO) 10 a.m.

Brush up on your Afrobeats and dancehall skills and join the High Point Arts Council and Vinmark International Dance to learn dances from cultures around the world.

Visit the event page on Facebook to register.

NC Theatre for Young People is putting on Last Stop on Market Street. In the children’s play, 7-year-old CJ takes his first bus ride with his Nana, where she shows him “things are not always what they seem.” Get tickets at uncg.edu/event/last-stop-on-market-street.

Single Mingle in the Social District @ Stock + Grain Assembly (HP) 10 a.m.

FEB. 11 - 15

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WEDNESDAY

15

THURSDAY

High Point’s Catalyst Social District is hosting a single mingle to kick off Valentine’s week with activities, drink specials and live music at Nomad Wine Works, HP Trousers and other local businesses. More information on the Facebook event page.

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SUNDAY Valentine’s Wine Tasting Brewer’s Kettle (HP) 6 p.m.

@

The

The Brewer’s Kettle invites all lovers to a Valentine’s Day-themed wine tasting. Visit The Brewer’s Kettle’s Facebook page for updates.

Love Market @ Foothills Brewing Tasting Room (W-S) 12 p.m.

Stop by Camel City Craft Fair’s annual love market and find the perfect handmade gift for your loved one. There will also be live music, sweet treats and food trucks to enjoy. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.

Thriftanista @ Goodwill Location (HP) 10 a.m.

Main.

St

UP FRONT | FEBRUARY 8 - 21, 2024

CITY LIFE

Scan the QR code to find more events at triad-citybeat.com/local-events

The Thriftanista Tour is your stop for discount namebrand and handpicked looks. Learn more at triadgoodwill. org/thriftanista-tour-3.

Black Sacred Music Symposium @ Brown Sugar @ Carolina Theatre (GSO) UNCSA (W-S) 6 p.m.

The Black Sacred Music Symposium is a four-day 7 p.m.

Carolina Theatre is celebrating Black history month by screening cult classics by notable directors like Ava Duvernay and Spike Lee. On this day, view Brown Sugar starring Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs, where old friends reconnect through their passion for hip-hop music.

Purchase tickets at carolinatheatre.com.

conference dedicated to the study and performance of Black sacred music traditions. Following the workshops, a concert featuring the symposium community choir and band, soloists from the University of Illinois Black Chorus, the WSSU Singing Rams and UNCSA students will be held Feb. 18 at 4 p.m. Find more information and register at uncsa.edu/bsms.

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“

It’s their residence, it’s their home. It may not be a traditional home but it’s their space.

“

UP FRONT | FEBRUARY 8 - 21, 2024

OPINION

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

— Tash Lane, pg. 5

1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336.681.0704 BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR

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SALES

Brian Clarey

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AD MANAGER

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EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR

Sayaka Matsuoka

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Aiden Siobhan

aiden@triad-city-beat.com

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

Doing election coverage, differently

A

t TCB, election coverage and political reporting have always been a part of the mission.

And as we get

by Sayaka Matsuoka into the 2024 election cycle, that remains the case. But in the aftermath of the 2016 election and even the years preceding it, newsrooms have been talking about best practices when it comes to covering politics.

The idea is that horserace reporting — poll-watching that tells you who’s up, who’s down and why — is becoming less and less popular.

Instead, there’s a shift in the model, a reframing so to speak.

In recent years, newsrooms across the country, and particularly local ones, have started to flip the focus from the candidates to the constituents. Rather than letting those running for office have their say and be the subject of reporting, journalists are pointing their notepads, recorders and cameras at the average citizen on the street. Because why wouldn’t we do that?

Elected officials are just that: elected by the people to represent them. And so it stands to reason that the people’s voices should be the loudest and most consistent when it comes to election coverage.

So we’re trying to do more of that here at TCB.

Next Tuesday — at the Forsyth County Central Public Library at 5:30 p.m. — we’re hosting our first candidate forum of the year focused on Winston-Salem City Council races. And we want to hear from you. What do you want to ask your councilmembers? Get specific!

Do you want to know what their stances on the environment are? What do you mean by that? Do you mean their stance on fracking? On wastewater management? On leaf-collection? Ask us your very specific questions and we’ll try to get them answered!

You can start by filling out our online election coverage survey using the QR code. The survey applies to any of the races for this year, not just for WinstonSalem City Council.

You can also send me questions directly for our Winston-Salem Candidate Forum next week. Just shoot me an email at sayaka@triad-city-beat.com.

To suggest story ideas or send tips to TCB, email sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

Nathaniel Thomas

nathaniel@triad-city-beat.com

CONTRIBUTORS Carolyn de Berry, John Cole, Owens Daniels, James Douglas, Michelle Everette, Luis H. Garay, Destiniee Jaram, Kaitlynn Havens, Jordan Howse, Matt Jones, Autumn Karen, Michaela Ratliff, Jen Sorensen, Todd Turner

TCB IN A FLASH @ triad-city-beat.com

4 First copy is free, all additional copies are $1. ©2023 Beat Media Inc.

COVER: Design by Aiden Siobhan

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER Receive weekly updates on breaking News stories with Monday Mix, stay in the loop with our curated events calendar The Weekender, and view our headlining stories with TCB This Week.

NEWS | FEBRUARY 8 - 21, 2024

NEWS

Volunteers meet at the William C. Sims Recreation Center on Jan. 31 to help conduct a count of Forsyth County’s unhoused population.

City Beat stories are free to republish, courtesy of Triad City Beat and the NC Local News Lab Fund. See our website for details.

PHOTO BY GALE MELCHER

A CityBeat story

During this year’s Point-in-Time count, increased community engagement leads to greater visibility of Forsyth County’s unhoused population

A

by Gale Melcher | gale@triad-city-beat.com

chilling 38 degrees hit Winston-Salem around 9 p.m. on Jan. 31.

Still, most people would shrug it off for a quick run to the grocery store, knowing that they have a toasty car and a warm home to return to.

But for many in Forsyth County, going home isn’t an option.

During one of the coldest months of the year, Continuums of Care (CoCs) in counties around the country conduct Point-in-Time (PIT) counts. This count is required by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development at least every other year to create a snapshot of how many people are experiencing homelessness in one night. The number of people counted also correlates to how much funding and resources the federal government decides to give communities.

According to data from last year’s PIT count, 650,000 people were experiencing homelessness across the country, a 12 percent increase from 2022.

In 2022, Forsyth County counted 351 people, from those staying in shelters to those who were sleeping outside. Of that count, 139 of them — or almost 40 percent — were unsheltered individuals.

From members of Samaritan Ministries to United Way to city staff to the police department, multiple community entities gathered at the William C. Sims Recreation

Center to help facilitate the event.

Tash Lane is the strategic volunteer engagement director for United Way, an organization that is part of Forsyth County’s CoC. This is Lane’s second PIT count.

“My first one was making observations in preparation for this year,” Lane said.

“This year we’ve encouraged a lot of our homeless residents to make themselves visible so they can be counted,” Lane added. “It’s very important for us to touch every area of Forsyth County.”

‘How can people be so cruel?’

A

s the hours passed and January turned into February, Forsyth County’s PIT volunteers scanned the streets for unhoused residents between 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

The work was broken into multiple shifts throughout the night, with volunteers spread across cars in a caravan.

At 11:30 p.m., local activist Dr. Arnita Miles drove with volunteers such as United Way President Dr. Antonia Richburg to find people living in areas around University Parkway, Peters Creek Parkway and Hanes Mall Boulevard.

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NEWS | FEBRUARY 8 - 21, 2024

Some volunteers who actively work in the unhoused community like Miles recognized familiar faces and knew where to take detours along the route to make sure that as many people could be counted as possible.

Once volunteers made contact with people or a group, they offered socks provided by the city and gave away coats and bags of snacks and necessities as well as gift cards. People were asked to fill out a survey that included their names, veteran status, if they have any chronic conditions and other information.

While shelters are available, there’s limited bed space, leaving many to spend the day figuring out where they’re going to sleep at night. To stay safe, many unhoused people sleep in the same area as other unhoused people.

Community is important.

One unhoused woman said that when she did have housing, she gave unhoused friends a place to stay. Now that she’s in the same situation, those people have shown up for her and helped her out.

Someone even had a six-month-old puppy. While volunteers gave his owners snacks and toiletries, he chewed on discarded bones in the parking lot.

While a blanket and some snacks might help them get through the cold weather, it’s only a drop in the bucket. Finding restroom facilities or a place to wash up can be challenging if people are further from places that have mobile showers like City with Dwellings.

TCB spoke with volunteers who worked closely with the unhoused. They say that businesses are making it difficult for people to use their restroom facilities or even a laundromat. Someone they knew bought a meal at a restaurant and took it to the seating area outside. Then they were told to leave.

“If someone came into my home and took all my things without me knowing, that’s very invasive,” Lane said. But this is the reality for many unhoused residents in Winston-Salem.

Lane said that one unhoused person was living on property that was city-owned.

“The city came and it was announced that the city was gonna take his stuff,” Lane said.

But the clean-up crews came by early. “They took all his stuff.” This leaves an unhoused person with nothing, and they could potentially lose important medications.

“He was devastated. He was literally laying on the concrete in a parking lot, just curled up and had been crying all day,” Lane said. “It’s their residence, it’s their home. It may not be a traditional home but it’s their space.”

One individual TCB met had experienced horrors simply for existing as an unhoused person.

Someone once found his encampment, doused it in gasoline and set it on fire.

This happened at night, and he was lucky he wasn’t there, or worse yet, sleeping.

“How can people be so cruel?” a volunteer said.

What changed from last year?

D

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uring last year’s count, the group TCB rode with met one unhoused person.

This year, they encountered 5-10 people every hour.

Guilford County’s numbers are trending upward, too. Last year, their volunteers counted 34 unsheltered people. This year they counted more than 200, according to Greensboro’s Housing and Neighborhood Development Director Michelle Kennedy.

Last year, Laura Lama, a data system administrator for the city, instructed volunteers to capture information that would help outreach workers who were “trying to find that person to follow up” after the count.

“Describe where you saw them, what they were wearing, if they have a dog with them,” Lama said. But this wasn’t as big of a focus during this year’s count.

The group also came across encampments that were clearly inhabited, but their occupants either weren’t home or didn’t respond to calls from volunteers.

During training, volunteers were instructed not to count people who are staying in a hotel or sleeping on someone’s couch.

Still, Lane said that this year, they had “a lot more volunteers, just a lot more engagement.”

And some things stayed the same. Respect and privacy remained at the forefront, and volunteers were told to remember: “You are a guest in their home.”

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The Cleveland Avenue Homes, and affordablehousing development near downtown Winston-Salem, torn down in 2023.

FILE PHOTO

NEWS | FEBRUARY 8 - 21, 2024

NEWS

City Beat stories are free to republish, courtesy of Triad City Beat and the NC Local News Lab Fund. See our website for details.

A CityBeat story

The city of Winston-Salem is selling empty lots for $1. What are developers doing with them?

I

by Gale Melcher | gale@triad-city-beat.com

n 2021, the North Carolina General Assembly made it possible for Winston-Salem to sell its many empty lots in order to increase the city’s supply of affordable housing. The city has been selling these lots for $1 apiece to developers like Liberty East Redevelopment and Glabex Consortium, LLC. In September, the city sold Glabex Consortium four lots at $1 each, plus another three at the same price during Monday’s city council meeting. These properties are located in the Northeast Ward on East 21st and 22nd Streets near Cleveland Avenue, the corner of Bramblebrook Lane and Gray Avenue, and at the corner of New Hope Lane and North Liberty Street.

Now, the city is not only selling property to developers, but helping them cross the finish line.

On Monday, the city gave Glabex Consortium $240,000 to build eight single-family homes on those lots, costing the city $30,000 per unit. The city is using money from a pandemic recovery grant that’s intended for affordable-housing projects.

In September, City Attorney Angela Carmon said that construction must be completed within 24 months or the lots return to the city “with everything that’s on the lot.”

The 1,300-square-foot homes will each have three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a one-car garage, with a market value of $235,000. However, they will be priced at $205,000. The city will provide homeowners with 15-year down-payment assistance loans. A portion of each loan will be forgiven annually.

Glabex Consortium, based out of Clemmons, was formed in May 2015 according to the NC Secretary of State’s business registration website. According to PPP loan

information, the organization was approved for a $45,280 loan in April 2020 from Trustmark National Bank. That loan has been forgiven. The business was categorized under “pharmacies and drug stores” and Glabex Consortium’s application stated that the money would go toward “payroll.”

Who qualifies for these homes?

T

he city needs to build 15,000 units by 2027, according to a 2020 city staff report on affordable housing sites, with the goal of feeding 750 units into the city’s affordable-housing stock every year. According to a 2018 housing study and needs assessment, the most commonly occupied units are three bedrooms, which represented nearly 40 percent of all units in 2016.

Last year, when the city helped Forsyth County’s Habitat for Humanity finance the creation of 13 single-family homes in the Happy Hill neighborhood, the organization’s Chief Executive Officer George Redd said that homeownership is an easy way for families to build generational wealth and helps break the cycle of generational poverty.

Glabex Consortium’s future homes are geared toward first-time homebuyers, but are open to anyone who meets the criteria: Per the city, all eight of these homes will be available for sale to homeowners with incomes at or below 80 percent area median income.

The median family income in Winston-Salem is $68,900. For example, a family of four that rakes in an annual income of $55,100 would qualify. The housing study and needs assessment found that households in the $35,000-$74,999 income bracket represent 32.5 percent of the city’s households.

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OPINION | FEBRUARY 8 - 21, 2024

OPINION

Jen Sorensen

EDITORIAL

jensorensen.com

Ten years in, we need your help

W

hat was the Triad like 10

years ago?

That was before the pandemic, before Urban Loop

by Brian Clarey opened, before the Salem Parkway was completed through downtown Winston-Salem, before High Point had a downtown ballpark.

Ten years ago, there were only five breweries in the Triad, the Folk Fest had not yet happened and Slappy’s Chicken was just an abstract idea in Scott Brandenburg’s mind.

We’re getting ahead of ourselves by a couple weeks, but the end of this month marks Triad City Beat’s 10year anniversary.

And we’re just as shocked as you are.

In that time, we’ve put out more than 500 newspapers — we switched to every other week in August 2023 — and published more than 8,000 stories.

Not all of them hit home. Many of our calls for justice went unanswered, our pleas for mercy unheard.

But some of them… some of them moved mountains.

We’ve revealed sexual predators and grifters in our midst, called attention to victims of shortsighted city plans, exposed bad candidates before they gained purchase.

More than that, we’ve painted an accurate portrait of our cities as they’ve evolved, warts and all, that future generations can look to when they want

to know what was really going on in the Triad during these tumultuous years.

Over the years, the bylines have changed, but the mission remains the same: To tell the truth without fear or favor, to ask the questions our readers need answered, to shine our light on those corners that most need illuminating.

And we do it all for free. That has always been part of the plan.

But it costs a lot of money to put out free news. And for the first eight years of our existence, we were operating under a failed business model.

It is impossible to fund the paper that our readers deserve through advertising sales alone.

So we’ve diversified our revenue: advertising, sure, but also sponsored content and newsletters; we started a ticketing platform and a reader-revenue program, both of which help keep us afloat; and we’ve begun accepting tax-deductible donations through a nonprofit fiscal sponsor, the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation.

Now, 10 years in and at the cusp of a terrifying election season, we’re asking you to pitch in. We’re raising funds — $23,500 — to help us cover the 2024 Election and beyond. Follow the QR to donate.

It costs a lot of money to put out free news. And for the first eight years of our existence, we were operating under a failed business model.

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new deals and new hours!

THURSDAY SATURDAY 10AM - 5:30PM

3826 W. Gate City Blvd Greensboro, NC 27407

In The Weeds:

Sunday Brunch is a microcosm of society with all the hits playing on a constant loop.

You love it, we hate it.

It’s Sunday Brunch.

FILE PHOTO

by James Douglas | james@triad-city-beat.com

T

Depending on whether the pastor is long winded today, the big tables should be here shortly after noon. We’ve been here since 10 a.m., and back-of-house has been here since 7. We gather outside the kitchen and listen to the general manager hoarsely yell out the specials while chaos echoes on the other side of those double-doors.

Anxiety-inducing, high tension sounds permeate: he banging pots and pans, the clink of glasses being stacked at the drink wells, a harsh voice berating somebody — possibly themselves — for not setting a timer. Every single employee on duty, including the underage hostesses and the married managers that creep on them at every opportunity, are extremely hungover.

Welcome to Sunday brunch.

Literally everyone who prepares and serves you Sunday Brunch is having the worst day of their life, every time. Not one of them wants to be there. Don’t believe me? I’ve had co-workers OD in the parking lot because they didn’t want to deal with Sunday customers sober. Once, I found a new server laid out in the men’s bathroom while customers were piling through the front door to get their muffins and mimosas. There may be a future article about how certain restaurants with high turnover keep servers poor, whose less-than-discerning hiring process fail to show that you might just get what you pay for, but this ain’t it. Good jobs were rare in those days, go figure; I needed a job.

When someone first starts out in the restaurant industry, there are a plethora of experiences that show them how the world works. It’s a microcosm of society with all the hits playing on a constant loop.

Hierarchies, petty politics and literally all the “isms” are on full display in a restaurant or bar from colleagues and customers alike. All play very important roles in the radicalization and education of today’s youth. Much like the Hogwarts sorting hat, at a young age you find yourself in front of a prospective employer who will deem you fit for “front” or “back” of house. Once placed, the job has the ability to affect the direction of one’s life. A big part of that education is being forced to work a Sunday brunch shift.

At 11 a.m., the doors open and the “Let’s beat the churchgoers” crowd piles in. Coffee, lots of it. “How do you like your eggs?” begins to repeat in my head like a meditative mantra. I hurriedly scribble food orders and seat numbers.

A complex system developed for the restaurant industry is taught to all new servers to keep track of complicated orders.

It’s called “Don’t fuck it up.” This method applies to tables and the back of house equally. One is always unsatisfied and the other is always angry. The server is always the target of one.

Back of house, basically kitchen staff, carries some resentment towards front — waiters and bartenders, more or less — for many reasons. Tips vs. no tips, server’s discussion of said tips on the line, longer hours, burns, scalds, cuts, dull blades, even duller blades, life in a revolving sauna/arctic cubicle, claustrophobia, cornstarch remedies and lack thereof, yelling, more yelling, etc. Servers have only one: “Oh my god, I put in this order five minutes ago, why isn’t out yet?” However, there is one place where both houses come together: In their mutual contempt for the Difficult Customer. This is never more true than a Sunday brunch shift; I can’t stress this enough. Just after noon, we start to get the big tables. Churches are starting to let out. Refills are ordered — barked — while I’m still filling the tables’ first cups of coffee. We run out of high chairs. Steak and eggs,

well done. More bread. Dishes are starting to be sent back at neighboring tables. This isn’t because there is something wrong with the meal; it’s a notorious power move used by narcissists and sociopaths for the benefit of the other people at their table. A loose child screeches. It’s not even 1 p.m. yet.

I don’t know what makes them so demanding and difficult.

Is this the only day they go out? Do they feel that since they’re dressed up, they should act the part? Was all that grace used up at the sermon?

Time flies. I’m on the front. The scalding coffee isn’t hot enough for the lady in the huge hat so I throw it in an already occupied microwave for a minute. I collect grievances about people who I vow to write about a decade later. My largest and most unforgiving complaint is the Bible tract disguised as a 20, left in the checkbook at the table. I can’t tell you the pure rage of busting ass for a table of needy yokels from whatever dogpatch neighborhood they spawned from just to receive a vaguely racist and homophobic Bazooka Joe comic about how Jesus is my tip; he never paid my bills.

Any beef and harsh words between front and back is squashed after the shift over hastily smoked cigarettes by the garbage bins out back. At the end of the one day where the customer is more demanding, more extra, and completely bereft of any societal normalities, we bond.

After all, like our manager — who will fire us at a whim — says, “We’re family here.”

CULTURE | FEBRUARY 8 - 21, 2024

CULTURE

Everyone who prepares and serves you Sunday Brunch is having the worst day of their life, every time.

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1/26/24 4:27 PM

Poetry Out Loud competition gives local students a reason to rhyme

by Autumn Karen autumn@triad-city-beat.com

“I

Savannah Dowtin recites a poem during the Poetry Out Loud competition at UNCG.

CULTURE | FEBRUARY 8 - 21, 2024

CULTURE

PHOTO BY AUTUMN KAREN

To learn more about Poetry t was not Death, for I stood up, and all the Dead lie Out Loud, down.” check out their Gabriella Garcia Bou’s hands move like little website. birds as she recites Emily Dickinson, her voice up Out Loud to the Triad several years ago after learning about it through fellow and down, lilting, breaking. Her long dark hair shifts theater educators. He requires all 72 of his drama students to participate, with two while she speaks, eyes behind glasses roving the audience during her advancing to this level. earnest recitation.

For the program, teachers organize school-level and then local competitions. Over “We catch the scent of burning wood,” Savannah Dowtin recites, taking a deep breath the years, the level of participation from local high schools has ebbed and flowed, with through her nostrils before continuing the words of Ofelia Zepeda. “We are brought up to eight schools participating at one point. Prior to its closing, Triad Stage served as home.” Dowtin, a senior at Weaver Academy for the Performing Arts, wears sneakers the host for local events. The Pointe High School in High Point has also served as host. that make a sharp contrast to her flowing red dress and bouncy curls.

Last year it was virtual, with students reciting their poems over Zoom. But this year, “My heart is like a rainbow shell that paddles in a halcyon sea.”

Taylor wanted to bring it back to an in-person event on neutral ground. He reached out Alyssa Melvin is animated, her voice pushing out against the sides of the room. Her to Professors Kim Cuny and Chip Haas at UNCG, partnering with their programs for hands move, one palm to the sky, then both to her hips as she recites Christina Rosetti. both space and judges.

A freshman at Weaver Academy, her high turtleneck and sharp heels under slacks Once the students have recited their poems, there’s nothing to do but wait until the evoke beat poets in smoky rooms. results are rung up by the score tabulator.

“Oh know your own heart, that heart’s not wholly evil,” Yazid Bonilla’s voice is full, “Maybe some of our judges have a poem while we wait?” Taylor asks. During the heartfelt while he crescendos through a poem by Steve Smith. His close-cropped hair state and national competitions, prominent beat poets and guest speakers take the and black jeans scream Gen Z, but his choice of verses harkens back to the time of stage during tabulation.

Shakespeare. A Grimsley freshman, Bonilla looks up towards the invisible sky as he Judge Daniels, a longtime local teacher who came to the MFA in poetry at UNCG gestures through his poems. to enrich his own creative chops, jumps up to volunteer with a piece he wrote while The microphone stand is there to help contestants focus and practice, but this teaching called “Resistance.”

Poetry Out Loud event on the first of February is low-key and comfortable.

“Oh I’ll make USA great again, grab this dad hat …” Daniels gestures while he speaks “That mic is decorative,” host Keith Taylor chuckles from the front of a small the poem rhythmically, his short dreads bouncing. “Enemies probably gone come for auditorium in the bottom of UNCG’s Ferguson Building. “You ready? You feel good?” the kids but we resist…,” he grins. “And that’s all I remember.”

A couple dozen educators, parents and siblings are scattered in the seats throughout Judge Briley hops up next with the “Renascence” by Edna St. Vincent Millay. the room. Several elementary-aged kids scribble in coloring books. A proud father of “All I could see from where I stood,” she recites vocally while also expressing the one of the contestants has a large camera at the ready. In the front row, four confidentwords through her hands in American Sign Language, “was three long mountains and looking high school students wait patiently to walk up and recite their memorized a wood.”

Briley spent time teaching at a school for the deaf, and shares that sometimes poems over two rounds. it just comes back when she’s reciting poetry.

This is the local competition for Poetry Out Loud, a national arts education program It’s finally time for the scores, and Taylor calls all four contestants back up front. that’s funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

There’s not a sense of competition here, more a shared love of the art.

Its mission is to engender a love of poetry and performance, to help young people Dowtin and Melvin make it to the next step and are headed to Charlotte, where they’ll connect with personal expression through words. Students choose each poem for its each perform three poems for a much larger audience. personal resonance from a list of hundreds provided by the organization.

“I put all my time and effort into it,” says Melvin excitedly of her dedication after her Contestants are scored on their performance, but also their accuracy. They’ll get an win.

“I wanted to recite something I relate to, something that meant something to me.”

8-point bump for a perfect recitation, with a special judge onboard specifically for that Dowtin, beaming with excitement as she hugs her parents, shares a similar purpose. MFA in Poetry students Kay Zeiss, Justin Nash and James Daniels are on sentiment. hand as volunteer judges, along with UNCG theater professor Rachel Briley.

“It took me a while to find something I could relate to,” she says. “I wanted to The two students here who get the top scores from the panel of judges will move authentically portray what the author was trying to communicate.” on to the regional contest in Charlotte at the end of this month. The winner there Grimsley teacher Christina Purgason hugs her students, a look of pride and will compete in the national Poetry Out Loud competition in Washington DC later this congratulations as she speaks lovingly of their dedication to poetry. While he’s not spring. Last year, Weaver Academy senior Abby Sullivan made it all the way to the headed to Charlotte this year, that doesn’t seem to deter the love of poetry in contestant finals in the national competition after winning the state tournament.

Bonilla.

Taylor is a longtime teacher in the drama department at Weaver. He brought Poetry 11 “Poetry was able to connect with how I felt inside,” Bonilla says.

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Survey of Greensboro’s music scene seeks respondents

s Greensboro on track to become the next Music City? Sound Music Cities, a national organization that studies local music scenes, has launched an online survey to learn about our region’s music scene. The Greater Greensboro Music Census is gathering insights on the needs of the local music community to shape future investments by the private, public, and philanthropic sector.

Over the next three weeks, musicians, venue owners, and other industry professionals are encouraged to complete a short survey at gsomusiccensus.org and share their perspectives on the assets and barriers of Greensboro’s music scene. The online questionnaire can be completed in less than 15 minutes with any device that has internet access.

“If you sing, write, record, produce, teach, or host live music, we want you take the survey,” says Dena Maginness-Jeffrey, Director of Community Engagement at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, a key supporter of this initiative. “The more diverse voices that participate, the richer our insights will be.”

While Greensboro boasts numerous live music venues such as the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, the Carolina Theatre, the Greensboro Coliseum, the Flat Iron, and a variety of breweries, coffee shops, and music festivals, there’s always room for improvement.

“The goal is to support the local musicians the city already has and attract new ones, expanding the live music options for people who love it,” says Maginness-Jeffrey. “If we want to become a true music-friendly city, we have to ask ourselves what enhancements can be made.”

To see what is possible, look at Greensboro’s vibrant and nationally recognized public art scene.

Sustained and substantial investments by the public, private, and philanthropic sectors has produced world-class visual works by acclaimed local, regional, and national artists for locals and visitors to enjoy.

Maginnes-Jeffrey envisions collaboration akin to the city’s visual art scene, foreseeing benefits not only in music but across the region’s social, cultural, and economic landscape. “Music is one of those things that brings people together. Data from the Music Census will signal where resources are needed and sharpen the focus of music-minded supporters.”

Results of the Music will be released publicly this spring, and the report will include a

data deck, perspectives on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and actionable findings.

Broad participation by the music community in the Music Census is vital to this initiative’s success. “Until we understand the data’s insights,” Maginnes-Jeffrey explains, “we won’t know where to direct our efforts.”

The Music Census’s online survey is tailored to different respondent categories such as creatives, venue owners, and industry professionals. It delves into participants’ personal connections with music, explores potential events and venues, and seeks input on expectations for action. Additionally, aside from multiple-choice questions, respondents have the opportunity to provide comments for open-ended inquiries towards the end of the survey.

Besides the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, other lead partners include the Greater Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and the Arts Council of Greater Greensboro, as well as over 50 community engagement partners.

To participate in the Greater Greensboro Music Census, visit gsomusiccensus.org.

BY CAROLYN DE BERRY

Summit Avenue, Greensboro

SHOT IN THE TRIAD | FEBRUARY 8 - 21, 2024

SHOT IN THE TRIAD

Buy Here/Pay Here.

13

PUZZLES & GAMES CROSSWORD ‘Strong Suits’ —

by Matt Jones

dealing with another puzzle.

Across

© 2023 Matt Jones

SUDOKU

by Matt Jones

© 2022 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com)

14

1. As of yet 6. Judge’s seat, in law 10. “Ray Donovan” actor Schreiber 14. Jumper cable terminal 15. As well 16. Give the creepy eye to 17. Remove all the dirt and grime from 19. Server operating system 20. Release 21. Three-part vacuum tube in old TVs 23. “___ Little Tenderness” 24. Becomes enraged 25. Double sextet 28. Borrower 29. 2001 high-tech debut 30. Apt answer for this clue 32. It had a hub at JFK 35. Keanu’s “Matrix” role 36. What you may need to do to understand the four sets of circled letters 37. Talking computer in “2001: A Space Odyssey” 38. Slippery tree 39. Inquisition target 40. Clock feature 41. Kicks out 43. Injection also used to treat migraines 44. Gangsters’ headwear, in old movies 46. Tiger sound 48. Cider fodder 49. England-Scandinavia separator 53. Golden State sch.

54. They’re unbiased and accepting, and not short-sighted 56. Wine bouquet 57. Expert pilots 58. Rice-___ (“The San Francisco Treat”) 59. Lawyer, for short 60. Put a stop to 61. “The Walking Dead” villain

LAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS:

Down

1. Rude response 2. “Falling Slowly” musical 3. Ticonderoga, e.g.

4. Took on grown-up errands, so to speak 5. Like a phoenix 6. Lightweight modeling wood 7. Out of the breeze, to a sailor 8. Hush-hush govt. group 9. In a satisfied way 10. Thelma’s cohort, in film 11. “Disregard what you just saw ...”

12. Avoid some syllables 13. Bewildered 18. Slyly shy 22. Change color again 24. Peasants of yore 25. Feast 26. European car manufacturer 27. Went by quickly 28. “One of ___ great mysteries ...”

30. Locale in a Clash title 31. “Everybody ___” (REM song) 33. Home of Baylor University 34. James Patterson detective Cross 36. Hobbits’ homeland 40. Available to rent 42. Tennis shot 43. Role for Keaton and Kilmer 44. Animals, collectively 45. Disney World acronym 46. “I Only ___ the Ones I Love” (Jeffrey Ross book) 47. Airport code for O’Hare 49. “Great British Bake-Off” co-host Fielding 50. Make out in Manchester 51. ___ Mode of “The Incredibles” 52. “O ___ Oscar” 55. “His Master’s Voice” company

YOUR AD GOES HERE ADVERTISE WITH

TRIAD CITY BEAT! CONTACT CHRIS@ TRIAD-CITYBEAT.COM TO PLACE AN AD WITH TCB

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Thu 2/08 Featured

Oden Brewing Company, 804 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro

Featured

Smile Empty Soul @ 7pm Hangar 1819, 1819 Spring Garden St, Greensboro

Wed 2/14 @ 6:30pm / $50-$90 JOIN US FOR A ROMANTIC EVENING FILLED WITH SENSUAL JAZZ BALLADS PERFORMED BY THE WONDERFUL SIREN SERIES JAZZ BAND AND A DECADENT 3-COURSE MEAL! Footnote Coffee & Cocktails, 634 West 4th Street, Winston-Salem. heidi @foothillsbrewing.com, 336-705-9921

Mon 2/19

Thu 2/15 Extermination Dismemberment

@souljammusic: SJ Trio @ GSO Joymongers @ 8pm Joymongers Brewing Co., 576 N Eugene St, Greens‐ boro

Warren Zeiders @ 8pm Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro

Fri 2/09 @souljammusic: SJ Trio @ WS Joymongers @ 7pm Joymongers Barrel Hall, 480 W End Blvd, WinstonSalem

Galentines & Palentines Singles Dance Party @ 8pm / $15 Real World Ballroom, 690 Jonestown Rd, WinstonSalem. realworldballroom@gmail.com

Sat 2/10 Creative Reuse Assemblage @ 12pm / $20 To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk....Thomas Edison Reconsidered Goods, 4118 Spring Garden Street, Greensboro. shayla@reconsid eredgoods.org, 336-763-5041

William Nesmith @ 7pm

@ 2pm Boxcar Bar + Arcade, 120 W Lewis St, Greensboro

sugadaisy

@ 7:30pm / $29-$151 Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, 300 North Elm Street, Greensboro

@ 6pm Hangar 1819, 1819 Spring Garden St, Greensboro

@ 8pm The Ramkat & Gas Hill Drinking Room, 170 W 9th St, Winston-Salem

William Nesmith

Valentine's Siren Series Jazz Dinner & Show

Hadestown (Touring)

Queen Bees

Sun 2/18

Tony Andrews

@ 7pm The Ramkat, 170 W 9th St, Winston-Salem

Spanish Shrimp @ 6pm / $58 Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

Tue 2/20 Spanish Shrimp @ 6pm / $58 Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

Dawn Landes @ 7pm Flat Iron, 221 Summit Ave, Greensboro

Featured

@ 7:30pm Tailgators Bar & Billiards, 3728-F Battleground Ave, Greensboro

Dragon's Hoard Anniversary and Ven‐ dor Fair Toy Swap! @ 10am Vendor Fair and Toy Swap celebrating the 1 year anniversary of Dragon's Hoard 4645 W Market St, 4645 West Market Street, Greensboro. info@dragonshoardnc.com, 336-6175668

Sun 2/11 Mercy's Well @ 11am Providence Wesleyan Church, 1505 E Fair�eld Rd, High Point

William Nesmith @ 2pm Bull City Ciderworks, 504 State St, Greensboro

Mon 2/12 The Turkey Buzzards @ 6:30pm Flat Iron, 221 Summit Ave, Greensboro

Tue 2/13

Fri 2/16 Amore Gala - The Choral Arts Collective @ 6pm / $125-$250 The Amore Gala bene�ts the ensembles of The Choral Arts Collective - Bel Canto Company, Greens‐ boro Youth Chorus, and Gate City Voices. Join us for wine, dinner, and a world-class performance! The Colonnade at Revolution Mill, 900 Revolution Mill Drive, Greensboro. info@choralartscollective.org, 336-333-2220

William Nesmith @ 7pm Kernersville Brewing Company, 221 N Main St, Kern‐ ersville

Triad Pride Acting Company presents “Second Samuel” @ 8pm / $15 TPAC will present Pamela Parker’s “Second Samuel,” a poignant comedy/drama about family & perspec‐ tive, set in the late 1940s in Second Samuel, a sleepy town in South Georgia. Congregational United Church of Christ, 400 West Radiance Drive, Greens‐ boro. contact@triadprideperformingarts.org, 336589-6267

Sat 2/17 Take 6 In Concert @ 7:30pm High Point Theatre, 220 E Commerce Ave, High Point

French Dinner

Billy Creason Band

@ 6pm / $58 Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

@ 8pm Bodine's Bar, 6353 Cephis Dr, Clemmons

The best place to promote your events online and in print. Visit us @ https://triad-city-beat.com/local-events

Wake Forest Demon Deacons Mens Basketball vs.

Pittsburgh Panthers Mens Basketball @ 9pm Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coli‐ seum, 2825 University Parkway, Win‐ ston Salem

Wed 2/21 Leaders & Lunch: Trends of Belonging in 2024 @ 12pm Dr. Lewis' talk will help you build your thought capital, as you create a work culture of belonging for your team members. Winston-Salem. fmitchell@leader shipws.org, 336-723-1002

The Copper Children @ 7pm Flat Iron, 221 Summit Ave, Greensboro Calendar information is provided by event organiz‐ ers. All events are subject to change or cancellation.

This publication is not responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in this calendar.

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Here For Small Businesses in the Triad triadlocalfirst.org Greensboro Latino We want to tell you the stories of Latinos who have achieved success in this city through effort and hard work. Through interviews and reports, we will show you the impact that generations of Latinos have made on the economy, businesses, culture, and public management of Greensboro.

We speak plainly about immigration, showcasing all aspects that drive this issue with the promise of ongoing updates, objectivity, and depth in our approach. We will not only cover local topics but also state and nationally relevant issues affecting Latino immigrants in Greensboro.

You can find our print publication at cultural centers, community supermarkets, car dealerships, medical offices, legal offices, and nonprofit organization headquarters that provide assistance to the immigrant community in Greensboro.

You can also visit our news website, Greensboro Latino, where you’ll find ongoing updates on the most important issues affecting the Latino community in our city.

Greensboro Latino | 1852 Banking Street, GSO greensborolatino.com

Allen Tate Realtors I have practiced real estate and property management for over eight years now. I combine my decades of experience in customer service and education in order to serve and to provide my buyer, seller, tenant and landlord clients with the highest level of customer service. I use data-based decision making, in order to ensure sound financial advice, and work hard to provide all clients with market insights that will assist them in making judicial decisions with purchases, home listings, and rental options. My client base has been augmented by hours of public service, and by membership with several philanthropic organizations. I take great pride in my work and take seriously my fiduciary responsibility to all I serve.

Steve Scott Realtor/Property Manager 717 Green Valley Road, Suite 175, GSO bit.ly/StvSctAT

Reconsidered Goods What is Reconsidered Goods all about? The short version is that we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that takes donated materials from manufacturers and individuals, helps divert them from landfills, and puts them into the hands of artists, makers, teachers, children, and other reuse advocates to create something new.

Our mission is to promote environmental awareness, community engagement, and creative expression through reuse, education, and the arts.

At Reconsidered Goods we imagine a world where nothing is used once nor thrown away but instead reused again and again If you have items or materials that you know have some life left in them or if you work at a company that has materials that are unused or could be used creatively, then get in touch with us about making a donation.

Reconsidered Goods | 4118 Spring Garden Street, GSO reconsideredgoods.org