Dear neigbors and friends: The good news is that the newsletter is attracting lots of attention from advertisers and neighbors who want to contribute articles. However, that means more work for the newsletter volunteers who give so generously of their time. We don't want them to burn out, so please see which of these tasks you can help with and contact me as soon as possible. I'm in the list below.
—Help sort and label about 2000 newsletters.
—Help bag and take the newsletters to the post office.
Larger ad sizes are discouraged, but if you feel you couldn't live without a half or even (gasp) an entire full page ad, they'll be available at premium rates.
Any time you could contribute Please see the ECA News ad on to this community project page 15 for complete advertising would be greatly appreciated. information. We encourage you Important changes to purchase your ads as annual Interest in advertising in the contracts and will honor them ECA News has been on a first come, first served overwhelming, but since this basis.—Babak Emadi, editor newsletter is so tiny, we need front cover: Hardin Minor to maximize our ad space. as the Easter Bunny, photo by Tony Miller Starting with the next issue, ECA News needs help —Be a liaison with advertisers we'd like all advertisers to buy Back cover: tree poet Kevin Keck, photo by Babak Emadi the quarter page format. and help us collect payment.
ECA BOARD FOR 2003-2004 Elizabeth website: http://elizabethcommunity.com name
address
work tel.
e-mail (home or work)
Tate Ogburn
2510 Vail Ave., 28207
342-5258
togburn@poynerspruill.com
619-1847
jheller1@carolina.rr.com
334-1648
babak@urbana-architecture.com
•Corridors•Zoning•Trees•Race •Community Dev Chair
Peter Tart
Jean Galloway Jim Heller
Roxie Towns
Babak Emadi Tony Miller
Todd Williams Linda Nash Brad Miller Kris Solow
Ruffin Pearce
Britta Crandall
1517 E. 8th St., 28204 2101 E. 5th St., 28204
377-3936
1512 E. 8th St., 28204
342-1000
1515 Sunnyside Ave., 28204
377-8500
2228 E. 5th St., 28204 725 Clement Ave., 28204
JoAnn Brown
2
petart@carolina.rr.com
• ECA PREZ / Zoning•Membership
jgalloway@firsttrustnc.com
•Treasurer
janeroxi@bellsouth.net
•Zoning•Beautification•Community Dev
millerarchitecture@msn.com
2204 East 5th St., 28204
943-9198
williams@mgallis.com
1812 E. 8th St.,28204
432-0458
bjmiller@ci.charlotte.nc.us
1921 E. 9th St., 28204 2109 E. 5th St., 28204
2121 Greenway Ave., 28204 2338 Greenway Ave., 28204
Rachel Eldridge 2423 Vail Ave., A13, 28204 Tim Whitmire
372-4147
1944 E. 9th St., 28204 1615 Elizabeth Ave.
342-5293 806-4456
•Corridors•Zoning•Community Dev
ksolow@carolina.rr.com
•Beautification
brittacrandall@yahoo.com
•Race
trwhitmire@hotmail.com
•Race•Beautification
333-1887
racheldridge@hotmail.com
523-2446
•Sec•Traffic•Race•Block Capt
•Social Co-Chair
rpearce@wcsr.com
372-2211
•Zoning•Race
lnash@poynerspruill.com
331-4989 347-4899
committee
JoAnn.Brown@asmnet.com
•Zoning•Corridors/Traffic•Crime •Zoning
•Race
•Business Representative
I dream a lot. I do more painting when I’m not painting. It’s in the subconscious.—Andrew Wyeth
photos by Babak Emadi
More trees are coming! by Bonnie Emadi
And yes, they're coming soon, so be on the lookout for them around the neighborhood this spring.
Craig Munroe from the City of Charlotte has confirmed that twenty trees have been planted so far in Elizabeth. The rest of our trees for this planting phase have been delivered to his department. All eighty-five of them will be planted by the end of March. More trees will be planted next fall, bringing our total of new trees to two hundred forty. If your property does not meet city guidelines for planting–a four foot planting strip with no overhead power lines–please take the initiative to buy a tree and plant it yourself. If you don’t have a planting strip, consider putting the tree between your house and the sidewalk. Large trees can be purchased from Southern Tree; smaller ones can be bought at Home Depot or most nurseries.
Trees are an inexpensive way to beautify your home and increase your property value. What are you waiting for? Plant one today!
F E AT U R E
S T O R Y
3
My M.O. is whimsy by Kevin Keck
I started posting poems on the tree at 601 Clement in July of 2004. The concept originated from an idea I had several years ago to call everyone in the Charlotte phone book and read them a sonnet. I had a lot more free time in those days. It only took a few phone calls to realize the plan wasn’t going to take flight: in the middle of my sixth call the man who answered cut me off and said, “If you ever call me again you freaking pervert I will find you and kill you.” I was reciting Byron’s “She walks in beauty…”
Both of these ideas were extensions of my belief that poetry isn’t as relevant to the public as it should be. It’s the perfect literary form for a society where reading is on the decline due in large part to a neurotic, time obsessed culture. Poems are compact, and some of the very best can be read in under a minute and still carry a wealth of intellectual and emotional stimulation. But it’s tough to get this across to most people. It’s terrible enough that a great deal of the population finds little pleasure 4
T H E
P E O P L E
PA G E S
in reading, but even those who do read most likely don’t read poetry. They find it too difficult or boring. Or they have some horror story of being forced to recite “Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood” in 7th grade, and I understand completely how such an event could scar an individual for a lifetime.
There are some folks who live on 8th Street across from the yoga studio who have placed all these little frog figurines and statues in their yard where a tree with gnarly roots edges against the sidewalk. It’s completely odd and I love it because it’s difficult to walk by without wondering what’s up with all those frogs. The experience transforms the mundane into the wonderful. It was this type of personal event in public space that I wanted to accomplish with poetry.
Originally I wanted to copy a poem in chalk down the length of Clement Avenue, but such an undertaking would have to be accomplished at night, and I tend to fall asleep rather early. Plus there was some minor math involved to pull it off properly, and I’m not good with numbers.
Somehow the idea materialized of posting poems on the tree at the corner of the yard where the driveway meets the sidewalk. The first poem was by Pablo Neruda, “Drunk as drunk on turpentine / from your open kisses…”–a sweet love poem for summer. After I put it on the
photo of Kevin Keck by Babak Emadi, background image: asphodel from www.saltfilms.net/zababdeh/naturepage/january/asphodel.html
It is difficult to get the news from poems yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there. —from "Asphodel, That Greeny Flower" ©1962 William Carlos Williams
tree I fretted that people wouldn’t stop to read because they might think I was posting religious texts in an effort to lure them into a cult, and so I took to drawing a friendly arrow and encouraging words on the sidewalk in front of the tree so people might feel more inclined to investigate. Occasionally, when the whim strikes, I still place some words of encouragement on the sidewalk, but my modus operandi these days is simply to redraw the arrow whenever I switch the poems—usually about once a week. I select the poems according to their quality and my mood. Some of the poems are by contemporary writers whom I know, but most of them tend to be from 20th century poets of reputation. If a person stops and reads the tree once a week over the course of a year they will have read at least 50 poems—good poems, some even great—and that’s well above and beyond the average reader in this country. I can see the tree from my window, and sometimes I watch to see if passersby will stop for the tree. If they do stop I never linger to watch them read— that would just be weird. It’s weird enough to post a poem on a tree, so I don’t feel inclined to add to the aura of strangeness anymore than I already have. But what interests me are the people that don’t stop. There are some people who walk past
my building every day, and I have never once seen them pause to read the tree. I’ve resisted the urge more than once to open my window and interrogate those people demand an explanation for their indifference. I want to know if they treat the 8th St. frogs with the same apathy— but frogs are considerably more approachable than poetry, so I grasp their reluctance on a certain level. However, it is still my hope that some person passing the tree might be moved to emulation or response, and find himself or herself compelled to post a poem on his or her own tree. It seems an interesting idea that people in a community might find a passive way of communication through art, and that folks might meander down the street, from house to house, filled with wonder and possibility.
two Commission Committees: the Natural Resources and Community Building Committees. She'll be dealing with issues concerning the preservation and protection of the county's natural resources (including geese), as well as helping to increase the appreciation of different ethnicities and cultures as valued parts of our community. Commissioner Roberts can be contacted at mroberts5@carolina.rr.com.
Representative Becky Carney of the 102nd House District of the North Carolina General Assembly is serving in the 2005 legislative session, where she'll tackle issues such as the state's budget shortfall of about $1.2 billion, as well as legislation to stop street gangs. Representative Carney was a primary sponsor of the anti-street gang bill. Contact her through Polly Little: plittle@carolina.rr.com.
Politicians in our midst by their intrepid PR people We all know our Elizabeth neighbors Senator Dan Clodfelter, County Commissioner Dumont Clark and City Councilmember Patsy Kinsey very well, but here's an update on another politician neighbor, as well as notes on our House Representative.
Elizabeth resident Jennifer Roberts has been named chair of
T H E
P E O P L E
PA G E S
5
5
Elizabeth Community loses long-time resident by Ann Somebody
6
T H E
P E O P L E
Known for his diligent service and interest in others, John was a true gentleman and also an eccentric who represented the John G. Ball, an Elizabeth rich texture of humanity found resident who died on February in this neighborhood. He had a 14 at age 83, had lived in this sharp mind and a good memory. neighborhood since 1926. He was quick to recall the Since 1939 he had lived on 7th trolleys on 7th Street and the Street in the house beside Elizabeth community back to Cooking Uptown. A graduate of the 1930’s. John was in good Central High School, John was health until a few days before a Navy torpedo bomber pilot his death. His Elizabeth friends during World War II and a flight will miss him. instructor, serving in Corpus Christi, Texas, and in Pensacola, Progressive dinner Florida. After the war he worked update at Stanley’s Drug Store, which by Maya Packard was at that time in the space Just wanted to let you know now occupied by Starbucks. that the progressive dinner is John resumed delivery of The going to be April 30 this year. Charlotte Observer and for Contact me at 704 334 2196 or twenty-five years provided mpackard@carolina.rr.com. steadfast and personable The race is on! service. “My most enduring by Emily Shea Zarbatany memory of John,” said Carlson Williard, “was the morning after The 19th annual "Big E" Elizabeth road race is almost Hurricane Hugo. We looked here! Sponsored by Carolina's out, and among all the limbs Medical Center, among others, and leaves we saw a light. We realized it was John’s flashlight. proceeds go towards tree He was delivering the paper, an replanting efforts. The event is example of his total dedication.” on March 12th, so you'd better hurry if you want to sign up or Kevin Strawn recalled an volunteer. A contact for instance that illustrates how volunteers is Rachel Eldridge: well John knew his customers 704-378-4291. The event and how caring he was. The consists of an 8K race, a 3K first time Dan Clodfelter ran health walk and a 1K fun run for Senate, there was a run-off. (free for kids) at the Hawthorne John had sized up Kevin well Rec. Center, Independence enough to know that he would Park. We need your participation: care about Dan’s election, and join us in cheering runners on since Kevin was out of town or be a runner yourself. Call me when the results were at 704-564-2693 or e-mail published, John saved the eshea@dickensmitchener.com. paper for Kevin.
PA G E S
Sponsors of this year's race: CMC MERCY
HAWTHORNE'S NY PIZZA Z ADAM'S 7TH STREET MARKET
HIGHLAND PARK DEVELOPMENT COMPANY
THE RUTZLER, LLC Z COOKING UPTOWN Z LA TEA DA'S SHOWMARS RESTAURANT Z JACKELOPE JACK'S BAR &
RESTAURANT Z THE FIG TREE Z BIKE SOURCE Z 2001
CLEANERS Z ANDERSON'S RESTAURANT Z VISART VIDEO DIAMOND SPRINGS Z RUN FOR YOUR LIFE Z JHG
FINANCIAL Z EMILY ZARBATANY, REALTOR Z POYNER &
SPRUILL, LLP Z SCHLOTSKY'S DELI Z VISULITE THEATRE T H E
P E O P L E
PA G E S
7
No, not that kind of house painting by Cyrus the Great
The oil painter and landscape artist, Robert Brown, has embarked on a new path since moving back to Charlotte from Philadelphia last June. He’s taken up residence in Elizabeth and spends sunny days painting portraits of houses and buildings in our neighborhood. “Painting architecture is relatively new to me,” says Brown. “I’m used to painting more pastoral scenes where the emphasis is on getting the subject down quickly before the light changes. It’s still a challenge working with changing light, but now I have the additional task of getting all the perspective lines of roofs and windows to look reasonable at the same time.” Why architecture? According to Brown, there are very few plein air painters who take on the challenge of painting architecture on location. “It’s more than most painters want to deal with–much easier to take a photo and paint from it in the comfort of a studio,” says Brown.
“Well, that’s easy,” says Brown with a smile. “It has some of the most challenging houses in Charlotte, for a painter, I mean. It’s also an easy neighborhood to walk in. I hardly ever drive. I got in the habit of walking and taking public transportation in Philadelphia. In Elizabeth, everything essential is within easy walking distance. I also like putting my painting backpack on and traipsing around until I discover something that catches my eye. In a neighborhood like Elizabeth there are many beautiful scenes.”
Brown’s paintings can be viewed at Providence Frames, beside Shain Fine Art on Providence Road. He’s also available for commission house portraits and can be reached at 704-905-9765.
T H E
P E O P L E
As an observant Elizabethan, you're probably aware of the white house with an arched entrance and eye-catching garden in the 1800 block of Seventh Street.
Many may have observed the changes taking place at the Council House, also known as the Betty Little House. Since 2002, the interior and exterior of the house have undergone extensive renovations. The exterior of the house is brighter as a result of recent painting, while a black fence and new arch have replaced the white picket fence which you may remember. Inside, the entire downstairs has been painted, the kitchen has been totally updated, and in January a central air conditioning system was added.
For several years the Council House has participated in the Elizabeth Home Tour. But not only can Elizabeth residents be proud of the house's preservation and it's contribution to the neighborhood, they can also use it.
The house provides an excellent location for a gathering of up to sixty-five people; it has on occasion been the site chosen for small weddings, rehearsal parties, receptions, luncheon meetings and other functions. To find out more about touring the interior of the house and
And why Elizabeth? 8
Charlotte Garden Clubs Council House by Byron Baldwin
PA G E S
learn the conditions of renting it, please call the house at 704375-4373 and leave your name and telephone number. Someone will return your call promptly.
Be aware of the house, use the house, and recommend the house. It's a good neighbor. And on April 9th there will be a garage, craft and plant sale at the Council House, so be sure to mark your calendar!
skills in a particular art form are passed down through generations, the There's a great story behind idea of opening her the new shop on Central own store in Avenue that sells folk art from Charlotte grew around the world. Owner Teresa another step closer to reality. Hernandez had earned her She wanted to help these MBA in marketing and strategic people continue their rich management from UT Austin, artistic traditions and offer then moved to Charlotte in Charlotte something it was 1998 to work for Accenture, the sorely lacking. largest business consulting firm Back at work in 2002, she in the world. formed a business plan for her Her clients included Sprint, store, but realized she'd need to American Airlines, Bank of keep working and save up some America, AstraZeneca, United money. Quitting Accenture and Health Care and the US Postal an exhausting 50 week per year Service. While on a nine month travel schedule for the stability sabbatical in 2001 to explore of a job at Bank of America, she Mexico, the country of her continued planning and saving birth, something clicked. until the time was right. Growing up in Texas, folk art Through friends, she eventually was everywhere: Teresa became met the man she would marry, an avid collector. After moving Luis Ramirez. The name of the to Charlotte and not being able store, Pura Vida, is a saying in to find local sources for buying his native Costa Rica meaning authentic folk art, she formed "everything's great". Teresa and the idea of opening her own Luis married last July, then in store. During her travels in August she quit her job at Bank Mexico, meeting folk artists, of America to concentrate full often indigenous people whose Pura Vida, worldly art by Little Shiva
T H E
time on all the intricate details of making her shopkeeping dream come true. Luis took a few weeks off from his job at The Vanguard Group to help get the store ready, and it finally opened the weekend after Thanksgiving, 2004.
Teresa still does much of the buying of Mexican folk art, and works with several fair trade organizations to import works from folk artists around the world: Turkey, India, Peru, Guatemala, Costa Rica and even the USA. She also carries work by several Charlotte artists, and lives her belief that art unites people across cultural boundaries. Pura Vida is at 1521 Central Avenune near the corner of Thomas. Hours are M-Sat from 10:30 until 6. 704 335 8587. P E O P L E
PA G E S
9
10
T H E
B U S I N E S S
S E C T I O N
T H E
B U S I N E S S
S E C T I O N
11
12
T H E
B U S I N E S S
S E C T I O N
T H E
B U S I N E S S
S E C T I O N
13
14
T H E
B U S I N E S S
S E C T I O N
T H E
B U S I N E S S
S E C T I O N
15