ECA 2-06 by Elizabeth Community

With gardenias and magnolias a’ bloomin’ their sweet scents, birdies flying the nest and wardrobes shifting to lighter fare, we know summer’s here. Let’s play together, but be on the watch for those rascals who might take advantage of the more open-door casualness the warmer weather inspires in us, especially as we leave for vacations. Keep each other posted and activate those timers. Hooray for the successful end of another school year for students and teachers alike. Well done!! Good luck to those seeking

summer jobs and be safe on your travels. Don’t forget your sunscreen! Dude! This is also my last issue as the ECA newsletter figurehead. I’m happy to relinquish the title to our new neighbor Nancy Albert, who was the editor of Connecticut’s Hog River Journal (www.hogriver.org) before moving to Charlotte. So from now on, send your newsletter e-mails to Nancy: noalbert@carolina.rr.com/ —Hardin Minor, ECA figurehead front and back cover photos by Adam Schultz

ECA BOARD 2006 deadline for fall 2006 newsletter: Friday September 8th see page 16 for details Elizabeth online: http://elizabethcommunity.com name

address

work tel.

e-mail (home or work)

Peter Tart

1517 E. 8th St., 28204

372-4147 petart@carolina.rr.com

committee ECA prez / zoning committee

Melanie 2309 Vail Ave., 28204 335-0909 msizemore@realindex.com Sizemore

ECA secretary

Jean Galloway 2101 E. 5th St., 28204

377-3936 jgalloway@firsttrustnc.com

ECA treasurer

Linda Nash

1921 E. 9th St., 28204

342-5293 NashMan99N@aol.com

social committee / block captain

Terry Lett

2107 Greenway Ave., 28204 377 0052 terrylett@bellsouth.net

social committee

Russell Crandall 2338 Greenway Ave., 28204 894-2283 rucrandall@davidson.edu

traffic committee / block captain

Babak Emadi

725 Clement Ave., 28204

zoning, trees, community development

Tony Miller

1515 Sunnyside Ave., 28204 377-8500 millerarchitecture@msn.com

zoning committee

Roxie Towns

1512 E. 8th St., 28204

342-1000 janeroxi@bellsouth.net

zoning + beautification committees

Kris Solow

2109 E. 5th St., 28204

806-4456 ksolow@carolina.rr.com

beautification committee

Ruffin Pearce

2121 Greenway Ave., 28204 331-4989 rpearce@wcsr.com

334-1648 babak@urbana-architecture.com

Dianna 2222 Greenway Ave., 28204 236-4286 print_it@bellsouth.net Desaulniers

the people pages

zoning committee membership committee

How to select a knife: whittling it down by Karen Cooley

make it the most popular choice in better cutlery. Stainless steel is so hard that it strongly resists Selecting just the right knife requires time and research. The sharpening. Although it remains sharp longer, once it best knife is aIways the knife loses its edge it can become that feels most comfortable another disposable item. in your hand. Size of blade Recent advances in technology and size of handle are also important factors, and comfort have produced some neverneed-sharpening knives that do depends on the individual. hold up for many years. Note The first consideration is the material used to construct your that knives in this class almost always lack the quality, balance knife. Here are your choices. and feel of good tools. They High-carbon steel, also called cutlery steel, is no longer remain a viable alternative for those who don’t wish to care for widely available. This or sharpen their cutlery. is the best metal used Ceramic for cutlery primarily material is because it holds an both strong excellent edge and is and quite easy to sharpen. brittle. It is somewhat brittle, so care should be taken not to drop it. It also has a tendency to rust if not dried thoroughly after each use, but just scour and keep using it if this happens. High-carbon stainless steel has become the most popular metal used in knife construction because of its rust and stain resistant qualities. It doesn’t hold its edge quite as well as high-carbon steel and is not quite as easy to sharpen, but its convenience and availability

It’s stronger than steel and has an edge that’s remarkably thinner than steel, so cutting is made considerably easier, and the edge can last significantly longer with proper care. Because of their brittleness relative to steel, ceramic knives are best used for slicing, not chopping, because they can be made very thin and with a remarkably sharp edge. Because of the lightness of ceramics, they don’t have the heft you might expect of a metal chef knife. Though not as fragile as one might expect, nevertheless care should be taken not to drop it, to avoid breaking off the tip. Sharpening and repairs are done on diamond hones. The better titanium knives are made with a sintering process of titanium and carbides, using powder metal technology instead of metal casting. The sintering process melts the elements and recombines them under great heat and pressure. The carbides in the alloy allow for the blades to be heat-treated to a hardness appropriate for cutlery. Very lightweight and durable, they stay sharper longer than steel and are relatively easy to sharpen. the people pages

Plastic has the primary goal of keeping veggies from changing color as they’re cut, and plastic serrated knives have become popular for slicing lettuce. They’re not very sharp: some force may be required. Stop into Cooking Uptown at 1707 E. 7th St. to try out a variety of knife options. We also offer a knife skills class quarterly: check out www.cookinguptown.com

critical to this process. We’re eager to hear from you about your observations and wishes concerning traffic in Elizabeth. A neighborhood meeting to discuss ideas and receive suggestions that will then be used to help write the traffic survey. The meeting will be held on Sunday, August 20 at 4 p.m. at Russell and Britta Crandall’s house, 2338 Greenway Ave. Their phone is 704-344-0897. Progressive dinner thanx by Lisa Pearce

Talking about traffic by Russell Crandall Traffic affects all of us. Volume, speed and congestion are the issues of greatest concern. We’re most aware of traffic problems we face in the immediate vicinity of our homes, but how traffic flows through our neighborhood is equally important. The ECA is committed to being a forum for discussion, ideas, and mobilization regarding traffic. The ECA is presently conducting an informal traffic study and resident input is

the people pages

Thanks to everyone who attended the annual progressive dinner on May 6th. We especially want to thank Jane and Roxie Towns and Michelle and Erik Dagenhart for hosting the appetizer and desert portions of the evening. In addition, all the people who opened up their homes and hosted dinner. A great time was had by all. If you’ve never attended the progressive dinner, I encourage you to go next year. It’s a great opportunity to get to know people in this wonderful community. There aren’t many neighborhoods that get together as a community as often as we do. If you have questions about the progressive dinner or want to be a host house next year, please contact Lisa Pearce: lisa@pearces.com. One other very special thanks to Maya Packard who has organized this event for several years. Without her we could

not have pulled it off. Thanks, Maya, for all you’ve done and continue to do for our neighborhood! The BB Gun by Cal Watford Most of my relatives, particularly on my daddy’s side of the family, were farmers. To them, hunting was a natural part of their life. It added to the dinner table a variety of food that they didn’t raise on the farm, and they enjoyed the recreation that a successful hunt provided. At the same time, they never killed just for the act of killing. Anything shot, or trapped, except certain predators, was eaten. Their farming practices included leaving areas of food and cover for wild (critters) animals, especially the Bobwhite Quail. I can remember sitting on Uncle Lewis’s porch in the low country of South Carolina in late summer and early fall, listening to the quail call. Such a soft, sweet song. My uncle could tell me where certain coveys were, and which ones could be hunted. Some he wanted left alone so they would grow in number. As I grew older, and into manhood, I stilled loved to hear them call. When I was about 8 or 9 years old, my daddy thought it was time for me learn about firearms. His real concern was that he knew other men in the neighborhood had guns, and he wanted to teach me to respect

them, to know what and what not to do if their sons ever brought them out to show or play with. At night he would get out his pistols and shotgun and teach me how to handle them: how to check and see if they were loaded, the proper way to hold a gun and to make sure I never pointed it at anyone. If it was a gun I didn’t know about, I was not to touch it. He taught me how to take them apart and clean them. He also stressed the point that if I was at a friend’s house and a gun was brought out, I was to leave immediately, and he meant it. Soon, he bought me a Daisy Air Rifle. It was a single shot. We sat up some targets in the backyard and I learned how to shoot and handle it, never pointing it at anything I didn’t intend to shoot. The rifle came with a pack of paper targets, and they were soon shot up. I began using pine cones and they made good targets. I think daddy enjoyed shooting it as much as I did. After practice, I would unscrew the barrel and make sure there wasn’t a BB

left in it. Then it had to be wiped down with an oily rag so it wouldn’t rust. One of daddy’s rules was that I couldn’t take the gun out of our yard. The area behind our house was heavily wooded, and the lot behind us was vacant. It was grown up with privet bushes and honeysuckle vines. It was fun to crawl underneath them, except for the poison ivy. I would take the BB gun and crawl around, hunting elephants, tigers, lions, and all sort of dangerous animals. I knew about them from the Tarzan movies I saw at the Saturday show. The movie theater was just a few blocks from home. I think it was named “The Visulite”. There was a five and ten cent store next to it, but that’s another story. Stalking all those wild animals, I spotted a sparrow. Now everyone knows that sparrows are

“pest birds”. I cocked the gun and put a BB down the barrel. Taking a good aim, I shot the sparrow. I don’t know what I expected, but I sat down and started crying. I crawled over and picked it up. Tears were flowing down my face. I told it “I really didn’t mean to kill you. I’m so sorry.” Holding the sparrow, I picked up my gun, and went to the house. Still crying, I told mother what had happened. We sat on the back porch steps, and she put her arms around me. “Remember what your daddy said? To shoot only what you’re going to eat. Do you want to eat this little sparrow?” Well, that didn’t help a bit and I told her I was never going to shoot the gun again. “Lets talk to your daddy tonight about that.” She said. “Do you want to bury it?” I thought a few seconds and told her I wanted to do that. We got a shovel, dug a small hole in the woods, and buried the bird. I put a large rock on its grave. Later that night I talked to daddy, and he understood. He said how sad he had felt the first time he’d killed and animal, but he grew to become a good hunter, and so did I. I’ve hunted over a large part of the United States, but always mindful of that little sparrow in the woods behind our house. I wonder if the grave and rock are still there?

the people pages

What are the big issues facing our neighborhood? Crime? Trees? Parking? Tear-downs and Hummer homes? The Whole Foods store? The loss of Ethan’s? Cankerworms? Who flirted with who at the progressive dinner? Zoning? Crumbling curbs and lousy sidewalks? I’ve got my ideas. You can see them – and comment on them – at “Under the Water Tower,” the Elizabeth neighborhood blog at www.eliza-blog.blogspot. com. But I’m more interested in learning what you think. UTWT is just another way of sharing information, like this newsletter only online. Unlike this newsletter, however, the blog is always available online – and you can add your comments to what you read. Imagine if everyone in the ‘hood shared what they knew. Wouldn’t that make this a more interesting and vital place to live? Imagine the conversations we could start. I’ve got a lot of questions about what’s going on around here. What’s going to happen with the Roy White property on 7th? Is crime up? Where are we with the tree replanting program? I bet you have your own questions. I don’t have the answers, but I’ve lived here long enough to know that someone probably does.

the people pages

park photo by Peter Tart, bike patrol photo by Kris Solow

Let’s talk amongst ourselves by John McBride

Anyone with a computer and an internet connection can join the blog and post what they know. It’s easy and free. Email me at jmcbride@carolina. rr.com and I’ll tell you how to get started. Here are a few things you may want to know. What is a blog? According to Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia: “A weblog, which is usually shortened to blog, is a website usually consisting of articles, though they can focus on photographs, videos or audio, in a reverse chronological order. Like other media, blogs often focus on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; however, some function as online diaries instead. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.” Blog entries are called “posts.” What is Under the Water Tower for? UTWT is a place

How can I see it?

Point amyour browser to www.eliza-blog.blogspot.com. How can I join? Email jmcbride@carolina.rr.com and I’ll send you an email invitation via www.blogger.com. When you get the invitation, click on the link and follow the directions – it’s simple and free. When you’ve got your Blogger account, you can post as often as you like. In the meantime, anyone can make anonymous comments at any time. Do I need any special technical knowledge?

No. It really is easy. Am I obligated to make periodic posts if I sign up?

Not at all. Post what you know when you know it. Or don’t. Your choice. Will I start getting spammed after joining Blogger? No. Blogger is run

by Google, and they have a pretty good reputation.

for people to share information Why is it called “Under the Water Tower?” Seemed about the neighborhood. Any topic within reason is open for like a good idea at the time. discussion. Why should I care? We are lucky to live in a prosperous, vibrant and growing community. A minor change here, a little difference there and soon our neighborhood has changed significantly. How do we keep track of the little changes that add up to the big ones? Who knows? But maybe talking about them is the place to start.

Whatever happened to “support your local police?” by Kris Solow There was just one response to the following article that ran in the last newsletter. The article is so straightforward that no changes are necessary; what’s needed is a bigger response. We need to take interest, as a community, in those who put their lives on the line for us every day. The officers who keep us safe and help make our neighborhoods as crime-free as they possibly can, the public servants who put YOU first are asking for your help now. We’re fortunate to have a full time police bike patrol in our neighborhood. There are five officers on a rotating shift that provide a near-daily presence on the streets of Elizabeth. Their visibility is reassuring and makes them very approachable. These officers work outside in all but the most extreme conditions. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has limited funding to provide clothing and equipment for their bike patrol units, leaving them to seek outside resources or pay outof-pocket. Our neighborhood and neighborhood businesses have a unique opportunity to show our support for the bike patrol officers in our district, the Providence Division, by providing funding to supplement the bike patrol’s equipment budget. the people pages

Did you know that one of the officers who patrols Elizabeth initiated a project for the Elizabeth businesses that resulted in a 38% crime reduction? This is an opportunity to recognize that effort as a job well done. And what about individuals, when you call the police for suspicious persons in the neighborhood, a car break-in, a house break-in, speeders on your streets, or a zone check while you’re on vacation? Here’s your chance to say, “Thank you for all you do”. The Elizabeth Community Association has agreed to match donations by the community up to $2,000. Individuals who want to contribute to this worthy cause can make checks payable to Nobles and Burnette Police Benevolent Fund. Please note on check that it is for the Providence Division Bike Patrol Unit. Checks can be mailed or dropped off to Kris Solow, 2109 E. 5th Street, Charlotte, NC 28204. Or call 704-8064456 and I’ll personally pick up the donation at your front door! Block party membership drive by Dianna Desaulniers Save the date! Sunday August 13th is the ECA 2nd Annual Multi-location Block Party Membership Drive. Plan to come out that Sunday afternoon for an old-fashioned neighborhood social.

the people pages

Bring your checkbook if you haven’t signed up this year for the ECA. 2006 ECA Member decals will be available for anyone that signs up. If you have a yard that you can share for this 3 hour event, please call Dianna at 704-236-4286.

As we were putting out these signs, a neighbor complained about the tree in her yard buckling her driveway and said she thought one of the trees recently planted would do the same thing to the driveway across the street from her. I assured her it would not, and Tree signs mark the spot that the driveway was already by Kris Solow cracked. I’ve heard people say they were ready to cut down Have you noticed tree signs their trees so they didn’t have at the base of numerous trees to deal with the cankerworms. in the neighborhood? These Others want to get rid of their signs identify the trees on the trees because they’re afraid a Elizabeth Community’s Tree Planting (ECTP) project. There limb will fall on their house or on them. are more to be identified but, alas, we ran out of stakes. Though these complaints are only from a few people, it’s very The ECTP project was a disturbing to hear people react matching grants project with this way. And it is a reaction, to the City of Charlotte and the feeling of being powerless. the Elizabeth Community Association (ECA) back in 2004 But you can have power. Just call and schedule maintenance to replace the diminishing on your trees regularly. Sure, canopy of our neighborhood. everything ages and eventually There were trees lost to dies. But you should rely on Hurricane Hugo, ice storms, wind storms, age, disease, etc.. a certified arborist to let you The planting plan was the first know when that time will be, not your fear. step. The cost of the plan, by Regenbogen Associates, was I hope you enjoy these trees, $17,000. Half was paid by the these gifts from the City and City and half by the ECA. The the ECA. Be good stewards of ECA raised money from an attic the land and take care of them. sale, donations, monies from Water them during a drought. our neighborhood functions Mulch them to keep their roots and volunteer hours. Then, the cool. Look up and take in that City came in and planted the lush canopy that cools you on trees in two phases. a hot, humid day, keeps your air conditioning costs down, Last Sunday, John Albert and ups your property value, I spent a good part of the cleans the air and gives you afternoon identifying 110 of something to hug! the original 228 trees on the planting plan.

Little Shiva: Hi Hickry. So where’d you come from before landing in Elizabeth? Hickry Hawkins: I lived in Columbia, SC for a long time and traveled with my band, then moved to Myrtle Beach and worked in a haunted house for a while. But that was seasonal, and there was no place to play in Myrtle Beach either, so I moved here. I put a new band together and we play at places like The Milestone, the Double Door and Pucketts. We got into the Heavy Rebel Weekend too, which is a big thing in Winston Salem. LS: How would you describe the music you play? HH: It’s just American southern music, I guess. I used to call it country, but when you say country people think Kenny Chesney. Another word I use for it is psychobilly, which is stuff that sounds like Reverend Horton Heat or The Cramps. Some reporter back in the 80’s started calling it psychobilly because they couldn’t call these bands country when everybody had orange hair and dressed like Frankenstein. But still, if you wear a cowboy hat, people think “oh, you must be country, and if you’re country, you must be Kenny Chesney.” LS: You’re not dressed like Frankenstein. HH: Well, to some people

I may as well be. People always wanna come mess with my hat, and that leads to trouble. Now if I was a tall, mean-lookin’ guy, they wouldn’t do that. LS: Living in Elizabeth could give a person a rose-colored view of Charlotte. What’s your take on the city as a whole? HH: It’s still looking for an identity. It could become a very artistic city, or it could just be a city of bankers. There are a lot of creative people here, and more arriving every day. And you know, a lot of bankers and lawyers come see me play. They may wear sweaters and slacks, but they still have good taste in music. Now Winston-Salem is a much smaller city than Charlotte, but there’s a lot more artistic stuff going on there. All the punk rock clubs are right downtown. I love walking around downtown Charlotte, but seldom do I ever go into a bar there, or a club, because I feel like I’m at a frat party. And in a city that wants to be big, you need the punk rock club right next to a crazy jazz club next to a honkytonk bar, all right there within a few blocks of each other, y’know? Charlotte does have more culture than people think, though.

LS: So why isn’t it more visible? How do you find out what’s happening at the grassroots level in this town? HH: Makecharlotteweird.com is one great place to look: there’s a calendar where you can post events; people can network on there, learn about each other and realize “hey, I’m not just surrounded by bankers: there’s some other people I want to meet, find out what they’re up to”. Seeing some of the people on there, you realize “hey, I’m not the only non-mainstream person here”. Then of course there’s neighborhood newsletters, random flyers and myspace (myspace.com/ hickryhawkins).

photo by Little Shiva

Cowboy in the ‘hood by Little Shiva

the people pages

photo by John McBride 10

the business section