encore February 19-25, 2020

VOL. 36 / PUB. 33 • THE CAPE FEAR’S ALTERNATIVE VOICE FOR 35 YEARS • FEBRUARY 19 - FEBRARY 25, 2020 FREE

FUTURE SHOCK The Chase Brock Experience brings experimental dance theatre to the Wilson Center

encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 1

HODGE PODGE Vol. 36/Pub. 33 February 19-February 25, 2020

ENCOREPUB.COM encoredeals.com

MUSIC pg. 16 • By Shannon Rae Gentry Keep Flying talks to Shannon about its upcoming show in Wilmington and entering the studio again with new music. Courtesy photo

>>retraction<< COVER MISCREDIT We regret miscrediting the photographer of last week's cover, featuring "Dreamgirls."

The photo was taken by Eric L. Brim Photography, not James Bowling.

By L AUR EN S EARS

COVER STORY • pg. 24 Lauren Sears speaks to choreographer Chase Brock about his company's latest show debut at the Wilson Center, "The Girl with the Alkaline Eyes."

Courtesy photo

ART pg 20 • By Jeff Oloizia EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief:

Shea Carver >> shea@encorepub.com

Staff Editors:

Shannon Rae Gentry >> shannon@encorepub.com Jeff Oloizia >> jeffrey@encorepub.com

win of the week

UNCW will open 'Power to the Zine!' featuring new and old examples of the DIY publishing format. Courtesy photo

Art Director/Office Manager: Susie Riddle >> ads@encorepub.com

Chief Contributors: Gwenyfar Rohler,

Anghus, Tom Tomorrow, Mark Basquill, Rosa Bianca, Rob Brezsny, John Wolfe, Joan C.W. Hoffmann

Interns: Lauren Sears, Darius Melton, Brooke Suddeth

SALES General Manager/Owner: John Hitt >> john@encorepub.com

Ad Representatives

Megan Henry >> megan@encorepub.com John Hitt >> john@encorepub.com Shea Carver >> shea@encorepub.com Brian Venegas >> brian@encorepub.com Published weekly on Wednesday by HP Media; opinions of contributing writers are not the opinions of encore.

We will give away a deal of the week to The George! Follow us on our IG, FB and Twitter DINING pg. 32 • Rosa Bianca (@encorepub) to find out how to win!

Authentic lobster rolls from New England have arrived in the form of Maine Lobster Roll Company in Monkey Junction. Photo by Tom Dorgan

ALSO INSIDE THIS WEEK P.O. Box 12430, Wilmington, N.C. 28405 encorepub.com • (910) 791-0688

Live Local, pgs. 4-5 • News of the Weird, pg. 6 • Op-Ed, pg. 8 • Music, pgs. 12-16 • Art, pg. 18-20 Gallery Guide, pg. 21 Film, pg. 23 • Performance Art, pgs. 24-25 • Dining, pgs. 26-32 • Extra, pg. 34 Books, pg. 36 • Calendar, pgs. 38-53 • Crossword, pg. 55

2 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

A Thrilling Cirque Performance unlike any other

Saturday, Feb.29 at 7:30 pm

Wilson Center TickeT cenTral • 910.362.7999 • WilsoncenTerTickeTs.com encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 3

WORTH THE HONOR: The A&T Four Statue on the campus of North Carolina A&T features, from left to right, David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair and Joseph McNeil.

Photo by Cewatkin

HOMETOWN

HERO W

elcome to week three (February 19-25) of recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Greensboro Four. Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr., and David Richmond decided on February 1, 1960 to host a sit-in at the Woolworth lunch counter. The four young students from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State made small purchases at Woolworth in Greensboro before crossing into the diner, taking a seat and asking to be served. The day had come for them to desegregate the lunch counter—where they were allowed to spend their money but not sit and enjoy a cup of coffee. Like all African-Americans, they could only place to-go orders and pick them up at the end of the counter. They could not enjoy a meal with the rest of the patrons.

At the time, they had no idea they were inspiring a movement. Over 70,000 protesters took to lunch counters across the American South. The Greensboro sitin lasted until July 25, 1960 (176 Days), when, bowing to plummeting sales and public pressure, the store manager finally caved. He asked three African-American employees to change out of their work uniforms and into street clothes, go sit at the counter and order a meal. Even after all that time, he wouldn't succumb to the

The campaign to erect a statue of Wilmington's own Major General Joseph McNeil, one of the Greensboro Four, gets underway

protesters being the first served.

Folks who read "Live Local" may remember from my coverage last year that one of the Greensboro Four, Joseph McNeil, is from Wilmington and is an alum of Williston Senior High School. He went on to have a distinguished career in the U.S. Armed Forces, but he performed a lasting service to our country during his time as a student in Greensboro.

Last year I asked if we as a community, are ready to have a conversation about who we want to honor with monuments and signs across town. I questioned what values we hold dear. At the time I was hearing a lot of back and forth about people's objections to public art, but not much in the way of positive options or solutions.

Nor, frankly, was I hearing much in the way of conversations honoring anyone with a statue who wasn’t white, male and a property owner. Could we contemplate a statue honoring a Native American woman in Wilmington? I’ve asked that question many times, not just in print but also in person.

The silence is baffling.

I have spent a lot of time pondering this.

I truly would like to see a collection of statues to honor some of our local heroes

4 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

BY GWE NYFAR R OHLER

and heroines throughout downtown Wilmington. First and foremost, I want to see a statue of Joseph McNeill. He is alive, and as his hometown we should collectively honor him while we can share it with him.

The George Davis statue at the intersection of Third and Market streets has gotten a lot of attention as of late, including a paint-bombing last year. Until recently, few people I interacted with on a regular basis had any idea who George Davis was. If I brought up his statue in conversation, I frequently had to add how it was the one of a guy usually holding a beer can in his outstretched hand. Then the recognition would dawn on which statue I was describing. As to who he was and what he accomplished in his lifetime, well, that would pass by as unnecessary information. But I don't want to look so much at George's background as I do the efforts around getting a statue for him.

In 1901 the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) decided to start a pub-

lic monument project for the Confederacy.

It was a common occurrence across the country for statues of Civil War-era politicians, soldiers and generals to appear in both the North and South. Many statues were manufactured by the same foundry who merely changed the lettering on the belt buckle, depending upon if they were making a statue to memorialize the Union or Confederate armies.

The date is an important factor here: 1901. It was just on the other side of 1898, as in the 1898 Massacre. The North Carolina General Assembly was in the process of changing our city charter to hold "at large elections” to prevent the possibility of people of color getting elected to city government (let alone holding a majority like pre-1898) through ward-style representation (inclusive governing). Thus, adding public art at a prominent cross-

road would reinforce a message of supremacy and control. So the UDC decided to commission a statue of the highest ranking Confederate cabinet member from our area: George Davis. Between 1904 and 1909, UDC raised about $900.

According to S. Morgan Friedman’s inflation calculator, that would be equivalent to $27,986.44 in 2019.

When Ben Steelman wrote about the George Davis Statue in the StarNews in 2012, he pointed out the balance of the statue construction fund was provided

by James Sprunt, who leaned on some of his cronies. Ultimately, the budget for the statue was $5,010.34, or $155,801.76 in 2019 money.

In the midst of all this pondering, a series of questions arose: 1. If the George Davis statue was privately funded by a group of citizens, is there any reason, in our current time, a group of citizens couldn’t fundraise toward a statue or statues they feel reflect values we want to honor now?

2. How would that work?

So the more I thought about it, the more I weighed my options. I didn't want to wander around and ask, “Hey, I want to fundraise a statue for Joseph McNeil; will you donate? When we get to $100,000,

we’ll get a statue made.” It seemed like a recipe for disaster, personally and probably spiritually.

Then I thought, Could it be handled like a trust account that lawyers have? I remembered Shakespeare expressed the answer to that sentiment pretty clearly in both "Henry VI" and "Merchant of Venice."

And then it dawned on me: Isn’t this exactly what the Arts Council of Wilmington and NHC does? Don't they administer public art funding? Isn't that basically what the PED Art project is? Could this be as simple as writing a check to the council with a note on the memo line: “Joseph McNeill Statue Fund”?

So I sent off an email to executive director Rhonda Bellamy to ask if the idea was insane or actually probable. After all, she is the macher (Yiddish for a person who makes things happen). Not only does Bellamy oversee the council, she was integral to the 1898 Monument erection on Third Street. She confirmed it would fall into the probable column but would require some focus and tweaking.

Realistic and basic questions then began popping up in my mind on a loop: What would the statue look like? Who would make it? How much money would need to be raised?

Carolina Bronze Sculpture, a bronze foundry located in Seagrove, North Carolina, actually made the sculpture of the Greensboro Four at North Carolina A&T. We contacted them about the possibility of constructing our statue and to get an estimate for a full-sized and fully finished, installed statue of Mr. McNeill. We iterated our vision of him being young, walking out of Woolworth. The price tag: $100,000— admittedly, about what I expected.

Bellamy took it to the council board and they approved the plan. So I sent up a test balloon and wrote a check to the council, with the memo line “statues.” For good measure, I also went to the Arts Council website and clicked on their donate page to make a donation with a memo line “statues." Both worked like a dream!

Rhonda suggested $19.60 as the contribution to ask people for; it would commemorate the year of the sit-in and is also an attainable number. After a few calculations, she noted it would take over 55,000 individual donations to hit our goal at $19.60 a person.

“That’s about half the area’s population,” I offered.

Let’s hope!

So far we have raised a little over $250.

It’s not much, but it is a start.

The sit-in movement was a marathon, not a sprint. I hope this statue will be the beginning of an ongoing project to honor those who reflect values that uplift our community. I hope we are starting our own movement to recognize people who made lasting sacrifices and changes for future generations. We have to start somewhere.

Let’s start here.

On that note, I ask you to join us. There are two fast and simple ways to make a contribution of $19.60 toward a piece of public art to recognize one of Wilmington's true hometown heroes: 1. Put a check in the mail with "statue" written on the memo line to: Arts Council of Wilmington and NHC, P.O. Box 1973, Wilmington, NC 28402 2. Visit the website: artscouncilofwilmington.org/donatesupporters. Put "statues" in the memo section.

Major General Joseph McNeil deserves the honor. He has made such an invaluable contribution to our city, state and nation.

She nodded and noted there also was no reason someone couldn’t contribute $196 or $1,960 if they wanted.

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encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 5

like alcohol and was unsteady on his feet, according to the arrest report. Zamora then resisted Batts' request to take a breath test, saying, "You didn't pull me over. I pulled you over," and told the officer he is "legally disabled," which would account for his instability. However, it wouldn't explain the bag of white powder found in Zamora's shirt pocket, which field-tested positive for cocaine, according to the report.

Batts also reported finding a two-thirds-full bottle of Canadian whiskey and a 15-year-old passenger in the vehicle. Zamora was arrested and charged with DUI and possession of cocaine. [Ocala Star-Banner, 2/10/2020]

POLICE REPORT

LEAD STORY A well-meaning neighbor's attempt to save his friend from a dog attack went south on Feb. 5 in Adams, Massachusetts. Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington told the Associated Press the neighbor heard yelling shortly after noon and discovered his friend being attacked by his own dog and his girlfriend's dog. The good Samaritan returned to his apartment, got the crossbow he used for hunting and fired it up a stairwell at one of the dogs. But the bolt glanced off the dog and went through the door into the apartment where it struck and killed the

victim. Harrington said the dogs had a history of aggression and were usually kept in separate kennels. She described the man as "very distraught" and did not expect criminal charges to be filed. Officers responding to the scene shot both dogs. [Associated Press, 2/6/2020]

PERSPECTIVE Juan Zamora, 63, of Kissimmee, Florida, needed directions on Feb. 8 and flashed his headlights at a Marion County Sheriff's squad car to ask for help, the Ocala Star-Banner reported. Deputy Calvin Batts obliged, but during the conversation, he noticed Zamora smelled

SWEET REVENGE Housepainter Dean Reeves of Bolsover, England, came to a slow realization that his client, Terry Taylor, was never going to pay him the rest of what he says is owed for painting Taylor's building. So in January, Reeves took his complaint public and painted a graffiti message on the building's exterior: "Want your house painting? Don’t be like Terry. Pay the bill! Now you will!" According to Oddity Central, Reeves said Taylor "changed the job, kept asking me to do extra work. ... He kept saying, 'I'll pay you tomorrow,' but tomorrow never came." For his part, Taylor denies Reeves' accusations and is threatening to press criminal charges. [Oddity Central, 2/7/2020]

Shareeka Strawn, 28, must have panicked when the car she was riding in was pulled over by police in Wichita Falls, Texas, on Jan. 15 for a minor traffic violation. According to the probable cause affidavit, Strawn, who had several outstanding warrants, identified herself as Porshala Strawn, but was apparently unaware that a records check revealed Porshala also had an outstanding warrant. The Times Record News reported Shareeka was arrested and is facing a number of charges, including allegedly giving a GOVERNMENT IN ACTION false name. [Times Record News, 2/4/2020] —The Washington, D.C., Metro has spent five years and $3.8 million building two still-unfinished bike racks at two of its stations, WJLA WHAT'S IN A NAME? reported on Feb. 12. The original budget for the A former employee of a finance firm is behind two covered racks, which each will house 92 bars in Macon County, Tennessee, after alleged- bikes, was $600,000 apiece. "Quality control isly stealing $51,000 in customer loan payments, sues with contractors can take time to sort out," WATE reported. Serena Swindle, 41, was arrest- the Metro said in a statement, "but Metro detered on Feb. 5 after a yearlong investigation by mined it was important to get the project done the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. She was right rather than get it done quickly." It hopes the held on $3,500 bond at the Macon County Jail. projects, first set to be completed in December [WATE, 2/5/2020] of 2015, will be finished in the next few months.

[WJLA, 2/12/2020]

BRIGHT IDEA Ryan Sentelle State, 37, has been arrested in Salt Lake City after police said he admitted using mice and hamsters to get free hotel rooms.

KUTV reported on Jan. 30 that authorities allege State would release the rodents in a hotel room, then complain about them, prompting hotel workers to offer the room for free. State faces charges of theft by deception and criminal mischief. [KUTV, 1/30/2020]

CHUTZPAH! On Dec. 19, five prisoners in Belgium's Turnhout Prison escaped by climbing over a wall and jumping into a getaway car waiting nearby, Newsweek reported. Four of the men were captured within a few weeks, but officials failed to track down Oualid Sekkaki, 26, who was serving time for drug possession. Sekkaki added insult to injury when a letter arrived at the prison on Jan. 20. Inside was Sekkaki's prison badge and a card saying "Greetings from Thailand." Sekkaki, who hails from an infamous Moroccan prison-escaping family, is still at large. [Newsweek, 1/22/2020]

AWESOME

6 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

told the BBC that about 6,000 liters of alcohol confiscated on court orders had been buried in a pit nearby, but it seeped through the soil into the well used as a water source for the building.

"The children couldn't go to school, and even their parents couldn't go to work," Joshy Malyiekkal, the building owner, said. [BBC, 2/6/2020]

Residents of an apartment building in Kerala, India, were surprised on Feb. 3 when a pungent mixture of beer, brandy and rum began flowing from their faucets instead of water. Officials

­­— Giovanni Palmiero, 101, has been living in the United Kingdom since 1966, so logically, he applied to remain there after Brexit. Alarmingly, the Home Office demanded that Palmiero's parents confirm his identity and accompany him to an office in north London to make his application. Dimitri Scarlato, a volunteer helping Palmiero, immediately realized the computer had read his birth year as 2019 instead of 1919.

"I phoned the Home Office and it took two calls and a half an hour for them to understand," Scarlato told The Guardian. Palmiero has been married to his 92-year-old wife, Lucia, for 75 years. They will be able to remain in the U.K. [The Guardian, 2/12/2020]

CLEVER An unnamed 47-year-old Italian woman convicted of fraud in 2017 in Sicily has been on the run since then, The Guardian reported, eluding authorities by hiding in convents. The woman moved to the northern regions of Italy and phoned convents pretending to be a sister "looking for help and claiming she was severely ill," investigators said. As she moved from convent to convent, she changed her identity, duping nuns who trusted her and thought her to be kind. Finally, a Benedictine nun grew suspicious and phoned police, telling them her stories were "full of contradictions." Authorities verified her identity and arrested her. She now faces further charges of claiming false identity. [The Guardian, 2/13/2020]

encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 7

PRICE OF

BY MARK BASQUILL

AMERICA

“C

an you still sign up to sing the blues at the Rusty Nail?” I asked my son.

Mark sings the 'Mar-A-Lago Blues'

“Open blues jam every such bombastic claims; he’s been spouting Tuesday,” he answered. shock-jock comments since his Howard Stern days. The problem comes from citizens “Are you working on something?” who voted for and continue to defend him “Always." and idolize him—who actually want leaders Since November 2016, I’ve listened to a lot that spit on the rule of law, seek to out whisof blues. I appreciate the blues more during tleblowers, fire their friends and their eneBlack History Month—well, the blues as mies, and, if it becomes necessary, maintain formed in post-Civil War South. One music power. Ol’ 45 is exactly what they wanted all historian speculated its unique rhythms, sor- along—a rising stock market, a strong econrow, humor and hope could only have origi- omy for the 1% and plantation power wielded nated in a country with one foot still in chains by a white man in the White House. and a perverse relationship to power. Once in It may seem hard to believe for most cena while, I’ll frame out lyrics to accompany a trists from either party—perhaps especially standard 12-bar blues form. for kumbaya liberals, but it’s true. Deep down, a lot of Americans crave exactly this kind of leadership. Their relationship with power is so perverse; to them Roger Stone, the felon, with the Nixon tattoo on his back, is a hero.

So is Nixon. To them, Woodward, Bernstein, Mark Felt (Watergate’s "Deep Throat") and the three Republicans (Senator Goldwater, Congressman Rhodes and Senator Scott) who urged Nixon to resign were traitors. To them, laws are for the weak. The truly strong leader uses power to bend, break, or rewrite Post acquittal, Ol’ 45 intervened in the Delaws to their own ends. For the truly strong partment of Justice's sentencing of Roger leader, loyalty to person always trumps loyStone, leading to the resignation in protest of alty to principle. four prosecuting attorneys. He continues to If it sounds like democracy is gone with the seek out and punish disloyal "whistleblowers."

He recalled Ambassador Sondland and re- wind, it might be time to dust off the guitar moved the Lieutenant Colonel Vindman from and head to the Rusty Nail. his position along with his brother (an NSC “Well,” my son asked. “Let’s have it.” ethics attorney). He suggested DOD consider I smiled and cleared my throat to sing... stronger punishment for the colonel, continuing a habit of intervening in military justice.

“I used to work at the White House, deSome of his staff of apologists insist the ac- fending dung-filled lies. tions weren’t retribution, but Ol’ 45's tweets "I used to work at the White House, defendcontradict that. ing dung-filled lies.

Other staff asserted, as they have since day "Now I’m at the drive-through window, one, the president has the absolute right to surround himself with people who are loyal to ‘Hey, buddy, you forgot your fries, him. “The president is entitled to staffers that "I used to work at the White House, and I want to execute policies he has confidence in,” tried to tell the truth. said Robert C. O’Brien, the national security "I used to work at the White House, Lord it adviser regarding the removal of Vindman. wasn’t no use.

While many prefer a lieutenant colonel ad"Now my babies and I live in a box, and the here to the Uniform Code of Military Justice box ain’t got no roof. and remain loyal to the principles of the Constitution, Mussolini and Don Corleone would "I got them Mar-A-Lago Blues, I got them agree personal loyalty trumps actual patrio- aw-llll night long. tism.

"It’s the price America pays: electing folks The “bigly lesson” Ol’ 45 learned is he can that don’t know right from wrong.” “shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose votes.” The problem isn’t that Ol’ 45 makes

February has given us a lot of reasons to sing the blues. To start, the Senate held an acquittal ceremony for ‘Ol 45. Three of the more moderate Republican senators—Lisa Murkowksi, Susan Collins and Lamar Alexander— voted to acquit. Afterward, they admitted they believed ‘Ol 45 was guilty as the devil; they just didn’t think it was that big a deal. Susan Collins said she was pretty sure impeachment would teach Ol’ 45 “a pretty big lesson.”

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SOUND

LAST CALL Raleigh rockers Arson Daily play Bourgie Nights alongside 87 Nights on February 22.

Courtesy photo

BOARD

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19 Tidal Creek Open Mic (6pm; free) Tidal Creek Co-Op, 5329 Oleander Dr. #100

Wine Down Wednesday & Karaoke (8PM; FREE) Ibiza Nightclub, 118 Market St.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20 LGBTQ Karaoke + Gaming Night (7pm; free) [7pm]

Bottega, 723 N. Fourth St.

Cameron Art Museum, 3201 S. 17th St.

Circus Industry Night [3PM]

Music Bingo with DJ Sherri [7pm; free] Local’s Tavern, 1107 New Pointe Blvd.

Chris Luther (6pm; free; Solo Jazz Guitar)

Trivia with Party Gras Entertainment [7pm; free]

Tarantelli’s, 102 So. 2nd St.

HopLite Irish Pub and Restaurant, 720 N. Lake Park Blvd.

brett stafford smith [6pm; free]

rocking the dish [8pm] Satellite Bar and Lounge, 120 Greenfield St.

Music Bingo w/DJ Sherri [7pm; free]

Barzarre, 1612 Castle St.

Courtyard Grill, 3317 Masonboro Loop Rd.

Trivia from Hell’s [7:30PM; FREE] Hell’s Kitchen, 118 Princess St.

Flytrap Brewing, 319 Walnut St.

pro musica series: quaternaglia guitar quartet

donna merritt [8PM] Tails Piano Bar, 115 S. Front St.

Rockin’ Trivia w/ Party Gras Entertainment [8PM;

FREE] Fox & Hound, 920 Town Center Dr.

The Abbey Elmore Band [9pm] Katy’s Grill and Bar, 1054 S. College Rd.

Thirsty thursday (10pm; free) Ibiza Nightclub, 118 Market St.

List your live music, trivia and open mic nights

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12 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

www.encorepub.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22

Paul Cauthen [7pm; $12]

We Were Here Dance Party [8pm; $200]

Bourgie Nights, 127 Princess St.

1121 S. Front St.

Friends With Benefit Acoustic Concert w/ Tyler Hilton [7pm; $100]

Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol [7pm]

Flying Machine Brewing Co., 3130 Randall Pkwy.

Jon Shain & FJ Ventre [7pm; $10] Live at Ted’s, 2 Castle St.

1121 S. Front St.

Reggie’s 42nd Street Tavern, 1415 S. 42nd St.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23

masonboro sound [9pm]

Saturday Night Contra Dance [7:30pm; $10]

Books, Beer, and Jazz Piano with James Jarvis (3pm; free)

Satellite Bar and Lounge, 120 Greenfield St.

Emily Roth [7pm]

Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center, 120 S. 2nd St.

Old Books on Front Street, 249 N. Front St.

jillettes [4pm; $5]

Bill’s Front Porch Pub & Brewery, 4328 Market St.

Soul-R Fusion [8pm] Fermental, 7250 Market St.

Live at Ted’s, 2 Castle St.

Da Howlies [7pm; $7]

D.C. Benny [7pm & 9:30pm; $15]

KARAOKE

w/DJ Damo, 9PM

2 KILLIANS • 4 MAGNERS

$ 50

$ 00

Thursday ________________________________________

TRIVIA

Friday & Saturday __________________________

Dead Crow Comedy Room, 265 N. Front St.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24

D.C. Benny [7pm & 9:30pm; $15]

Arson Daily, 87 Nights [9pm]

Trivia from hell’s (7:30pm; free)

Dead Crow Comedy Room, 265 N. Front St.

Bourgie Nights, 127 Princess St.

Hell’s Kitchen, 118 Princess St.

Caterina Jarboro Memorial Concert [7:30pm; $8-$30]

House Show [8pm; $5]

Anything Goes Open Stage (8pm; free)

UNCW Beckwith Recital Hall, 5270 Randall Dr.

Tuesday __________________________________________

8:00 P.M. • PRIZES! • $250 YUENGLING DRAFT $ 50 3 FIREBALL SHOTS

Live at Ted’s, 2 Castle St.

The Zoo, Message Sheridan Hegwer or Sierra Rose for address

1423 S. 3rd St. DOWNTOWN WILMINGTON (910) 763-1607

LIVE MUSIC 2 BUD & BUD LIGHTS

$ 00

Sunday ___________________________________________

BREAKFAST BUFFET 9:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M. • $4 MIMOSA’S

Barzarre, 1612 Castle St.

Jeremy Mathews [9pm]

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25

Brother Hawk [8pm]

Katy’s Grill and Bar, 1054 S. College Rd.

Trivia & Taco Tues. w/ Sherri ‘So Very!’ (7pm; free)

Reggie’s 42nd Street Tavern, 1415 S. 42nd St.

Rip Chord [9pm; free]

Local’s Tavern, 1107 New Pointe Blvd.

Bourbon Street, 35 N. Front St.

The Drum Circle [7:30PM; FREE]

Blind Justice [9pm; free]

leme nolan [9PM]

Bottega, 723 N. Fourth St.

Bourbon Street, 35 N. Front St.

Tails Piano Bar, 115 S. Front St.

Trivia Tuesdays At Fat Tony’s [7pm]

The Abbey Elmore Band [9pm]

The Abbey Elmore Band [9pm]

Fat Tony’s Italian Pub, 131 N. Front St.

Jimmy’s at Red Dogs, 5 N. Lumina Ave.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, 111 Grace St.

Fat Tuesday with The Wolfe Gang [7pm; $7]

Jared Cline [9:30pm; free]

Totally Slow [9pm]

Live at Ted’s, 2 Castle St.

Hell’s Kitchen, 118 Princess St.

Mardi Gras Bash With Dane Britt Band [7pm; free]

frank chase [9PM]

Reggie’s 42nd Street Tavern, 1415 S. 42nd St.

Tails Piano Bar, 115 S. Front St.

Mac and Juice [10pm]

medicated sunfish [10pm; jam]

The Palm Room, 11 E. Salisbury St.

harry potter books trivia (7pm; free; register online)

The Palm Room, 11 E. Salisbury St.

the comancheros [8pm; free]

The Sour Barn, 7211 Market St.

Flytrap Brewing, 319 Walnut St.

Steel County Express [7pm]

hank barbee [7pm; free]

Mac’s Speed Shop, 4126 Oleander Dr

Bourbon Street, 35 N. Front St.

227 CAROLINA BEACH AVE N. (910) 707-0533 • seawitchtikibar.com

THIS WEEK AT THE WITCH WED 2/19 JASON JACKSON DURO 1/2 PRICE BA

THUR 2/20

FRI 2/21 THE CUT

SAT 2/22 THE TIM CLARK BAND

JARED M. CLINE

THURSDAY

$3.00 PBR 16oz cans $3.00 Coors Light $6 Redbull and Vodka

FREE PARKING ON OUR LOT 100 S. FRONT ST. 910-251-1832

> > > Monday

> > > THURSDAY

$3.75 Red Oak Draft $4.00 Wells 65¢ Wings, 4-7pm

$3.75 Hay Bale Ale

> > > Tuesday $3.75 Sweet Water $4.00 Absolute Lemon Drop

> > > WEDNESDAY $3.75 Wicked Weed $4.00 Margaritas

> > > FRIDAY $3.75 Pint of the Day $4.00 Fireball

LIVE MUSIC in the courtyard on Friday & Saturday MONDAY

$2.75 Domestic $3.50 Select Drafts $4 Fireballs!

> > > saturday

TUESDAY

$4.00 Green Tea

(Foothills Hoppyum IPA, Red Oak)

$3.50 Local Draft Brew

> > > SUNDAY

$5 Jameson

$5.00 Bloody Marys & Mimosas

WEDNESDAY

N. Water Street & Walnut street, Downtown Wilmington 910-762-4354

$3 Lagunitas $6 Knob Creek 1/2 price bottles of wine

FRIDAY

$3.00 Michelob Ultra $5.00 Lunazul Tequila All Floors open SATURDAY

$3 Miller Lite $3.50 Modelo $4 Smirnoff Lemon Drop shots $5 Raspberry Smirnoff w/mixer All Floors open SUNDAY

$3 Corona & Corona Light $4 Mimosa $4 Bloody Mary $5 Margarita

Your neighborhood drafthouse with a menu full of lowcountry favorites.

Join us for a hot meal and a cold pint.

40 BEERS ON TAP

#TAPTUESDAY...

THE BEST DAY OF THE WEEK: $3 SELECT PINTS & TEAM TRIVIA 7324 Market Street • 910-821-8185 www.ogdentaproom.com OPEN 7 DAYS AWEEK

www.RuckerJohns.com VISIT WWW.RUCKERJOHNS.COM FOR FRIDAY MONDAY DAILY SPECIALS, MUSIC & EVENTS Cosmopolitan $4.50 Select Appetizers 1/2 Off after MONDAY 5pm in bar and patio areas Watermelon Martini $6.50 DAYSeasonal Big Domestic22oz.

Draft Domestic Beers $2 Draft SamALL Adams Blue Pool Martini $6$5 Pizzas Bottles $3 SATURDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY Jack Be Chill $7.50 1/2 Off SelectLIVE Bottles of Wine IN THE JAzz BAR 22oz Deschutes Black Butte Absolute Dream $5 Half Price Bottles ofPorter Wine $5.50 $ 50 NC CraftAbsolut Bottles $3 5 • Pacifico 2 Willow Wit Dream $22oz Weeping WEDNESDAY Beer $5.50 WEDNESDAY 1/2 Off Nachos after 5pm 22oz Teach Peach Coronoa/ in bar andMiller patio Light areas Pints $150 Edward $ 50 $5.50 Wheat Domestic Pints $1.50Lite Bottles 2 Corona $ SUNDAY Corona/Corona Lt. $2.50 Margaritas/Peach Margaritas 4 Margaritas on the Rocks $4.50 All Flat Breads $6 after 5pm

THURSDAY in bar and patio areas

THURSDAY $ $ $3 Mimosa Appletinis 4, RJ’s Painkiller 5 Truly Lime Spiked and $ 50 Mary $4 Bloddy 2 Red Stripe Bottles Sparkling Water $3 Domestic $ 50 Pints $1.50 2 Fat Tire Bottles 22oz. Tropical Lightning 5564 Carolina Beach Road IPA $5.50 FRIDAY(910)-452-1212 $ 50our website Sinking Bahama Mama $7 $4, 007Visit Cosmos 3 www.RuckerJohns.com $ 1/2 Off All Premium Guinnessfor Cans daily3specials, music and Red Wine Glasses upcoming events $

Island Sunsets 5 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 13 SATURDAY

HUB CITY POP

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27

The Abbey Elmore Band from Spartanburg, SC plays Jimmy's at Red Dogs and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot on consecutive nights.

LGBTQ Karaoke + Gaming Night (7pm; free)

Courtesy photo

Chris Luther (6pm; free; Solo Jazz Guitar)

Bottega, 723 N. Fourth St.

Circus Industry Night [3PM] Barzarre, 1612 Castle St. Tarantelli’s, 102 S. 2nd St.

CAM Cafe music: Roger Davis [6pm; guitar] Cameron Art Museum, 3201 S. 17th St.

Music Bingo w/DJ Sherri [7pm; free] Courtyard Grill, 3317 Masonboro Loop Rd.

Trivia from Hell’s [7:30PM; FREE] Hell’s Kitchen, 118 Princess St.

Rockin’ Trivia w/ Party Gras Entertainment [8PM; FREE] Fox & Hound, 920 Town Center Dr.

Contra Dance [7:30pm; $5] 5th Ave United Methodist Church, 409 S 5th Ave.

Anything Goes Open Stage (8pm; free)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26 Tidal Creek Open Mic (6pm; free) Tidal Creek Co-Op, 5329 Oleander Dr. #100

Barzarre, 1612 Castle St.

Wine Down Wednesday & Karaoke (8PM; FREE)

Jeremy Mathews [8:30pm]

Ibiza Nightclub, 118 Market St.

Jimmy’s at Red Dogs, 5 N. Lumina Ave.

Music Bingo with DJ Sherri [7pm; free]

Thirsty thursday (10pm; free)

Local’s Tavern, 1107 New Pointe Blvd.

Ibiza Nightclub, 118 Market St.

Trivia with Party Gras Entertainment [7pm; free] HopLite Irish Pub and Restaurant, 720 N. Lake Park Blvd.

Squidco presents “Hooked on Sonics: Electronic Core” [8pm]

Ethan Jano & The Hilltop Revival [6pm; free] Flytrap Brewing, 319 Walnut St.

daniel rottenberg [8PM] Tails Piano Bar, 115 S. Front St.

Barzarre, 1612 Castle St.

WILMINGTON WINE & BEER WALK

For A List Of Venues & Event Details Visit www.COOLWILMINGTON.com

SATURDAY FEB.29

1pm-6 pm check in ends @ 3pm

LTD. NUMBER OF TICKETS 2 FOR $27 ONLY AT ETIX.COM OR $16 EACH CASH ONLY AT Front Street Optimetric Care, 273 N Front St.

PRESENTED BY COOL WILMINGTON

Celebrate Responsibly:

14 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

YOU AND ME Married couple Drew and Ellie Holcomb visit the Orange Peel in Asheville February 21.

DISCOVER NEW MUSIC AT 98.3 THE PENGUIN

Courtsy photo

PLAYLIST SAMPLE

THE ORANGE PEEL 101 BILTMORE AVE., ASHEVILLE, NC (828) 398-1837

2/19: Kyle Kinane 2/20: Tombstone HWY / As Sick As Us / Cloud City Caskets 2/21: An Evening with Drew and Ellie Holcomb 2/22: Railroad Earth 2/24: Pongin’ at the Peel 2/25: The Music Circuit 2/26: Todd Snider 2/27: Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic!

THE REEVES THEATER & CAFE 129 W. MAIN ST., ELKIN, NC (336) 258-8240

REGIONAL CONCERTS

DURHAM PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 123 VIVIAN ST. DURHAM, NC (919) 688-3722

2/19: Dancing with the Stars: Live!

2/20: Blippi Live!

2/21: An Evening of Entertainment 2/25: SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical

LINCOLN THEATRE 126 E. CABARRUS ST., RALEIGH, NC (919) 821-4111

2/21: Railroad Earth 2/22: Same As It Ever Was (Talking Heads 2/21: Lonesome River Band 2/22: The Reeves House Band plays The Grate- Tribute) 2/23: Wallows ful Dead 2/26: Peekaboo 2/27: Old-Time Jam at the Reeves 2/27: Scythian

NEIGHBORHOOD THEATRE N. DAVIDSON ST., CHARLOTTE, NC (704) 358-9298

2/19: Back to Back to Black: Amy Winehouse Tribute 2/20: Blue Cactus 2/21: Carbon Leaf 2/22: A Night in Rio: 11th Annual Brazilian Celebration, A Journey Through Brazil 2/23: Jake Scott [SOLD OUT] 2/25: Junior Brown

THE FILLMORE

820 HAMILTON ST., CHARLOTTE, NC (704) 916-8970 2/20: Railroad Earth 2/21: Subtronics 2/23: Chippendales 2/25: Dermot Kennedy 2/26: Trippie Redd 2/27: Young Dolph and Key Glock

THE FILLMORE UNDERGROUND

820 HAMILTON ST., CHARLOTTE, NC (704) 916-8970 2/21: Wallows 2/22: Queensryche 2/24: Allen Stone

MAZZY STAR - FADE INTO YOU AL GREEN - LOVE & HAPPINESS DEVON GILFILLIAN - UNCHAINED MARCUS KING - THE WELL VAN MORRISON - T.B. SHEETS DIANA KRALL - LOVE ME LIKE A MAN RAILROAD EARTH - HARD LIVIN'

CAT’S CRADLE 300 E. MAIN ST., CARRBORO, NC (919) 967-9053 2/19: YBN Cordae 2/21: Archers of Loaf 2/22: Hayes Carll 2/27: Dan Deacon

CAT’S CRADLE BACK ROOM 300 E. MAIN ST., CARRBORO, NC (919) 967-9053 2/19: Black Lips 2/20: The Brook & The Bluff 2/22: TIm Barry 2/23: Sloan 2/25: Shaun Martin of Snarky Puppy 2/26: Wish You Were Here 2/27: Zen Frisbee

NEW MUSIC ADDED ABSOFACTO - DISSOLVE PEARL JAM - DANCE OF THE CLAIRVOYANTS MARCUS KING - TURN IT UP JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT - BE AFRAID

UPCOMING PENGUIN SHOWS DARK STAR ORCHESTRA

3/28 & 3/29 GLA

KT TUNSTALL

4/26

MOTORCO MUSIC HALL 723 RIGSBEE AVE, DURHAM, NC (919) 901-0875

2/19: Hari Kondabolu 2/20: Paul Cauthen 2/21: Remember Jones 2/22: Raund Haus 4 Year Anniversary 2/23: School of Rock Cary 2/25: Durham Mardi Gras 2/26: The Monti Storyslam

THE GRATEFUL DEAD - NEW SPEEDWAY BOOGIE BILLY STRINGS - TAKING WATER THE STAPLE SINGERS - THE WEIGHT

GLA

PAUL CAUTHEN (BOURGIE NIGHTS 2/21) SOLD OUT! DARK STAR ORCHESTRA (GLA 3/28 & 3/29)

BÉLA FLECK & ABIGAIL WASHBURN (GLA 5/3) RIVAL SONS (GLA 5/8)

THE HEAD AND THE HEART (GLA 4/23)

LYLE LOVETT W/ JOHN HIATT (GLA 5/16) SOLD OUT!

KT TUNSTALL (GLA 4/26)

TYCHO W/ COM TRUISE (GLA 5/26)

THE BIG WHAT? WILMINGTON W/ BIG

MT. JOY (GLA 6/12)

SOMETHING (GLA 5/1 & 5/2)

SPECIALTY SHOWS:

THE EVENING EXPERIMENT WITH ERIC MILLER, WEDNESDAYS 7-9PM THE FRIDAY NIGHT PANIC JAM FRIDAYS AT 8PM ACOUSTIC CAFE SATURDAYS FROM 7-9AM ETOWN SATURDAYS AT 9AM PUTUMAYO WORLD MUSIC HOUR SUNDAYS AT 8AM

WWW.983THEPENGUIN.COM encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 15

ENERGETIC PUNK Keep Flying brings energetic punk tracks to the Zoo in Wilmington.

Photo by Jessy Gonzalez

FLYING

BY SHANNON RAE GENTRY

“S

tuck in my head.

highlight those songs still.

“Only feel safe in my bed.

e: Can you tell us about one or two new tracks—their titles and what they are about?

“But the anxiety is killing me.

DETAILS

“These pills don’t help with anything.

“Just want to fix all this.

“Just trying to do my best without sabotaging everything.

“I’m sabotaging everything.”

The opening lines to Keep Flying’s “Reason” (from 2019's EP, “Unbreakable”) seem indicative of a generation dealing with old anxieties (bills, jobs, family problems) on top of new ones (crushing student loan debt, stagnant wages, over-medication), as do accompanying tracks “Bargaining” and “Artie (The Strongest Man In The World).” They’re wrapped in punk-driven energy and indie-rock sounds, and sprinkled with pop leanings.

Keep Flying is made up of John Ryan (sax, vocals), Henry Menzel (vocals, guitar), Charlie Bruno (guitar, vocals), Peter Vriones (drums) and Chuck Bernard (bass, vocals).

The band's past couple of EPs— 2017’s “Walkabout” and 2019’s “Unbreakable” — produced and mastered between New Jersey and New York, respectively, combine carefree horns and wind instruments with the nonstop rollercoaster roar of drums.

Keep Flying will play at The Zoo Art House in downtown Wilmington on February 24, along with Nonchalant Shotgun and Windley. “You know it’s going to be sweaty, wild and incredible,” Ryan describes. “It’s our first time in Wilmington proper. We need to make this one an instant memory.

We simply must!”

KEEP FLYING with Nonchalant Shotgun and Windley Monday, February 24, 7:30 p.m.

The Zoo Art House, 11th and Orange $5 • keepflying.band While Keep Flying went back into the studio to hash out their next project, encore asked Ryan to share more about their forthcoming album and show. encore (e): Tell us about the EP you’re working on: Do you have a working title and drop date?

John Ryan (JR): Oh, yeah, baybay! We actually just finished tracking the new EP and couldn’t be more proud—our best work yet by far, and truly the start of our next chapter. We should be releasing it in August and, nope, no working title. Henry told me twice he had “transparency” on his mind, but as a band we just have our “new" EP. e: Will we hear any of these new songs at your show in Wilmington?

JR: We won’t be playing anything new yet, as we leave for that tour next week and haven’t rehearsed. Also, we are still touring off our fall EP release, “Unbreakable." We want to

16 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

JR: I’ll talk about a track on the record called “They Never Lie Down.” It’s actually about our band and coming up, even when we feel there are forces working against us.

It’s in the back half of the record and starts to pull you back up from the dark, transparent lyrics in the first half. e: Could you tell us more about those forces? What they were?

JR: We are a punk band with horns. We already have a harder time sliding right into people's mainstream—coupled with family and personal lives, grinding on the road, doing all our own tours (aside from a few friends who have taken us as support), as well as time and making sure we can keep doing the thing for our own happiness. e: Tell us more about instrumentals, sounds, melodies we can hear on the new EP. JR: You’re in luck. There are actually two instrumental tracks on this record. Don’t want to spoil too much, I can give you that.

You’re going to hear classic Keep Flying sound on most tracks, but we do try different things, opening up new doors for our potential debut LP in the future. e: Is this EP a continuation of 2019’s “Unbreakable,” so to speak, or a departure in some way or another?

JR: It’s not so much a continuation or a departure. “Unbreakable” was something different for our band: a different sound, a different style. Now we hit you with a new EP that is the creation of both “Walkabout” and “Unbreakable” being slammed together [as] the next step in our musical journey. e: You mentioned an LP in the future …

HIGH

Keep Flying enter the studio before playing the Zoo in ILM could that get started in 2020?

JR: We actually have a few more tricks up our sleeves before we finally hit you with our first full-lengtn—at least three more things I consider awesome and abundant for a band our size. e: Keep Flying strikes me as super-high energy in sound and on stage. Tell us about the dynamic of a typical live show.

JR: Well, we are hyper energy—you nailed it! The live show is something special for us.

It’s what we know how to do best. We truly want people to see us for the first time and have that feeling of being young again, enjoying live music for the first time. Get your ass to the gig. We won’t disappoint you. e: Tell us about a song we’ll definitely hear at the Wilmington house show.

JR: What do you want to hear? Friendly reminder: We will play any requests, so you tell us and we will make it happen. e: You have a sax, but sometimes include other horns and wind instruments. Can we expect surprise players at the show?

JR: We have our great friend, Rick Coates, filling in on trombone for this tour.

He’s been killing it with us. As far as the record, our friend Sam Gellerstein laid down the bone for all tracks, and, yes, we have a few guest horns/woodwinds finally on recording as well.

encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 17

MARK MAKING Dallas Thomas exhibits new works from art residency in France well as pair up with creatives nationwide.

They will present Meow Meow's first exhibit, "Yung Verdurous, Kinda," works by Dallas Thomas, next Friday night.

McKeithan originally saw Thomas' work at a show at Wilma B. Daniels Gallery in 2015. He was drawn to his use of color and detail in Thomas' signature bird-like creatures, featuring human legs.

"I got lost in the beautiful storytelling," McKeithan says. "Dallas' work is in tune with the vibe of Meow Meow; it's thought-provoking and certainly stands apart on its own."

T

he last time Dallas Thomas revealed new work to Wilmington art lovers was in fall 2018 when Coworx and encore hosted an exhibition of paintings featuring his favorite things: flamingos, beer, hot dogs and sports figures. Fast forward to spring 2019: The UNCC studio art grad traveled to France to attend an art residency at Chateau d’Orquevaux. Almost a year after his return, he will be displaying work inspired by his sojourn at downtown's Meow Meow (226 Princess St.), which opened last June.

The new tattoo parlor and fine jewelry studio is the brainchild of tattoo artist Shawn Dougherty and jewelry designer Teri-Lyn Pugliese. Aside from showcasing their own intricate art on a daily basis, the two have dedicated their space to elevating creativity across our port city. Dougherty and Pugliese will host art shows once a month as part of downtown's Fourth Friday Gallery Night. "Our mission is to create an undefined space

BY S

HEA

CAR

VER

MONSIEUR BRICOLAGE A 60-inch-by-35-inch acrylic on stretched canvas is one of many Dallas Thomas created at the Chateau d’Orquevaux art residency.

Courtesy photo

for creative professionals," Dougherty says.

With the help of curator Robbie McKeithen, who worked with Pugliese on the last season of "One Tree Hill" over a decade ago, Meow Meow will showcase media from local and regional artists, as

18 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

Thomas—who also works in the film industry, most recently as graphic designer for Hulu's "Reprisal"—created half of the Meow Meow exhibit during his residency in France. The other half has been newly fleshed out over the last several months.

"It will be about 12 pieces, ranging in size from 24-inches-by-24-inches to 48-inches-by-72-inches," Thomas tells. The work blends fine art with what looks like a blueprint of drawings. Textures, lines and patterns reveal themselves through Thomas' mark-making. The works will be displayed on stretched canvas.

ing breaks in between studio time, was a great experience. e: Did you land on any new techniques, color palettes, ideas in France that we will see in your show?

DT: I was under a bit of self-limitation in France, using only materials I found or purchased there, and creating smaller work so I could travel home with them.

I think France inspired the colors I used: lots of greens, very lush landscapes out there, black and grey mark-making. I bought acrylics instead of oils, due to the short turnaround. I needed them to be dry before returning stateside. e: Take me through the process of one piece, from beginning to end.

DT: All of my paintings follow the same pattern: mark-making and looking, mark-making and looking. The process is very organic; I let the painting happen and create itself from what jumps out from the mark-making. I never force myself to work or force the painting.

Some are finished within hours and some take months of observation in between painting sessions. It's just a matter of when it gets to a point where I am happy is the process completed. e: Can you give some specifics of the pieces you did in France, per the imagery of the paintings? What inspired them exactly, and how do they differ from your previous series, i.e. feathers and legs, or sports works you did at Coworx? Is there a common theme?

DT: I think all of my work, save the last Coworx show, is related. I don't like to think too much about a theme or what inspired what. My paintings will always be my paintings. The process is the inspiration. Yes, there are legs; yes, there are sports; yes, there are rap lyrics. e: The title of the show is "Yung Verdurous, Kinda." Wanna tell me where you came up with it?

DT: Green France, green paintings. But also pink paintings!

encore interviewed Thomas about the evolution of "Yung Verdurous, Kinda."

DETAILS

encore (e): What was your favorite aspect of doing the art residency in France?

What did you learn from the experience, and how did you surprise yourself as an artist?

YUNG VERDUROUS, KINDA

Dallas Thomas (DT): It's wild to have no responsibilities other than creating work.

I made a ton of work in that short period of time. I left behind a couple larger paintings, as well as some small sculptures and a table. That, along with being in rural France for a few weeks and taking hik-

New art by Dallas Thomas Artist reception, Feb. 28, 6-9 p.m.

On display through March 27 Meow Meow, 226 Princess St.

UPCOMING EVENTS ARSON DAILY WTIH 87 NIGHTS FEBRUARY 22 • 9PM

$10-$15 BOURGIE NIGHTS

COURTNEY LYNN & QUINN W/ THE PINKERTON RAID AND THE CAROLINERS DUO

FEBRUARY 28 • 8:30PM

$7

BOURGIE NIGHTS

ML PRESENTS: MUSEUM MOUTH W/ TEAM PLAYER AND STEVIE

MARCH 28 • 9PM

$8

WATERLINE BREWING CO.

AN EVENING W/ VILRAY APRIL 2 • 8PM

$15

BOURGIE NIGHTS

Sell tickets to your event today at encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 19

PAPER TRAIL Once merely a counterculture relic, zines have experience a resurgence in popularity in recent years.

Courtesy photo

LO-FI

BY JEFF OLOIZIA

G

enerally speaking, zines are small, self-made publications printed in limited quantities

by DIY artists and creatives.

Though the format takes its name from science-fiction fanzines of the 1930s, its popularity exploded in the 1970s with the birth of punk. The music genre was a perfect complement to zines' jumbled, cut-and-paste imagery, mismatched typefaces, and hand-drawn, often crude art and notations. The best zines are transgressive in their activism, born of any number of underground subcultures, and fly in the face of mainstream art and publishing norms. What, then, are they doing hanging in UNCW’s Cultural Arts Building Gallery?

“It’s probably the most lo-fi the gallery has ever been,” Shannon Bourne says.

Bourne is a lecturer in UNCW’s studio art program and the organizer of the university’s forthcoming exhibition "Power to the Zine!" A printmaker in her own right, she first encountered zines as a student at UNCW in the late '80s, just as the Riot Grrrl movement (epitomized by punk bands such as Bikini Kill, L7 and Sleater Kinney) was preparing to breathe new life into zine culture in the Pacific Northwest. “I had some really good friends that were pretty big into skate culture, and they had zines,” she says.

DETAILS POWER TO THE ZINE! Zine and print media exhibition Opening reception Thursday, February 27, 5:30-7 p.m.

On exhibit February 27-April 3, Monday–Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

UNCW Cultural Arts Building Gallery, 601 S. College Rd. Free and open to public Bourne got the idea for an exhibition in 2018 after a visit from artist Madeline Veitch, who heads the New Paltz Zine Library in the Hudson Valley region of New York.

Her stopover in town inspired the creation of a small zine collection in UNCW’s Randall Library. At the same time, Bourne was looking for an event to alternate years with the art and art history departments’ biennial Printfest. Held in the spring, the event

showcases students' intricately carved, large-scale woodcuts. Zine-making, with its lack of rules and easy-to-reproduce designs, proved a perfect foil.

The exhibition at UNCW coincides with a spike in interest in the format—as evidenced by the spate of zine fests that have cropped up around the country in recent years (Wilmington-based Milk & Honey Comics hosted one at Bombers Bev Co. last May). It will include somewhere between 150 and 175 zines, including historic samples and many by professional artists. Roughly one-third of the entries were created by UNCW students over the past two years. Many come from the art department, but in the spirit of the format, Bourne opened submissions to the rest of campus and beyond.

Anna Lena Phillips Bell, a senior lecturer in creative writing and editor of the UNCW-based literary magazine Ecotone, teaches a course on handmade books.

She encouraged all of her past and present students to submit. Alumna Sarah Wall (BFA 2018), now a student in UNC Chapel Hill's master's program in library science, contributed a zine featuring signs from the 2018 Women's March in Raleigh, along with text exploring the messages and motivations for the signs. Students in Bell’s class on the editorial process, meanwhile, made zines that hark back to the early days of literary magazines, when editors wrote fiery manifestos for publication.

“Making zines offers so many possibilities for talking with students about smallpress culture and independent publishing,” Bell says. “My favorite thing about it is the way it asks us to employ both our hands and minds. We’re so often stuck in front of our screens, and making a text object—especially one that’s analog, with collage or hand lettering or reproduced on a Xerox machine—is a reminder that our whole selves can be involved in thinking and art-making.”

Likewise, Bourne sees zine-making as an opportunity for students to engage with the larger world in a productive way.

20 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

PUBLISHING UNCW exhibition celebrates DIY art form “Students are overloaded, and every time they turn on the news in the morning, it’s just, ‘How can I process this?’” she says.

In class, she places few restrictions on content and allows students who may feel shy about their art to submit anonymously. The resulting zines range from personal ("Your Black Friend," "The Things I Miss Most About My Grandma," "Behind the Wheel: A LYFT Driver's Log") to downright practical ("A Not Boring and Very Important Introduction to Personal Finance").

Earlier this month, Bourne received three separate zines about the recently deceased basketball star Kobe Bryant.

"I told them, 'Maybe it’s a place you can put these things, and then either trade it or pass it off or make copies and distribute it, and you can sort of deal with the thing," Bourne says. "It's kind of beautiful."

"Power to the Zine!" will be set up in the style of a reading room, with publications scattered throughout the gallery.

The opening on February 27 will feature light refreshments and music on vinyl, as well as a talk by Durham-based printmaker and Duke University lecturer Bill Fick. Fick will also lead a workshop on zine creation and relief printing on UNCW's campus the following day.

Anyone wanting to get involved can contact Bourne at bournes@uncw.edu.

Submissions will be accepted up until the week of the opening and are open to all members of the public. “It seems a bit unstructured, but I think that goes with zines," she says. "I just want to see what shows up.”

GALLERY art exposure!

22527 Highway 17N Hampstead, NC (910) 803-0302 • (910) 330-4077 Tues. - Sat. 10am - 5pm (or by appt.) www.artexposure50.com

ArtExposure will be hosting “Metal and Fiber, a show featuring the metal work of Vicki Thatcher and the Fiber work of Jan Lewis. The show will run until the end of August. Check outartexposure50.com to see upcoming events and classes!

ART IN BLOOM GALLERY

210 Princess St. • (484) 885-3037 Monday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Sunday, noon - 5 p.m. • aibgallery.com

View “2020: New Year, New Art” through March 8 with a variety of brand new art. Feast your eyes on new work directly out of the artists’ studios. Join us on February 28, 6-9pm, for a reception during Fourth Friday Gallery Night.

Artists include: Bradley Carter (painting), Debra Bucci (painting), Richard Bunting (blown glass), Karen Paden Crouch (sculpture), Elizabeth Darrow (painting), Brian Evans (ceramics), Joanne Geisel (painting), Dave Klinger (photography), Brooks Koff (stained glass) Joan McLoughlin (painting), Gale Smith (painter), Traudi Thornton (ceramics), Gayle Tustin (ceramics), Angela Rowe (painter), Michael Van Hout (sculpture) and (Joe) P. Wiegmann (photography), among others!

ART IN BLOOM SATELLITE VENUES www.aibgallery.com

"The Ways of Wax: Works by Liz Hosier," on display through May 4th at Platypus & Gnome Restaurant, 9 S. Front St, open daily except Tuesday. Join us for a Champagne Toast and Special Reception on Thursday, February 20, 6-8pm, to meet the artist. It's free and open to the public with complimentary champagne and appetizers. The exhibit features new paintings

by North Carolina abstract artist Liz Hosier and celebrates the versatility of beeswax as a primary medium. Included are works in oil with cold wax, encaustics (an ancient hot wax painting technique), and encaustic monotypes (a printmaking technique with encaustic pigment).

"Ethan Allen Designer Showcase of Original Art" is on display through March 9 at 818 S. College Rd. It will feature original art by contemporary and traditional artists in the Ethan Allen Design Center. Ethan Allen's Store hours are Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm, and Sunday, 12-5pm. Join us Saturday, February 22, 5-8pm to meet the artists—it's free and open to the public with complimentary prosecco

GUIDE

and appetizers. The exhibit features artists Bob Bryden, Debra Bucci, Richard Bunting, Bradley Carter, Judy Hintz Cox, Elizabeth Darrow, Brian Evans, Joanne Geisel, Naomi Jones, Helen Lewis, Joan McLoughlin, Angela Rowe, Olaf Schneider, Gale Smith, and Traudi Thornton.

CHARLES JONES AFRICAN ART

311 Judges Rd., Unit 6-E • (910) 794-3060 • Mon. – Fri. 10am - 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm - 4 pm Open other hours / weekends by appt. cjafricanart.com

African art: Museum quality African Art from West and Central Africa. Traditional African art for the discerning collector.

Current exhibition: Yoruba beadwork and Northern Nigerian sculpture. Appraisal services, curatorial services and educational exhibitions also available.

Over 30 years experience in Tribal Arts. Our clients include many major museums.

NEW ELEMENTS GALLERY

271 N. Front St. • (919) 343-8997. Tues. Sat.: 11am - 6pm (or by appt.) newelementsgallery.com

“Eye Candy,” featuring local pop artist Marlowe, garners inspiration from watching 1930s and 1940s movies. aptivating images from the world of pulp fiction mix with exotic handmade papers creating incredible compositions that are a nod to another time, and a fantasy to be explored. Join us as we dive into the charismatic, colorful world of Marlowe, the first official show at NEG for 2020

WILMA DANIELS GALLERY

200 Hanover St. (bottom level, parking deck) Mon.-Fri., noon-5pm http://cfcc.edu/danielsgallery

“Foundations: An Alumni Invitational” features local artists and former CFCC students Nathan Ryan Verwey, Zak Duff, Jacob Parker and Angela Rowe. Closing reception will coincide with Fourth Friday reception on Friday, February 28.

encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 21

22 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

UNAPPEALING LEAD According to Anghus, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn is grating to watch, as her character goes from tolerable to agonizing.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

CLIPPED

BY ANGHUS

C

omic-book movies are hardly a rarefied commodity in our current pop-culture landscape. In fact, one could say we are literally choking on all the adaptations Hollywood is cramming down our throats. It forces people like me, who see a ridiculous amount of movies each year, to regularly crap out capes and masks. The genre is producing so much content each year that even its variations are ridiculously tired. In order to stand out among the genre, filmmakers have to do something unique or exceptional. "Birds of Prey" is neither unique nor exceptional.

It’s a very average, occasionally entertaining action-comedy that manages to be competent but never compelling.

DETAILS BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)

Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) is the Joker’s sidekick and girlfriend, or, at least, she was before finally deciding to dump his clown ass and fly solo. She’s finding single life to be particularly thorny. First, there’s deep emotional scarring that comes in the aftermath of being in a toxic relationship.

Rated R Directed by Cathy Yan Starring Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ewan McGregor, Rosie Perez

Second, everyone Harley has ever pissed off in Gotham City now feel empowered toward revenge. That includes the psychotic Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), Gotham’s most petulant underworld personality, who enjoys basking in the opulence of the high life while cutting the faces off anyone who betrays his trust. He’s after a sparkly McGuffin—I mean diamond—with connections to a series of brutal mob murders and a massive fortune etched on the interior.

When a precocious pickpocket, Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), steals the diamond, she becomes the most hunted person in the city, with every two-bit mercenary looking to cash her in for a huge reward.

are sometimes interesting but mostly inconsistent. There are wonderful attempts to make the Harley Quinn character and Gotham City seem bright and shiny, but a lot of it clashes with practical locations and backgrounds that look like unpolished downtown Los Angeles. It seems the filmmakers didn’t have the budget to go full spectacle, so they ended up with a weird visual dynamic that is both intriguing and totally lazy.

but most of them seem cribbed from other movies. There’s nothing original about the plot, story, characters or journey. Also, the protagonist is damn grating. Margot Robbie mugs and chews scenery in an annoying screech that ranges from tolerable to agonizing. During certain moments, I stared in bemused resignation at this highly praised and award-nominated actor; her choices confounded me. Frankly, I don’t understand the appeal of Harley Quinn or the need to give her an entire movie to carry. Frankly, her supporting cast has far more interesting stories that never get explored. In an effort to be all things to all people, "Birds of Prey" ends up being unappealing.

WINGS

'Birds of Prey' doesn't fly as unique comic-book fodder What I liked about the movie is the action, which manages to produce some entertaining and colorful set pieces. In fact, it could have used more. My feelings on "Birds of Prey" could be summed up by the great Elvis Aaron Presley: “A little less conversation, a little more action.”

My major issue with "Birds of Prey" is how the audience never gets to know the half-dozen characters in the ensemble.

There are no attempts to explore the heroes' or villains' inner depths; they are only fleshed out to a surface level. And the voiceover and exposition from Harley explaining things to the audience via meta-deconstruction made me wonder how many times words "like Deadpool" were used during the initial pitch.

Harley and Cassandra become unlikely allies as they attempt to navigate their precarious scenario. They run afoul of The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), an assassin with her own motives, and Detective Renee Montoya (Rose Perez), a police detective trying to solve the case. The I’ll give "Birds of Prey" credit for making story is a pretty simple gangland tale with lovely comic-book-colored influences that an effort. There are some strong choices from director Cathy Yan ("Dead Pigs"),

encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 23

OK, COMPUTER Composer Eric Dietz (far left) and choreographer Chase Brock bring their futuristic dance thriller “The Girl with the Alkaline Eyes” to the Wilson Center February 27.

Photo by John Abbott

FUTURE

BY LAUREN SEARS

B

rooklyn-based dance company The Chase Brock Experience is bringing a cutting-edge thriller to the Wilson Center stage on February 27. “The Girl with the Alkaline Eyes,” written by Eric Dietz and choreographed by Chase Brock, is a 70-minute dance narrative. The unique concept merges Brock’s creative expression with the almost limitless reach of artificial intelligence (A.I.) infiltrating society.

Its Wilson Center appearance marks the first time “The Girl with the Alkaline Eyes” will be performed since its off-Broadway run ended in 2019.

The story follows an entrepreneur and a hot-shot coder secretly working on a project that will bring to life an A.I. being named "Co" (the titular girl with alkaline eyes), played by company member Yukiko Kashiki. The performance gradually intensifies as Co becomes more human, taking on lifelike qualities. There are elements of a love triangle, hints to a violent ending, and the progression of A.I. on everyday life. Despite its focus on technology, Brock says the show is actually about the human experience and morality.

“Ultimately, all these things we put on are teaching us about ourselves, and that’s the only thing we can create as humans," he says. "So, we were looking for the humanity inside this piece, even though it’s ostensibly about artificial intelligence.”

DETAILS THE GIRL WITH THE ALKALINE EYES Thursday, February 27, 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

CFCC Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St. $30.90 • wilsoncentertickets.com According to Brock, “The Girl with the Alkaline Eyes” is as much a genre exercise as it is an opportunity to comment on the integration of A.I. in modern society. “People were very interested in what our positions were about A.I., but the truth is, we really wanted to tell a fantastic story,” Brock says. He claims he and Dietz were aiming to surprise the audience with a high-energy storytelling performance in the form of a dance thriller—something relatively unseen before in the dance world.

The title alone holds intrigue. The word “alkaline” has many different associations:

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WWW.PTSGRILLE.COM 24 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

pH balance, the color blue, balance within the human body, plants and nature, salt, etc. The word is multilayered, just like the show itself. “We liked the idea that alkaline suggested acid and electricity and danger, and you could get burned,” Brock says.

SHOCK

Of course, making a show this complex takes time. Brock worked on its choreography for six months, and took a year in total The Chase Brock Experience to construct the performance and create a dance narrative. He uses dance as lanbrings experimental dance guage, first finding it for the human characters and then cracking the code for how Co theatre to the Wilson Center would communicate through movement.

However, his show wasn’t complete until since he began dancing on Broadway at Kashiki was cast. age 16. By 19, he was working as an as“The moment she stepped into the role, sistant choreographer to the likes of Ann suddenly it felt right,” Brock says. “When I Reinking and Kathleen Marshall. In 2007, would ask her to do something or show her yearning for creative freedom, he started something, it became very clear what the his nonprofit dance company with money language was going to be.” he saved by doing commercial work on a Just as important to the production are cruise. its sound and design. There are natural “I immediately rented a theater and said instruments, like cello and violin, offset by ‘I’m going to put on a dance concert, and I technological sounds, such as the voice don’t care if two people come,’” Brock reof Siri. Brock wanted to merge the two, but members. More than 13 years later, The didn’t want one to overwhelm the other.

Chase Brock Experience has performed The use of color in the performance is reflective of the characters and their displays of emotions. Costume designer Loren Shaw translates the persona of each character into a color and its associated meaning. Co is given a soft, lifelike skin tone, for example, while other A.I. characters are awash in blue.

dozens of shows in front of thousands of people.

Brock calls it the most rewarding part: seeing an original idea translated tangibly and making something where there was nothing. The 30-something wunderkind of the dance world has been doing as much

will premiere later in the year at the Wilson Center. But, first, Wilmingtonians can catch "The Girl With Alkaline Eyes" next Thursday. Tickets are available for purchase at wilsoncentertickets.com.

Brock maintains a busy freelance schedule, and his impressive list of credits includes the high-flying Broadway musical “Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark” and the 2011 off-Broadway show “The Blue Flower.” The latter earned him a Lucille Lortel Following suit, lighting designer Brian To- Award nomination for Outstanding Chorevar created an artistically economical stage ography. design using only eight colorful lights. “The It's not the first time Brock has brought hardest part is really just the putting to- his work to Wilmington. In 2013 The Chase gether of all these elements,” Brock says. Brock Experience staged a week-long res“It doesn’t have to resemble the thing you idency at UNCW that ended with a perfororiginally imagined. Quite often you trans- mance of “Mission: Implausible” at Thalian form it into something that’s not what you Hall. In 2019 they hosted another weekimagined, and it’s better. Or it isn’t; it’s just long residency to workshop the first half synthesizing this into a whole." of their upcoming show, “Big Shot." It, too,

FUN MISUNDERSTANDINGS Christopher Marino directs a modern adaptation of 'Comedy of Errors.'

Courtesy photo

MISHAPS MAYHEM

BY BROOKE SUDDETH

O

ne of Shakespeare’s shorter and earlier works, “Comedy of Errors” tells the tale of two pairs of estranged twins finding their way back to one another with many confusing bumps along the way. It's a classic story of mistaken identity, carried by the Bard's deceptively simple plot. The characters range from pitiful to exaggerated to just plain bizarre. UNCW’s Department of Theatre is staging the production, which opens February 20 at the Cultural Arts Building main stage theater.

It is Christopher Marino’s third time directing “Comedy of Errors.” He looks at the opportunity as a way to refine his creative vision.

“The first time I directed the show, I did it through this type of French bouffon, depicting characters as grotesque clowns,” Marino says. “The second time the setting was a dark, magical sideshow place.”

His third rendition places scenes in a more grounded reality. He has set the play during the turn of the century; though, Marino alludes to it being the 20th century, he wants the city to be in transition. It will feature an almost fantastical version of New York City.

“Anytime you do Shakespeare, the expectation is it’s going to be ye old-y, nothing to do with [modern] life—you expect it to be a bit dull,” Marino says. “So I’m constantly thinking how to grab an audience.”

For instance, in 2016 Marino set “Measure for Measure” in Raleigh, NC, post-election, under a conservative rule.

In 2017 he turned “Much Ado About Nothing” into a post-Civil War drama. His 2018 adaptation of “Twelfth Night” was loosely based around a rise in the arts and sciences under the Weimar Republic (period in Germany between WWI and Hitler’s rise to power). The original setting of “Comedy of Errors” is the trading city of Ephesus, in the Greek islands. Although Marino doesn't change the name of the town, he enhances its qualities by making it a melting pot

DETAILS COMEDY OF ERRORS UNCW’s Cultural Arts Building Main Stage, 5270 Randall Dr. Feburary 20-23 & February 27-March 1, 8 p.m., Thursday through Saturday; 2 p.m., Sunday matinees $6-15 • uncw.edu 910-962-3500 and giving certain characters diverse dialects. Audiences will hear Turkish, French, German and African dialects, as well as a boisterous New York accent. To further reflect city life, costumes will turn away from the long gowns and puffy sleeves associated with the Elizabethan era.

“Taking from Shakespeare’s cue, I don’t get bogged down [by asking myself,] ‘How do we make this authentic?’” Marino says. “[Shakespeare] is writing contemporary material; he was unconcerned with getting things specifically correct.”

Marino doesn’t take the task of world-building lightly; he makes sure he constructs a setting around themes found in the original work. “If I make a decision about a time or a world, it will speak to the elements of the play,” he says. A strange, evolving city is a reflection of the chaos and confusion that characters feel throughout the plot.

The characters' constant bewilderment will trigger laughter, but Shakespeare also built in scenes of love and intimacy to switch gears. Unlike many directors, Marino knows what to do with these types of scenes.

“One thing I concentrate on is [how they’re] all human—not just ideas of people living 400 years ago,” Marino says. “They want the same things we want; all their wishes and needs are the same.”

MARINO

Christopher Marino directs ‘Comedy of Errors’ for first show of UNCW’s spring season

In "Comedy of Errors," characters struggle for self-identity. Antipholus of Syracuse thinks he needs to find his other half, someone to complete him, but realizes he’s looking for an extension of himself. Marino hopes audiences will understand the charMarino’s direction. acters with both clarity and empathy.

“Instead of trying to take Antipholus’ In choosing his cast, Marino was inspired personality and make it an extension of

by UNCW Department of Theatre students’ myself, I need to take my personality and drive to do something interesting, different mold it into a more accurate representaand ambitious. For two of his lead roles, tion of [Antipholus,]” Wood says. “ShakeAdriana and Antipholus of Syracuse, Maspeare wrote all of the emotions and rino has chosen senior Erin Sullivan and thoughts of each character in the lines. sophomore Davis Wood, respectively.

Once the performer finds the true meanSullivan is no stranger to loquacious- ing of the text, there is really no need to ly delivering the 16th century text, having ‘act’ anymore.” performed in both “Romeo and Juliet” and Marino says the main challenge of “Love’s Labour’s Lost” during an immersive “Comedy of Errors” is its structure. The five-week Shakespeare program, called audience knows ahead of time about the Make Trouble. Strong female leads are her twins’ mix up, so actors must be careful to specialty: She has played a school’s mean show their own ignorance of circumstancgirl in “Good Kids” in 2018, a mother in es, else the play loses its dramatic irony.

“Tribes” in 2018, and a woman recently reDespite the play’s challenges, Marino leased from prison in “Getting Out” last fall.

Adriana, wife to Antipholus of Ephesus, is a doesn’t stop pushing its boundaries. He dynamic character who rapidly fluctuates utilizes different disciplines to enhance visual and auditory appeal. During the between being dramatic and vulnerable. opening soliloquy, a silent movie by UNCW “Playing Adriana is so much fun,” Sulfilm students will play on the backdrop to livan says. “She’s such a drama queen— engage the audience and help them follow over-the-top about everything with many the story. Live musicians also will be presdramatic exits, but it comes from a real ent to respond to the acting and introduce place. She has desires and a desperacharacters as needed. tion for love and acceptance; I just get to Professional lighting designer Racrank the dial up. A lot of her scenes are her talking about her anger and insecurity. chel Levy, from Chicago, Illinois, will be I have learned it’s better to get those emo- a guest on “Comedy of Errors.” The set consists of a two-story structure, split tions out.” into six different rooms, each reflective of Wood’s Antipholus of Syracuse likes to a character’s dwelling. joke around, a quality both character and Marino suggests floor seating for a actor share. As the youngest cast member, a sophomore sharing stage time with ju- more intimate experience. For a complete niors and seniors (this is his first Shake- view of the detailed set, he advises balspeare play), Wood admits he has a lot to cony seating. The show opens Thursday learn from his fellow cast members and night.

encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 25

DINING

GUIDE

LITTLE DIPPER 138 S F ront St . • www .littledip perfond ue.com • Cou

AMERICAN

BLUEWATER WATERFRONT GRILL Enjoy spectacular panoramic views of sailing ships and the Intracoastal Waterway while dining at this popular casual American restaurant in Wrightsville Beach. Lunch and dinner are served daily. Favorites include jumbo lump crab cakes, succulent seafood lasagna, crispy coconut shrimp and an incredible Caribbean fudge pie. Dine inside or at their award-winning outdoor patio and bar, which is the location for their lively Waterfront Music Series every Sunday April - October. Large parties welcome. Private event space available. BluewaterDining. com. 4 Marina Street, Wrightsville Beach, NC. (910) 256-8500.

■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Mon-Fri 11a.m. - 11 p.m.; Sat & Sun 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Wrightsville Beach ■ FEATURING: Waterfront dining ■ MUSIC: Music every Sunday in Summer ■ WEBSITE: bluewaterdining.com

ELIJAH’S Since 1984, Elijah’s has been Wilmington, NC’s outdoor dining destination. We feature expansive indoor and outdoor waterfront dining, with panoramic views of riverfront sun-

rtesy p hoto

sets. As a Casual American Grill and Oyster Bar, Elijah’s offers everything from fresh local seafood and shellfish to pastas, sandwiches, and Certified Angus Beef selections. We offer half-priced oysters from 4-6 every Wednesday & live music with our Sunday Brunch from 11-3. Whether you are just looking for a great meal & incredible scenery, or a large event space for hundreds of people, Elijah’s is the place to be.

■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Sun-Thurs 11:30-10:00; Friday and Saturday 11:3011:00 ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown ILM; kids menu

PINE VALLEY MARKET Pine Valley Market has reigned supreme in servicing the Wilmington community for years, securing encore’s Best-Of awards in catering, gourmet shop and butcher. Now, Kathy Webb and Christi Ferretti are expanding their talents into serving lunch in-house, so folks can enjoy their hearty, homemade meals in the quaint and cozy ambiance of the market. Using the freshest ingredients

26 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

of highest quality, diners can enjoy the best Philly Cheesesteak in Wilmington, along with numerous other sandwich varieties, from their Angus burger to classic Reuben, Italian sub to a grown-up banana and peanut butter sandwich that will take all diners back to childhood.

Served among a soup du jour and salads, there is something for all palates. Take advantage of their take-home frozen meals for nights that are too hectic to cook, and don’t forget to pick up a great bottle of wine to go with it. 3520 S. College Road, (910) 350-FOOD. ■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed Sun. ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: South Wilmington ■ FEATURING: Daily specials and takehome frozen meals ■ WEBSITE: pinevalleymarket.com

THE TROLLY STOP Trolly Stop Grill and Catering is a four store franchise in North Carolina. Trolly Stop Hot Dogs opened in Wrightsville Beach in 1976.

That store name has never changed. Since

the Wrightsville Beach store, the newer stores sell hotdogs, hamburgers, beef and chicken cheese steaks, fries, hand dipped ice cream, milk shakes, floats and more.

Our types of dogs are: Southern (Trolly Dog, beef and pork), Northern (all beef), Smoke Sausage (pork), Fat Free (turkey), Veggie (soy).

Voted Best Hot Dog in Wilmington for decades.

Check our website trollystophotdogs.com for hours of operations, specific store offerings and telephone numbers, or contact Rick Coombs, 910-297-8416, rtrollystop@aol.com We offer catering serving 25-1000 people.

Franchises available.

■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER ■ LOCATIONS: Wilmington, Fountain Dr. (910) 452-3952, Wrightsville Beach (910) 2563921, Southport (910) 457-7017, Boone, NC (828) 265-2658, Chapel Hill, NC (919) 240-4206 ■ WEBSITE: trollystophotdogs.com

ASIAN INDOCHINE RESTAURANT If you’re ready to experience the wonders of the Orient without having to leave Wilmington, join us at Indochine for a truly unique experience. Indochine brings the flavors of the Far East to the Port City, combining the best of Thai and Vietnamese cuisine in an atmosphere that will transport you and your taste buds.

Relax in our elegantly decorated dining room, complete with antique Asian decor as well as contemporary artwork and music. Our diverse, friendly and efficient staff will serve you beautifully presented dishes full of enticing aromas and flavors. Be sure to try such signature items as the spicy and savory Roasted Duck with Red Curry, or the beautifully presented and delicious Shrimp and Scallops in a Nest. Be sure to save room for our world famous desert, the banana egg roll! We take pride in using only the freshest ingredients, and our extensive menu suits any taste. After dinner, enjoy specialty drinks by the koi pond in our Asian garden. Located at 7 Wayne Drive (beside the Ivy Cottage), (910) 251-9229.

■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Tues.- Fri. 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.; Sat. 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. for lunch.

Mon.- Sun. 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. for dinner.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Midtown ■ WEBSITE: indochinewilmington.com

NIKKI’S FRESH GOURMET For more than a decade, Nikki’s downtown has served diners the best in sushi. With freshly crafted ingredients making up their rolls, sushi and sashimi, a taste of innovation comes with every order. Daily they offer specialty rolls specific to the Front Street location, such as the My Yoshi, K-Town and Crunchy Eel rolls. But for less adventurous diners looking for options beyond sushi, Nikki’s serves an array of sandwiches, wraps and gyros, too. They also make it a point to host all dietary needs, omnivores, carnivores and herbivores alike. They have burgers and cheesesteaks, as well as falafal pitas and veggie wraps, as well as an extensive Japanese fare menu, such as bento boxes and tempura platters. Daily dessert and drink special are also on order. Check out their website and Facebook for more information. 16 S. Front St. (910) 771-9151.

■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Mon.-Thurs., 11am 10pm; Fri.-Sat., 11am-11pm; Sun., 12pm-10pm. Last call on food 15 minutes before closing.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown ■ WEBSITE: nikkissushibar.com

OKAMI JAPANESE HIBACHI STEAK HOUSE We have reinvented “Hibachi cuisine.” Okami Japanese Hibachi Steakhouse is like no other. Our highly skilled chefs cook an incredible dinner while entertaining you on the way.

Our portions are large, our drinks are less expensive, and our staff is loads of fun. We are committed to using quality ingredients and seasoning with guaranteed freshness. Our goal is to utilize all resources, domestically and internationally, to ensure we serve only the fin-

est food products. We believe good, healthy food aids vital functions for well-being, both physically and mentally. Our menu consists of a wide range of steak, seafood, and chicken for the specially designed “Teppan Grill.” We also serve tastebud-tingling Japanese sushi, hand rolls, sashimi, tempura dishes, and noodle entrees. This offers our guests a complete Japanese dining experience. Our all-you-can-eat sushie menu and daily specials can be found at okamisteakhouse.com! 614 S College Rd. ■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Mon.-Thurs., 11am 2:30pm / 4-10pm; Fri., 11am-2:30pm / 4pm-11pm; Sat., 11am-11pm; Sun., 11am9:30pm ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Midtown ■ WEBSITE: okamisteakhouse.com

SZECHUAN 132 Craving expertly prepared Chinese food in an elegant atmosphere? Szechuan 132 Chinese Restaurant is your destination! Szechuan 132 has earned the reputation as one of the finest contemporary Chinese restaurants in the Port City. Tastefully decorated with an elegant atmosphere, with an exceptional ingenious menu has deemed Szechuan 132 the best Chinese restaurant for years, hands down. 419 South College Road (in University Landing), (910) 799-1426.

■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Midtown ■ FEATURING: Lunch specials ■ WEBSITE: szechuan132.com

YOSAKE DOWNTOWN SUSHI LOUNGE Lively atmosphere in a modern setting, Yosake is the delicious Downtown spot for date night, socializing with friends, or any large dinner party. Home to the never-disappointing Shanghai Firecracker Shrimp! In addition to sushi, we offer a full Pan Asian menu including curries, noodle dishes, and the ever-popular Crispy Salmon or mouth-watering Kobe Burger.

Inspired features change weekly showcasing our commitment to local farms. Full bar including a comprehensive sake list, signature cocktails, and Asian Import Bottles. 33 S. Front St., 2nd Floor (910) 763-3172.

■ SERVING DINNER: 7 nights a week, 5pm; Sun-Wed. ‘til 10pm, Thurs ‘til 11pm, Fri-Sat, ‘til Midnight.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown ■ FEATURING: 1/2 Price Sushi/Appetizer Menu nightly from 5-7, until 8 on Mondays, and also 10-Midnight on Fri/Sat. Tuesday LOCALS NIGHT- 20% Dinner Entrees. Wednesday 80S NIGHT - 80smusic and menu prices. Sundays are the best dealdowntown - Specialty Sushi and Entrees are BuyOne, Get One $10 Off and 1/2 price Wine Bottles.Nightly Drink Specials.

Gluten-Free Menu upon request. Complimentary Birthday Dessert.

■ WEBSITE: yosake.com. @yosakeilm on Twitter & Instagram. Like us on Facebook.

BAGELS ROUND BAGELS

Round Bagels and Donuts features 17 varieties of New York-style bagels, baked fresh daily on site in a steam bagel oven. Round offers a wide variety of breakfast and lunch bagel sandwiches, grilled and fresh to order. Round also offers fresh-made donuts daily! Stop by Monday - Friday, 6:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., and on Sunday, 7:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.

■ SERVING BREAKFAST & LUNCH ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Midtown ■ FEATURING: Homemade bagels, cream cheeses, donuts, sandwiches, coffee and more ■ WEBSITE: roundbagelsanddonuts.com

FONDUE THE LITTLE DIPPER Wilmington’s favorite fondue restaurant! The Little Dipper specializes in unique fondue dishes with a global variety of cheeses, meats, seafood, vegetables, chocolates and fine wines.

The warm and intimate dining room is a great place to enjoy a four-course meal, or indulge in appetizers and desserts outside on the back deck or in the bar while watching luminescent jellyfish. Reservations are appreciated for parties of any size. Located at the corner of Front and Orange in Downtown Wilmington. 138 South Front Street. (910) 251-0433.

■ SERVING DINNER: 5pm Tue-Sun; open daily from Memorial Day through October ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown ■ FEATURING Sunday half-price wine bottles; Monday beer and wine flights on special; Tuesday Local’s Night $11/person cheese and

chocolate; Wednesday Ladies Night; Thursday $27 4-course prix fixe; Friday “Date Night” $85/couple for 3 courses and a bottle of wine.

■ MUSIC: Tuesdays & Thursdays, MayOct., 7– 9 p.m. (weather permitting) ■ WEBSITE: www.littledipperfondue.com

IRISH THE HARP Experience the finest traditional Irish family recipes and popular favorites served in a casual yet elegant traditional pub atmosphere. The Harp, 1423 S. 3rd St., proudly uses the freshest ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible, to bring you and yours the most delicious Irish fare! We have a fully stocked bar featuring favorite Irish beers and whiskies. We are open every day for both American and Irish breakfast, served to noon weekdays and 2 p.m. weekends.

Regular menu to 10 p.m. weekdays and 11 p.m. weekends. Join us for trivia at 8:30 on Thursdays and live music on Fridays – call ahead for schedule (910) 763-1607. Located just beside Greenfield Lake and Park at the south end of downtown Wilmington, The Harp is a lovely Irish pub committed to bringing traditional Irish flavor, tradition and hospitality to the Cape Fear area ■ SERVING BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Greenfield Lake/ DowntownSouth

SPECIALS: Voted Best Fine Dining 2018

TUES. NIGHT: 1/2 P rice W ines by the G lass WED. NIGHT: 1/2 P rice D raft b eers sUn. brUnch: M iMosa s Pecial

HOURS: TUES. - SAT., 5 P.M. SUN. BRUNCH, 10 A.M. - 2 P.M.

ig: @rxrestaurantandbar fb: facebook.com/rxwilmington

WWW.RXWILMINGTON.COM 421 C astle s t . (910) 399 - 3080 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 27

■ FEATURING: Homemade soups, desserts and breads, free open wifi, new enlarged patio area, and big screen TVs at the bar featuring major soccer matches worldwide.

■ WEBSITE: harpwilmington.com

SLAINTE IRISH PUB Slainte Irish Pub in Monkey Junction has traditional pub fare with an Irish flair. We have a large selection of Irish whiskey, and over 23 different beers on draft, and 40 different craft beers in bottles. They have a large well lit outdoor patio with a full bar also. Come have some fun! They currently do not take reservations, but promise to take care of you when you get here! 5607 Carolina Beach Rd. #100, (910) 399-3980 ■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: 11:30 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: South Wilmington, Monkey Junction ■ FEATURING: Irish grub, whiskeys, beer, wine, fun.

■ WEBSITE: facebook.com/slaintemj

ITALIAN ANTONIO’S Serving fresh, homemade Italian fare in midtown and south Wilmington, Antonio’s Pizza and Pasta is a family-owned restaurant which serves New York style pizza and pasta. From daily specials during lunch and dinner to a

friendly waitstaff ensuring a top-notch experience, whether dining in, taking out or getting delivery, to generous portions, the Antonio’s experience is an unforgettable one. Serving subs, salads, pizza by the slice or pie, pasta, and more, dine-in, take-out and delivery! 3501 Oleander Dr., #2, and 5120 S. College Rd. ■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Sun.Thurs., 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.10 p.m. Sun., open at 11:30 a.m.)

■ NEIGHBORHOOD DELIVERY OFFERED: Monkey Junction and near Independence Mall ■ WEBSITE: antoniospizzaandpasta.com

THE ITALIAN BISTRO The Italian Bistro is a family-owned, full-service Italian restaurant and pizzeria located in Porters Neck. They offer a wide variety of N.Y. style thin-crust pizza and homemade Italian dishes seven days a week!

The Italian Bistro strives to bring customers a variety of homemade items made with the freshest, local ingredients.

Every pizza and entrée is made to order and served with a smile from our amazing staff.

BITES

MEXICAN MARCHTOBERFEST BEER FESTIVAL March 7, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Wilmington Convention Center, 10 Convention Center Dr. Prost on the Coast with Wilmington, NC's Spring Beer Festival presented

by ILMBeer. Marchtoberfest features North Carolina breweries, German-style beer, German food, German music, and games. (VIP Tickets allow for early entry and other benefits) Tickets: $50 at Eventbrite.com

Their warm, inviting, atmosphere is perfect for “date night” or “family night.” Let them show you why “fresh, homemade and local” is part of everything they do. 8211 Market St. (910) 686-7774

Thurs., 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.9:30 p.m., Sun brunch, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Porters Neck ■ WEBSITE: italianbistronc.com

■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Sun.-

“Slice” has become a home away from home for tourists and locals alike. Our menu includes salads, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, homemade soups, subs and, of course, pizza. We only serve the freshest and highest-quality ingredients in all of our food, and our dough is made daily with purified water. Voted “Best Pizza” and “Best Late Night Eatery.”All ABC permits. Visit us downtown at 125 Market Street, (910) 251-9444, in Wrightsville Beach at 1437 Military Cutoff Road, Suite 101, (910) 256-2229 and in Pine Valley on the corner of 17th and College Road, (910) 7991399.

■ SERVING LUNCH, DINNER & LATE NIGHT: 11:30 a.m.-3 a.m., 7 days/week, 365 days/ year.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Midtown, Downtown and Wilmington South.

All good things start with wholesome ingredients.

Catering & Delivery Online Ordering Complimentary Ice Cream for Dine-In Customers

(910) 795-4164

www.jasonsdeli.com 53 Market St, 5301 Wilmington, NC 28405 28 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

■ FEATURING: Largest tequila selection in town!

■ WEBSITE: grabslice.com

SLICE OF LIFE

ZOCALO Zocalo Street Food and Tequila brings a modern version of cooking traditional Mexican street food through perfected recipes, with excellent presentation. Zócalo was the main ceremonial center for the Aztecs, and presently, it is the main square in central Mexico City. It bridges old school tradition with a twist of innovative cooking. Zocalo also has weekly events, such as their margarita and food tasting every Monday, 5-8 p.m., and a live taco station every Tuesday , 5-8 p.m. Live Latin music Is showcased every other Saturday and Sunday brunch begins at 10 a.m. Be sure to try Zocalo’s wide selection of the best tequilas! Owned and operated locally, locations are in Wilmington and Jacksonville, NC. Take out and delivery available through most apps.

■ SERVING LUNCH, DINNER AND BRUNCH: Monday - Saturday, 11 a.m - 10 p.m.; Sunday brunch, 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.; closes 9 p.m.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Pointe at Barclay ■ WEBSITE: zocalostreetfood.com

SANDWICHES J. MICHAEL’S PHILLY DELI The Philly Deli celebrated their 38th anniversary in August 2017. Thier first store was located in Hanover Center—the oldest shopping center in Wilmington. Since, two more Philly Delis have been added: one at Porters Neck and one at Monkey Junction.

The Philly Deli started out by importing all of their steak meat and hoagie rolls straight from Amoroso Baking Company, located on 55th Street in downtown Philadelphia! It’s a practice they maintain to this day.

We also have a great collection of salads to choose from, including the classic chef’s salad, chicken salad, and tuna salad, all made fresh every day in our three Wilmington, NC restaurants. 8232 Market St., 3501 Oleander

Dr., 609 Piner Rd.

■ OPEN: 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Monday -Thursday,11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Friday Saturday.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Porters Neck, North and South Wilmington, ■ WEBSITE: https://phillydeli.com

SEAFOOD CAPE FEAR SEAFOOD COMPANY Founded in 2008 by Evans and Nikki Trawick, Cape Fear Seafood Company has become a local hotspot for the freshest, tastiest seafood in the area. With it’s growing popularity, the restaurant has expanded from its flagship eatery in Monkey Junction to locations in Porters Neck and Waterford in Leland. “We are a dedicated group of individuals working together as a team to serve spectacular food, wine and spirits in a relaxed and casual setting,” restaurateur Evans Trawick says. “At CFSC every dish is prepared with attention to detail, quality ingredients and excellent flavors. Our staff strives to accommodate guests with a sense of urgency and an abundance of southern hospitality.” Cape Fear Seafood Company has been recognized by encore magazine for best seafood in 2015, as well as by Wilmington Magazine in 2015 and 2016, and Star News from 2013 through 2016. Monkey Junction: 5226 S. College Road Suite 5, 910-799-7077. Porter’s Neck: 140 Hays Lane #140, 910-681-1140. Waterford: 143 Poole Rd., Leland, NC 28451 ■ SERVING LUNCH AND DINNER: 11:30am-4pm daily; Mon.-Thurs.., 4pm-9pm; Fri.-Sat., 4pm 10pm; Sun., 4pm-8:30pm.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Midtown, north Wilmington and Leland ■ WESBITE: capefearseafoodcompany. com

CATCH Serving the Best Seafood in South Eastern North Carolina. Wilmington’s Native Son, 2011 James Beard Award Nominee, 2013 Best of Wilmington “Best Chef” winner, Chef Keith Rhodes explores the Cape Fear Coast for the best it has to offer. We feature Wild Caught & Sustainably raised Seafood. Organic and locally sourced produce & herbs provide the perfect compliment to our fresh Catch. Consecutively Voted Wilmington’s Best Chef 2008, 09 & 2010. Dubbed “Modern Seafood Cuisine” we offer an array Fresh Seafood & Steaks, including our Signature NC Sweet Potato Salad. Appetizers include our Mouth watering “Fire Cracker” Shrimp, Crispy Cajun Fried NC Oysters & Blue Crab Claw Scampi, & Seafood Ceviche to name a few. Larger Plates include, Charleston Crab Cakes, Flounder Escovitch & Miso Salmon.

Custom Entree request gladly accommodated for our Guest. (Vegetarian, Vegan & Allergies) Hand-crafted seasonal desserts. Full ABC Permits. 6623 Market Street, Wilmington, NC 28405, 910-799-3847.

Nikki’s Fresh Gourm et & S ushi d ownto wn 16 S Front St. • ww w.downt ownnik kis.com • Courte sy

■ SERVING DINNER: Mon.-Sat. 5:30 p.m.-9

p.m.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: North Wilmington ■ FEATURING: Acclaimed Wine List ■ WEBSITE: catchwilmington.com

DOCK STREET OYSTER BAR Voted Best Oysters for over 10 years by encore readers, you know what you can find at Dock Street Oyster Bar. But we have a lot more than oysters! Featuring a full menu of seafood, pasta, and chicken dishes from $4.95-$25.95, there’s something for everyone at Dock Street.

You’ll have a great time eating in our “Bohemian-Chic” atmosphere, where you’ll feel just as comfort able in flip flops as you would in a business suit. Located at 12 Dock St in downtown Wilmington. Open lunch and dinner, 7 days a week. (910) 762-2827.

■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: 7 days a week.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown ■ FEATURING: Fresh daily steamed oysters.

■ WEBSITE: dockstreetoysterbar.net

photo

premier seafood and steak house with a touch of the South. We specialize in local seafood and produce. Featuring the only Downtown bar that faces the river and opening our doors in 1978, The Pilot House is the oldest restaurant in the Downtown area.

We offer stunning riverfront views in a newly-renovated relaxed, casual setting inside or on one of our two outdoor decks. Join us for $5.00 select appetizers Sunday-Thursday and live music every Friday and Saturday nigh on our umbrella deck. Large parties

welcome. Private event space available. 910343-0200. 2 Ann Street, Wilmington, NC 28401 ■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Sun-Thurs 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm and Sunday Brunch,. 11am-3pm. Kids menu ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Riverfront Downtown Wilmington ■ FEATURING: Fresh local seafood specialties, Riverfront Dining, free on-site parking ■ MUSIC: Outside Every Friday and Saturday

KIDS EAT FREE

WITH PURCHASE OF ADULT ENTREE

MICHAEL’S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT Established in 1998, Michael’s Seafood Restaurant is locally owned and operated by Shelly McGowan and managed by her team of culinary professionals. Michael’s aspires to bring you the highest quality and freshest fin fish, shell fish, mollusks, beef, pork, poultry and produce. Our menu consists of mainly locally grown and made from scratch items. We count on our local fishermen and farmers to supply us with seasonal, North Carolina favorites on a daily basis. Adorned walls include awards such as 3 time gold medalist at the International Seafood Chowder Cook-Off, Entrepreneur of the Year, Restaurant of the Year and Encores readers’ choice in Best Seafood to name a few.

1206 N. Lake Park Blvd. (910) 458-7761 ■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: 7 days 11 am – 9 pm ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Carolina Beach ■ FEATURING: Award-winning chowder, local se food and more!

■ WEBSITE: MikesCfood.com

THE PILOT HOUSE The Pilot House Restaurant is Wilmington’s

PIZZA • CALZONES PASTA • SAMMIES ORDER ONLINE: antoniospizzaandpasta.com

14-inch one topping $7.99

25% off online orders Code: MJ25

5120 S. College Rd. • 910-792-0000 Monkey Junction, Carolina Beach

3501 Oleander Dr. #2 • (910)228-5999

UNCW, Downtown and Market Street

Mon.-Thurs. 11am- 9pm • Fri. & Sat. 11am - 10pm • Sun. 11:30 am - 9 pm

encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 29

■ WEBSITE: pilothouserest.com

SHUCKIN’ SHACK Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar has two locations in the Port City area. The original Shack is located in Carolina Beach at 6A N. Lake Park Blvd. (910-458-7380) and our second location is at 109 Market Street in Historic Downtown Wilmington (910-833-8622). The Shack is the place you want to be to catch your favorite sports team on 7 TV’s carrying all major sports packages. A variety of fresh seafood is available daily including oysters, shrimp, clams, mussels, and crab legs. Shuckin’ Shack has expanded its menu now offering fish tacos, crab cake sliders, fried oyster po-boys, fresh salads, and more. Come in and check out the Shack’s daily lunch, dinner, and drink specials. It’s a Good Shuckin’ Time!

■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Carolina Beach Hours: Mon-Sat: 11am-2am; Sun: Noon-2am, Historic Wilmington: Sun-Thurs: 11am-10pm; Fri-Sat:11am-Midnight.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Carolina Beach/Downtown ■ FEATURING: Daily lunch specials. Like us on Facebook!

■ WEBSITE: TheShuckinShack.com

SOUTHERN CASEY’S BUFFET In Wilmington, everyone knows where to go for solid country cooking. That place is Casey’s Buffet, winner of encore’s Best Country Cookin’/Soul Food and Buffet categories. “Every day we are open, somebody tells us it tastes just like their grandma’s or mama’s cooking,” co-owner Gena Casey says. Gena and her husband Larry run the show at the Oleander Drive restaurant where people are urged to enjoy all food indigenous to the South: fried chicken, barbecue, catfish, mac‘n’cheese, mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken‘n’dumplings, biscuits and homemade banana puddin’ are among a few of many other delectable items.

5559 Oleander Drive. (910) 798-2913.

■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Closed Mon. & Tues.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Midtown ■ FEATURING: Pig’s feet and chitterlings.

■ WEBSITE: caseysbuffet.com

RX RESTAURANT & BAR Located

in

downtown

Wilmington,

Rx

encorepub.com

30 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

Restaurant and Bar is here to feed your soul, serving up Southern cuisine made with ingredients from local farmers and fishermen. The Rx chef is committed to bringing fresh food to your table, so the menu changes daily based on what he finds locally. Rx drinks are as unique as the food—and just what the doctor ordered.

Join us for a dining experience you will never forget! 421 Castle St.; 910 399-3080.

■ SERVING BRUNCH & DINNER: TuesThurs, 5-10pm; Fri-Sat, 5-10:30pm; Sun., 10am-3pm and 5-9pm ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown ■ WEBSITE: rxwilmington.com

STEAKS TRUE BLUE BUTCHER & TABLE True Blue Butcher & Table opened in the Forum Shopping Center in January 2018 at the point, 1125-AA Military Cutoff Rd. as Wilmington’s finest neighborhood butcher shop and restaurant. A menu of globally-inspired, local ingredients is served during lunch, dinner and weekend brunches. But the real experience is visiting the butcher counter to take home the best cuts of meat in Wilmington (and the world), while also given expert cooking and food advice from the chef/owner himself, Bobby Zimmerman. True Blue has a magnificent bar, handcrafted cocktail menu and bar menu and offers weekday specials. (910) 679-4473

■ SERVING LUNCH, DINNER & WEEKEND BRUNCH: Lunch Tues.-Fri., 11am-2pm; Dinner, Tues.-Sun., 5-10pm; Brunch, Sat.-Sun., 10:30am-2:30pm; Butcher counter Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: The Forum off of Military Cutoff Road ■ FEATURES: Wed. Burger Night, Thurs.

1/2-priced wine bottle & prime steak upgrades; Friday 1/2-priced bar menu ■ WEBSITE/SOCIALS: wearetrueblue.com.

IG: @truebluebutcherandtable. FB: facebook. com/TrueBlueButcherAndTable

TAPAS/WINE BAR THE FORTUNATE GLASS WINE BAR Under new ownership! Tom Noonan invites you to enjoy his remodeled space, featuring a new sound system and new bar, in a warm, relaxed environment. Taste 40 craft beers, over 400 wines by the bottle, a wide selection of cheese and charcuterie, with gourmet small plates and desserts to go! And don’t miss their weekly wine tastings, every Tuesday, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

SERVING DINNER & LATE NIGHT: Mon., Closed; Tues.-Thurs., 4 p.m. - 12 a.m.; Fri., 4 p.m. - 2 a.m.; Sat., 2 p.m. - 2 a.m.; Sun., 4 - 10 p.m.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown, 29 S Front St. WEBSITE: fortunateglass.com

encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 31

ROLL ON IN Authentic lobster rolls abound at the Maine Lobster Roll Company.

Photo by Tom Dorgan

MAINE

BY ROSA BIANCA

T

ruth be told, I didn’t even know what a lobster roll tasted like until I visited Wilmington's new eatery, The Maine Lobster Roll Company. I’m originally from the Midwest, which isn’t exactly known for its seafood. Apparently, though, the lobster roll craze is alive and well down South, despite my lack of knowledge on the New England staple. So when Maine Lobster Roll Company opened in Monkey Junction, tucked away in a strip mall, my girlfriends and I headed in for lunch.

CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS! Monday, December 23 Wednesday, December 25

END OF THE LINE 6-9PM

2/20

CLOSING AT 5PM FOR PRIVATE EVENT

2/21

CONTRA FORCE

2/22

REEDS AND BEADS!

SAT

FRI THURS

WED

2/19

6-9PM

Featuring Randy McQuay-Guitar/ Harmonica, Rick Zimmerman-Saxophone, and Al DiMarco-Accordion.

2Bros. N’Awlins Cuisine, 6-9pm

SUN

1/19

YOGA: SUNDAY FLOW 11AM-12PM WITH DEVAN NEW ORLEANS VINYL 2PM Soulful Twist, 3-6pm

721 Surry Street Wilmington waterlinebrewing.com

Located Under The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge Free parking & brewery tours.

Wine & cider are available.

DETAILS THE MAINE LOBSTER ROLL COMPANY Monday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

5202 Carolina Beach Rd., Unit 6 910-530-4596

All of the lobster meat is very fresh and high quality. The buns for both rolls come split-top, brushed with butter and briefly grilled. The simultaneous crunch and soft chew of the rolls provide a lovely balance to the sinewy lobster.

Overall, both rolls taste perfectly fine.

Facebook tells me folks hailing from the Northeast are crazy for them, which also lets me know maybe lobster rolls just aren’t for me. The Portland is good, but what I found myself enjoying the most was the salty bacon because, altogether, the dish is a touch underseasoned. I cracked some coarse salt over it to zhuzh it up, but it just made it salty, not really salted.

We initially had the place to ourselves, but as the clock ticked, more folks trickled in. The Maine Lobster Roll Company is a no-frills eatery with a borderline sterile atmosphere: florescent lighting, not much on the walls and lack of music. The menu is very straightforward also. Yet, the service warms up everything.

The same can be said for the Stonington. Only difference: I learned I prefer lobster warm with butter instead of cold with mayonnaise. Both rolls are remarkably well-priced at $10 and $11, especially since the portions of lobster are generous.

A little salt and some acid from a lemon wedge really brought it home for me.

The restaurant naturally specializes in lobster rolls, but they also have soups and options for folks who aren’t crustacean crazy, including a grilled cheese and a BLT. However, we were their for all things—well, most things—lobster. They have four rolls to choose from: the Mainah (served cold with mayonnaise), the Stonington (served warm with butter), the Rockland (a chilled lobster salad with lobster, mayonnaise, celery and chives, served on a bed of lettuce), and the Portland (a cold lobster BLT).

Each roll comes as a half, whole or hearty, and is served with a side of coleslaw.

My biggest takeaway from Maine Lobster Roll Company is the authentic flavor of New England Clam Chowder. All bowls and cups I have encountered in the past have been thick, saucier versions, made with the addition of flour. Maine Lobster uses starch from its potatoes, combined with milk or cream, which lends creaminess to the classic chowder. While adding flour detracts from the flavor of the clams, Maine Lobster's is a perfect balance—still soupy yet filled with flavorful shellfish and square potatoes.

One of my girlfriends went with a half Stonington, and I landed on a half Portland. I also got a cup of lobster bisque with a “kicker,” which is 4 ounces of additional lobster meat. Our third lunch pal got a bowl of New England clam chowder. Chips and soft drinks are available, as well as a selection of whoopie pies from Steve’s Snacks Bakery in Skowhegan, Maine.

32 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

Once again, I think the dish would benefit from heavier seasoning. A little salt and pepper at the table helps, but there’s nothing like a soup simmering in its own seasonings for long periods of time. It allows the flavors to develop more deeply, which also would benefit the lobster bisque—a creamy and tangy mixture.

Though it tastes great, on this particular day, my bisque wasn't very hot, which

COURSE Rosa dives into the northern staple at Maine Lobster Roll Company made the texture a bit wobbly. Excited for the “kicker,” the 4-ounce ramekin of lobster came cold, so the temperature of my soup dropped even more. I think a big stir in the soup warmer probably would solve the issue, as those pieces of equipment are known to keep the liquid at the bottom the warmest.

The restaurant offers a 12-ounce portion of their coleslaw to go, which they decided to do after lots of positive feedback from customers. And I get it! I almost got one myself. It is simple but just so yummy: shredded green cabbage, mayonnaise and celery seeds. It provides perfect crunch!

Northern natives will be happy to hear the restaurant also carries Moxie, the official soft drink of Maine. It is not a far cry from root beer, much to my chagrin and one of my friend’s delight. I’m not a root beer person and she is, so now she has a new favorite soda.

Once the weather warms up, I’d like to go back to Maine Lobster Roll Company and munch on a Stonington while I pick the brains of its owners about where to visit in Maine. Or maybe during the next cold snap, I'll go for a grilled cheese and bowl of lobster bisque. Even if Maine lobster rolls aren’t for this Michigan girl, it's clear lobster lovers find them wicked good. And who knows? Maybe I'll become a convert yet.

A Family Favorite Like You’ve Never Seen it Before!

Apr. 21 at 7:30 pm, Apr. 22 at 2:30 & 7:30 7 :30 pm

Wilson Center

TickeT cenTral • 910.362.7999 • WilsoncenTerTickeTs.com encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 33

CHEERS TO YOUR HEALTH Soif de Vin and PPSAT are drinking buddies at Cheers for Choice on February 27.

Courtesy photo by kaboompics.com, Pexel

PLANNING

BY DARIUS MELTON

P

lanned Parenthood is often in the public consciousness as just “the abortion place,” but the organization does so much more for sexual and basic health care for individuals and families. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (PPSAT) presents a safe space for people to talk openly about their sexual health, with services that require monetary and political support from the community to ensure they remain accessible.

“Planned Parenthood is important to me because it provides essential health care services to everyone in our community,” local Planned Parenthood volunteer Laurie Janus says, “regardless of their financial or insurance status. I certainly believe health care is a basic human right.”

Janus and fellow volunteer Karen White spoke with Amy Siler, owner of Soif de Vin, about setting up an event to benefit Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.

Their conversation turned into Cheers for Choice, to be held on February 27. Folks can enjoy drinks, snacks, a raffle, live music and mingling with other Planned Parenthood supporters and advocates.

“I would tell anyone who asked me that Planned Parenthood was my only source of healthcare for more than a decade,” Siler says. “For women who work hard, but don’t have enough to pay for insurance, Planned Parenthood is often their only option. It was for me before I had my children, and the services they provided made sure I was healthy. From regular check-ups to breast exams, their services are actually quite extensive.”

PPSAT has 14 locations throughout North and South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, including one in Wilming-

DETAILS CHEERS FOR CHOICE February 27, 5–8 p.m.

Soif de Vin, 5226 S. College Rd. Ste 4 $25 min. donation ton. They provide reliable and affordable reproductive and sexual health care to all comers, regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, documentation or insurance status.

“We serve more than 2,000 patients annually in Wilmington,” PPSAT director of philanthropy Leigh Johnson details.

“Each individual’s health care needs are different and the funds we raise allow us to support our patients directly by keeping our service costs lower than other private providers. We work to ensure that local women and men can access care no matter their financial status.”

Planned Parenthood provides birth control, testing for sexually transmitted illnesses, treatment and vaccines, services for the LGBTQ community, emergency contraception, HIV services, and abortion care services. Informing people about the full breadth of Planned Parenthood’s services goes a long way toward getting support for the organization, as anti-abortion voices in U.S. government are especially loud around election time. Despite being in the throes of the 2020 elections, PPSAT

34 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

is not worried about how naysayers paint their outreach. PPSAT focuses on how much they can help those who need them.

“Our patients know Planned Parenthood is there for them no matter what,” Johnson says. “Politicians may try to politicize the health care we provide, but for our communities it is simple: affordable, compassionate, high-quality health care no matter who they are, how much they make or where they live.”

Janus hopes voters will do their part this election season and go after candidates who also believe in affordable services in healthcare and family planning.

“We need candidates that will restore some sanity to the White House and Senate,” she says. “There are a lot of candidates, and particularly women and people of color, who I am very excited about.”

A minimum $25 donation gets people into Cheers for Choice, and Soif de

AHEAD

Planned Parenthood teams up with Soif de Vin for wine and women’s rights Vin will donate 10% of all sales from the evening to Planned Parenthood. Soif de Vin will be offering specials on their bythe-glass wine list, as well as discounted beers on tap. Cheers for Choice is part of PPSAT’s initiative to add more small reception-type events to their schedule in 2020. Such events are designed for the community to learn more about the organization, with fundraising serving as a secondary function.

Planned Parenthood’s major annual fundraiser, Hibiscus, on April 15, will help them earn money to support local services and programs. It will feature a speech from author and commentator Rebecca Traister. Their goal is to raise $140,000, with proceeds funding PPSAT’s mentor program for teen moms in New Hanover County. The program aims to delay second pregnancies and keep young mothers educated, as the CDC reports 50% of teen moms do not finish high school.

“This program serves up to 20 young mothers a year, providing them with individualized goal plans, intensive case management services, and group education services,” Johnson says. “It helps teen moms navigate being a parent, a student, and a teen all at the same time.”

encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 35

CARPE

LIBRUM

BY GWENYFAR ROHLER

W

ilmingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s literary community keeps gaining accolades (two National Book Awards nominees in 2015) and attention in the press. With multiple established publishers in the state (Algonquin, Blair) and new smaller presses gaining traction (Lookout, Eno, Bull City), and a pair of well-regarded literary magazines out of UNCW, it is timely to shine a light on discussions around literary publishing. More so, it shows the importance of communicating a truthful story in our present world.

Welcome to Carpe Librum, encoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biweekly book column, wherein I will dissect a current title or an old bookâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Gwenyfar goes local with memoir from a member of The Wilmington Ten because literature does not exist in a vacuum but emerges to participate in a larger, cultural conversation. I will feature many NC writers; however, the hope is to place the discussion in a larger context and therefore examine works around the world.

Wilmington Ten Willie: Guilt By Association

By Willie Earl Vereen 2019, pgs. 101 Amnesty International declared the Wilmington Ten political prisoners held on U.S. soil. The actual arrests and court case centered around the firebombing

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36 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

of Mikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grocery on February 6, 1971.

In reality, the events surrounding The Wilmington Ten were and are about the history and practice of racial segregation and the distribution of power within Wilmington, NC. Tried and convicted for arson at Mikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grocery were Connie Tindall, Marvin "Chili" Patrick, Wayne Moore, Reginald Epps, Jerry Jacobs, James "Bun" McKoy, Willie Earl Vereen and William "Joe" Wright, Jr. They were accompanied by Ben Chavis, an organizer from the United Church of Christ, and Ann Shepard, an anti-poverty worker. In the time leading up to the arson, African-American students were boycotting New Hanover County Schools. The movement was gaining attention and Chavis and other boycotters were meeting at Gregory Congregational Church. The Ku Klux Klan openly fired rifles at the church and the people inside. As events escalated, the National Guard put the city under curfew. The 10 convicted maintained their innocence through two trials and an appeals process. Just before she left office in 2012, Governor Perdue officially pardoned the Wilmington Ten. Last year Willie Earl Vereen released a memoir, "Wilmington Ten Willie: Guilt by Association." There are probably 40 different versions of events that transpired at that time. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure Connie Tindall's and Mr. Vereen's experiences are not the same in the lead-up to their arrests and the aftermath. Vereenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story is straightforward. I imagine it's the same story I would get if I sat down to dinner with him and asked about his life. He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t start the book in high school, or with his arrest or trial. He starts with his first day of elementary school and with his desire to learn to play music.

It's a theme within the book: a lifelong love affair with music. Vereen wanted to be a drummer from an early age, but at age 10 his father bought him a guitar instead. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a moment almost any kid can relate to: "I asked for this, and you got me that. Now, you expect me to be grateful for something I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want?"

He takes us through his family's move to Jervay, the housing project on Dawson Street that same year. It is an interesting look at a world I knew nothing about, specifically how public housing works on a daily basis.

Vereen recounts two experiences used to foreshadow coming events and indirectly characterize the growing young hero. The first was getting involved with the national boycott of A&P stores for their treatment of black employees. It was a simultaneously eye-opening and disillusioning experience, as many learning opportunities in life are. The second memory involves skipping school with Connie Tindall and two girls to go read a pamphlet at the library on Market Street titled, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Wilmington Rebellion

of 1898."

The library on Market Street he refers to was the former Wilmington Light Infantry Buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;quite a significant location in the events of 1898. The recently installed North Carolina Highway Historical Marker for 1898 is but a few feet away, in fact. So just imagine four African-American teenagers walking in the door in the '60s and requesting to read a reference-room-only pamphlet about a bloody coup that set in motion many of the events that would come to define Mr. Vereenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life.

It is chilling.

Vereen takes it all in stride. Though he recounts the day in the library, he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t talk about what the pamphlet said, or how he reacted to it, or if the kids discussed it among themselves. It is just another moment to be witnessed. Music, however, remains the constantâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;from being in the church choir to forming a band, finally getting to play drums and eventually earning a paycheck from playing music. In addition, there is the discovery of alcohol, drugs and sex, which Vereen admits were of more interest to him than changing the world.

For the first 60 pages, the memoir is like any standard coming-of-age tale, with a variety of interludes and anecdotes to bring the additional characters to life. Then on page 61 everything changes. In 1971 the boycott of New Hanover County Schools by African-American students begins. Young Vereen finds himself increasingly drawn into a world he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t entirely understand but appears prepared to go along with. He is very much like Alice in Wonderland: He takes everyone he meets at face value, and is prepared to accept every experience, even though they don't always make sense.

Readers who are looking to go in depth to the sociology, politics, planning and in context surrounding the Wilmington Ten will not find it here. "Wilmington Ten Willie" is a very personal account by one of its members. Vereen surprises frequently with his innocent acceptance of situations, and he seems to mourn decisions he made.

His narrative voice is clear and specific. It rattled around in my head for days after I finished the book. I really felt like he took the time to tell me the story of his life over dinner. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how his writing comes across on the page. This slim volume is a powerful personal testimony by a man whose voice has been too-often usurped by others. We all should take the time to sit with Mr. Vereen and learn from his experiences.

Thank you, Wilmington, For continuing to vote us best wine list!

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design and build creatively in an environmentally responsible manner. stewardshipdev.org or eventbrite.com/e/ lower-cape-fear-stewardship-development-awards-tickets-87801074377.

Coastline Conference & Event Center, 501 Nutt St.

NC COASTAL FED: CLEANING RAIN GARDENS February 21, 10am: Join NC Coastal Federation staff and volunteers in giving the Fred and Alice Stanback Coastal Education Center a much-needed maintenance workday. We will be giving the rain gardens at the center some attention by trimming, mulching and weeding.There will also be touch up painting and some minor construction painting for volunteers to work on as well. No skills required. Dress for the weather in clothes you don’t mind getting dirty and/or paint on. All materials and supplies for the maintenance day will be provided as well as a light lunch. Bonnie Mitchell, coastal education coordinator, at bonniem@nccoast.org or 910-509-2838 ext. 204.

events NIGHT-OWLS POPUP February 20, 5-9pm: Shop local illustrator Night Owls Only during a solo pop-up on Februrary 20, 5-9pm. Enjoy live music

by Brett Stafford Smith and wood-fired pizza by WilmyWoodie! Flytrap Brewing, 319 Walnut St.

ART FOR ALL 10 February 22-23, $5: Art For All 10 at the Brooklyn Arts Center (516 N. 4th St.) on Saturday, February 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, February 23 from noon to 5 p.m. More than 50 of the finest local and regional artists in the BAC Church and The Annex. All art priced below $500. A&M Red Food Truck on Saturday and WilmyWoodie on Sunday. Casa Blanca coffee shop, Cravings treats and the BAC Bar serving inside. Free street parking. $5 admission good for all three days and includes a raffle ticket. Children under 12 are free. BrooklynArtsNC.com.

CIRQUE ELOIZE: HOTEL March 17, 7:30pm, $29-$54: Cirque Éloize welcomes you into this timeless art deco hotel, a place where strangers of all walks of life meet. Hotel is the story of a place, but it is mainly a place full of stories. This is the place where we mingle with strangers for a moment. From the Maître d’hôtel, overwhelmed by the events, to the mischievous maid, to the devoted handyman and his inseparable dog, Carpette, the hotel’s staff is like each of us, the privileged witnesses to the lives of colorful individuals. Carried by the voice of a client on the top floor who comments, testifies, and tells the story, meet lovers who still do not know they are meant to be, improbable travelers, and a celebrity who goes out of her way to win her place in the firmament while revealing the depth of her being.

Enter the lobby doors of this grandiose place and discover with us the intri-

CHEERS FOR CHOICE

cately woven story of these travelers!

The Wilson Center, 703 N. 3rd St. capefearstage.com

charity/fundraisers CAM VOLUNTEER OPEN-HOUSE February 19, 11am and 6pm. Light refreshments served and questions answered. The year is still young enough to sneak in one last resolution! Here’s your chance—everything you ever wanted to know about volunteering at CAM but were afraid to ask. Two times to accommodate your schedules, no registration required. For all of CAM’s 56 years, volunteers have provided an essential role in serving our visitors and realizing our mission to the community. Each person makes a big difference!

We hope you can make it! John Sikorski: jsikorski@cameronartmuseum.org. Nan Pope, npope@cameronartmuseum.org.

910-395-5999 x 1013. Cameron Art Museum, 3201 S. 17th St.

MARDI GRAS FOR THE ARTS

February 19, 6:30pm: Food, wine, music and art combine for a festive and fun evening with Mardi Gras for the Arts, an 38 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

auction fundraiser benefitting the Island Arts and Culture Alliance at the Courtyard by Marriott Oceanfront in Carolina Beach. Hosted by WWAY News anchor Randy Aldridge, the event includes live and silent auctions featuring work from local artists, appetizers, a cash bar and a DJ. Mardi Gras costumes are encouraged. Proceeds benefit local arts activities, including the alliance’s flagship annual Carolina Beach Street Arts Festival that hosts more than 60 of the region’s fine art and crafts artists. Tickets: $25, available through Tip Top Frame or Event Brite (convenience fee applies). mardigras-for-the-arts.eventbrite.com. 100 Charlotte Ave.

LOWER CF STEWARDSHIP DEVELOPMENT AWARDS PROGRAM February 20, 11:30am-2pm: Program annually recognizes development projects that demonstrate outstanding environmental stewardship through the protection, conservation, improvement, and awareness of our natural resources. This regional award also honors development professionals who go the extra mile and take the time to plan,

February 27, 5pm, $25: Snack, sip and support Planned Parenthood South Atlantic at Soif de Vin. RSVP here: cheers. ppsat.org. Suggested minimum donation $25. Art raffle, live music, sweet and savory snacks, cash bar (10% of shop proceeds will go to PPSAT). Soif de Vin Wine Bar, 5226 S College Rd Unit 9B. weareplannedparenthood.org

STEP UP FOR SOLDIERS BACKYARD BBQ March 7, 10am, free: Bring the entire family and enjoy a Great day filled with loads of: The best BBQ you’ve ever tasted! Also featuring live local music, crafts, giveaways, live demos, kids' activities, bouncy houses, community-based vendors, wild animals rescue, and tastings from the BBQ competitors ($1 each).

Proceeds from the tastings go directly to Step Up For Soldiers. You can purchase advance tasting tickets here! experiencecommunityfestivals@gmail.com..

Battleship NC, 1 Battleship Rd.

TEEING OFF WITH THE HARRELSON CENTER AND PARTNERS GOLF TOURNAMENT March 16, 10am: Our collaborative event encourages our Partners to secure their own sponsors and golfers to raise funds for their programming and staffing. Harrelson Center staff handles all the logistics of the day, including registration, lunch, and an awards event. Magnolia Greens Golf Plantation, 1800 Tommy Jacobs Dr.

music

moves, or simply kick back, talk shop, and meet other likeminded artists.

The Juggling Gypsy, 1612 Castle St.

OPEN-MIC AT TIDAL CREEK

TEN-MINUTE MISCELLENY

Comedians, singers, songwriters, poets, yodelers! Come out the co-op on Wednesday night & show us what you got! Free coffee!

February 19, 7:30pm: Diverse evening of theatre features a wide range of dramatic styles that run the gamut of human emotion and experience.

In ten minutes or less, each play will take audiences to a vastly different world—from the inner workings of a paranoid mind to a fictional farcical White House, from a Nazi concentration camp to a safe haven for black musicians in the Jim Crow era, and more. $5 suggested donation. Port City Playwrights’ Project (PCPP) is a community of writers for the stage and screen in the greater Wilmington area. Ruth & Bucky Stein Theater at Thalian Hall, 301 Chestnut St. portcityplaywrights.wordpress.com.

THE DRUM CIRCLE Every Tues., 8-11pm, longest continuous Drum Circle for over 6 year provides an open forum, featuring djembe, dounbek, conga, bongo, cajon, yosika and other hand drums and percussive instruments. Friendly environment for the enjoyment of rhythm and dance. All levels, rhythms welcome! Loaner drums available. Free. Hosted by Ron at Bottega Art & Wine Bar, Brooklyn Arts District.

723 N. Fourth St.

JAZZ AT CAM Tickets to the eight-concert series, playing a range of jazz genres in an intimate listening room performance. All concerts are 6:30-8pm, 1st Thurs., through April 2020 at Cameron Art Museum. Presented by CAM and Cape Fear Jazz Society: CAM/CFJS Members: $17; non-members: $25; students with valid college ID $12 (tax and fees not included). March 5, Lenora Zenzalai Helm; Apr. 2, John Brown Quintet. CAM, 3201 S. 17th St. cameronartmuseum.org.

PRO-MUSICA CONCERT SERIES February 20, 7pm: Now in its tenth season–celebrating the works of living composers, expands to three concerts this season to present a special treat: the Brazilian guitar quartet, Quaternaglia. Based in São Paulo, Brazil, Quaternaglia Guitar Quartet (QGQ) is acclaimed as one of the world’s top guitar ensembles, comprised of Brazilian guitarists Chrystian Dozza, Fabio Ramazzina, Thiago Abdalla, and Sidney Molina. QGQ is recognized for its artistic excellence and for its significant contributions to the expansion of guitar quartet repertoire. Over the past twenty-­‐five years, the group has established a wide canon of original pieces and ambitious arrangements through collaboration with composers like Leo Brouwer, Almeida Prado, Egberto Gismonti, Sergio Molina, and Paulo Bellinati. The musicians of Quaternaglia Guitar Quartet use four custom-­made guitars by renowned Brazilian guitar maker Sergio Abreu. cameronartmuseum.org. $8-$17. Cameron Art Museum, Weyerhaeuser Reception Hall, 3201 S. 17th St.

CATERINA JARBORO MEMORIAL CONCERT

February 21, 7:30pm: Hear rising Metropolitan Opera star soprano Leah Hawkins sing, accompanied by David Heid, at the annual Caterina Jarboro Memorial Concert. The Snipes Academy of Arts and Design chorus will also perform. Ms Hawkins recently sang the role of the Strawberry Woman in the Met’s production of “Porgy and Bess." UNCW Beckwith Recital Hall, 5270 Randall Dr. operawilmington.org

theatre/auditions CIRCUS INDUSTRY NIGHT Every Thurs. evening. A popular spot for Wilmington’s underground fire dancers, flow artists, hoopers, jugglers, magic, sideshow and other obscure performing arts. There’s no formal show, but don’t be surprised to see things flying. No cover, no expectations. Just a night for circus artists to share tricks, try out new

COMEDY OF ERRORS February 20-23, 7pm or 2pm on Sunday: UNCW Department of Theatre presents "Comedy of Errors," by William Shakespeare, directed by Christopher Marino of Alchemical Theatre.

A somewhat re-imagined play will be a comedic tale of mistaken identity,

BRIERWOOD ENSEMBLE'S POETRY AND SONG March 1, 3pm $10-$20, featuring special guest artist Cera Finney, mezzo-soprano. Jenni Brandon: Ahead of All Parting for mezzo-soprano, bassoon, and harp.

Alec Wilder: Phyllis McGinley Song Cycle for mezzo-soprano, bassoon, and harp. W.A. Mozart: Duo in G Major for violin and viola. Ronald and Sachs Violin, 616 Castle St. brierwoodensemble.com/ events

Remember to take care of yourself during the new year.

ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK March 1, 7:30pm, $39-108: In a career spanning over 50 years, Engelbert Humperdinck has generated sales in excess of 140 million records, including 64 gold and 35 platinum albums.

His unique voice continues to charm millions of fans worldwide with such romantic classics as “Release Me” and “After the Lovin.” The Wilson Center, 703 N. 3rd St.

WILMINGTON SYMPHONY MASTERWORKS March 14, 7:30pm, $17-$47: Concert: Banquet of Baroque. The Wilmington Symphony Orchestra will perform music of Baroque masters Handel and Bach with a side order of selections from Italian and French composers. The Wilson Center, 703 N. 3rd St.

J Daniel Pierce PHOTOGRAPHY

Massage Therapy and Private yoga instruction available blueberrysagemassageyoga.com encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 39

love, a shipwreck, and some wonderfully bizarre inhabitants of this most mysterious town. UNCW Cultural Arts Building Mainstage Theater, 5270 Randall Dr.

CIRQUE FLIP FABRIQUE February 29, 7:30pm: Flip Fabrique designs high quality, playful shows punctuated by breathtaking and truly elegant performances. Made up of world-class multidisciplinary performers, they have worked with the prestigious Cirque du Soleil and Cirque Éloize, and taken part in many international circus festivals.

FLIP Fabrique brings a fresh take on contemporary circus, coupled with an uncanny ability to have fun and move an audience. They translate from life to life, from the heart to the heart, the body to the body. $26-$68. The Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St. capefearstage.com

THE COLOR PURPLE March 3, 7:30pm, $40-$96: 2016 Tony Award winner for Best Musical Revival!

Hailed as “a direct hit to the heart” (The Hollywood Reporter), this joyous American classic has conquered Broadway in an all-new “ravishingly reconceived production that is a glory to behold” (The New York Times) directed by Tony winner John Doyle. With a soul-raising score of jazz, gospel, ragtime and blues,

"The Color Purple" gives an exhilarating new spirit to this Pulitzer Prize-winning story. Contains strong language and adult themes. Not recommended for young children or preteens. Parental discretion advised. The Wilson Center, 703 N. 3rd St.

CATS March 24, 7:30pm, $46-$96: "Cats," the record-breaking musical spectacular by Andrew Lloyd Webber that has captivated audiences in over 30 countries and 15 languages, is now on tour across North America! Winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Cats tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn. The original score by Andrew Lloyd Webber ("The Phantom of the Opera," "School of Rock"), original scenic and costume design by John Napier ("Les Misérables"), all-new lighting design by Natasha Katz ("Aladdin"), all-new sound design by Mick Potter, new choreography

by Andy Blankenbuehler ("Hamilton") based on the original choreography by Gillian Lynne ("Phantom"), and direction

by Trevor Nunn ("Les Mis"). Show for ages 5 and up. The Wilson Center, 703

N. 3rd St. capefearstage.com

film CINEMATIQUE February 19, 4pm and 7pm: "Cunningham": This poetic film traces the artistic evolution of legendary American choreographer Merce Cunningham over three decades of risk and discovery (1944–1972), from his early years as a struggling dancer in postwar New York to his emergence as one of the most visionary and influential choreographers worldwide. The 3D technology weaves together Merce's philosophies and stories, creating a visceral journey into the choreographer's world. Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St. thalianhall.org.

art ART CRUSH On exhibit through April. Artists include all females who work in different media: Solstice Woodworks, The Rooted One, Kelsey Howard, MAC Abstracts, Suzy Walter and K.Ko Studio. Coworx, 1608 Queen St.

FOURTH FRIDAY GALLERY NIGHT Fourth Friday Gallery Nights, Wilmington’s premier after-hours celebration 40 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

of art and culture, 6-9pm, fourth Fri. ea. month. Art openings, artist demonstrations, entertainment and refreshments.

Administered by the Arts Council of Wilmington and NHC, numerous venues participate. artscouncilofwilmington.org

ART BY CAMMERON: CHILDHOOD ART ArtByCammeron will have her childhood art on display for the first time. Collectors will have the opportunity to see her style forming as young as preschoolthroughout elementary, middle and high school ages. Prints of childhood art will be available for purchase. She is also doing original adult renditions of certain pieces from her childhood work that will be available for purchase. Nick Mijak will display work dating back to 1990 until present day, so collectors can get a sense of his stylistic exploration.

Collectors with have the opportunity to purchase prints of Nick’s early works.

He has created new works for this opening that haven’t been introduced to the public and they will be available for purchase. Bottega, 723 N 4th St.

CHAMPAGNE TOAST FOR LIZ HOSIER February 20, 6-8pm: Art in Bloom and Checkered Cab present a special reception for artist, Liz Hosier . Free and open to the public with complimentary champagne and appetizers. “The Ways of Wax: Works by Liz

Sushi Happy Hour Sun.-Thurs., 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.

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encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 41

Hosier“celebrates the versatility of beeswax as a primary medium. Included are works in oil with cold wax, encaustics (an ancient hot wax painting technique), and encaustic monotypes (a printmaking technique with encaustic pigment). As an abstract artist, Hosier finds freedom and a challenge within these time-honored “ways of wax.” She is intrigued by how each unique process relies upon layering to build up surfaces and to create depth, texture, movement and luminosity. Each painting expresses a fluid dialogue between artist, medium, color and surface. Platypus & Gnome, 9 S. Front St.

WOOL REINVENTED Flytrap welcomes featured artist Rachel Frey’s collection “Wool Reinvented.” Fiber artist Rachel Frey trained at SCAD, and creates felted pieces of all sizes through an ancient method using water and friction. Her art is fully composed of natural resources.

The collection will consist of immensely detailed prints, which start out as watercolor paintings that are then transferred to Adobe Photoshop to manipulate the imagery into a repeat pattern. Rachel is drawn toward colors and textures that occur in nature. Her art reveals an essence of softness as well as rigidity. Flytrap, 319 Walnut St.

EYE CANDY BY MARLOWE “Eye Candy,” featuring local pop artist Marlowe is at New Elements Gallery. Inspiration comes to the artist from watching 1930s and 1940s movies. Captivating images from the world of pulp fiction mix with exotic handmade papers creating incredible compositions that are a nod to another time, and a fantasy to be explored. Join us as we dive into the charismatic, colorful world of Marlowe, the first official show at NEG for 2020!

271 N. Front St. newelementsgallery.com

2020: NEW YEAR, NEW ART 2020 is a new year which brings a variety of brand new art by Art in Bloom Gallery’s core artists to the gallery. Feast your eyes on new work in “2020: New Year, New Art,” featuring Bradley Carter (painting), Debra Bucci (painting), Richard Bunting (blown glass), Elizabeth Darrow (painting), Brian Evans (ceramics), Joanne Geisel (painting), Dave Klinger (photography), Joan McLoughlin (painting), Gale Smith (painter), Traudi Thornton (ceramics), among others!

Continues through March 8. Art in Bloom, 210 Princess St. aibgallery.com.

ETHAN ALLEN ART SHOWCASE February 22, 5pm: Ethan Allen is partnering with Art in Bloom Gallery to feature original art by contemporary and traditional artists in the Ethan Allen Design Center on South College Road. Cus42 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

tomers can create the look they will love from classic to contemporary with free interior design help from Ethan Allen’s design pros. The design pros are partnering with artists Bob Bryden, Debra Bucci, Richard Bunting, Bradley Carter, Judy Hintz Cox, Elizabeth Darrow, Brian Evans, Joanne Geisel, Naomi Jones, Helen Lewis, Joan McLoughlin, Angela Rowe, Olaf Schneider, Gale Smith, and Traudi Thornton to create unique interiors with fine art. Reception on Saturday. 818 S College Road. Store hours are Mon.-Sat., 10am6pm and Sun., 12-5pm. On view through March 9.

ZINES February 27, 5:30pm: Zines (shortened from the word “magazines”) are small, independent publications that come in the form of mini pamphlets or DIY magazines and have long been an underground or counter-cultural vehicle for personal and political expression. This exhibit celebrates zines from a variety of sources and collections. Cultural Art Building, 5270 Randall Pkwy. Free.

dance 76ERS SQUARE DANCE CLUB Inviting all mainstream and plus square dancers to join us for our weekly evening of dance on Thursdays from 8-9:30 pm at Senior Resource Center, 2222 S. College Rd. (entrance on Shipyard Blvd.). $5/ person/dance. Join: $17.50/person/mo.

SENIOR LINE DANCING At Maides Park, Thurs., 11am-noon. Free!

Pre-reg. is not required. 1101 Manly Av-

enue

OVER 50’S DANCE Mission is to provide a venue for ballroom and social dancing. Welcome dancers of all levels—great form of exercise and to socialize with others who also like to dance. The club holds a dance on the second Tuesday of each month. Variety of DJ’s play all kinds of dance music—ballroom, Latin, shag, rock & roll, country, slow nightclub. Cost $8/person. New Hanover Sr. Resource Ctr, 2222 S. College Rd. facebook.com/ over50sdance

MARDI GRAS MASQUERADE February 22, 9pm: There’s No Party Like An Ibiza Party, so mark your calendars and join your friends for a night full of sizzling entertainment and enticing costumes at Ibiza’s Mardi Gras Masquerade! It’s the night to Bring Your Bare As You Dare Attitude and Prepare to Mix, Mingle, See, And Be Seen! To expedite entry, we encourage the purchase of online tickets. Purchase your ticket online and skip the line with Express Entry.

Express Entry will be available to online ticket holders until 11 p.m. Ibiza Nightclub, 118 Market St. ibizawilmington. com

CONTRA DANCE February 22, 7:30pm: Energetic, contemporary American country dancing, every Tuesday. A caller will lead the dancers through a sequence of moves. People are friendly and beginners always welcome, no experience necessary! It’s fun

for all ages, teenagers through seniors.

No partner needed; you’ll dance with everybody there! Recommended dress is cool and casual, with soft-soled shoes. $5. • February 25, 7:30pm with band Box of Chocolates. $5. 5th Ave United Methodist Church, 409 S 5th Ave. wilmingtoncontradance.info

BELLYDANCE SHOWCASE

comedy OPEN MIC Wildest open mic in town—anything goes. (except cover songs). Stand-up comedy, slam poetry, video, live music, odd talents, performances of all kinds.

Hosted by 6-beer Steve. Sign up, 8pm, and runs all night. Juggling Gypsy 1612 Castle St. (910) 763-2223, after 3pm for details. jugglinggypsy.com.

GRUFF GOAT COMEDY First Wed. ea. month, Gruff Goat Comedy features three comedians dong stand up. No trolls. Food truck onsite. Waterline Brewing, 721 Surry Lane.

PRIMETIME COMEDY See some of NC’s best stand-up comedians in a world class venue! This month’s talented performers: Brett Williams, Cordero Wilson, Grant Sheffield, Louis Bishop, and Tyler Wood. Hosted by: Wills Maxwell. N Front Theatre (formerly City Stage), 21 N Front St.

LUCKY JOE COMEDY SHOW First Sat. ea. month is free at Lucky Joe Craft Coffee on College Road, presented

by Regretful Villains. The show features a new style of stand-up called Speed Joking. Enjoy a night of laughs! 1414 S College Rd.

DEAD CROW February 21-22 7:30/9pm: D.C. Benny’s style of telling autobiographical stories, inhabited by original characters, has been honed over his thirty-two years as a performer. Benny's third appearance

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LIVE RIFFING AND VINTAGE TV Every Wed. join Dead Crow Comedy for improv night. Join local comedians for a TV party at Dead Crow! Interactive improvised comedy show. 265 N. Front St. .com

February 22, 9pm $10: Ahmose is excited to bring you this month's Bellydance Showcase at The BarZarre (formerly The Juggling Gypsy). Featuring some of the best dancers in the region and beyond!

Each showcase is unique and different!

Featuring also live original by the talented Dr. Z! Come out for a great evening of music and dance! We hope to see you there! reservations are highly recommended as seating is limited in this cozy and intimate atmosphere! Hope to see you there! Barzarre, 1610 Castle St. barzarre.com

on NBC's “Showtime At The Apollo” has over fourteen million Youtube views, he has multiple stand up specials including Comedy Central Presents, and Dry Bar, was a top eight finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, and has a cult following from his roles as Cesar in John Singleton’s “Illegal Tender”, and as “Chaz” on the soap opera “As The World Turns”. He also starred in national commercials for Verizon, Dell, Volkswagon, Wendy’s, AIG, and the Budweiser “How You Doin’?” superbowl campaign. $15 • Open mic Thurs., 8pm. Sign up in person, 7pm; no cost to participate. Each comedian is allotted 3 minutes of stage time. www. deadcrowcomedy.com. 265 N. Front St.

BOMBERS COMEDY OPEN MIC Sign up at 8:30; show’s at 9. Bring your best to the mic. Bomber’s Beverage Company, 108 Grace St.

LOL SHOW AT WTF! Free! Thurs., 8pm! A brand-new weekly show from Wilmington’s finest improvisers, comedians, and storytellers! Using your suggestions, DareDevil Improv will create a one-of-a-kind comedy experience to kick off your weekend right!

(Followed by karaoke!). Plus, special guests, music, and cocktails! WTF, 111 Grace St.

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museums CAMERON ART MUSEUM Through April 26: The Eye Learns— Modernist prints from the Louis Belden Collection—In 2017 CAM was given an unprecedented bequest of works of art from San Francisco art collector Louis Belden. The collection of 135 prints offers an endless range of expression, experimentation and expansion of the terrain of postwar modernism and includes original artworks from the leading artists, the change-makers, the radicals, the early modernist European expats, seeking asylum in this country.

Among others, artists in the exhibition will include Josef Albers, Helen Frankenthaler, Wayne Thiebaud, Richard Diebenkorn, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Rauschenberg. • Through April 26: Structure in Space and Time—Photography by Phil Freelon—Throughout his prodigious career, award-winning architect Freelon

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(American, 1953-2019) found photography essential to his design vision and creative process: Photography is one of the vehicles that I use to share my view of the world. As an architect, the expression of structure is central to my design process, bringing a sense of order to the final composition. Everyone at CAM is deeply saddened by the passing of Phil Freelon on July 9, 2019. If you would like to honor his legacy you may make contributions to the North Star Church of the Arts.

• Unfolding Noguchi through May 24, 2020: One of the visionaries of 20th-century American modernism, Isamu Noguchi (19041988) developed a uniquely open-ended, and forward-looking perspective on global culture. Working with a deep sense of social purpose across a wide range of disciplines, Noguchi was a connoisseur of ingenuity. He regarded craft and technology (representing the past and the future) as two sides of the same coin and natural allies in sculpting our

world for the better. The exhibition provides insight into his genius and artistic exploration of form and material over his sixty year career. From bronze, granite, and aluminum to his paper and bamboo Akari light sculptures, Noguchi pushed the boundaries of what sculpture is and how it is integrated into daily life. • Stories in Print through April 26: This focused exhibition draws attentions to the diverse methods of print making from CAM's collection from 1891 through 2012. Artists on view include Mary Cassatt, Don Furst, Maud Gatewood, Juan Logan, and Fred Wilson. These varied artists juxtaposed against the Modernist prints in The Eye Learns highlight CAM's commitment to the art of print making.

CAM Café open and serving delicious menu with full bar. Brunch, Sat. and Sun., 10am-2pm; Tues.-Fri., 11am-2pm; Thurs. 5-9pm. Museum, 10am-5pm; Thurs., 10am-9pm. cameronartmuseum.org. 3201 S. 17th St.

CAPE FEAR MUSEUM Ongoing: Explore the history of the 20th century in this new gallery designed, curated and fabricated by the Cape Fear Museum team. The revamped 20th century gallery is the final chapter of the

• Wings • Salads • • Sandwiches • Seafood • • Steaks • Ribs • Chicken • Pasta •

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Museum’s core exhibit, Cape Fear Stories. The new exhibit paints a picture of New Hanover County and the dramatic social, cultural and economic transformations that shaped life in the 20th century and beyond. • Ongoing: Michael Jordan, known worldwide for his spectacular basketball skills, grew up in Wilmington. He achieved phenomenal success in basketball, and he worked hard to achieve his goals at every level.

“Michael Jordan: Achieving Success” showcases his early years and Wilmington roots. Several artifacts are on display including an unworn pair of 1987 Air Jordan 1 shoes. • Ongoing: Space Place: Hands-on STEM interactives include a robotic arm, microscopic experiments and a glove box challenge. Visual elements offer real-time information about the International Space Station’s location and daily operations. • Ongoing: Williston Auditorium: Education in Wilmington has a long, rich tradition, and the name “Williston” has been associated with schooling here since the 1860s.

What began as an American Missionary Association school became—between 1923 and the day it closed its doors in 1968—the only high school for African Americans in New Hanover County. •

Through Apr. 12: To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA examines the history of Apollo 10 and the Peanuts characters’ role in that flight and in the NASA Manned Flight Awareness safety program. • Through February 23: Dinosaur Discovery explores the world of modern paleontology and the discoveries that reveal how dinosaurs lived, moved and behaved. Everything we know about these prehistoric animals comes from fossils unearthed by paleontologists.

These scientists study ancient life by examining their finds and piecing together clues from the past. This exhibit was developed by the Virginia Museum of Natural History. CF Museum, 814 Market St. capefearmuseum.com

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH MUSEUM WB Museum of History, housed in the turn-of-the-century Myers Cottage, exists to preserve and to share the history of Wrightsville Beach. Visitors to the cottage will find a scale model of Wrightsville Beach circa 1910, exhibits featuring the early days of the beach including Lumina Pavilion, our hurricane history and information about the interaction between the people and our natural environment which have shaped the

100 yr. history of WB. (910) 256-2569.

303 W. Salisbury St. wbmuseum.com.

WILMINGTON RR MUSEUM Explore railroad history and heritage, especially of the Atlantic Coast Line, headquartered in Wilmington for 125 years.

Interests and activities for all ages, including historical exhibits, full-size steam engine and rolling stock, lively Children’s Hall, and spectacular model layouts. House in an authentic 1883 freight warehouse, facilities are fully accessible and on one level. By reservation, discounted group tours, caboose birthday parties, and after-hours meetings or mixers. Story Time on 1st/3rd Mon. at 10:30am, only $5 per family and access to entire Museum. Admission only $9 adult, $8 senior/military, $5 child, ages 2-12, and free under age 2. 505 Nutt St. 910-763-2634. www.wrrm.org.

LATIMER HOUSE Victorian Italiante style home built in 1852, the restored home features period furnishings, artwork and family portraits.

Tours offered Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm, and Sat, 12-5pm. Walking tours are Wed and Sat. at 10am. $4-$12. Latimer House of Lower CF Historical Society is not handicapped accessible 126 S. 3rd St.

BURGWIN-WRIGHT HOUSE 18th century Burgwin-Wright House Museum in the heart of Wilmington’s Historic District, is the oldest museum house in NC, restored with 18th-19th century decor and gardens. Colonial life experienced through historical interpretations in kitchen and courtyard. 3rd/ Market St. Tues-Sat, 10am-4pm. Last tour, 3pm. 910-762-0570. www.burgwinwrighthouse.com.

BELLAMY MANSION MUSEUM One of NC’s most spectacular examples of antebellum architecture, built on the eve of the Civil War by free and enslaved black artisans, for John Dillard Bellamy (1817-1896) physician, planter and business leader; and his wife, Eliza McIlhenny Harriss (1821-1907) and their nine children. After the fall of Fort Fisher in 1865, Federal troops commandeered the house as their headquarters during the occupation of Wilmington.

Now a museum, it focuses on history and the design arts and offers tours, changing exhibitions and an informative look at historic preservation in action.

Tour hours are Mon-Sat. 10 am-4 pm and Sundays 1-4 pm. Self-guided tours (paper or audio) can begin at any time in

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February 20, 7pm: Kim Barnes, visiting writer in the Department of Creative Writing at UNCW in Kenan Hall 1111, will read. uncw.edu/writers/news/release-kim-barnes-february-2020.html

FOOD AS PROTEST February 20, 7pm: Georgia Gilmore founded the Club From Nowhere, a secret group that sold meals to fundraise for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her activism helped sustain the 381-day boycott and inspired other activist groups and fundraisers. John T. Edge will speak about these events.

He has served as director since the 1999 founding of the Southern Foodways Alliance, an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. Event is open to the public, and seating is first-come, first-serve at Lumina Theater on UNCW’s campus. Lumina Theater, 615 Hamilton Dr.

kids stuff SNAKE AND TURTLE FEEDING Brief presentation about live animals on display in the events center and watch them feed. At least one snake and turtle will be fed during the demonstration.

the day and guided tours begin at the top of the hour when available. Adults $12; Senior, Military, College $10; Students $6; children under 5 are free. 503 Market St. 910-251-3700. bellamymansion.org

HIDDEN BATTLESHIP March 14, noon: For the explorer at heart!

Join us for a unique, behind-the-scenes tour of unrestored areas of the Battleship. The four-hour tour consists of small groups with guides. Guests explore the bow (officers’ country, boatswain locker, and descend to the bottom of the ship), third deck (Radio II, brig, after gyro, storage rooms, ammunition handling, Engineer’s office), Engine room #1, superstructure (Captain’s cabin, armored conning tower, maintenance shops), reefer, aft diesel, and climb inside the fire control tower to the top of the ship. The Azalea Coast Radio Club will be in Radio II to explain their work on the ship’s radio transmitters. It’s the tour that brings out

Ages: 3 and up. First Wed. every month, $1. Halyburton Park, 4099 S. 17th St.

ART EXPLORER THURSDAYS Bring your little ones to CAM for story reading and art making! Enjoy open studio time with your family. Such as reading stories, creating art with a variety of supplies, and having fun with friends! No pre-registration necessary. Parental Supervision required at all times. Suggested donation: $5/family. 3201 S. 17th St. www.cameronartmuseum.org

HAPPY LITTLE SINGERS Happy Little Singers is an affordable, creative early childhood (Pre-K) music and movement program, designed for infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers and young students up to age 6 (older children and siblings enjoy the program, as well). So much fun for you and your little one! With every nurturing and creative class, you will see your child expressing themselves in new ways, developing new skills and competency, matching rhythm and singing, playing instruments. You may also notice a significant increase in both fine and gross motor skills, eyehand coordination, language and listening skills, social skills and self-esteem.

the “Indiana Jones” in all of us, without the snakes! Adults only (ages 16 and up); limited to 40 participants. Registration and payment are due Thursday before the event. $50. Battleship NC, 1 Battleship Rd.

BATTLESHIP 101 March 21, 10am: Friendly, knowledgeable volunteers throughout the ship engage visitors in areas including gunnery, radar, sick bay, galley, engineering, and daily shipboard life. Try on helmets, raise signal flags, “text” using semaphore flags, tap out your name using Morse code, type on vintage typewriters and more! A great event for all ages. Bring your questions and cameras! Free with Battleship admission. Battleship NC, 1 Battleship Rd. battleshipnc.com

lectures/readings KIM BARNES READING encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 49

ence. Technology, Engineering and Math) content areas. There will be events for students of all ages. We will be celebrating National Engineering Week! Union Station CFCC, 502 N Front St. newhanovereducationventures.com

classes/seminars MEDITATE AND CHILL Join Jesse Stockton + Jenny Yarborough every Tues., 7:30-8:30pm, Terra Sol Sanctuary. 20-30 minute meditation to help you take a deep breath. Relax. Let go. $10; no need to register in advance. 507 Castle St. terrasolsanctuary.com.

SENIOR CLASSES Takes place Thursdays, fitness classes, 10am, and line-dancing classes, 11am.

Free. Maides Park, 1101 Manly Ave. Class will help reinforce the bond between you and your child. Held every Tues, 9:45-11:30am, Hannah Block Community Arts Center. $10 per family.

910-777-8889. www.susansavia.com/ happy-little-singers.

BIG KID DAYS February 21, 9am-noon, 1-4pm; Febru-

ary 22, 9am-1pm: Ages 9 & under. Enjoy some fun activities for big kids along with all normal offerings. (Younger children are welcome to play as usual.) Fit For Fun Center, 302 S. 10th St.

STEM ACTIVITY DAY February 22, 11am: A free day of handson activities focused in the STEM (Sci-

FREE FITNESS CLASSES Boot Camp, Tuesdays, through March 31, 5:30-6:30pm • Zumba, Thursdays, through March 26, 5:30-6:30pm. Children 5-17 can participate in fitness classes when accompanied by an adult.

Pre-reg. rqd. maidespark.com. Maides Park, 1101 Manly Ave.

CAPE FEAR FENCING CLASSES Cape Fear Fencing Association 6 week beginning fencing class, 6:30pm, in the basement of the Tileston gym. Class will meet for approximately 1 hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays, All fencing equipment provided, students should wear loose fitting clothing and sneakers. Appropriate for ages 8-80. $50 plus a $10 membership to USA Fencing good until July 31, 2020. Taught by Internationally accredited instructor.

Tileston Gym, 412 Ann St. www.capefearfencing.com

SERVSAFE PROGRAM Fridays, 9am-11am: Online testing for the ServSafe Food Manager Certification exam will be offered every Friday, at the Pine Valley Public Library. 3802 S College Rd. $100 voucher code & proctor fee. By appointment only. Contact Jaime Chadwick 910-617-4791

YOGA FOUNDATION SERIES February 23, 4pm: Join Genevera Miller for this four week beginner yoga series. In this workshop you can expect to learn common foundational yoga postures and suggestions for making modifications for YOUR body. Each week will build upon the previous week to allow for repetition and familiarity as well as for time to practice the pos50 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

es in recommended yoga classes or at home so that self inquiry and questions can arise. Breath techniques and guided beginner mediation will be offered. Wear comfortable clothing and bring water, a mat (no mat no worries, we got you), and all of your questions! Each participant will be given a list of suggested classes to attend at Salty Dog Yoga as well as a sequence to practice on your own if you would like. An optional private Facebook group will be created for those interested in joining to ask questions and to build community. $40 in advance $50 day of series. Salty Dog Yoga & Surf, 915 A North Lake Park Blvd.

clubs/notices BIKE NIGHT Bike Night at Mac’s Speed Shop, beer, bikes, BBQ. Featuring in concert: South Starr band playing great classic-southern R&R music! Mac’s Speed Shop, 4126 Oleander Dr.

UNRAVELED First Thurs. every month, 10am, a morning of knitting or crochet and conversation. This is a self-guided drop-in program. All skill levels welcome. Bring your own materials and projects to work on; supplies not provided. Northeast Library, 1241 Military Cutoff Rd.

SENIOR SOCIAL TIME Tues., 10:30am-no. Arts & crafts, speakers, movies, trips and more. Free. Maides Park, 1101 Manly Ave.

culinary FREE BREWERY TOURS AND TASTINGS 3pm, 3:45pm, 4:30pm, everyday at Front Street Brewery, 9 N. Front St. Learn how we brew our beer, meet brewers and get two free samples.

SWEET N SAVORY WINE TASTING Wed, 5-8pm: Sample some of the most delicious wines you can try for free with optional $25 food pairing, designed specifically to go with each wine. Benny Hill Jazz always starts at 7 pm with his cool jazz styles. Sweet n Savory Cafe, 1611 Pavilion Pl.

PORT CITY GREAT BURGER CHALLENGE In 30 mins, eat 48 ounces of burger meat with three toppings and fries! Beat it and we take care of the bill and put your face on the Wall of Glory! Fail, and straight to The Wall of Shame you go. Bring your stretchy pants and good luck! Offer is daily. 11am-11pm, Port City Burgers &

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Brews, 11 Market St.

FERMENTAL Free tasting every Friday, 6pm. Third Wed. of ea. month feat. musical and brewing talents alongside open-mic night, and an opportunity for homebrewers to share, sample and trade their creations: an evening of beer and an open stage. PA and equipment provided. All genres and beer. www.fermental.net 910-821-0362. 7250 Market St.

WALTON'S DISTILLERY OPEN HOUSE February 22, noon: Come on out and join us for another afternoon full of good music, good food, and so much more!

Our performing artist is a local band called Carolina Connections. We look forward to seeing everyone out for this event! www.waltonsdistillery.com. Walton’s Distillery, 261 Ben Williams Rd

tours LITERARY HISTORY WALKING TOUR Explore the rich culture of our talented Southern town with a 90-minute walking tour of the literary history of downtown Wilmington, NC. Visit “The Two Libraries.”

Walk the streets of your favorite novels,

and stand where Oscar Wilde did when he lectured here. Saturdays, 1:30pm, Old Books on Front. 249 N. Front St. brownpapertickets.com/event/1282390

GHOST WALK 6:30-8:30pm. Costumed guides lead visitors through alleyways with tales of haunted Wilmington. Nightly tours, 6:30pm/8:30pm. Water and Market sts.

RSVP rqd: 910-794-1866. www.hauntedwilmington.com

BELLAMY MANSION MUSEUM Follow curved shell paths through gardens shaded by 150-year old magnolias.

See the original, restored slave quarters building along with the 22-room antebellum mansion. Learn about the Bellamy family as well as the free black and enslaved artisans who built the home and the enslaved workers who lived on site after its completion. Adults $12; Senior, military, college $10; Students $6; children under 5 are free. 503 Market St. 910-251-3700. bellamymansion.org.

Tours Mon-Sat. 10 am-4 pm and Sundays 1-4 pm. Self-guided tours (paper or audio) can begin at any time in the day and guided tours begin at the top of the hour when available.

MASONBORO SHELLING TOUR Explore Masonboro Island and discover the wonder of the Carolina coast. This tour option is ideal for families, birders, and nature enthusiasts. Masonboro Island is an 8.4-mile marine sanctuary island, renowned for its plant and wildlife diversity. Topics will include shell biology, native plant species, shorebirds, and barrier island ecology. Adult $45, child $25 RSVP: 910-200-4002. Wrightsville Beach Scenic Tours, 275 Waynick Blvd

OFF THE RECORD TOURS Thurs., 6:30pm: CAM Gallery tours, led by museum staff, are sometimes irreverent and silly, but a charming and engaging behind-the-scenes perspective on current exhibitions. But what if I’m really thirsty before the tour? Join us for happy hour beforehand to loosen up your brain and chat about art. Brown Wing. CAM Members: Free, non-members. Museum admission. Cameron Art Museum, 3201 S. 17th St.

WALKING TOUR OF CAROLINA BEACH Walking Tour of the Historic Carolina Beach Boardwalk meets at the Visitors Bureau Kiosk just south of the new Hampton Inn and features members of

the Federal Point Historic Preservation Society leading a 50-minute tour into the past, answering questions like: Where did the “birth of the Shag” take place? Did you know there was a movie theater called The Wave on the Boardwalk? How long has Britt’s Donuts been on the Boardwalk, and has it always been in the same place? Why was the Red Apple so popular? Where was the largest dance floor south of Washington DC located? Society asks for a $10 donation. Children under 12 tour free. Carolina Beach Board Walk, Cape Fear Blvd.

WEEKLY EXHIBITION TOURS Cameron Art Museum: Explore, discuss and learn more about the artwork currently on view at CAM. Members: free. Museum admission all others. 3201 S. 17th St. cameronartmuseum.org

support groups WILMINGTON PRIDE YOUTH GROUP Grades 7-12: Wilmington Pride Yxqouth Group is a safe space for youth who identify as LGBTQIA+ and their straight allies.

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self care. A great opportunity to meet and socialize with peers from the greater Wilmington area. Meets Thurs., 7pm.

Needed: youth facilitators, especially those who are trained to work with kids, and speakers to talk about important topics.

ANXIETY/OCD SUPPORT GROUP Group meets 1st & 3rd Thurs. of each month. Pine Valley United Methodist Church, 3788 Shipyard Blvd. Bldg B. Christopher Savard, Ph.D., with Cape Fear Psychological Services, gives a presentation the 1st Thursday of each month. 3rd Thursday meeting is member led. 18+ welcome. 910-763-8134

LUPUS SUPPORT GROUP Meets third Sat. ea. month. Free; dropins are welcome. Group provides participants an opportunity to receive introductory info about lupus, encourage the expression of concerns, provide an opportunity to share experiences, encourage and support positive coping strategies, and emphasize the importance of medical treatment. Guest speakerss, DVD presentations and open group discussion. info@lupusnc.org (877) 8498271, x1. lupusnc.org. NE Library, 1241 Military Cutoff Rd.

PFLAG First Mon/mo. at UNCW, in the Masonboro Island Room #2010, 7pm.

MS SUPPORT GROUP Those with Multiple Sclerosis, families and friends welcome. Meets 2nd Thursday each month, 7 p.m., at the New Hanover Rehabilitation Hospital, 1st floor conference room, 2131 S. 17th St. (behind the Betty Cameron Women’s Hospital). Sponsored by Greater Carolinas Chapter, National MS Society. Details: Anne (910) 232-2033 or Burt (910) 3831368. NH Regional Medical Hospital, 2131 S. 17th St.

ARIES (Mar. 21–April 19) Do you feel ready to change your mind about an idea or belief or theory that has been losing its usefulness? Would you consider changing your relationship with a once-powerful influence that is becoming less crucial to your life-long goals?

Is it possible you have outgrown one of your heroes or teachers? Do you wonder if maybe it's time for you to put less faith in a certain sacred cow or overvalued idol? According to my analysis of your astrological omens, you'll benefit from meditating on these questions during the coming weeks.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) When she was alive more than 2,500 years ago, the Greek poet Sappho was so famous for her lyrical creations that people referred to her as "The Poetess" and the "Tenth Muse." (In Greek mythology, there were nine muses, all goddesses.) She was a prolific writer who produced over 10,000 lines of verse, and even today she remains one of the world's most celebrated poets. I propose that we make her your inspirational role model for the coming months. In my view, you're poised to generate a wealth of enduring beauty in your own chosen sphere. Proposed experiment: Regard your daily life as an art project.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Have you ever dropped out of the daily grind for a few hours or even a few days so as to compose a master plan for your life? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to give yourself that necessary luxury. According to my analysis, you're entering a phase when you'll generate good fortune for yourself if you think deep thoughts about how to create your future. What would you like the story of your life to be on March 1, 2025? How about March 1, 2030? And March 1, 2035? I encourage you to consult your soul's code and formulate an inspired, invigorating blueprint for the coming years. Write it down!

CANCER (June 22-July 22) Cancerian novelist William Makepeace Thackeray (1819–1875) is famous for "Vanity Fair," a satirical panorama of 19th-century British society.

The phrase "Vanity Fair" had been previously used, though with different meanings, in the Bible's book of Ecclesiastes, as well as in works by John Bunyan and St. Augustine. Thackeray was lying in bed near sleep one night when the idea flew into his head to use it for his own story. He was so thrilled, he leaped up and ran around his room chanting "Vanity Fair!

Vanity Fair!" I'm foreseeing at least one epiphany like this for you in the coming weeks, Cancerian.

What area of your life needs a burst of delicious inspiration?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Who loves you best, Leo? Which of your allies and loved ones come closest to seeing you and appreciating you for who you really are? Of all the people in your life, which have done most to help you become the soulful star you want to be? Are there gem-like characters on the peripheries of your world that you would like to draw nearer? Are there energy drains that you've allowed to play too prominent a role? I hope you'll meditate on questions like these in the coming weeks. You're in a phase when you can access a wealth of useful insights and revelations about how to skillfully manage your relationships. It's also a good time to reward and nurture those allies who have given you so much.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Doom and gloom dominate the forecasts made by many prophets. They experience perverse glee in predicting, for example, that all the rain forests and rivers will be owned by greedy corporations by 2050, or that extraterrestrial invaders who resemble crocodiles will take control of the U.S. government "for the good of the American people," or that climate change will eventually render chocolate and bananas obsolete. That's not how I operate. I deplore the idea that it's only the nasty prognostications that are interesting. In that spirit, I make the following forecasts: The number of homeless Virgos will decrease dramatically in the near future, as will the number of dreamhome-less Virgos. In fact, I expect you folks will experience extra amounts of domestic bliss in the coming months. You may feel more at home in the world than ever before.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) I don't require everyone I learn from to be an impeccable saint. If I vowed to draw inspiration only from those people who flawlessly embody every one of my ethical principles, there'd be no one to be inspired by. Even one of my greatest heroes, Martin Luther King Jr., cheated on his wife and plagiarized parts of his doctoral dissertation. Where do you stand on this issue, Libra? I bet you will soon be tested. How much imperfection is acceptable to you?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Scorpio comedian John Cleese co-founded the troupe Monty Python more than fifty years ago, and he has been generating imaginative humor ever since.

I suggest we call on his counsel as you enter the most creative phase of your astrological cycle. "This is the extraordinary thing about creativity," he says. "If you just keep your mind resting against the subject in a friendly but persistent way, sooner or later you will get a reward from your unconscious." Here's another one of Cleese's insights that will serve you well: "The most creative people have learned to tolerate the

slight discomfort of indecision for much longer, and so, just because they put in more pondering time, their solutions are more creative."

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Sagittarian philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632– 1677) developed a vigorous and expansive vision.

That's why he became a leading intellectual influence in the era known as the Enlightenment. But because of his inventive, sometimes controversial ideas, he was shunned by his fellow Jews and had his books listed on the Catholic Church's Index of Forbidden Books. Understandably, he sometimes felt isolated. To compensate, he spent lots of time alone taking wide-ranging journeys in his imagination.

Even if you have all the friends and social stimulation you need, I hope you will follow his lead in the coming weeks—by taking wide-ranging journeys in your imagination. It's time to roam and ramble in inner realms.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) "Absolute reason expired at eleven o’clock last night," one character tells another in Henrik Ibsen's play "Peer Gynt." I'm happy to report a different development is on the verge of occurring for you, Capricorn. In recent days there may have been less than an ideal amount of reason and logic circulating in your world. That situation will soon change. The imminent outbreak of good sense, rigorous sanity and practical wisdom will be quite tonic. Take advantage of this upcoming grace period. Initiate bold actions that are well-grounded in objective rather than subjective truth.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Renowned Aquarian composer Franz Schubert (1797–1828) created more than 700 compositions, some of which are still played by modern musicians.

Many of his works were written on and for the piano—and yet he was so poor that he never owned a piano. If there has been a similar situation in your life, Aquarius—a lack of some crucial tool or support due to financial issues—I see the coming weeks as being an excellent time to set in motion the plans that will enable you to overcome and cure that problem.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) In 1908 British playwright W. Somerset Maugham reached the height of success. Four of his plays were being performed concurrently in four different London theaters. If you were ever in your life going to achieve anything near this level of overflowing popularity or attention, I suspect it would be this year.

And if that's a development you would enjoy and thrive on, I think the coming weeks will be an excellent time to set your intention and take audacious measures.

encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 53

54 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com

CROSSWORD

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Located just a stones throw to Paradise Island and Carolina Beach, this home is over 2500 sq. ft. of upgrades.

Full finished room over the garage.

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Heather Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Sullivan | Realtor | Network Real Estate | 804.514.3197 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com 55

March 3, 4 & 5 at 7:30 pm

Wilson Center TickeT cenTral • 910.362.7999 • WilsoncenTerTickeTs.com 56 encore | february 19 - february 25, 2020 | www.encorepub.com