encore May 29 - June 4, 2019

T H E C A P E F E A R ’ S A LT E R N AT I V E V O I C E F O R 3 5 Y E A R S !

VOL. 36 / PUB. 43 MAY 29 - JUNE 4, 2019 ENCOREPUB.COM

FREE

Y D O O L B Y L T N A I L IR L

America’s answer to ‘Sweeney Todd’ is ‘Lizzie: The Musical’

Ofge, t s Be vera es Co pag-10 4

HODGEPODGE

Vol. 36/Pub. 36/Pub. 743 Vol.

29 - June18, 4, 2018 2019 September 12May - September

WWW.ENCOREPUB.COM

EVENT OF THE WEEK

Friday, May May 31, 6 - 11 a.m.

Friday, 7 p.m.

ON THE COVER

WARDM RAISE THE ROOF GALA

The ninth annual WARM Raise the Roof Gala & Auction, themed “Anchors Away Soirée” will take place Friday, May 31 at the Holiday Inn Resort (1706 North Lumina Ave.) in Wrightsville Beach.

Enjoy live and silent auctions, coastalthemed cuisine, open bar with beer and wine, and dancing all night long with Port City Shakedown. WECT’s Jon Evans will emcee the evening in support of long-term Hurricane Florence recovery and safer homes. Tickets are $100 at one.bidpal.net/anchorsaway/welcome.

BRILLIANTLY BLOODY, PG. 26 Panache creative director Anthony Lawson brings attention to detail in the badass production of “Lizzy: The Musical.” See it at Thalian’s Stein theatre before the show takes its terrifying story and chilling numbers to Off-Broadway at the end of summer. Courtesy photo

M

MUSIC>>

As always folks can count on Wilmington to come together around music for a good cause, including this Saturday’s second annual Jam to Help the Kids at Greenfield Lake Amphitheate, which benefits United Way and NourishNC. Courtesy photo.

A

EDITORIAL>

Editor-in-Chief:

PG. 16

Shea Carver // shea@encorepub.com

Assistant Editor:

<<ART

PG. 23

Shannon Rae Gentry // music@encorepub.com

What do you see? A lion? A bee?

There’s a fun hat! Artist Bucky Benson’s work is a kaleidoscope of imagery in bright colors, now on display at Century 21 through June 24. To the left is his sketchbook before he takes it to the big canvas.

Photo by Shea Carver

F

FILM>> Billions of straws are disposed of each year and are suffocating landfills and oceans, along with other single-use plastic waste. The compelling documentary, “STRAWS,” is shining a light on the environmental issue.

Photo from STRAWS/Brook Productions

To enter events on encore’s new online calendar, generated by SpinGo, head to www.encorepub. com/welcome/events-2. Events must be entered by every Thursday at noon, for consideration in print and on our new app, encore Go. E-mail shea@ encorepub.com with questions.

Art Director/Office Manager:

Susie Riddle // ads@encorepub.com

Chief Contributors: Gwenyfar Rohler, Anghus,

Tom Tomorrow, Chuck Shepherd, Mark Basquill, Rosa Bianca, Rob Brezsny, Joan C. Wilkerson, John Wolfe, Fanny Slater

SALES>

General Manager: John Hitt // john@encorepub.com

Advertising:

Megan Henry // megan@encorepub.com John Hitt // john@encorepub.com Shea Carver // shea@encorepub.com Published on Wednesday by HP Media. Opinions of contributing writers are not the opinions of encore.

PG. 31

INSIDE THIS WEEK: Best Of, pgs. 4-10 • Live Local, pgs. 12-13 • News of the Weird, pg. 14

Music, pgs. 16-21 • Art, pgs. 23-25 • Theatre, pgs. 26-29 • Film, pgs. 31-33 • Dining, pgs. 34-39 Horoscopes, pg. 53 • Crossword, pg. 55 • Calendar, pgs. 44-53

2 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com

P.O. Box 12430, Wilmington, N.C. 28405 www.encorepub.com

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER IS NOW AN ELECTRIFYING NEW ROCK MUSICAL THAT WILL THRILL THE WHOLE FAMILY!

“ONE FOOT IN ‘HARRY POTTER’ AND ANOTHER IN ‘DEAR EVAN HANSEN’.”

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

JUNE 4 & 5 AT 7:30 PM • WILSON CENTER

TICKET CENTRAL • 910.362.7999 • WILSONCENTERTICKETS.COM BOOK BY

JOE TRACZ MUSIC & LYRICS BY ROB ROKICKI CHOREOGRAPHY BY PATRICK MCCOLLUM DIRECTED BY STEPHEN BRACKET ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK “PERCY JACKSON AND THE LIGHTNING THIEF” BY RICK RIORDAN encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com 3

encore Readers’ Choice Awards

WINNERS & RUNNER-UPS MEDIA, ARTS & ENTERTINMENT BEST ACTRESS

KENDRA GOEHRING-GARRETT Holli Saperstein Susan Auten

BEST ACTOR

PATRICK BASQUILL JEFF PHILLIPS David Bollinger

BEST ARCADE / GAME ROOM

BLUE POST

Jungle Rapids Orton’s Billiards and Pool

BEST ARTIST — MALE

BRADLEY CARTER Nathan Verwey Allan Nance

BEST ARTIST — FEMALE

ADDIE JO BANNERMAN Carleigh Sion Candy Pegram

BEST ART GALLERY

BOTTEGA ART AND WINE Art in Bloom Eclipse Artisan Boutique

BEST BAND

L SHAPE LOT

Striking Copper Signal Fire

BEST BOWLING ALLEY

CARDINAL LANES Ten Pin Alley Beach Bowl

BEST COMEDY TROUPE

PINEAPPLE-SHAPED LAMPS Nutt House Improv Troupe

BEST CULTURAL PROGRAMMING

WILSON CENTER

WHQR UNCW Office of the Arts

BEST DANCE CLUB

IBIZA

Goodfellas Pravda

BEST DANCE SCHOOL

TECHNIQUES IN MOTION

Studio 1 Dance Conservatory Danzquest

BEST DJ

ACTIVE DJ ENTERTAINMENT (JAY TATUM)

DJ Battle The Beehive Blondes

BEST EVENT PLANNER

KNOT TOO SHABBY EVENTS Kickstand Events Shauna Loves Planning

BEST GAY CLUB

IBIZA

Tails Piano Bar Bottega Art and Wine

BEST INDOOR SPORTS/REC FACILITY

DEFY GRAVITY

YMCA Flip N Fly Off the Wall Sports LLC

BEST KARAOKE BAR

REEL CAFE

% OF BEST SMALL MUSIC VENUE (<600) VOTES BROOKLYN ARTS CENTER 36% 34% 30% 34% 34% 32% 45% 44% 11% 42% 29% 29% 40% 34% 26% 41% 38% 21% 43% 30% 27% 40% 38% 22% 54% 46%

Reggies 42nd St. Tavern Bourgie Nights

49% 28% 23%

BEST LARGE MUSIC VENUE (>600)

GREENFIELD LAKE AMPHITHEATRE 68% Wilson Center Pier 33

BEST FILMMAKER

HONEY HEAD FILMS Shannon Silva Billy Lewis

24% 8% 51% 29% 20%

BEST LOCAL INDIE FILM

CLASS DISMISSED (DEVIN DIMATTIA, TONY CHOUFANI) 44% Fragment (Joseph Day) Deserted (Chirstopher Short)

33% 23%

BEST MORNING RADIO SHOW

PENGUIN 98.3 THE MORNING CHILL 37% Z107.5 Foz in the Morning 102.7 Bob and Sheri in the Morning

34% 29%

BEST MOVIE THEATER

48% 46% Stone Theaters at The Pointe 14 AMC CLASSIC Wilmington 16 Cinemas 6% BEST MUSICIAN — FEMALE 44% REBEKAH TODD 33% Bibis Ellison 23% Jenny Pearson

REGAL CINEMAS MAYFAIRE

BEST MUSICIAN — MALE

TRAVIS SHALLOW Randy McQuay David Dixon Jason Jackson

BEST MUSEUM

CAMERON ART MUSUEM

Cape Fear Museum Children’s Museum of Wilmington

BEST PHOTOGRAPHER

SUSIE LINQUIST PHOTOGRAPHY Matthew Ray Photography Chris Brehmer Photography

BEST RADIO PERSONALITY

FOZ (Z107.5)

Eric Miller (Penguin 98.3) Beau Gunn (Penguin 98.3)

BEST RADIO STATION

98.3 THE PENGUIN Z107.5 91.3 WHQR

BEST RECORD STORE

GRAVITY RECORDS

Yellow Dog Discs Angie’s Hair and Records

BEST TATTOO PARLOR

ARTFUEL INC.

Hardwire Glenn’s Tattoos

BEST THEATRE COMPANY

THALIAN ASSOCIATION

Opera House Theatre Company Panache Theatrical Productions

BEST KIDS THEATRE CO.

THALIAN ASSOCIATION CHILDREN’S THEATRE (TACT) TheatreNOW Snow Productions

32% 31% 20% 17%

BEST THEATRE VENUE

44% 33% 23%

BEST TOUR OF ILM

THALIAN HALL Wilson Center TheatreNOW

45% 33% 22% 49% 35% 16% 35% 34% 31% 48% 34% 18% 56% 33% 11% 35% 28% 27% 10% 49%

Bourbon St. 28% Jerry Allen’s Sports Bar & Grill at Katy’S 23%

Fun Home (Panache)

14%

BEST PRODUCTION — STRAIGHT PLAY

TWELFTH NIGHT (ALCHEMICAL THEATRE CO.) 35% In Sanity (Chase Harrison) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Panache)

BEST NEWSCAST

WECT

WWAY Spectrum News

BEST NEWSCASTER

FRANCES WELLER (WECT) Randy Aldridge (WWAY) Jon Evans (WECT)

BEST OPEN MIC

DEAD CROW COMEDY CLUB Goat and Compass Bottega Art and Wine

BEST OUTDOOR SPORTS/REC FACILITY

CAPT’N BILLS BACKYARD GRILL Dig and Dive Ogden Skatepark

PLACE TO BUY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

FINKELSTEIN’S Music Loft Guitar Pickers

33% 32% 67% 29% 4% 40% 30% 30% 53% 33% 14% 50% 29% 21% 56% 30% 14%

BEST POOL HALL

BLUE POST BILLIARDS

Orton’s Billiards and Pool Room Breaktime Billiards

4 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com

42% 31% 27%

44% 29% 27% 48% 32% 20% 59% 31% 10%

BEST WRITER

GWENYFAR ROHLER Wiley Cash John Wolfe

BEST WRITE-IN CATEGORY MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOL — DYNAMIC MARTIAL ARTS

Waxing Salon — Carter Kayte Marketing Firm — KC Creative

56% 33% 11%

54% 33% 13% 39% 34% 27% 41% 33% 26%

Leon McKay — Leon McKay Healing Arts 34% Gretchen Rivas — Infinity Acupuncture 30%

BEST ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

THE HEMP FARMACY

Leon McKay Healing Arts Inifinity Acupuncture

BEST ANTIQUE SHOP

THE IVY COTTAGE

Flea Body’s Cape Fear Antique Center

BEST BOOKSTORE

OLD BOOKS ON FRONT ST. Two Sisters Bookery Pomegranate Books

BEST CAR WASH

CRUISERS CAR WASH & DETAIL CENTER

Splash-n-Dash Car Wash Mr. Sudsy Car Wash & Detail

50% 28% 22% 53% 32% 15% 68% 19% 12%

48% 29% 23% 57% 22% 21% 54% 25% 21% 49% 32% 19%

BACK IN MOTION CHIROPRACTIC 46% Sito Chiropractic Graybar Chiropractic & Rehab

FAIRY CIRCLE

Plato’s Closet Clothes Mentor

THE IVY COTTAGE Home Again Uptown Market

BEST CONTRACTOR

PAUL DAVIS RESTORATION OF THE CAROLINA COAST LS Smith Jim Jacquot Construction

BEST DENTIST

BOZART FAMILY DENISTRY

Salling and Tate General Dentistry Edgerton and Glenn

28% 26% 45% 28% 27%

DR. PAMELA TAYLOR (WILMINGTON HEALTH)

Dr. Gregory Woodfill (Wilmington Health) Dr. Craig Scibal (Swell Vision Center)

BEST ESTHETICIAN

AMY WILLIAMS (GLO MED SPA) Jenny Walker (Head to Toe) Marcella Hardy (Tanglez)

BEST FARMERS MARKET

RIVERFRONT FARMERS MARKET

Poplar Grove Farmers Market Wrightsville Beach Farmers Market

46% 28% 26% 54% 17% 19% 45% 33% 22% 35% 34% 31% 54% 27% 19%

BEST FURNITURE COMPANY

CUSTOM HOME FURNITURE GALLERIES 45%

BEST FIRST-DATE SPOT

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH Indochine Little Dipper

BEST FLORIST

JULIA’S FLORIST

Fiore Fine Flowers Sweet Nectar’s Florist

BEST GARDEN STORE

TRANSPLANTED GARDEN The Plant Place Farmers Supply Co.

BEST GIFT SHOP

BLUE MOON GIFT SHOPS Dragonflies Modern Legend

BEST GOLF COURSE

BEAU RIVAGE GOLF & RESORT

Wilmington Municipal Golf Course Magnolia Greens Golf Course

BEST GOURMET STORE

PINE VALLEY MARKET

Temptatons Gourmet Cafe Italian Gourmet Market

34% 21% 39% 31% 30% 68% 19% 13% 38% 36% 26% 61% 26% 13%

35% 34% 31% 59% 29% 20%

BEST GROCERY STORE

HARRIS TEETER Trader Joe’s Publix

44% 34% 22%

BEST GYM

02 FITNESS

Planet Fitness Anytime Fitness

BEST HAIR SALON

ROCKIN’ ROLLER SALON Bangz Tanglez

BEST HAIR STYLIST

BLYTHE LUNDY (ROCKIN’ ROLLER SALON)

45% 39% 16% 42% 30% 28% 63%

Kelly Woodell (Wisp Salon) 20% Amber Picciola (Hairlinz Design Group) 17%

BEST HEALTH FOOD STORE 53% 30% 17%

BEST DOCTOR

Ashley Furniture HomeStore Rooms to Go Furniture Store

TRICIA MILLLER — ORIENTAL THERAPIES 36%

Priscilla McCall’s Sweet Vibrations

JS & J Auto Honda Acura Services MobileTech

BEST CONSIGNMENT — HOME GOODS/DECOR

33% 20%

BEST ACUPUNCTURIST

ADAM AND EVE

BLACK’S TIRE AND AUTO

47%

GOODS AND SERVICES

BEST ADULT STORE

BEST AUTO MECHANIC

BEST CONSIGNMENT — CLOTHES

Jax 5th Ave Banks Channel

WhastOnWilmington.com WilmingtonToday.com

Belle Meade Apartment Homes Hawthorne Commons

64% 26% 10%

51% 28% 21%

PORTCITYDAILY.COM

SOUTH FRONT APARTMENTS

BEST CHIROPRACTOR

39% 34% 27%

BEST WEBSITE

BEST APARTMENT COMPLEX

45% 36% 19%

Ghost Tour of ILM Haunted Pub Crawl

WILMINGTON WATER TOURS

BEST PRODUCTION — MUSICAL BEST TRIVIA NIGHT MAMMA MIA! (OPERA HOUSE THEATRE CO.) 64% 50% HELL’S KITCHEN Cannibal! The Musical (Pineapple-Shaped Lamps)22% 32% 18%

41% 39% 20%

TIDAL CREEK CO-OP

Lovey’s Natural Foods and Cafe Whole Foods

BEST HOTEL

EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON WILMINGTON RIVERFRONT

Blockade Runner Beach Resort Hotel Ballast

BEST JEWELER

PERRY’S EMPORIUM REEDS Jewelers Cape Fear Jewelers

BEST KIDS’ CLOTHING STORE

ONCE UPON A CHILD

Peanut Butter & Jelly Baby Store Memories of a Child

40% 31% 29% 43% 35% 22% 51% 31% 18% 44% 30% 26%

BEST KIDS’ CAMP

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH SURF CAMP 57% No Sleeves Magic Camp Power Camp

BEST KIDS’ AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM

POWER OF PLAY

Mustard Seed Youth Center Cape Fear Isshin — Ryu Karate and After-school

BEST LAW FIRM

DAVID AND ASSOCIATES Cape Fear Family Law Overholt Law Firm

BEST MASSAGE THERAPIST

MARY BETH REDMAN (WILLOW RETREAT SPA)

Cameron Martin (Shine On Massage Therapy) Stephanie Arnold (Relax!)

BEST MEN’S CLOTHING

BLOKE.

Men’s Warehouse Gentlemen’s Corner

BEST MOVING COMPANY

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

Few Moves Moving Company Miracle Movers

25% 18% 45% 34% 21% 41% 38% 21% 42% 38% 20% 43% 35% 22% 58% 22% 20%

BEST MORTGAGE COMPANY

ALPHA MORTGAGE Guaranteed Rate Movement Mortgage

51% 25% 24%

BEST NAIL SALON

LUXE NAILS Posh Nails Wisp Salon

BEST NEW CAR DEALERSHIP

HENDRICK TOYOTA

Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Parkway Volvo

BEST NEW COMPANY

GROOMING BY JESS H2 Turbo Car Wash Sport City

BEST NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT

RIVERLIGHTS

River Bluffs Anchors Bend

49% 37% 14% 43% 33% 24% 46% 36% 18% 54% 24% 22%

BEST PERSONAL TRAINER

LAMAINE WILLIAMS (TRAIN WITH LAMAINE) 43% Amy McCauley (A Body Empowered) Josh Venegas (Wilmington Weightlifting Club)

BEST PILATES STUDIO

CLUB PILATES

A Body Empowered InJoy Movement

BEST PET BOARDING

PET PARADISE

College Road Animal Hospital Atlantic Animal Hospital and Pet Care Resort

37% 20% 45% 33% 22% 45% 34% 22%

BEST PET GROOMING

BEST WOMEN’S CLOTHING

ISLAND PASSAGE Edge of Urge Hallelu

BEST YOGA STUDIO

WILMINGTON YOGA Rebel Yoga Terra Sol Sanctuary

BEST PET SUPPLY STORE

AUNT KERRY’S PET STOP

Unleashed, the Dog and Cat Store PetSmart

BEST PRINT SHOP

DOCK ST. PRINTING Copycat Print Shop PrintWorks

35% 33% 32% 48% 27% 15%

BEST REAL ESTATE COMPANY

54% Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage 30% 16% Regina Drury Real Estate Group BEST ROOFING COMPANY ATLANTIC ROOFING COMPANY 34% 33% Flores and Foley 23% D&A Roofing

INTRACOASTAL REALTY

BEST SHOE STORE

SOUL SHOETIQUE

Cape Fear Footwear Monkee’s of Wilmington

BEST SHOPPING PLAZA

MAYFAIRE TOWN CENTER Lumina Station Hanover Center

45% 30% 25% 78% 12% 10%

BEST SPA

HEAD TO TOE DAY SPA & SALON 46%

36% Ki Spa Relax! Massage Therapy and Skin Care 19% BEST SURF SHOP SWEETWATER SURF SHOP 43% Surf City Surf Shop 29% Hot Wax Surf Shop 28% BEST TANNING SALON 47% SUN TAN CITY 34% Tanglez Salon 19% Saule Tanning BEST TECH COMPANY COMPUTER WARRIORS 33% nCino 31% tekMountain 20% BEST USED CAR DEALERSHIP AUTO WHOLESALE 47% Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 35% Seasell Auto 18% BEST VETERINARIAN PAWS & CLAWS ANIMAL HOSPITAL 28% 26% College Road Animal Hospital 25% A Country Veterinary Clinic 21% Wilmington Animal Healthcare BEST WEDDING VENUE

AIRLIE GARDENS

Brooklyn Arts Center Wrightsville Manor

46% 29% 25%

40% 31% 29%

BEST APPETIZERS

FRONT ST. BREWERY Circa 1922 Dram + Morsel

BEST ATMOSPHERE

INDOCHINE RESTAURANT Smoke on the Water Dram + Morsel

BEST BAGEL

BEACH BAGELS

Empire Deli & Bagel Round Bagels and Donuts

BEST BAKERY

APPLE ANNIE’S BAKE SHOP Sweet n Savory Cafe One Belle Bakery

43% 33% 24% 53% 35% 12% 60% 28% 12% 48% 30% 22%

JACKSON’S BIG OAK BARBECUE 40%

Blue Post Cape Fear Wine and Beer

37% 23% 62% 20% 18%

BEST BARTENDER

TRISTA NICOSIA (GOAT AND COMPASS) 35% Brandy Tomcany (Slainte) Dianna Semansky (Axes and Allies)

BEST BEER LIST

CAPE FEAR WINE AND BEER Pour Taproom Hey Beer!

BEST LOCAL BEER

33% 32% 40% 38% 22%

TROPICAL LIGHTNING (WILMINGTON

54%

Kolsch (Waterline Brewing Co.) Maker of Wings (Flying Machine Brewing Co.)

32% 14%

BREWING COMPANY)

BEST BISCUIT

DIXIE GRILL

43% Rise Southern Biscuits and Righteous Chicken 31% Rolled & Baked 26% BEST BOTTLE SHOP 44% FERMENTAL BEER & WINE 31% Hey! Beer Bottle Shop 25% Palate Bottle Shop and Reserve BEST BREAKFAST

DIXIE GRILL

Cast Iron Kitchen Jimbo’s Breakfast & Lunch

38% 36% 26%

BEST BREWERY

WILMINGTON BREWING COMPANY 37% 33% Waterline Brewing Company 30% Wrightsville Beach Brewery

BEST BRUNCH

THE BASICS

Boca Bay Restaurant Hops Supply Company

BEST BUFFET

CASEY’S BUFFET & BARBECUE Boca Bay Restaurant Golden Corral Buffet and Grill

BEST BURGER

PT’S OLDE FASHIONED GRILLE Winnie’s Tavern Fork ‘N’ Cork

BEST BURRITO

FLAMING AMY’S BURRITO BARN K-38 Baja Grill El Cerro Grande

BEST CATERING SERVICE

MIDDLE OF THE ISLAND Pine Valley Market Thyme Savor Milner’s Cafe & Catering

BEST CHAIN RESTAURANT

PANERA BREAD Bonefish Grill Olive Garden

J. MICHAEL’S PHILLY DELI Port City Cheesesteak Green Line Pizza and Steaks

36% 33% 31% 52% 39% 9%

KEITH RHODES (CATCH MODERN SEAFOOD) 42% 34% Sam Cahoon (Savorez) Dean Neff (formerly of Pinpoint)

Szechuan 132 Uncle Lim’s Kitchen

BEST COFFEE SHOP

BITTY AND BEAU’S COFFEE Port City Java Bespoke Coffee & Dry Goods

BEST DELI

A TASTE OF ITALY

S&L Deli NY Style Deli Detour Deli

BEST DESSERTS

APPLE ANNIE’S BAKE SHOP Sweet n Savory Cafe Circa 1922

BEST DINER

24%

BEST LUNCH

COPPER PENNY

Crust Kitchen and Cocktails Tropical Smoothie

BEST MEDITERRANEAN

PEÑO MEDITERRANEAN GRILL The Greeks Olympia Restaurant

53% 29% 18%

BEST MIXOLOGIST

50% 31% 19%

BEST NEW BAR

55% 26% 19%

BEST NEW BREWERY

47% 36% 18%

LUKE CARNEVALE (MANNA) Abbie Ovbey (Rumcow) Joel Finsel (Astral Cocktails)

Edward Teach Brewery Mad Mole Brewing

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

BENNY’S BIG TIME PIZZERIA Crust Kitchen and Cocktails Rumcow

BEST OUTSIDE DINING

48% 28% 24%

BEST OYSTERS

56% 31% 13%

BEST PIZZA

58% 28% 14%

BEST RESTAURANT OVERALL

40% 33% 27%

BEST RIBS

Barbary Coast Lula’s Pub

BEST DONUT

BRITTS DONUT SHOP Wake N Bake Donuts Duck Donuts

BEST FAST FOOD

CHICK-FIL-A Co0k Out Taco Bell

BEST FINE DINING

CAPRICE BISTRO manna PinPoint

BEST FOOD TRUCK

CATCH THE FOOD TRUCK

WilmyWoodie Wood Fired Pizza CheeseSmith Food Truck

BEST FRENCH

CAPRICE BISTRO

Brasserie du Soleil Our Crepes and More

BEST FRIED CHICKEN

BILL’S FRONT PORCH

Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q Casey’s Buffet and Barbecue

BEST FRIES

PT’S OLDE FASHIONED GRILLE Five Guys Grill CheeseSmith Food Truck

BEST HOT DOG

TROLLY STOP

Paul’s Place Charlie Graingers

BEST ICE CREAM

BOOMBALATTI’S HOMEMADE ICE CREAM Kilwins Cold Stone Creamery

BEST INDIAN

TANDOORI BITES Nawab

41% 33% 26% 56% 29% 15%

BEST JAPANESE

45% 30% 14% 11%

BEST LATE-NIGHT EATS

OSTERIA CICCHETTI A Taste of Italy Roko Italian Cuisine

HIRO JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE

41% 32% 27% 39% 33% 28% 37% 34% 29%

Front Street Brewery Jimbo’s Breakfast & Lunch

BEST LATIN AMERICAN/MEXICAN

K-38 BAJA GRILL

El Cerro Grande Taqueria Los Portales

Bluewater Waterfront Grill Dockside Restaurant and Bar

DOCK ST. OYSTER BAR

Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar Wrightsville Beach Brewery

Pizzetta’s Pizzeria Your Pie

INDOCHINE

Copper Penny PinPoint

MISSION BBQ

Bone & Bean BBQ Moe’s Original Bar B Que

BEST SALADS

CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD Brasserie du Soleil Rucker John’s

BEST SANDWICH /SUB SHOP

SOUTH COLLEGE ROAD DELI Crust Kitchen and Cocktails Detour Deli

BEST SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

CAPE FEAR SEAFOOD Catch Modern Seafood Fish Bites

52% 30% 18%

BEST SERVER

74% 26% 41% 38% 21% 43%

53% 27% 20% 46% 30% 24%

34% 28% 48% 32% 20% 36% 33% 31% 40% 39% 21% 44% 35% 21%

SLICE OF LIFE

66% 24% 10%

29% Genki Sushi Okami Japanese Hibachi Steak House & Sushi 28%

SLICE OF LIFE

INDOCHINE

BEST SEAFOOD MARKET

50% 37% 13%

47% 34% 19%

FLYING MACHINE BREWING CO. 47%

BEST DIVE BAR

DUCK & DIVE

40% 34% 26%

35% 28%

Axes and Allies Tails Piano Bar

48% 38% 14%

Jimbo’s Breakfast & Lunch College Diner

72% 18% 10%

FLYING MACHINE BREWING CO. 37%

DIXIE GRILL

BEST ITALIAN

42% 34% 24%

62% 24% 14%

BEST CHEF

DOUBLE HAPPINESS

BEST BARBECUE

Mission BBQ Moe’s Original Bar B Que

BEST CHEESESTEAK

BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT

FOOD AND DRINK

VON BARKEE’S DOG SPA & BAKERY 46% BEST BAR OVERALL Grooming By Jess 35% SATELLITE BAR AND LOUNGE Hillary Spaziano (College Road and CB Animal Hospital) 19%

41% 33% 26%

MOTT’S CHANNEL SEAFOOD Cape Fear Coast Seafood Co. Seaview Crab Co.

BRANDON ANGELILLI (COPPER PENNY)

Hunter Tiblier (Ceviches) Letitia Bass (Crust)

BEST SOUL FOOD

CASEY’S BUFFET AND BARBECUE Cast Iron Kitchen Jackson’s Big Oak Barbecue

46% 38% 16% 40% 34% 26% 43% 29% 28% 53% 24% 23% 55% 23% 22% 38% 33% 29% 48% 31% 21% 40% 39% 21%

BEST SOUP

SWEET N SAVORY CAFE Pine Valley Market Michael’s Seafood

BEST SPORTS BAR

HELL’S KITCHEN

Carolina Ale House Buffalo Wild Wings

BEST STEAK

PORT CITY CHOP HOUSE

Ruth’s Chris Steak House True Blue Butcher and Table

39% 36% 25% 39% 36% 25% 43% 30% 27%

BEST SUSHI

YOSAKE DOWNTOWN SUSHI LOUNGE 36% Nikki’s Gourmet & Sushi Bar Bento Box

BEST TACOS

K-38 BAJA GRILL

Islands Fresh Mex Grill Beer Barrio

BEST THAI

INDOCHINE

Southern Thai Big Thai

BEST VEGAN

SEALEVEL CITY GOURMET

Epic Food Co. Lovey’s Natural Foods & Cafe

BEST VEGETARIAN

EPIC FOOD CO.

Lovey’s Natural Foods & Cafe Sealevel City Gourmet

BEST WAITSTAFF

COPPER PENNY

PT’s Olde Fashioned Grille The Basics

BEST WINE LIST

THE FORTUNATE GLASS Fermental The Second Glass

BEST WINGS

COPPER PENNY

Buffalo Wild Wings Wild Wing Cafe

33% 31% 47% 27% 26% 71% 16% 13% 38% 33% 29% 36% 34% 30% 43% 38% 20% 43% 33% 24% 48% 26% 25%

ORGANIZATIONS & COMMUNITY BEST ACTIVIST GROUP

CAPE FEAR RIVER WATCH

Seeds of Healing Women Organizing for Wilmington

BEST ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP

CAPE FEAR RIVER WATCH Surfrider Foundation NC Coastal Federation

BEST FESTIVAL

AZALEA FESTIVAL

Lighthouse Beer and Wine Festival Riverfest

BEST HUMANITARIAN

JOCK BRANDIS

Le Shonda Wallace Sheila Lewis

BEST NONPROFIT

NOURISH NC

DREAMS of Wilmington Pleasure Island Turtle Project

53% 33% 14% 36% 33% 31% 54% 26% 20% 51% 26% 33% 40% 39% 21%

BEST TEACHERS

BRENT HOLLAND (LANEY HIGH SCHOOL) 38% Kelly Parker (Murrayville Elementary) 32% Mandy Humphrey (Roland Grise Middle School) 30%

DID YOU BID ON A SILENT AUCTION ITEM AT BESTIVAL? WE WILL ANNOUNCE ALL WINNERS ON OUR SOCIAL STORIES ON FB AND IG THIS WEEK! FOLLOW US @ENCOREPUB encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com 5

BEST OF 2019

SNAPSHOTS FROM BESTIVAL 2019

encore’s inaugural event celebrated dance, comedy, music, arts, beer, 200 Best Of winners and community

Waterline Brewing Company was packed on Saturday for Bestival 2019, celebrating encore’s Best Of and the community at large! Left to right, clockwise from the top: DREAMS students performed for the crowd, as choreographed by their teaching artist Kevin Lee-y Green; the first band of the day, New Atmosphere, brought Jack Larrabbe, Signature Sauce, a live painting artist, on stage while they performed; Fortunate Glass owner Tom Noonan accepts his award for Best Wine List; Frances Weller accepts her award for Best Newscaster and for WECT’s Best Newscast; the crowd enters the arts market along Surry Street in front of Waterline, under the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge; comedian Drew Harrison takes the stage inside Waterline as part of the 12 comics who had folks rolling throughout Bestival; arts vendor Rachel Frey Fiber Art (rachelfreyart.com) helps happy art buyers. Photos from Chris Brehmer Photography and Tom Dorgan

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WINNER WRITEUPS WINNER WRITEUPS WINNER WRITEUPS WINNER WRITEUPS

Frances Weller is synonymous with WECT and local news coverage in Wilmington. The award-winning news anchor’s philanthropy work is known far and wide, too—Weller even secured auction items for encore’s Bestival Bid to benefit DREAMS Center for Arts Education at this year’s inaugural Bestival!

Once again readers have deemed Frances Weller Best Newscaster by 40% of the vote in this year’s Best Of Awards.

Here’s what’s new with Weller... encore (e): What were the big stories this past year you covered?

Which were the most meaningful to you; why?

Frances Weller (FW): By far Hurricane Florence was the big story. Coverage of that storm was a defining moment in the WECT newsroom. It was a story that had tremendous impact on all of us as journalists, on and off the air. We literally lived at the TV station for days. While I had experienced major hurricanes in the past, including Hurricane Fran in 1996, I never witnessed anything quite like Florence. It was fascinating to watch

the young reporters tell the stories before, during and after the storm. It was a story that not only impacted us professionally, but personally, too. Those of us with family in town had to accept them leaving Wilmington to seek a safer area. It was difficult, very difficult. We had a job to do, though, so once we got in hurricane mode, it was nonstop until the end. It was a defining moment because our skills as journalists were put to the ultimate test. I’m extremely proud of how we covered that now historical hurricane. I believe our viewers appreciated our commitment to keeping everyone updated around the clock. It was, indeed, a defining moment for WECT. e: Why is it important to you to continue to support the community and be involved in the way you are, a la Fran’s Fans and the like?

FW: Interesting you should ask as I was thinking about this earlier today. I smile when I hear people say they appreciate the work that I do in the community—especially the philanthropy work. I smile because it’s not me! It’s our caring community. I just have a gift for being able to ask people to help and they usually respond in a big way!

The number of years I’ve been with WECT and the loyalty of so many viewers has afforded me that opportunity. I’m really not the one making the difference, though. It’s the scores of people who buy fans for Fran’s Fans, bikes for Weller’s Wheels, offer auction items for charitable organizations like DREAMS. They are the philanthropists. I’m just the familiar face, the woman who comes into their homes everyday who can say, “please help.” I’m blessed—we’re blessed—

BEST NEWSCASTER FRANCES WELLER that they always do. e: Are there other charity events you’re involved with in 2019 we should note for readers?

FW: Yes! The Willie Stargell Celebrity Invitational [November 8-10] is near and dear to my heart. Willie Stargell was my brother-in-law, married to my twin sister, Margaret. Willie died from kidney disease in 2001. In 2002, Margaret started what is now an annual event to raise money for local people living with kidney disease. Willie played major league baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Many of the celebrities who come in for the Stargell Invitational are retired professional athletes including players from MLB, the NFL and the NBA. It’s not a charity, but a challenge I’m looking forward to this year. LaMaine Williams, voted by encore readers as Best Personal Trainer, is my personal trainer. He and I do annual fitness challenges. Last year we challenged all of Blair Elementary School to do squats. This year we have something really big on the radar. I’m really looking forward to that challenge. Stay tuned. e: What are some upcoming segments or stories you’re looking forward to reporting on?

FW: In addition to my nightly anchoring duties, I am WECT’s Community Relations Manager. To give you an example

BEST FILM the manic energy [Lucy] brought to the part. . . . A while none of this is based on CLASS DISMISSED any personal experience I had with on-

As a part-time instructor who’s taught online and hybrid courses, Devin DiMattia and Tony Choufani’s “Class Dismissed” short film had me ROLLING. This year’s Best Local Indie Film features students Jason, Samantha and Steve have all logged in for a video Skype conference with their professor, who has to patiently welcome each pupil who is either just waking up or doesn’t even have clothes on.

test. Steve lives with his step dad and audiences get to see that dysfunctional, albeit hilarious, relationship unfold as class goes on.

“I thought the whole point of taking an online class was so I don’t have to wear any clothes? Right? That’s why I’m here, that’s why we’re all here...”

Steve (Drew Scheid) questions in pro-

“[Samantha] is definitely drawn from real-life people I’ve encountered during my years as a barista,” notes DiMattia, also with Pineapple-Shaped Lamps (Best Comedy Troupe). “And I absolutely love

From there audiences see characteristics we’re all too familiar with from one classroom or another, from the slacker to the entitled. Lucy O’Brien plays Samantha, a rude, self-absorbed 20-something in line at the coffee shop when she logs into class.

line classes, I did draw a lot of ideas from PSL’s awkward attempts at video conferencing that we have had over the years.”

DiMattia was a UNCW Seahawk when online classes were still in their infancy and this sketch was originally titled “University of Phoenix Online” for those online courses relentlessly advertised at the time. He wrote the first draft in 2014 and it sat in “development hell” thereafter, until another PSL member, Jordan Vogt, asked DiMattia to revisit the script for Cucalorus.

“I happily accepted,” he continues.

“That live performance gave everyone a chance to improv lines and change things around. . . . And then when it came time to do the film version, Tony really let the

of what I do in that position, after Hurricane Florence, I organized a telethon for the Cape Fear Chapter of the American Red Cross. That one-day event raised over $355,000! I also organized a first responders thank-you dinner and was able to get Governor Roy Cooper to come to Wilmington for that event, which was held at Hugh McRae Park. I’m also in charge of our “Highway 6” segments where we take our newscasts on the road starting with “Carolina in the Morning” through the evening news at 6 p.m.

I’m supercharged about expanding that role and strengthening the bond between WECT and the community. e: Just out of curiosity, what are you doing with your massive collection of “e” awards?

FW: Right now I have them displayed around my desk in the newsroom. Sometimes when we take live shots from our newsroom, you can see them on TV during the news. I’m thrilled to say I have so many now that I’m going to need more space! I’m not bragging. I’m just extremely blessed to have received the award for so many years. I absolutely love my encore awards. It’s not just a badge of honor—it’s a tremendous source of pride.

—Shannon Gentry

actors run wild with their characters, indulging some of their crazier impulses.

Most of what Drew Scheid and Alex Denning do as Steve and his stepdad, Ron, was completely unscripted.”

Folks can see DiMattia act in another self-directed short for PSL, “An Important Message from Marie Callender’s” recently released on their YouTube channel. “I would also love to work with Tony on another sketch,” DiMattia adds.

“It was an amazing experience, and I’m glad so many people seemed to enjoy it, too!”

“Class Dismissed” won Best Local Indie Film by 44% of the vote.

—Shannon Gentry

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WINNER WRITEUPS WINNER WRITEUPS WINNER WRITEUPS WINNER WRITEUPS WECT’s news director Brad Myers. “We are the first (and the only) news outlet that is available to our viewers on Roku and Amazon Fire. That’s where our WECT Digital Studio has helped bridge the gap . . . to get critical information into the hands of our viewers faster and more efficiently.”

In the past encore has discussed how new media is changing the way news is delivered and consumed with WECT— encore readers’ Best Newscast. Whether delivering breaking news or severe weather alerts, viewers expect to be in the know anywhere and everywhere—on smartphones, tablets and through digital streaming services.

“That’s why we’re constantly working to keep up with the latest trends in technology to stay ahead of the curve and deliver the news and weather people expect—only in a new format,” says

Kendra Goehring-Garrett has been singing and dancing across many stages in town, in everything from “Chicago” to “Carousel” to “Kiss Me Kate” to “Evita.” In 2019 she scored Best Actress on encore’s readers’ poll by 36%. Studying musical theatre at Elon after training in dancer her entire life has culminated in sweeping opportunities in the arts. We caught up with Goehring-Garrett in the midst of her rehearsals for Opera House’s June 5 opening of “42nd Street.” encore (e): When and why did you decide to become an actress?

Kendra Goehring-Garrett (KGG): I started performing at a very young age, elementary school, and I will never forget standing on the stage for the first time. I was hooked! I knew I wanted to do “that” the rest of my life. Being on a stage, portraying a character, the study it took going into that, truly everything about performing just felt right! It felt like that’s what I was meant to do, to share. Truthfully, that’s how I see it, it’s a part of me that I enjoy sharing with others. I am a people pleaser, so making people happy, smile, feel something is what I love to do. e: How many roles would you guess you’ve done, and what have been some of your most memorable?

KGG: Too many to count! I have been very fortunate to portray so many awe-

For the past 65 years, WECT has delivered on stories and issues that matter most to families in southeastern North Carolina with morning, afternoon and evening newscasts with Best Newscaster Frances Weller.

As well folks can read and watch the latest stories posted daily to www.wect.com, Facebook, Twitter and social media apps.

In addition to double digit awards from encore readers, WECT won 2019’s Regional Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) in Excellence in Innovation. “We take our responsibility of delivering news and weather coverage to the people of the Cape Fear seriously,” Myers says, “and being recognized for our hard work is a reminder of our commitment to the community. We can’t thank our viewers enough, and are proud to serve the community we

some women! Some favorites include: Violet Karl in “Violet”—this one will go down in the books as one of my all-time faves. That music. Just amazing! And Laurey in “Oklahoma!” loved her, but more than that, it was one of the first times I felt truly at ease onstage. I felt her, I felt extremely connected to her and her story.

[Playing] Donna Sheridan in “Mamma Mia” [made me feel] like a rock star singing ABBA. And getting to do “The Winner Takes It All” was very poignant in my life at the time!

Honestly, Shea, the list could go on and on. I’ve been extremely fortunate. I don’t take any of it for granted—continuously striving to be truthful and grow with each show/ role/experience. I have Wilmington theatre companies, directors, artistic directors, audiences, fellow performers, costumers, lighting designers, set designers, sound techs, and technical crew in general to thank! e: You’re also a choreographer/dancer; what do you love about the combination of acting and dancing? How does it fuel your creativity?

KGG: Oh, man—I love (love, love) dancing! I feel very much at home when I’m dancing. There is something so pure and beautiful about letting go of yourself through movement and music. I absolutely love creating the dance story for a show! I truly believe dancing is acting/expressing, so it’s just as important to telling the story as dia-

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BEST NEWSCAST

WECT know and love.”

The most compelling stories reported on this past year, of course, include coverage of Hurricane Florence recovery and rebuilding efforts. As well, in the wake of Florence, WECT wanted to be a part of recovery efforts with the #CapeFearStrong Telethon for the American Red Cross. “Our community overwhelmingly responded,” Myers recalls, “with over $350,000 raised during the #CapeFearStrong Telethon; by volunteering time, food and talent for our First Responder Thank-You Picnic; and by donating a record-shattering amount of toys and bicycles for Holiday Smiles and Weller’s Wheels last year. I felt a tremendous amount of pride seeing how we all came together after the storm.”

Other ways WECT is getting involved with the community is their Highway 6 live broadcasts, which are aimed at showcasing unique and beloved businesses, loca-

tions and tourism across Cape Fear cities and towns. “With so many new families moving into our area, it’s a great way to let them know about the many different attractions each town has to offer,” Myers notes.

Myers also points to WECT’s important investigative journalism as well. “We worked hard to uncover information on the White Oak Dike and what ultimately led to flooding and emergency issues in Kelly following Hurricane Florence,” Myers offers. “Of course, we were a major player in the recent NC-9 election fraud investigation. We wanted to make sure each vote counted and voters did not feel like their voices were not being heard.”

WECT walked away with 67% of votes for Best Newscast.

—Shannon Gentry

BEST ACTRESS KENDRA GOEHRING-GARRETT logue or music might be. This is one thing I want to continue to learn about and to grow as a choreographer. It helps working with such great choreographers like Ray Kennedy, Judy Greenhut, Tina Leak. I learn so much by watching them. e: What role is on your bucket list?

KGG: I’ve played so many great roles, but I’d love to tackle Kate in “Kiss Me Kate” again. I’d love to play Dolly Levi in “Hello Dolly”; one day Mama Rose in “Gypsy” and one I can do now, Bobbi, in the new gender flip of “COMPANY.” e: What do you love about community theatre?

The community aspect; I get to work alongside extremely talented people whom might also be an accountant or teacher or preacher. The fact we all have other lives and jobs, but love to perform, and come together to put on a show in “our spare time” is amazing. It also makes me appreciate it all that much more. It’s not just with the cast— everyone from the ushers to the crew. It’s like a family.

I include our audience in on that too.

We are all coming together to experience something. To share something. To feel something. In those few hours, we are all to-

gether, there is a true give and take. It’s palpable, alive, electric, and we all share in that, which in the end, connects us all. In the truest sense we grow as a community through theatre and in that time we have together. e: Have you taken your acting to bigger platforms—any desire to do so?

KGG: Prior to moving to Wilmington and calling it home, I worked professionally. I have been here for 15 years now, and I have worked some in film and other regional theaters. I have recently applied/auditioned for graduate programs to further my study in acting. So my plan is to get into a school either this fall or fall of 2020. I’m putting that into the universe! [laughs] e: Short-term and long-term goals?

KGG: I’m playing Anytime Annie and dancing more in “42nd Street” than I think I ever have! More tapping for sure. (Everyone come see it!)

Long term: Once I receive my MFA, I would like to return to professional acting and eventually teach—either in a performing arts style school or at the collegiate level.

Goals—big goals, but I know I can tackle them.

—Shea Carver

Left to right, clockwise from the top: The crowd smiles for a quick shot as Randy McQuay, who came in second on the encore readers’ choice poll, takes to the stage to perform his brand of blues-rock; Best Actor Jeff Phillips (who tied with Patrick Basquill) and Best Actress Kendra Goehring-Garrett beam with their awards; the crowd enjoys beer from various participating breweries while enjoying live performances; the Indochine gang scoop up four awards on the poll, continuing their winning streak for two decades; Striking Copper rocks the faces off the crowd; L Shape Lot’s Eric Miller picks up their Bestie, as well as multiple “e” awards for his 98.3 Penguin pals. Photos from Chris Brehmer Photography and Tom Dorgan

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WINNER WRITEUPS WINNER WRITEUPS WINNER WRITEUPS WINNER WRITEUPS Phillips tied with Patrick Basquill for best actor (34%) and was kind enough to answer questions for us about his acting career in Wilmington. e: When and why did you decide to become an actor?

Jeff Phillips is an institution on ILM’s theatre scene. In 30 years, he’s played around 30 roles. Though it may not seem like a lot compared to other actors, the roles have come with a lot of grit—and even drag, like Edna in “Hairspray” and most recently Bernadette Basinger in “Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert.”

Currently, Phillips has been focusing on his husband, Andy, who’s battling Stage IV colon cancer. Together, they’ve been learning to enjoy all of the small things in daily life. It’s also led him an awakening for Phillips’ future, one inspired by an old acting teacher, Tommy Hull. “God rest his soul,” Phillips adds. “When I did a show with Tommy, he would say, ‘Jeff, you are missing a moment. If you don’t take it then I will.’ That was survival of the fittest 101 theatre education. I hope I’m healthy enough to say [the same] to younger actors.”

Indochine is a bonafide staple on Wilmington’s dining scene now for almost two decades. They’ve hit a triedand-true formula of serving the community at large consistent, delicious, flavorful Thai cuisine.

Born and raised in Vietnam, owner Solange Thompson prides the authenticity she is able to recreate from southeast Asia onto Wilmington’s culinary scene.

She hires native chefs who prepare with careful thoughtfulness the food she grew up on and loves.

“I stay true to my upbringing and what I’ve learned as a child in Vietnam, but I have also lived in this country for over 40 years and my husband and children are all American,” Thompson tells. “This combination of unique experiences have helped me blend my roots with my American life.”

My first “acting gig” was in the church.

From a young age, I knew how to deliver a scripture reading or sing a hymn to make people take notice and think. We would also do “scripted” Christian musicals. My first foray into “secular” theater was as a senior in high school—the male lead in “Dames At Sea.” Nina Lynn Blanton (now Nina Repeta) was my leading lady; we were the singingand-tap-dancing sweethearts, Ruby and Dick. I remember it was the first time where I tried musical comedy and got huge laughs.

I was bitten. e: How many roles would you guess you’ve done, and what have been some of your most memorable ones and why?

JP: The roles I have been fortunate enough to do have been grand: Edna in “Hairspray”; Archibald in “The Secret Garden”; Billy Flynn in “Chicago.” The most memorable was Coach in Steve Cooper’s “The Lambda.” I did that show off and on for almost four years. It was way ahead of its time and done in the reverse round in the middle of an active bar. The songs were amazing and it was the first time I ever did a show in drag, which was tough on me and made me confront a great number of per-

Stepping into the restaurant is like traveling to her homeland. The decor is peppered with bamboo, new Indonesian art, buddhas, and vast color. Outside in their expanded tiki bar area are hand-built cabanas perfect for dining al fresco on comfortable sunny days.

Surrounding the cabanas are lush foliage and a koi pond. It feels much like stepping into a rain-forest hideaway.

“We typically serve around 200,000 annually,” Thompson says, which is no small feat. They don’t take reservations, so it’s on a first-come-first-serve basis—and the parking lot proves people don’t mind waiting every night of the week. Lines begin for dinnertime around 5 p.m. and end at closing time.

Folks can’t get enough of Indochine’s variety of dishes, whether craving daily lunch specials starting at $8.95 (hello, Bun Bo Hue), or looking for an intimate dinner with

Wanna learn about more Best Of winners? Be sure to follow our socials (@encorepub) and check us online at encorepub.com! Some winners have fun and educational videos about their business to share with readers.

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BEST ACTOR

JEFF PHILLIPS sonal issues.

I had an emotional breakdown dress rehearsal night and on stage as I was about go into a huge power ballad that closed Act 1. Lou Criscuolo, who directed it, came onto the stage and wrapped his arms around me and started hugging me. He then started whispering, and I took a moment before we started the number all over. It was a different voice and a different power I then discovered.

Audience reaction was overwhelming!

The last time I did the show 25 years ago and I still get asked about it or someone shares a memory with me. e: Most challenging show to date and why? Most fulfilling?

JP: The most challenging and fulfilling show to date was playing Sweeney in “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” There was a great deal of expectation on that show, and I went back into voice lessons to learn how to sing the role. I had been cast in what was perceived to be “out of my wheel house.” In fact, my encore review was lukewarm at best (my memory is long!). [Ed. note: We remember, too, Jeff and love you no matter what.] However, I still loved it and it sold well. I would not

change one thing about my performance or that experience. It was a beautiful show. e: Is there a role you still wish to do?

JP: I think I would still like to be able to give a go at Albin in “La Cage aux Folles.” e: What do you love about community theatre?

JP: I think it is a true test of talent. The budgets are not huge, the rehearsals are not long. It forces you to not depend on a crashing chandelier or automated moving sets or million dollar lighting schemes to convey the story. You have to put the work in and find ways for your instrument to be the primary story teller. e: Have you taken your acting to bigger platforms? Do you have a desire?

JP: I have worked regionally in New York. For a long time, people kept trying to convince me that NYC should be my dream. My dream always was to create a life in a smaller town with family and friends I love and to be a contributing member to my community. I am living my dream. There is nothing bigger for me.

Wilmington, Opera House, and Thalian Hall have been my Broadway. I am the luckiest guy, eve.

—Shea Carver

BEST THAI, RESTAURANT OVERALL, OUTDOOR DINING & ATMOSPHERE INDOCHINE loved ones (the Bun Thit Noong is a musttry!). There are specialty creations aplenty, as well as sushi, curries, and of course an appetizer list that could make a meal unto itself. Wine, specialty cocktails, beer and all ABC permits ensure every sip is paired perfectly with every bite.

The restaurant runs like a well-oiled machine and is a family-affair. “It stays in the family forever,” Thompson promises. “I built this place with my family and cannot imagine it existing without them. I enjoy my work but I have slowed down a lot and let my daughter, Marie, take over many dayto-day operations.”

The real question remains: Might those operations ever include expanding?

Thompson leaves it up in the air. “The possibilities are endless,” she says. “I never

know what tomorrow will bring.”

Well, except for delicious food and super customers. And there are many she wants to remember—one stands out from 2001—the year Indochine opened.

“My most memorable experience since I opened was when Usher came in,” Thompson recalls. “He was the most polite and handsome man I’ve ever seen. He graciously took pictures with all of my staff and was just so pleasant. I wish I knew where those photos were!”

Indochine won Best Thai Restaurant by 71% of votes; Best Restaurant Overall by 46%; Best Atmosphere by 53%; and Best Outdoor Dining by 36%.

—Shea Carver

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NEWS>>FEATURE

LIVE LOCAL, LIVE SMALL:

Gwenyfar visits Polk’s birthplace and ponders how one could (or couldn’t) farm on the fringe of historic NC BY: GWENYFAR ROHLER

DAYS OF YESTERYEAR: Enactors showcase what life was like on the Polk family farm in the early 19th century at the President James K. Polk State Historic Site in Pineville, NC. Staff Photos courtesy of The President James K. Polk State Historic Site.

“I

t’s your ‘Fifty-four-forty or fight’ guy. He’s the one who coined the term.”

“Ah, the expansionist war monger.

That’s whose home you want to visit?”

Jock asked me over the rim of a beer can.

Jock had proposed an overnight road trip to Rutherford County, NC, to see the Edwards family, including the real-life Kudzu Queen, Matriarch Edith Edwards.

It had been five years since we sat together in the cab of the pick-up truck.

It is mostly my fault: I created a world where it is very hard for me to be gone from my obligations. Or the dogs. I don’t like being away from the dogs, but it was just for one night and it happened to be in the middle of the week—so the stars aligned.

“But if we are heading that way, is there any way we could visit on the NC State Historic Sites?” I asked. “The James K. Polk birthplace is pretty much on the way.”

Polk was the 11th president of the Untied States and born in what is now Pineville, NC. The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources manages the State Historic Site which occupies 21 acres of land just south of Charlotte.

One of Jock’s favorite expressions to reference is “Fifty-four-forty or fight!”—a rallying cry to move the US Canadian border up to what is essentially the base of Alaska. In the early 19th-century, America was focused upon expansion: The Louisiana Purchase, The Florida Territory, and the overwhelming attitude of land acquisition known as “Manifest Destiny.” The War of 1812—which most Americans have for-

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gotten but Canadians still fight the same way we still dissect the Civil War—yielded several results: The British burned Washington D.C., The Star Spangled Banner was written, and the border for the British and American settlements was settled.

In the West the area known as “The Oregon Territory” (Remember The Oregon Trail game? Yep, that’s what we are talking about) was divvied up between British and American control. For the sake of simplicity, we are going to compress a couple of years and several treaties down to this...

49th parallel and below: American.

Above the 49th parallel: British.

That’s a hyper simplification, but let’s go with it.

Our friend, Mr. Polk, did not expect to run for president. Still, he found himself

nominated and—in a move that would prove successful—focused a campaign around war mongering and American dominance rather than really discussing domestic policy issues. Now, in his defense, the ports in California would prove incredibly valuable and ultimately worth the Mexican-American War. But did we really need to control all of the land up in Pacific Northwest up to 54’40? Well, no.

Not really, but campaign slogans aren’t really intended to be government policy. Yet, we keep falling for them and failing to pay attention to what our elected officials are actually doing when we are distracted.

“Holy shit—if I’d been driving, we would have flipped the truck. I am sorry, sweetheart!”

“Well, if you’d been driving the bus, yes, we’d be pulling you out of the ditch,” Jock

shook his head. “That turn was fast and not well-marked.”

We followed the drive up to the visitor’s center, a low mid-century building with an American flag at half-mast. Inside we were welcomed like old friends by a lovely young lady with a beaming smile who directed us to an exhibit about James Polk’s life and world. A few minutes later she announced a guided tour of the cabins would begin shortly if we wanted to join.

The Polk family actually moved from the Mecklenburg area to Tennessee rather early in James’ life; though, he came back to go to school at UNC. The cabins at the birthplace are reconstruction, and were finished and opened to the public in a ceremony that Lady Bird Johnson attended.

Our tour guide was helpful and informative, and though the site obviously wants to present the Polk family in the best light possible, it doesn’t gloss over realities of life on the edge of North Carolina in the days of the early republic.

“The part I still don’t understand is how they managed this farm with two women as house slaves to care for the house and raise the children, and two men as field hands.”

I shook my head.

“I mean, I understand this is smaller

than the big plantations toward the coast, but we are still talking about hundreds of acres that primarily produced a cash crop, and they are on a major trading path— that’s why they are located here. That just doesn’t seem like a realistic labor force for farming largely by hand.”

“We can ask Duncan when we see him; he might have a better idea,” Jock suggested.

The Edwards family had farmed in Rutherford County since George III was on the throne. Duncan suggested, come planting and harvesting time, the local farmers probably pooled their resources and visited each other’s places to help with the annual activities. Still, I looked around to try and compare similar places I had visited closer to the coast.

The tour guide pointed out the Polk cabin had several features of luxury for that time: real glass windows, for example, and interior wood paneling that provided an extra layer of insulation and more finished look. I couldn’t help but compare it to the Burgwin-Wright House.

Though, the Burgwin-Wright House was the townhouse of a family with large plantation holdings in the country—and Polk’s was the primary residence of a farming family. Trying to compare their economic resources seemed rather absurd. Still, the Polks built a bridge over the river and

charged a toll to use their bridge. Even though they moved on to Tennessee, the ties to North Carolina remained strong.

“So are you glad you visited your warmonger?” Jock asked.

“Well,” I conceded. “Mexican-American War and the War of 1812 were not particularly hip, but nonetheless they did shape the geography and direction of the country.”

I struggle so much with viewing history through the lens of today. The things I consider abhorrent to Polk were not at the time. I don’t really think I would have the grit necessary to survive on the fringe of North Carolina in those days.

The growth of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area is exponential (and aggressive). Looking around the Polk birthplace kinda feels like visiting out in the country. They have done a wonderful job of shielding as much of it as possible with trees. It feels like a space out of time, but a big piece of what the Polk birthplace is trying to communicate is growth, expansion, the trajectory the area has been set upon for hundreds of years. The area began as a trading center and has grown as a result of that.

“Yes, I am glad we visited,” I nodded to Jock. “I understand more now. I just don’t understand how to move forward. Perhaps that will come later.”

encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com 13

RECURRING THEME

In April, News of the Weird reported that sweat bees were found to be living in the eye of a woman in Taiwan. Now, United Press International reports doctors at a hospital in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, China, found a small spider building a nest inside a man’s ear. The man, identified only as Li, arrived at the hospital complaining of discomfort in his ear. Doctors said the spider was too small and fast to be caught with tools, but they were able to flush it out using water. [United Press International, 5/8/2019]

CHUTZPAH!

Ricci Barnett, 41, refused to stop when a police officer tried to pull her over for driving the wrong way down a one-way street in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on April 21. The Associated Press reported that when she paused at a red light, the offi-

cer showed her his badge, to which she replied, “I don’t think so” and drove away.

Barnett was eventually apprehended and charged with aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer and reckless driving. [Associated Press, 5/12/2019]

CRIME REPORT

A 25-year-old man from Kapaa, Hawaii, will likely spend seven years in prison after going on a drug-fueled rampage in his former boss’s home in December. Forrest Broyles pleaded no contest on May 7 to charges that he broke into the home to claim his fair share of fish the two men had caught together. Broyles told Kauai police he was using the hallucinogenic concoction ayahuasca when he used a machete to break the glass front door of the home, reported The Garden Island. He threatened the boss and his wife, saying he “was going to kill him and chop

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14 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com

him up,” then attacked the house instead, hitting a television, breaking windows, a sliding glass door, kitchen cabinets, the stove and microwave and a canoe paddle, among other items, amounting to about $3,000 in damages. “That is what the whole incident was about,” Broyles told a detective at the scene. “He owes me choke ahi.” Broyles was on probation at the time (for allegedly threatening two people with scissors); he is scheduled for sentencing in August. [The Garden Island, 5/8/2019]

and whether I would have liked the judge,” he said. [The Guardian, 4/16/2019]

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION

New Zealand’s House Speaker, Trevor Mallard, ejected National Leader Simon Bridges from the chamber on May 7, claiming that Bridges’ conduct was inappropriate during Question Time. “The member earlier made a barnyard noise of the sort that would not be accepted in a junior classroom,” Mallard said. But Bridges objected, saying, “I made no such noise and it is entirely unfair for you as a speaker to say that sort of unprofessional comment.” The New Zealand Herald reported that Bridges later said Mallard’s comments made him feel like a “naughty boy”; later inspection of video from the session revealed that Bridges had made a loud sound of disapproval after an answer given by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

[New Zealand Herald, 5/7/2019]

The Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Argus Leader reported that Brody Fuchs, 25, of Tyndall was arrested on April 23 and charged with second-degree burglary after a local man contacted police about items disappearing from his home over the course of a couple of years -- about $500 worth of sex toys. The man had installed security cameras in the house, which caught Fuchs entering the home, staying for about 40 seconds, then leaving, according to the affidavit. Bon FLORIDA Homme County Sheriff’s officers searched A police officer in Haines City, Florida, Fuchs’ residence and found a number of toys the victim said belonged to him. It was was inside a local business on May 4 when unclear whether the homeowner and Fuchs he heard “a loud noise” outside. In the parkwere acquainted. [Argus Leader, 5/10/2019] ing lot, he found Gary Wayne Anderson, 68, had just crashed his riding lawnmower (with trailer carrying a red cooler) into the officer’s CUTENESS ALERT Hugo the dog is a frequent boarder at cruiser, reported the Miami Herald. “F--- it, Happy Tails Pet Hotel and Playland in St. I’m drunk,” Anderson told officers, according Ann, Missouri. In early May, according to to an arrest affidavit. “Take me to jail.” He KTVI, Hugo proved how much he loves his was so intoxicated, police said, that he failed pals at the doggy day care: He ran away a field sobriety test and “almost fell to the from home, navigated a busy street and ground multiple times.” At the police station, covered more than a mile to get to Happy Anderson accused police of poisoning him Tails, where he ran inside to greet his canine and requested that he be taken to a hospital, friends. [KTVI, 5/9/2019] where test results found his blood-alcohol Baby’s First Shoes: When Olivia the gi- content to be three times Florida’s legal limit. raffe gave birth to her son on May 2 at the Anderson has two prior DUI convictions and Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, zookeep- has not had a valid driver’s license since ers noticed his rear feet were not in normal 1978. “It’s never a good idea to get behind alignment, a condition called hyperextended the wheel drunk,” noted police Chief Jim Elfetlocks. So the 170-pound baby, as yet un- ensky, “even if that wheel is to a Craftsman, named, was fitted with casts to correct the Massey Ferguson or John Deere.” [Miami problem, and along with them, his own cusHerald, 5/6/2019] tom-made pair of therapeutic shoes made of plywood and polyethylene. “I’m hopeful they will help him walk better,” zoo veterinarian AWESOME! Cinema’s Freddy Krueger has nothing on Dr. Tim Storms told KIRO. He expects the treatment will continue over several months. a winged resident of the Cascavel city zoo in [KIRO, 5/9/2019] Brazil. The Amazonian parrot started his life at the zoo about four years ago, after being shot in the upper beak during a raid at a drug RULES ARE RULES Keith Cutler, senior circuit judge of Win- den, which disfigured his face and earned chester and Salisbury in England, had what him the name Freddy Krueger, reported would seem to be an airtight reason for The Guardian. In April, Freddy survived beavoiding jury duty in April: He was scheduled ing bitten on the leg by a (nonvenomous) to be the presiding judge for the case. Even snake, which resulted in profuse bleeding. so, when Cutler contacted the jury summon- Just days later, armed thieves broke into ing bureau to say, “I would be inappropri- the zoo and stole Freddy, along with anothate, seeing I happened to be the judge and er parrot and a cylinder of gas. But true to knew all the papers,” the bureau refused to Freddy form, the parrot made his way back excuse him, suggesting he could “apply to to the zoo, where veterinarian Ilair Dettoni the resident judge.” Cutler eventually had to speculated that Freddy’s deformities may call to explain that he is the resident judge, have made him less desirable to the thieves. reported The Guardian. He noted that he “I don’t know if Freddy is really unlucky or would have been happy to serve under other really lucky,” he said. The other parrot and circumstances: “I would have liked to have the gas cylinder have not been located. [The done the jury service to see what it was like Guardian, 4/29/2019]

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5226 S. College Rd, 9B • (910) 338-4027 T-Th 11am-8pm, F-Sa 11am-10pm, Sunday Noon-6pm encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com 15

ARTS>>MUSIC

COMMUNITY IN CONCERT:

Jam to Help the Kids will rock GLA this Saturday for United Way Cape Fear and NourishNC Greenfield Lake Amphitheater is one of my favorites in the entire nation,” he continues.

“Not just because it’s in our backyard . . . . our town clearly loves music—es- I mean, how many venues are on a swamp pecially live music. Weekly, Green- and people can pull up with kayaks? [And] field Lake Amphitheater (voted Best we have really top-notch musicians willing to Music Venue >600 in encore’s annual read- come here and play for a smaller audience ers’ poll) packs folks of all walks of life, all than they typically could. Case in point: Lusummer long—and, yes, this includes kids. kas Nelson.”

My 15-month-old already has been to more While ILM may have a ways to go before concerts than I had been to in the first 25 it’s another Nashville, Asheville or Austin, years of my life—and it has a lot to do with Wilmington is becoming a music mecca living in Wilmington. along the southeast coast. At least, accord“I used to spend my summers following ing to McEwen, we’re taking the right steps.

Phish and the remaining members of The “Obviously we’ve got this northern RiverGrateful Dead around the country,” says front Park that’s going to be opening later Tony McEwen, assistant to the city mannext year,” he continues. “Then we’re just ager for legislative and intergovernmental going to blast off with this new venue.” affairs for the City of Wilmington. The selfAside from hosting big names, benefit proclaimed Dead Head brings his own kids concerts also embed music appreciation in to GLA shows often as well. the community. Saturday’s Jam to Help the “I’ve been to almost every venue you can Kids at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater is imagine—Red Rocks and the like—and one of them. In collaboration with Mayor Bill Saffo, McEwen has organized the second annual jam to benefit NourishNC’s Summer Break Box program and United Way of Cape Fear Area children’s programs.

BY: SHANNON RAE GENTRY

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ILM MAKERS AND GROWERS MARKET 5-8PM 5/31 RANDY MCQUAY

7-9PM

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6/1 CONTRAFORCE RETURNS! 8-10PM High Energy contra fusion quartet from South Carolina

SUN

Poor Piggys Food Truck, 6-9pm

6/2 JARRETT RAYMOND 4-6PM Arepa Street Food Truck, 3-6pm

721 Surry Street Wilmington waterlinebrewing.com

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

Wine & cider are available.

United Way of the Cape Fear is a City of Wilmington employee-driven campaign. A few years ago McEwen was approached to coordinate fundraising efforts. “I guess I’m good at bugging people or something,” he quips. “So I thought, Why don’t we do something a little bit different to bring the community into this? ” No stranger to combining passion for music within other endeavors, the UNCW graduate had organized similar fundraisers at downtown’s Ice House for environmental nonprofits 15-plus years ago. Engaging the community in a positive way remains at the forefront.

“My dream is to have the two concerts we did last year kind of exist in perpetuity, and one was Jam to Help the Kids,” he says.

“And the other is Port City Jerry Day for the United Way on August 17.”

Hosted by City of Wilmington and sponsored by Wrightsville Beach Brewery, Jam to Help the Kids features three bands: Wavy Train, who plays originals among covers of The Grateful Dead, Phish, and Talking Heads. Bluegrass band The Casserole also will take the stage. Finally, Wilmington’s Coastal Collective will play a reunion show. A few weeks back, the hip-hop, jazz and electronica fusion band released a promo video

16 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com

COMMUNITY CAUSE: Jam to Help the Kids returns this Saturday for another year, already raising thousands to benefit area children. Courtesy photo

featuring frontman Jared Sales freestyling in Mayor Saffo’s office in City Hall.

“I believe hip-hop should be a transfer of knowledge and positive energy,” Sales says.

The MC worked with McEwen and Saffo on the city’s hurricane relief concert, which raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. “I believe we both have the right intention when it comes to entertainment, love, positivity, education and enforcing the community vibe is on the forefront of our list.”

The Coastal Collective went on hiatus last year so everyone could “level up” in their respective fields of music studies. Keyboardist Cameron Tinklenberg just got his graduate diploma in Toronto last week; alto sax player Sean Meade earned a masters at Berklee College of Music—Valencia, Spain; drummer Mike D’Angelo is getting his PhD at University of Colorado Boulder since leaving his UNCW post as a jazz teacher; and soprano player Rhiannon Dewey is in Boulder earning a masters.

“Tristan Burns, our tenor player, has been in Savannah, Georgia, growing in his craft and playing the scene out there,” Sales continues, “and I have been in Wilmington deejaying and hosting events—playing about four times a week and holding down the local scene.”

While apart The Coastal Collective have continued to work on new music from their respective parts of the world. They’ll debut some at the upcoming reunion show and play from their EP, “The Revolution Awaits.”

“Everyone has grown so much on each respective instrument, and I can’t wait to hear it firsthand,” Sales excites. “Having all jazz majors in a band with a hip-hop artist is a lot of fun. You can expect to hear a range of hiphop and jazz-influenced tunes.”

While Saturday’s show is a free concert to benefit programs that support Wilmington area children, it’s not a concert strictly catering to kids. Though, they are welcome as always.

“There’s always kids at concerts there, which is unique about that venue,” McEwen says. “Though, there will be more kids at this than your average concert, obviously. . . . But adults shouldn’t expect there to be bouncy houses. [laughs]” Because of a generous contribution from Intracoastal Realty, McEwen and company have reached their initial fundraising goal.

Therefore, Jam to Help the Kids is free to attend with donations accepted at the door.

Folks can bring cash or card donations, or nonperishable food donations for D.R. Horton Home’s food drive for NourishNC. “We’re encouraging people to get there when the doors open,” McEwen suggests.

“Because if our hurricane relief concert was any indication—when it’s a free event like that—people tend to be even more generous at the door, but it also fills up pretty quick.”

DETAILS:

Jam to Help the Kids

Featuring Wavy Train, The Casserole, The Coastal Collective Saturday, June 1 Doors at 5 p.m.; show at 6 p.m.

Greenfield Lake Amphitheater 1941 Amphitheatre Dr. Free, though donations benefit United Way of the Cape Fear and NourishNC greenfieldlakeamphitheater.com

encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com 17

A PREVIEW OF EVENTS ACROSS TOWN THIS WEEK

THE SOUNDBOARD

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The Jared Show, June 5 and June 19, 7 pm

Open Mic Night w/ Bob Sarnatar (5:30pm; Free)

—Tidal Creek Co-Op, 5329 Oleander Dr., #100

Jason Jackson & Randall Canady (7pm; Free) —The SeaWitch, 227 Carolina Beach Ave. N. —Local’s Tavern, 1107 New Pointe Blvd.

Tuesday 1/2-price wine bottles

Michael Wolfe & Wolfe Gang, June 8, 7pm

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29

Music Bingo w/DJ Sherri ‘So Very’ (7pm; Free)

Monday Mules $5

Brandon Elder, May 30, 7 pm

TICKET GIVEAWAY ALERT! Don’t have a ticket to the sold-out St. Paul and the Broken Bones show on June 2? Follow @encorepub on Facebook and Instagram will for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show at Greenfield Lake Ampitheater! Photo by Tom Dorgan

Benny Hill’s Sunday Jazz Jam, 7-10pm

Music Bingo (7:30pm; Free)

—The Harp, 143 South 3rd St.

Latin Night (8pm; Free; Reggae, Spanish)

—Gigi’s Coffeehouse, 413-12 S. College Rd.

Wine Down & Karaoke (8pm; Free) —Ibiza Nightclub, 118 Market St.

Josh Solomon (8pm; Free; Singer-songwriter)

—The Sailfish, 2570 Scotts Hill Loop Rd.

Wine Time Karaoke (9pm; Free)

—WB Brewery, 6201 Oleander Dr.

—Reel Cafe, 100 S. Front St.

—Varnish Ale & Spirits, 23 Market St.

Extreme Music Bingo w/Party Gras (10pm; Free)

—Fox & Hound, 920 Town Center Dr.

Wet Wednesdays w/ DJ Dubstep (10:30pm; Free)

—The Calico Room, 107 S. Front St.

Music Bingo w/DJ Sherri ‘So Very’ (7pm; Free) —Local’s Tavern, 1107 New Pointe Blvd.

THURSDAY, MAY 30

Live On The Loop! Music Series (6pm; Free)

Sean Gregory (6pm; Free; Singer-songwriter) Jeff Sanchez (6pm; Donations; Guitar)

—Cameron Art Museum, 3201 S. 17th St.

Live @ the Park: Painted Man (6:30pm; Free) —Leland Municipal Park, 113 Town Hall Dr.

Marc Siegel (7pm; Free; Guitar)

—Platypus & Gnome Restaurant, 9 S. Front St.

Color & Wanderlust (7pm; Free)

—The SeaWitch, 227 Carolina Beach Ave. N.

Live Music in the Alley (7pm; Free) —Rebellion NC, 15 S. Front St.

Jazz At The Nail (7pm; Free)

—The Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.

HOW TO SUBMIT A LISTING: All Soundboard listings must be entered onto our online calendar, powered by SpinGo, each Wednesday, by 5 p.m., for consideration in the following week’s entertainment calendar. All online listings generate the print listings, as well as encore’s new app, encore Go. Venues are responsible for notifying encore of any changes, removals or additions to their weekly schedules.

18 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com

Revolutionary Poets Presents Remembering Sam Sharpe Open Mic (7:30pm; $5)

Emily Roth (9pm; Free; Singer-songwriter)

Mac & Juice Quartet (4pm; Free)

Trivia from Hell’s (7:30pm; Free)

Dirty White Rags (9:30pm; Free; Jazz, Soul)

—Satellite Bar and Lounge, 120 Greenfield St.

Vanessa Lynch, Garrett Doughton (4pm; Free)

—Jamaica House, 2206 Carolina Beach Rd. —Hell’s Kitchen, 118 Princess St.

Trivia w/ Party Gras Ent. (8pm; Free) —Fox & Hound, 920 Town Center Dr.

Throwback Thursday Karaoke w/ DJ Camo (8pm; Free)

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

Open Mic Comedy (8pm; Free)

—Dead Crow Comedy, 265 N. Front St.

Live Requests w/ Mike O’Donnell (8:30pm; Free) —Reel Cafe, 100 S. Front St.

‘90s Party Night (9pm; Free) —Pravda, 23 N. Front St.

It Looks Sad and Haybaby (9pm; Free)

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

Thirsty Thursday (10pm; Free)

—Ibiza Nightclub, 118 Market St.

Homegrown Trivia with Travis (7:30pm; Free)

—Pour Taproom, 201 N. Front St., Suite G101

If Birds Could Fly (9:30pm; Free)

—Hell’s Kitchen, 118 Princess St.

Entangled Dreams, Phantom Phunk, Slomo Dingo (10pm; $5) —The Whiskey, 1 S. Front St.

SATURDAY, JUNE 1

34th Annual Carolina Beach Music Festival (10am; $25)

—Carolina Beach Boardwalk, 3 Cape Fear Blvd.

Music on the Patio (12pm; Free) —Hotel Ballast, 301 N. Water St.

Jake Newman & Friends! (3:00 pm; Free)

—Wrightsville Beach Brewery, 6201 Oleander Dr.

Jam to Help the Kids: Wavy Train, The Casserole and Soul Collective (5pm; Free)

—Greenfield Lake Amp., 1941 Amphitheater Dr.

—Cloud 9 Rooftop, 9 Estell Lee Pl.

—Bluewater Grill, 4 Marina St.

Wilmington Symphony Masterworks Concert: Strings & Harp (5pm; $17-$47) —Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St.

Kure Beach Boogie in the Park (5pm; Free) —Ocean Front Park, 105 Atlantic Ave.

—Satellite Bar and Lounge, 120 Greenfield St.

Live Jazz (6pm; Free)

—Burnt Mill Creek, 2101 Market St., Unit 7

Reggae Sundays (7pm; Free)

—Jamaica House, 2206 Carolina Beach Rd.

Sunset Cruise w/ Live Acoustic Music (7pm; $30)

—Wilmington Water Tours, 212 S. Water St.

Music Trivia (7pm; Free)

FRIDAY, MAY 31

Sunset Cruise w/ Live Acoustic Music (7pm; $30)

MONDAY, JUNE 3

—Hotel Ballast, 301 N. Water St.

Sons of Paradise w/ Space Koi (7pm; Free)

—The Sour Barn, 7211 Market St.

Abbey Road (6:30pm; Free; Beatles Tribute) —Downtown Riverfront, 20 S. 2nd St.

Travis Shallow (7pm; Free; Americana) —Cloud 9 Rooftop, 9 Estell Lee Pl.

Feather (7pm; $10-$15; Soft Rock) —Bourgie Nights, 127 Princess St.

Sunset Cruise w/ Live Acoustic Music (7pm; $30)

—Wilmington Water Tours, 212 S. Water St.

Live Jazz with N.C. Musicians! (7pm; Free)

—Platypus & Gnome Restaurant, 9 S. Front St.

—Wilmington Water Tours, 212 S Water St. —Reel Cafe, 100 S. Front St.

Michael Gossin (7pm; Free)

—Cloud 9 Rooftop, 9 Estell Lee Pl.

Andrew Kasab (7pm; Free; Singer-songwriter) —Fermental, 7250 Market St.

Christian Brinkey, Olivia Lee (7pm; Free; Acoustic)

—Sundial Coffee and Tea, 1601 E. Ocean Highway

Atsuko Okatsuka (7pm, 9:30pm; $15; Comedy) —Dead Crow Comedy, 265 North Front St.

Organ Trail, Leachate, Deadly Edibles (7pm; $5) USO Dance feat. The Swing Shifters (7pm; $10 Requested Donation) —Gravity Records, 612 Castle St. Christian Brinkley (7pm; Free; Singer-songwriter) —Johnny Lukes, 5500 Martket St.

Slapback Rock Band (7pm; Free)

—Ogden Tap room, 7324 Market St.

Atsuko Okatsuka (7pm, 9:30pm; $15; Comedy) —Dead Crow Comedy, 265 North Front St.

Professor Dub Spins (8pm; Free) —Palate, 1007 N. 4th St.

Johnny & The Flipside (8pm; Free)

—The Rusty Nail, 1310 South 5th Ave.

Trifecta (8pm; Free)

—Buffalo Wild Wings, 5533 Carolina Beach Rd.

Thomas Gabriel Cash (8pm; $15; Country, Americana)

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

Caveman Dave (8pm; Free)

—The Juggling Gypsy, 1612 Castle St.

Jazz Night with James Jarvis (8pm; Free) —Bottega, 723 N. Fourth St.

Danny K (9pm; Free; Jazz)

—Tails Piano Bar, 115 S. Front St.

—Hannah Block Center, 120 S. 2nd St.

Music Bingo (7pm; Free)

Trivia from Hell’s (7:30pm; Free)

—Hell’s Kitchen, 118 Princess St.

TUESDAY, JUNE4

Rodrigo Y Gabriela (6pm; $49.50-$60; Latin Acoustic) —Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1941 Amphitheater Dr.

Waverly Leonard & Mason Via! (6pm; Free) —Wrightsville Beach Brewery, 6201 Oleander Dr.

‘90s night! (7pm; Free)

—Coach’sl, 29 Van Campen Blvd.

—SeaWitch Cafe, 227 Carolina Beach Ave. N.

Jared Sales + Afterlyfe (8:30pm; Free; Hip-hop)

THURSDAY

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

—Bourgie Nights, 127 Princess St.

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

Justin Fox (9pm; Free)

—Pour Taproom, 201 N. Front St., Suite G101

Solace Betrayal (9pm; $5)

—The Juggling Gypsy, 1612 Castle St.

Bullet the Blue Sky (10pm; $10) —The Whiskey, 1 S. Front St.

SUNDAY, JUNE 2

Bill Kerr (11:30am; Free; Jazz)

—The Felix Cafe, 5226 S. College Rd., Unit 11

Bluegrass, Brews and BBQ (12pm; Donation) —Goat & Compass, 710 N. Fourth St.

Sam Jam (1pm; Free)

> > > THURSDAY $3.75 Hay Bale Ale

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

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

> > > saturday $4.00 Green Tea

> > > WEDNESDAY $3.75 Wicked Weed $4.00 Margaritas

> > > SUNDAY $5.00 Bloody Marys & Mimosas

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

—The Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.

The Cut (8pm; Free; Dance Rock)

Mortal Man, Leaders Among Equals, Slumberwave (9pm; Free)

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

Bluegrass Jam! (6pm; Free)

Samuel Hatch (6pm; Free; Acoustic)

Music on the Patio (5pm; Free)

ON OUR LOT

Machine Gun (4pm; Free)

—Varnish Ale & Spirits, 23 Market St.

—Pilot House, 2 Ann St.

FREE PARKING

—Salty Turtle Beer Company, 103 Triton Ln.

100 S. FRONT ST. 910-251-1832

LIVE MUSIC in the courtyard on Friday & Saturday MONDAY

$2.75 Domestic $3.50 Select Drafts $4 Fireballs!

TUESDAY

$3.50 Local Draft Brew

(Foothills Hoppyum IPA, Red Oak)

$5 Jameson

WEDNESDAY

$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

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 TUESDAY TUESDAYSATURDAY Jack Be Chill $7.50 1/2 Off SelectLIVE Bottles of Wine IN THE JAzz BAR 22oz Deschutes Black Butte Absolute Dream $5 Bottles Half Price 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 $ 50 Edward Teach Peach in bar andMiller patio Light areas Pints

1 Coronoa/

$ 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 SATURDAY Baybreeze/Seabreeze $4 $ 3 S. 3rd St. 22oz. Blue Moon Draft1423 $ 2 Select Domestic Bottles DOWNTOWN WILMINGTON SUNDAY (910) 763-1607 Bloody Marys $4, Domestic Pints $150 Hurricanes $5 Tuesday __________________________________________ 5564 Carolinaw/DJ BeachDamo, Road, 9PM KARAOKE (910) 452-1212 2 KILLIANS • $400 MAGNERS

$ 50

Thursday ________________________________________

TRIVIA

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

Friday & Saturday __________________________

LIVE MUSIC 2 BUD & BUD LIGHTS

$ 00

Sunday ___________________________________________

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

—SeaWitch Cafe, 227 Carolina Beach Ave. N.

encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com 19

(7pm; $30)

Trivia w/Sherri ‘So Very’ (7pm; Free)

—Wilmington Water Tours, 212 S. Water St.

—Local’s Tavern, 1107 New Pointe Blvd.

Lucky Joe’s Open Mic Night (7:30pm; Free)

Live Music in the Alley (7pm; Free)

—Broomtail Craft Brewery, 6404 Amsterdam Way

—Rebellion NC, 15 S. Front St.

Music Bingo (8pm; Free)

Jazz At The Nail (7pm; Free)

Open Mic Night w/ Bob Sarnataro (5:30pm; Free)

Revolutionary Poets Presents Remembering Sam Sharpe (7:30pm; $5; Open Mic)

—The Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.

—The Brewer’s Kettle, 4718 Oleander Dr.

—Tidal Creek Co-Op, 5329 Oleander Dr., #100

—Jamaica House, 2206 Carolina Beach Rd.

Trivia from Hell’s (7:30pm; Free)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5

—Hell’s Kitchen, 118 Princess St.

Music Bingo w/DJ Sherri ‘So Very’ (7pm; Free)

Trivia w/ Party Gras Ent. (8pm; Free) —Fox & Hound, 920 Town Center Dr.

—Local’s Tavern, 1107 New Pointe Blvd.

Throwback Thursday Karaoke w/ DJ Camo (8pm; Free)

Music Bingo (7:30pm; Free) —The Harp, 143 S. 3rd St.

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

Wine Down & Karaoke (8pm; Free) —Ibiza Nightclub, 118 Market St.

The Jared Show (8pm; Free; Alt Hip-hop, Acoustic)

—Burnt Mill Creek, 2101 Market St., Unit 7

Josh Solomon (8pm; Free)

Open Mic Comedy (8pm; Free) TICKET GIVEAWAY ALERT! Rodrigo y Gabriela’s Mexican acoustic rock shows blend metal, jazz and Hispanic roots music in their own unique style. Wilmingtonians can catch them at GLA on Tuesday, June 4.

Follow @encorepub on Facebook and Instagram to win a pair of tix to the show! Photo by Ebru Yildiz

—Reel Cafe, 100 S. Front St.

Extreme Music Bingo w/Party Gras (10pm; Free) Rock and Rage Wed (10pm; Free)

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

Wet Wednesdays: Dubstep (10:30pm; Free) —The Calico Room, 107 S Front St;

THURSDAY, JUNE 6

Live On The Loop! Summer Music (6pm; Free) —The Sailfish, 2570 Scotts Hill Loop Rd.

Austin Huffstetler (6pm; Free; Singer-songwriter)

20 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com

L Shape Lot (6:30pm; Free; Americana)

—Leland Municipal Park, 113 Town Hall Dr.

Marc Siegel (7pm; Free; Guitar)

—Platypus & Gnome Restaurant, 9 S. Front St.

Sunset Cruise w/ Live Acoustic Music

Mike O’Donnell (8:30pm; Free; Live Requests) —Reel Cafe, 100 S. Front St.

‘90s Party Night (9pm; Free) —Pravda, 23 N. Front St.

! s l a e d .com

—Fox & Hound, 920 Town Center Dr.

—Wrightsville Beach Brewery, 6201 Oleander Dr.

—Dead Crow Comedy, 265 N. Front St.

CONCERTS OUTSIDE OF SOUTHEASTERN NC

SHOWSTOPPERS Tickets on sale now!

NEW FOUND SOUNDTRACKS: New Found Glory will play off their latest album ‘From The Screen To Your Stereo 3’ with seven covers from everyone’s favorite movies, from ‘Rocky’ to ‘Twilight,’ at Fillmore Underground on June 4. Photo by David Bean THE REEVES THEATER & CAFE 129 W. MAIN ST., ELKIN, NC (336) 258-8240 5/31: 5Point Adventure Film Reel NEIGHBORHOOD THEATRE N. DAVIDSON ST., CHARLOTTE, NC (704) 358-9298 5/29: Mickey Avalon and Dirt Nasty 5/30: Paul Thorn Band and Steve Poltz 6/2: Matt Costa and JD & The Straight Shot 6/3: Blackfoot Gypsies 6/4: Sinners & Saints 6/5: Shinyribs and David Childers 6/6: Ona and Darby Wilcox 6/7: Purple Note 4 6/8: Darrell Scott THE FILLMORE 820 HAMILTON ST., CHARLOTTE, NC (704) 916-8970 5/30: Brytiago and Darell 5/31: Appetite for Destruction, Fiftywatt Freight Train 6/1: Da Baby 6/5: Tesla 6/6: Slushii 6/8: Yacht Rock Revue THE FILLMORE UNDERGROUND 820 HAMILTON ST., CHARLOTTE, NC (704) 916-8970 5/31: Mostley Crue 6/1: A Very Get Sad Y’all 6/4: New Found Glory 6/7: The Lemonheads 6/8: Xavier Wulf DURHAM PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 123 VIVIAN ST. DURHAM, NC (919) 688-3722 6/2: Blackbear, Elohim and Gashi

MOTORCO MUSIC HALL 723 RIGSBEE AVE, DURHAM, NC (919) 901-0875 5/31: The Connells and Leisure McCorkle 6/2: Aaron West & The Roaring Twenties and more 6/3: Deicide, Origin, Jungle Rot and more 6/4: The New Respects, Apollo LTD and James William LINCOLN THEATRE 126 E. CABARRUS ST., RALEIGH, NC (919) 821-4111 5/31: Fade To Black 6/1: Joanne Shaw Taylor and The Buzzards Band 6/7: Justin West, Pine Box Dwellers and more CAT’S CRADLE 300 E. MAIN ST., CARRBORO, NC (919) 967-9053 5/30: Hardworker, Magnolia Collective and more (back) 5/31: The Sh-Booms and Blood Red River (back) 6/1: Solar Halos, MAKE, Mourning Cloak (back) 6/2: The Mystery Lights and Future Punx (back) 6/2: The Distillers and Starcrawler 6/5: Caroline Spence and Whisperer 6/7: Jack Willow Jr., Christiane and MKR (back) RED HAT AMPHITHEATER 500 SOUTH MCDOWELL ST., RALEIGH, NC (919) 996-8800 6/1: Band Together w/ St. Paul and the Broken Bones 6/6: Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals 6/7: Lake St. Dive and The Wood Brothers 6/8: Wu-Tang Clan THE ORANGE PEEL 101 BILTMORE AVE., ASHEVILLE, NC (828) 398-1837 5/29: Stereospread 5/31: Steel Panther, Wilson and True Villians 6/4: Slushii and Nitti Gritti 6/5: Dark Funeral, Belphegor, Incantation and more

MORE UPCOMING LIVE MUSIC May 30: Brandon Elder June 5 and 19: The Jared Show June 21: Randy McQuay July 21: Long Beach Dub Allstars with The Aggrolites & Mike Pinto

serving over 22 CraFT Beers • all aBC perMiTs Mon.-Thurs.: 4pM-12:30 aM • Fri.-saT.: 4pM - 1:30aM sun: 4pM-11pM • 2101 MarkeT sT., uniT 7 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com 21

The number one reason you need a butcher in your life...

Indulgence

1125-A Military Cuttoff RD. WIlmington, NC 28405 l 910-679-4473 l wearetrueblue.com 22 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com

ARTS>>VISUAL

PLAYFUL INTRICACY:

Bucky Benson talks large-scale works and upcoming billboard project

W

BY: SHEA CARVER

hen looking through the artwork of Burritt Benson III, a.k.a. Bucky, now on display at Century 21 Sweyer and Associates at the foot of Market in downtown Wilmington, a playfulness comes to light through his large-scale kaleidoscopic paintings. There’s a language to it all its own, as various lines and circles swerve and curve and dip and loop in psychedelic overlay. It’s something Benson has been passionately working toward creating his whole life.

“I’ve always drawn,” he says as we walk through the real estate office on the night of his show’s opening last Friday. “But I really dove into this style while in college.”

Benson attended UNCW on an extended plan, if you will. “I studied a lot of stuff,” he quips. “It took me six years to get out of there.” He worked through criminal justice, then studio art and finally landed on a marketing degree upon graduation. He went to work for his father’s construction company and had access to a large 36-inch printer, and so he got into digital art, drawing in black and white and scanning in color, to create large works. In the early 2000s, he decided to take advanced digital art classes at UNCPembroke, near his home in Lumberton.

He studied under Tarlton Blackwell, during Blackwell’s last semester, and has since remained good friends, often seeking advice and encouragement along the way of becoming a full-time artist.

“I’ve stayed in my studio and been painting ever since,” Benson says of his two-car-garage-turned workspace. Benson has shown in galleries in Charlotte, Lumberton and just wrapped a show at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst. He also had work in CAM’s State of the Art/Art of the State twice. He has done commission work for the NC zoo and did a piece for NBC at the NASCAR studios in Charlotte. They wanted him to create an autograph wall on a quick turnaround. “I ended up being able to draw with a Sharpie, take it into computer and color it, then get a big 14-foot sign printed on aluminum in a matter of days. It was a lot of fun.”

Still, it’s his first solo show in ILM, and contains around 10 large paintings. One measures 19-feet-by-6-feet on styrofoam on one wall. It actually was the background wall in his studio at one time, used as a vision board where Benson would pin his paper designs as a blueprint for his acrylic paintings.

“I wanted to take it down because I wanted to redo my wall and configure it a different

LOST IN LINES: Bucky Benson will have his art work on display at Century 21 Sweyer and Associates through June 24. Photo by Shea Carver

way,” he explains, “and as I was gonna get rid of it, I said, ‘Well, I’m just gonna turn them into a painting.’”

It’s vast with imagery: landscapes hidden everywhere between cartoon-like figures and animals, from a monkey to a lion to a pirate to a soldier. A scripture is at the bottom: Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world.”

It’s the only painting in the show carrying a scripture and is part of Benson’s next project.

The artist’s output is stealth, as he’s usually working on around 40 paintings simultaneously. One day he had the idea to take them to even larger platforms than his stretched canvas. He hopes to create 50 paintings for billboards across America, one in every state, all marked by an uplifting scripture.

“It’s basically my heart,” Benson says. “My hope is people will go to Google and look it up to understand what it says and maybe even read other scripture.”

A self-identified Christian, he will launch his first billboard in Charlotte, NC, and then will move on to choose a city in every state.

“Eventually, I’d like to spread it across the world: art and scripture,” he tells. To get the ball rolling, monies from his ILM show— with prices starting at $2,500—will go toward its launch.

To imagine Benson’s work on an even larger scale is overwhelming. Viewers can get lost looking at his intricate traces, often finding hidden faces poking through. Some look like Australian aborigines, others pay homage to African tribal art, and others take on American folk art. In his 60-inch-by-48-inch “All That Glitters,” what looks like centipedes and roly polies (“I think they look like gummy worms,” Benson says with a light) morph into a monkey or lion’s face. In fact, lions appear frequently in the hidden markings of a Benson piece.

“With all the political stuff from three years ago, I was reading Daniel 6, which focuses on the lion’s den,” he says, referencing tales that touch on jealousy and power, compromised religion and protection of religion. “After I read it, I didn’t focus on politics anymore.” He had finished some art with political undertones, but made a shift into works of fanciful freedom, letting spontaneity be his driving force.

“Often, I just approach a canvas, and follow the lines I sketch in my book,” he tells.

“I don’t have a color palette in mind—just marks. Once I get the architecture right, I add in color. And I paint over a lot of stuff—which adds layers and texture. Sometimes other paintings peek through.”

are rife—yet, Benson’s style is uniquely his own. His freeform is apparent, yet there is a tediousness clearly in focus for him to finish the paintings. Really, though, they’re never complete.

“I can keep going,” he says. “It’s like, ‘When do you quit?’ I look at this and think, I could have brought a face out here.” He points to one of the lines in a piece inspired by George Washington. “Sometimes it’s hard; I can go back into any of these and add something.”

And that’s the beauty of Benson’s work: Just as he could always add more, the viewer can always see more. Flipped right-side up, sideways or upside down, images appear and disappear at every eye’s turn—much like the rolling of a kaleidoscope.

Benson’s work will remain on display through June 24.

DETAILS:

Bucky Benson

On display through June 24 Century 21 Sweyer & Associates 21-B Market Street www.bebart.com

Apparent influences of Picasso and Esher encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com 23

24 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com

ARTS>>VISUAL

GALLERYGUIDE ARTEXPOSURE!

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

ArtExposure is celebrating its 10th anniversary on May 11th from 11am-7pm. Please, mark your calendar and join us! We will host a food truck, a tent for artists, raffles and more!

Mary Ann Rozear will have her opening reception, “The Shapes of Memories, from North Carolina to Maine,” from 5-7 p.m. on the same day.

If you haven’t been to ArtExposure, please, take a drive to see us. You won’t regret it!

ART IN BLOOM GALLERY

210 Princess St. Tues. - Sat. 10am - 6pm (or by appt., Sun. and Mon.) (484) 885-3037 www.aibgallery.com

Art in Bloom Gallery is in a renovated 19thcentury horse stable and presents an eclectic mix of original art by emerging and established artists.

View “Go With the Flow: Contemporary Art with E. Francisca Dekker and Karen Paden Crouch” through June 9th. The new exhibit playfully pairs two contemporary artists with acrylic paintings by E. Francisca Dekker and welded-bronze sculpture by Karen Paden Crouch. Art in Bloom Gallery is open until 9 pm on Fourth Friday Gallery Nights.

ART OF FINE DINING www.aibgallery.com

In addition to our gallery at 210 Princess Street, Art in Bloom Gallery partners with local businesses to exhibit original art in other locations. Current Art Exhibits include: “The Joy of Plein Air: Pastels by Laurie Greenbaum Beitch” opened January 22 at PinPoint Restaurant, 114 Market Street. Meet the artist at a champagne toast and reception, Thursday, February 7, 5:30-6:30 pm. The reception is open and free to the public. The art exhibit continues through June 10, 2019.

“Brayers, Brushes, and Color Pencils by David Norris” opens February 6 at Platypus & Gnome Restaurant, 9 South Front Street. Meet the artist at a champagne toast and reception, Thursday, March 14, 6-8 pm. The reception is open and free to the public. The art exhibit continues through June 11, 2019.

CHARLES JONES AFRICAN ART 311 Judges Rd., Unit 6-E

cjart@bizec.rr.com (910) 794-3060 Mon. – Fri. 10am - 12:30 pm 1:30 pm - 4 pm Open other hours and weekends by appointment www.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.) www.newelementsgallery.com

Introducing Timothy David Lang in his debut show at New Elements Gallery, “Drifting.” A surfer, Timothy is inspired by the landscape, be that in the water or the scenery of the open road. Photo realism in style and masterful in its technique, Lang’s work goes way further by capturing not just a scene in incredible detail, but more importantly a mood.

Come take a ride with Timothy David Lang and drift along with him. On display through May 18.

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THANK YOU READERS! for voting us

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BEST FLORIST 2019

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

“I was a sculptor. I was a museum designer. I was a TV illustrator. I was a carpenter. I was a furniture designer. I was a product designer, a photographer, a painter,” Irwin said over the phone from his home in Beaufort. “It was like I was running up and down a smorgasbord going, ‘Oh, let me try some of this.’”

In Irwin’s summer exhibition, he pays homage to all of the artists and mentors who have influenced him throughout his life, leaving their mark on his work. Nearly a decade ago, Irwin—not to be confused with the installation artist also named Robert Irwin—added another page to his lengthy resume: author. Published in 2004, “40 Years” is Irwin’s autobiography, a no-holds-barred account of every aspect of his creative life, embellished with page after page of photographs of his dynamic paintings. Opening reception on May 24, 6 p.m., and closing reception on June 14, 6 p.m.

Closing reception on May 24, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Serving Wilmington for over 26 years with flowers and gifts for all occasions: get well, new baby, anniversary, sympathy, or just because!

900 S Kerr Ave Wilmington, NC 28403 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com 25

ARTS>>THEATRE

BRILLIANTLY BLOODY:

America’s answer to ‘Sweeney Todd’ is ‘Lizzie: The Musical’

F

BY: CHASE HARRISON

irst things first: “Lizzie: The Musical” is a badass theatre experience! It takes the nightmarish true story of parricide, the murders and trial of Lizzie Andrew Borden. Just like the news headlines in the late 1800s, it terrifies the audience, number after number.

Borden’s stepmother, Abby Borden, was her first victim, suffering 18 blows from a hatchet, while Andrew Borden, her father, suffered 11 whacks (very different from the nursery rhyme we’ve all come to know, “Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother 40 whacks...”).

Under director and Panache’s cofounder Anthony Lawson, the show is capped with painstaking detail—yet again setting the bar high in community theatre.

Scratch that, they are the bar in Wilmington theatre. As a company, Panache strives to bring new and edgy forms of

shows to the stage, a la “Heathers: The Musical,” “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” and “Toxic Avengers.” They seem to be growing in quality, as proven by their Wilmington Theatre Award for “Fun Home.”

A thick, neon-colored haze washes over the audience as they scurry to their seats. Blues and reds bathe the future scene of the crime and only hint at the majesty to come, thanks to Cole Marquis’ lighting design. Marquis illuminates the dark tale with an all-encompassing light show. The use of floor lights cast spinning circles around the theater to give manic life to the spinning wheels in the Borden girls’ heads, as they plot murder. It casts shadows of women against the walls to help build a foreboding air through the end of the first act.

While rather simple in its design, the details put into Benedict R. Fancy’s scenes are a treat. Lining the theater’s

e c n e oC mmcake. with

back wall with the black framing of the Borden home, two plain doors operate as a way in and out of the onstage world.

The blankness gives life to the lack of love within the home. A smaller, elevated stage features painted brick work—the only prop that looks real.

The production incorporates graphic designs projected in a seamless way to establish the outside world. The most successful is an old-timey, rigid-looking photo of the patriarch Andrew Borden. It’s a smart image to dominate over the play, as it gives a silent, unkind, ominous presence to prod, torment and haunt the titled character.

And I cannot praise the cast enough.

Each member stakes her claim rightfully. They all possess a vocal range to wow, stun and get the audience’s heads banging. Opening with the number “Forty Whacks” is Lizzie Borden (Georgie Simon), her older sister, Emma (Heather Setzler), the house’s maid Bridget Sullivan (Elisa Smith), and finally Alice Russell (Meagan Golden)—Lizzie’s only friend and reprieve from her put-upon home life.

The audience sees police lineup to survey plots of the suspects.

Heather Setzler, a staple across stages, has truly outdone herself in the role of Emma. It could very well be the best thing she has brought to life. Her ability allows Emma to see the pieces on the board and decide how to move them to her benefit.

It matches the cunningness and coldness of Cersei Lannister. In fact, her murderous seeds bear Lizzie’s deadly fruits. In her commanding number “What the Fuck Now, Lizzie?” she becomes fully aware of her mistake, thinking her sister was a subtle scalpel instead of the board sword.

Standing in for something of a Greek chorus in “The Fall of the House of Borden” is Irish maid Bridget. She watches as the Borden girls weave their webs, only to laugh as they become entangled in it themselves. Smith takes what could have been a throwaway role of the bunch and adds an eerie air, almost as if she were a demonic force witnessing the murderous goings-on that would damn the women’s souls.

26 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com

Being the only shred of innocence on stage is Meagan Golden’s Alice Russell, who is marvelous. Believing she understands the secret tortures of Lizzie, Alice tries to love her, as seen in beautiful

numbers like “If You Knew” and “Maybe Someday.” Sadly, her love is only halfheartedly returned and dashed when Lizzie’s true internal darkness is exposed in “Will You Lie.” Though, with playing the titled role, the entire production rests on the shoulders of Georgie Simon and her take on Lizzie Borden—and does she deliver! Owning the role, Simon hypnotizes every audience member who hears her siren-like voice. “This Is Not Love” tragically masks nurture vs. nature that is going on in the Borden homestead. Her eyes read so powerfully, depicting all emotions from malicious madness to manipulation. She spits the words, “But I’m Daddy’s little girl now” with pure venom poison. Her work truly needs to be seen.

Stephanie Amen’s costume designs turn each leading lady into four equally dominating and deadly femme fatales.

The looks mix burlesque with-punk-rock grit and ooze sex appeal.

Per last week’s gripe over sound quality during “Whorehouse” (which I apologize for putting the blame on Thalian Hall over the production company, Thalian Association), “Lizzie” superseded expectations of quality sound design, handled and leveled by J. Robert Raines. As well the music director is un-fucking-believably good. The levels are so well balanced.

The band’s presence on stage is mere inches from the plot unfolding. Led by Raines on guitar, Justin Lacy (guitar), JJ Street (drums), Linda Marcus (keyboard) and Eli Stafford (bass) rock out the studio theater. How they master the show’s music should bridge the gap between metal-heads and theatre fans alike.

Wilmington is in for a spectacular run with Panache Theatrical Productions’ “Lizzie: The Musical.” Rarely do stars align so right in a community-theatre setting. In fact, for people who might not believe theatre is their “scene,” “Lizzie” is a different beast. It’s modern, fast-paced and shines a light on a fascinating subject. Plus, it is a rock show.

DETAILS:

Lizzie: The Musical

Through June 2, Thurs.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.

Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St. Tickets: $22-$25 • thalianhall.org

encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com 27

ARTS>>THEATRE

A PILLAR TO THE MODERN THEATRE CANON:

‘How I Learned What I Learned’ breathes life into magical storytelling BY: GWENYFAR ROHLER

“I

don’t understand how you can have an anthology of AfricanAmerican plays and not have a single play by August Wilson,” Joel commented as we were shelving at the bookstore one afternoon. He hefted an inchthick tome and shook his head.

“Maybe they couldn’t get the rights to his work,” I offered lamely. It was the only excuse I could think of, and we both knew it was absurd. Wilson has a Broadway theater named in his honor. His Pittsburgh or Century Cycle of plays created a body of work that is a central pillar to the modern theatre cannon. In short, Joel’s observation was beyond response: August Wilson’s work is essential to any conversation or collection of AfricanAmerican playwriting.

Big Dawg Productions brings August Wilson’s one-man show, “How I Learned What I Learned,” by Todd Kreidler, to the Cape Fear Playhouse on Castle Street.

Starring Fracaswell Hyman, it is a powerful evening that explores the intersection of art and performance. Hyman’s portrayal of Troy Maxson in Big Dawg’s production of “Fences” last year was, quite simply, transcendent. I am but one of many audience members who have been looking forward with great curiosity to “How I Learned What I Learned.”

One-person shows are, by definition, heavy lifting for the performer tasked with keeping an audience engaged for the show’s length. The additional challenge and responsibility of performing a real person’s life story (as opposed to a

with subtle beauty is a love of language—nuanced, accentuated, phrased and blended in speech and dialogue to tell a story of their own.

fictional character) adds to the enormity of this undertaking.

Does Hyman rise to the occasion? Absolutely. Does he make each and every single moment believable? Beyond question.

The script itself is a bit of a surprise. There are a variety of ways Wilson could have structured the piece: looking at each play in the Century Cycle, or introducing the audience to the real-life people who inspired the characters.

It has taken me a few days to realize that, like his scripts which talk around ideas (instead of like Arthur Miller’s which give long didactic pronouncements about themes), this show introduces us to his real-life inspirations. Audiences must pay attention carefully; it opens with an attention-grabbing jab and joke and takes your breath away in the same moment.

There is no question Wilson is going to talk about race and he’s going to talk about it very personally. What does being born black mean in America? He gives a handful of examples, from the monstrous, to the oblivious, to the absurdly rude, all to pepper his daily life.

He introduces us to The Hill District, the neighborhood he grew up in and writes about frequently. He briefly references the move to Hazelwood, but it’s the life in The Hill District that he shows us the most.

We have issues....

get them every Wednesday

28 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com

BRILLIANT STORYTELLER: Fracaswell Hyman as August Wilson is a stunning portrayal of nuance and storytelling. Courtesy of Big Dawg

As Hyman’s hands shape the street map of the world that molded Wilson, his eyes trace the internal map and mural in his head. The audience can see as clearly as he does—memories welling up of streetcorner serenades, missed connections, wisdom imparted, lessons learned and scrapes narrowly averted. It’s the secret to his successful performance: Hyman can see so clearly the people he’s portraying that the audience knows them, too.

I remain in awe of the elasticity of Hyman’s face. With each character, it is not just his posture and gait that change, but he really manages to give at least the impression of a different visage for each character. So we slowly meet the people who comprised Wilson’s teachers and fine-tuned his ear to the poetry around him—the poetry of life. The beautiful songs of people living life and sorting out the path through the labyrinth. Wilson talks about himself as a poet in this show; he only obliquely references theatre. When he talks about writing, it is about poetry.

What he and Hyman both communicate

To some extent the structure of the evening feels a little like we are all gathered in August Wilson’s living room, and he’s just holding court about whatever he feels like. That is fine.

Pretty much anyone who attends the show is coming with curiosity and appreciation for Wilson and his work. Hearing his innermost thoughts are why we are there—but, again, this is deceptive. Audiences must pay attention. He shows us how to build a story; he shows us a person, then slowly adds elements to their surroundings, builds events, then lets us watch them explore and develop. It is so subtle, at first it seemed like a series of unconnected stories—like the Century Cycle which appear to lean on each other but not necessarily follow the same saga. It takes a while to realize all 10 plays make up a very large tapestry.

“How I Learned What I Learned” is that in miniature. All stories weave together to make one beautiful picture.

In addition, Hyman understands how to step back to show the big picture and take audiences on a journey. He is the perfect choice, whose performance will sit with audiences long after the curtain closes. I know I’ll be thinking on it for days, if not weeks. He shows beauty, anger, pain, joy, shock, disbelief and divinity, frequently, and in the same character. “How I Learned What I Learned” is a magical evening at the intersection of art and experience.

DETAILS:

How I Learned What I Learned

May 30-June 2, & 6-9, 8 p.m. or 3 p.m. matinees on Sundays Tickets: $18-$25 Cape Fear Playhouse 613 Castle Street bigdawgproductions.org

ARTS>>THEATRE

THE WINDS OF LAUGHTER:

TheatreNOW’s latest show highlights laughable memories of riding out a hurricane BY: CHASE HARRISON

W

ho remembers Hurricane Florence, anyone? Clearly I’m joking—I mean, last year’s storm only was one of the most destructive Wilmington has seen in some time. As hurricane season 2019 approaches June 1, eight months outside of Florence brings with it hindsight—seeing the good with the bad ... the glass half full ... a silver lining ... or break in the storm, if you will. And if anyone can find sunshine through the clouds of despair, it’s local humor columnist-turnedplaywright Celia Rivenbark.

Wilmington’s own aficionado of all things Southern culture, or its lack thereof, has teamed up with Kevin Parker to bring to stage “This Hurricane Blows: A Cat 5 Comedy.” The play will ring true to all who have lived through those rising tides and Gale force winds in the South. Directed by Jim Bowling, the show features a sitcom-like pace and jokes that will have the winds of laughter blowing down the house, from a cat 1 (quite a few played-out jokes) all the way to a 5 (Southern wit at its finest).

TheatreNOW is hosting the zany comedy, which is like a mix of the Bundy family from “Married with Children” and the Clampett clan of “The Beverly Hillbillies.” The plot drops them both in the eye of the storm. So when the ill-equipped New Jersey family, the D’Milos (Joe Renton and Lupin Byers), finds their home decimated by powerful winds, they are taken in to ride out the storm by their big-hearted Southern neighbors, the Holdens’ (Ron Hasson and Paula Davis). As the storm rages, tensions rise and the two completely opposite couples do their best to pass the time, stockpile food, and pray they don’t run out of booze. Bless their hearts.

The audience is seated front and center in the living room, as the Holdens check and double check their hurricane prep list. They have lanterns hanging from the walls and a flashlight in arms reach; these two have seen their fair share of storms.

The set is repurposed from TheatreNOW’s last production, but the company has really decked it out to embody the homes of the two contrasting families. Besides, the set Jacob Keohane has built is far too cool not to get full use out of it.

Opening like a storybook turning its pages, the homes swiftly transform from the Holdens’ redneck heaven to the heavily Italian domain of the D’Milos. Each reads as lived-

in and feature different paint on the walls to help differentiate the two. The D’Milos feature posters of “Old Blue Eyes” to the Pope on their wall, while the Holdens have “The Duke” John Wayne adorning theirs as well as a poster of … (sigh) Trump. It’s two rather clever ways to set up the character’s personalities quickly. (On the plus side, the Trump poster does get damaged by the storm.)

The set also features stockpiles of food across the stage­: cans of soup, loaves of bread, Little Debbie Zebra Cakes. (It seems wherever I reached out my hand in the damn near magical Holden house, I’d come back with a Zebra Cake in hand!) The cast is a hoot, each bringing stereotypical elements out of their character to garner laughter. The play overall feels like a sitcom, and so the characters need to be somewhat larger than life to properly fit into it.

The Holdens represent plain simple folk who understand the magnificent beast nature can be. Having lived through Fran and Floyd, they will not be caught with their pants down by Florence. Ron Hasson and Paula Davis are adorable as the aged couple who have seen the highs and lows and still are in love at the end the day. Hasson brings an earnest nature to Tweeter (we got some strange names here in the South), a man who will do what’s right by his friends, family and even his annoying Yankee neighbors.

Hasson takes the role and makes it the person you want leading your neighborhood watch. Now, his wife Kimmy-Sue is a Lordloving Republican—a good ol’ girl who will let her opinion fly, even if it is just gossip.

Davis is a pure joy in the role and will bring to mind anyone’s Southern-bred mother, sister, grandma, family friend.

best comedic beats and shows off more perfect chemistry.

Making up the ensemble is Kent West and Lynette O’Callaghan, who run the gambit of roles. From radio host to TV anchors, all the way to a Superman suited linemen, they nail it. (And let’s be honest: After a hurricane, linemen are the real heroes.)

Per usual a three-course meal is served with the show, setting up TheatreNOW’s awesome one-two punch for date night. For this production Chef Denise Gordon provides solid, well-balanced selections. Starting the meal is a hurricane salad, topped with fresh fruit and served with a rum pineapple-mango vinaigrette. While salad is refreshing on these hot days, I’ve never be a fan of pineapple, so the vinaigrette did little for me but I can say it did have a nice zest.

The main course is an option of countryfried meatloaf served with mashed potatoes and gravy—my personal favorite, as it’s wonderfully crispy—fresh fish of the day (the op-

tion changes weekly) baked in a mild Habanero honey-mustard sauce and topped with pineapple-mango salsa and served with rice pilaf, and mac-n-cheese four ways. I found the fish to be somewhat bland, and also the mac-n-cheese. But I’ll take the hit on the latter; I’m the one person who just doesn’t like mac-n-cheese.

Each month TheatreNOW brings a new show to the Wilmington stage. It’s a quick turnaround, which is very impressive to pull off. Take advantage of the laughs in “A Cat 5 Comedy” before the headaches begin from the new hurricane season.

DETAILS:

This Hurricane Blows: A Cat 5 Comedy

Through June 29, Fr. and Sat. only Doors at 6 p.m.

Tickets: $22-$52 Theatre NOW, 19 S. 10th St. theatrewilmington.com

Standing on the complete opposite side on the cultural coin are the D’Milos’ Anthony and Sophia. Two displaced Yankees have migrated down to Wilmington for the warm weather. Renton does a solid job bringing that New Jersey bravado to the role of Anthony; though, at times he seems as if he is searching for the next stone to step on with the plot. Lupin Byers impresses yet again with her turn as the prim and pampered Sophia, bringing to mind one of the many “Housewives of Whatever County” and giving Marisa Tomei a run for her money on nailing the Jersey accent.

Wilmington theatre legend Michelle Reiff lives up to her well-honed craft as the live-in mother of Anthony who hasn’t quite figured out how to cut the cord. The bitter rivalry she has with Byers’ Sophia provides some of the

encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com 29

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ARTS>>FILM

ONE STRAW AT A TIME:

How local filmmaker Linda Booker uses art to impact the environment

L

to make money. And that’s OK—because if it serves the greater good of replacing all the single-use plastic, that’s amazing.”

BY: MARY HULL

iving in such close proximity to the beach, it is almost impossible to ignore the impact of pollution on our environment. Whether it’s seeing plastic washing up on our shores, or clicking on the most recent viral video of an animal consuming trash unnatural to its habitat, many of us are left wondering: What could I possibly do? The 2017 documentary, “STRAWS,” provides answers to the very question.

Booker’s main goal for the future is to bring her film and her message to all of North Carolina. She wants to see more outreach programming locally. “I would love to see Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach be a leader and show the example for other North Carolina cities,” she tells.

Sitting down with director, producer, editor and writer Linda Booker, she refers to herself as a “nature kid,” always curious about the environment. According to Booker, seeing nature so disrespected OUTREACH AT THE BEACH: Children across the country have been inspired to clean up beaches through inspired her to take action. While the na- The Last Plastic Straw campaign. Courtesy photo tional conversation surrounding plastic focused more on bottles and bags, smaller it with less urgency. Nonetheless, proximity this issue right now, to try to come up with objects, like straws, started appearing in to the sea does not mean all people aren’t solutions,” she says. “Look at all the different the nostrils of turtles. straws coming onto the market right now. affected by polluting plastic straws.

Also, realistically, people see an opportunity Booker began her research and found “I think it might take a little bit more work Jackie Nunez, founder of The Last Plastic on connecting the dots,” she says, “but alStraw campaign. Nunez’s initiative to seek most everybody lives near water of some out more sustainable materials for straws kind, whether it’s a creek in their neighsparked a global movement. In the film, borhood, or they live near a river or lake. I Booker highlights Nunez’s efforts to en- mean, those are everywhere—it’s not just courage restaurant and bar owners to do coastal areas.” their part in protecting the environment.

In other words, the audience for this She encourages people to speak up and film is widespread. Any and everyone ask local business owners to stop purchasfrom school children in Dallas to college ing plastic straws. students at Appalachian State University “I think it’s always better if it comes from a in Boone, North Carolina, have been imcustomer, honestly,” she says. “In general, pacted by the message of the film. In fact, I think the restaurant and hospitality indus- after a screening at Appalachian State try has been pretty open to the change.”

University, plastic straw usage on campus In the film Booker highlights efforts both decreased by 444,000 in 2018. locally and abroad. Right here on the Cape Today, Booker and her team are working Fear, numerous restaurants and bars have to expand the STRAWS in Schools Impact made the change to only give out straws Campaign to students in grades 5 through by request, such as The Blockade Run- 12 through STEM and STEAM programs. ner Beach Resort in Wrightsville Beach, “There’s sort of this domino effect,” she which appears in the documentary. Some tells, “then that helps them reduce all their have switched to paper straws, while oth- plastic in their household and community. ers have gone as far as not offering them It’s really inspiring.” at all. Internationally, in places like Costa Booker’s advice to anyone who has a Rica, activists like Max Machum—who defeated attitude to sustainability: Start was only 11 years old during the filming of “STRAWS”—have successfully convinced small. Of course, her recommendation is small businesses to switch to stainless to begin with straws, even if it means toting reusable bottle to drink out of instead of steel straws. using a plastic bottle, or bringing environEveryday it is estimated that 500,000,000 mentally friendly bags to the grocery store. plastic straws are used once and trashed. Every choice matters.

Although we who live on the coast may pri“There are so many people working on oritize the issue, folks more inland may view

“STRAWS” has a run time of just over 30 minutes and can be found at www. strawsfilm.com. Additionally, contributions to the STRAWS in Schools Impact Campaign can be made through The Southern Documentary Fund.

DETAILS: STRAWS

Available for download for educational and community use www.strawsfilm.com

encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com 31

LITTLE MISS

SUNSHINE

a family on the verge of a breakdown

June 20-30, 2019 Thurs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sat 7:30 pm | Sun Matinees 3:00 pm Erin E. McNeill Fine Arts Center at Cape Fear Academy 3900 South College Road Doors opens one hour before the show.

32 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com

TICKETS $17 - $25 BOX OFFICE 910-251-1788

*Suggested for Mature Audiences

thalian org

REEL TO REEL

ARTS>>FILM

A MUSICAL FANTASY:

films this week CINEMATIQUE

‘Rocketman’ takes on the biopic of Sir Elton John

E

than Rami Malek’s attempt at Freddie Mercury. His performance, like the movie, is over indulgent. There are large musical numbers removed from reality.

Greenscreen, seizureinducing stagings that never really strike the right chords.

BY: ANGHUS

ver watched a movie and struggled to figure out whether or not you liked it? It’s not something that happens often to someone in my line of work. Most times I walk out of the theater with a pretty clear sense of whether or not I found the previous two hours to be worthwhile.

Sometimes a movie will linger beyond the time spent at the cinema, like “The Long Shot”—which continued to make me angry days after enduring its flatulent stench.

The new Elton John sort-of biopic “Rocketman” has left me in a strange state: not one of strong love or hate but a kind of cinematic question mark.

Musical biopics are frequently the least inventive genre of film. Last year’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” was an exceptional performance by Rami Malek, wrapped up in a burrito of bland, featuring every cinematic trope topping imaginable. There’s so little joy in musical biopics because it covers familiar territory. We get a brief origin story, followed by a half dozen or so dramatic moments that tell us small bits about how a performer’s greatest songs came to life.

There isn’t a musical biopic in the last 10 years that hasn’t made me think of the comedy “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.” A satire so biting it has taken a chunk of every musical biopic I have seen since.

“Rocketman” does take the genre into challenging new areas. Instead of traditional over-dramatized story, we get a kind of musical melange of Elton’s life through his own music. Not his entire life, mind you; pretty much his formative years through his attempt at sobriety after nearly ending his life to a handful of oppressive dependencies that nearly destroyed him. Elton (Taron Egerton) navigates through many melodramatic moments of Elton John’s life and at times break into song when a moment in the movie matches the lyrics of one of his massive, chart-topping hits.

Thalian Hall • 310 Chestnut Dr. Tickets: $8 • thalianhall.org

TINY DANCER: Taron Egerton as Elton John in the musical fantasy “Rocketman” brings to life the megastar’s story in a way that feels akin to a Broadway musical. Photo courtesy of Marv Films

ing partner Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell).

They have the kind of creative synergy few people in the world are able to achieve. After penning a few songs, Elton is whisked off to Los Angeles where he is quickly deemed “the next big thing.” What follows is a decade of bad habits and even worse relationships. Elton is running away so hard from who he was, he doesn’t take time to figure out who he wants to be.

Then he cut his brother in half with a machete ... wait, that was Dewey Cox. What separates “Rocketman” from other musical biopics are the large-scale songand-dance numbers that feel like something out of a Broadway musical. In fact, the entire movie feels like it was a longrunning Broadway jukebox musical before becoming a film. I’m guessing at some point, it’s going to make that transition.

Liking the film comes down to two things: First, how much do you love Elton John’s music? It’s a trick question because most of the musical numbers feel like incomplete pieces of famous Elton John songs, and much of the time with changed arrangements. I admire the filmmakers for taking some creative liberties with the material, as well as Taron Egerton who sings every song. But at times I basically was hearing restaged karaoke versions of great songs rather than the real thing.

Like Dewey Cox, Elton John had some issues with his parents: an unemotional prick of a father and a mother who struggled to deal with the inconveniences of being a mom. And like Dewey Cox, Elton decides the only way to find any sense of worth is to become a super rich megastar.

Number two: How much you like seeSurely all that success will bring him happiing Taron Egerton’s face? Half the movie ness! When that doesn’t work, he turns to is spent in close-up on the same undulatsex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. ing expressions. Edgerton really does go We meet a variety of important people for broke in his portrayal of Elton John, in Elton’s life, most notably his songwrit- but it feels a thousand times less nuanced

May 22, 7 p.m., with additional showing at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. “Gloria Bell” is a freespirited divorcée who spends her days at a straight-laced office job and her nights on the dance floor, joyfully letting loose at clubs around Los Angeles. After meeting Arnold (John Turturro) on a night out, she finds herself thrust into an unexpected new romance, filled with both the joys of budding love and the complications of dating, identity, and family.

There are elements of “Rocketman” I admire. The film feels a little more fresh than the typical biopic, but there’s some cringe-worthy scene-staging and a rehab-framing device that ends up venturing into unintentional hilarity as the filmmakers try to wrap up this portion of Elton’s life.

I still don’t know if I liked “Rocketman,” but I certainly didn’t hate it. Some people may enjoy this kind of sugar-coated confection. Others may find it a little too sleight and sweet for their taste.

DETAILS:

May 27-29, 7 p.m., with additional showing at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. “The Mustang” follows Roman (Matthias Schoenaerts), a convict in a rural Nevada prison who struggles to escape his violent past. He is required to par-

Rocketman

ticipate in an “outdoor maintenance” program as part of his state-mandated social rehabilitation. Spotted by a no-nonsense veteran trainer

Rated R Directed by Dexter Fletcher Starring Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden

(Bruce Dern) and helped by an outgoing fellow inmate and trick rider (Jason Mitchell), Roman is accepted into the selective wild horse training section of the program, where he finds his own humanity in gentling an especially unbreakable mustang.

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SOUTHEASTERN NC’S PREMIER DINING GUIDE

GRUB & GUZZLE

_

PINE VALLEY MARKET — Courtesy photo WINNER BEST OF 2019: BEST GOURMET SHOP, RUNNER-UP: BEST CATERING AND HOMEMADE SOUP

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

CAM CAFÉ CAM Café, located within the CAM delivers delightful surprises using fresh, local ingredients. The café serves lunch with seasonal options Tuesday through Saturday, inspired “small plates” on Thursday nights, an elegant yet approachable dinner on Thursday and brunch every Sunday. Look for a combination of fresh, regular menu items along with daily specials. As part of dining in an inspiring setting, the galleries are open during CAM Café hours which makes it the perfect destination to enjoy art of the plate along with the art of the museum. 3201 S 17th St. (910) 777-2363.

■ SERVING LUNCH, BRUNCH & DINNER: Hours: Tuesday - Sunday 10am - 2 pm; Thursday evening, 5pm-9pm ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Midtown ■ WEBSITE: camcafe.org ELIJAH’S Since 1984, Elijah’s has been Wilmington, NC’s outdoor dining destination. We feature expansive indoor and outdoor waterfront din-

34 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com

ing, with panoramic views of riverfront sunsets. 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 HENRY’S A local favorite, Henry’s is the ‘place to be’ for great food, a lively bar and awesome patio dining. Henry’s serves up American cuisine at its finest that include entrees with fresh, local ingredients. Come early for lunch, because it’s going to be packed. Dinner too! Henry’s Pine Room is ideal for private functions up to

30 people. 2508 Independence Boulevard, Wilmington, NC. (910) 793.2929.

SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Sun. - Mon. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Tues.- Fri.: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Sat.: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Midtown ■ FEATURING: Daily blackboard specials.

■ WEBSITE: henrysrestaurant.com NICHE Niche Kitchen and Bar features an eclectic menu, a large wine list, and a warm and inviting atmosphere. Close to Carolina Beach, Niche has a great selection of dishes from land to sea. All dishes are cooked to order, and Sundays features a great brunch menu!

Niche’s heated covered patio is perfect for anytime of the year and great for large parties. And their bar has a great assortment of wines, even offered half off by the glass on Tuesdays-Thursdays. Open Tues. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Reservations are encouraged and can be made by calling 910-399-4701.

■ OPEN LUNCH AND DINNER: Tues.-Sun., 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: South Wilmington ■ WEBSITE: nichewilmington.com 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 ambience of the market. Using the freshest ingredients 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 Hotdogs 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 offer-

ings 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) 256-3921 Southport (910) 457-7017 Boone, NC (828) 265-2658 Chapel Hill, NC (919) 240-4206 ■ WEBSITE: trollystophotdogs.com

ASIAN CANDLE NUT RESTAURANT Candle Nut Restaurant makes all of its food from scratch using recipes passed down generations following Indonesian-Asian traditions. We use fresh turmeric, galangal, ginger, candle nuts, lemon grass and lime leaves to provide your meal with rich flavor.

Many of our famous signature dishes such as Beef Rendang, Sweet Soy Eggplant, Javanese Chicken Soup and Chili Sambals, are unique in flavor and found only at Candle Nut Restaurant. We also offer delicious Vegetarian and Vegan options. Check our website, Facebook and other social media sites. Located at 2101-1 Market Street, near Port City Java and Burnt Mill Creek Bar. For reservations, and take out: Phone: 910-399-2054 ■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Tues.-Thurs.

11am-3 pm, 5pm- 9 pm; Fri. & Sat. 11am10pm; Sun. 11am-9 pm. Closed Monday.

■ FEATURING: Try our lunch specials from 11am – 3 pm for $7.99. Tuesday & Wednesday unwind with our wine special for $4.00/ glass.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Midtown ■ WEBSITE: candlenutrestaurant.com INDOCHINE RESTAURANT & LOUNGE 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 min-

utes 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 finest 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., 11am2:30pm / 4pm-11pm; Sat., 11am-11pm; Sun., 11am-9:30pm ■ 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

THANK YOU WILMINGTON! Great Burgers and Hand-cut Fries

Established 1990

Voted “Best Burger” and “Best Fries” 6 Locations in the Cape Fear

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■ 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 - 80s music and menu prices.

Sundays are the best deal downtown - Specialty Sushi and Entrees are Buy One, 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.

YOSHI Yoshi Sushi Bar and Japanese Cuisine offers something the greater Wilmington area has never seen before. We are seeking to bring true New York Style Sushi to Wilmington, with classic sushi and sashimi, as well as traditional rolls and some unique Yoshi Creations. We offer a variety of items, including Poke Bowls and Hibachi - and we also are introducing true Japanese Ramen Bowls! Come try it today!

260 Racine Dr, Wilmington 28403 (910)7996799 ■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Sun. 12pm11pm, Mon.-Thurs. 11am-10pm, Fri.-Sat. 11am11pm ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Midtown ■ WEBSITE: www.yoshisushibarandjapanesecuisine.com

BAGELS ROUND BAGELS AND DONUT 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.

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

DINNER THEATRE THEATRENOW TheatreNOW is a performing arts complex that features weekend dinner theater, an award-winning weekly kids variety show, monthly Sunday Jazz Brunches, movie, comedy and live music events. Award-winning chef, Denise Gordon, and a fabulous service staff pair scrumptious multi-course themed meals and cocktails with our dinner shows in a theatre-themed venue. Dinner theater at its best! Reservations highly suggested. 19 S. 10th Street (910) 399.3NOW (3669). Hours vary.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown Wilmington ■ FEATURING: Dinner shows, jazz brunches, ■ WEBSITE: theatrewilmington.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 7 days/week seasonally, May-October ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown ■ FEATURING: Tasting menu every Tues. with small plates from $1-$4; Ladies Night every Wed; $27 4-course prix fixe menu on Thurs.; “Date night menu,” $65/couple with beer and wine tasting every Fri. and half-price bottles of wine on Sun. ■ MUSIC: Tuesdays on the deck, 7 – 9p.m., May-Oct ■ WEBSITE: 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/ Downtown South ■ 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, fullservice 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.

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 ■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: Sun.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 SLICE OF LIFE “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) 2519444, 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) 799-1399.

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

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Midtown,

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

small plates

large selection of specialty cheese & charcuterie

Downtown and Wilmington South.

■ FEATURING: Largest tequila selection in town!

■ WEBSITE: grabslice.com

MEXICAN 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

29 S. FRONT ST. (910) 399-4292 FREE WINE TASTING TUESDAYS, 6-8PM @THEFORTUNATEGLASS

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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, 910-6811140. Waterford: 143 Poole Rd., Leland, NC 28451 ■ SERVING LUNCH AND DINNER: 11:30am4pm 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

MOCHA FREEZE A handcrafted drink made with Ghirardelli chocolate, cream and fresh espresso shots.

Blended and topped with homemade whip cream.

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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, 910799-3847.

■ 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 for lunch and dinner, 7 days a week. (910) 7622827.

■ SERVING LUNCH & DINNER: 7 days a week.

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

■ WEBSITE: dockstreetoysterbar.net MICHAEL’S SEAFOOD’S 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 seafood and more!

■ WEBSITE: MikesCfood.com OCEANIC Voted best seafood restaurant in Wilmington, Oceanic provides oceanfront dining at its best.

Located in Wrightsville Beach, Oceanic is one of the most visited restaurants on the beach.

Choose from a selection of seafood platters, combination plates and daily fresh fish. For land lovers, try their steaks, chicken or pasta dishes. Relax on the pier or dine inside. Oceanic is also the perfect location for memorable events, such as wedding ceremonies & receptions, birthday gatherings, anniversary parties and more. Large groups welcome. Private event space available. 703 S. Lumina Avenue, Wrightsville Beach. (910) 256.5551.

■ SERVING LUNCH, DINNER & SUNDAY BRUNCH: Mon – Sat 11am – 11pm, Sunday 10am – 10pm ■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Wrightsville Beach ■ FEATURING: Dine on renovated Crystal Pier.

■ WEBSITE: OceanicRestaurant.com THE PILOT HOUSE The Pilot House Restaurant is Wilmington’s 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 appetiz-

ers 7 days a week and live music every Friday and Saturday nigh on our umbrella deck.

Large parties welcome. Private event space available. 910-343-0200 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 ■ 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

RX RESTAURANT & BAR Located in downtown Wilmington, Rx 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

SPORTS BAR CAROLINA ALE HOUSE Voted best new restaurant AND best sports bar of 2010 in Wilmington, Carolina Ale House is the place to be for award-winning food, sports and fun. Located on College Rd. near UNC W, this lively sports-themed restaurant.

Covered and open outdoor seating is available. Lunch and dinner specials are offered daily, as well as the coldest $2 and $3 drafts in town. 317 S. College Rd. (910) 791.9393.

■ SERVING LUNCH, DINNER & LATE NIGHT: 11am-2am daily.

■ NEIGHBORHOOD: Midtown ■ FEATURING: 40 HD TVs and the biggest HD projector TVs in Wilmington.

■ WEBSITE: CarolinaAleHouse.com

TAPAS/WINE BAR THE FORTUNATE GLASS WINE BAR Now 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 p.m. - 10 p.m.

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

! s l a e d .com

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 Monday and Tuesdays.

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

■ WEBSITE: caseysbuffet.com

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

16 Cold Draft Beers

40 encore | may 29 - june 4, 2019 | www.encorepub.com

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Fresh From the Farm The Riverfront Farmers Market is a curbside market featuring local farmers, producers, artists & crafters.

Downtown Wilmington’s Riverfront Farmers Market NEW N O LOCATI

DOWNTOWN (Dock St., on the block between Front and 2nd Streets) Each Saturday

March 23rd - November 24th • 8:00am - 1:00pm (no market Apr. 6 & Oct. 5)

DISCOVER NEW MUSIC AT 98.3 THE PENGUIN

Thank you encore readers for voting for The Penguin!

BEST RADIO STATION BEST MORNING SHOW: THE MORNING CHILL BEST LARGE MUSIC VENUE: GREENFIELD LAKE AMPHITHEATER

- FRUITS - VEGETABLES - PLANTS - HERBS

- FLOWERS - EGGS - CHEESES - WINE

- PICKLES - KOMBUCHA - ART & CRAFTS

For more information: www.riverfrontfarmersmarket.org

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- MEATS - SEAFOOD - HONEY - BAKED GOODS

BEST WEBSITE: PORTCITYDAILY.COM

RUNNERS UP BEST RADIO PERSONALITY ERIC MILLER

BEST RADIO PERSONALITY BEAU GUNN

We couldn’t be more grateful and feel so lucky to get to be the different kind of bird we are.

Thanks for the love!

WWW.983THEPENGUIN.COM

Join The n Rebellio Today ALLEY PATIO BAR IS OPEN! Live music every Thursday 7pm-10 pm and Saturday 6pm-9pm

s ’ n o t g n Wilmist salon! newe

Bridal parties & special occasions welcomed Appointments preferred, walk-ins welcomed Complimentary wine with services Book online today with Booksy!

• American comfort food, with a Southern twist • Handpicked bourbons and whiskeys • House-made barrel-aged cocktails • Excellent wine selection • 34 beers on draft Mon. 4pm-12am • Tues.-Thurs. 11:30am-12am Fri. & Sat. 11:30am-1am • Sun. 11:30am-12am

15 S. Front St. 910-399-1162 www.rebellionnc.com

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HAPPENINGS & EVENTS ACROSS WILMINGTON

TO-DO CALENDAR

events

ORANGE STREET ARTS FEST May 24-26,10am: 24th Annual Orange Street ArtsFest takes place between Front and 3rd Streets adjacent to the Community Arts Center in downtown Wilmington, NC. The event is the largest arts festival in the Port City and features more than 80 artists and $550 in prize money. The event also includes live entertainment and a variety of food, plus hourly music, dance and theater performances. Saturday, 10am to 6pm; Sunday, 10am to 5pm. www.thalian.org, (910) 251-1788. Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center, 120 S. 2nd St. SUN COAST CRUISERS’ BACK TO THE BEACH June 1, Car and truck show, rain or shine. Free to spectators. $20 registration from 8-11; awards, 3pm. Dash plaques for first 100, awards for 1987 and earlier top 30 plus many outstanding 1988 to 2009 top 10 plus many outstanding 2010 to Present, plus many outstanding. Butch Lane Award for Top Rat Rod, recognition of Survivor cars. 910616-7103. Vendors, food trucks, no alcohol, no pets. Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area, 4845, 1000 Loggerhead Rd.

charity/fundraisers

NEW VOLUNTEER OPEN HOUSE May 24, noon: Looking for volunteer opportunities? The Bellamy Mansion Museum is looking for docents. If you want to be part of our team and give tours please join us on Friday, May 24 at noon – 503 Market Street –to hear from our current volunteers and see how you can get involved.

For more information, please call Carolyn at (910) 251-3700 x306. Bellamy Mansion, 503 Market St. WARM RAISE THE ROOF GALA May 31, 7pm: 9th annual WARM Raise the Roof Gala & Auction, Anchors Away Soirée will take place Friday, May 31st, at the Holiday Inn Resort in Wrightsville Beach. Guests will enjoy live and silent auctions, coastal themed cuisine, open beer and wine, and dancing the night away to Port City Shakedown. Jon Evans, from WECT, will emcee the evening in support of long-term Hurricane Florence recovery and safer homes. Holiday Inn Resort, 1706 North Lumina Ave. 1 MILLION STEPS FOR OCD June 2, 9am: The 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk is an annual grassroots-awareness building and fundraising event to support the work of International

Two Picky Guys; 7/25 - Folkstone Stringband; 8/1 OCD Foundation (IOCDF), while also increasing - Selah Dubb; 8/8 - Justin Cody Foxx; 8/15 - Dos awareness about OCD and related disorders.

Eddies; 8/22 - Crystal Fussell; 8/29 - Desperado Join clinical psychologist, Dr. Christopher Savard, Duo; 9/5 - Access 29; 9/12 - Cross Creek Band; on June 2nd at Hugh MacRea Park. Check-in at 9/19 - The Casserole; 9/26 - Signal Fire Acoustic.

8:30am by the pavilion at the pond and hear openThe Sailfish, 2570 Scotts Hill Loop Rd. ing remarks by Dr. Savard at 9am before starting the walk. No matter how OCD affects your life, LIVE@ THE PARK: PAINTED MAN when you walk for OCD, you join a community of May 30, 6:30pm: Concert series and be prepared thousands acreosss the country - and the world to dance! Bring a blanket or a lawn chair, bever- who are fighting back against stigma and supages and your friends and family! Local food truck porting each other. Hugh MacRae Park, 314 Pine Bill’s Front Porch will be on site selling food! Leland Grove Dr. Municipal Park, 113 Town Hall Dr. BLUEGRASS, BREWS AND BARBECUE CAROLINA BEACH MUSIC FESTIVAL June 2, noon: Wilmington Cooperative School’s June 1, Band of Oz, 11am-12:30pm; 1-2:30pm, 4th Annual Bluegrass, Brews, and BBQ Fundraiser Black Water Rythm & Blues Band, 3-4pm, Jim features music from Eric Miller and Joel Lamb! This Quick and Coastline. Shaggers of all ages can event will also includes pork BBQ from locally owed enjoy a day of live entertainment with the hottest Patch Farmstead and a silent auction packed full of beach music bands in the South. All three bands amazing local businesses! All proceeds go directly offer that laid-back style of rhythm and blues with to the school! Monetary donation requested. Goat deep roots in the Carolina Coast. The gates will & Compass, 710 N. Fourth St. open at 10am with the first band hitting the stage

music OPEN-MIC AT TIDAL CREEK Comedians, singers, songwriters, poets, yodelers!

Come out the co-op on Wednesday night & show us what you got! Free coffee

at 11 am. Followfacebook.com/carolinabeachmusicfestival to keep up with the latest breaking news. Be sure to bring your own chairs, towels and SPF50 as well as your coolers; no glass, no pets, and no refunds. Bring an Anhauser Busch product (no glass please) and register to win some Budweiser swag. Carolina Beach Municipal Strand at the Boardwalk, 3 Cape Fear Blvd.

SUNSET MUSIC CRUISE Fri., 6:30pm: Looking for something differ- WSO MASTERWORKS CONCERT June 2, 5pm: Strings and Harp; sponsored by ent to do? Look no further! Come aboard Cambridge Village. Lilac 94, harp duo. Concert The Wilmington, our comfortable catamafeatures Lilac 94, an exciting young harp duo, in ran, for a fun cruise down the Cape Fear Karl Jenkins’ Over the Stone, plus Rachmaninov’s River as we cruise into the sunset. Grab hyper-romantic Symphony No. 2. New date due to a tasty cocktail or drink from our full bar the hurricane postponement. Tickets for this perand sit back and relax as you listen to live formance range $17 – $47 + fees and sales tax. music from local musicians. This is a oneWilson Center, 703 North Third St. of-a-kind music venue in Wilmington and this cruise is one of our most popular ex- CAPE FEAR CHORALE AUDITIONS cursions, so be sure to book early! WilmJune 3, 8am: Auditions for Fall 2019 will be held by ington Water Tours, 212 Water St. appointment throughout the day on Monday, June 3, 2019. To make an appointment, please downKURE BEACH BOOGIE IN THE PARK load and complete this form and email it to direcEvery 1st & 3rd Sunday, through Oct 20, tor@capefearchorale.org. Currently in its twentieth 5pm-7pm, skips Labor Day weekend. year, Cape Fear Chorale is under the direction of A free concert series at Kure Beach’s Jerry S. Cribbs, founder, Artistic Director and ConOcean Front Park. Bring your beach chair ductor. All members are volunteers and the group or blanket, friends, family, and neighbors is comprised of 60-75 auditioned singers each and enjoy the music! May 5, 5pm-7pm, semester. www.capefearchorale.org/audition/auwill be featuring the Wilmington Big Band dition.html bringing timeless standards and hip pop music! Purchase your Boogie in the Park gear at the link provided. https://shop. spreadshirt.com/tokb. Ocean Front Park, 105 Atlantic Ave. PLANETARIUM: WE CHOOSE SPACE May 30, 6pm: Astronauts Scott Parazinsky, Tom LIVE ON THE LOOP! Jones, Gene Cernan and veteran space reporter Live On The Loop is back for our 2019 Walter Cronkite are your tour guides on this adSeason! Beginning on May 2nd, enjoy venture to the International Space Station and to live music with us every Thursday from the past and future moon. Includes fulldome im6-9pm at The Sailfish! Experience some agery using our fisheye lens on the ISS! Fulldome of Wilmington’s best local artists with drink film from Huston Museum of Natural Science. (24 specials and delicious food options! 5/30 minutes). Free. Cape Fear Museum, 814 Market St. - Jayke Steel; 6/6 - Randy McQuay; 6/13 - Striking Copper; 6/20 - Exacta Duo; 6/27 POP-UP CINEMA - Elliott Smith; 7/11 - L-Shape Lot; 7/18 June 1, 8pm: Pop-Up Cinema is a free, outdoor

film

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screening series bringing family-friendly and educational films to parks and parking lots across southeastern North Carolina. Bring the family out for an evening picnic and a special screening of The Incredibles 2! Leland Municipal Park, 113 Town Hall Dr.

theatre/auditions SHAKESPEARE BRUNCH TheatreNOW hosts monthly Shakespeare brunch, abridged readings of one of the Bard’s classic plays. Reserved seating. Doors open at 11:30am. $5 of every ticket sold will go to a local Shakespeare educational outreach program. Brunch & dessert with choice of entrée included in ticket.

June 16: “Hamlet”; June 21: “Midsummer Night’s Dream”; Aug. 18: “Romeo & Juliet”; Sept. 22: “Two Gentleman of Verona”; Oct. 27: “Richard III”; Nov. 17: “Winter’s Tale.” TheatreNOW, 19 S. 10th St. HOW I LEARNED WHAT I LEARNED May-30-June 2, & 6-9, 8pm, Thursday-Saturday; 3pm Sundays. From Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson comes a one-man show that chronicles his life as a Black artist in the Hill District in Pittsburgh. From stories about his first jobs to his first loves and his experiences with racism, Wilson recounts his life from his roots to the completion of The American Century Cycle. “How I Learned What I Learned” gives an inside look into one of the most celebrated playwriting voices of the twentieth century. Performance dates: Tickets are $18 Thursdays, $22 seniors/students/military, $25 general admission and can be purchased by calling 910-367-5237 or visiting www.bigdawgproductions.org. Cape Fear Playhouse, 613 Castle St. THIS HURRICANE BLOWS: A CAT 5 COMEDY Through June 29, 2019, Fri &Sat at 7pm. Written

by Celia Rivenbark and Kevin Parker and directed

by James Bowling. Dinner and show, $48 ($10 off opening weekend); show only tickets, $22-$27.

The South’s sassiest playwright and her hilarious muse are back with this original, timely show about a Southern couple with Northern neighbors that must endure an insanely long hurricane together. theatrewilmington.com. TheatreNOW, 19 S. 10th St. THE LIGHTNING THIEF June 4, 7:30pm: The Percy Jackson Musical is “worthy of the gods!” (Time Out New York). The Greek gods are real, and they’re ruining Percy Jackson’s life. As a son of Poseidon, Percy has newly discovered powers he can’t control, monsters on his trail, and he is on an epic quest to find Zeus’s lightning bolt and prevent a war between the gods. Normal is a myth when you’re a demigod. This “winning adaptation” (The Hollywood Reporter) of the best-selling Disney-Hyperion novel by Rick Riordan is “electrifying!” (Newsday).

Featuring a “fast-paced, decibel-blasting” score (The Broadway Blog), this musical is “mesmerizing” and proves “lightning can strike twice!” (TheaterMania). Tickets at capefearstage.com. Wilson Center, 703 N. 3rd St.

art MEET LOCAL ARTISTS Meet working artists, and see works in progress.

Everything from sculptures to fine jewelry in this unique location. Free parking, fun for everyone.

Over 45 artist’s works to enjoy. Free, and we participate in the 4th Friday Art Walks, 6-9pm, 4th Fri. ea. mo. theArtWorks, 200 Willard St. FOURTH FRIDAY GALLERY NIGHT Fourth Friday Gallery Nights, Wilmington’s premier after-hours celebration of art and culture, 6-9pm,

fourth Fri. ea. month. Art openings, artist demonstrations, entertainment and refreshments. Administered by the Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County, numerous venues participate. artscouncilofwilmington.org TINY WORLDS Chelsea Lea’s “Tiny Worlds” on display at Waterline Brewery. Body of work explores imaginary places made inside cigar boxes. Larger than life sculptures surround these miniature dioramas. www.ChelseaLeaMetals.com. 721 Surry St. BRAYERS, BRUSHES & COLOR PENCILS New exhibit of printmaking and drawings by artist David Norris, presented by Art in Bloom in partnership with Checker Cab productions at Platypus and Gnome. David (BFA from ECUs’ School of Art) has begun a series of monoprints that combine printing techniques with color pencils and lithograph crayons. They build on and compliment a long-standing series of regional cityscapes and landscapes done in watercolor and color pencil. He also works in other media ranging from black and white pen drawings to silverpoint, scrimshaw, linoleum block prints, collage. 910-769-9300 for dinner reservations.

Platypus & Gnome, 9 S. Front St. EPHEMERIDES Heather Divoky’s work is at 24 South Coffeehouse through May 31. The show is titled ‘Ephemerides’ and will feature all new work in marker, ink, and wire. Divoky’s newest body of work is an exploration between the scientific and the fantastical. Astrology and astronomy were once two sides of the same coin. Heather’s work tries to bring them back together. Ephemerides were books used to track celestial bodies in both disciplines. By focusing on the 12 Zodiacs, Heather offers a perspective on what the signs really mean—if they really mean anything at all. 24 S. Coffee House, 24 S Front St.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER Through June 9: Art at the Bellamy Mansion Museum featuring original photography by Jeffrey P Karnes. Light refreshments available. Carolyn Gonzalez at 910-251-3700 x 306. cgonzalez@ bellamymansion.org. Bellamy Mansion, 503 Market St. FREE ART DEMO Pop-up art exhibit with David A. Norris, whoselatest series combines monoprinting techniques along with colored pencils and lithograph crayons. In addition to the work displayed at Art in Bloom Gallery, David’s current exhibit, “Brayers, Brushes, and Color Pencils by David Norris,” is on display at Platypus & Gnome Restaurant through June 3. Art in Bloom Gallery, 210 Princess St. FLEUR ESSENCE Shows through June 17 and is available to view through the artists upon request. For information on artists and their works www.diverseworksilm. com. ACME Art Studios, 711 N. 5th St.

dance CAPE FEAR CONTRA DANCERS Come on out for two hours of energetic, contemporary American country dancing with live music.

Dress cool & comfortable, soft-soled shoes. All ages. 2nd/4th Tues, 7:30pm. United Methodist, 409 S. 5th Ave. BABS MCDANCE Group classes for all levels are designed for beginner, intermediate, and advanced dancers! We will begin the class with the basics and instruct you through a few exciting dance moves! Mon., 7pm: International Rumba Class • Mon., 8pm: Argentine Tango • Tues., 7pm, West Coast Swing; 8pm, East Coast Swing. • Wed., 7pm, Bachata;

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8pm, Hustle • Thurs., 7pm: Shag Level 1; 8pm, Shag Levels 2 and 3. All classes are $10 per person, $15 per couple, $5 for military/students with ID. $5. Babs McDance Social Dance Club & Ballroom, 6782 Market St. CONTRA DANCE Join us for our Tuesday night dance. Community Social Dancing - all ages welcome for energetic, fun dancing to live music. Come solo or with a friend - if you can smile, walk and know left from right, you can contra dance! Year round, every 2nd and 4th Tuesday. 5th Ave United Methodist Church, 409 S 5th Ave. GLOW DANCE PARTY June 1, 6:30pm: Wear bright white or neon colors.

GLOW Dance Fitness Party! Supportive shoes required. 31 Fitness, 4209 Oleander Dr., Ste. 8 USO DANCE: THE SWING SHIFTERS June 1, 7pm: (Swing) Dance the night away with The Swing Shifters, Wilmington’s very own gypsy jazz band! 1-hour beginner lesson starts at 7:00, followed by live music and dancing from 8-10:30.

No partner required! Presented by Cape Fear Swing Dance Society in partnership with the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center. $10. A portion of all proceeds benefit the Hannah Block Historic USO Building Preservation Fund.

Through community classes, performances, and available rehearsal space, the building fosters Wilmington’s rich local culture in the hope that the Historic USO will continue to be an active landmark in our community. www.capefearswing.org/ capefearswing@gmail.com. Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center, 120 S. 2nd St.

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. ILM, (910) 763-2223 daily after 3pm for details. www.jugglinggypsy.com.

GRUFF GOAT COMEDY First Wed. ea. month, Gruff Goat Comedy features Three Guest Comics Under a Bridge. No Trolls.

Waterline Brewing Company, 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 show at Lucky Joe Craft Coffee on College Road presented by Regretful Villains. The show features a new style of standup called Speed Joking. Come enjoy a night of laughs! 1414 S College Rd. LIVE RIFFING AND VINTAGE TV Every Wed. join Dead Crow Comedy for improv night. Join local comedians for a TV party at Dead Crow! An interactive improvised comedy show.

265 N. Front St. DAREDEVIL IMPROV COMEDY TROUPE DareDevil Improv Classes teach you the fundamentals of the funny! Learn to be more spontane-

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ous, trust your instincts, and create one-of-a-kind comedy with an ensemble! (And even if you’re not a “performer,” our classes are a great way to meet people and have a hella good time!) Details/signups: www.daredevilimprov.com. Hannah Block Community Arts Center, 120 S. 2nd 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. DEAD CROW Open mic every Thursday, 8pm. • May 31, 7/9:30pm; June 1, 7/9:30pm: Atsuko Okatsuka is a comedian and actress, described by Margaret Cho as “a silent slow fart that fills up a room with laughter.” You can currently catch her on HULU in her hour comedy special “They Call Me Stacey” or on season 2 of HBO’s Room 104. Behind the camera, she most recently worked on Adult Swim’s “Soft Focus with Jena Friedman” as the creative consultant. Or, if you’re not a TV person, you can catch her live too, most nights out of the week. And thank you for supporting live comedy.deadcrowcomedy.com. 265 N. Front St.

museums CAMERON ART MUSEUM On exhibit: “A Time When Art Is Everywhere: teamLab,” an art collective and interdisciplinary group of programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians artists and architects, creates digital artworks that bridge art, science, technology, design and the natural world. Designs are immersive interpretations deeply rooted in Japanese art, aesthetic and history. Through Sept. 8. • Sunday Exhibition Tours: Explore, discover and discuss the art work currently on view with these docent-led tours.

Admission: CAM members, free; others, museum admission. CAM Café open and serving delicious menu with full bar, 5pm-9pm. Tues.-Sun., 11am2pm; Thurs. nights, 5pm-9pm 910-395-5999. cameronartmuseum.org. 3201 S. 17th St. CAPE FEAR MUSEUM Hundreds of toys and games are on view in PlayTime!—classics, like Lincoln Logs, toy soldiers, an Erector set and a Mr. Potato Head, and even old faves like wooden tops, blocks and dolls. Remember those toys that, for whatever reason, we just had to have? Some of those fad favorites like the Rubik’s cube and 1960s Liddle Kiddle dolls are on exhibit along with toy figures from fast food kids’ meals. Explore toy history in custom label books.

Play, create, and imagine in Cape Fear Museum’s newest exhibit, PlayTime! Engage with museum educators in these short, drop-in programs. Activities change weekly and may include puzzles, games, blocks, and more. Adult participation is required. Fun for all ages! Free for members or with general admission • Camera Collections!

With today’s smart phones and digital cameras, photography is everywhere. Until the invention of the camera in 1839, there was no way to instantly capture the environment around you. In less than 200 years, cameras have progressed from complicated contraptions only used by professionals, to simple boxes with a roll of film anyone could operate, to handheld computers that create digital images shared with the world. 86 cameras and 145 photographic accessories showcases changes in technology and styles, from late 1800s-early 2000s. capefearmuseum.com. $8/ adults, $7/seniors, college & military, $5/youth. CF Museum, 814 Market St. WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH MUSEUM WB Museum of History, housed in the turn of the

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Sunset Cruises - 6 Nights A Week Tuesday & Wednesday - Sunsets with a Twist Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday - Sunset with Live Music

Early Flight Excursion

Saturday, June 1st • 9am • 1 hour 45 min. • $20

We will take you to the upper reaches of the NE Cape Fear River.

You will learn about William Hilton and the other early explorers and their adventures. Come aboard & let us take you back in time to the days of the rice plantations & when trade on the river was booming. Our birds have returned...so we are watching them closely. Join us as we check out our osprey & their chicks.

Father’s Day Hot Dog Cruise Sunday, June 16th • 1:30pm • $27 • 90 min. narrated cruise

Get out of the backyard & onto the water. Hot Dogs with trimmings. Local craft beer, frozen smoothies, etc. available for purchase at our full bar.

Bizzy Bee Water Taxi Visit us on the Riverwalk! 212 S. Water Street 910-338-313 4 • email: info@wilmingtonwt.com HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE

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BAR ON BOARD WITH ALL ABC PERMITS

Complete Schedule: wilmingtonwatertours.net

Cruising Daily

3 pick up locations in Downtown Wilmington: Chandlers Wharf, Market street and Ballast Hotel

Cruise over to the Memorial Walkway at USS Battleship NORTH CAROLINA & take a stroll on the walkway. This half-mile long, ten-foot wide Walkway circling the ship is one-of-a-kind, offering visitors a unique experience that honors veterans who served in World War II.

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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 afterhours 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, 10am4pm, and Sat, 12-5pm. Walking tours are Wed and Sat. at 10am. $4-$12. Latimer House of Lower Cape Fear Historical Society is not handicapped accessible 126 S. Third 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 and 19th century decor and gardens. Colonial life

is experienced through historical interpretations in kitchen-building and courtyard. 3rd/Market St. Tues-Sat, 10am-4pm. Last tour, 3pm. 910-7620570. burgwinwrighthouse.com.

BELLAMY MANSION 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. 910-2513700. bellamymansion.org. 503 Market St.

kids stuff SNAKE AND TURTLE FEEDING A brief presentation about the live animals on display in the events center and then watch them feed. At least one snake and turtle will be fed during the demonstration. Ages: 3 and up. First Wed. of every month. Cost: $1. Halyburton Park, 4099 S. 17th St. LITTLE EXPLORERS OUT AND ABOUT Thursdays, 11am, free. Program locations alternate between MLK Center and BRC-Hemenway Center. Meet friends in your community for fun hands-on activities! Enjoy interactive circle time, conduct exciting experiments and play games related to a weekly theme. Perfect for children ages 3 to 6 and their adult helpers. • At BRC-Hemenway Community Center, 507 McRae St.—May 30:

Starry Night.

ENGINEERING CHALLENGE SKYSCRAPERS June 1, 2pm: Think like an engineer! Design, build, and test a prototype of your creation. Drop in anytime from 2 to 3 PM to put your skills to the test.

Perfect for kids age 5 and up and their adult helper.

Cape Fear Museum, 814 Market St. MOORES CREEK June 5, 8:30am: Ages: 16 and up. Cost: $45.

Halyburton Park Event Center, 4099 S 17th St.

lectures/literary AUTHOR BEVERLY TETTERTON May 30, 6:30pm: Bellamy Mansion Museum hosts local author Beverly Tetterton. Ms. Tetterton will take a trip down memory lane and present photos of how Wilmington and the surrounding beaches have changed over the centuries. This lecture is free and open to the public. Donations are greatly appreciated. Bellamy Mansion, 503 Market St. REVOLUTIONARY POETS PRESENTS REMEMBERING SAM SHARPE May 30, 7:30pm: A poetry reading and an open mic at the Jamaica House in Wilmington. Home of the Perform Slam Movement, the Sam Sharpe Poetry Reading is dedicated to revolutionary thinkers performing revolutionary poetry for the people and to lovers of freedom expressing themselves. An open mic, so anyone can attend and participate.

Jamaica House Sports Bar & Grill, 2206 Carolina Beach Rd. BEHIND THE SCENES GALLERY TALK May 30, 11am: Whether inspired by their dreams, religious beliefs, or their internal emotions, selftaught artists have shaped the creative culture of

North Carolina and broadened the boundaries of Outsider Art to the world. Join Holly Tripman Fitzgerald, Chief Curator, and discuss the work of Annie Hooper and Vollis Simpson (currently on view in CAM’s exhibition: Minnie, Clyde, Annie, Vollis) and how museums display outsider art. Brown Wing. Cameron Art Museum, 3201 S 17th St. CAM Members: Free; museum admission all others EMERGING PFAS CONTAMINANTS May 31, 1pm: Join a public conversation about the North Carolina PFAS Testing (PFAST) Network, a multi-university research program focused on understanding our exposure to industrial contamination of our environment and drinking water in North Carolina. Learn how to define PFAS (per - and polyfluoroalkys substances) and why they matter to North Carolina residents and visitors. This event is free and open to the public however registration is required. For more information and to register visit nccoast. org/pfastforum. Lumina Center at UNCW Fisher Center, 601 S. College Rd. BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR CRUISE June 2, 9am: We will take you back in time & make history come alive. Join us for a 3 hour cruise full with the history of this area. Dr. Chris Fonvielle, our local history expert will be on board to bring you back in time. Starting with the early explorers, Giovanni de Verrazano being the first known European explorer to arrive in the area.

Then we will go to the Revolutionary War in the late 1700’s and finishing with the Civil War & the Battle of Wilmington in 1865. This is a cruise that we do not do often, so do not hesitate to book.

We will be cruising down river. Don’t miss this spectacular, one-of-a-kind adventure. Relax and enjoy the comfortable seating, sipping on your

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11am to 6:30pm, 7 days a week

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drink of choice, the afternoon breeze, and all the relaxation that Cape Fear holds! Children12 & under: $25; adults: $50. Wilmington Water Tours, 212 S Water St. 2019 HURRICANE SEASON June 2, 2:30pm: 2019 hurricane season begins in June and now is the time to plan for major storms.

Join National Weather Service meteorologist Tim Armstrong as he discusses the upcoming hurricane season and what the public can do to prepare for important weather events. Following the presentation, join the Q&A session to have your questions answered. Cape Fear Museum, 814 Market Street

recreational WALK WITH A DOC Join us the 3rd Saturday of every month at 9am for a fun and healthy walkâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;held at the Midtown YMCA. Each walk beings with a brief physicianled discussion of a current health topic, then he/ she spends time walking, answering questions and talking with walkers. Choose your own pace and distance. Free and open to anyone. YMCA, George Anderson Dr. WB SCENIC TOURS Thurs., 10:30am: WB Scenic Tours birding boat cruise of Masonboro Island and Bradley Creek.

Guided eco-cruises are educational boat tours designed to increase conservation awareness about local wildlife and sensitive coastline habitats in New Hanover County. Topics explained during the boat ride will include: salt marsh function, wetland plants, and strong emphasis on shorebird/water bird ecology and identification.

Birding tours are best when scheduled at low tide.

â&#x20AC;˘ Sunset Tour of WB, Thurs., 5pm: Sunset with Wrightsville Beach Scenic Tours departs from the Blockade Runner Dock. Routes vary with season, weather, and whim on the Basic Sunset Cruise but may include Masonboro Island, Bradley Creek, Money Island or some other combination. Water, marsh, Shamrock, sunsetâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a simple combination but very satisfying. Also, from experience, this is the best time to sight dolphins in the bay. RSVP: 910-200-4002 or wbst3000@gmail.com. WB Scenic Tours, 275 Waynick Blvd.

HIKES AND BIRDING First Friday bird hikes, ages 5/up; free. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll search for migrants, residents, and point out yearround species too. These walks are for beginner birders and all are welcome. Halyburton, 4099. S. 17th St. WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GOLF LEAGUE Wed., 9:30am, through May 29: 2 person teams.

Format: Best Ball. Tournament will be May 29 with prizes awarded to low gross and low net. Includes 6 weeks of greens fees & one practice round.

Register at the clubhouse or online www.inlandgreensgolf.com. Call 910-765-7459. $50/player.

Inland Greens Golf Course, 5945 Inland Greens Dr. FIRST FRIDAY BIRD HIKES 6/7, 7/5, 8/2, 9am: Join parkstaff for a leisurely bird-watching stroll around Halyburton Park the first Friday of each month. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll search for migrants and point out year-round bird species too.

These walks are for beginner birders and all are welcome. 5 and up, free. Halyburton Park, 4099 S 17th St. TEEN GAME NIGHT Ages: 13-17. Free, 6-9pm. Video games, board games, other activities and refreshments. Pre-

registration required. MLK Center, 401 S. 8th St. 910-341-7866. wilmingtonrecreation.com. MLK Community Center, 401 S. 8th St. ART MOVES 6:30 pm: Minnieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mile; 7 pm: 5k starts. Register now to walk, run or race either the Minnieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mile or 5k. Art Moves Midtown is a unique race featuring the beautiful Cross City Trail, Halyburton Park, artist-made awards and full access to CAMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exhibitions. At 5:30 pm take part in art activities going on near the start/finish line. To register: https://itsgo-time.com/art-moves-midtown-5k. Cameron Art Museum, 3201 S. 17th St. FREE RUNNING CLINICS Starting on June 3rd, every Monday and Thursday we will be offering Free Running Clinics for 6 weeks.

Venue locations will be updated periodically on Noexcusestc.com and are designed for all levels.

Clinics are limited to 25 runners to maintain that personal instruction level. Downtown Hills/Wade Park, Water St.

classes/seminars ADULT CRAFTERNOONS New monthly meet-up for adults who enjoy crafting. Drop in on the first Monday afternoon of every month at the Northeast Library. A different usable craft project will be featured each month. Free program, with all supplies provided by a Friends of NHC Library LEAD Award. Reserve spot on calendar at www.NHCLibrary.org or 910-798-6371.

Librarian Annice Sevett: asevett@nhcgov.com or 910-798-6371. 1241 Military Cutoff Rd. CRAFTEEN MINI GARDENS Crafty teens are invited for snacks and miniature garden making at Northeast Library. Hands-on

workshop is free but space is limited. To make sure there are enough seats and supplies, register on calendar, NHCLibrary.org. 910-798-6371.

NHC NE Library, 1241 Military Cutoff Rd. DIY IPHONE FIX Sundays through May, 1pm: A short workshop, with all the parts, tools, and know-how provided to fix a broken screen to a working one! Our two hour Repair Cafe is a workshop that shows the basics of iPhone repair in a controlled environment, so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to worry about messing something up, or never putting it back together again. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll go over the 5 tools required for any iPhone repair, prepare instructions for your specific model iPhone, then show you how to properly open it, replace the necessary components, check for water damage or other potential problems. Finally, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll show you how to reassemble, and properly test for functionality! Seating is limited. Lead Tech Service, 225 S Water St, Ste D. eadtechservice.com SUNRISE CHAKRA MEDITATION & FLOW Join Jessica King, MSW, LCSW, E-RYT, for sunrise yoga practice series that will incorporate asana, pranayama, and meditation specific to the chakras. These practices will leave you feeling grounded, balanced, and energized. May 17th: Seeing and Recognizing Personal Powerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Turn up the fire in this solar plexus practice in order to create space for confidence and motivation while connecting to the intuition and wisdom of the third eye chakra. Terra Sol Sanctuary, 507 Castle St. POOLSIDE YOGA Enrollment through May 29: Longwave Yoga and The Reserve at Mayfaire present a 4-week series of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Poolside Yoga!â&#x20AC;? Enjoy the blissful surroundings as you practice poolside at The Reserve at Mayfaire. This class is sure to be fun for beginners and experienced yogis alike. Bring your own yoga

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BENCH PRESS WORKSHOP May 28, 4pm: At this bench press strength workshop participants will learn how to improve their bench press strength by learning optimal form and other exercises to train that will increase bench press strength. Improve your bench press strength; perfect bench press technique; reduce injuries; strengthen your weak spots. Participants will receive an 8 week sample workout program to take with them. Program is open to public, free.

Pre-registration is require. Sherridale Morgan Boxing & Fitness Center, 302 S. 10th St. 910-3417872.

MEDITATE AND CHILL May 28, 7:30pm: White Rabbit Trips Fam meet every Tuesday from 7:30-8:30pm at Terra Sol Sanctuary. We’ll guide you through a 20-30 minute meditation to help you take a deep breath.

Relax. Let go. Make space. After our meditation, we’ll make space to chill. Find connection. Talk things out. Meet + greet. No need for Netflix. Let’s get real. All levels welcome. $10 (Terra Sol Class Passes Welcome). Terra Sol Sanctuary, 507 Castle St. QUEER THREADS June 4, 5pm: In honor of Pride Month, the “I Love Vintage!” Social Club takes a look back on the substantial influence gay, bisexual, and transgender men and women have had on the history of how we dress. UNCW professors and hosts of the Queer Currents Podcast, Chadwick Roberts and Katie Peel, for a fun-filled presentation on the ways clothing has been used as queer selfexpression, a challenge to gender norms, a way to signal one another, a form of protest, in addi-

tion to contributions to high fashion. The “I Love Vintage!” Club meets the first Tuesday of each month. Enjoy complimentary food and drinks.

Shopping discounts (15% off!) all evening. The first hour is Social Hour; the hour long presentation begins at 6. Event is free and everyone is welcome. Topics change monthly. Second Skin Vintage, 615 Caste St.

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. NEW HANOVER NAACP Monthly meeting is Thursday, May 23, 7pm. The New Hanover NAACP branch proudly turns 100 years old in May and information on their Centennial Celebration Friday, May 31, 7 pm at Wilmington Convention Center, 515 Nutt Street, will be provided. Other important state and community issues will also be on the agenda. Members and friends are encouraged to attend. 910-5089414 or nhcnaacp@gmail.com. St. Stephen AME Church, 501 Red Cross St. WOMEN’S GOLF LEAGUE May 29, 9:30am: 2 person teams meet Wed. 9:30am. Format: Best Ball. Tournament will be May 29 with prizes awarded to low gross and low net. Cost: $50/players. Includes 6 weeks of greens fees & one practice round. Register at the clubhouse or online at inlandgreensgolf.com. 910765-7459. I5945 Inland Greens Dr. TEMPLE OF ISRAEL YARD SALE

June 2, 10am: Benefitting Temple of Israel and Community Outreach Programs. Temple of Israel Reibman Center, 922 Market St.

culinary FERMENTAL Free tasting every Friday, 6pm. Third Wed. of each month feat. musical and brewing talents alongside an open mic night, as well as the 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. • May 31, 5pm: Evening with Olde Hickory Brewing, beer tastings and food truck from 2 Bros Coastal Cuisine, 6pm; live music from Mike Blair, 8pm. www.fermental.net. 910821-0362. 7250 Market St. 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.

ILM LOCAL FARMERS’ MARKET Wed., 5pm: Join us for a wonderful, exciting night of fun. Port City Farmer’s Market at Waterline Brewing Co. 100% local, 100% handmade. Shop among some incredible local vendors, artists and farmers. Support small businesses in your area.

Fresh local produce, beef and pork products, sweets, pickled items, handcrafted jewelry and art. Waterline Brewing Company, 721 Surry Ln. FREE WINE TASTING Sample some of the most delicious wines at SnS for free, with an optional $25 food pairing. Food pairings are designed specifically to go with each wine to bring out the fullest flavor of both. If you

ever wanted to learn more about how to bring out the flavor of wine -n- food now you can experience a wonderful trip to flavor town. Benny Hill Jazz always starts at 7pm. Sweet n Savory Cafe, 1611 Pavilion Place RIVERFRONT FARMERS’ MARKET Sat., 8am-1pm: Local farmers, growers, producers and artisans to sell their goods directly to consumers, to encourage and promote the use of locally-grown farm products and artisan offerings. Vegetables, herbs, plants, annuals, perennials, native plants, fresh-cut flowers, baked goods, NC wines, dog treats, eggs, honey, goat cheeses, seafood, kombucha, meats, marina & fra diavolo sauce, smoothies and more. Artisan works of handmade jewelry, woodwork, silkscreen t-shirts & totes, photography, bath & body products, pet accessories, pottery, drawings and more. North Water Street in historic downtown Wilmington, NC along the beautiful Cape Fear River. No market on April 6, due to the Azalea Festival or October 5th due to Riverfest. www.riverfrontfarmersmarket. org.

PIZZA-THEMED BEER & WINE TASTING May 22, 6pm: Join us for a pizza themed five course dinner paired with WBB beer and wines from Windham Distributing! Wrightsville Beach Brewery, 6201 Oleander Dr. SUSTAINABLE SPIRITS May 22, 6pm: Sustainable Spirits is a casual gathering for the sustainability community organized by the Coastal Composting Council. It’s free, unstructured, and open to everyone interested in anything from renewable energy and civic engagement to green building, organic farming, and beyond! Wilmington Compost Company will provide lite bites from The Kitchen at Palate where

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CAM WEEKLY EXHIBITION TOURS Cameron Art Museum allows participants to explore current exhibitions with Anne Brennan, CAM’s executive director, in a new series of public tours. Free for CAM members. Wed., 1:30pm.

3201 S. 17th St. 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. www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1282390 INSIDER’S TOUR Explore the history of community at Cape Fear Museum. Take the Insider’s Tour offered the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 10am. Tours are free with admission and include a “behind the scenes” sneak peek. Pre-reg. is required: 910798-4362 or cfmprograms@nhcgov.com. Free w/ GA or membership. CF Museum, 814 Market St. GHOST WALK 6:30 & 8:30pm. Costumed guides lead visitors through alleyways with tales of haunted Wilmington. Nightly tours, 6:30pm/8:30pm. Admission.

Water & Market sts. RSVP rqd: 910-794-1866. hauntedwilmington.com BELLAMY MANSION Guided tours start on the hour; self-guided tours start at any time. Mon. is only self-guided tours.

Follow curved oyster-shell paths through our lush Victorian garden shaded by 150-yr.-old magnolia trees. See the elegant main entrance surrounded by soaring columns and gleaming windows. Hear stories of Bellamies, as well as those of the free and enslaved black artisans who built the home and crafted intricate details throughout the house.

Adults $12; senior and military discount, $10; students, $6; children under 5, free. Bellamy Mansion, 503 Market St. 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 May 23, 6:30pm: Start your weekend early with gallery tours led by museum staff that are sometimes irreverent and silly, but always provide 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, Cameron Art Museum, 3201 S. 17th St. CAM members: Free; museum admission all others.

support groups WILMINGTON PRIDE YOUTH GROUP Grades 7-12: Wilmington Pride Youth Group is a safe space for youth who identify as LGBTQIA+ and their straight allies. An adult supervised, safe space for kids to talk about orientation, gender, racial equality, political consequences, religion, self care. Also 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. wpyg2016@gmail.com.

ANXIETY / OCD SUPPORT GROUP Group meets 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month.

Pine Valley United Methodist Church, 3788 Shipyard Blvd. Building 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. Everyone 18+ welcome. 910-763-8134 LUPUS SUPPORT GROUP Meets third Saturday each month. Free; drop-ins 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 speakers, DVD presentations and open group discussion. info@lupusnc.org (877) 849-8271, x1. lupusnc.org. NE Library, 1241 Military Cutoff Rd. PFLAG First Mon/mo. at UNCW, in the Masonboro Island Room #2010, 7pm.

COPING WITH THE DEATH OF A SPOUSE/PARTNER Lower Cape Fear Hospice will offer a six-week, nocost grief program for those coping with the death of a spouse or partner in Wilmington on Wednesdays, May 15 through June 19. The group meetings will be held 10 a.m. to noon at the Dr. Robert M. Fales Hospice Pavilion Conference Room, 1406 Physicians Drive in Wilmington. Pre-registration is required; call 910-796-7991 to register. lcfh.org.

Dr. Robert M. Fales Hospice Pavilion, 1406 Physicians Dr. ADULTS COPING WITH GRIEF Lower Cape Fear Hospice will offer a no-cost, six-week series of growth and education groups for adults coping with grief on Mondays, May 13 through June 24. Meetings will be held 4-6 p.m. at the Dr. Robert M. Fales Hospice Pavilion Conference Room, 1406 Physicians Drive in Wilmington.

There will be no group meeting on May 27 (Memorial Day). Pre-registration is required; call 910796-7991 to register. lcfh.org. Dr. Robert M. Fales Hospice Pavilion, 1406 Physicians Dr.

youth facilitators, especially those who are trained to work with kids, and speakers to talk about important topics. wpyg2016@ gmail.com.

ANXIETY / OCD SUPPORT GROUP Group meets 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Pine Valley United Methodist Church, 3788 Shipyard Blvd. Building B. Christopher Savard, Ph.D., with Cape Fear ARIES (Mar. 21–April 19)gives a presentaPsychological Services, In the coming weeks, I suspect you will have the wisdom tion the 1st Thursday of each month. 3rd to criticize yourself in constructive ways which will at least Thursday is member led. Everypartially solve a meeting long-standing problem. Hallelujah!

I bet welcome.what 910-763-8134 youone will 18+ also understand to do to eliminate a bad habit by installing a good new habit. Please, capitalize

LUPUS SUPPORT GROUP on that special knowledge! There’s one further capacity Meetsyou’ll third Saturday month.

Free; I suspect have: the saucyeach ingenuity necessary to drop-ins are fear. welcome.

Group provides alleviate a festering Be audacious! participants an opportunity to receive inTAURUS 20-May troductory(April info about lupus,20) encourage the What standards might we use in evaluating levels of sexof crucial concerns, provide an opualexpression satisfaction? One measure is the tenderness to share encourage andportunity respect partners haveexperiences, for each other. Others include strategies, theand abilitysupport to play andpositive have fun, coping the freedom to express oneself attentionofdevoted to and uninhibitedly, emphasize the thecreative importance medical unpredictable the ability to experience fultreatment.foreplay, Guestand speakers, DVD presenfilling orgasms. How do you rate your own levels, Taurus? tations and open group discussion. info@ Wherever you may currently fall on the scale, the coming lupusnc.org (877) x1. lupusnc. months will be a time when849-8271, you can accomplish an uporg.How? NE Library, 1241who Military Cutoff Rd. grade.

Read authors specialize in the erotic arts. Talk to your partners with increased boldness and PFLAG clarity. While meditating, search for clues in the depths.

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

GEMINI (May #2010, 21-June 20)

If there were a hall of fame for writers, Shakespeare might

COPING WITH THE DEATH OF A SPOUSE/ have been voted in first. His work is regarded as a pinPARTNER nacle of intellectual brilliance. Yet here’s a fun fact: The Lower Cape Feara Hospice will offerfrom a sixBard quoted well over thousand passages the Bible.

Canno-cost you imagine modern author being coptaken week, griefa program for those seriously by the if he frequently invoked ing with theliterati death of ora she spouse or partner such a fundamental religious text? I bring it to your attenin Wilmington on Wednesdays, May 15 tion to encourage you to be Shakespeare-like in coming throughwilling Juneto19. group will weeks—be drawThe equally from meetings both intellectual held 10 a.m. Be to anoon the Dr. M. andbe spiritual sources. deepat thinker whoRobert communes Hospice Pavilionthe Conference Room, withFales sacred truths., Synergize functions of your discerning and devotional heart.

1406mind Physicians Drive in Wilmington. Preregistration is required; call 910-796-7991 CANCER (June 21-July 22) to register.

Dr.over Robert M. Fales “People will chooselcfh.org. unhappiness uncertainty,” CanHospice 1406 Physicians Dr.writes. cerian author Pavilion, and entrepreneur Timothy Ferriss

He doesn’t do that himself, but is quite eager to harvest

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

In the coming weeks, I hope you’ll regularly give yourself to generous, expansive experiences. I hope you’ll think big, funny thoughts and feel spacious, experimental emotions. I hope you’ll get luxurious glimpses of the promise your future holds, and I hope you’ll visualize embarking on adventures and projects you’ve been too timid or worried to consider before now. For best results, be eager to utter the word “more!” as you meditate on the French phrase “joie de vivre” and the English phrase “a delight in being alive.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

According to “Popular Mechanics” magazine, over 3 million sunken ships are lying on the bottoms of the world’s oceans. Some of them contain billions of dollars’ worth of precious metals and jewels. Others are crammed with artifacts of great value to historians and archaeologists. Here’s a crazy fact: Fewer than 1 percent of all potential treasures have been investigated by divers. I bring it to your attention, Scorpio, because I hope it might inspire you to explore your inner world’s equivalent of lost or unknown riches. The astrological omens suggest the coming weeks will be an excellent time to go searching for them.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

“Some days you need god’s grace,” poet Scherezade Siobhan writes. “On other days: the feral tongue of vintage whiskey and a mouth kissed by fire.” I’m guessing, Sagittarius, these days you might be inclined to prefer the feral tongue of vintage whiskey and a mouth kissed by fire. According to my astrological analysis, those flashy phenomena would not motivate you to take the corrective and adaptive measures you actually need.

The grace of god—or whatever passes for the grace of god in your world—is the influence that will best help you accomplish what’s necessary. Fortunately, I suspect you know how to call on and make full use of that grace.

ADULTS COPING WITH GRIEF the perks of dwelling in uncertainty. I presume such apLower CapeaFear will offer notitude has played role inHospice his huge success; his abooks cost, six-week series oflists growth and educahave appeared on bestseller and podcasts have been downloaded more than 300 million with times.grief In telling tion groups for adults coping on youMondays, this, I’m not May encouraging you to June embrace fertile 13 through 24.theMeetpower uncertainty 24 4-6 hours a day, every ingsof will be held p.m. at 365 the days Dr. Robyear. I am urging you to do just that for the next three ert M. Fales Hospice Pavilion Conference weeks. There will be big payoffs if you do, including rich Room,on1406 teachings the artPhysicians of happiness. Drive in Wilmington. There will be no group meeting on May LEO 23-Aug. 27 (July (Memorial Day).22) Pre-registration is reMany 18th-century pirates were committed to democraquired; call 910-796-7991 to register. lcfh. cy and equality among their ranks. The camaraderie, fairorg.

Robert M. that Fales Hospice Pavilion, ness andDr. mutual respect prevailed on pirate ships 1406 Physicians were markedly different Dr. from the oppressive conditions

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

faced by sailors who worked for the navies of sovereign nations. The latter were often pressed into service against their will and had to struggle to collect meager salaries.

Tyrannical captains controlled all phases of their lives. I bring it to your attention, Leo, with hope it will inspire you to seek out alternative approaches to rigid and hierarchical systems. Gravitate toward generous organizations that offer ample freedom and rich alliances. The time is right to ally yourself with emancipatory influences.

“Love is an immoderate thing / And can never be content,” poet W. B. Yeats declared. To provide you with an accurate horoscope, I’ll have to argue with that idea a bit. From what I can determine, love will indeed be immoderate in your vicinity during coming weeks. On the other hand, it’s likely to bring you a high degree of contentment—as long as you’re willing to play along with its immoderateness. Here’s another fun prediction: I suspect love’s immoderateness, even as it brings you satisfaction, will also inspire you to ask for more from love and expand your capacity for love. And that could lead to even further immoderate and interesting experiments.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

Don’t wait around for fate to decide which decisions to make and what directions to go. Formulate those decisions yourself, with willpower fully engaged. Never say, “If it’s meant to be, it will happen.” Rather, resolve to create the outcomes you strongly desire. Do you understand how important this is? You shouldn’t allow anyone else to frame your important questions and define the nature of your problems; you’ve got to do the framing and defining yourself. One more thing: Don’t fantasize about the arrival of the “perfect moment”—whenever you decree it is.

Capricorn poet William Stafford articulated some advice I think you need to hear right now. Please, hold it close to your awareness for the next 21 days. “Saying things you do not have to say weakens your talk,” he wrote.

“Hearing things you do not need to hear dulls your hearing.” By practicing such protective measures, Capricorn, you will foster and safeguard your mental health.

Here’s another gift from Stafford: “Things you know before you hear them—those are you, those are why you are in the world.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

You will know you are in sweet alignment with cosmic forces if you have an impulse to try a rash adventure, but decide instead to work on fixing a misunderstanding with an ally. You can be sure you’re acting in accordance with your true intuition, if you feel an itch to break stuff, but instead channel your fierce energy into improving conditions at your job. You will be in tune with your soul’s code if you start fantasizing about quitting

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