2017 fall senc

SE FALL 2017

North Carolina

Kenney Moore drives

PASS

SAU

ALSO...

HWY 55

...from southeastern NC to Abu Dhabi

KINSTON MEGACHURCHES smART FOUNDATION

FOSCUE PLANTATION

September

BARROW LECTURE Tuesday, September 12 • 7 PM Wednesday, September 13 • 11 AM Southern Bank Auditorium in Raper Hall Contact: Dr. John Blackwell at jblackwell@umo.edu The Barrow Center for Faith and Life will present two lectures on the theme “Loving God with All Our Heart.”

CORE ENSEMBLE Tuesday, September 19 • 7:30 PM Hazel Waters Kornegay Assembly Hall * Contact: Dr. Franklin Gross at wgross@umo.edu This musical and dramatic program is hosted by the Core Ensemble, with verbal introductions to vignettes from the lives of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, Salvadoran peasant activist Rufina Amaya, and Argentinean poet Alfonsina Storni.

UMO FACULTY RECITAL Thursday, September 28 • 7:30 PM Hazel Waters Kornegay Assembly Hall * Contact: Dr. Bill Ford at wford@umo.edu

October

PRISM CONCERT Thursday, October 12 • 7:30 PM Hazel Waters Kornegay Assembly Hall * Contact: Dr. Franklin Gross at wgross@umo.edu An interactive concert featuring all UMO music groups.

SING FOR ANOTHER DAY Tuesday, October 17 • 7 PM Southern Bank Auditorium in Raper Hall Contact: Grace Kirkman at GLK0713@umo.edu Benefitting Southeastern Cancer Care in Goldsboro, NC, this concert will include performances by UMO students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

MEET AUTHOR TRAVIS MILLS Monday, October 23 • 4 PM Southern Bank Auditorium in Raper Hall Contact: Jackie Hill at jhill@umo.edu The Common Reading selection for fall 2017, Tough as They Come, is a true story of a Texan serving in the 82 Airborn Division. The book tells of his story before, during, and after Iraq.

November

SATIRE PROJECT Thursday, November 2 • 7:30 PM Hazel Waters Kornegay Assembly Hall * Contact: Dr. Franklin Gross at wgross@umo.edu A collaborative, multi-disciplined initiative based on satire and performed live by UMO professors Dr. Franklin Gross, Larry Lean, and Lenard Moore.

THE SONGS WE SING Wednesday, November 15 • 9 AM Southern Bank Auditorium in Raper Hall Contact: Dr. Franklin Gross at wgross@umo.edu This program will feature treasured hymns and songs in our University’s tradition. A variety of musical styles will be explored, and many community musicians will be featured.

FOUNDERS DAY Wednesday, November 15 • 11 AM Southern Bank Auditorium in Raper Hall FALL 2017 SENIOR ART SHOW RECEPTION Thursday, November 16 • 4–6 PM Teresa Pelt Grubbs Art Gallery in Laughinghouse Hall Contact: Bob Murray at 919-658-7183 or rmurray@umo.edu HOMECOMING WEEKEND Friday–Sunday, November 17–19 Contact: Hope Fields at 919-658-7714 or hfields@umo.edu 52ND ANNUAL PICKLE CLASSIC Friday and Saturday, November 17-18 George and Annie Dail Kornegay Arena Game Times: 5 and 7 PM both nights Cost: Advance tickets are $15 for both days or $10 per day on game day Contact: Tina Parks at 919-658-7759 or cparks@umo.edu

December

CHRISTMAS BY CANDLELIGHT Friday, December 1 • 7:30 PM Saturday, December 2 • 2:30 and 6:30 PM Hazel Waters Kornegay Assembly Hall * Contact: Melba Ingram at 919-299-4582 or mingram@umo.edu for advance tickets A Christ-centered service patterned after the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a traditional English evening service which began in Cambridge in 1918. The service will include six Scripture lessons tracing salvation history; each reading will be followed by a carol. Music will be provided by the University of Mount Olive Department of Music and other local choirs. The event is free, but tickets are required.

A WACKY WONDERFUL LIFE December 9 • 7:30 PM December 10 • 3 PM Hazel Waters Kornegay Assembly Hall * Contact: John Clifton at john.clifton@umo.edu This show will offer an array of quips, quotes, and characters from many classic Christmas tales, including Frank Capra’s, It’s A Wonderful Life.

* 207 Wooten Street, Mount Olive

ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION Saturday, November 18 • 3 PM Holmes and Lois K. Murphy Center Contact: Tina Parks at 919-658-7759 or cparks@umo.edu

The Fine Arts Circle works to promote the cultural, social, and economic importance of the arts to the community at large by not only participating in fine arts gatherings, but also by helping to support them.

All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.

919-658-2502 | www.umo.edu/calendar

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Editor’s Note That, too, was telling

SE North Carolina www.sencmag.com Issue No. 12

Staff / Credits / Contributions PUBLISHER Jim Sills EDITOR Trevor Normile PRODUCTION/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Jillian Smith Content & Photography Jacqueline Hough Abby Cavenaugh Trevor Normile Gary Scott CONTRIBUTING Writers Todd Wetherington Lucas Thornton Advertising Becky Cole Alan Wells CIRCULATION Lauren Guy SUBSCRIBE: Four issues (one year) $19.95 plus tax lguy@ncweeklies.com

As this issue came together, Hurricane Harvey had just left historic destruction in its path in Texas and Louisiana.

There were stories of local heroism and serious environmental concerns.

The video of a local pastor playing piano in his flooded home just went viral on Instagram. The organic peroxide containers at the chemical plant in Crosby, Tex., had just popped off as exhausted workers finally fled the facility.

There were also stories of fantastic shame — grifters, looters, fake donation accounts. The City of Houston was the focus of much of the coverage, not all of it inspiring.

The response to superstar preacher Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church allegedly turning away refugees from the flood in particular was a dramatic tale: the church — the symbol of the wealthy church — the place where people are told they can come for help, a place that wasn’t open to them when they came a-knocking as the waters rose.

It’s in times like these that we find the true character of a community is all that’s left when everything else washes away.

The numbers are surreal — almost 52 inches of rain in peak areas, the most of any storm ever recorded in the United States, and 48 deaths as of September 1.

Still, the death toll is dwarfed by last

CONTACT senc.ads@nccooke.com senc@nccooke.com 1.910.296.0239 ON THE COVER Andy and Kenney Moore, Photo by Trevor Normile

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North Carolina

year’s Hurricane Matthew, which killed 586 people, 546 in Haiti alone. Matthew also inundated the Southeast with catastrophic flooding. The bill for Hurricane Sandy was much higher yet.

More than any of the others, I don’t think I’ll ever forget Matthew. It was the first time I’d been in the thick of the action of a storm.

After the rain stopped, the Northeast Cape Fear River was rising fast and the firefighters at nearby Chinquapin Vol. Fire & Rescue (whom I later joined) were almost at a loss as the floodwaters rose up the hill on Highway 41. They turned traffic away from certain death as waters crossed washed over the bridges.

The chief stood by marking the water level as it crept up the small hill near the fire station. The crews were tired from water rescues. One firefighter had already lost his home as the river swelled from rain runoff. We stacked pews in a nearby church and when there was nothing else to do, we stood around and smoked cigarettes as people arrived with news of flooding in other places. One member brought in a frozen turkey and we shared it with the state troopers.

That, too, was telling.

It doesn’t always make the best television, but I suspect that for every person hurting during Harvey, there were five more helping. When things go sideways, always look to the people running toward the danger.

If Iris doesn’t get us, the next one may.

And when it does, I don’t give up hope, because after last year’s storm, I know what the character of my community is.

“People thought I was some kind of pig.”

- Andy Moore (laughs), on the famous caricature of him as a child, used in Andy’s restaurants all across the nation and now world.

SouthEast North Carolina Magazine is a publication of the Duplin Times and Cooke Communications North Carolina. Contents may not be reproduced without the consent of the publisher.

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SouthEast North Carolina

Trevor Normile, Editor Fall 2017

Mystery Photo

Where in SENC is this?

Where in southeast North Carolina is this?

A quick explanation, in case it’s needed: Every quarter, SE North Carolina plans to include a cropped-down version of a landmark in one of SENC’s many signature communities.

Try and guess which city in which we took this photo—it’s a century-old public building right in the middle of southeastern N.C. Hint: On the darkest day of fall, they still believe in rule of law.

Turn to page 64 to find out if you guessed correctly.

See page 64 for answer

• Burlington

Where we are this Fall!

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Look for features or mentions of these places in SE North Carolina and beyond: • BATH 49 • BURLINGTON 49 • CLINTON 10 • DUPLIN COUNTY 33 • EMERALD ISLE 11 • FAYETTEVILLE 9, 62 • GREEN SWAMP 11 HARKER’S ISLAND 63 • GOLDSBORO 9,10, 63 • JACKSONVILLE 10, 63 • KENANSVILLE 10,63 • KINSTON 14 • MOREHEAD CITY 9, 63 • MOUNT OLIVE 36 • NEW BERN 52, 63 • OCEAN ISLE BEACH 63 • ONSLOW COUNTY 33 • ROSE HILL 63 • WARSAW 63 • • WHITEVILLE 11, 24, 63 • WILMINGTON 9, 49, 62, 63

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“NOW IT’S NOT

A MEANINGLESS QUESTION TO ASK IF THEY’VE BEEN AND GONE; I REMEMBER A TALK ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA AND A STRANGE, STRANGE POND... YOU SEE THE SIDES WERE LIKE GLASS IN THE THICK OF A FOREST WITHOUT A ROAD, AND IF ANY MAN’S HAND EVER MADE THAT LAND THEN I THINK IT WOULD HAVE SHOWED (sic)” - “Hypnotized,” A.K.A.C.O.D.

Feedback: No need to spit fire, but if you’ve got something to say, just say it!

Welcome to our summer issue of SE North Carolina. We hope you like it, and all of our previous issues dating back to 2014.

Now it’s time we heard from you. Like our features and information this time? Got suggestions for future stories?

Let us know. Got any thoughts on how this magazine can be improved? We’re all ears. Tell us what’s on your mind and anything else you’d like to share that would help us provide southeastern North Carolina with a magazine you’ll be excited to look forward to four times a year!

Send us a message at the address at right. We hope the information and features herein will be the kind of information you want and will look forward to each edition, in portraying our corner of North Carolina

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in an interesting and honest light.

And, if you want to advertise, we provide great service and coverage so your message is most effective over the 15-county region we call home— southeastern North Carolina!

CONTACT US: senc@nccooke.com senc.ads@nccooke.com 910-296-0239 P.O. Box 69 Kenansville NC 28349 Summer 2017

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Contents Fall 2017

36

Features REFUGE

14

All the pretty houses

A look into the cultural cultivar of Smart Kinston

24

Why are people ‘flocking’ to megachurches?

(Pun very intended)

14

In Every Issue

Snapshots 09

Escape rooms: brain teasers you can be inside

33

Scavenger craze

49

Tryon Palace

FORGE

36

Kenney Moore

52

Foscue Plantation

Pastoral scenes from the galant South

52

Haunted? Well, sort of

10

Playdates

56

Murmurs

62

66

Summer 2017

Kids finally ditch fidget spinners, settle for rocks

EXTRAS

And the Hwy 55 empire

SHADE

The Great Escape

Upcoming concerts, theater and more in SouthEast N.C. A moment of silence for Sarah McCulloch

People

Contributions and quirks from interesting people in our region

Folk

In the Kitchen with Mama Judy for Thanksgiving

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The Noun

Come. Shop. Enjoy

The Lighting Gallery 1144 US Hwy. 258 N. Suite B, Kinston, NC 28504 Open Mon. - Fri. 8 - 5:30 • Sat. 9 - 1

252-523-7878

thelightinggallerync.net litegals@yahoo.com

A Person’s PlAce For Things

Susan C. Price & Ashley L. Price

1116A N Breazeale Ave, Mt Olive, NC 28365 (919) 893-7083 • the_noun@yahoo.com

Monday – Friday 10AM–6PM Saturday 10AM–3PM Sunday Closed

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Thursday-Friday 4:30-8:00

Thursday-Saturday 12:00-8:00

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Fall 2017

SE Snapshot

SE PICKS: Escape Rooms

North Carolina

Escape Room Fayetteville

Making the Great Escape Escape rooms test problem-solving skills and behavior under pressure

T

hey are part game, part theater and part team building. Escape rooms have been puzzling adventurers since at least 2010.

According to MarketWatch, more than 2,800 permanent escape rooms have been opened worldwide.

Downtown Escapes opened in Goldsboro at the end of July.

An escape room is a physical adventure game in which players solve a series of puzzles using clues, hints and strategy to complete the objectives at hand.

Players are given a set time limit to unveil the secret plot, which is hidden within the rooms.

Inspired by “escape-the-room”–style video games, the games inside these rooms are set in a variety of fictional locations, such as prison cells, dungeons and space stations.

With its first themed room, The Heist, owners Jared and Amanda Grantham wanted it to be a great night out with friends. Inside, players are asked, “What would you do for $100 million?

The room is set up as an art gallery with security surrounding different pieces and players must find a valuable item.

And beginning in September, the Decipher Room will give players a chance to be part of a special task force trying to figure out the location of a terrorist attack.

Players will have 60 minutes to decipher what is in the room and how to

stop the next attack.

Cost to play is $25-28 per person depending on the game.

Visitors must be 15 years or older to play. Children 12-15 years old may be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

An escape room venue with four different rooms: Zombie Escape, RIP Rest in Pieces, Bank Heist and Pirates Treasures. Escape Room Fayetteville is at 3639 B. Sycamore Dairy Road in Fayetteville. For information or bookings, visit at www.escaperoomfayettevillenc.com.

Cape Fear Escape Room Features two mystery games, Time Traveler and Speakeasy, in which teams have 60 minutes to use clues to solve the case and get out of the room.

They also offer a mobile escape room that can be set up in a small conference room.

Cape Fear Escape Room is 5747 Oleander Drive, Wilmington. For more information or bookings, visit capefearescaperoom.com.

Game on Escape Rooms Downtown Escapes, in downtown Goldsboro, has an escape room called “The Heist.”

Escape rooms are just that — puzzle rooms you must escape before time runs out.

Downtown Escapes is located at 208 E. Walnut St. in Goldsboro.

It is open Thursdays and Fridays at 5:30 p.m., Saturdays at noon and Sundays at 2 p.m.

For more information or to make a reservation, visit downtownescapes. com, call 919-588-1025 or Downtown Escapes on Facebook. Gift certificates are available to purchase.

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Fall 2017

Teams of two to six players are locked in a room.

They must work together in order to solve either what is happening at the Rest Easy Motel or become a Cat Burgler and penetrate a billionaire’s mansion, steal offshore bank account codes and escape. Game on Escape Rooms is at 2302-F Arendell St., Morehead City. For more information or bookings, visit gameonescaperooms.com.

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SE People

SouthEast North Carolina

New ‘voice’ for the ’Pack

21 days, ‘Naked and Afraid’ Submitted photo

There’ll be a new voice booming across Carter-Finley Stadium this fall when the N.C. State Wolfpack football team takes the field.

Kenansville native Travis Quinn has been named to take the spot behind the microphone to call the action for fans attending Wolfpack home games. Quinn replaces long-time PA announcer Dr. Ed Funkhouser, who served in that role from 1999-2016.

Quinn, 32, was chosen from more than 90 applicants, according to gopack.com, the official NCSU athletic website.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity,” said Quinn. “... Having the chance to follow [legendary announcers C.A. Dillon and Funkhouser] will be an exciting ride. I can’t wait to get into the booth and be a part of one of the best game day atmospheres in college football.”

Quinn is a 2006 UNC Wilmington graduate. Growing up, he said, “I started doing PA announcing when I was 10 years old, for local little league games in my hometown. I absolutely loved it, and I dreamed of having the opportunity to announce at an elite level one day.”

“I met my wife (Amanda) in 2007 while she was an undergraduate at N.C. State, and although I had grown up pulling for the Pack and had been to a couple of neutral-site football games, that year was the first time I had a chance to see a game at Carter-Finley and the experience was incredible.”

Quinn’s day job is as a salesman at Mother Earth Brewing Company. He and his wife reside in Goldsboro.

Honoring the unsung garners award for radio man Michael Boykin has a radio show in his hometown of Clinton on which he enjoys honoring people in the community. Recently, though, it was Boykin who was honored with “A Rising Star” award from the Alliance of Gospel Music Professionals at the 50th anniversary of the Gospel Music Workshop of America.

“I was blown away,” Boykin told the Sampson Independent.

“To receive this award was phenomenal and major to me.

Sampson Independent To know that they think of me as someone that’s going to photo be doing something positive in the industry is great.”

Part of what Boykin’s award acknowledges is the recognition he gives to others — unsung heroes who may not get the recognition they deserve — such as janitors, nurses and doctors. His award for those he honors on his show doesn’t have a name, but he sees it as a “Give me my flowers while I live”-type of recognition.

“We get up in a funeral and say all these wonderful things, but the person can’t hear it,” he said. “It makes a difference when the person can hear it and feel the love.”

Officials from the GMP stated that Boykin was a trailblazer and mentor in the Gospel music industry.

“That’s my ministry — being a blessing to others,” Boykin told the Independent.

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Fall 2017

Discovery Channel images

A Jacksonville woman — a former Marine stationed at Marine Air Station New River — recently “starred” in the Discovery Channel’s popular reality show, “Naked and Afraid,” in which she and another individual from Louisiana spent three weeks in the jungle of Belize exhibiting their survival skills.

Sarah Wiley, from the Hubert area near Jacksonville, was paired with “Duck” Campbell from West Monroe, La. Neither she nor Campbell knew each other prior to meeting up in the jungle.

According to the show’s website, for 21 days, one man and one woman — meeting for the first time in the nude — are paired and tasked to survive in some of the world’s most extreme environments... with no food, water or clothes.

The Belize jungle in Central America certainly qualifies as an extreme environment. During the show, the couple had to endure spiders, hordes of ants, crocodiles in the nearby watering holes, and were even stalked by a jaguar that visited within yards of their camp.

Wiley said she and Campbell got along very well although “he wanted to start a little drama and get things stirred.” Early in the 21-day ordeal, Wiley proved to be the bettersuited survivalist helping the two stave off starvation by finding snakefish, scorpions, a turtle and even termites to help them survive. In the show, Campbell felled a palm tree at Day 12 and cut out a large supply of “Heart of Palm” that became a big part of their diet for the final week of their adventure. His experience as a hunter in Louisiana, though, wasn’t a factor during the time in the jungle.

“I definitely enjoyed doing it,” Wiley told SE North Carolina.

“I anticipated learning new survival skills. Having to rely essentially on my own, finding out I really didn’t need anyone else to get through it was probably the most rewarding part of it all.”

The Ohio native, a mother of four, said her children “were nervous and excited” about her appearance on the show. “They are extremely proud of me,” she said.

“I’d definitely do something like that again,” Wiley told the magazine. “It was an experience like none other. There’s nothing to compare it to.”

Web photo

National male high school athlete of year nets big MLB payday How does a country boy high school baseball pitcher from Whiteville wind up getting the largest signing bonus ($6.7 million) in the history of the San Diego Padres? It’s a story made for a TV movie, but it’s all true.

MacKenzie Gore graduated this spring from Whiteville High School. His senior year accolades include the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year, the Baseball America high school player of the year and the No. 3 pick in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.

He won the state 1A baseball championship MVP award three out of four years — and gave the last one this year to the teammate that delivered the title-winning hit. That’s just the kind of guy Gore is. That’s after his near-perfect senior year numbers: he

allowed just two earned runs (in 74 1⁄3 innings) for an ERA of 0.19, struck out hitters at a rate of 14.89 per seven innings and had as many walks (five) as complete games.

After his signing with the Padres, Gore passed on a two-year-old commitment and scholarship to play baseball at East Carolina University.

The 6’1”, 185-pounder has already joined the Padres minor league organization in Phoenix, Arizona. Whiteville High School Coach Brett Harwood is confident Gore is headed toward success. He told Sports Illustrated, “Part of what makes him great is his handling of the mental part.”

Past Gatorade High School players of the year have included Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jason Tatum of Boston Celtics, and Garrett Gilbert of the Carolina Panthers.

Restoring the ‘long leaf’ to the land of pines Bridging the political divide for the environment Coastal Review Online photo

What’s a Republican doing heading up the North Carolina Coastal Federation, a 35-year old group dedicated to preserving the state’s coast from environmental harm?

Dick Bierly, 85, the long-time president of the Federation, doesn’t see where political ideology necessarily gets in the way of environmentalism.

“If people trust your word, there’s nothing more useful in life than that. If your word is good and you’re doing something controversial, that’s money in the bank,” Bierly told the Coastal Review Online.

He grew up in New York state and was transferred by IBM, his employer, to the Triangle area of North Carolina in the mid-1960s. He soon discovered Emerald Isle, purchasing property there and retiring there in 1983. Over the years, he became alarmed at poor development decisions being made in Carteret County and became an advocate, along with others there, for better environmental outcomes.

“My personal political ideology had nothing to do with it,” Bierly told the Review. “It always troubled me that, at least in Carteret County and in other places, the local officials and the environmental community were adversaries.

I was trying to be a voice for reason all through the years.”

“I believe strongly that the country should be self-sufficient and we’re getting to the point where we actually export natural gas,” Bierly said. “We have to pursue self-sufficiency and we are close to that. Then we can feel comfortable objecting to offshore drilling, because it’s not essential to the country’s profile and the risk is too great, but it’s going to take a while.”

A healthy coastal environment is what Bierly says is important. “It’s the real thing here and it should be only carefully changed,” Bierly said. “That’s what I tell the real estate agents: ‘We’re trying to protect what you want to sell because it’s why people want to be here.’”

Restoring longleaf pine trees in “the land of the longleaf pine” is a mission of the Nature Conservancy of North Carolina and Angie Carl, the organization’s Southeast Coastal Plain Stewardship manager. Carl works out of the conservancy’s Wilmington office.

The Conservancy is working to restore longleaf forest savannas in the Green Swamp Preserve in Brunswick County. A contract was signed recently with Canal Woods LLC to conduct the restoration.

Part of the project involves logging to remove slash pine growth from the preserve. Slash pine is a fast-growing tree planted there by the Federal Paper Board in the mid-1900s to produce more pulp for its paper mill in Reigelwood. FPB donated the land to the Nature Conservancy in 1977.

“We don’t want people to be concerned if they see logging,” Carl told the State Port Pilot in Southport. “We’ve got more than a decade of research in the swamp to show us what we need to do to restore the forest.”

Longleaf pine forest was once dominant across the Southeast, blanketing 90-million acres from North Carolina to Texas. Today it covers less than five million.

Research plots at the south end of the preserve have been studied to determine what works best for longleaf restoration. The preserve has all the makings of a longleaf forest, Web photo including the groundcover necessary to move fire through the forest, the Pilot report said.

“Our research has shown that those plants are in the seedbank, just waiting for sunlight to start sprouting,” Carl said.

“We wanted to make sure that this restoration was all for the good,” says Carl. “We didn’t want to have any unintended consequences on any of the plants or animals living in the preserve.”

The restoration could take years, because it can only be done in dry times to minimize the effect of heavy equipment on the forest floor.

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Fall 2017

SE REFUGE

North Carolina

smART 14 Foundation

Color has burst forth from downtown Kinston, but why the newfound sense of aesthetics?

It’s all part of a plan to bring artists and craftspeople to the city to become, what the founders of Smart Foundation hope, will become a mall of culture and art.

Planning, volunteerism and redvelopment all meet in the near the old railroad tracks in a bid to empower aspiring new creators.

Megachurches

24

There was a time when going to church on Sundays meant donning your best dress or suit and singing hymns, accompanied by a simple piano or organ.

Those days still reign for some, but more and more people are “coming as they are” to church in jeans and flipflops, listening to concert-style worship music by a full band and learning the Word along with thousands of others.

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All the pretty houses:

a look into the cultural cultivar of smART Kinston Story & Photos: Trevor Normile It was a hot day in early August when artist Seraphim Smith, 38, brought two steaming mugs of Colombian coffee to the table in an old house on Atlantic Avenue.

“I like to get things done,” laughs Smith, a visual artist and trans man working within the Smart (stylized “smART”) Kinston City Project Foundation.

Dogs Bailey and Thomas vied for attention, paws skittering on the wood floor, as Smith sipped coffee and laid out graphing books full of diagrams and bullet points.

The diagrams, written in ink, contain no evidence of error, obviously handmade yet mechanically tidy. Illustrations show cuts of meat, slicing techniques and ratios, dessert recipes.

“I like to simplify it and organize the information so that it’s interesting to look at, and so I can get it if I were just to look at it visually,” Smith says.

The books cover his table, surrounded by paintings from past and upcoming projects. It was that commitment to food and visual organization that got Smith through culinary school after he moved to North Carolina from Nashville.

The child of a painter who enlisted Smith and siblings in stained glass window making, Smith instead pursued cooking as an art form.

After moving to Durham, where many cultures together have ignited a growing foodie scene, 14

SouthEast North Carolina

he sought out Kinston, where he applied for an internship at the Chef and the Farmer restaurant.

Six months later, he became part of the Smart Foundation and has remained there.

which, amid the red X’s of imminent demolition, have sprung back

The district is a marriage of planning and culture — Hill approached the city a few years ago with a plan to encourage artists to move to town, provide them with cheap rent and art supplies and allow them to sell artwork from their homes.

The Smart Foundation provided the wood floors for Bailey and Thomas’ paws, the walls for Smith’s art, a front porch from which to examine life in the town, Fall 2017

like spring hydrangea after a trim.

On Blount Street, a few blocks near the railroad, artist Thomas Sayre’s titanic barn-shaped tobacco

Seraphim Smith (above), of Kinston, is a visual artist who works as part of the Smart Kinston City Project Foundation. The Smart Foundation (stylized “smART�) is tasked with recruiting new artists to Kinston. It achieves this by offering affordable housing and art supplies, supported by grants. Homes in the Smart program are repainted in bright colors.

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field casts introduce visitors to a reclamation project that aims to turn downtown Kinston into an open-air live-in art market.

Brewery founder Stephen Hill has been a busy man of late. He recently revived, ex post facto, the Kinston Motor Lodge as the “Mother Earth Motor Lodge,” transforming it from a defunct by-the-hour hideout for adulterers and villains into swanky Sixties time capsule. He restored the old Farmer’s and Merchant’s Bank into the O’Neil Hotel and beer continues flowing at his brewery, not far from the brightly-colored homes in Kinston’s new Arts and Cultural District.

The district is a marriage of planning and culture — Hill approached the city a few years ago with a plan to encourage artists to move to town, provide them with cheap rent and art supplies and allow them to sell artwork from their homes.

To make it happen, the city created the district in 2013. Hill, now chairman of the North Carolina Arts Council (itself celebrating 50 years this year) and others started the non-profit Smart Foundation to coordinate the project.

“They saw the need, and a little bit of what I was talking about.

The purpose of it is to recruit artists from all over the world and to have different artists in different houses,” Hill says, sitting in a conference room adorned with paintings commemorating the brewery’s beers.

“If you were driving from Raleigh to the beach, or wherever, hopefully, we can make it a destination. If I want some blown glass, I know to go to Kinston.

Or if I want to look at paintings,

metalwork, pottery, ceramics. You can come here and look at all of it.”

Hill isn’t one to pull punches when it comes to Kinston. In SE North Carolina’s last interview with Hill in 2015, he wasn’t shy about his opinion of the small city — the Magic Mile was now an overgrown path; the city had lost much of its former luster. But that’s not the end of the story he said then, and still says now.

“Being on the N.C. Arts Council, I traveled all over the state. I saw places that were founded and reborn through the arts. I was like, well damn, I should at least be able to try that in my own town. It was replicating all the good parts I saw in many different places.

We don’t have the money Charlotte does, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make yourself look as good,” Hill says.

So Kinston has an image problem, like many old towns in southeastern North Carolina.

Image is something that Seraphim Smith spends much of his time pondering as he fills his graph books. His internship with Vivian Howard’s Chef and the Farmer led to a marketing job there; it’s where Smith wins his bread. The Foundation’s generous terms aren’t free, so he still works a conventional job, but affordable rent means more time can be spent at home on art.

It’s a level of flexibility that Smith appreciates.

“I have depression on top of everything else, so there are ebbs and flows and times I feel great, and can put out a whole bunch of artwork, and then there are periods of a few weeks when it’s just time to come back and, you know, get my energy back and figure out how to put it out next.

“When you’re trying to be authentic, you have to be in the moment. It’s not like being in a factory and stamping a shirt.”

To be fair, he does have a factory at the ready stamp his art on shirts (“That’s not going to get me rich yet, but I do have a plan to, you know, get rich,” he laughs).

“In order for me to be authentic, I appreciate being able to be in one of these houses. I love being across

“Art and food can speak to each other ... this is stuff that was grown here by people I know and love and it gets transformed by artisans in the kitchen.”

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the street from the railroad tracks — it stirs up the air around it, the sound is tremendous.”

Culinary books and treatises-ontreats-and-treating lines the shelves around Smith’s home. Titanic paintings resembling a picnic table, seen from above, hang from the walls. Food fascinates Seraphim Smith, and he explains, taking another Colombian sip, he wants to capture its essence in many forms.

“Art and food can speak to each other ... this is stuff that was grown here by people I know and love and it gets transformed by artisans in the kitchen.”

The picnic tables are what they appear to be; Smith’s desire for a “place at the table for everybody” drives this piece, three paintings to fit together as one image, a red and white checker tablecloth covered in painted Southern dishes.

The artist says he was also inspired

by Flanner O’Connor’s use of religious imagery in her short stories, and hopes to

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When Smart Foundation started, Hill and others, like Marcia Perritt, now assistant city planner, faced neighborhoods full of run-down homes and properties. Kinston has a poverty problem, with almost 39 percent of the city below the poverty level in 2015, compared to about 22 percent for North Carolina overall. include elements of the Last Supper as an undercurrent in the theme.

Smith donates some paintings to local charities, like Mary’s Kitchen, for fundraisers and other initiatives. This winter, a truly anthropological piece involv-

Fall 2017

ing sauces — and the Tree of Life — is planned.

In the meantime, Smith also occupies himself painting Kinston in landscapes.

The paintings are pretty, but ironically may be difficult to recognize one day if work continues downtown. Most of Smart’s artist homes are easy to spot among the other old houses, many of which are still occupied.

When Smart Foundation started, Hill and others, like Marcia Perritt, now assistant city planner, faced neighborhoods full of run-down homes and properties.

Kinston has a poverty problem, with almost 39 percent of the city below the poverty level in 2015, compared to about 22 percent for North Carolina overall.

Smith thinks about the future of Kinston, with the efforts to revamp its persona. He says he hopes the residents (of whom, 68 percent are black, overall) aren’t pushed out as downtown changes.

“I want the walkability of Kinston improved, I want it to stay diverse, but I don’t want it to gentrify. I want it to be a place where people can afford a house, but we have these really beautiful houses here that are falling apart,” Smith says.

“The thing we still have in this area, we don’t have the fabric mills or tee shirt company, we have a really povertystricken area in east Kinston.”

Compounding that, it’s unclear in many cases who owns the homes in the area, since many former owners died without wills, leaving an administrative nightmare for their descendants and the city, Hill says.

For example, if a group of people are

given a home that no one wants and none can afford to keep, what happens when someone else wants it?

“It was very expensive, but it’s tedious too, because a lot of the homes are heir property. Grandma died, she had five children who have had 25 grandchildren. She died without a will, everyone has a claim to the property,” Hill explains.

“So you’re dealing with 25, 30 heirs, it takes years. The city has to take charge of some of that. If you’re an urban redevelopment zone and the owner doesn’t come and fix the house so it’s inhabitable at least, the city can take the property. Kinston has not gone that far.”

But the force that Hill believes took business from downtown Anywhere,

North Carolina is, ironically, what could bring it back.

“Your big box stores and malls took downtowns away, so you’re left with these humongous buildings down here. You can recreate a town based on the arts, its culture,” he says.

It’s the force that opened up space for his brewery and other new businesses in town, and it could well have been outsourcing that caused downtown homes like Smith’s to deteriorate.

You wouldn’t know it by visiting however.

Inside Smith’s home, his affection for cooking is apparent. In the kitchen, basil plucked from a community garden grows in the window. A brick chimney, set in the middle of the floor,

To make it happen, the city created the district in 2013. Hill, now chairman of the North Carolina Arts Council (itself celebrating 50 years this year) and others started the nonprofit Smart Foundation to coordinate the project.

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separates it from a living room cubby surrounded by windows.

It appears the restoration job was done neither quickly nor cheaply.

Smith fetches a painting to present for a photo; it shows a hand picking up shrimp from a plate with asparagus, next to a glass of beer.

His paintings do sell, the artist says, often to local farmers whose fields he portrays. A lady at the agricultural extension bought one, Smith says, and Jane and Warren Brothers too.

Overlooking downtown from the roof of the Mother Earth Brewery, Hill offers some advice to people like Smith.

“To dream big is okay, even though people might think you’re crazy. You can show them how crazy looks,” Hill, an intense man bearing a mostaccio and a geometric

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Fall 2017

style of dress, says.

“There’s always that group, but you’ve got to forge ahead. I don’t care, I tell people all the time, they called me crazy, but here we are.

I’m enjoying the hell out of it.”

Smith, whose journey has taken him from Nashville to Durham, from foiling stained glass to culinary school and the train tracks in Kinston, says he appreciates the support.

“I believe that one day its going to totally come together. I try to appreciate each day as it comes, and what I’ve been able to get done so far. The great thing about Smart Kinston is, I think I’m being nurtured and looked-out-for,” he said.

“I have never had a direct idea of purpose, and I’ve had a sense of purpose this year.”

“At least what works for me this decade,” he laughs.

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Why are people ‘flockin

megachurc

Story & Photos: Abby Cavenaugh If statistics are to be believed, less than 20 percent of the American population attends church on a regular basis. At the same time, however, megachurches are growing throughout the country, including right here in southeastern North Carolina.

A ‘“megachurch” is defined by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research as a Protestant Christian congregation with a sustained weekly attendance of 2,000 or more. Port City Community Church in Wilmington has a total weekly average congregation of more than 5,000, spread out through three Sunday services at

the main campus in Wilmington, plus satellite campuses in Leland, Jacksonville and New Bern. First Baptist Church of Jacksonville also boasts regular attendance of 2,200.

“Why Nobody Wants to go to Church Anymore” is the title of a 2013 book written by Joani Schultz and Thom Schultz. Some researchers say that 4,000-7,000 churches close every year. Southern Baptist researcher Thom Rainer reported in 2013 that the numbers were even more startling, saying that between 8,000 and 10,000 churches would likely close that year.

But if nobody’s going to church

and churches are closing their doors left and right, why are mostly non-denominational megachurches growing by leaps and bounds?

“I think it has to do with our values and our goal of reaching people where they are,” says Richie Marshall, executive pastor at Port City Community Church, also known as PC3. “A lot of people feel they can’t go to church until they work their issues out. But we meet people where they are, as they are.”

PC3 has a laid-back atmosphere, despite its 90,000-square-foot glass and concrete appearance. On any

Port City Community Church has a total congregation of 5,000 among four locations: Wilmington, Leland, Jacksonville and New Bern. The most popular service, at 11 a.m. Sundays, usually has an average attendance of 1,500.

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ng’ to

hes?

Another appeal of megachurches, Dr. Cogdill said, is the level of production involved in each service.

“It’s very impressive programming,” he said.

“In megachurches, you get orchestras, bands, live performances.

I think that’s very attractive to people.” given Sunday, parishioners can be found wearing shorts and flipflops, T-shirts, jeans and sneakers, or the more traditional Sundaygo-to-meeting attire. Most of the ministers— yes, plural— don a button-up and khakis, or jeans and a nice shirt, no suit and tie.

It’s not just the clothing that’s relaxed. The messages the pastors preach are also on a level that most people can identify with, they say.

“I think it’s a very relatable message every week,” says PC3 member Sue Colangelo. “Our pastors

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In the case of Port City Community Church, founder Mike Ashcraft didn’t set out to establish a megachurch, Marshall said. It actually started as a youth ministry. “We had no idea,” he explained. “It’s not like there was a strategic plan to serve thousands.” make their messages on common ground that people can really relate to.”

For instance, at a recent service, Pastor Danny Rogers, who usually preaches at the New Bern location, talked about waiting, and how many people feel that their lives are in a holding pattern. He even shared a clip from the classic 1980s movie, “The Karate Kid,” during his sermon to illustrate a point about how Mr. Miyagi was teaching Daniel LaRusso karate while Daniel thought he was just doing endless chores. (“Wax on, wax off,” the classic line goes.) Rogers’ point was that God works the same way. “God is doing something in your midst and you might not even realize it,” he said.

Messages like that are easy for anyone of any age to relate to, and that’s the bread and butter for many megachurches, although many do have a younger lean.

A 2008 study by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research showed that the average age of those who attended megachurches was 40, while the average age of more traditional church attendees was 53.

“Usually, at a lot of megachurches, there is a contingent of younger people,” says Dr. Mike Cogdill, professor of Christian ministry at Campbell University Divinity School. “There are a lot of children, a lot of young people. That’s our natural human tendency, to want to be with people our own age.”

Denominations ­— or the lack 26

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thereof — are another factor in the growth of megachurches. According to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, 40 percent of megachurches are non-denominational, while Southern Baptists make up 16 percent and unspecified Baptists are 7 percent.

“In a denomination, people are selecting churches based on denominational beliefs,” Marshall said.

“We don’t take ourselves overly seriously, but we do take our mission seriously.”

Dr. Cogdill agreed that nondenominational churches have more of a mass appeal than Baptists, Methodists or Presbyterians. “I do think we are in a period of declining attendance, but religion is as much a part of our lives as it has ever been,” he said. “We’re living in a generation of institution builders, and I think people want to believe in the ministry rather than the institution.”

Another appeal of megachurches, Dr. Cogdill said, is the level of production involved in each service.

“It’s very impressive programming,” he said. “In megachurches, you get orchestras, bands, live performances. I think that’s very attractive to people.”

Indeed, PC3 has a full praise band and lighting that could rival any secular concert. But the technology doesn’t end there.

PC3 has a team of interpreters, who listen to every message and translate real-time for Spanishspeaking members of the congregation, via special headsets that are Fall 2017

available at Guest Services. The service is also simulcast to the campuses in Jacksonville, New Bern and Leland.

On the big screens in the main auditorium, which seats 1,700, parents can receive messages if their child needs attention in one of the many youth and infant programs.

In fact, children are checked into their large groups and small groups via a barcoded sticker. Parents get a matching keychain card, too, like the MVP cards for Food Lion or VIC for Harris-Teeter. The child’s number will be displayed on the screens if there is a problem the parent needs to attend to.

However, if crowds aren’t your thing, PC3 has you covered, too.

There are overflow seating areas with the service playing on screens, including a cafe that serves (iced or hot) coffee and tea, and a bookstore.

There are also “living rooms,” where parishioners can meet in small groups in a comfy setting. “We would rather have people in circles sharing light than sitting in rows being talked to,” Marshall said.

Small groups are a mainstay of megachurches, with that 2008 study showing that 60 percent of those attending megachurches are part of

“We help people with situations they’re working through,” Marshall said. “We only have an hour a week to make the most of this mission we feel God has called us to.” a small group ministry within the church.

The pastor at PC3 will stay down at the front of the auditorium after each sermon, if people need ministering on a personal level, Marshall added. “Sometimes, it’s hard to feel that personal touch in a 1,700-person auditorium.”

In addition, next to the “living rooms,” there is a “What’s Next” room where newcomers can meet one on one with volunteers to talk about volunteering, missions, starting on the path to baptism, or whatever issues they might have.

TOP PHOTO: There is also a cafe and bookstore inside Port City Community Church in Wilmington, where the service is broadcast for those who wish to enjoy a cup of coffee and avoid the crowd. BOTTOM PHOTO: Each service is translated into Spanish. Interpreters’ voices are recorded and transmitted realtime over headsets to Spanish-speaking parishioners.

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And, of course, each service is available in video or audio format on the website, portcitychurch.org.

In the case of Port City Community Church, founder Mike Ashcraft didn’t set out to establish a megachurch, Marshall said. It actually started as a youth ministry.

“We had no idea,” he explained.

“It’s not like there was a strategic plan to serve thousands.”

In fact, the church started in

1999 as a “portable church,” meeting at Roland Grice Middle School.

It grew from there, moving into the current gigantic facility in 2008.

Though there are services at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. also, the 11 a.m. service is the most popular, and the auditorium is usually full, Marshall said. “Most churches will tell you that if you are 80 percent full, you’re full, but the 11 a.m. service is easily over 80 percent every

week.”

Dr. Cogdill said another part of the appeal may be the anonymity.

You don’t get the personal attention when you’re among 1,700 other people, but to some, that is an attractive feature.

“Combine [the production values] and the ‘I don’t have to get involved if I don’t want to’ mentality, and you’ve got a winner,” he said.

Marshall said the most com-

Modern production value coupled with a sense of anonymity — if you want it — is part of what experts say appeals to people about m personal attention in a crowd of thousands, ministers often stay after the service to pray with parishioners. But for those who prefer t megachurches simply seem less intimidating.

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mon feedback PC3 staff get is that people love the worship music and love “the relational way our pastors speak.”

And in the end, that’s what seems to matter most to megachurch attendees.

“We help people with situations they’re working through,” Marshall said. “We only have an hour a week to make the most of this mission we feel God has called us to.”

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SE Snapshot

SE PICKS: Kids’ Crazes

North Carolina

Scavenger hunt craze rocks southeastern N.C.

T

Story & Photo

By Abby Cavenaugh

hese days Charlie Brown would probably be thrilled to find a rock in his trick-or-treat bag.

This summer, a fun new fad began in Onslow County in which children and adults alike decorated rocks that they then hid in public places. Once you find a rock, you’re asked to post a photo on the Onslow Rocks Facebook page and re-hide the rock, or create one of your own and hide it.

Katie Dodge started the Onslow group after seeing a photo of a decorated rock a friend in California posted on Facebook. In mid-June, the Onslow Rocks page had 200 likes. By mid-July, nearly 20,000.

Mikhayla Minton soon started a similar page for Duplin County, after she and her sons found a decorated rock while on vacation in Florida.

The Duplin County Rocks page, too, grew by more than 100 likes per day.

Within just a few weeks, the group totaled more than 3,000.

The rock-hiding craze has spread nationwide, with children and adults all over the country painting rocks and hiding them.

“It’s such a great way to bring our family and other families closer together,” said Ashley Edwards of the Fountaintown community in Duplin County. “Even when people are having a bad day, they find one of

these rocks and a smile automatically comes on their face.”

The “Today” show ran a story in May, highlighting Megan Murphy, a life coach from Massachusetts. Mur-

Painting, finding and hiding rocks like this one is the latest craze.

phy started the Kindness Rocks Project by writing inspiring messages on rocks and leaving them on the beach.

After a friend let Murphy know that finding the rock had made her day, the idea for organizing groups to hide decorated rocks was born.

Now, it’s a sure bet that wherever you are, there’s probably a Facebook page for your county or city and its rock-painting-and-hiding groups.

“Something so small has brought so much joy to our children and even our adults,” Minton said. “It feels amazing to have brought something to our county to show there are still amazing people in this world.”

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1970s: Pet Rock

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For about six months in 1975, every kid wanted their very own, pedigreed Pet Rock. The idea, conceived by advertising executive Gary Dahl, was to market the rocks as if they were live pets, with their own custom cardboard boxes, complete with straw and breathing holes.

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Cabbage Patch Kids are still available today.

1990s: Pogs Pogs became popular in the 1990s. Also known as the milk caps game, players each contribute an equal number of pogs to build a stack with the pieces facedown. They then take turns throwing what’s called a slammer down onto the top of the stack, causing the pogs, or milk caps, to scatter. Each player keeps any pogs that land face-up after they’ve thrown. The one with the most pogs in the end is the winner.

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North Carolina

The Hwy 55 Story

36

If you’re ever feeling homesick in the United Arab Emirates, you can get a little bite of Mount Olive to tide you over.

Such is the scale of Kenney Moore’s Hwy 55 business empire, which started right here in southeastern North Carolina.

From the early “Andy’s” days, filling burger orders in the Goldsboro mall to an international brand under a new name, Moore tells the story of Hwy 55, Burgers, Shakes and Fries.

It took some sleepless nights and plenty of elbow grease (well, and cooking grease), but what started as a $500 moonshot has turned into an empire.

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Kenney Moore

Story: Jacqueline Hough Photos: Trevor Normile

Walk into any Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries restaurant from Kenansville to Emerald Isle or even Tuscaloosa, Ala, and immediately step back into the 1950s.

The restaurant is a tribute to the era with vinyl records and photos of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe on the wall. As you eat, 1950s music plays.

For Founder and CEO Kenney Moore, it was a time when there was more of a community feeling for the country.

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“The music in the ’50s is not going to offend a soul,” he said. “It may not be your favorite but it is happy music.”

It’s why the decade is a central part of the ambiance of Hwy 55: Moore wanted a person’s experience inside the restaurant to be an escape.

“Regardless of what is going on in your life, the hour or so that you spend here, we want you to forget about it,” Moore says. “We want you to listen to some upbeat

Fall 2017

music, in an upbeat atmosphere, eating some great food and hopefully, feeling like you are eating with your friends and neighbors.”

Before the name change five years ago and 135 locations in 13 states and other countries, Andy’s Cheesesteaks and Cheeseburger started with one restaurant in a mall in southeastern North Carolina in 1991.

It was the dream of Moore who started Andy’s (now Hwy 55) after being fired as a district manager of

an area restaurant.

Originally, the restaurant was named after his oldest son, it was started with $500 and a lot of determination.

Moore wanted to be in control of his own destiny — and never feel the way he did when he was fired.

During that first year, Moore did everything from flipping burgers to cleaning the restrooms.

He worked from the moment the restaurant opened until it closed.

Moore said he knew they had great food and a 1950s concept that people enjoyed. “We were getting better all the time,” he remembers.

But Moore had many sleepless nights. One night while driving home, he had an epiphany after a culmination of many things.

The sales at the restaurant were on a rollercoaster. He had bills

In recent years, the brand was named a top 500 franchise in the country and a “Next 20” restaurant brand

by Nation’s Restaurant News. to pay. He was working a lot and wasn’t able to spend enough time with his wife and son.

“And frankly, my feet ached from standing all day,” Moore remembers.

As he drove home on N.C. 11, he started having an internal conversation with himself.

“A voice as clear as I am sitting here today said ‘it is not about you,’” Moore said.

The voice asked him what had he done to help other people? And how had he helped them reached

The Hwy 55 headquarters in Mount Olive is full of memorabilia from the company’s early days and outside programs, such as the World Hamburger Eating Championship. The building also boasts a full training theater for new employees, which used to be hosted at the Faison location.

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Last year, the foundation gave money to 56 different children’s causes and several military causes.

Carolina had been Andy’s and now Highway 55 fans for a very long time.”

After being known as Andy’s Burgers Shakes and Fries for 20 years, the restaurant chain changed its name to Highway 55 in early 2012.

The name change happened because another restaurant outside of North Carolina had federally trademarked the name Andy’s.

their goals or dreams?

Moore slept uneasily that night.

He got up the next day and changed the direction of his company.

“I decided I was going to make this about making other people successful,” he said.

Within six months, the company went from $35,000 behind on the food bills to being in the black.

By his second year, he owned four restaurants.

One way he helped others was offering them a chance to become franchise owners.

In the beginning, most of those owners came up through the ranks of the company. Moore said he is proud to say there are more than 50 previous minimum wage employees who now own their restaurants.

For years, Moore and his restaurants kept a low profile in North Carolina.

As more and more franchises opened, he decided to expand and see if the concept had legs beyond Eastern North Carolina. “We decided to go to western and beyond,” he said. “Then all of sudden we became known nationally. We became this overnight success after hiding in eastern North Carolina for 20 plus years.”

Moore admitted a lot of his success is due to being in southeastern North Carolina.

“Eastern North Carolina gave me a lot of time to learn,” he said.

“The people of southeastern North

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With the change, Highway 55 expanded to other states.

And soon Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, came calling.

It wasn’t in Moore’s five-year game plan to open a restaurant in Abu Dhabi, and every day, the company gets franchise requests from all over the country and the world.

“Well, we get this one from Abu Dhabi,” Moore says with a laugh.

In 2015, Moore wrote the book “Behind the Drive” to share his story and show the good, bad and early of pursuing the American Dream.

And the man emailed them. And then he started calling.

Guy Guthrie, vice president of franchise sales, asked Moore what

Fall 2017

he should do about the man.

Moore told Guthrie to tell him to fly 17 hours to Mount Olive, to meet with them.

To their surprise, the businessman actually came — and within five minutes Moore said he realized he had a business-minded individual at his service, who knew the ins and outs of the Middle Eastern market.

“I basically said if I am ever going to go the Middle East, I can’t think of a better person go with,” he said.

So that’s how the 107th Hwy 55 opened in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Moore says he had a moment when he arrived in the country, walked into one of his restaurants that looked like the ones in North Carolina.

“I realized I was half way around the world,” he remembered. “I had to walk outside and get away from everyone, and just kind of breathe it in for a second.”

It was 11 at night and he could hear the prayer call going out.

“I could not believe we were selling our hamburgers in Abu Dhabi,” Moore says. “It was pretty amazing.”

A second restaurant is under construction there and should open soon.

As the company became more successful, Moore wanted to give back.

In 2000, he started a golf tournament with all proceeds going to the MakeA-Wish Foundation.

Moore says he had a soft spot for Make-A-Wish, but knew he couldn’t be one of the people to take a sick child to Disney World.

“I’m supposed to be a big tough guy but I would be a wreck,” he explains. “But I knew I could raise money for them.”

In 2005, the Andy’s Foundation was created.

Last year, the foundation gave money to 56 different children’s causes and several military causes.

There are no paid board mem-

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39

bers.

“It goes back to the original culture and teaching people how to be successful,” Moore says. “We encourage and prompt our stores to raise money. The reason we do is because it fits in with the theme that it is not just about you.”

The entrepreneur says he’s “amazed and humbled” by what Hwy 55 employees do.

“You will get wait staff who will bake brownies or do car washes,” he says.

“A lot of times they do it 50 cents to a $1 at a time. It is teaching a wonderful life lesson as well.”

Since the expansion of the company, Hwy 55 has received many accolades.

The restaurant won BurgerBusiness.com’s Best Burger” in 2012. Franchise Business Review named Hwy 55 one of the best restaurant franchises in the country in 2014.

In recent years, the brand was named a top 500 franchise in the country and a “Next 20” restaurant brand by Nation’s Restaurant News.

After all of these accomplishments, Moore would like to be out of a lot of the day-to-day business in the next six years.

At this time, he would be 60 years old and like to travel.

“I want to see every inch of this great country,” Moore says. “I want to play great golf courses.”

Playing golf is only his passion but an outlet to step away from the business.

“I spent a vast majority of my time thinking about the business except for when I go to play golf. For some reason, I can actually shut this thing down and focus on that for three hours,” he says, pointing to his head.

Moore has played at Pinehurst Resort. On his bucket list is a goal to play at Augusta National Golf Club but added he would have to know someone who knows somebody to play there.

In 2015, Moore wrote the book “Behind the Drive” to share his story and show the good, bad and ugly of pursuing the American Dream.

He wanted to write a book that would show people that they could do or be they wanted.

“I wanted it to be honest,” he says. “I wanted to get our story out there for people to see that it has been hard.”

The book and his restaurants are ways for him to convey one central message — everyone has a story, and people must love their neighbors.

“But at the end of the day as long as we stay focused on that, this company has always kept its bearings and done the right thing.”

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SouthEast North Carolina

Andy Moore of Hwy 55 shows a wall of memories at the company’s headquarters in Mount Olive. Part of the company’s ethos is for individual stores to raise money for charitable causes, such as the Andy’s Foundation. Last year, the foundation gave money to 56 different children’s causes and several military causes.

The book and his restaurants are ways for him to convey one central message —everyone has a story and we must love our neighbors.

Below, Willie Pope (right) operates the Kenansville Hwy 55 store.

Pope is one of many owner-operators who have become entrepreneurs through Hwy 55’s system. The restaurant is decorated with vinyl records, classic movie posters, musical instruments and even a mannequin of Elvis Presley.

Fall 2017

Fall 2017

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SE Snapshot

SE PICKS: Ghosts alive

North Carolina

The real ‘ghosts’ of Tryon to appear Sept.

23-24

J

Story by Trevor Normile

ust six seconds into late 1760s in New Bern for colonial the Snapchat video governor William Tryon. filmed in Tryon Palace Is this proof of the paranormal at this past July, a figure the palace? Probably not, but history in a gown steps past a still comes to life there. doorway in the background.

Danielle Hyde, the Goldsboro woman who filmed the video, said in a statement that she believes the figure is the ghost of a servant who died in the fire that destroyed the original palace in 1792.

The footage went viral and was covered in many dubious U.K. tabloids, as well as locally, albeit here with a hint of skepticism.

In the video, the camera quickly pans back and forth across one of Civil War Weekend is scheduled the many lavish rooms in the palfor Sept. 23-24 at Tryon Palace. ace, and the figure, which appears to be a woman in period clothing, On Sept. 23-24 the palace will walks past. hold Civil War Weekend, featurHyde told the Daily Mail she only ing the 35th Regiment of the U.S. noticed the figure in the background Colored Troops, reenacting the state’s after someone else pointed it out first regiment of African American upon viewing it later.

Union soldiers. Civil War reenactors Of course, it’s not rare to see with from Company F, 7th NC regipeople in period clothing at Tryon ment of the CSA will join them.

Palace, according to Craig Ramey, The event be a prime opportunity public affairs director for the manto learn about the war’s impact on sion. “We have people in costume free and enslaved people in North every day of the week,” he said.

Carolina, and about the tools and Reenactment is a time-honored tactics of the Civil War. tradition in North Carolina, and Learn more at www.tryonpalace. the palace is certainly steeped in org, Can’t wait? Search YouTube for history. Rebuilt in 1959, the New “Ghost Servant at Palace” to see the Bern mansion was constructed in the footage of the “ghost.”

SE Fall 2017

Colonial Living Week A five-day “living history program” at Alamance Battleground in Burlington, the allages program gives a look at 18th century home and military life. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Oct.2 through Friday, Oct. 6. Learn more at www.nchistoricsites.org/ alamance/alamanc.htm.

Ghost Walk, Wilmington The mack-daddy of ghost tours in southeastern N.C., the Ghost Walk is a 90-minute tour of old Wilmington to homes and burial grounds that, locals claim, are haunted.

If nothing else, it’s a prime event for history buffs. The tours are given year round, and space is limited, but tickets can be purchased in advance. To learn more, visit www.hauntedwilmington. com.

Bath Towne After Dark If there’s one damn place in North Carolina that should be haunted, it’s the town of Bath.

Founded in 1705, it’s the state’s oldest town. One way to explore the town is through the “Bath Towne After Dark,” a walking tour that brings visitors face to face with the haunts of Governor Charles Eden, his vicious pirate foe, “Blackbeard” Edward Teach, to novelist Edna Ferber. Tours are October 13-14.

More at www.littlewashingtonnc.com.

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North Carolina

Foscue 52 Plantation

Sometimes, the ghosts hide in plain sight. Visit the famous Foscue Plantation House of New Bern, built in 1824

by Simon Foscue, Jr. Today it’s a popular tourist destination, open to visitors year round Todd Wetherington remembers his time with the house and tries to reconcile the building’s beauty, its place in history, and its past.

Murmurs: A moment of silence, please...

56

...for poor Sarah McCulloch.

The miserable account of her untimely death and irreverent funeral, which never once truly matched the elegance of her living days.

Murmurs is a place for characters and creeps, but here we find only everyday people, sweating in the hot summer heat.

Fall 2017

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Foscue Plantation House:

pastoral scenes from the gallant South By: Todd Wetherington

Sometimes, the ghosts hide in

plain sight.

Located on the Trent River in Pollocksville, just south of New Bern, the Foscue Plantation House was built in 1824 by Simon Foscue, Jr. on land first settled by his father. The three story brick house, which has been in the family for nine generations, was one of the first in North Carolina to be added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Throughout the last four decades, restoration projects have returned the exterior of the home to something like its former glory, shaded by a painterly spray of crepe myrtles and magnolia trees. The interior decor has been maintained in all its original antebellum high style as well, retaining a number of original furnishings that are complemented by period-correct antiques.

Open to visitors year round, the 1,300 acre plantation includes a family cemetery, gardens, abundant forest, farmland where “King Cotton,” corn, and other produce was once hand-picked, and the placidly murmuring Trent River at the back of the property.

It’s a lovely, tranquil site, one that offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of wealthy planters and their families in the years just prior to the Civil War. But like many similar historic locations from this time period, there’s another truth to the place that’s rarely discussed, one that doesn’t help to draw tourists or play into the narrative of the noble Southern family romance.

That truth states that much of the wealth that built Foscue Plantation and enriched its owners was amassed through suffering, through the enslavement of human beings who were forced to tend the crops that were sold for profit, and who helped fash52

SouthEast North Carolina

ion the very bricks that have held the house upright for nearly 200 years. ….

As a justice of the peace in the early 19th century, Simon Foscue, Jr. held the most powerful position in county government throughout the United States. Executing judicial, executive and legislative powers, justices of the peace were the local governing authorities and highly respected, distinguished citizens.

Foscue would often visit New Bern to admire several of the high-style side hall townhouses that were being built in town. This style, very much en vogue in England in the late 18th century, became prominent among high society in New Bern and out-

Fall 2017

lying areas in the early 1800s, and served as the blueprint for the home Foscue would build in Pollocksville.

During Foscue’s lifetime, the plantation would grow to include his son, John Edward, John Edward’s wife, Caroline Foy and their children, Henry, Christiana and Mariana.

The family owned a number of slaves, possibly as many as 90 over a 30 year period. Information provided by the Research Branch of the NC Office of Archives and History indicates that Simon Foscue, Jr. owned nineteen slaves in 1830, John Edward Foscue owned twenty-three slaves in 1840 and Caroline Foscue owned forty-eight at the outbreak of the Civil War, “a significant number for

even eastern North Carolina.”

Family records show the casual nature of the slave trade among the monied elite of the period, with individuals loaned out from one farm to another on a regular basis.

A number of slaves are listed among the personal property passed down to Simon Foscue, Jr. upon the death of his father, along with cows, horses and furniture. The senior Foscue also deeded “four negroes, Patience, Julet, Bob, & Manuel” to his daughter, Dorcas.

Like many Southern families that relied exclusively on slave labor, the Foscue’s business was decimated by the Civil War. Following the Battle of New Bern in 1862, Caroline Foscue, now a widow, fled to Thomasville and Goldsboro with her two daughters and her slaves while her son and brother fought for the Confederate Army around Richmond and Petersburg, Va. The Foscue Plantation house was occupied periodically by

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Union troops due to its strategic location between New Bern, which was Union-occupied, and Kinston, which was Confederate-occupied. ….

They say it’s haunted now, have said so ever since I was a boy, and long before, I’m certain.

Some claim slaves were chained in the attic and their cries and moans ring out at night. A legend says that slaves’ blood appears on the stairs no matter how many times they are repainted.

Spirits are thought to haunt all areas of the plantation, from the elaborately furnished rooms to the expertly maintained outer grounds. The sighting of apparitions, shadowy figures that fade away into the ether when approached, is not uncommon in the fields and woods surrounding the house.

The spirits are thought to be particularly drawn to the home’s attic. A popular story relates how troublesome slaves would be taken up there to be chained against the walls for days at a time without food, to be whipped or beaten at regular intervals. Some claim objects have been known to shift across the attic floor of their own accord.

In 2010, an early 19th century vault was excavated on Foscue Plantation as part an of ongoing archaeological research project. According to historical records three individuals were interred in the vault: Simon Foscue, Sr., Simon Foscue, Jr. and his wife Christiana “Kitty” Rhem Foscue. Excavation of the vault revealed other, unidentified occupants as well: three adult females, a three year

old child and three pre-term fetuses, two of which likely were twins. The estimated age of the fetuses suggests that one of the young females interred may have died while eight months pregnant. ….

I spent a summer at Foscue Plantation, in 2010, just after the vault was excavated. I was working with a family friend, a master brick mason, assisting him in the restoration of the house’s brick and mortar exterior.

I knew little about the place’s history then, only that the family had been slaves owners and the house was long-rumored to be a hotspot of supernatural goings on.

But I didn’t dwell on either of those things during the three months I spent there, as I struggled to retrain my limbs to conform to the daily grind of hard physical labor.

We worked three stories up on rusty, creaking scaffolding, moving around planks of wood like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle to form walkways from one level to the next. I would drive home after working up there for eight hours and my arms would shake uncontrollably from the hydraulic chisels and air hoses we used to peel back the layers of ancient mortar and crumbling brick. The fine residue of all that handmade, human endeavor, of the materials crafted along the very banks of the Trent River, crusted in my hair, my eyes, my pores and lungs, Working with us, most days, was an older black man, a hired hand, who laughed off his bosses’

insults with good natured grins and shrugs. He had been intermittently jailed for selling drugs, he admitted, though he swore those days were well behind him.

He worked beside us without complaint, under the casually brutal, cloudless summer sky, enduring casual slurs and half-hearted threats I wouldn’t have taken from anyone, money be damned.

The few good memories I have of that time are of the moments when we would take a break, set the tools down, and dangle on the edge of the scaffolding looking out across what were once fields of plenty, where slaves worked under the same summer sun to tend crops that fed their masters in the big brick house, and created the wealth that made their purchase possible.

Mostly, I didn’t think about those things, though. I just marveled at the beauty of the place, and hoped for a bit of cool breeze. It was peaceful, quiet, still.

I can still drive by the home and see what I helped accomplish that summer.

Masonry is different work than journalism; it leaves behind a tangible piece of the world, one you can run your hands over and feel, one your labor played a part in shaping.

I left a bit of myself there that summer: a considerable amount of sweat, a bit of blood, and memories.

I drive by the plantation and there I am another ghost. ….

How to reconcile the natural wonder of that land, the hard, decades-tested craftsmanship of that house and the loving families that have dwelt within, with that other reality, of

brutality and injustice? Maybe it can’t be done. I don’t pretend to know.

The last Foscues to call the plantation home, Henry and Gertrude, left in 1918.

It was occupied by various tenant farmers for years afterwards.

The surviving Foscues are understandably leery of drawing attention to the darkness in their family’s past, as they are of allowing photos to be taken of the interior of the house.

Jimmy Foscue, the plantation’s curator and the great, great-grandson of John Edward Foscue, says the mystery of the ancestral home must be preserved, to draw the same tourists who flock to Tryon Palace and the areas other historic places year after year.

The home is undoubtedly impressive, with its original hardwood floors, four fireplaces, and walls of plaster and brick.

“That’s why it’s still in such good shape, why it stands so straight,” Jimmy Foscue explains, pounding a fist against the home’s unyielding frame.

As for the wonderfully preserved daguerreotype hanging in the foyer of Henry Foscue in his Confederate grey?

Why focus on such details when there’s an exquisite example of late 1700s cabi-

net craftsmanship sitting nearby?

Because certainly, there are good things happening at Foscue Plantation today. It was presented the Governor’s Award for Forestry Conservation by the North Carolina Wildlife Federation in September 2010. A professional forester helps oversee the woodlands for timber management in accordance with a wildlife plan put together by North Carolina State University for the plantation. And each year, the family hosts injured marines from Camp Lejeune for the annual Wounded Warrior Hunt.

But the truth is still there, always. In the home’s basement, visitors can see examples of the debarking axes, bark shaving tools and other instruments of the turpentine trade, which also flourished at the plantation before the Civil War. The basement, and those tools, were used almost solely by humans who had been bought and sold by other humans.

According to Jimmy Foscue, one of the major undertakings in the home’s restoration was the replacement of the basement’s original concrete floor, which had allowed moisture to seep up into the flooring and walls of the rooms above.

The stain of human error, working its

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way from below into the elegant mirage above.

On the wall of a bedroom on the home’s second floor, a death notice is framed. Caroline Foy Foscue, Jimmy Foscue’s great great grandmother, died at 6:00 on June 7, 1881. Just south of that bedroom, inside a gated plot beside U.S. Highway 17, the tombstones of John Edward Foscue, Henry Clay Foscue and their descendents have been restored, repaired and cataloged.

But visitors seeking evidence of those who once worked the land, who lived and died on the same plantation as the owners they enriched, will be disappointed. There are no monuments, no historical plaques.

Maybe, as legend has it, they gather on summer nights at the river, which must have presented an all-too-tempting escape route for those seeking passage to somewhere, anywhere else. Maybe they howl in the attic and loose gouts of blood on the stairs. Maybe they’re still to be seen, roaming the fields and shadowed woods where they once toiled.

But who am I to say? I barely understand this world, much less the next.

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Story: Lucas Thornton

Illustrations: Trevor Normile

A

Moment of Silence, Please: The grand townhouse of Stodestown Road was built off newfound soft drink money generated by Abraham McCulloch’s Cold Jehovah Cola Company in 1925 by a team builders who, being bribed by a rival soft drink company, sabotaged the construction.

The desired death that the competitor sought did not occur until Saturday July 18th, 2017 at about three o’clock in the afternoon, when, after walking her pooch, 93 year old company heiress, Sarah McCulloch, sat in front of her television, exhausted from her short jaunt outside. The cause of her demise, along with some minor seismic activity and the inopportune rocking of her chair, was a purposefully loosened brick that fell out of the shaft in the chimney, causing the nearly half-ton mass of bricks to crush the old woman.

Visitation was at Park’s Funeral Home in Buxton’s Lump, North Carolina at the urgings of her only surviving daughter, Carmen. A few elderly friends showed up, but that was all. It was not until the burial, the next day, that a fragmented fraternity of mismatched, estranged, and severed family members showed up, each sporting a flailing veneer of solemnity that hid thinly their distaste. They had been dragged here, to a ruinous family graveyard, on the hottest day of the year.

Everyone in attendance could scarcely remember a time in their lives when Sarah McCulloch had not been decrepit or ill-tempered. In the last few years of her life, McCulloch had grown ornery for no other reason than being nearly a century old. As a result of this turn in demeanor (which lasted two to three decades, accounts differ) family members, extended or not, made a pact to visit her only when a dire moment arose. As it so happened, a dire moment never came.

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SouthEast North Carolina

The only consistent company of ornery old Sarah McCulloch was the good daughter Carmen who, also being of advanced age, saw it fair and reasonable to buy her a Pomeranian pooch and leave the two to fend mostly for themselves. Good Carmen visited her mother on the last Thursday every month when, after driving a whole thirty miles, she would cook her mother a frozen chicken pot pie, and pass off as her own. When mentioning her mother to other family members, Carmen would often detect their insensitivity and mentally admonish them as a “couple of dinguses” before extolling her own efforts in making her mother’s final years on this earth as luxurious as possible.

Her self-described personal friend, the pious Reverend Allan Delacroix, was notified twelve hours beforehand that he to preside over the funeral service. Seeing no recourse, he begrudgingly went along with it, only to realize the next day, while trying to find the graveyard, he would miss a match-up between his two favorite baseball teams. So, the saintly Reverend pulled into the nearest gas station and spent 15 minutes live-streaming the game to his phone, while he sipped on a Cold Jehovah Cola slush drink. His eyes continually drifted towards the neon clock of his car, but he always cajoled Fall 2017

himself a minute or two more, “a matter of ten measly minutes never hurt anyone.”

The punctual Artie Crunkle, a nephew’s nephew, arrived early with his wife, seven young children, and his own sixteen year old nephew in tow. His extended party effectively made up half of the funeral’s attendance and created the sole disturbances of every soul there.

With each new set of guests to arrive, a new child would cry, with the last of them being Walon, age six months, who bawled his blue eyes out from the heat and from the appearance of the fashionably late Reverend Delacroix, upset that

the Cubbies were already down by four an hour into the game.

The funeral began an hour late once Carmen corralled all the guests into the shabbily maintained fenced-in family plot, apologized for no seats, and handed out pamphlets, which had no actual pictures of the late Sarah McCulloch.

The Reverend had taken his position over the open grave and had started his brief monologue when a gaggle of unknown octogenarians, all totalling nine, crept inside the plot and formed a single-file line in front of Carmen to efficiently apologize for their tardiness.

Ten minutes off schedule, the Reverend cleared his throat and once again thanked everyone for coming on such a hot summer’s day of 110 degrees, before pausing momentarily to let the phone in his pocket finish vibrating loudly against his thigh. Upon awkwardly resuming, his sweat glands began pumping more perspiration than anyone else’s in the crowd because, frankly, if the Cubbies lost this game (assuming the buzzing was a sports notification), they had absolutely no chance of getting into the playoffs. This fact was more concerning than the possibility of this old woman’s soul getting continually toasted in the fires of Hell.

Twenty-four pamphlets flapped in twenty-four faces as Reverend Delacroix struggled to come to terms with his athletically-induced horror. Each sentence he uttered had some sort of pronunciation mishap born from his younger lisp-addled days, resulting in many blank stares and subdued smirks as he droned on in a slur about how everyone should “fwear no ewil” according to some book of the Bible whose name he forgot.

Three of the Artie’s children began to cry in unison when the Reverend Delacroix sneezed, blessed himself, and began by mentioning the “shadow of

the walley of death.” Artie’s wife, masterfully gathering all three children in her arms, retreated back to the sanctuary of their minivan, which was a good fifty degrees cooler. The remaining four children then tugged on their father’s suit jacket, begging them to also be spared of the heat. But the father shook his head, whispering that they were big kids and that they needed to show their great aunt some respect, though they had never seen her before. The last time the nephew saw her was ten years ago at a family Christmas party, where she sat alone in a corner curmudgeonly siphoning punch from her plastic cup with a coffee stirrer.

The Reverend held strong through the childish sobs and even continued to ramble on when one of the octogenarians fainted and fell forward on some third cousin or another. Four male octogenarians each took one limb and proceeded to carry the old girl over to the air-conditioned hearse in the same way a quartet of hunters would carry a corpulent and saggy moose.

Ten other people were subject to momentary bouts of lightheadedness, precipitated from the onset of such torpid heat. After petitioning their father in a set of harsh whispers, the children got their way and joined their mother and siblings in the sanctity of their minivan. The next one to request minivan asylum was the Artie’s nephew, who argued logically that he’d only seen pictures of the old woman and had no sentimental attachment towards her, her memory, or her corpse.

Conceding defeat, Artie relented and let his nephew

Fall 2017

furtively hop over the gate.

Every blunder of the service flew completely past the enraptured mind of Carmen Evans. She thought the Reverend’s French accent regression was terrific; she always knew that with a name like Delacroix he had to be a Frenchie. So, she directed her attention firmly at the speaker and her ears drowned out all the sobs, gasps and sighs of the crowd with the Reverend’s mysterious voice, the buzz of cicadas and the distant roar of dogs.

She did not flap her remaining dozen pamphlets once so acute was her interest.

The octogenarian rescue crew returned with the annoyed hearse driver who willingly gave up his vehicle’s air conditioning for the benefit of some tired old woman.

Once the old folks entered the graveyard, the Reverend Delacroix stopped, cleared his throat and wiped the muggy fog from his eyeglasses silently, cursing the oppressive southern heat. He knew very well that for the last ten minutes or so he had been retreading old ground, quoting the same three or four traditional, funeraloriented Bible verses. The end was indeed at hand, but ending the whole thing with another mention of the Lord being our shepherd would cause some raised eyebrows and silent indictments.

“Let us have a moment of silence for dear Sarah McCulloch,” Delacroix announced as he excitedly shut his Bible in preparation for the coming reveal of his phone screen that would potentially seal his fate. The tarried silence that had already cemented itself during the service continued, causing most to fidget uncomfortably while a serenade of cicadas way-

S outhEast North Carolina

57

laid the guests on all sides.

Carmen closed her eyes for the first time since the service began and thought, what treasures of the earth did Mom hide in that house of hers? Her mind raced, thinking of all the jewels and devices the woman must’ve bought with her soda fortune.

“My grandaddy made a fortune off of twenty years of off-brand cola.

So much money, and he passed it solely down to Momma. All these years she just sat on it like a fat dragon, letting Cold Jehovah rot, never spending to improve, only spending on herself. Probably bought the world’s biggest diamond necklace with all that soda money.” Carmen opened her eyes and the fear of dividing her plunder with family took root in her mind.

Reverend Delacroix’s hand felt the out-

58

SouthEast North Carolina

line of his phone in suit pants.

There had been no more vibrations, strange, since it normally buzzed rampantly with every meager update.

“Would it be wrong to God and man to pull out my phone right now and glance at the screen? Half of the people in front of me have their eyes closed. Only a few look blankly at me. Only the old folks though. They wouldn’t understand. They think the Internet kills people. The old should be subjected to examinations on technology. Perhaps I’ll start that program at my church. I’ll rap the knuckles of the geezers.” A smile formed on his lips stretching all across his face.

“With a ruler,” he thought.

Artie’s eyes remained open.

Instead of silently condemning the Reverend, he thought about the only meaningful encounter he had with great Aunt Sarah McCulloch. He was a boy then and his uncle took him over to that nearmansion over on Stodestown Road.

“She was old then, a ripe woman of sixty,” he thought.

She made all of us kids go fetch her lemonade and crackers out of the pan-

Fall 2017

try. Rocking in that chair of hers in front of the T.V. watching soap operas until us kids annoyed her enough to make her tell us a story. It was short and quick just like anything else she said.”

How I Got Struck by Lightning Five Times, by Sarah McCulloch: 1.)

Walking: got me ’cause of my belt buckle. 2.) Sailing: in a lake, didn’t hit me, but I got burned when the boat went down in flames. 3.) Aiming a gun: at a purse-snatcher, silveretched revolver, fried me before I put a shot into him. 4.) Riding a car: in 1952 when cars were tanks, lightning melted the leather of the seat and burned my behind. 5.)

Skinny-dipping: was wearing a metal necklace that said ‘family,’ it burned family into my collarbone. His eyes drifted toward the open hole containing the storyteller.

The Reverend announced that their moment had ended in a triumphant tone. By the last of syllable of his triumph, he had jumped over the fence, frantically trying to get his phone out of his pocket. With his salvation in his hands, the screen illuminated and revealed a single message from his wife: “get a liter of Jehovah Cola tonight, hun.”

SE

Expert medical care lives here Vidant Health medical providers are part of your community Here in southeastern North Carolina, you can count on the network of services Vidant Health brings to you. You’ll find expert medical and surgical care, emergency services and skilled, compassionate nursing at Vidant Duplin Hospital.

A variety of physicians and surgeons serve our communities. They’re all part of Vidant Health’s long-standing commitment to the health and well-being of the eastern part of the state. With 10 local medical practices in Duplin, Onslow, Wayne and Sampson counties, you can get the care you deserve, close to home.

Local services offered by Vidant Medical Group providers: Cardiology • ENT Sinus & Allergy • Family Medicine General Surgery • Neurosurgery • Oncology • Orthopedics • Pediatrics • Women’s Care

Call toll free 855-MYVIDANT (855-698-4326) to make an appointment.

VidantHealth.com

Fall 2017

S outhEast North Carolina

59

FREE Automatic Fill Service

Don’t worry about running out of propane!

Duplin County’s Original

Farm Equipment Dealer

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by the Smith Family for over 60 years

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Open Mon.-Fri. 7:30 am-5:30 pm; Sat. 8-noon

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Friday, Nov. 3rd • 6pm - 11pm Saturday, Nov. 4th • 11am - 11pm Nov . 3rd 8pm - 11pm

Friday, November 3rd -

Chicken Wing Cook Off . . . . . . . . . . . 6pm Carnival Rides . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6pm - 11pm Gary Lowder & Smokin’ Hot . 8pm - 11pm

Saturday, November 4th -

Fried Chicken from the “World’s Largest Frying Pan” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (plate sales begin at 11am)

Nov . 4th 4pm - 7pm

The Castaways

2017

Carnival Rides . . . . . . . . . . . . .11am - 10pm Welcome Ceremony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12pm Local Entertainment, Cake Auction, and Jubilee Queens Perform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12:30pm - 4pm The Castaways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4pm - 7pm

Nov . 4th 8pm - 11pm

The Embers featuring Craig Woolard

60

SouthEast North Carolina

Fall 2017

The Embers Featuring Craig Woolard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8pm- 11pm

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CONNECTIONS

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Award Winning Customer Service...

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CONNECTIONS S outhEast North Carolina

Fall 2017

(910) 298-3387

www. ourhomeconnections .com Email: ourhomeconnections@yahoo.com

61

Play dates Upcoming things to do in southeastern North Carolina

Thomas Rhett

with Special Guests Dan + Shay and Walker Hayes

OCT

6

FRIDAY

SE Pick

7:30 p.m., Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville Tickets $32.75 - $72.50 ACM Male Vocalist of the Year Thomas Rhett is preparing for the highly-anticipated 2017 release of his third studio album, kicking things off with the “driving, sexy” (Rolling Stone) lead track “Craving You” featuring Maren Morris. Rhett is exciting fans as he performs new music on his headlining 2017 Home Team Tour, one of Rolling Stone’s most anticipated tours of this year. After drawing capacity crowds overseas last year, he returns as a “force to be reckoned with” (Daily Star). www.crowncomplexnc.com

ZZ Top

Two Southeastern N.C. Performances / Tickets TBA for both locations

ZZ Top, aka “That Little Ol’ Band From Texas,” lay undisputed claim to being the longest running major rock band with original personnel intact and, in 2004, the Texas trio was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band of three — Billy F Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard — are very much together after more than 45 years of rock, blues, and boogie on the road and in the studio. “Yeah,” says Billy, guitarist extraordinaire, “we’re the same three guys, bashing out the same three chords.”

OCT

• 7:30 p.m., Wilson Center, Cape Fear CC, Downtown THURS Wilmington http://cfcc.edu/cape-

5

OCT

20

FRIDAY

fearstage

• 7:30 p.m., Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville www.crowncomplexnc.com

Craig Morgan NOV

24

FRIDAY

Unknown Hinson

9 p.m., The Muse, 208 Market St., Wilmington • Tickets $15$20

While singing his own hilariously politically incorrect songs, Unknown Hinson plays guitar in a style incendiary enough to have Satan himself reaching for the antiperspirant. But don’t dismiss him as a novelty act. He’s one hell of a talent and has the music to prove it. Looking somewhat like Dracula’s nasty little brother who spent some hard years drinking and working as a carnival barker for a second-rate freak show, Unknown Hinson translates that vibe to his style of country and Western-tinged psychobilly. www. themusewilmington.com.

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SouthEast North Carolina

REO Speedwagon 7:30 p.n., Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville Tickets $39.50-$79.50

oct

7

SATURDAY

REO Speedwagon still has that Midwest work ethic. The band has gone on stage and in the studio to work– dozens of albums, thousands of concerts, and countless radio spins.

Their eyes have always been on the future and on the road – not a year has gone by where REO Speedwagon didn’t perform live, thrilling fans with hit-filled sets. www.crowncomplexnc.com

Fall 2017

American Stories Tour oct

1

SUNDAY

8 p.m. Wilson Center, Cape Fear Community College, Wilmington • Tickets $25-$65

Craig Morgan, a country music icon, TV host, outdoorsman and Army vet, thrills crowds with signature hits, including “Bonfire,” “Almost Home,” “Redneck Yacht Club,” “International Harvester,” “This Ole Boy,” and the six week #1, “That’s What I Love About Sunday.” His newest album features singles “I’ll Be Home Soon” and “When I’m Gone.” http://cfcc.edu/capefearstage/tickets-and-events/

SE Pick

nov

Wizard of Oz

2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Wilson Center, Cape Fear Community College • Tickets from $40

4

SAT

Enchanting adaptation of The Wizard of Oz is totally re-conceived for the stage. Developed from the ever popular MGM screenplay, this production contains the beloved songs from the Oscar – winning movie score, all the favorite characters and iconic moments, plus a few surprises along the way, including new songs by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.. http://cfcc.edu/ capefearstage/tickets-and-events/

A Christmas Carol

Center Stage Theatre, Paramount Theater, Goldsboro Dec. 8-9, 7:30 p.m., Dec. 10, 3 p.m.

Tickets $15-$18

nov

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

TUES

Wilson Center, Cape Fear Community College Downtown Wilmington Showtime: 7:30pm • Tickets $45-$90

21

DEC

8-10

FRI-SUN

Center Stage Theatre’s annual tradition: Charles Dickens invented the modern concept of “Christmas Spirit;” we know Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future not only as fictional characters, but as representations of the true meaning of Christmas. www.goldsboroparamount.com

by Chip Davis

The Ultimate Holiday Tradition for over 30 years! Grammy Award winner Chip Davis has created a show that features the beloved Christmas music of Mannheim Steamroller along with dazzling multimedia effects performed in an intimate setting. Experience the magic as the spirit of the season comes alive with the signature sound of Mannheim Steamroller. Their holiday CDs have become synonymous with Christmas and continue to occupy top spots on Billboard’s Seasonal Charts every year! http://cfcc.edu/capefearstage

festivals & celebrations Oct.14 • 10 a.m.

Downtown New Bern waterfront.

Free admission.

MumFest is one of the finest award-winning festivals in the state. A combination of family fun, entertainment, attractions, exhibitors and great food in the beautifully restored setting of historic downtown New Bern and its waterfront. More than 100,000 festival-goers enjoyed Mumfestivities in 2016.

Visit mumfest.com.

plus...

N.C. Muscadine Festival

• Fri., Sept. 29 5-9 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 30 10 a.m.7p.m. • Duplin Events Center, Kenansville Admission $8-$25.Wine, music good food and a rockin’ good time. Tailgating spaces available. www. ncmuscadinefestival.com

N.C. Seafood Festival

• Fri.-Sun., Oct. 6-8• Morehead City waterfront.

SEAFOOD! No admission fee. Rides (all day for $25), vendors, fireworks and much, much more. www. ncseafoodfestival.org

N.C. Oyster Festival

• Sat.-Sun., Oct. 21-22 • Ocean Isle Beach 9-6 Sat., 10-5 Sun., 37th annual event. Seafood, crab cakes, barbecue, pizza and more. www. ncoysterfestival.com

Riverfest Oct. 7-8 • Historic Downtown Wilmington Free admission. On Water Street from the foot of Market Street to Cape Fear Community College. Currently drawing nearly a quarter-million people, this family-oriented celebration is a two-day event and has grown to be a widely anticipated annual celebration.

Onslow Oktoberfest

• Thurs.-Sat., Oct. 26-28 • Downtown Jacksonville Bratwurst and Beer Garden and other foods, children’s/ family activities, arts & crafts, amusement and animal rides. www.onslowoktoberfest.org

N.C. Poultry Jubilee

• Fri.-Sat., Nov. 3-4• Town Square, Rose Hill.

No admission fee. Celebration of the poultry industry with carnival rides, contests, live performances, FRIED CHICKEN, and more. www. thenorthcarolinapoultryjubilee.com

N.C. Pecan Harvest Festival

• Sat., Nov. 4 • Whiteville Parade at 10 a.m., vendors, homes tour, entertainment, pecan run and more. www.ncpecanfestival.com

Core Sound Decoy Festival

N.C. Veterans Day Celebration Nov. 4 •

Downtown Warsaw

Free admission. 97th annual: America’s longest consecutively-observed Veterans Day celebration.

Memorial service at 10 a.m., parade with flyover start at 11 a.m., barbecue lunch at fire department, street dance and street fair in the afternoon. Duplin County Veterans Museum open all day on Hill St. School, Harker’s Island.

30th annual festival includes poster contest with $250 prize. Antique decoy exhibits, retriever demonstrations, competitions including head whittling, delicious food and plenty of vendors. decoyguild.com/decoyfestival

Christmas by Candlelight Tour

• Fri., Dec. 1, 6-8 p.m., Sat., Dec. 2, 5:30-8 p.m.• Liberty Hall Restoration, Kenanville North Carolina’s famous Kenan family’s ancestral home is dressed up in period holiday decoration.

Guided tours with historic characters telling tales of life in 1800’s eastern North Carolina. Admission $10. www.libertyhallnc.org

• Sat.-Sun., Dec. 2-3• Harker’s Island Elementary

Fall 2017

S outhEast North Carolina

63

Where in SENC is this?

SE

North Carolina SAMPSON COUNTY

Begin here.

There’s a reason why our friends and family call our BBQ the best they’ve ever had. If you’ve never tried it, you must!

OPEN Thursdays & Fridays

from 11:30 am until the food runs out!

Be sure to get there early! Catering is available. Please contact us to design your event menu.

29 Warren St. Garland, North Carolina

We’re There When You Need Us!

(910) 549-7484 http://southernsmokebbqnc.com

C U M B E R L A ND CO UN T Y

DUPLIN COUNTY COURTHOUSE, KENANSVILLE Composite photo by Trevor Normile You didn’t think you’d make it through this without seeing an eclipse photo did you?

Photographed here during the Great American Eclipse, the Duplin County Courthouse was built in 1912 and its cornerstone was laid by St. John’s Masonic Lodge 13 in Kenansville, which is still active today.

The cornerstone was removed in 2012 to view the contents of a time capsule enclosed inside, which held newspapers, an old Bible, bullets and an inscribed copper plate.

It’s also the symbol of the town we’re based in: good old Kenansville.

64

SouthEast North Carolina

Holiday Friday, November 24, 2017 1 - 9 p.m.

Downtown Fayetteville A heartwarming Victorian holiday celebration and unique shopping experience.

Service n Maintenance n Replacement Residential New Construction Wilmington: (910) 473-6831 Jacksonville: (910) 459-4182 Dunn: (910) 292-3448 Kinston: (252) 653-4405

Presented by The Arts Council with Downtown Alliance

www.TheArtsCouncil.com/dickens

NC License #31589, 29077, 32508 & 30936

www.carolinacomfortair.com See our offers on page

Fall 2017

48

Yearlong support by Cumberland County | City of Fayetteville | N.C. Arts Council

H

travel

LENOIR COUNTY

The CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center offers state of the art exhibits that invite visitors to larn about the ironclad gunboat. The Confederate Navy launched the Neuse in al ill-fated attempt to gain control of the lower Neuse River and the occupied city of New Bern.

SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 3

www.nchistoricsites.org/neuse

P lanner ONSLOW COUNTY

Country Store & Restaurant We offer multiple venue locations for everything from family cook-outs to elegant weddings. We have a large covered shelter, a large banquet room, and The Barn.

The Barn is our newest upscale venue for weddings and other events.

Thursday & Friday 4:30-8 p.m Saturday 4:00-8 p.m.

Our corner of North Carolina offers much more than just scenic beauty... Join us here for good foods, good times, history, and old-fashioned SENC hospitality!

KENANSVILLE

Celebrate the grape!

THE N.C. MUSCADINE FESTIVAL BRINGS YOU OVER 250 N.C. WINES FROM MORE THAN 20 WINERIES!

Sept. 29-30

DANCE TO THE MUSIC!

Duplin County Events Center Kenansville

NANTUCKET !

Sat., Sept. 30 • 4-7 p.m.

TAILGATING! CONTESTS! VENDORS! N.C. WINES!

THE ENTERTAINERS

Sat., Sept. 30 • Noon - 3 p.m.

THE FANTASTIC SHAKERS Friday., Sept. 29 • 6-9 p.m.

1600 Haw Branch Rd. Beulaville See the world’s only full-size replica of a Confederate Ironclad.

SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 3 www.cssneuseii.org

LENOIR COUNTY

Kinston-Lenoir County

Visitor & Information Center

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

“Make us your first stop in Lenoir County”

Call for Details 910-324-3422

www.ncmuscadinefestival.com

www.mikesfarm.com

muscadinefestival@gmail.com

TICKETS & INFO:

910-271-0030

ROSE HILL

BEULAVILLE

No matter how you slice it...

PIZZA VILLAGE

���� �����e�

Is Still Beulaville’s Favorite Restaurant!

101 East New Bern Rd., Kinston, NC 252-522-0004

Kinston-Lenoir County

T����� �� ���u�� ��� ���� �� ��� f����d� ��� ������ �o� ��� ������y�?

Parks & Recreation Department

Daily Lunch Buffet, Monday ~ Saturday

2602 W. Vernon Ave., Kinston, NC

811 W. Main Street 910-298-3346

252-939-3332

Fall 2017

Stop in and get a jump start on your gift list with our Christmas wines, unique wine accessories and specialty boutique gifts.

Want to shop from the luxury of your home?

Visit DuplinWinery.com to find something for everyone.

NORTH CAROLINA: 505 N. Sycamore Street Rose Hill, NC 28458

SOUTH CAROLINA: 4650 Highway 17 South North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582

800.774.9634 duplinwinery.com

S outhEast North Carolina

65

SE Folk

North Carolina

In the Kitchen with Mama Judy Story & Photo: Abby Cavenaugh

W

hen the leaves start to fall and the air takes on a slight chill, my tummy starts a-rumblin’ for the autumn goodies that come from mama’s kitchen. With the “chef” affectionately known as Mama Judy (at least to my twin sister and me), the fall is a great time to be a member of the Cavenaugh clan, because we are the lucky few to get the treats that only come from her kitchen.

Most of her recipes, she does from memory.

There’s no precise measuring of ingredients for her famous biscuits, for instance. She uses a “dab” of lard, and “about this much” flour, and somehow the result is the fluffiest, most mouth-watering biscuits your taste buds ever had the joy of experiencing.

For special occasions, Mama Judy pulls out her box full of recipes passed down from her

66

Mouth-watering country fall cooking

mama (my grandma, Lorine White) and other family members, for generations on end.

There’s something really magical about a fire crackling in the woodburning heater, the smell of turkey roasting in the oven and Mama Judy checking off her to-do list on Thanksgiving morning, all with her little index cards full of handwritten goodness close at hand.

When Mama Judy calls out, “Dinnertime!” it’s a mad scramble to get to the table, to be among the first to try this year’s turkey and dressing, asparagus casserole, butter beans, rice and gravy, and of course, the biscuits.

So, here are a few of Mama Judy’s best fall dishes­ — the dressing, always served on Thanksgiving and if we’re lucky, at Christmas; and the chocolate layer cake, pictured above. The cake must have homemade frosting. When asked if store-bought would be OK, Mama Judy replied with an emphatic, “NO.” SE

SouthEast North Carolina

Dressing

Ingredients: • 1 small cake cornbread • 3 biscuits • 6 slices of toast • ½ pound saltine crackers • 3 boiled eggs, sliced • ½ stick butter, melted • Broth • Salt, pepper, chopped onion, poultry seasoning Crumble cornbread, biscuits, toast and crackers into fine pieces. Add in cut up boiled eggs. Mix in salt, pepper, onion, poultry seasoning, melted butter and broth until desired consistency. Place mixture into a casserole or baking dish, and bake at 350 degrees F for 30-45 minutes, until brown. Cut into squares and serve with your Thanksgiving turkey.

Layer Cake

Ingredients: • 3 cups of sifted cake flour • ¾ tsp. salt • 2 cups sugar • 1 cup milk

• 3 tsp. baking powder • 1 cup soft butter • 4 eggs • 2 tsp. vanilla

Sift together twice the sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Cream butter and sugar on No. 5 speed 2 ½ minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg for 1-2 minutes on speed 7. Stop mixer, scrape sides and bottom of bowl and beaters. On No. 3 speed, beat in alternately just until smooth, about 1-2 minutes each time: flour mixture in four additions and milk combined with flavoring in three. Start and end with flour mixture. Beat 1 minute after each addition. Pour batter into three cake pans and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Add chocolate frosting and serve.

Chocolate Frosting

• ¾ cup cocoa • 4 cups confectioners sugar • ½ cup butter or margerine • 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring • ½ cup evaporated milk

Sift cocoa and sugar. Cream part of cocoa and sugar mixture with butter.

Blend in half of milk and vanilla. Add remaining cocoa and sugar mixture and blend well. Add remaining milk and beat to desired consistency. Additional milk may be added if required.

Fall 2017

made sweeter

Trying to figure out what to get friends and family for the holidays?

Stop in and get a jump start on your gift list with our Christmas wines, unique wine accessories and specialty boutique gifts.

Want to shop from the luxury of your home?

Visit DuplinWinery.com to find something for everyone.

NORTH CAROLINA: 505 N. Sycamore Street Rose Hill, NC 28458

SOUTH CAROLINA: 4650 Highway 17 South North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582

Fall 2017 S outhEast North Carolina 800.774.9634 duplinwinery.com

67

Life insurance is more than a policy, it’s a promise.

(910)296-1486 www.ncfbins.com Matt McNeill

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Agent Matt McNeill Kenansville

LUTCF Agency Manager

Dean Johnson

Nick Bell

Agent Kenansville

Agent Kenansville

dean.johnson@ncfbins.com

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Agent

*North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. Beulaville Beulaville *Farm Bureau Insurancelynn.mobley@ncfbins.com of North Carolina, Inc. doug.pierson@ncfbins.com *Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co., Jackson, MS *An independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

Elvis Tucker Agent Beulaville elvis.tucker@ncfbins.com

Duplin County Farm Bureau

308 N. Main Street • Kenansville, NC 28349 151 Crossover Road • Beulaville, NC 28518 THIS ARTWORK CANNOT BE ALTERED, REVISED, RESIZED OR REBUILT BEYOND CHANGING THE AGENT PHOTO OR CONTACT INFO. CONTACT MADGENIUS WITH ANY QUESTIONS AT COOP@MADGENIUSINC.COM

(910) 296-1486 (910) 298-8400

NCLFNP41000

www.ncfbins.com *North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. *Farm Bureau Insurance of North Carolina, Inc.; *Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co., Jackson, MS *An independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

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