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E X C E P T I O N A L C A R E . E V E R Y D AY.™
April 2017
Features 49 A Natural Petition
Departments
Poetry by Ruth Moose
17 Simple Life By Jim Dodson
39 The Pleasures of Life Dept.
Earth, Wind & Fire:
20 Short Stories 23 Doodad By Ogi Overman
43 Birdwatch
50 Iron Man
25 Life’s Funny By Maria Johnson 29 Omnivorous Reader By D.G. Martin 31 Scuppernong Bookshelf 33 True South By Susan Kelly
By Nancy Oakley
By Susan Campbell
45 Wandering Billy By Billy Eye
By Ross Howell Jr. Mark Green’s calling to ancient arms
69 Arts Calendar 89 GreenScene 95 Accidental Astrologer
52 The Power of Wind
96 O.Henry Ending By Ross Howell Jr.
54 Wild Fired
By Astrid Stellanova
35 Spirits
By Tony Cross
By Jim Dodson The unseen takes shape in Jim Gallucci’s wind-powered sculptures
56 Redo, Redux & Reduce
By Cynthia Adams Thomas Buckley on artful designing — and turning — on a dime
67 April Almanac
By Ash Alder The rain’s kiss, the Pink Moon . . . and daisies
By Maria Johnson The animal-inspired pottery of Charlie Tefft
Cover Photograph by Sam Froelich Photograph this page by Bert VanderVeen
6 O.Henry
April 2017
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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M A G A Z I N E
Volume 7, No. 4 “I have a fancy that every city has a voice.” 336.617.0090 1848 Banking Street, Greensboro, NC 27408 www.ohenrymag.com Jim Dodson, Editor • jim@thepilot.com Andie Stuart Rose, Art Director • andie@thepilot.com Nancy Oakley, Senior Editor • nancy@ohenrymag.com Lauren Coffey, Graphic Designer Alyssa Rocherolle, Graphic Designer Contributing Editors
Cynthia Adams, David Claude Bailey, Harry Blair, Maria Johnson Contributing Photographers
Lynn Donovan, Amy Freeman, Sam Froelich, Bert VanderVeen Contributors
Ash Alder, Susan Campbell, Tony Cross, Billy Eye, Ross Howell Jr., Billy Ingram, Susan Kelly, Brian Lampkin, D.G. Martin, Ruth Moose, Ogi Overman, Romey Petite
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10 O.Henry April 2017
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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Simple Life
My Big Spring Makeover Confessions of a Second hand Joe
By Jim Dodson
On a fine spring afternoon recently, I
Illustration by Romey Petite
dropped by the office on the way home from a local garden center — part of a rare day off that I was spending at work in my garden.
The stylish Miz Bobbitt, chief social arbiter and majordomo of our crack magazine staff, took one look at me and smiled, making a wry comment on my “rustic” appearance. To briefly review: I was wearing my favorite clothes, including my oldest gardening pants and most comfortable canvas shoes, both soiled from years of loyal service in the dirt; also my favorite flannel shirt (the tattered one with all the useful flap pockets), and my beloved — if somewhat faded and grimy — Pennsylvania Horticultural Society ball cap that once accompanied me through the wilds of South Africa with a group of crazy plants nerds in search of exotic species. “This is how I dress when I work in the garden, my choice attire. I’m giving my garden a complete spring makeover,” I foolishly remarked. “Well,” Bobbitt came back with perfect timing, “Maybe it’s time for you to have a big spring makeover, too!” She wrinkled her cute button nose. “And what is that smell?” I pointed out that it was probably just the freshly composted horse manure I’d spent the morning hours working into my new perennial beds. Nothing like the smell of fresh, composted pony poop, I find, to get the blood moving and the spade digging! Bobbitt, alas, didn’t seem overly persuaded by my argument. “I know gardeners who at least look stylish when they work in their gardens,” she pointed out. “My garden doesn’t care how I look,” I felt compelled to note. “Frankly, I could garden buck nekkid and my Ficus carica wouldn’t care a fig leaf.” “Oh, please don’t,” came a second unseen female voice from deep in the office. A third voice politely spoke up as well, also female, also quite clever and naturally stylish, also suggesting that the editor’s garden attire might do with a “nice tweak if not a complete spring makeover.” A pattern seemed to be emerging. Was my late mom speaking to them from the grave? This was perhaps the only disadvantage of working in an office full of bright, savvy, stylish females. “What sort of tweak?” I asked guardedly. “Hard to know where to start,” said Bobbitt with a sigh.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
“I’d start with the pants,” said coworker No. Two, shaking her head. “Those things look pretty frumpy.” “And I think the shoes really have to go,” said my third impromptu style advisor. “They look like you found them in someone’s recycling bin.” Actually, our man of the garden did find his favorite garden shoes in the recycling bin — or, more accurately, saved them from his own recycling bin, where his wife placed them without prior consent from their owner. “For your information, these garden shoes are incredibly comfortable,” I pointed out. “Comfort is key when one is hard at work in the garden.” “And what’s with the old flannel shirt?” posed yet another Voice of Spring Improvement. “It looks like it was made from one of my grandmother’s old flannel nighties. She died 20 years ago. That thing has more baggy pockets than an Elks Club billiards table.” The women of our office all enjoyed a good chuckle at this witty barb. But Mr. Frumpy Pants kept his cool, more or less, by reminding his bright and stylish colleagues that some famous philosopher once remarked that pockets are a sign of a noble mind and truly civilized man at work — or at least a dude who can’t remember where he left his favorite Phillips-head screwdriver. “Young men may prefer shirts with polo players stitched on them,” I spoke up in behalf of shabbily dressed male gardeners (who smell of manure) everywhere. “But people who toil in the earth prefer shirts with roomy pockets in which to put valuable stuff.” “What kind of stuff?” one of my newly appointed makeover consultants asked warily. “Lots of things — chewing gum, Gorilla Glue, tape measures, interesting stuff found in the dirt. ” “I’ll bet you also enjoy doing your own laundry,” put in one of his immaculate inquisitors. This brought another round of giddy laughs from my wise and well-dressed colleagues. At which point, I picked up my wounded gardener’s pride and fled for the safety of my composted manure pile. Truthfully, one glance in my direction (with or without a telltale whiff of horse) will tell you that I’m not much for new and stylish clothes — and certainly not a good candidate for a big spring makeover. Not to place too fine a point on the matter, I prefer old clothes and wellworn shoes that could soon be on their way out to the rubbish bin unless I keep an eagle eye out for my wife’s eternal discreet efforts to update my clothing tastes without my even noticing the change. She would firmly deny this characterization, of course. April 2017 O.Henry 17
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Living with Ethan Allen means living with quality, and living with quality just makes sense. FA R O O Q KAT H WA R I , C E O
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E X P E R I E N C E
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S E R V I C E
Simple Life The love of my life rather artfully pretends that I’m actually a snappy dresser like my father before me. But every time she catches me painting in my only good pair of “church khakis” or digging up a shrub in the yard before an evening out at a formal event — as I did just weeks ago, in a (somewhat old but loyal) soup-and-fish — the impulse to makeover her somewhat 19th-century husband is simply too strong to remain politely disguised for long. Dad really was a snappy dresser, subscribing to the notion that a welldressed fellow is a man in charge of his own sweet destiny. As a very successful man of the advertising trade, he believed in the power of a well-fitted suit and highly polished shoes. “Look right and feel right, ready to conquer the day’s challenges,” he liked to say with an infectious cheerfulness. His generation wasn’t called the “Greatest Generation” for no good reason — including the way they dressed. My older brother Richard clearly caught dad’s drift. He might have been the best-dressed dude who ever attended Grimsley High School in Greensboro. To this day, Good Old Dicky Boy looks like “a million bucks” even in his most casual of attire. He never needs a Big Spring Makeover. His life is a perpetual spring makeover. Not so, alas, his kid brother. My favorite sports coat is a classic herringbone Harris Tweed jacket I bought for three dollars at the Emanuel Episcopal Church Thrift Shop on Northeast Broad Street in Southern Pines seven years ago. It fits perfectly save for the genuine leather button that always falls off. I gained possession of this keepsake from some anonymous but pleasant fellow who is now only a memory to his loved ones, yet held in highest esteem — and abiding gratitude — by the man who inherited his favorite sports coat.
I have several other sports coats, mind you; many of them have been mended over the years and reflect my own personal “style” of dressing for personal comfort rather than cosmetic effect. Even when I play golf, which next to gardening is my idea of a true return of spring, I wear old, two-button polo shirts (white preferred) and my oldest and most comfortable khaki pants. Still, I’m not entirely close-minded on the subject of how I look. I suppose every man can do with a spring makeover of some kind, give or take a saucy colleague. To this end, the weekend after I caused a mild disturbance at the office owing to my rustic clothes and horsey smell, I picked up The New York Times’s popular “Men’s Fashions of The Times” just to see if anything caught my fancy — or, as it were, what I might have missed since my last spring makeover two or three decades ago. I saw lots of underfed young men wearing suits that appeared to be three sizes too small for them, dudes proffering moody frowns, vacant stares, saddle buckles, dog chains, violent stripes, zany plaids, jackets that look as if they’d been made from the drapes in a Mafia-owned motel, formal wear with sneakers, undershorts that cost $420, guys who looked like young girls with bad facial hair, and on and on. In a word, it was terrifying — but also kind of comforting. There was nothing for an old second-hand, tweed-loving fellow like me in the exciting world of men’s spring style for 2017, not one blessed thing even remotely suitable for spreading composted manure in one’s garden. Greatly relieved and no April Fool, I went to get an old-fashioned haircut, my idea of a big spring makeover. OH Contact Editor Jim Dodson at jim@thepilot.com.
“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” ~ Aristotle (from left to right)
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
April 2017 O.Henry 19
Garden Variety
Nothin’ like groovin’ on a Sunday afternoon. April 30 sees the return of Groovin’ in the Garden, courtesy of Greensboro Beautiful. From noon to 5 p.m. at Gateway Gardens (2924 East Gate City Blvd.), you can chill to the strains of live jazz on two stages, create musical instruments from recycled materials, commune with critters at a petting zoo and chow down on eats available for purchase. Or simply stroll among the green and blooming things — and be glad that spring is here. Info: greensborobeautiful.org.
May the Fourth Notes Be With You It Ain’t Ova ’til It’s Ova
Break out your baskets, sharpen your elbows and hop to it for the Easter Egg-Stravaganza from 10 a.m. to noon at Burlington City Park (1333 Overbrook Rd., Burlington). The Easter lagomorph has done his usual hatch-it job of hiding candy- and prize-filled eggs throughout the park. Your mission, should you and your kiddies choose to accept it: Find the eggs, fill your baskets, enjoy some amusement park rides, face-painting, cookie-decorating and say “Cheese!” as you mug for the Easter photo booth. Info: btwoneventsnc.com.
Will conductor Nate Beversluis trade his baton for a light saber? Find out on April 29 at 8 p.m. at Westover Church (505 Muris Chapel Rd.) as “The Symphony Strikes Back!” With a program that includes scores from scifi classics, Star Trek, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and — cue the brass section — Star Wars, Greensboro Symphony winds up its pops series with a universal big bang. Tickets: (336) 335-5456 or greensborosymphony.org
Batter Up! Prose For The Planet
Words, walking and wildlife come together at “Earth in Verse,” a celebration of Earth Day held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on April 22 at High Point’s Piedmont Environmental Center (1220 Penney Road). With a naturalist as your guide, you’ll hike the trails around PEC, learning about the history and cultural importance of the surrounding flora and fauna; at various stops, you’ll listen to selections from the writings of environmentalists John Muir, Gary Snyder, Edward Abbey and Rachel Carson, fodder for reflection on the wonders and fragility of our natural world. Free for members, $5 for nonmembers. To register: highpointnc.gov.
20 O.Henry April 2017
Sorry, Aesop, but we applaud Grasshoppers who play in the sun! April 6 is Opening Day (and Thirsty Thursday!) for the Greensboro Grasshoppers, who’ll take on the Hickory Crawdads at 7 p.m. at the rechristened First National Bank Field (408 North Bellemeade St.). Can’t make the season opener? No worries! You’ll have plenty of opportunities to catch the Hoppers in the days following, during the week April 20–23, and of course, all summer. Keep an eye on various promotions, such as “Jim Boeheim (No) Value Night” on the 11th, which offers to any fan with a valid Syracuse, N.Y., drivers license a free ticket, $20 worth of free concessions and a meet-and-greet with retired Hall of Famer bat dog, Miss Babe Ruth. Reason enough not to, er, (Syr)recuse themselves from the Gate City. Tickets and info: (336) 268-2255 or milb.com.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Photographs courtesy of Greensboro Beautiful
Short Stories
Any Wednesday
Forgo the woe, Wednesday’s children: Starting April 19 through December 22, the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market (501 Yanceyville St., Greensboro) is restarting its midweek hours. Every Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (and Saturday, of course, from 7 a.m. to noon), you can restock your larder with turnips, lettuce, snow peas, carrots, greens, herbs, plants for setting out, farm-fresh beef, pork, lamb or chicken and eggs aplenty. Or pick up a bunch of flowers for your sweetheart or something sweet and sinful for an office meeting. Info: (336) 3732402 or gsofarmersmarket.org.
Waxworks
Color your world and that of underprivileged youth on April 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the fifth annual fundraiser, Crayons Matter (Tyler White O’Brien Gallery, 307 State St.). The effort provides children in North Carolina, Africa, Central America and Dominican Republic with backpacks containing crayons, notebooks, colored pencils and pieces of art created by local school children. So come out and mingle and bid on crayon-inspired art at a silent auction. Info: (336) 3791124 or tylerwhitegallery.com
Ogi Sez Ogi Overman
After the bizarre non-winter we had, all weather references are off the table. Forget the April showers and May flowers; I wouldn’t be surprised if we got a couple of snows this month. So let’s cut to the chase and get to the important stuff — the concerts.
• April 5, Carolina Theatre: The Dead is dead. Long live the Dead. The closest you’ll ever come to reliving the Grateful Dead experience is through Dark Star Orchestra. They play an actual show, song for song, note for note. Déjà vu all over again. • April 8–9, Muddy Creek Music Hall: I’ve been waiting for this one for three months. The Muddy Creek Songwriters Festival will bring several Nashville A-listers to town to collaborate and trade chops with the cream-of-the-crop tunesmiths from central N.C. Fifty in all, spread over two days. • April 15, Blind Tiger: Now, this
Shelf Life
In Catalonia, April 23 (St. George’s Day and Shakespeare’s birthday) marks the publishing industry’s homage to itself, as books and roses are exchanged as tokens of love — and a love of reading. In the Gate City, the entire month of April is an unofficial celebration of the written word, given myriad opportunities to browse and buy tomes of all genres. Through the end of May, the libraries are going full tilt with the children’s Spring Reading Fun initiative consisting of crafts, movies, nature exploration, book parties and lots of storytimes (including Thursday mornings at LeBauer Park). Central Library hosts its annual used book sale from the 6 through 8, as does the pre-eminent book extravaganza, the St. Francis Book Sale (April 27–29). Topping off the month is Independent Bookstore Day on the 29th, so patronize Scuppernong (304 South Elm St.) or Sunrise Books (7 Hillcrest Place) in High Point or whatever your favorite book nook happens to be, and see what the next chapter of your reading life holds. Info: greensborolibrary.org; stfrancisgreensboro.org; scuppernong.com; sunrisebookshp.com.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
could be fun. The ever-popular BT is going outside for a show headlined by Sleeping Booty. Sounds like a spring-into-spring party to me. Hope it doesn’t snow — or hit a hundred.
• April 21, Cone Denim Entertainment Center: I was afraid Blues Traveler had fallen off the map, but I’m happy to report I was wrong. Harpist extraordinaire John Popper can cram so many notes into a measure that they can’t be written on sheet music. How do you make a 1/128th note? • April 29, High Point Theatre:
Alright, don’t laugh at this next act. Wait, do laugh. Actually, you’re supposed to laugh at the shtick put on by the 3 Redneck Tenors. But the trio of classically trained vocalists are no laughing matter, as evidenced by their ascent to stardom on “America’s Got Talent.” Ah, yes, those guys. April 2017 O.Henry 21
Spring Parade of Homes 2017
April 29-30 • May 6-7
Visit us to tour these beautiful homes during the Spring Parade! Open 1-5pm during Parade and every Sunday.
BETHANY
GATES AT BRASSFIELD
THE FARM AT LAKE BRANDT
North on Elm St. Turns into Bass Chapel. Right on Benjamin Court just past Northern Shores
New Garden Road, to Stratton Hills, to Duck Club Road
Just North of intersection of Lake Brandt Road and Scalesville Road
2 Benjamin Court
D. Stone Builders
8305 Cavelletti Court
SUMMIT LANDING
8304 Cavelletti Court
From Summerfield 150 East into Browns Summit. Summit Landing is on left
3205 Pasture View Drive
D. Stone Builders
BUCHANAN PLACE About one mile west of intersection of Church Street and Hwy 150
7820 Gatsby Place Allen Hyatt Builder
7823 Gatsby Place Allen Hyatt Builder
2603 Duck Club Road
Precept Construction
Tanner Built Homes
3207 Pasture View Drive
TROSPER PLACE
7811 Gatsby Place John Hodgin
2007 Verde Drive
7805 Gatsby Place
Mitchco
7707 Summit Landing Drive
North on Lawndale to Lake Brandt, right on Trosper, left on Bedstone, left on Verde
Walraven Signature Homes
Allen Hyatt Builder
DH Sutphin Builders, Inc
Summit Landing SMITHMARKETINGINC.COM l JEFF SMITH: 336.215.7880 BETTY SMITH: 336.451.4923 l JASON SMITH: 336.451.4921
R and K Custom Homes
3209 Pasture View Drive Walraven Signature Homes
3213 Pasture View Drive Chris Clement Home Builder
the farm trosper place at lake brandt
Written in the Stars
Doodad
For Ben Folds, his destiny was a foregone conclusion
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M
ost national music pundits place the ascendant star of Ben Folds around 1993 in Chapel Hill, when he formed the Ben Folds Five with bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee. While there’s some truth to their assertions, most local music scribes of the era (of which yours truly was one) will tell you that Folds had every earmark of a star-inthe-making as early as 1988, and that it was just a matter of time before he would be playing on the international stage. Back in those days, before “modern rock” was even a genre and guitar-driven power pop was de rigueur, Folds and Millard Powers formed a group called Majosha. Ironically, Folds was the band’s bassist, even though he is a worldrenowned pianist (and is equally proficient on drums), while Powers, now the bassist with Counting Crows, played guitar. Their very first show was a Duke University Battle of the Bands — which they won, a harbinger of things to come. Majosha was short-lived, but Folds’s next effort was even shorter. He, Evan Olson and Britt “Snuzz” Uzzell formed a group they dubbed Pots and Pans. In this one, Folds played drums, Olson (a vocalist-guitarist by profession) played bass and Uzzell sang and played guitar. After only a few months they formed Bus Stop, which quickly became a hot commodity after winning Dick Clark’s USA Music Challenge — 1992, the American Idol of the day. With Folds’s brother Chuck on bass and Eddie Walker on drums, this is where Ben Folds became pianist-vocalist-songwriterarranger Ben Folds. Evan Olson, still a successful performer and songwriter after a brush with the big time, remembers it well. “Ben made me a much better musician, better songwriter, better singer, better performer,” he muses. “Just being around him, he has this subliminal influence on people. He’s such a creative force and he’s so good at what he does, you can’t help but pick it up.” Olso says he’ll be forever grateful, “even though it was only for about a year.” Next came the obligatory moves to Nashville, then New York, before returning to North Carolina and Chapel Hill’s fertile musical grounds. Never a huge radio star, Folds has nonetheless forged a remarkable career marked by recording no fewer than 30 albums (including collaborations). Universal critical acclaim, has followed. Yet, his greatest exposure came as a judge on the NBC a cappella vocal group competition The Sing-Off from 2009–13. Folds will make a sentimental journey back to his roots April 20 with a Command Performance at the Carolina Theatre. The show is billed “Ben Folds and a Piano.” And that’s really all you need. OH
Oceanfront Balcony Views Photo courtesy of Joshua McClure
—Ogi Overman The Art & Soul of Greensboro
April 2017 O.Henry 23
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April 2017
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Life’s Funny
Cat-a-tonic State Forget Fritz the Cat: YouTube videos are the new kitty porn
By Maria Johnson
I should start by saying that I really do
like cats.
I grew up with them and was charmed by them — their cool, their quickness, their shivery leg rubs and throaty purrs, the way they lay their ears back and switch their tails when they’re about to go nuclear on little kids who have been trying to “help” them into a T-shirt made from an old tube sock with scissoredout arm holes. Hey, it was the ’70s. Adulthood, by contrast, has been one big slobbery Doggiezoic Period, owing first to rental restrictions and, later, to the fact that I married a man who is allergic to cats and who passed his sneezy genes to one of our sons. It’s all good. Me-luva the hounds. But sometimes, me-missa the kitties. Which is why I thought I’d like cat videos, but honestly my reaction has always been “meh” — or “meeee-eh,” as the case may be. Cat videos, in case you’ve been curled up under a litter box, are clips of cats doing “funny” things. Over. And over. And over again. You can find them on YouTube and critter-centric websites like Squeebles, which boasts headlines like “This Tiny Kitten Inside an Oven Mitt Will Give You the Feels.” Whatever that means. If this weren’t enough, some Icelanders have launched a reality show called Keeping up With the Kattarshians, an adoption promotion featuring a live stream of kittens wearing too much eye make-up and living in a well-appointed, oversized dollhouse. OK, I’m lying. About the eye makeup. I needed someone to explain this to me, so I turned to Anne Bailey, the wife of my colleague David Bailey, who has been known to scamper from the room, hissing and spitting, when Anne watches cat vids. We met for lunch at a Thai restaurant. I almost suggested Vietnamese, but I The Art & Soul of Greensboro
didn’t want to seem insensitive. Anne brought her iPad as an instructional aide. David came along because . . . lunch. In hushed tones, at a table in the back corner, Anne explained how she, a retired Latin teacher, became addicted to watching tiny kittens in oven mitts. It started innocently a year ago. One of her daughters was like, “Here. Try this. You’ll like it.” Anne had dabbled in cats earlier in her life, and she was able to walk away easily, so she was like, “Why not?” She viewed her first cat video. “The one thing I remember is cats running across a bridge someone had built in his house,” she recalled. “The cats had a little loop they could travel. They keep going and going like gerbils in a wheel.” I think you know what happened next. Kitties in the morning. Kitties in the evening. Kitties at suppertime. From David’s perspective, here’s what Anne’s new hobby sounded like: Whisper-whisper-whisper (of person shooting video). Thump-thump-thump (of cat action). BWAHAHAHA! (of Anne watching video). Multiply by 65. The purveyors of these videos preyed on Anne’s weakness. She’d check the weather online, and “Most Incredible Cat Videos Ever!” would pop up beside the partly cloudy icon. She clicked on the catnip every time. She rationalized her behavior. Maybe it was a waste of time, she told herself, but it was silly fun that she could share with her daughters, both cat fanciers. People wasted time in far more harmful ways. How often did she watch the videos? “Maybe three times a week,” she said over lunch. David spewed his basil chicken. Here’s the thing: David actually likes cats. He admires their regal bearing, their wildness, their curiosity and cleverness. Heck, even he laughs when one of his grand-cats climbs aboard his older daughter’s Roomba vacuum cleaner, turns it April 2017
O.Henry 25
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26 O.Henry
April 2017
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Life’s Funny on, and cruises the room. What’s demeaning, he says, is when people put cats in unnatural situations for laughs. To that end, I asked Anne about a particular genre of cat vid: Let’s Throw the Cat in the Bathtub and Laugh Our Butts Off in an Eastern European Accent. She agreed those are cruel, but she also claims to have seen a video of a cat who loves water. “When he’s lifted out of this beautiful porcelain bowl — I’m sure he’s a Japanese cat — he turns around and tries to get back in the water,” she says. “He’s so peaceful, like someone in a hot tub.” David shook his head. Anne said her favorite videos usually show cats reacting to other animals. She powered up her iPad and played a short loop of a cat boxing with a praying mantis. David and I stared at each other. Then she called up a clip titled Cat/Kitten vs. Lizard, which can be broken down into these cinematic elements. Kitten walks into living room. Kitten sees two foot-long lizards on the floor because, you know, people keeps lizards the size of a teenager’s tennis shoes in their living room. 3) Kitten paws at one lizard, stalks it, forgets about other lizard. 4) Other lizard creeps toward kitten. 5) Kitten jumps as if it’s been plugged into a portable generator. Skids. Scrambles to its feet. Repeats electrification process. David groaned. “Don’t you think there’s something suspicious about the way that cat acted,” he said. “No,” Anne said. “I think he was on drugs,” David said. “You’re coming off in a very bad light here,” said Anne. To be perfectly honest, I thought the video was funny. I mean, a little. I went home and watched it again, just to be sure. Then I found a variation, Cat/Kitten vs. Lizard, Star Wars Style, with laser graphics and sound effects added. Zinggggg-zinggggg, POW-POW-POW-POW, zoop-zoop, FLASH-BOOM! FIREBALL CHURNS AS KITTEN BARELY ESCAPES. Heh-heh-heh. Wait. 19 Cats Who Are Totally Badass? Where’d that come from? I guess one more video wouldn’t hurt. OH Do you have a bad-ass cat who chases dogs, alligators or black bears? If so, you might want to start watching that cat-adoption reality show. Then contact Maria Johnson at ohenrymaria@gmail.com
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April 2017
O.Henry 27
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The Omnivorous Reader
Life on the Edge of a Small Southern Town Crook’s Corner Bar & Café honors a terrific debut novel
By D.G. Martin
More than a thousand
books connected to North Carolina are published each year. There is no way to read them all or even find and give recognition to the best and most important of them.
But we can try. One of the best things we can do is to establish awards and prizes to give shout-outs to the best books in particular areas of fiction, poetry, history, biography and so on. One of the newest, and one of the best, of these recognition programs is the Crook’s Corner Book Prize. Each year it honors the best debut novel set in the American South. The prize, inspired by the prestigious book awards long given by certain cafés in Paris, is a collaboration between Chapel Hill’s iconic restaurant Crook’s Corner Bar & Café and a sponsoring foundation. Each year’s winner gets $5,000 from the foundation and a free glass of wine at Crook’s Corner every night for a year. This year’s winner, Matthew Griffin, grew up in Greensboro and graduated from Wake Forest. He teaches writing, most recently at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Griffin’s novel, Hide, is the story of two older men who have lived together for many years at the edge of a small North Carolina town. Frank is a World War II veteran, tough-talking and covered with tattoos. Wendell is a taxidermist who serves the hunting community. These two hardly fit the caricature images of being gay. But they are gay, and they have paid a heavy price for it. For years there was isolation from family, and unrelenting and constant fear that, somehow, someone would blow the whistle to law enforcement about their illegal relationship and activities. The greatest power of the novel is not, however, in any testimonial argument or inside look at the gay lifestyle. Quite the contrary, the story’s power comes from the tortured and tender way in which Wendell and Frank adapt to Frank’s rapidly deteriorating physical and mental condition. When Frank suffers a stroke while tending the tomato plants in his beloved garden, the ambulance rushes him to the hospital, and Wendell follows. But because only family members are allowed to accompany Frank, Wendell tells The Art & Soul of Greensboro
the attendant that he is Frank’s brother. When he is asked to show identification, he fumbles and then tells the attendant he left his wallet at home. He is worried that if she saw his last name was different from Wendell’s, his lie about being a brother would cause more trouble. As Frank’s condition declines, there is a growing emptiness in the lives of both men. No children or nieces and nephews or other family members show up to care for them or to claim little items that the men have treasured. Frank’s loneliness is tempered by a little dog named Daisy that Wendell found at the pound and gave to Frank. Frank is shattered when the dog is torn to pieces in an accident in his garden. Wendell, crushed by Frank’s loss, begins a project to use his taxidermy skills to re-create Daisy from the parts remaining from the accident. One of the novel’s most poignant moments comes when Frank discovers the incomplete project and, though failing steadily, he falls in love again with the half-stuffed dog. As the novel closes, this reader was moved not so much by the problems Frank and Wendell had as gay people, but the challenge of finding meaning at the end of life. Wendell, who always fixed the meals, has trouble adjusting to cooking for just himself when the bedridden Frank eats only nutrient shakes. He has too much time to fill and finds “the biggest danger of all is an empty space in the day. It’s easy, then, for the whole thing to break through and rush in and join the emptiness inside.” “You just go on living,” Wendell says. “You don’t have to have a reason.” The novel’s poignant story should not lead readers to overlook Griffin’s lovely writing. His description of a Southern funeral gathering, the process of breaking down an animal’s body and rebuilding it as a trophy, the joy and disappointments of gardening, sex, love and much more turns Frank and Wendell’s lives into poetry. The major problem with Griffin’s first novel is that it will be difficult for him to write a better one. OH D.G. Martin’s UNC-TV North Carolina Bookwatch interview with Matthew Griffin will air Sunday at noon on April 30 and Thursday at 5 p.m. on May 4. Bookwatch also airs on the North Carolina channel Fridays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. Martin’s wife, Harriet Martin, serves on the board of the Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation. April 2017
O.Henry 29
I AM DISCOVERING
WHO I WANT TO BE
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April 2017
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Scuppernong Bookshelf
April Showers Bring a plethora of fine new reads
April brings nothing but new things,
and in the spirit of new growth, we offer a smattering of new titles that will appear this month. Hundreds of books are published each month in America; we’ve narrowed it down to a manageable eleven. April 4: Somebody with a Little Hammer: Essays, by Mary Gaitskill. Pantheon, $25.95. Mary Gaitskill is a personal favorite. Here she writes about cultural touchstones like Talking Heads, Björk, and John Updike. Arnie: The Life of Arnold Palmer, by Tom Callahan. Harper, $28. We all know someone who might pen a better Arnold Palmer book, but this one is also a major contribution to the “King’s” oeuvre. Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy, by Anne Lamott. Riverhead Books, $20. Lamott brings another exquisitely sized essay to her adoring fans. One thing we know is true: We need more mercy. No Bull: The Real Story of the Durham Bulls and the Rebirth of a Team and a City, by Ron Morris. Baseball America, $22.95. Let’s give Durham, and baseball, its April due. Has a minor league baseball team been as important to any other city? April 11: Golden: The Miraculous Rise of Steph Curry, by Marcus Thompson. Touchstone $26. Another North Carolina legend. Has any basketball player been as important to any other college as Curry has been to Davidson? The Delight of Being Ordinary: A Road Trip with the Pope and the Dalai Lama, by Robert Merullo. Doubleday, $26.95. A novel that makes us The Art & Soul of Greensboro
laugh as well as think about the demands of ordinary life, spiritual life and the identities by which we all define ourselves. The author of Breakfast with Buddha. April 18: This Fight Is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America’s Middle Class, by Elizabeth Warren. Metropolitan Books, $28. The fight is already on. Scuppernong will have ten signed copies of this available on April 18. The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For, by David McCullough. Simon & Schuster, $25. A timely collection of speeches by David McCullough, the most honored historian in the United States — winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among many others — who reminds us of fundamental American principles. A Grace Paley Reader: Stories, Essays, and Poetry, by Grace Paley with an introduction by George Saunders. FSG, $27. Grace Paley is best known for her inimitable short stories, but she was also an enormously talented essayist and poet. A Grace Paley Reader collects the best of Paley’s writing, showcasing her breadth of work and her extraordinary insight and empathy. April 25: Two Paths: America Divided or United, by John Kasich. Thomas Dunne Books, $28. Remember this guy? Things might have been different. Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet Book 3, by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ben Stelfreeze. Marvel Comics, $17. Even if the People fall, can the monarchy still stand? The pieces are all in position, now it’s time for Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze to knock over the board as their revitalization of Black Panther continues! This month’s Scuppernong Bookshelf was written by Brian Lampkin April 2017
O.Henry 31
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32 O.Henry
April 2017
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Strong Suit
True South
Cards on the comeback trail
By Susan Kelly
Bridge is having a moment.
I know this because when I turned 50, my mother said, “If you don’t learn how to play bridge, you’re not going to have anything to do when you’re 70.” (Actually, she may have said, “You’re not going to have any friends when you’re 70,” which seems more likely.) My mother grew up in a family so devoted to bridge that one Christmas I gave my grandfather an automatic card shuffling gadget from the Miles Kimball catalog. My grandmother taught me to “bridge” cards when shuffling, to impress all my friends at camp. In college, I watched sorority sisters play gut bridge, crosslegged on the floor between ashtrays and bottles of Tab. Despite all this exposure to bridge, the only game I like is Scrabble — “And I’ll pay for your lessons,” my mother added. Sold! Bridge is so hot right now that churches are offering lessons to lure — I mean encourage — young people into the fold. Well, at least Charlotte churches are. What would Jesus do? He’d do Third in hand, high as you can. Strength before length, definitely. Like every hobby, interest, or pursuit, any gathering of bridge players has its echelons of skills, plus PIAs and KIAs. No, not a car, but Know-ItAlls and Pains-In-the-…. Keisters. I have fiends, I mean friends, who go to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and exist on protein bars to play bridge 14 hours a day with 2,999 other duplicate devotees. Gatlinburg! That’s where you went to get married in a rush, last time I checked. Now it’s become a destination for card sharks seeking to become “life members” in an obscure organization. I’ve seen pictures taken covertly of participants at these events, and I’m here to tell you: Fanaticism is not pretty. I prefer social bridge, which is less competitive, chattier, and includes snacks. Before bridge, I used to plan days with a two-hour free zone around
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
going to see a movie by myself. Now, I get up a bridge game, with sesame sticks in place of my smuggled Sugar Daddy. After 5 o’clock or so, social bridge also includes alcohol, and soon after that, bridge morphs into dridge (drinking + bridge). It’s amazing how fast the importance of conventions and counting fades. Naturally, where there’s a trend, there’s an industry not far behind. From bidding boxes — God forbid we should have to remember what we bid — to cutesy cocktail napkins, and needlepointed, monogrammed, lined-with-satin bridge table covers. I found a set of glasses decorated with spades and hearts and so forth in a vintage shop not long ago and pounced on them like Betty Draper in Mad Men, or that awful woman in The Help. This is what I’ve become. That there is no bridge emoji is grievous unto me. Bridge has its own lingo and etiquette, too. Point the “made” deck toward the next dealer. It’s illegal to inform someone whether they’re “on the board” or “in their hand.” It’s also illegal to “cut thin to win.” “Wish tricks” are for amateurs. Coveting the rings and/or manicure of your partner is in poor taste. It’s true: I made that one up. The best reason for jumping on the bridge bandwagon is that, like crossword puzzles and replacing the metal fillings in your teeth, playing bridge supposedly staves off dementia. This theory, however, doesn’t exactly jibe with word from the retirement home that players are putting a napkin on their head to remind them of who dealt last. Still, Warren Buffett has said that, “I wouldn’t mind going to jail if I had three cellmates who played bridge,” and who are you to argue with a billionaire? Your deal. OH In a former life, Susan Kelly published five novels, won some awards, did some teaching, and made a lot of speeches. These days, she’s freelancing and making up for all that time she spent indoors writing novels. April 2017
O.Henry 33
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April 2017
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Under Pressure
Spirits
Carbonating a cocktail adds a bit of sizzle
By Tony Cross
Photograph by Tony Cross
We’re living in an
amazing time, with a plethora of questions, answers, ideas and collaborations at our fingertips. I’ve never been great at anything but, thanks to the internet, I’ve learned enough to know what I’m doing. Everything from raising the temperature on my hot water heater, to recipes — the internet, especially YouTube, has been a great friend indeed. I would, and still do, fall asleep every night to YouTube while watching tutorials, music reviews and workout tips on my iPhone. A few years ago, I came across a YouTube channel called Small Screen Network. This channel has a modest number of cocktail videos, and it introduced me to the likes of Jaime Boudreau, head barman and owner of Canon cocktail bar in Seattle.
Boudreau’s segment, “Raising the Bar”, helped me understand some bartending basics: types of ice for different cocktails, shaking, stirring, tasting each cocktail before sending it out to make sure I didn’t forget an ingredient, or mess up the balance. He also has other how-to videos that deal with smoking cocktails, barrel aging and carbonating. Carbonating a cocktail. Sounds cool, right? Well, it is. Having a delicious cocktail under carbon dioxide pressure brings hundreds of tiny bubbles cascading across your palate almost like Pop Rocks candy. Probably a poor analogy, but hopefully, the dots are starting to connect. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The morning after watching the carbonating video, I went to Amazon right away. I ordered an iSi culinary whip creamer (you can get one for about $85), and grabbed some CO2 chargers to go with it. A pack of 40 single cartridges will run you around $30 on Amazon. When they came in the mail, man, I was so excited I told everyone at work about it. I explained the process; I boasted why it could transform certain mundane drinks; I broke down how it would boost sales — like I knew what I was talking about. I didn’t. I’m confident that I annoyed everyone in a 50-foot radius. So, what was the first drink I carbonated? Distilled water. I put that baby under pressure, and marveled at how cool the aftermath was. When I decided to mess around with cocktails, I wanted to start simple. So, a margarita it was. I added all of the ingredients into the iSi, sealed the top, and added a cartridge of CO2. I shook it up to ensure the gas was absorbed by the liquids, and then I poured it over ice. It was not good. What was wrong? I used the same recipe as always, so it took me a sec before my aha moment arrived — I forgot to compensate for the ice melting. You see, shaking and stirring a cocktail make these delicious drinks very cold, but the other, and most important, purpose ice serves is dilution. Realizing this, I remade the carbonated margarita but this time I threw in a half ounce of water with it. Just right. If you’ve got an iSi or you’re thinking about getting one, I’ll break down how to throw a quick carbonated cocktail together. Before adding your ingredients to the whipper, make sure that the vessel is very cold; ice cold is even better. The same goes for your ingredients if you have the time. The colder your mix, the quicker and better carbonated it will be. Pour your mix into the whipper. If you’re making a drink that doesn’t already call for water (e.g., Gin Rickey), then you need to add about half an ounce of water per cocktail. Screw the top of the iSi onto its base and then add a CO2 charger. You’ll hear the gas enter the chamber, and as soon as the charger is empty, shake the whipper vigorously for seconds. Slowly pulling the handle at the top will let the excess gas out. You want to do this because there was air trapped inside the container before you sealed it. Yes, you are letting out some carbon dioxide, but that’s OK because you now want to add one more charApril 2017
O.Henry 35
Spirits
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ger. When the gas fills the chamber, you’ll shake for another 10 seconds. Let your whipper sit under pressure for at least one minute. Slowly release the excess gas again by pulling the handle. Once all the gas is out, you can unscrew the top of the whipper. Pour your carbonated beverage into your glass slowly, or you’ll have a mess on your hands. One of lesson I quickly learned when I put this into my bar program was that carbonating this way is not cost-efficient. If you haven’t already done the math, each soda charger costs around a dollar after shipping. Not only that, if you’re only making one drink at a time (you can do at least three per whipper) you’re wasting even more. Realizing this, I stopped carbonating cocktails at my bar, and pretty much only use it for carbonating my ginger beer (when the yeast didn’t do its job) and for cocktail foams. Yes, the whipper was originally intended for creams, foams and such. For these, you’ll need to order nitrogen chargers instead of CO2. I think the whipper is more suited for the home bartender. A pack of soda chargers will go a long way at your pad instead of using it at an establishment. One of the ideas I had when conceptualizing what I wanted Reverie Cocktails, (my business,) to be was the ablility to carbonate cocktails and deliver them. So that’s what I did. A year ago, I had to relearn how to batch and carbonate drinks on a larger scale. (That’s a totally different article.) A ton of trial and error took place, followed by more error. Do you know what pouring out a messed-up 5-gallon batch of cocktails does to a man? Once I got my specs right, however, I was very pleased. You can try one of my many carbonated cocktails (Moscow Mule, seasonal Gin and TONYC, strawberry margarita). Boy, I love strawberries. I’ll leave you with a recipe I made when quickly carbonating at home (with my iSi) while getting ready for a wedding last summer. It contains mezcal and my TONYC syrup. Light, smoky and refreshing; this little gadget does wonders for waking up your taste buds.
Mezcal & TONYC
1 1/2 ounces Del Maguey Vida Mezcal 1/2 ounce TONYC 1/4 ounce simple syrup (2:1) 3 ounces distilled water
Carbonated Margarita
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36 O.Henry
April 2017
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
April 2017
O.Henry 37
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38 O.Henry
April 2017
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
He
The Pleasures of Life Dept.
Drama Queens
TTNC’s directors Brenda Schleunes and Donna Bradby rule the documentary theater scene
By Maria Johnson
A prediction for April 21st: Local the-
Photographs by Bert VanderVeen. Makeup by Larhonda frazier
ater folks and their supporters will cram the third-floor cabaret of Triad Stage for an evening honoring the 35th anniversary of Greensboro-based Touring Theatre of North Carolina.
A pre-show party will warm up the crowd for the premiere of the theater’s 50th production: The Melody of All That, a tune-filled bio of American song makers George and Ira Gershwin. Guests will sip, titter, nibble and schmooze around a silent auction. A few people will address the faithful, pointing out the former TTNC board presidents. Polite applause will ensue. The speakers will include the theater’s founder Brenda Schleunes, a Midwestern lass of Mennonite stock who looks, nevertheless, as if she’d been plucked from the streets of New York, with her black shawls, precisely clipped white hair and a bearing etched with gravitas. At 77, she’s the Maestra. She holds the title of artistic director, meaning she shoulders a lighter load than she used to. Last year, she shed the mantle of executive director. Donna Bradby, the company’s new executive director, will make a few remarks, too. She’ll be the lady in braids and big earrings and a colorful skirt. Homegrown and springy at 56, she is quick and boisterous and grounded by a deep understanding of her craft, much of it gleaned from years of working with Schleunes (pronounced SHLOY-nes). When the lights flicker on and off, the patrons will funnel to their tables, and the show will go on, in a way that happens only here, because this shoestring nonprofit is very likely one-of-a-kind among theater companies in the country. As the name suggests, TTNC takes its shows on the road, apart from short runs on the home turf in Greensboro. But the name doesn’t convey the group’s rarity on several fronts. To find two women at the helm of a theater company, even a small one, is worth noting.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
“It’s mostly a man’s game,” says Bradby. “Theater is a business, so all the ramifications of being a female in any business plague women in the theater and entertainment world.” Another distinction: All but one of the company’s 50 shows have been original productions, adapted to the stage by Schleunes, who mines printed material including everything but ready-made scripts — novels, short stories, poems, biographies, footnotes, documents, letters and transcripts of interviews. “She stages things that weren’t meant to be staged,” says Bradby. The shows use minimal props and six or fewer actors. No one else does that. At least not at the clip of at least one new show a year. Not for 35 years. And not while handling — between feel-good pieces like the Gershwin show — heavy-duty issues of the past and present. To wit: The Holocaust; slavery; civil rights; the decline of textile mills and its ripple effect; bullying; aging; capital punishment; gay marriage; homelessness; the emotional toll of separated military families. Sensitive subjects? “She’s not scared,” Bradby says of her mentor. “She ain’t nobody’s punk where theater is concerned.” “Nobody’s punk” grew up in northernwestern Ohio, in a village named Archbold, which was memorable for its population: 1,234. Schleunes’ mother died in childbirth, and baby Brenda Pursel spent her formative years in the lap of her Mennonite maternal great-grandmother. “She was one of those people who looked like she was made of goose down pillows,” says Schleunes. With loving arms around her and books propped in front of her, little Brenda came to love literature. Her favorite? “A multi-ethnic nursery rhyme book, if you can believe it,” she says. No one was surprised when she studied theater and English in college; or when she acted and edited literature textbooks in Chicago; or when — after moving here in 1971 when her husband Karl took a job teaching German history at UNCG — she pursued a Master’s degree in performance studies at UNC-Chapel Hill. “We studied literature to see how it could be staged,” she says. Her first audiences were school children, including her daughter Anna’s April 2017
O.Henry 39
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40 O.Henry
April 2017
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The Pleasures of Life Dept. classmates at J.C. Price Elementary, then a traditional magnet school. But Schleunes didn’t want her future work to be confined to kiddies, so she gave her new venture a more elastic name: Touring Theatre Ensemble. That was 1982. Four years later, Schleunes courted adults by adapting two Eudora Welty short stories. The show starred Bradby, whom Schleunes had recruited while Bradby was a theater student at N.C. A&T State University. By the time the curtain rose, Bradby had graduated. She was also eight months pregnant and playing a 90-year-old woman. “I said, just bend lower and keep your shawl pulled over the front,” Schleunes recalls, laughing. Welty saw the show at Greensboro College while she was in town for another literary event. Afterward, she signed Schleunes’ copy of her collected stories. “To Brenda,” Welty wrote in a spidery hand. “With thanks for your fine performance of my story.” Schleunes feasted on the words of other well-known authors. She adapted Alice Walker. She interpreted North Carolina writers, too, drawing early on from Marianne Gingher, Lee Smith, Jill McCorkle, Randall Jarrell and Sandra Redding. Later, she derived from the works of Randall Kenan, Jaki Shelton Greene, Kathryn Stripling Byer, Fred Chappell and Todd Johnson. Schleunes converted all kinds of words from page to stage. A trip to Israel yielded Letters from Leokadia, based on letters from a German Catholic woman to the Jewish girl she saved during the Holocaust. The company took the Leokadia to the now-defunct Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1993. The same year, Schleunes tweaked the group’s name, dropping “ensemble” and adding “North Carolina” as a regional identifier. Then, with an eye to the road, she built her most popular show to date, Let My People Go: The Trials of Bondage in Words of Master and Slave. Her co-creator was Loren Schweninger, then a professor of history at UNCG, who harvested the show’s raw material from court documents. Schleunes strung the facts on a ribbon of music. “It was organized thematically with spirituals,” she says. The show opened in the mid-’90s and toured the country for nine years. Stops included the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Department of Interior theater. The production also played a slew of universities, where some audience members learned things that didn’t sit well with them, including the fact that there had been black slaveholders in early America. Schleunes remembers an uncomfortable moment at Elizabeth City State University, a predominantly African-American campus. “Somebody said to Loren, ‘You’d better watch out because I’m Nat Turner and I’m going to get you,’” Schleunces says, repeating the reference to a slave who led a murderous rebellion in Virginia in 1831. There was no uprising in Elizabeth City that night. The show’s beautiful moments outnumbered the scary ones. At Somerset Place, a former plantation near the town of Plymouth, the cast walked along a row of sycamore trees by a lake and sang, “Let My People Go,” before entering the auditorium. “It was haunting,” says Bradby. “It was like the spirits were there.” Bradby, a Greensboro native, ducked in and out of her hometown. She acted in New York, then returned to oversee the transformation of the city’s Caldcleugh Recreation Center to a multicultural arts center. Then it was off to Virginia Tech for a Master’s degree in arts administration. Then back home to teach. All along, she stayed involved with TTNC because she believed in proThe Art & Soul of Greensboro
moting literacy through theater. She also valued Schleunes’ devotion and directness. She tells a story of going to Schleunes’ home to polish her lines for a show. “I was sweating, I was working so hard. When I was done, I looked at Brenda, and I was like, “Did you like my work?’ She looked at me and said, “Hmmm. It was very soporific.’ I had never heard that word before in my life. I was like, ‘What does soporific mean?’ She said, ‘Sleep-inducing,’ “ says a chuckling, head-shaking Bradby. “With Brenda, there is no gray area. You leave knowing exactly what you need to do, how you need to come in the next rehearsal.” When Schleunes decided to step down from the executive director’s job last year — “I was tired,” she admits — Bradby was the natural choice to replace her. “It made perfect sense,” says Schleunes. “She knew the theater every bit as well as I did, and most of all, she was appreciative of our style.” Bradby, who teaches and does arts marketing for A&T, wasn’t sure she wanted another job, so she took the company for a test drive without pay. During that time, she attended an award ceremony flush with local arts leaders; not one was a black woman. “I said, ‘I’m gonna take the position,’ ” she says. Bradby assumed control of booking, bill paying and fundraising. In the company’s early years, money flowed freely from state and local arts councils, historical organizations, foundations and private donors. The funding stream has narrowed in recent years. To finance new shows, which cost $10,000 to $20,000 each to create and perform, Bradby hopes to enlist new sponsors. She also wants to boost the company’s profile in its own backyard. To raise awareness, TTNC launched a home season in Greensboro five years ago. The Up-Stage Cabaret at Triad Stage has become the performance headquarters. This year’s season begins with The Memory of All That: A Bio Cabaret of Gershwin Songs. Bradby also pushes the company’s bedrock, the touring performances that deliver Schleunes’s work to schools, churches, synagogues, homes, community centers and other grass-roots venues. “The bookings are up,” says Schleunes. “She’s doing a fantastic job.” Five shows are currently for hire: The Life and Times of Fannie Lou Hamer, the story of the hymn-singing civil rights leader from Sunflower County, Mississippi; Star-Spangled Girls: A Salute to the Women of World War II, which was commissioned by UNCG’s Jackson Library; Let Your Children Tell, which rests on the diaries of young people caught in the Holocaust; Duke Ellington Uptown, a tribute to the jazz composer; and Deployed, a readers’ theater featuring the words of veterans and their families from seven wars. The Gershwin piece probably will join the nomadic pack. With Schleunes calling the artistic shots, new productions are sure to include timely, if edgy, subjects. She’s doing preliminary work for a show that deals with implicit bias in law enforcement. “There’s been an awful lot of that in the last three years . . . and it’s still happening,” Schleunes says. “In order to really look at this thing, you gotta put it up in front of people and say, ‘OK, here’s what happened.’ I’m not gonna say, “This is wrong or right,’ but, ‘Here’s what happened.’” She says she hasn’t found the unifying principle of the show — “This is the toughest one I’ve done”— but she’s confident she will. “After this many years, you have to have a little faith in yourself,” she says. OH To learn more about the Touring Theatre of North Carolina, go to at ttnc.org. Maria Johnson is a contributing editor of O.Henry. She can ne reached at ohenrymaria@gmail.com. April 2017
O.Henry 41
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42 O.Henry
April 2017
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Birdwatch
A Flash of Green
The stealthy green heron returns to N.C.’s waterways
By Susan Campbell
The green heron is probably one of
the coolest little birds around — but one that I’d bet most folks have never seen. They return from tropical wintering grounds to breed across the state in early spring, migrating under the cover of darkness back to where they first hatched, beginning the cycle anew. Right now flocks are moving northward in order to pair up for the breeding season. Although they are widely distributed, the green heron’s cryptic coloration and skulking behavior make them tricky to spot.
Standing a mere 18 inches tall and only about the size of a crow, this species is by far the smallest of about a dozen types of waders found in North Carolina. As with all herons, these birds have relatively long legs and a skinny neck, as well as a long, dagger-like bill. Given that green herons typically stand with their necks tucked in, individually they may seem smaller than they are. Their backs are a velvety green (hence the name), their bodies a handsome chestnut and their legs a pale yellow. The feathers on the head, in addition to the wings, are dark gray and often stand erect, giving the appearance of a shaggy crest. As with other herons and egrets, males are identical to females. During the spring, males seek out thick shrubbery along the edge of a wet spot and begin building a platform of thin sticks as a nest. After attracting a mate, the male looses interest in nest-building, and it is the female that comThe Art & Soul of Greensboro
pletes the shallow nest. Although the location may very well be along a creek or pond, it may also be man-made, for instance around a smaller depression adjacent to a water hazard on a golf course. Probably more important is whether or not there’s sufficient access to food and woody vegetation to support three to five chicks. Although other wading bird species generally nest in colonies, green heron pairs usually keep to themselves. But they, especially the males, are fiercely territorial when it comes to defending their feeding area. They will vocalize loudly and chase any bird that is perceived as a threat. Green herons spend most of their time crouched completely still, alongside a wet spot, waiting for prey to appear. They will grab any moving creature that is small enough to swallow. Fish, frogs, crayfish, larger insects and even the odd hummingbird make up their diet. Occasionally, they may spear their food, but most often they grab what they catch with their powerful mandibles. And while green herons are very successful ambush-style predators, they sometimes show a cunning side, using objects such as sticks and insects very deliberately to lure fish to the surface. Surprisingly, they may also occasionally dive after prey. With partial webbing between their toes, they can swim short distances, if need be. A few green herons lurk in the very southeastern part of our state each winter but most head to Mexico or Central America where food is more plentiful during the colder months. Our birds pass through Florida and head for the Caribbean on their way to marshlands in Central America. There will be plenty of time in the coming months to spot one of these fascinating water birds. So the next time you’re passing a nearby farm pond or overgrown stream bank, carefully scan the banks and low branches — you may just catch sight of this neat little heron! OH Susan would love to receive your wildlife sightings and photos at susan@ncaves.com. April 2017
O.Henry 43
Lake Jeanette Recreation Association is a Private Swim and Tennis Club open only to members and their guests.
It’s a great time to join Lake Jeanette Swim and Tennis! Call 336.601.3395 or stop by the office to inquire about membership specials!
Lakeside Facility • 5040 Bass Chapel Road • 8 Har-Tru Soft Courts with Subsurface Irrigation and State of the Art Lighting • 2 Lighted all season Tennis Courts • Nationally Ranked and Recognized USPTA Tennis Pros • Tennis Programs and Social Events for all levels of play and ages • Two Facilities include: one 6 Lane Pool with Baby Pool, Water Slide, Playground and Basketball Court one 8 Lane Pool with zero entry, water features, diving well with 2 diving boards, and dual flumed water slide
Turnstone Facility • 312 Turnstone Trail • Fun and Competitive Swim Team • Poolside Social Events for all ages • Group and Private Swim Lessons • Full Service Grill • Fitness Programs for Men and Women including Free water Aerobics • Large Rental space for Parties and Events • Opportunity for Non Resident Members to purchase membership Lake Jeanette Marina
Visit www.ljclub.com for more information.
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44 O.Henry
April 2017
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Wandering Billy
Endings and Beginnings A lost garden on market, skateboard heaven, and a revolutionary rebirth
By Billy Eye “Against her ankles as she trod; The lucky buttercups did nod.” — Jean Ingelow
To neighbors and passers-by she was
a mysterious, reclusive 85-year old spinster in a red hat puttering around an implausible oasis. Clipping multitudes of boxwoods, taming nandina, trimming azaleas, rounding off the pair of 8-foot high bushy yews standing like leafy sentinels barricading one of the city’s grittier retail corridors, Rosemary Barker had known these lush surroundings since childhood. Hers was a Gaian struggle against the inexorability of time and limitations of old age, preserving what greenery she could at Greensboro’s own Grey Gardens, the last elegant home and grounds remaining on West Market Street just beyond Starmount Forest.
Rosemary Barker grew up in the 1930s scurrying around these very hedges, celebrating birthdays with her brother and sister under the pitched-roof gazebo that still stands resolutely beside a stone fireplace in the backyard. Her extended playgrounds were the untamed woods, creeks and fields cradling the lovely twoThe Art & Soul of Greensboro
story decorative Craftsman-style farmhouse she grew up in, situated as it was well outside city limits. After her parents passed away, Rosemary continued residing here while becoming known to generations of school kids as Miss Barker, a stern but fondly remembered 5th grade teacher at Allen Jay, Elementary School in the 1950s before transferring to Bessemer and Erwin Elementary in the ’60s then Lindley Jr. High in the ’70s. The home remained hidden in plain sight while all around, grocery chains, auto stores and fast food joints paved paradise to populate West Market’s retail runway. As a result, her 4-acre habitat found itself boxed in by the razor-wired USPS carrier facility on one side and a sprawling Colonial Apartments subdivision to the rear. Today, unrestrained bushes and shrubs, amassing in mammoth proportions, shield the property’s deep backyard. Trees of nearly every indigenous species form a canopy over the gravel drive leading to a two-story garage that pitches precariously forward, enveloping on all sides the weathered house, its paint peeling, its inviting wraparound front porch warped and worn but still sturdy. I was unacquainted with Rosemary Barker, never heard of her until my unexpected Wednesday wandering skidded a bit too close to trespassing after noticing the first floor of this once-splendid home boarded up. Sadly, I discovered Miss Barker’s memorial service had been held just weeks earlier. Given the commercial possibilities of this lot — after every trace of the gentility and charm of a forgotten era is bulldozed and carted unceremoniously away — it’s perhaps inevitable that this verdant locale where breezes once whistled softly through the pines, and the air was honeyed with the scents of wisteria and flowering pears, will one day reverberate with the words: “Welcome to Sonic.” April 2017
O.Henry 45
treating every patient
LIKE FAMILY You should be treated with respect and care when you visit your Greensboro dentist… as if you were a member of the family. Trust Dr. Farless to meet your family and cosmetic dentistry needs and provide the comfort and peace of mind you deserve!
Wandering Billy I
t wasn’t so long ago when skateboarders routinely shared stories of downtown police officers strong-arming them while they were in motion, sending riders and boards flying in opposite directions. Today, there’s a newfound respect for the sport. Once construction taking place on Hill Street between Green Hill Cemetery and Latham Park Manor is completed, our city will be home to two of the most impressive skateboard parks in the state. One of them is an open-air courtyard with enormous, treated concrete bowls. A sister facility in Glenwood offers upward sloping ramps augmented by permanently mounted rails for grinding on. In the planning stages for more than a decade, the project was spearheaded and brought to fruition thanks to photographer Fabio Camara, who sought design input from young enthusiasts such as Chris Roberts, who tells me: “The people who are building those ramps are all skaters themselves so they know how to design them.” He explains that “when you’re a 10-year old skateboarder, you’ll have this super nice facility to practice on for years and years. We’ll have a lot of professional level skateboarders come out of the area in the next ten, fifteen years for sure.”
T
Call today to schedule an appointment (336) 282-2868 Meet Joy:
Joy Minor is the first person to greet you upon arriving at Graham E. Farless, DDS, and is likely the voice you will hear upon calling us. Joy serves as a front office administrator for our practice. Plus, she is a certified dental assistant, so she has expansive knowledge of the dental field. Joy was born and raised in southeast Guilford County. Joy and her husband Jeff have a son, Carson, and a daughter, Olivia. Away from the office, Joy likes spending time with family and friends, as well as watching her children play sports.
2511 Oakcrest Ave, Greensboro, NC 27408 www.gsodentist.com
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46 O.Henry
April 2017
he Cone Mills Revolution Mill first spun into operation producing flannel in 1898 but after business began unraveling in the 1970s, the majority of the property began its long decent into ruin and neglect. So much so, that it was used for a rave I attended to usher in the new millennium; promoter Michael Driver selected a hidden portion of the mill to fire up a generator to run lights and turntables for the night. As the sun rose over the rubble, I swear I could hear ghostly footsteps of a thousand workers from past decades trundling to work. Revolution Mill has been quietly undergoing an amazing metamorphosis, the beginning of what will very soon be an all-encompassing $100 million multi-modal complex with office, shopping, dining, and luxury living. They’re setting the stage for an explosion of art, music and commerce with openair event spaces and spectacular studios adorned in exposed brick, original hardwood floors and massive windows where everyone from sculptors to furniture designers are already creating worlds of excitement as you read this. As you read this, Cugino Forno Pizza has opened in the mill’s former machine shop, and it promises to be a spectacular dining experience. You were looking for something new to do, right? OH Billy Eye is convinced no one reads this fine print; that makes you the exception that proves the rule, right? The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Gathering of Friends s p e a k e r
s e r i e s
CookinG CLass & BRunCH Featuring Acclaimed Journalist & Cookbook Author
Ronni Lundy
along with Greensboro’s own Executive Chef Leigh Hesling
Benefiting presented by
Friday, May 5th, 11 AM - 2 PM Proximity Hotel, Greensboro sponsorships and reservations available at www.earlier.org Or 336.286.6620
Greater Guildford Go Red For Women Luncheon Locally Sponsored By:
May 15, 2017 The Grandover Resort and Conference Center Reserve Your Seat Today! http://guilfordncgoredluncheon.heart.org 336-542-4834 or caitlin.girard@heart.org
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
April 2017
O.Henry 47
Relax Our Spring planting iS already dOne a getaway in yOur Own backyard
Get out of the house, without having to get out of town. Spend a weekend getaway at the beautiful Grandover Resort and enjoy golf, spa and excellent dining – all within minutes of downtown Greensboro and High Point. Spring/Summer Specials for North Carolina residents, learn more at grandover.com/backyard grandover.com | 336.294.1800 | 1000 Club Road • Greensboro, NC 27407 | Just off I-85 & I-73 Get comfortable, you’ll be seeing a lot more of us in the future.
April 2017
A Natural Petition When cats go to Heaven they rearrange the order. First, who made God, God? Who decided angels didn’t need fur, tails and whiskers? Consider tail as a talking point. Consider tail as a tour guide. Consider tail conversational mapping. But whiskers — ah, they let you nuzzle a nuzzle. Soft, sexy. Whiskers are out there antennae catching vibes. Whiskers are words translated into touch. Fur. . . the grandest of all. One is always dressed for any occasion. Every occasion. Tuxedo, calico, Bengal, leopard, Persian. Fur is what the world would wear if it could. — Ruth Moose
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
April 2017
O.Henry 49
Earth,Wind & Fire
Iron Man Mark Green’s calling to ancient arms By Ross Howell Jr. • Photography by Bert VanderVeen
A
sk Mark Green — a landscape professional in Greensboro since 1986 — what he enjoys doing most, and you’ll get an unusual answer. “I like making swords from dirt,” Green says. A native of Rockport, Massachusetts, Green first came to North Carolina to train with the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. After service in Vietnam, he attended UNCG from 1979 to 1983, studying business and art. “Unusual fields of study to combine, I guess,” Green says. “But my dad was a builder, and as a kid, it seemed like I was always drawing or painting.” He continues: “Art is something that stayed with me. Somehow I got interested in Japanese sword-making and started collecting them. Then I got the idea that I wanted to try crafting tsuba, the hand guards for the swords.” Tsuba are traditionally elaborate in decoration, often given generation to generation in Japan as heirlooms. “So I started working with different materials to make these guards,” Green says. “Copper. Bronze. Iron. And that’s how I met Jesus Hernandez.” Hernandez crafts exquisite swords and knives near Roanoke, Virginia. Once a physician with a successful practice, he decided to give up medicine and build a house near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hernandez taught himself how to smelt the iron and steel he often uses for his handmade blades. Hernandez was Green’s introduction to a community of artisans he alternatively calls “smelt buddies,” “smelt-heads” or “wizards of bloom.” It’s a select
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April 2017
community identified by arcane knowledge and arduous labor. Its roots go back at least as early as the philosopher Aristotle, who wrote a treatise on the use of charcoal to increase carbon in the smelting process, thus hardening iron and steel. (Additional carbon is what makes iron steel. The longer the iron is fired with charcoal, the more carbon it absorbs.) And smelting begins with dirt. Green will tell you the hills of North Carolina are laced with the kind of dirt you need — iron ore — and he should know. He’s been searching it out for two decades. “The problem is, the ore is scattered, or it’s in veins,” Green says. “It’s not concentrated, like iron deposits, say, in Minnesota, or other states in the Midwest.” It helps to know what you’re looking for. The first discovery Green made was at the Guilford/Rockingham County line. “It was an old trench mine,” he says. “Hand-dug by slaves. The trench is overgrown with trees and brush, but it’s maybe 3 to 4 feet deep and runs for hundreds of feet. It looks like an old World War I trench, as much as anything.” Here and there are loose rocks in the trench. Green picks one up. It’s brown and otherwise nondescript. Typically these stones are limonite, generally described as a mixture of hydrated iron oxide minerals. Limonite has been mined to produce iron, according to some sources, for more than 4,500 years. Green picks up another rock and points out darker veins. This is magnetite, another iron oxide mineral. It contains iron dense enough to be drawn to a magnet. Farther along the trench, there’s a big hole, maybe 12 feet deep. Around it are The Art & Soul of Greensboro
mounds of earth, some as high as 8 feet. “There must’ve been a really big chunk of ore here,” he says. “You’ll find holes like this sometimes.” Slaves excavated the massive stone, breaking it into pieces for transport. “In time these old mines were abandoned,” Green says. “But during the Civil War, they were reopened, because iron was needed for the war effort. That’s how I’ve found some of my biggest hauls. Slaves would stack dump piles of the ore they found. But when the war ended, they just left them, and walked away.” “From one dump alone,” he continues, “I’ve taken out 1,600 pounds of ore. It’s a lot of work, I can tell you, but it’s less time-consuming than prospecting along the trenches.” When Green shows up at landowners’ houses with his empty wheelbarrow, asking to cart away rocks from their property, they’re usually more than happy to accommodate him. Then comes the next step, and it’s just as laborious, maybe even more so. Smelting. First the ore must be roasted. Then crushed to bean size. Then a “bloomery” or “stack” is built. Green’s friend Hernandez began his smelting experiments with a relatively simple and small smelter called an Aristotle Furnace. But another friend, Lee Sauter, whom Green calls a “smelting magician,” has spent years researching and experimenting with ancient forging methods. Sauter, who took up blacksmithing at the age of 12 in 1973, produces iron sculpture, and maintains his forge near Lexington, Virginia. He, like Hernandez and Green, might do as many as twenty smelts a year, traveling to festivals in Maryland, Louisiana, and other locations around the country. The stacks they build are vertical cylinders made of about 55 pounds of clay. The “dragon” stack Green built at his home recently has an internal diameter of about 8 inches and stands 40 inches tall. Near the base of the cylinder one or more tubes — called tuyères — of metal or clay are introduced. These tubes enable the smelters to increase the air flow into the chamber using a bellows or other means and also to inspect the progress of the smelting. Openings are introduced at the bottom of the stack for the “slag,” or waste iron, to escape, and also for removing the molten “bloom” when it’s ready. Once the clay cylinder has dried, charcoal is added to the top and fired to preheat the bloomery. Typically the “wizards” will include hot peppers from the garden or other “sacrifices” to the fire gods in the first charge of charcoal. Once heated, ore and more charcoal are added in stages for the smelting process. A typical “burn” might take four hours. Once the ore melts and the molten slag drains away, a “bloom” is left at the bottom of the stack. The flickering, glowing bloom is removed with tongs and hammered atop a big wood stump to tighten the metal. Then the bloom is split in half using an axe and more hammering. The individual halves are shaped into bars with a cacophony of more hammering, often carefully choreographed, with wizards timing their individual strikes in precise sequence. It’s hot, backbreaking work, and watching, I understand why Green places so much value on the expertise and energy of his smelt buddies. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
About five years ago Green started making blades for swords and daggers (he calls them seaxes) from the bloom iron and steel he produces. (For blades, the halves must be cut, folded, and hammered many times. But this folding and refolding brings out magnificent colorations and patterns in the iron or steel, and beautiful grain. Green has studied the examples of Anglo-Saxon weapons found in the Sutton Hoo burial site in England. He has also pored over modern reference books, ancient chronicles, and the collections of various museums and private individuals. Some of the best examples of the designs of Viking and Roman swords, he says, can be seen in old frescoes and paintings. “The Celts and the Romans understood the carburization process,” Green says. “So they had steel weapons. The Britons and Vikings, not so much. Their weapons were usually iron. And sometimes you’ll find an iron sword with steel edges.” The Franks, however, really understood steel: “In medieval times it was illegal to sell a Frankish sword,” he says. “Their swords were all steel, some of the finest weapons in the world.” Making the blades is intricate and arduous. Sometimes metal from a meteorite is included in the smelting process for coloration and texture. The bar that will become vthe blade is folded on itself and hammered, folded and hammered again, as many as fifteen times. Watching the process brings a whole new level of respect for the village blacksmith in days of yore. Interest in these ancient blades isn’t as limited as you might think. For years Green has been a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. The organization is an eclectic mix of professionals, blue-collar workers, artisans and others, including history geeks, of course. Dressed in full regalia, the group meets regularly for historical recreations and festivals representative of pre-17th-century Europe. According to the organization’s website, the SCA has more than twenty kingdoms in the “Known World,” with a total of 30,000 members scattered in countries around the globe. I’m the leader of the Barony of Sacred Stone,” says Green. “Sacred Stone covers western North Carolina, and is one of the larger baronies in the kingdom of Atlantia.” The kingdom of Atlantia includes Maryland, the District of Columbia, the Carolinas, and part of Georgia. An online check of Atlantia spring events includes this call to arms: “Join your fellow Atlantians at the Barony of Ponte Alto’s Annual St. Paddy’s Day Bloodbath where the fighting is fierce and the lunch is free.” Green grins and nods. “Yes, we get together about every other weekend,” he says. “There are archery lessons and competitions. Medieval feasts. And full-contact, handto-hand combat competitions with rattan weapons. It’s good cardiovascular exercise! For some events there’ve been as many as 1,500 people reenacting a period battle.” Green’s handmade swords and seaxes are sometimes part of the costume, pomp and circumstance of coronations or the conferring of a knighthood. “Yeah,” he reflects. “It’s pretty cool to see a sword I’ve made by hand used in a reenactment ceremony. Especially when you remember it began as a lump of dirt.” OH Alliterative flowers, fruits and foliage are about all writer Ross Howell Jr. can produce successfully from dirt. Well, not always successfully. April 2017
O.Henry 51
Earth,Wind & Fire
The Power of Wind The unseen takes shape in Jim Gallucci’s wind-powered sculptures By Jim Dodson • Photographs by Sam Froelich
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o begin, a breezy pop quiz: What do politicians and pump organs have in common? Not to mention pop singers and iron sculptors? The answer, of course, is wind. When Iron Sculptor Jim Gallucci heard a version of this somewhat lame joke one early spring afternoon while standing in the work yard of at his 7,000-square-foot studio and fabricating shop in South Greensboro, the acclaimed iron sculptor simply smiled and nodded. “If you think about it,” he mused, “wind is a major force in almost everything around us in life. Wind brings weather, the change of seasons, provides a force for birds and seeds to fly over the Earth, moves everything in the world. The wind shapes things, sculpts the Earth, propels sailboats over the water, moves people, ideas across the Earth! You name it.” As an example, he mentions a 50-ton airplane. “You think, oh my goodness, how can that thing possibly fly? The answer, of course, is engineers have learned how to use the wind. They can’t quite harness it — wind has a mind of its own — but they can utilize it to serve some amazing purposes.” Gallucci goes on to say that figuring out how to deal with wind is crucial to his job as an artist who creates large sculptures. “It’s called the sail effect,” he explains. “You have to find a way to work with the wind, not against it.” As he says this, Gallucci — a cheerful, stocky, bearded artist whose spectacular iron sculptures grace significant public spaces and private gardens all over the
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state and nation, and who looks, moreover, like a fellow who is gifted in the art of shaping steel to his purposes — stands near one of his latest creations, a monumental work called the Tree of Life. It is a spectacular tree made of structural steel with brass leaves of green that rises 40 feet into the air — i.e. wind — and will soon be bound for the Hebrew Cemetery in Charlotte. Inside his large fabricating shop, a crew of two assistants is busy welding rebar together for the massive concrete footing that will anchor his stunning Tree of Life. “Thinking about the wind and its effects is something I had to learn early in my career, which is why an understanding of engineering is critical in this kind of work,” Gallucci says. “Thanks to sitting with so many engineers, I’ve become something of an expert on such subjects as wind loads, sail effect and the other impacts of wind on my large-scale projects.” The artist recalls a dramatic lesson learned of this expertise, remembering a frightening moment he and his assistants were just finishing the installation of two sculptural steel towers at Raleigh’s City Plaza in July of 2009. “We were welding the last pieces in place when suddenly, a large thunderstorm hit, bringing a microburst of wind that was later determined to be hurricane strength,” he remembers. “It flung three-quarter-inch plywood like pieces of paper through the air and actually moved our 38,000-pound boom truck several inches. But the towers didn’t budge. That was a relief — and not a small message about the importance of understanding wind. It comes from all directions, and it’s often unpredictable.” The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Over the course of a distinguished 30-year career as an educator and sculptural artist, Jim Gallucci has made his share of chimes that rely upon the wind to produce sound. But he’s perhaps best locally known for his dramatic gates and bridges that evoke a palpable sense of place and offer a sense of earthy welcome, including Greensboro’s iconic Millennium Gate — plus gates at UNCG, O.Henry Hotel and First National Bank Field, where the Grasshoppers play. His extensive opera also includes gorgeously wrought bridges at Durham’s Duke Gardens and the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh. Several of his more dramatic pieces with specific wind themes regularly show up at important civic and art shows around the country. “Some of them travel, just like the wind itself,” Gallucci quips, leading his visitor over to a magical looking piece called Divine Wind featuring a circular vortex of iron with sculptural squares that resemble pages caught up in the cyclonic whirl of wind. “We’ve taken this piece all over the country,” he explains. “It’s symbolic of how everything in our lives is shaped in one sense or another by wind of some kind or another. I have hopes that this piece may someday wind up out at the airport, where the wind is very much part of life moment to moment.” A similar piece, he notes, was created for the citizens of Greensburg, Kansas, the famous little town in Southwest Kansas, 95 percent of which was s leveled by an EF5 tornado May 4, 2007. The storm killed 13 and injured 60. Since that time, Greensburg has risen remarkably from the rubble of its devastation, rebuilding a town that is 100 percent Green and now a model of environmental technology that includes one of Gallucci’s rendering of wind’s destructive force called Wind Passage. “The first thing the community did was rebuild its police station and an art center — realizing that art is something that can hold a community together through the winds of change,” the artist explains. “When the mayor first looked at the piece, he wondered what the little squares in it were supposed to represent. When I explained that those were papers caught up in the vortex, he simply nodded. It was very emotional but quite an inspiration how they’ve come back.” Here in the Gate City – “a place that — tradition holds — earned it nickname for all the railroads that once passed through this city, though I prefer to think the nickname comes from the fact that we are a city of open gates where all are welcome,” he says — a trio of moving Gallucci wind sculptures connect important spots on the campus of Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro. A colorful butterfly sculpture that holds the name of children who were served by the organization’s Kids Path program (but have passed on) graces the entry of the garden adjoining the facility that counsels ill and grieving children. “Every child whose name appears has his or her own color,” notes Paul Russ, HPCG’s vice president of marketing and development. “It’s the first thing you see when you enter the garden — butterflies in flight — a symbol of the young lives we’ve served.” The Art & Soul of Greensboro
A few steps into the garden sits Gallucci’s novel pipe organ bench, a multicolored confection of iron encircled by foot pumps that send air and sound through genuine organ pipes the artist salvaged from a church. The whimsical sound machine was funded in memory of a Hospice patient named Bruce who loved music and sound of any kind. “It’s playful and irresistible to almost everyone, and that’s the point,” says Russ. “You have to step on the foot pedals to make the sound. Everyone feels a little like a kid around it, if only for a little while. The families and children who use our services come for therapy or help in dealing with a serious medical crisis, something that makes talking difficult for many children and young people and even many adults. Bruce’s organ bench is a wonderful tool for us in our work. It brings people out.” And so, in a quieter way, does Jim Gallucci’s plum-colored Whisper Bench that reposes in a small cove of trees near the rear of the garden. It’s a tubular contraption where visitors may sit on the bench and whisper into a trumpet-like cone placed at one end of the bench and be heard clear as a voice in your ear at the opposite end. “Many of the children who come to Kids Path really can’t vocalize their fears or whatever else is on their minds,” Gallucci says. “But what the bench enables them to do is whisper and be heard, to communicate in a private way. The staff says the bench is very popular — a place many children gravitate to. Everyone loves to listen to a whisper.” A similar bench resides at the Greensboro Montessori School. Whether it comes from a foot pump, the lungs of children, or the divine winds of the Earth, Gallucci says, “wind is simply a magical force in our lives. It really does shape our lives in powerful and unseen ways,” he explains to his visitor before heading back inside to check up on the footings for his Tree of Life and to finish up work on a brass eagle model he was preparing for High Point University. Across the yard stands an equally massive but somber-looking metal sculpture that features cutouts that were clearly silhouettes of human forms standing beneath a structural girder that looks as it had been tossed and mangled by the wind. His visitor suddenly wondered. . . “Yes, that steel came from the twin towers,” Gallucci explains somberly, “some of the 9/11 steel I was offered some years ago. I hope it may find its way to a proper place someday, a public setting where it memorializes the terrible events of that day. Talk about the winds of change,” he adds with a sigh. But then, brightening, he adds: “That’s the thing about the wind. Its power is magical, terrifying, unpredictable. It may even be our future — once we learn to harvest and use it for the good of this world.” OH With the wind at his back, Jim Dodson manages to edit four magazines, write books and tend his garden. April 2017
O.Henry 53
Earth,Wind & Fire
Wild Fired The animal-inspired pottery of Charlie Tefft By Maria Johnson
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dozen years ago, Greensboro artist Charlie Tefft thought he knew what being a successful potter meant. It meant getting your work in big-city galleries. It meant schlepping your wares to far-flung weekend pottery shows. It meant getting written up in pottery publications such as Ceramics Monthly and Clay Times. (Yes, those are actual, credible publications, not fake ceramic news). Eventually, all of those benchmark things happened to Tefft, and guess what? He wasn’t that successful. At least not monetarily. So, spurred in part by the need to support his growing family, he shifted his thinking and his practices. He simplified. He cut expenses. He came home. He stopped spending so much time and money on the photography, correspondence and shipping required to land a few pieces in galleries that took 50 percent of his sales and, therefore, made him hike the prices of his work. He sliced his travel bill by focusing on regional and local pottery shows where he sold directly to customers. He camped out at the Catawba Valley Pottery & Antiques Festival in Hickory, He became a regular at the spring and fall craft shows at the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market on Yanceyville Street. He signed up for Keep It Local, the twice-a-year art show hosted by friend and
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fellow potter Leanne Pizio at her Oak Ridge studio. Tefft compiled snail-mail and e-mail lists of people who bought his work, and he notified them about upcoming shows. His repeat sales climbed. “How many people are in Greensboro?” he says. “Certainly not all of those people are interested in pottery, but even if 1 percent are interested, that’s a lot of people. . . Doing something that’s not prestigious, but local, that’s what built my business. It wasn’t getting in Ceramics Monthly. It was doing the Farmers Market every spring and fall, and building clientele through that.” As he waded into a smaller pond, Tefft refined his signature techniques and style, including spray-on glazes, which pool in pockets of deep color. His tones stick close to the earth: tawny browns, creams, blues and grays. He also perfected the delicate paintings of the wildlife that populate his work. Among his favorite subjects: Carolina wrens, black bears, polar bears, deer, opossums, foxes, owls, rabbits and squirrels. Tefft — who briefly fancied a career as a veterinarian — paints the critters on his pottery using fine brushes dipped in washes and stains. “It’s like a watercolor painting,” he says. There’s a pipeline between what Tefft sees in everyday life and the designs that appear in his work. The foxes? Inspired by a vulpine neighbor that Tefft unmasked when the animal got its head stuck in a Lay’s potato chip bag. The black bears? Tefft, his wife and three kids, spotted one on a trip to Skyland Resort in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park three summers ago. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The squirrels? There are more squirrels than students under the oaks at Guilford College, where Tefft teaches. The swimming polar bears? Saw them at the North Carolina Zoo last summer. The opossums? A friend in wildlife rescue showed Tefft a box of baby opossums at the Farmers Market, and Tefft was so charmed he made her a cup painted
with the wee marsupials. The wrens? They built nests in a shed outside a home where Tefft and his family lived years ago. The pert birds pop up all over his work, not only in image — they often appear perched on grasses and thorny vines — but in form. His wren-shaped pitchers beautifully suggest the birds’ beaks, eyes, breasts, wings and tail. The pitchers predated the paintings. “For a long time, I wanted to have animals on the pots, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it,” says Tefft. “That wren pitcher was really satisfying. I felt like I’d tapped into something. It’s just been a long explorations of how to incorporate animals in ceramics.” His love of ceramics ignited in childhood. Born in Raleigh, he moved with his family to Columbia, Maryland, outside Washington, D.C., when he was a year old. His father was an early computer consultant. His mother was a gifted watercolorist. Their boy Charlie was drawn to art, too. “Being dyslexic, reading was hard for me, so I was an art kid,” he says. “That was the place in school where I excelled the most.” He discovered pottery in a class at his Episcopal elementary school, which led to a clay-themed summer camp, which led to an infatuation with the pottery studio in his Quaker high school. “I always liked working with my hands,” he says. “We had this creek near our house, and I remember dragging this bucket of clay across a field with a friend of mine to make stuff.” His bond with earthenware led him to another Quaker school, Guilford College, the home of a ceramics program that was started and nurtured by Lisa Young. By his junior year, Tefft was basically living in the studio. “I became a teaching assistant. We were given the keys. The growth during that time was amazing,” he says. “I’d go into the studio and do things I couldn’t do the week before.” He moved to Atlanta after graduation in 1997, intending to work a day job and throw pots at night. His parents encouraged him to take a slightly different tack: to throw himself into his pots day and night. “They said, ‘We really believe in you,’” he says. “That made all the difference in the world.” He haunted a cooperative studio and lived on a trickle of income that allowed no TV or cell phone. He banked experience instead, developing his hallmark eye-hand coordination. Whatever fascinated his eye, his hands translated to clay. When he saw a photograph of a twirling dancer, her skirt an eddy of fabric, he reincarnated the image as a teapot. A picture of Whirling Teapot was published in a 1998 book, Wheel-Thrown Ceramics by Don Davis. The picture got Tefft noticed. A friend rang the following year. There was a temporary teaching position at Guilford College. The job was supposed to last one semester, while Tefft’s former teacher, Lisa Young, was on leave. “A couple of weeks later, she said, ‘What about two semesters?’ Then it was ‘What about years?’” Tefft remembers. “She left the college and passed it to me.” That was 18 years ago. As the college’s only pottery teacher, Tefft leads two classes a semester, which leaves him time to work in his studio, a converted outbuilding in his side yard. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
He shares the space with apprentice Ray Knirs and another colleague: Tefft’s Australian Shepherd-St. Bernard mix, Walt. Accommodations have been made for Walt’s tail. “You see there’s nothing wet on the lower shelves because of his hair,” says the 44-year-old Tefft, who looks and acts as you might imagine a potter would. Lanky, bearded and unpretentious in a T-shirt, work pants and spongy black Crocs, he’s animated by a gentle spirit, but his keen eyes record everything. He works on pottery daily, often at night after the kids are asleep. He sweats the details, laboring to make the lips of his tumblers dribbleproof, the spouts of his teapots dripless, the handles of his mugs comfortable to adult fingers. His pieces work, both functionally and aesthetically, a harmony born of long hours. “I’m not a production machine,” Tefft says. “I do higher quality work. I touch these pieces a lot.” But all is not drudgery. Tefft injects his work with humor, too. A plate titled Dreaming Fox shows a wily red veteran pondering rabbits that circle him like clouds. A mug shows a wren perched on the back of a snake that resembles a vine. By depicting animals in moments filled with prey-predator tension, Tefft makes them characters, not just decorations, and implies their lives beyond pottery. “I feel like I’m capturing them in a small part of their world,” he says. “That’s the art side versus the merely craft side.” Ironically, the big galleries call Tefft more than ever. He ships pieces to AKAR Design in Iowa City, Iowa, and to Pewabic Pottery in Detroit. He recently sent about twenty pieces to a three-person show at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia. “That’s a big deal,” he says. “They’re a major spot for collectors on the East Coast, a clay hub.” Still, he cleaves to local collectors. Last year, he rented a booth at the National Folk Festival in Greensboro. He plans to do it again this year, the final chapter of the festival’s three-year run here. He also entertains customers in a showroom that he built next to his studio on Hamburg Mill Road three years ago. He splits the 15-by-30-foot space, which is called Summerfield Gallery, with potter-friend Phil Haralam. They host twicea-year sales. The next one will be June 16–18. Shoppers can see the pottery by appointment at other times. The cost of Tefft’s work ranges from $15 for a small, undecorated vase to $1,200 for a large animal vase. Most items are priced between $40 and $150. “I want my neighbors to be able to afford my pottery,” he says. “I want to be the local potter.” OH See more of Tefft’s work, as well as a schedule of his upcoming shows, at ctpottery. com. Maria Johnson is a contributing editor of O.Henry. She can be reached at ohenrymaria@gmail.com.
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O.Henry 55
Story of a House
Redo, Redux
Thomas Buckley on artful designing — and turning — on a dime
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By Cynthia Adams Photographs by Amy Freeman
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ast May, Thomas Buckley and his partner, Cecil Lockhart, left an 800-square-foot, renovated home on Roseland Street for a move of less than one mile. They had bought a Fountain Manor condo in the neighborhood and did what they enjoy most: They started all over with a clean slate. There was little to pack. The couple’s modus operandi is to take their artwork and a few personal effects with them, and dispense with the rest. By September, their fifth and latest renovation was completed in just four months, with a few tweaks left in the kitchen. But by the time their newly befriended neighbors blink, the home makeover addicts will be gone again to embark on their sixth redo. (They already have an eye on a new fixer-upper.) Between them, they have lived in California, Connecticut, Colorado, South Carolina and now North Carolina. A fresh design canvas is just the ticket for the designing duo. But back to last spring, and the previously sight-unseen condo they now call home. Before the partners bought the Fountain Manor condo, they already knew it was the right price and the right location. “We like a bargain,” Buckley confesses, which is putting it mildly. But — once seen, the 1,700-square foot Fountain Manor abode (double the size of their former home!) featured dated wallpaper and flooring, and a blasé look. It was stuck in a 1980s time warp. The condo was, by any measure, clean and livable but read much too traditional for their tastes and eclectic artwork. Buckley set out to do what he relishes, designing on a dime. He established an exceedingly small budget to make their new home hum. The couple’s renovation budget? They look at each other and smile. “$10,000, all in all, including new kitchen appliances.” Paint — the cheapest of tools in a designer’s arsenal — is also the most powerful. Buckley enthuses, too, at the Triad’s trove of riches when it comes to furniture and home furnishings! Greensboro offered unparalleled consignment choices, thanks to the area’s being at the epicenter of the furniture industry. Buckley says he can scarcely believe his good luck. “The thrill of the hunt,” Buckley smiles, to furnish a new space, is his second greatest kick once he has plotted how to make a design fresh and refreshing. For this purpose, he goes right to the “incredible array”
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
of consignment shops that populate the Triad. He points to a coffee table — like all the other furnishings, it appears to be brand-new. (Nothing in the condo appears remotely shabby, but polished and chic.) “This coffee table is a $2,200 Baker table, and I paid $240,” the designer says with no small amount of pride. “I know high-end furnishings, and I love consignment. I’m totally into repurposing.” He is quite possibly as addicted to the next new thing, as some are addicted to collecting. As he explains it, Buckley truly likes cha-cha-changes. “I’m ready to do it again,” he grins. When working for a client, he occasionally sells something straight out of his home. “I’m very into creating good energies in a space,” he explains. “But I’m not into the pressure to keep up with the Joneses.” Buckley qualifies this. He likes small change with maximum effect. Meaning, when this designer takes on a new home interior, he enjoys the challenge of a very slim budget. “Anyone can design with a huge one,” he frowns. But not everyone can reuse, repurpose, reinvent and rejuvenate, all the while honoring the discipline of keeping things to, as he adds, “a very reasonable cost.” The availability of beautiful things at a bargain still stuns Buckley. Taking adThe Art & Soul of Greensboro
Buckley set out to do what he relishes, designing on a dime. He established an exceedingly small budget to make their new home hum.
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The answer was to design, decorate, and then polish a rough stone until it shone like a diamond, and move on.
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vantage of that bounty is simply what Buckley loves, and he is slowly bringing Lockhart around to his point of view. Together, the couple moved from “a big house in Denver, Colorado, to Florida, then to a (N.C.) house, then a townhouse, then to the house on Roseland, and now here.” Buckley says he’s been designing since he was 10 years old. “After the first design job, I got the Carly Simon album, You’re So Vain,” he chuckles. It was thrilling, to source collectibles, especially art and high-end furnishings, and reinvent a space. And to make money doing it, he says. Buckley still owns a painting he chose for his uncle when he was only 15 and later inherited. He keeps deeply sentimental things, especially the art that he loves, but all else is up for sale. Or else, he says, it is up for donation. “You shouldn’t get attached to anything,” Buckley says. Then, Lockhart quietly confesses, “But I do get attached to things.” Buckley amends, “I did get attached to a Drexel Heritage sofa I once had.” He says this apologetically, as if he needs to explain. How did this gypsy-spirited design philosophy develop? A growing awareness of mortality made Buckley realize how fleeting life and possessions are. “I have had health issues. My former partner, Dan, had leukemia, and I took care of him.” The entire experience was deeply affecting for Buckley. It caused him to also redesign his own life, creating one that would not place possessions over meaning. He did not wish to be owned by his possessions. Furniture, furnishings and other material objects were no longer imbued with the meaning they once had. They simply could serve as a substitute for what he had lost. Buckley landed on the idea that he could approach each home like a Zen garden — one designed without attachment. Lovely and temporary. He could indulge a passion for designing new spaces and the all-thrilling hunt for treasures, without accumulating material objects that tied him down more. The answer was to design, decorate, and then polish a rough stone until it shone like a diamond, and move on. “Who needs so much stuff?” he asks plaintively. As his parents aged and their health declined, Buckley frequently returned to their Connecticut home — large and stocked with treasures. He preferred to live simply, with far fewer things.
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So, the couple has begun refining the art of moving in only a day when the whim hits them. Lockhart had to be converted to learn to redo a place, furnish it, then leave it and start afresh. “It became liberating. I resisted it at first, though. But I see the beauty of it now,” he admits. He still works at various jobs through the week, which include real estate, retail and one day weekly as a hairdresser, his former profession. He likes the variety and freedom. “When I lived in Greenville, S.C., people bought my house fully furnished,” Buckley says. “I sold it all, because I felt it wasn’t fair to Cecil not to start afresh in our new relationship.” After the couple bought the Fountain Manor condo, they proceeded to change some of its more dated aspects in record time. They opened up space, removing, for instance, a half wall divider with pickets that impeded the flow of the room. They then claimed a closet, “Which we repurposed into a ‘dry’ wet bar,” Buckley jokes. It immediately upgraded the hipness of the living room. Their next inspiration cost a mere $300 and sweat equity. “I found a fireplace insert on craigslist,” says Buckley. “I told them I wanted the electric fireplace only.” A new fireplace adds panache and visual interest upon entering the house — where there had previously been none. Next they undertook cosmetics, ending with the kitchen. Down came kitchen wallpaper that Buckley instantly recognized as a Waverly favorite he had used years ago on design jobs. Using a color-saturated palette as a better backdrop for their art collection, replacing flooring, and a kitchen upgrade made significant impact for an insignificant investment. “We had a $10,000 budget and we did it all — kitchen included,” Buckley says with obvious pride. “And that is, the kitchen and all appliances: $4,200 for the appliances. There was an appliance sale and I knew when to buy them.” They kept the cabinets, which were in good condition, except for one section, which was removed to expand the room. The cabinets were painted and given spiffy new hardware. Then, the couple replaced the countertop with a reasonably priced laminate and refinished the floors. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The kitchen is now more open, and a clean, fresh room rather than detraction. Buckley does have a case of reverse snobbery. One of the couple’s wing chairs was featured in the February issue of Architectural Digest. Buckley proudly says it is the very chair he sits upon, a $3,000 chair, one he snagged for $300 on consignment. (The thrill of such a deal excites him as much as the beauty of the piece. “I love the Red Collection, and also buy things at the Carriage House nearby.”) But when it comes to bargain-hunting, it’s the art collection that shows their true colors. Buckley says he scored two framed sketches of the RMS Titanic and the Mauretania. They also own a piece by James Austin, one of many designers to help originate the AIDS Memorial Quilt. In addition to many others, the couple is proud of two works by Jim Hahn, an artist of note who began painting later in life. Did Buckley buy these pieces of art retail? “Oh, no,” he says, taken aback. That, it happens, is against Thomas Buckley’s religion. Think of him, if you will, as the Warren Buffet of design. In this case, he’s actually the Design Oracle of the wealthy enclave of Greenwich, Connecticut, where most of his family still resides. But a true home, as Buckley will point out, is not an address. It is where you find meaning. A friend just called them about a house she hopes they will take on, and they are already twitching to do it. It’s smaller than the condo. Not a problem, says Buckley. “We eventually hope to downsize our way to live in a tiny home,” With this, Buckley shoots a quick glance at Lockhart, who, unfazed, scarcely raises an eyebrow. “Well,” Lockhart points out, “at least this way our closets are always neat and our house is always clean.” OH Cynthia Adams is a contributing editor to O.Henry and writes for its sister publication, Seasons. She is convinced that style has little to do with money, and everything to do with imagination.
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Thrifty Design Ideas from Thomas Buckley
1. Buckley loves color and advises, “Don’t be afraid of color. Color is one of the cheapest, most dramatic ways to change a space. Also, no color is out of style! So, choose a color you love, and run with it.” 2. Whatever you do, consider keeping your interior classic. “Timeless design is balanced. And, it is a comfort to your heart,” Buckley says. 3. Stay well away from trends. Buckley believes trends may quickly date and limit an interior. 4. Making your house a true home “needs you in it,” says Buckley. Express yourself in your home and it will read as cozy and more distinctive. 5. Consider carefully what your interior actually needs versus what you want, making a distinction in order to control clutter. 6. When buying pieces, buy whatever goes best with what you already have. He advises that you know a piece of furniture or decorative object will work before you commit. “Don’t buy an item just because you like it,” he cautions. 7. Make whatever you have the best you can make it. “I’ve designed a mobile home in Myrtle Beach, and it was great,” says Buckley. 8. Buckley believes that “all art goes together,” saying he doesn’t limit his collection to a single artist or style. In his view, art has the advantage of having no floor space and yet it is transformative.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
April 2017
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Every spring is the only spring — a perpetual astonishment. —Ellis Peters By Ash Alder
April Love Song If ever there were a more delicious poem than April, perhaps only the bluebird would know it. Or the nectardrunk duskywing. Or the glossy black rat snake, so entranced by the color of the robin’s egg that he swallows the pastel vessel whole. April is here. Sow the beets and the broccoli. Plant the beans and the cukes. Harvest the tender green shoots of asparagus. Welcome the rain. Let it kiss you, mused Harlem jazz poet Langston Hughes. Listen to its “sleep-song” on your roof at night. Earth Day falls on Saturday, April 22. This month, gift the Earth a poem of love. Plant a tree in the garden. Buy local produce. Organize a community cleanup. And when the Earth sings, listen.
Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk. The rain makes running pools in the gutter. The rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night — And I love the rain. — Langston Hughes, “April Rain Song”
Must-See Moon According to National Geographic, one of the “Top 7 Must-See Sky Events for 2017” will occur on Monday, April 10. On this dreamy spring night, just moments after sunset, Jupiter and the near-full Pink Moon will rise together in the eastern sky like forbidden lovers. The Old Farmer’s Almanac speculates that a full moon in April brings frost. While it’s not actually pink, Algonquin tribes likely named this month’s full moon for the wild ground phlox that blooms with the arrival of spring. Also called the Sprouting Grass, Fish and Egg Moon, if the full Pink Moon rises pale on April 11, bet your folklore-loving bippy it will rain. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
A Few Delicious Words Henry James once mused that “summer afternoon” were perhaps the “two most beautiful words in the English language.” “Easter brunch” make a lovely pair. Ditto “asparagus frittata.” So if you find yourself playing host on Sunday, April 16, and life gives you fresh asparagus spears, steam until tender then add them to your favorite egg dish.
The Medicine Chest Want to try your hand at an herb garden? Start now. Since most herbs thrive in full or filtered sun, carve out a cozy outdoor space with optimal light and drainage. Then, allow yourself to dream. Conjure up visions of lush beds with tidy labels, dark opal basil tangled with pineapple sage, aromatic bundles of herbs hanging upside down inside the coolest rooms of the house. Whether it’s medieval apothecary or fresh pesto that you’re craving, April is here to help make manifest your fantasy. Here’s what to plant this month. Cue “Scarborough Fair” for reference. Parsley – Rich in cancer-fighting compounds. Sage – Digestive aid. Rosemary – Improves memory. Thyme – Antiseptic and anti-fungal properties.
April Flowers Daisy and sweet pea are this month’s birth flowers. The first is a symbol of innocence and purity, while the latter represents blissful pleasure. If you wish to brighten someone’s day, a simple bouquet of fern and daisies will speak volumes. A gift of fragrant sweet pea, on the other hand, is best reserved for a sweet goodbye. OH
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April 2017 Shell Game 4/
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6-12
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28
April 1
April 1–9
April 2
SHELL GAME. 10 a.m. Pass on the Paas and embrace the past by dyeing eggs the old-fashioned way, with plant materials, at $1 per egg. High Point Museum, 1859 East Lexington Ave., High Point. Info: (336) 8851859 or highpointmuseum.org.
ROLL ’EM! RiverRun International Film Festival is underway with a 150-plus lineup of films. WinstonSalem. Tickets: (336) 721-1945. Info: riverrunfilm.com.
ART SHINDIG. 6 p.m. Music, coffee, desserts, a raffle — and you. Come to Art Rocks! a fundraiser that benefits purchasing art supplies for Weaver Academy’s visual art department. Sternberger Artist Center, 712 Summit Ave., Greensboro. Tickets available at the door. Info: weaver.gcsnc.com/pages/Weaver_Academy.
LAST LOOK. Landscape photos devoid of humans? Catch Lucinda Devlin: Sightlines before it disappears over the horizon. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 334-5770 or weatherspoon.uncg.edu.
HOSTA HOOTENANNY. 2 p.m. The Triad Chapter of the American Hemerocallis Society presents Master Gardener Sharon Yarbrough who will discuss the wide and wonderful world of hosta lilies. Greensboro Council of Garden Clubs, 4301-1 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro. Info: (336) 456-4509.
AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet Elizabeth Heaney, author of The Honor was Mine: A Look Inside the Struggles of Military Veterans. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
REDUX. Explore the variety in a seemingly scaled-back genre and its successor at Minimalism/Post-Minimalism. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 334-5770 or weatherspoon.uncg.edu.
PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ. 7 p.m. Sartorial history comes alive at Fred Astaire Dance Studios’ Fashion. Part of ticket proceeds benefits the Alight Foundation. Carolina Theatre, 310 South Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
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April 1–23
April 1–June 4
April 1–August 26 THE SAME ONLY DIFFERENT. Paintings share similarities in structure, theme and technique in Affinities & Variations. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 334-5770 or weatherspoon.uncg.edu.
AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 3 p.m. Meet Robert Williams, author of The Privileges of Wealth: Rising Inequality and the Growing Racial Divide. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
April 3, 27–29 JUST THE ACTS, MA’AM, PART DEUX. Taking center stage are UNCG’s M.F.A. One Acts B, including Waiting for Lefty by Clifford Odets and Cowboy Mouth by Patti Smith and Sam Shephard. Brown Building Theatre, 406 Tate St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 334-4392 or purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPur chase?orgid=24297&group_id=664059&schedule=list
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Arts Calendar April 6 TALK-EYE. 7:30 p.m. Actor, writer and science advocate Alan “Hawkeye Pierce” Alda chats it up at Guilford College Bryan Series. Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 West Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 745-3000 or ticketmaster.com. LEAFY. 8 a.m. Shell out some greenbacks for greenery at the Annual Plant Sale. Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden 215 South Main St., Kernersville. Info: (336) 996-7888 or cienerbotanicalgarden.org. OPA WIDE! 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. And bite into some spanakopita, baklava, and more at the Ladies Philoptochos Society’s Annual Greek Pastry Sale. Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church, 800 Westridge Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 292-8013. AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet Nick Klett, author of Pirate Queen. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
April 6–9 LIBRIS’S EXES. Friends of the Greensboro Public Library hosts the Spring Used Book Sale. Times vary (Members’ preview and reception is on 4/6 at 6 p.m.; non-members may join at the door for $15). Central Library, 219 North Church St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 373-2471 or greensboro-nc.gov.
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April 6–12 HOPPERS HERE. The Greensboro Grasshoppers are home again. First National Bank Field, 408 Bellemeade St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 268-2255 or www.milb.com.
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THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS. 8 p.m. German giants, that is. GSO Symphony performs Beethoven, Schumann and Mendelssohn, with guest artist and Tchaikovsky Competition prizewinner Lucas De Bargue. Dana Auditorium, 5800 West Friendly Ave., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 335-5456 ext. 224 or greensborosymphony.org.
April 7-8; 10 MENOTTI MASTERPIECE. A woman tries to obtain a visa to leave her oppressive country and join her freedom fighter husband abroad. No, it’s not
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Arts Calendar Casablanca, but Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Consul, performed by UNCG Opera and directed by David Holley. Times vary. UNCG Auditorium, 408 Tate St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 334-4392 or purchase. tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?orgid=24297&gro up_id=664059&schedule=list.
April 8 NITTY GRITTY. 8 a.m. Gritty Blues includes bowls full of Old Mill of Guilford grits and the Chicagostyle blues of Johnny-O and the Jump Out Boys. Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, 501 Yanceyville St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 373-2402 or gsofarmersmarket.org. VARIED POTTERS. 10 a.m. More than 50 potters from N.C., S.C. and Virginia descend on the Gate City for Potters of the Piedmont Pottery Festival. Leonard Recreation Center, 6324 Ballinger Road, Greensboro. Info: pottersofthepiedmont.com. TU GOOD TU BE TRUE! 2 p.m. But it is! The Spectacular Spring Tulip Bloom, featuring 24,000-plus blossoming bulbs, returns! Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden 215 South Main St., Kernersville. Info: (336) 996-7888 or cienerbotanicalgarden.org.
April 8 & 22 PITHY SMITHY. 10 a.m. No low blows for him! The Blacksmith strikes again — and again. High Point Museum, 1859 East Lexington Ave., High Point. Info: (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.com.
April 9 & 10 KA-BLOOM! 8:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Everything’s comin’ up roses and more, as vendors, workshops, speakers, arrangement demos and more blossom at the “Spring Forward” flower show, courtesy of the Flower Show Judges Council and the Garden Club of North Carolina District 5 Clubs. Embassy Suites, 204 Centrepoint Drive, Greensboro. Info: (336) 282-4940 or (336) 854-0408 or gardenclubofnc.org.
April 10 AUTHORS, AUTHORS. 6 p.m. Meet graphic novelist Joe Ollmann, author of The Abominable Mr. Seabrook and novelist Taylor Brown (The River of Kings) at 7 p.m. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
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Arts Calendar April 11 PANIC ATTACK. 7 p.m. Vegas rockers, the selfproclaimed weird and rare Panic! At The Disco, crank out tunes from their latest release, Death of a Bachelor. Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 West Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 745-3000 or ticketmaster.com. WELLES SPRING. 7 p.m. Alongside Charles Foster Kane, Harry Lime is one of Orson Welles’s best roles. See Carroll Reed’s The Third Man (1949). Carolina Theatre, 310 South Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
April 12 AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet Matt Bird, author of The Secrets of Story: Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 7631919 or scuppernong books.com.
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April 14 ABRACADABRA! 8 p.m. Illusionist Rick Thomas does some conjuring. Carolina Theatre, 310 South Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com. SPRING IN YOUR DANCE STEPS. 8 p.m. Get your groove thing when Frankie Beverly & Maze, and Ginuwine and Guy sing classic R&B hits at Spring Fest. Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 West Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.
April 17 HOW WE DOIN’? 10 a.m. How is the Gate City faring after the Great Recession? Find out from UNCG Urban Geography Prof Keith Debbage. Greensboro History Museum, 130 Summit Ave., Greensboro. Info: (336) 373-2043 or greensborohistory.org.
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VOCAL YOKELS. 8 p.m. Acapella meets country in the sounds of Nashville crooners Home Free. Carolina Theatre, 310 South Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
April 20 HERBANISM. 7 a.m. Buy parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme and more at the Herb Plant Sale, courtesy of the N.C. Unit of the Herb Society of America. Dormition
72 O.Henry
April 2017
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Arts Calendar of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church, 800 Westridge Road, Greensboro. Info: ncherbsociety.org. AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet Lisa Yarger, author of Lovie: The Story of a Southern Midwife and an Unlikely Friendship. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
April 20–23 HOPPERS HERE. The Greensboro Grasshoppers are home again. First National Bank Field, 408 Bellemeade St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 268-2255 or www.milb.com.
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April 21–30 STRIKE FORCE. Bowling becomes a metaphor for life in Drama Center’s staging of the Steven Dietz comedy, More Fun Than Bowling. Performance times vary. Stephen Hyers Theatre, Greensboro Cultural Center, 200 North Davie St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 3732026 or greensboro-nc.gov.
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April 2017
O.Henry 73
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April 22–May 21 STUDENT MASTERS. What have they learned? Or more important, what have they created? See the 2017 M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition featuring works of seven M.F.A. candidates at UNCG’s School of Art. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 334-5770 or weatherspoon.uncg.edu.
April 24 GREET THE DAY. 6:30 p.m. As in Thomas Day, a successful, free, African-American cabinetmaker in antebellum Piedmont. Learn more at “Thomas Day, Cabinet Maker: Man in the Middle.” High Point Museum, Morgan Room, 1859 East Lexington Ave., High Point. Info: (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.org.
April 26 TRUNK SHOW. 8:30 p.m. Alt rockers and Grammy
Award winners Cage the Elephant stampede the stage. Carolina Theatre, 310 South Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
Polite Society.) Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
April 27–29
CELESTIAL MUSIC. 8 p.m. Tanger Outlets POPS Series “The “Symphony Strikes Back!” returns as the Greensboro Symphony delivers scores from sci-fi faves, Star Trek, 2001 A Space Odyssey and Star Wars. What? No Ziggy Stardust? Westover Church, 505 Muirs Chapel Road, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 335-5456, ext. 239 or greensborosymphony.org.
BIBLIO BASH. 9 a.m. It’s the Mac Daddy of repurposing: The St. Francis Book Sale, featuring more than 50,000 tomes from sci-fi faves to cookbooks, art and poetry volumes to kiddie classics and then some. St. Francis Episcopal Church, 3506 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro. Info: (336) 288-4721 or stfrancisgreensboro.org.
April 28 PET PROJECT. 7 p.m. He obviously hasn’t heeded W.C. Fields’s warning never to perform with animals. Give a round of ap-paws for Popovich and his Pet Comedy Theater. Carolina Theatre, 310 South Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
April 29 AUTHORS, AUTHORS. 7 p.m. Meet poets Michael McFee (We Were Once Here) and Ross White (The
April 30 OPUS CONCERT. 3 p.m. The Greensboro Youth Jazz Ensemble delivers some boss riffs — gratis. Douglas J. Galyon Dept, 236 West Washington St., Greensboro. Info: greensboro-nc.gov.
WEEKLY HAPPENINGS Mondays BUZZING. 10 a.m. Your busy little bees engage in a Busy Bees preschool program focusing on music, movement, garden exploration and fun in the kitchen, at the Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 North Church
Business & Services
thar Piedmont hills! See how the science and history of gold mining in Central N.C. pans out at the lecture, “Piedmont Gold.” High Point Museum, 1859 East Lexington Ave., High Point. Info: (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.org.
Arts Calendar
AUTHORIZED MIZUNO FITTER
• Club RepaiR • RegRipping • Reshafting
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STYLE SHOWN: CLIFF HOUSE
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
MJ-3591 House of Eyes Print Ad.indd 1
2616-C Lawndale Drive • Greensboro, NC 27408
336.540.1452 • www.kellysgolf.com
10/25/16 3:24 PM
April 2017
O.Henry 75
Arts Calendar St., Greensboro. Preregistration: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com. CHAT-EAU. Noon. French leave? Au contraire! Join French Table, a conversation group. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 7631919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
Tuesdays READ ALL ABOUT IT. Treat your little ones to story times: BookWorms (ages 12–24 months) meets at 10 a.m.; Time for Twos meets at 11 a.m. Storyroom; Family Storytime for all ages meets at 6:30 p.m. High Point Public Library, 901 North Main St., High Point. Info: (336) 883-3666 or highpointpubliclibrary.com. PETITS ARTISTES. 3:30 p.m. Is your child the next Van Gogh or Picasso? Find out at “Messes and Masterpieces,” art classes centered around great works of art (no class on 4/11). Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 North Church St., Greensboro. To register: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com. PICKIN’ AND GRINNIN’ 6 until 9 p.m. Y’all come for Songs from a Southern Kitchen at Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen, 1421 Westover Terrace, Greensboro. Info: (336) 370-0707 or lucky32.com/greensboro_music.htm.
Wednesdays TO MARKET, TO MARKET. 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Beginning April 19, the produce will be fresh and the cut fleurs belles at the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, 501 Yanceyville St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 373-2402 or gsofarmersmarket.org. MUSSELS, WINE & MUSIC 7 until 10 p.m. Mussels with house-cut fries for $15, wines from $10–15 a bottle and live music by AM rOdeO — at Print Works Bistro, 702 Green Valley Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 3790699 or printworksbistro.com/live_music.htm. ONCE UPON A TIME. 2 p.m. Afterschool Storytime convenes for children of all ages. Storyroom, High Point Public Library, 901 North Main St., High Point. Info: (336) 883-3666 or highpointpubliclibrary.com.
Thursdays TWICE UPON A TIME. 11 a.m. Preschool Storytime convenes for children ages 3–5. Storyroom, High Point Public Library, 901 North Main St., High Point. Info: (336) 883-3660 ALL THAT JAZZ. 5:30 until 8 p.m. Hear live, local jazz featuring Dave Fox Neill Clegg and Matt Kendrick
76 O.Henry
April 2017
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Arts Calendar and special guests: Amy Hancock (4/6); Howard Eaton (4/13); Carrie Marshall (4/20); Joey Barnes and Courtney Hudson (4/27). All performances are at the O.Henry Hotel Social Lobby Bar. No cover. 624 Green Valley Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 854-2000 or www.ohenryhotel.com/jazz.htm. JAZZ NIGHT. 7 p.m. Fresh-ground, fresh-brewed coffee is served with a side of jazz at Tate St. Coffee House, 334 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 275-2754 or tateSt. coffeehouse.com. OPEN MIC COMEDY. 8–9:35 p.m. Local pros and amateurs take the mic at the Idiot Box, 2134 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro. Info: (336) 274-2699 or idiotboxers.com.
Fridays THE HALF OF IT. 5 p.m. Enjoy the hands-on exhibits and activities for half the cost of admission at $4 Fun Fridays. Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 North Church St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com.
NIGHTMARES ON ELM St.. 8 p.m. A 90-minute,
the ideas of others, creating shows that are one-ofa-kind — at the Idiot Box, 2134 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro. Info: (336) 274-2699 or idiotboxers.com.
Saturdays
Sundays
TO MARKET, TO MARKET. 7 a.m. until noon. The produce is fresh and the cut fleurs belles. Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, 501 Yanceyville St., Greensboro. Info: gsofarmersmarket.org.
HALF FOR HALF-PINTS. 1 p.m. And grown-ups, too. A $4 admission, as opposed to the usual $8, will allow you entry to exhibits and more. Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 North Church St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com.
THRICE UPON A TIME. 11 a.m. Hear a good yarn at Children’s Storytime. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com. JAZZ ENCORE. 6:30 p.m. Hear contemporary jazz cats The Reggie Buie Quartet (4/1); Benjamin Matlack and the New Artists (4/8); The Angela Bingham Trio (4/15); Nishah DiMeo and Friends (4/22), and enjoy seasonal tapas at O.Henry Jazz series for Select Saturdays. O.Henry Hotel, 624 Green Valley Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 854-2000 or ohenryhotel.com. IMPROV COMEDY. 10 p.m. on Saturday, plus an 8 p.m. show appropriate for the whole family. The Idiot Boxers create scenes on the spot and build upon
MISSING YOUR GRANDMA? 3 p.m. Until it’s gone, tuck into Chef Felicia’s skillet-fried chicken, and mop that cornbread in, your choice, giblet gravy or potlikker. Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen, 1421 Westover Terrace, Greensboro. Info: (336) 370-0707 or lucky32.com/fried_chicken.htm.
To add an event, email us at
ohenrymagcalendar@gmail.com
by the first of the month prior to the event.
Dover Square
Fridays & Saturdays
historical, candlelit ghost walking tour of Downtown Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 905-4060 or carolinahistoryandhaunts.com/information.
TRUNK SHOW W E D N E S DAY, A P R I L 2 6 10 AM – 6PM D OV E R S Q UA R E 336.851.5025
Floral Design • Delivery Service Home Décor & Gifts Weddings & Special Events Come Visit Our Retail Shop! M A I N A N D TAY L O R S H O E S . C O M
1616 Battleground Avenue, Suite D-1 Greensboro, NC 27408
336.691.0051
mcmanus2@bellsouth.net
w w w. r a n d y m c m a n u s d e s i g n s . c o m The Art & Soul of Greensboro
April 2017
O.Henry 77
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Simply Meg’s Savvy Style. Purely PerSonal.
78 O.Henry
April 2017
The Shops at Friendly Center 3334-123 W. Friendly Ave. Greensboro, NC 27410 P: 336.272.2555 www.simplymegs.com
Online BOOking
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bY PhoNe: 336.455.0480 The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Sometimes it’s smarter to lease than to sell your home. Call us when you think you’re there! Michelle will be pleased to discuss how Burkely Rental Homes can help you. -Sterling Kelly, CEO Burkely Communities
Furnishing stylish homes in the Triad
Over 6,000 square feet filled with antiques, upholstery, accessories and gifts from over 25 designers, dealers and artists.
Tuesday- Saturday 10-5pm 3500 Old Battleground Rd. Suite A (336) 617-4275 • www.aubreyhomedesign.com The Art & Soul of Greensboro
April 2017
O.Henry 79
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80 O.Henry
April 2017
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Call 336-617-0900 OR mail payment to P.O. Box 58, Southern Pines, NC 28388
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
SA VE TH E
One Night • One House
AT
S IN EAR RO 30 YENSBO E R G
ED
ING
BRAT
CELE
SUMMER BASH 5
5
HABITAT GREENSBORO’S
Arts & Culture
summerfield farms August 25, 2017 • 7 P.M. until 11 P.M. at
For Sponsorship Information Contact: Daintry O’Brien • 336.232-0134 or dobrien@hhgg.org Visit www.HabitatGreensboro.org to learn more about this event.
2017_4.25x5.25 Ad.indd 1
3/8/17 4:37 PM
Acrylic on Canvas
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
16”x20”
April 2017
O.Henry 81
University Performing Arts Series presents:
Arts & Culture
JAZZ at LINCOLN CENTER w/WYNTON MARSALIS
Wynton Marsalis Speaks Thurs, Apr. 20, 3:00pm UNCG Auditorium Open to the public!
Thurs, Apr. 20 8:00pm
SCAN THIS QR CODE with your smartphone to purchase tickets. You can also go to upas.uncg.edu or call 336-272-0160.
Crayons Matter
Inspiring children to learn and grow globally.
UNCG Auditorium 408 Tate St. GSO, NC 27403
upas.uncg.edu
307 State Street, greensboro (336) 279-1124
2017
ION T C U A SILENT
Benefit Party
saturday
april 22nd • 6-9pm Tyler whiTe o’brien a r T g a l l e ry
Silent auction item
by Judy meyler
Crayons Matter is a local nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to educate children globally while inspiring their imaginations through crayons and basic school supplies. The goal of Crayons Matter is to deliver backpacks full of art supplies plus drawings from children in our community to schools locally and across the world. if you are interested in helping, contact Courtenay Fields at cfields@crayonsmatter.org.
C.P. LOGAN
Classes, Commissions, Party Classes
ing •
grow 82 O.Henry
inspiring • expand ing • nourishing
crayonsmatter.org | tylerwhitegallery.com
April 2017
online Classes
www. CPLogan.com The Art & Soul of Greensboro
WORLD PEMIE BY PESTN AE
Just when things had seemed to calm down after the recent unpleasantness concerning the Zebulon Zebras, a new theater company announces plans to develop a play to celebrate the town’s sesquicentennial. From Reconstruction to Black Lives Matter, the line between the present and past, rehearsal and reality begins to blur as new truths emerge and tempers are. In the tradition of Common Enemy, this world premiere drama returns Triad audiences to the town of Hawboro for a bold exploration of the contemporary South.
BUY TICKETS TODAY!
Arts & Culture
APRIL 2-23, 2017
232 SOUTH ELM STREET | GREENSBORO | 336.272.0160 | TRIADSTAGE.ORG
3rd Annual Wellness Academy Golf Classic Friday, April 21st 1:00 p.m.* Shotgun Start Captain’s Choice Bryan Park Players Course Browns Summit, NC
EXPERIENCE THE UNEXPECTED A multifaceted exhibition where design is art. 23 motorcycles from 1898 – today, cultural elements, site specific installation & more.
GreenHillNC.org/MAD 200 N. Davie Street | Downtown Greensboro
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Contact Donna Shelton 336.373.1402 donna@mhag.org
All proceeds benefit the Mental Health Association in Greensboro
$100 Single Player $360 Foursome Sponsorship opportunities available Register at www.mhag.org/events.
GROWING A STRONGER COMMUNITY BY ADVANCING MENTAL WELLNESS *Rain Date May 12
April 2017
O.Henry 83
n
Y ou
New Hours • New YarNs • New Classes
Now Registering for Summer! Ages 3 & Up! www.greensboroballet.org
231 S Elm StrEEt, GrEEnSboro nC 27401 • 336-370-1233 Tuesday thru Saturday • 10am-7Pm
336-333-7480
gaTeciTyyarn@gmail.com
modern furniture made locally
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wa
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y!
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Recipes fRom the old city of
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511 S Elm St. | Greensboro NC 27406 | 336.370.1050 areamod.com
84 O.Henry
310 South Elm Street • Greensboro, NC 27401 336.279.7025 | Mon-Sat 11am-9pm | www.jerusalemarket.com
April 2017
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
D O W N TO W N G R E E N S B O R O.O R G
Everything a girl could want... Clothing • JEwElry • ShoES • homE ACCESSoriES
She & Sky bohemian dressing made easy! Downtown Greensboro 352 s. elm street greensboro
Alamance Crossing
227 South Elm Street • 574.4496
935 boston drive burlington
Monday 12pM-4pM • Tues. - Thurs. 11aM-6pM Fri. - saT. 11aM-8pM • sunday 12pM-4pM
Come. Sit. Heal. We strive to provide complete care for our patients. Preventive & Wellness Care • Hospitalization Medicine / Surgery • Dentistry • And more ...
Dr. John Wehe 120 W. Smith Street • Greensboro NC | 336.338.1840
w w w .do w n t o w n gre e n sbo ro an imalhospital. com The Art & Soul of Greensboro
D O W N TO W N G R E E N S B O R O.O R G
April 2017
O.Henry 85
Globally inspired food from chef Kristina fuller
photos - todd turner
600-C Battleground ave, • greensBoro, nC • (336) 265-8859 tuesday - saturday • 5:00 - 10:00pm
Tuesday - 1/2 Price Wine BoTTles Wednesday - all drafT Beer $3 Thursday - $1 off sPecialTy cockTails.
e atatc r a f t e d.c o m
2017
UNITED WAY OF GREATER GREENSBORO
COMMUNITY SPEAKER SERIES
Hosted by African American Leadership
SAMPSON DAVIS, M.D. KEYNOTE SPEAKER Oprah Winfrey
named him one of “the premiere role models of the world.�
Rug Event April 27–30
Over 300 Tribal, Bokhara and Persian rugs a &ODVVLF WR &RQWHPSRUDU\ a LQ VL]HV IURP Š[ Š WR Š[ Š UXQQHUV
Intro to Rugs Night 7KXUVGD\ $SULO ‡ SP
)$,5 75$'( Â&#x2021; 0$'( %< $'8/76 United Way of Greater Greensboro
$ +LJKZRRGV %OYG *UHHQVERUR Â&#x2021; UXJV WHQWKRXVDQGYLOODJHV FRP
YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE INVITED to hear Sampson Davis, M.D. share his personal story
books, entitled The Pact, We Beat the Street, and The Bond.
Free money to buy your first home.
He has received Essenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lifetime Achievement Award and
$15K Down PaymenT ProGram avaILabLe For GUILForD
about the power of perseverance, dreaming big and how we all have the ability to transform the lives of others. Dr. Davis has co-authored three New York Times best-selling
was the youngest physician to receive the National Medical Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Scroll of Merit.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2017 11:30 A.M. - 1 P.M. GRANDOVER RESORT & CONFERENCE CENTER DOORS OPEN AT 11 A.M., LUNCH SERVED AT 11:30 A.M.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
EVENT & TABLE SPONSORSHIPS
$95 per guest (includes lunch) Register by Apr. 24 at: www.UnitedWayGSO.org/Dr-Sampson-Davis
Sponsorships are available. To learn about event and table sponsorships, please contact Julie Longmire-Dauray at julie.longmire@unitedwaygso.org or 336-378-5023.
Presenting Signature
Gold
Silver
Susan Wiseman
Karla Munden
Diamond
Mae Douglas
Bronze Peggy Glaser
Melanie TrouTMan Loan Originator | NMLS #46497 | 336.970.3223
ConneCTInG yoU to eXCeLLenCe 204 Muirs Chapel Road, Suite 100 | Greensboro, NC 27410 melanie.troutman@hgfloans.com | www.melanietroutman.com
Š2016 Hamilton Group Funding, Inc., Branch NMLS #1106824. NC License #L-150415. Subject to credit approval. Some restrictions may apply. Other programs available. Program conditions subject to change without notice.
88 O.Henry
April 2017
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
GreenScene
Leather & Lace Party M.A.D. - Motorcylce.Art.Design at Greenhill Saturday, February 11, 2017
Photographs by Lynn Donovan Bill & Susan Apple, Kristen & Steve O'Connell
Lauren Lester, Scott Hughes, Nathan Lilly, Lakin Crunley
Lisa & Marck Medder
Alex & Teresa Audilet
Brigitte & Bobby Blanton
Jack Horner, Jane Matteson, Morgan Horner, Paul Watson
Philip & Betsy Craft, Stephen Cox, Luke Thompson (on bike), Kara Cox, Martha & Clifford Thompson
Laurne Gordon, Erick Procton, Laura Way, Erin Riggins, Bethany Barnes
Mike & Karel Newton
Allen Montgomery, Tara Howard
2910 Round Hill Road Gorgeous 2-story Irving Park Home! Charming Front Porch, Large Foyer, Beautiful Hardwoods, Moldings & Built-Ins! Entertain with Formal Dining & Living Rooms! Relax in Cozy Den with Wonderful Fireplace & Wet Bar! Amazing Screened-In Porch! Versatile Floor Plan with Main & 2nd Level Master! 6 bedrooms, 4 full baths to fit your needs! Open Kitchen with Lovely Built-In Desk, Double Ovens and Gas Cooktop!
Kelli Kupiec
Cell: 336-541-0832 Office: 336-274-1717 Kelli.Kupiec@trmhomes.com www.trmhomes.com The Art & Soul of Greensboro
April 2017
O.Henry 89
GreenScene 1917-2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 100 Years of Service Rotary Club of Greensboro Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Photographs by Lynn Donovan
Fred Lopp, Victoria Guthrie
Tom Cochran Jr, Sally Cochran Wilson
Ken Keller, Trudy & John Krege, Charlie Saunders
Alan Cone, Sam Cone, Bob Cone
Sam Buie, Janice Gibbs, Velma Smith
Ron & Linda Moore, Jim Westmoreland
Kitty Robinson, Carol Hart, George Robinson
Marion Hubbard, Kay Stern Ginni & Al Lineberry, Paula & E.O. Ferrell
Joann & David Grimes Warren Ludlam, George Brumback, Paul Leonard, Tommy Glascock
Ellen & John Redmon
90 O.Henry
April 2017
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
We Know Your Neighborhood
~ 3 Elm RidgE ~
This wonderful Country French style home is alive with contrasts. Formal, yet comfortable and refined. The art of living well is evident in this enchanting spot with cul-de-sac location and secluded gardens and pond. Master Bedroom on main level with custom Master Bath and closet. All Bedrooms have their own Bath. Room for expansion - Upstairs unfinished space. Excellent home for family and entertaining. A one-of-a-kind home to enjoy!
~ 9 ChaRlEstoN squaRE ~
Lake View at Ascot Point! Master Bedroom on main level. Updated completely in 2012 & 2013. High ceilings, hardwood floors, custom moldings. 3 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths., Plantation shutters. 4-car tandem garage. Master bedroom on main or upper level. Large spacious deck and lakeside garden area. Large Deck with gorgeous view of the lake! A rare opportunity!
Chesnutt - Tisdale Team Xan Tisdale 336-601-2337
Kay Chesnutt 336-202-9687
Xan.Tisdale@bhhsyostandlittle.com Kay.Chesnutt@bhhsyostandlittle.com ©2017 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity.
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*Restrictions apply. Not valid toward Introductory Offers. See spa for details. Offer Expires: 5-15-2017. ©2017 Hand & Stone Corp.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
April 2017
O.Henry 91
Spring Cleaning? Large Donation? We’ll pick it up - FOR FREE!
Your donations help people in the Triad get jobs.
Schedule online at TriadGoodwill.org
Incredible Value with Full Basement
5802 Snow Hill Drive, Henson Farms
$700,000.
4BR/5.5BA with 5500+/-sf. Open & bright with walls of windows & 2-story living room. Deck & screened porch overlook wooded 1+ ac lot. Cook’s kitchen with keeping room & stone fireplace. Master on main level. Basement has kitchenette, large rec area, den with fireplace, 4th bedroom, full bath & private patio. Take a tour at: https://youtu.be/j6vtm1/10dg
Waban Carter REALTOR, Broker, GRI, CRS,ABR
336-601-6363
92 O.Henry
April 2017
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
GreenScene
Kathy Manning (Honorary Chair) & Randall Kaplan
Name That Tune â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Casino Royale! Greensboro Symphony Saturday, February 18, 2017
Photographs by Lynn Donovan
Pam & Dennis (Honorary Chair) Stearns
Keith Robinson, Faith & Vic Harrison
Melanie Soles, Jay Hill
JoAnn & Hal Drane Dale & Barbara Phipps
Isaac & Lauren Gibson
Natalie & Chip Cromartie, Annie & Eric Fitzgerald
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Kara & Mike Jacobs
Ingrid Keller, Grace Ludtke
Clara Abernathy, Iva Wepner, Patrick Dodd, Nell Wepner, John Hass
Sandy & Pat Vreeland, Debbie Champagne, Myrna Curlock
Caroline & Daniel Crupi
April 2017
O.Henry 93
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April 2017
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online @ www.ohenrymag.com The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The Accidental Astrologer
Lunatics, Lovers and Poets There’s never a dull moment in Aries-land
By Astrid Stellanova
Oh, the famously maddening, cuh-razy-making Ram! Famous Arians include maniacs like Hitler (OK, OK, der Fürher was actually born on the cusp of Aries, with his sun in Taurus). But it also is the sign of beloved actors (Marlon Brando), singers (Lady Gaga) and rap stars (MC Hammer). Poets (Robert Frost, Maya Angelou) and artists (Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh), too, share the sign of the Ram. We may curse you, Aries Star Children, but we will also follow you, to cliff or cliff-hanger. Ad Astra — Astrid
Aries (March 21–April 19) Sugar, you have it all: impetuousness, impatience. Usually, you are found stirring the pot in a very hot kitchen. Making action is your M.O., which is why your sign is common among generals and CEOs. But you ain’t common. Driven, affectionate, passionately loyal — also easily ticked off. You push, you pull, you press, you tug; you don’t relent. You have the combustible energy of a turbo jet. But what you need most right now is a sugar-free cake and a long nap. Taurus (April 20–May 20) How’s the view from the edge? If you keep raising the hackles of a foe, you could wind up wearing your tonsils as jewelry. Honey, I hope you wake up to the fact that you cannot keep pushing the buttons of some of your most important allies without losing them for good. Gemini (May 21–June 20) I may not know karate but Astrid does know meltdowns. Juggling flaming batons has become your new normal. Sugar Pants, this is not a pace anybody could or should maintain. Even when you stop, you jog in place. Don’t just do something — sit there till those hot pants cool off. Cancer (June 21–July 22) Drunker than Cooter Brown. Dishier than Smoky Bacon. This is a time of extremes for you. You have played your magnetism to the hilt, going all Zelda at the drop of a bra or jock strap. Honey, are you sure this is the plan — or is the plan in control of you? Leo (July 23–August 22) It’s been a donkey’s age since you told the most important person in your life you loved them more than a pack of Nabs and a Coke. They need to hear it. Sugar, don’t play it cool. Let them know they are your MVP and cement the deal. Virgo (August 23–September 22) Something in the background of your life just ain’t reading quite right. And, I’d wager my bunions and white hairs that you have been kept out of a situation that deeply concerns you. It may be for your own protection, but I would prick up my ears and listen. If ole Astrid’s wrong, you can keep the bunions.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Libra (September 23–October 22) Well, you can’t uncook a cooked goose, can you? And you can’t make amends if you don’t even recognize you had a hand in turning the oven temp up waaaay too high. You didn’t intend to create the situation, but if you own up, you can set things sorta, kinda right again. It is never too late. Scorpio (October 23–November 21) Let’s say you have been obsessed with settling a score. Am I right? Bet you a doughnut for a dollar that you ain’t gotten over an old feud. It’s been simmering for some months now. Let’s say you might want to lie low, because this particular feud won’t be helped by throwing more fat on the fire. Sagittarius (November 22–December 21) The lump in your mattress is not from stashed cash. Let’s say you’ve been a little extravagant, and you really and truly need some shekels that are scarce as hen’s teeth. Baby, austerity is the word for the month. But when you emerge from this dry spell, an old debt will be repaid and in the nick of time. Capricorn (December 22–January 19) Don’t give a hoot and a holler for what some stranger thinks of your idea? It really deserves a better opinion and another look. You are on the right track — no matter what you’ve been told. Your inspiration isn’t just all sweat — it’s a little bit of genius, Honey. Aquarius (January 20–February 18) Laying it on with a trowel, were they? Turned your head, huh? Well, that’s what people do when they sense an easy opportunity and a body in desperate need of an attagirl or an attaboy. Here’s the thing: Your reputation is solid as a Cadillac. Keep your feet on the ground. You don’t need that noise. Pisces (February 19–March 20) Even if Sheriff Andy Griffith got pulled into your latest kerfuffle, he wouldn’t know what to do either. The situation you are in requires you to be your own good counsel. Go to the diner, get a good cup of coffee and a slice of pie, and think it through. You already know the truth, Sweet Thing. OH For years, Astrid Stellanova owned and operated Curl Up and Dye Beauty Salon in the boondocks of North Carolina until arthritic fingers and her popular astrological readings provoked a new career path.
April 2017
O.Henry 95
O.Henry Ending
A Thing of Beauty
By Ross Howell Jr
Greensborians sometimes take for
granted the azalea’s riotous profusion of color and blossom in April. Not me.
The Blue Ridge winters where I grew up were too harsh for azaleas. I remember becoming aware of them on a high school band trip to Myrtle Beach. We stopped for a tour of Brookgreen Gardens. A boy of 14, I was initially more interested in the size of carp in the ponds, the nude bronze statues and the budding charms of a certain female flutist in the band, a senior. But as I passed a brick wall, the afternoon light was bending, infusing everything with gold. There, before me, was a bank of pink azaleas so bright in color they seemed to have been plugged into an electrical socket. Here was a plant I had never seen before. Here was a plant whose purpose wasn’t utilitarian, to be eaten by livestock or by man. Here was a plant whose only purpose was beauty. That was the first time I got why my mother labored on her knees evenings among her flowers after a long day’s work milking cows, washing clothes, cooking and tending her vegetable garden. I’ve planted azaleas before, and after a couple of shaky years — they faced the full force of the summer sun in a southern exposure — they thrived. But my real azalea responsibilities lie with three old plants in Fisher Park, inherited from our home’s previous owner. They’re what I call old-school azaleas, woodsy and leggy, though they’re in bright sun, with trumpet blossoms and big deciduous leaves that turn reddish orange in the fall.
96 O.Henry
April 2017
When my wife bought the house seven years ago, the azaleas were overgrown with morning glories and some sort of vine that had also conquered a substantial portion of the roof. After I cleared away the vine and morning glories, I pruned out the dead sections of the azaleas, fed and watered them, and waited to see how they’d respond to the reintroduction of sunlight to their lives. Tentative at first, they sprouted aggressively, becoming even more misshapen. I let them go the first year, then pruned conservatively to shape them over a three-year span. I’m writing this in March. The azaleas display no dead wood, their leaves look healthy and smooth, and the bloom buds grow fatter each day. I haven’t pruned in two years, so they’re all taller than me, one a good 8 feet in height. Past Aprils, I’ve had my wife photograph me with our two dogs beside the azaleas when they’re blooming. Their blossoms are so bright they make your eyes blink. My dogs tolerate these sessions, though it’s obvious they’re unimpressed. This spring we have a new rescue dog we’ve adopted. She has a gray coat, with a white blaze, socks and chest. I think the color of the azaleas will complement her coat nicely. Maybe she’ll display more enthusiasm than her colleagues. The flutist? We boarded the school bus for home the afternoon of the parade. After nightfall, she kissed me in the back of the bus, out of pity, I’d wager. The line of her jaw was accented by her cropped hair, and the fragrance of the azaleas reminds me of its fragrance. I have no idea what became of her. OH Ross Howell Jr. is studying the native plants of the Florida Panhandle for a landscaping project. That’s his excuse for not making better progress on his second novel. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Illustration by Harry Blair
Azaleas bring joy forever
Introducing Pinehurst’s new Chef & Maker series, three inspiring weekends of tantalizing menus and tasteful creations. Award-winning North Carolina chefs showcase their unique talents alongside a variety of artisans. Enjoy interactive demonstrations, cookbook autograph sessions, informative workshops and chef dinners.
CLARK BARLOWE
ASHLEY CHRISTENSEN
KATIE BUTTON
May 12-14
July 7-9
September 15-17
Acclaimed chef Clark Barlowe (Heirloom Restaurant) & maker Steve Watkins of Ironman Forge
James Beard Award winning chef & author Ashley Christensen (Poole’s Diner) & maker Colin O’Reilly of Terrane Glass Designs
James Beard Award nominated chef & author Katie Button (Cúrate and Nightbell) & makers Scott and Bobbie Thomas of Thomas Pottery
Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina • 844.488.1555 • Pinehurst.com/ChefMaker
© 2017 Pinehurst, LLC
It’s the perfect pairing of creative cuisine and Carolina craftsmanship.
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