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June 2016 FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
55 The Visitor
9 Simple Life By Jim Dodson
56 Springtime in the Summer
12 Short Stories 15 Doodad By Grant Britt
Poetry by Deborah Salomon By Charles D. Rodenbough How Piedmont Springs — today part of Hanging Rock State Park — became a resort for the local elite and North Carolina titans of tobacco and commerce
60 Sew Fine
By Cynthia Adams A special class of women who make community — and meaning — one stitch at a time
64 Mom
By Ross Howell Jr. Memories and meadow flowers at Greensboro Farmers Curb Market
66 Hydrangea Madness
By Lee Rogers From Endless Summer to Limelight, Ruby Slippers to Nikko Blue, Piedmont to coast, a plethora of varieties boggles the mind — and bewitches the garden
68 For the Love of Frank
By Robin Sutton Anders For Burlington’s John Love, America’s mid-century continues to dazzle — in his home and his music.
79 Almanac
By Rosetta Fawley Summer Solstice, St. John’s wort and picnics
17 O.Harry By Harry Blair 19 Life’s Funny By Maria Johnson 21 Omnivorous Reader By Gwenyfar Rohler 25 Scuppernong Bookshelf 27 Golftown Journal By Lee Pace 31 In the Spirit By Tony Cross 33 Threads
By Waynette Goodson
37 Pappadaddy
By Clyde Edgerton
39 A Novel Year By Wiley Cash
43 Birdwatch
By Susan Campbell
49 Game On
By Jim Dodson
82 Arts Calendar 97 Worth the Drive to High Point By Nancy Oakley
101 “Southern Nights” Competition By Alamance Photography Club
103 GreenScene 111 Accidental Astrologer By Astrid Stellanova
112 O.Henry Ending By Joya Wesley
4 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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M A G A Z I N E Volume 6, No. 6 “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 Shumaker, Graphic Designer Alyssa Rocherolle, Graphic Designer CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Cynthia Adams, Harry Blair, Maria Johnson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Alamance Photography Club, Lynn Donovan, Amy Freeman, Sam Froelich, Elise Manahan CONTRIBUTORS Robin Sutton Anders, Grant Britt, Susan Campbell, Wiley Cash, Tony Cross, Clyde Edgerton, Billy Eye, Rosetta Fawley, Waynette Goodson, Ross Howell Jr., Sarah King, Ogi Overman, Lee Pace, Charles D. Rodenbough, Lee Rogers, Gwenyfar Rohler, Deborah Salomon, Astrid Stellanova, Joya Wesley David Claude Bailey, Editor at Large
O.H
David Woronoff, Publisher ADVERTISING SALES Ginny Trigg, Sales Director 910.693.2481, ginny@thepilot.com Hattie Aderholdt, Sales Manager 336.601.1188, hattie@ohenrymag.com Lisa Bobbitt, Sales Assistant 336.617.0090, ohenryadvertising@thepilot.com
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Brad Beard, Graphic Designer Lisa Allen, 336.210.6921 • lisa@ohenrymag.com Amy Grove, 336.456.0827 • amy@ohenrymag.com CIRCULATION Darlene Stark, Circulation Director 910.693.2488 SUBSCRIPTIONS 336.617.0090 ©Copyright 2016. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. O.Henry Magazine is published by The Pilot LLC
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6 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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Simple Life
Goodbye, for Now
By Jim Dodson
Time passes. Life changes.
This month we say goodbye to three remarkable people who have shaped the evolution of our sister magazines — Salt’s Senior Editor Ashley Wahl, Sales Director Marty Hefner, and PineStraw Senior Editor Serena Brown. I think of them as the Three Muses of the Magazines. Ashley Wahl stepped into my office in the summer of 2009, a poet fresh out of UNCG’s English department. She was a Godsend because prior to her arrival, I’d been writing and rewriting much of the copy in PineStraw. She came our way when a friend of her family, who served on the board of the community college where my wife was the assistant to the president, casually wondered if I might be willing to meet with this talented young woman. She almost had me at hello. “So,” I said to her as we settled to chat in my tidy office, “why do you want to work for PineStraw magazine?” Ash smiled. I remember thinking she looked like an athlete or ballerina, lithe and graceful, conveying an almost surreal air of calmness. “Well, to begin with, I love to read,” she said. “And I think working for this magazine would be such fun.” “Have you ever written for a magazine or newspaper?” I asked her. No, said she. But she’d penned a number of poems for the literary magazine at the university. She showed me samples. I read enough of them to know this young gal was wise beyond her years and had a true poet’s eye for the beauty of the ordinary. “So,” I said, “do you know anything about gardens?” In those early days I was eager to find someone who could provide a different slant on gardening. She blushed. “I really don’t know much about gardens. But I love trees and flowers.” She added that being out of doors was a passion, the wilder the better, hiking with her boyfriend in the mountains, especially. So I gave her a test, a first assignment. I told her about a woman up in Seagrove who took people’s dead or dying orchids and somehow brought them back to life. “I’d like for you to go up and visit with her and write me a story on how she accomplishes this miracle. Sound good?” “Wonderful,” she said, lighting up. “When do you need the story?” A week, I said, giving her my best Lou Grant. She stood up and thanked me. Even before she shook my hand, something told me I was going to hire this kid. Her open and grateful attitude was infectious, and I even saw something of myself in young Ashley, a lover of the English language who was eager to learn how to write and edit. These days she jokes that we were simply Aquarians with similar old souls, destined to work together. She may be right.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
In the aftermath of another recession in 1976, after all, I too was a recent college grad and poetry-loving English major eager to learn everything I could about good writing. Somehow the universe directed me to a pair of legendary editors who became my mentors, Lee Walburn in Atlanta and later Judson Hale in New England, editors of the oldest magazines of the South and New England respectively. My life was never the same. I owe them things I can never repay. Now it was my turn to pay it forward. The story Ashley returned with was a dandy resurrection tale about orchids. In a word, she was a natural. That next February I asked her to join our merry band as the first editorial assistant. Long story short, she thrived so brilliantly we decided to send her to Greensboro a year and a half later to serve as first senior editor of O.Henry, in 2011. After she had charmed every arts organization in the Gate City, I made a number of Greensboro folks unhappy by asking my protégé to open Salt’s offices on Front Street in Wilmington. There, to no one’s surprise, she thrived and prospered — becoming a voice of a grand old river city and working inspiration to dozens of new and established writers. Now she’s finally headed to the hills of Old Catawba (i.e., Asheville), where her heart has always yearned to be, to write and perform beautiful music with brother Kris in a sibling band. The Avetts may wish to take notice. The good news: She’ll still be contributing to the magazines from time to time, writing our popular “Almanac” and occasional poetic “Breathing Lessons” and “Letter From the Hills.” We thank her for seven amazing years, and wish her Godspeed and much well-earned happiness. From Day One, Marty Hefner was the only choice to be the sales director for O.Henry and eventually Salt. Not only did she fully grasp the uniqueness of our editorial approach to Greensboro and Wilmington, but she beautifully conveyed that to the discriminating advertisers of the Gate and Port cities, respectively. With her deep understanding of what sets classy and effective magazines apart and a shining resume honed at leading television stations in Pittsburgh and Raleigh, Marty came onboard with enthusiasm and the vision of a woman on a quest. The rapid growth and broad acceptance of our magazines are due in generous portion to Marty’s and her staff’s unwavering commitment to making O.Henry and Salt publications that the readers and advertisers of two of our/the state’s most historic cities are proud to call their own. For the record, she also invented an adorable dance step we affectionately call “The Marty” around the magazines. Youtube “Call Me Maybe — The Pilot Newspaper Version” and at 2:50 minutes in, you can see exactly what we mean. The woman has grace and moves like no other. Grateful daughter and mother of six with her brilliant husband, Jim (a prof June 2016
O.Henry 9
Simple Life
in the J-school at Chapel Hill), she’s stepping aside to help take care of aging parents back home in Lexington, Massachusetts, a poignant story many of us know chapter and verse. The good news is that she’ll continue to consult with us as our sales group expands in new directions, keeping her hand in to help shape our future. Friday dancing, though, will never be quite the same.
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Finally, we say a reluctant goodbye to Serena Brown, PineStraw’s elegant senior editor and cover girl (January 2016), wife of acclaimed still-life and landscape painter Paul S. Brown, and mother of rambunctious young Nat. Before fortuitously venturing our way in Southern Pines, Serena, a daughter of Northwest England’s fabled County Cheshire (home of cheese and one of my favorite pubs) cut her journalism teeth in London by working for five years on the legendary BBC arts documentary program Arena. Prior to that she worked for a London photo restorer and acted on the London stage. Back in her school days in Bristol and Oxford, we were delighted to learn, she had pink hair. More important to me, she’s been a versatile and worldly senior editor and complete joy to be around at PineStraw, penning the delightful “Proper English” column and breathing new life into the “Almanac” for all three sister magazines. She also kindly indulges the old editor’s love of (most things) English and Scottish and laughs obligingly at his silly jokes. Serena, Paul and sprout (plus dogs Folly and Rosetta) are shipping household back to England’s Dorset coast, where I fully expect Paul — already famous among British art collectors, having posted five one-man shows — to thrive and Serena to write her first best-selling novel and soon be snapped up by one of London’s plummy home and lifestyle magazines. Happy to report, she promises us timely dispatches from the Old World from time to time. Needless to say, these three will be impossible to replace. So we won’t even try. Since June is a traditional graduation month, we shall simply thank them for leaving an indelible imprint on our magazine culture and say goodbye — for now. In the meantime, we are blessed to have four outstanding talents join us in the persons of Senior Editors Jim Moriarty at PineStraw and Isabel Zermani at Salt. The indispensable Hattie Aderholdt takes over as O.Henry’s sales manager with PineStraw veteran Ginny Trigg assuming new duties as sales director for all three sister publications. My Southern grandmother liked to say there’s no such thing as an ending — only sweet new beginnings. OH Contact editor Jim Dodson at jim@ohenrymag.com.
10 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Short Stories Art and Sol
Don your fairy wings or Druid’s robes, grab a wand and waft over to Greensboro Arboretum (401 Ashland Drive) on June 18 to — heh — rays some Helios at Greensboro Summer Solstice, celebrating Earth’s longest day. Festivities begin at 2 p.m. and include a parasol parade through the arboretum and Lindley Park, music and dance performances, artists selling their wares, food and beverage, a drum circle and more. A grand finale concludes the day’s events as the glowing orb sets and darkness falls. A $2 donation is suggested. Info: greensborosummersolstice.org.
Lighten Op
It’s impossible not to have a song in your heart with Greensboro Light Opera and Song’s trio of events this month. The first in the series, “American Art Song as Cabaret,” celebrates Songbook faves — at Mack and Mack (220 South Elm Street) on June 4. Tickets are available at the door and include wine and cheese. Next up on June 9 and 10: Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial By Jury, a send-up of English marriage law performed at the Guilford County Courthouse (Courthouse 1-C), with special guests: members of the Greensboro Bar Association! And, er, aria ready for more G&S hijinks? Then head to UNCG Auditorium (408 Tate Street) on June 16–18 and 19 for Ruddigore, a comic mystery replete with specters and mistaken identities. Tickets: (336) 272-0160 or opera.uncg.edu.
Worth the Drive to Winston-Salem
Who in their right mind would hand over large sums of money to college students for the purpose of buying art — in New York? Well, Wake Forest University, for one. Every four years since 1963, a select group of undergraduates — with guidance from an art faculty member — has researched contemporary art and made the trek to Gotham’s galleries to buy pieces for the university. Trouble is, the collection of works by the likes of Helen Frankenthaler, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Alex Katz and tons more, has been hiding itself away on WFU’s campus. Until now. From June 30–October 2 Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) hosts With Open Eyes: 50 Years of Art Idealists. For more information about the exhibition, conversations, lectures and other programs go to secca.org.
Course Majeure Brew Hoo(ha)!
Ballast Point, Harpoon, Carolina, Bull City, Foothills, Lonerider, Magic Hat, Big Boss, Mother Earth, Preyer . . . thirsty yet? Well, don’t just sit there and salivate! Call Uber for a ride to the Summertime Brews Festival on June 25 at the Coliseum (1921 West Gate City Bouldevard). Billed as the “North Carolina’s Favorite Beer Festival since 2005,” Bestway grocery’s homage to malt and hops features hundreds of varieties of craft frosties. For a little extra, buy a V.I.P. ticket (presuming any are left) and enjoy a Brewmaster preview. Otherwise, ticketmaster.com can hook you up for a pass into, well, heaven
12 O.Henry
June 2016
Forget about exorbitant greens fees. Celebrating its seventy-fifth anniversary all summer, Gillespie Golf Course (306 East Florida Street) is offering some deals for duffers and sharks alike. Rent a cart and play a round of eighteen — for just twenty bucks — or a round of nine, for fifteen. Prefer to hoof it? The Twilight Walking Special available after 4 p.m. will only set you back $9. With eighty acres and holes that play anywhere from 5,017 yards to 6,445, Gillespie offers get plenty of bang for your buck. And its small greens reward accuracy, affirming the old saw, “drive for show, putt for dough.” Info: (336) 373-5850 or greensboro-nc.gov.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Ogi Sez Ogi Overman
Fringe Elements
Why the early start to EMF Fringe in May? Answer: the National Folk Festival and ArtsGreensboro’s 17Days in September. “We’ve changed the calendar, presenting those programs in May and June not during the festival or after,” says EMF Executive Director Chris Williams. “We’re using that as a springboard so people will start talking about us a little earlier, start coming to concerts a little bit earlier, getting the excitement built a little earlier in the season.” And there’s plenty to be excited about with this month’s concert by Michael Doucet and BeauSoleil (see Ogi Sez) and a July 24 performance from New Orleans second-line jazzers Tuba Skinny with local hokum-ites The Swamp Nots. Kudos go to current ArtsGreensboro President and CEO Tom Philion, who, twenty years ago as EMF’s director, came up with the idea of EMF Fringe and lured to town musicians that were then on the fringe: Johnny Winter, Eric Bibb, The Hacienda Brothers, John Jorgenson, Sarah Borges, Mavis Staples, Tim McGraw, Bruce Hornsby, The Iguanas, and Los Straitjackets. Philion said at the time he wasn’t really concerned with filling seats, just trying to expose the music to as many people as possible. Says Williams: “Sometimes it’s related music, sometimes it reflects the classical trend, sometimes it’s unrelated and it’s just cool.” Info: easternmusicfestival.org
PHOTOGRAPH BY LYNN DONOVAN. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF VANDERVEEN PHOTOGRAPHERS. DIERDRE FRIEL, JAMISON STERN AND MICKEY SOLIS IN DON JUAN.
Trip to Bountiful
And you don’t even have to cross the county line! June 20–25 is Guilford County Local Foods Week Celebration, courtesy of Guilford County Co-operative Extension. Listen to stories from books about growing gardens; sample local beer; take in documentaries, Farmland, about U.S. agriculture and Pressure Cooker, about a culinary school; tour farms and gardens. And don’t forget to stop at the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market (501 Yanceyville Street) featuring tours, cooking demonstrations and discussions about nutrition. It’s always wise to pre-register: gfmassistant@ gmail.com. Otherwise, go to https://guilford.ces.ncsu. edu/spotlight/407646 and gsofarmersmarket.org for more information.
So much for Bruce and Boston last month. If it’s any consolation, my wife and I had tix for Cirque du Soleil. Let’s hope for pleasanter days in June.
• June 3, Greensboro
Coliseum: The incomparable and ageless Dolly Parton is still selling out arenas across the country after all these years. I-ee-I will always love her.
• June 8, Carolina Theatre: She holds the distinction of being the only singer to have won four consecutive Grammys for Best Female Country Vocal performance. But Mary Chapin Carpenter’s best work may have been in crossover pop and adult contemporary. In other words, she’s too talented to be tied down. • June 17, Blind Tiger: You’ve
seen Gaelic Storm whether you know it or not. They were the band playing in steerage for the two-stepping Leo and Kate in Titanic. Unlike the movie, though, all their live shows have a happy ending.
• June 17, The Crown:
Juan-ton Affection
Long before The Donald, there was Don Juan, romancer and swashbuckler extraordinaire . . . and condemned to hell in most tellings of his story. But Triad Stage’s production of Don Juan, (June 5–26) is Preston Lane’s take on French playwright Molière’s version of the tale. Starring three veterans of T.S.’s first fifteen seasons, this play-withina-play features a production of — what else? — Don Juan that’s in danger of falling apart if the entire cast doesn’t do their bit, and it’s up to the three stars to make sure the show must go on. Tickets: (336) 2720160 or triadstage.org
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Michael Doucet is widely regarded as the fiddler who brought Cajun, Creole and Zydeco music into the lexicon of mainstream America. His long-running band, BeauSoleil, still tours regularly, but he also pares it down to a trio for some tours. This is the perfect setting for that type of intimate show.
• June 19, Barber Park: All
of the acts in the Levitt AMP Music Series are, by design, local or regional. Except this one. The Suffers are from Houston and call their sub-genre Gulf Coast soul. They’ve been on Letterman, Kimmel and several nationally televised sporting events. Bring your dancing shoes. June 2016
O.Henry 13
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Doodad
The Kids are All right
The bright young stars of Eastern Music Festival shine brighter than ever
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF EASTERN MUSICAL FESTIVAL
Fifty-five years since orchestral conduc-
tor Sheldon Morgenstern came up with the radical idea of creating a classical musical festival focused on students, the Eastern Music Festival (EMF) enjoys a reputation as one of the most prestigious programs in the classical music world. Students are still its main focus, and this year, three of them will get a nationwide boost, thanks to National Public Radio. The network’s series From The Top, broadcasts live classical music concerts performed by students from ages 8–18 in 220 markets, reaching a half million people.
“That was fantastic,” says EMF Executive Director Chris Williams. “They came out last summer, about twenty of our kids auditioned, and three got to travel and play and represent us.” The lucky trio includes 17-year-old clarinetist Alec Manasse, 15-year-old guitarist Nolan Harvel and 19-year-old Maggie O’Leary (bassoon). Their performances, recorded last year, will be broadcast to NPR stations around the country. And, says Williams, the NPR program recruiters will be back for this year’s festival (June 27–July 30). “They had a great experience, so From The Top is our new connection to Public Radio world.” In addition to giving students the experience of recording live, it introduces them to life as professional musicians. But now that they’ve made the leap, their summer camp days are likely over. “These kids are in demand,” Williams emphasizes. But other students and faculty, as well as visiting musical dignitaries, will fill the void, assuring this summer is a memorable one. The festival has two big coups this year. On July 17, The New York Philharmonic’s principal violist, Cynthia Phelps, who Williams says is “at the top of the heap” in the classical viola world, will premiere a piece commissioned by the N.Y. Philharmonic Orchestra. “It’s really cool,” Williams says. “We get the real privilege of making the world preThe Art & Soul of Greensboro
miere before the N.Y. Philharmonic actually gets to perform it.” Williams says the feat came about due to EMF musical director Gerard Schwarz. “Gerry Schwarz knows everybody,” he says in a hushed, reverent tone. “And he’s talking to the N.Y. Philharmonic staff and he’s talking to the artist and the composer: ‘Why don’t we do it this summer, and you guys do it in November,’ and everybody bought it,” Williams says, laughing heartily. “Everybody went, ‘great idea!’ So, we get to scoop the N.Y. Philharmonic, which is unique. I can’t ever think of a case where it’s happened before.” The second coup is the world premiere of an orchestral composition by conductor/pianist/composer André Previn on Saturday, July 23. Over his sixty-year musical career, the 86-year-old Previn has won four Grammys and ten Academy Awards. “It’s a big feather in our cap,” Williams says. “He’s not writing or working or conducting as much as he used to, but he agrees to write a brand-new piece for us to premiere.” The piece is so new that as of press time the composition is untitled, as well as unheard. “Nobody knows what it sounds like, nobody knows what it looks like, he’s still working on it,” Williams says. No doubt the eight members of the EMF faculty who will play in the all-star orchestra for the composition’s premiere will do it justice. Faculty will also be regularly featured prominently as soloists throughout the festival. “Because our musicians are that good, and we want to make sure that everyone sees and hears them, let them shine,” Williams says. Not to worry, students will continue to have a significant voice in the programs, now and always. “I’m really excited we’re focusing on the teaching arm of the festival right now,” Williams says. “That’s what matters most to me, that these kids are getting the right guidance.” But while they learn, the students also have to perform at a high level. “The student repertoire is giant, just big, big pieces, the students are really challenged,” Williams says. The festival has one overriding principal, he says: “Are these the pieces that are helping the kids develop? Are these the soloists that can be the great mentors for these kids? That’s my focus, and I think everybody on the faculty, everybody on the board shares that focus.” - Grant Britt June 2016
O.Henry 15
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O.Henry 17
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By Maria Johnson
If middle age is 45 to 65
years old, then as of this month, I’m smack in the middle of middle age. Like most people, I want to think that I look and act younger than my years. I even made a list of “pros” to show how youthful I am. Then I showed the list to my sons, who thought the list needed to be balanced, so they came up with a list of “cons.” 1.Pro: I do not wear prescription glasses or contacts. Con: You wear industrial-strength reading glasses — when you can find them. Sometimes, you have two pairs on top of your head. The record, as far as we know, is three pairs on top of your head. Also, you wear reading glasses on top of your sunglasses at the beach. 2. Pro: I am a skilled iPhone user. Con: Half the time, you “answer” your phone by hitting the selfie button and jumping at the sight of your own face. 3. Pro: I get along well with young people. Con: You call young people “young people.” 4. Pro: I want an electric car. Con: With a CD player. 5. Pro: I am healthy for my age. Con: Most days, you have kale in your teeth. 6. Pro: Like every other young person in America, I love Bernie Sanders. Con: You think Bernie is “kind of sexy.” 7. Pro: I have a hip sense of humor. Con: You laugh out loud at squirrels. 8. Pro: I keep up with pop culture. Con: Your favorite TV character is Mr. Haney on Green Acres. 9. Pro: My favorite TV character is not Mr. Haney on Green Acres. Con: You’re right. It’s Arnold Ziffel on Green Acres. 10. Pro: I am into new cuisine. Con: You buy tortilla chips with flax seeds. 11. Pro: I follow new music. Con: Every time we play Daft Punk, you think it’s Donna Summer. 12. Pro: I like Chance The Rapper. Con: You got upset when you found out that he drops acid. Now, you want to write him a letter warning him about the danger of drugs, but “not in a mom-ish way.” The Art & Soul of Greensboro
13. Pro: I keep up with fashion. Con: All of your shoes have arch support. 14. Pro: I rarely carry cash. Con: You rarely carry paper money. You carry lots of coins. And you say things like, “Why do they make nickels look so much like quarters?” You are one step away from holding change in the palm of your hand and letting cashiers take what they need. (See No. 1) 15. Pro: I have a Twitter account. Con: You’ve favorited your own Tweets several times. Maybe it’s accidental. Maybe not. 16. Pro: I believe that age is a state of mind. Con: You say things like, “I believe that age is a state of mind.” 17. Pro: I accept change easily. Con: You are still depressed because Prince died. 18. Pro: I text with abbreviations. Con: You reply “K” to everything. Us: “Mom, what’s Gran’s new address?” You: “K.” 19. Pro: I keep up with my sons’ friends. Con: The other day, you asked Tom how Ryan was doing. Ryan moved away in third grade. 20. Pro: I follow sports. Con: You were shocked to learn that the football Cardinals are in Arizona now. 21. Pro: I love Stephen Curry. Con: You once pronounced his name “Steven.” (It’s STEF-an, or STEF for short). 22. Pro: I keep up with current events. Con: You read stories aloud from the newspaper, but only ones that you agree with. 23. Pro: I do a lot of online banking and shopping. Con: When you can find the list of passwords that you put in an “unforgettable” place. 24. Pro: I want to get a drone. Con: So you can chase the cat that poops in your garden. 25. Pro: I use Uber to get around in big cities. Con: You always ask Uber drivers what their real job is. 26. Pro: I appreciate craft beers. Con: You make a face and stick out your tongue every time someone mentions an IPA. 27. Pro: I got a blue streak in my hair. Con: Getting Sherwin-Williams Wishful Blue in your hair while painting your bedroom does not count. OH Maria Johnson wishes young people would show more respect. If you agree with her, contact her at maria@ohenrymag.com. Also, for a good time, check out “Arnold Ziffel Tests his Civil Rights” on YouTube. June 2016
O.Henry 19
2016
MUSIC
Concert Series
for a
Sunday Evening in the Park
Levitt Amp Greensboro Music Series Collaboration
Greensboro Big Band
JUNE 5
6 pm
JUNE 12
6 pm
JUNE 19 JUNE 26 JULY 4 JULY 10
Playing two 45 minute sets
Blandwood Mansion 447 W. Washington St.
This concert is made possible by the generous support and sponsorship of VF Corporation. Piedmont Triad Jazz Orchestra
Playing two 45 minute sets
6 pm
Caleb Caudle
7 pm
The Suffers
6 pm
Molly + Quilla
Gulf Coast Soul
7:15 pm
Martha Bassett Band
7:30 pm
July 4th Pops Concert Philharmonia of Greensboro
6 pm
Jazz Country
Zinc Kings Carolina Coalmine
JULY 17
6:30 pm
Eastern Music Festival Young Artist Orchestras
JULY 24
6:30 pm
Barber Park 1500 Dans Rd. Barber Park 1500 Dans Rd.
American meets Electronic Music Hester Park 3906 Betula St. Americana, Folk Classical, Pops Piedmont Old Time Music
7:15 pm
Country, Southern Rock Classical, Pops
TBA Guilford Courthouse National Military Park 2332 New Garden Road Guilford College 5800 W. Friendly Ave.
This concert is made possible by the generous support and sponsorship of VF Corporation.
6 pm
JULY 31
Swing, Big Band Jazz
7:15 pm
EMFfringe - Tuba Skinny with Special Guests the Swamp Nots Sweet Dreams
New Orleans Jazz Blues, R&B, Jazz, Soul
Rob Massengale Band
Variety, Rock & Roll
Guilford College 5800 W. Friendly Ave. Gillespie Golf Course 306 E. Florida Street
Celebrate Gillespie Golf Course’s 75th Anniversary at Parks and Rec Fest!
AUGUST 7 AUGUST 14 AUGUST 21 AUGUST 28
6:30 pm 6 pm 7:15 pm 6 pm 7:15 pm 6 pm
Greensboro Concert Band The Sonic Prophets
Thank you to our
2016 Sponsors:
Blues, Rock
doby
Funk
The Radials with Lisa Dames Banna
Contemporary Country Irish
Wally West Little Big Band
Playing two 45 minute sets
FREE ADMISSION!
Classical, Pops
Jazz
Lindley Park Starmount Dr. at W. Market St. & Wendover Ave. Gateway Gardens 2924 E. Lee St. Country Park, Shelter No. 7 Park in the Jaycee Park Parking Lot LeBauer Park 200 N. Davie St.
ALCOHOL & PERSONAL CHARCOAL GRILLS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN CITY PARKS. ALL DOGS MUST BE ON A LEASH. FOR CANCELLATION INFORMATION, CALL 336-373-2373.
336-373-2549 • www.musep.info music@greensboro-nc.gov
The Omnivorous Reader
Summer Road Trips Three classics to fire up the wanderlust in any reader
By Gwenyfar Rohler
The world is a book, and those
who do not travel read only a page. — Saint Augustine
I can tell when summer arrives because I get hit with uncontrollable and inevitable itchy feet, the sensation of wanting to ramble to far climes, meet exotic people, eat unpronounceable, unrecognizable food and generally “get out of town.” In lieu of a journey this summer, I am revisiting three of my favorite “road trip” books: Travels with Charley, by John Steinbeck (The Viking Press, 1962), Neil Gaiman’s Stardust (Avon, 1999), and Inglis Fletcher’s Lusty Wind for Carolina (Bobbs-Merril, 1944). At first glance these picks couldn’t be more different, but at heart they share the same curiosity for what lies beyond the horizon. Travels with Charley is a delightful look at America in the early 1960s through the windows of a camper truck, with Steinbeck’s faithful canine, Charley, by his side. Or, it is supposed to be. Steinbeck opens the book by discussing what is essentially a mid-life crisis: that he had become too safe, that he feared he no longer took the risks and adventures of his youth. (His son has stated in interviews that Steinbeck knew he was ill and not long for the world.) To that end, he commissions a camper to be built on the back of his truck that he can live and write in while he travels the country one last time, revisiting some of the locations that inspired his writing. His wife, Elaine, is not convinced this is a great idea, so they broker a compromise: If he must go, at least take the dog, Charley, for protection. So we find one of the most gifted writers America has ever produced (Of Mice and Men, East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath, The Moon is Down, The Red Pony) headed off in his pickup truck with dog in the passenger seat, in search of America. Charley, a large chocolate poodle, is not the most helpful of dogs, but much The Art & Soul of Greensboro
like Steinbeck can find humanity in even some of the most unsavory characters, he depicts Charley as a dog of great chivalry. One of Steinbeck’s best known books, The Grapes of Wrath, arguably the ultimate American Journey book, is set mostly on U.S. Route 66, America’s Main Street. Whereas the road is almost a character in Grapes of Wrath, Travels with Charley is more a tale of meandering, a wandering along many different roads and paths — some planned, some not — through rich, poor, urban and rural America. It is not one of Steinbeck’s great “message books,” but if it has any message, it is this: Go out and meet people, see them, talk with them, because the world is a surprising place filled with far more adventure than we realize when we are sitting at home and thinking up all the excuses not to try. Where Travels with Charley documents the adventures of an aging man looking at life, Stardust, by Neil Gaiman, is a classic coming-of-age adventure. It is a novel-length fairy tale about a young man who sets out to find a fallen star and bring it back to win the girl he thinks he loves. Imagine his surprise to discover that he and the world he thinks he knows are both changed irrevocably by this journey. Tristran Thorn lives in a village on the edge of Faerie, a large wall separating the two worlds. Perhaps you have seen the movie adaptation? In the novel, Tristran embarks on a Tolkien-like journey to find a specific fallen star in the land of Faerie, where stars are living, breathing bipedal creatures. The one he is looking for turns out to be named Yvaine, but he is not the only one looking for her. Together, man and star travel back to Tristran’s village with the aid of tools derived from nursery rhymes and, of course, the help of strangers who impart magical gifts. (One such stranger, rather famously associated with this novel, is Tori Amos, who was written into the book as a tree that gives Tristran a leaf to listen to when he most needs guidance.) Gaiman’s writing is engaging because he so completely inhabits the building blocks he uses to tell June 2016
O.Henry 21
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the story that they are artless and effortless in his hands. The nursery rhyme references aren’t forced, but rather sweet aha! moments for the reader and Tristran. When the big reveal comes at the end (the way to break the inevitable curse that hangs over the fairytale), Gaiman has spent so long laying the groundwork that the reader is completely prepared to go along with this last bit of coincidental magic. In every way, the book is a lovely homage to the stories that made reading magical for us as children. Inglis Fletcher’s Lusty Wind for Carolina depicts a journey of an entirely different nature — the early settlement of a land far across the sea. Author of the twelve-volume Carolina Chronicles series that looks at life in North Carolina from 1595–1789, Fletcher writes exhilarating yet meticulously researched books. Lusty Wind for Carolina examines the Charles Town settlement and what would become Orton and Clarendon Plantations. Fletcher loves North Carolina, and her adoration of our beautiful area comes through in descriptions that are so palpable and tactile it feels like you could walk through the Pocosin and find a pirate ship moored in the relative safety of the Cape Fear River. Actually, much of the realistic description can be credited to the Fletchers staying at Clarendon Plantation during the writing of Lusty Wind. (The cook eventually turned them in as spies because Mr. Fletcher worked in a sensitive job at the shipyard and Inglis stayed home all day plotting positions on maps and writing — clearly they were up to no good!) The story traces the settlers departing England for the Carolina coast on an epic journey across the Atlantic. Adventure abounds, as does romance, danger and the unexplainable new world in which they try to build homes. Though Fletcher writes books as well researched as her contemporary, James Michener, because she was a woman, her books were marketed as romance. (Note that Michener’s books certainly have a hefty dose of amour!) But underneath the story and detail, what Fletcher really does is capture the spirit of adventure and wonder that drives a project as amazing as settling a new land and facing the unknown. How can anyone read her books and not feel inspired to do the same? Perhaps that’s what these three books do so well: They look at the power and allure of the unknown world in such different yet compelling ways. Who can resist an adventure, whether in or out of a book? OH Gwenyfar Rohler spends her days managing her family’s bookstore on Front Street in Wilmington.
22 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
JOIN US FOR AN
ALL-AMERICAN SUMMER
MAY 31 – SEPTEMBER 4 There’s no better place than Old Salem to experience an All-American Summer. It is the site of the nation’s first official 4th of July celebration and after all, George Washington really did sleep here!
june 25 9 a.m. – 2: 3o p.m.
ONE DAY SUMMER ADVENTURE FOR FAMILIES Discover the past with your child or grandchild and make memories that will last a lifetime. Enjoy a day of hands-on fun.
INDEPENDENCE WEEKEND
july 2 9:3o a.m. – 4:3o p.m. july 3 1 p.m. – 4:3o p.m. Patriotic hands-on activities, demonstrations, and more!
july 4 9:3o a.m. – 4:3o p.m.
A moving naturalization ceremony as well as patriotic hands-on activities, music, games, food, and fun.
august 11–13 7:3o p.m. ILLUMINATE SALEM
In celebration of the 25oth Anniversary of the founding of Salem, NC, enjoy a concert each night on Salem Square followed by a magical light show that tells the story of Salem. In conjunction with Community Day on Aug. 13.
For a full list of events and activities, visit oldsalem.org winston-salem, north carolina
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Scuppernong Bookshelf
Flann-tastic The Year of Flannery O’Connor
At Scuppernong Books
we’ve declared 2016 “The Year of Flannery O’Connor.” There’s no compelling reason for it to be “The Year of Flannery O’Connor.” It’s not a notable anniversary of her birth or death. It’s just that we love the work of Flannery O’Connor and believe she should be celebrated every year.
O’Connor had a very short career. She died in 1964 at 39 years old, and her collected work includes but two novels. Although the novels are good and interesting (see below), Flannery O’Connor’s first major accomplishment was teaching her pet chicken to walk backward, a feat apparently so monumental it was the subject of a Pathé newsreel featuring young Flannery herself. Later she would proclaim this “the high point of her life” and add: “Everything since has been an anticlimax.” The anticlimaxes of Flannery O’Connor we know the most about are her short stories Flannery O’Connor: The Complete Stories (Noonday Press, $18). Here are the stories that made O’Connor famous. Southern landscapes made up of dirt roads, red clay hills, ramshackle house and characters often clumsily attempting to maintain some dignity or control over a world they don’t understand. Her eye is sharp and generally pitiless; no one really escapes O’Connor’s blistering gaze in these stories, but they are funny, finely drawn and beautifully written, with images that linger long after the story is over. She found her first anticlimax in her career as a cartoonist in high school and college. Her cartoons have been collected in the suitably titled Flannery O’Connor: The Cartoons (Fantagraphics Books, $22.99). The subjects here are mostly what you’d expect from a precocious student, sarcastic or satirical observations on what she sees around her. These are not nuanced, detailed linoleum prints, but they are fun, showing Flannery’s appreciation of gesture and body movement as well as her droll humor. The figures are blocky, all gangly arms and sharp noses, usually tilted upward. It’s a beautifully formatted large-format book for your favorite Flannery fan. O’Connor was also famously Catholic. Critics often try to torture her fiction by making it all fit nicely into a Catholic theology. She’s far too complicated for that box, but her fascinating Prayer Journal published last year (FSG, 2015, $18) reveals a young soul struggling with the great questions of religious faith, but with characteristic questioning and observational acuity.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
In the novel Wise Blood (FSG, $15), Hazel Motes is an angry man. He’s angry at the world but, mostly, he’s angry at God and his own overwhelming desire for God, whatever that means. He doesn’t know what that means, he only knows he’s haunted by the idea and the belief. In an effort to force God to abandon him, he founds The Church of Christ without Christ and begins to preach on street corners, stumbling upon others haunted in their own ways, just like him. Wise Blood is a Southern novel unlike any other, set in rent shacks, alleyways, and dusty streets. It evokes a South we hardly recognize but a South we still carry with us. The writing is sharp, astringent, beautiful, and it’s an amazingly fun book to read, considering all the characters are doomed. And for those who need to know the specifics of the life of a woman whose mind fashioned all these tales of grotesque human behavior, there’s Brad Gooch’s biography, Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’Connor (Back Bay Books, 2009. $18). Gooch is a biographer who offers surprising intimacy; the details of O’Connor’s life become absorbing stories of courage and profound searching. We also get a look into her literary friendships with James Dickey, Walker Percy and other important writers of her time. A must-read for all O’Connor aficionados. NEW RELEASES FOR JUNE: June 7: End of Watch, by Stephen King (Scribner. $30). The third part of the Bill Hodges Trilogy (Mr. Mercedes and Finder’s Keepers). June 7: Never a Dull Moment: 1971 — The Year That Rock Exploded, by David Hepworth (Henry Holt. $30). The Beatles break up. Bowie makes the scene. “Stairway to Heaven.” “Baba O’Reilly.” You get the idea. June 14: Barkskins, by Annie Proulx (Scribner. $32). Another historical setting — 18th-century France/China/New England — for the always ambitious Proulx. June 14: Charcoal Joe: An Easy Rawlins Mystery, by Walter Mosley (Doubleday. $26.95). The fifteenth Easy Rawlins book takes us to Los Angeles in 1968. June 21: Vinegar Girl, by Anne Tyler (Hogarth. $25). Tyler joins in the fun with a modern version of Shakespeare. June 28: Jackson, 1964: And Other Dispatches from Fifty Years of Reporting on Race in America, by Calvin Trillin (Random House. $27). Trillin has been at The New Yorker since 1963 and this book collects his frontline reporting. OH This month’s Scuppernong Bookshelf was written by Brian Lampkin and Steve Mitchell. June 2016
O.Henry 25
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June 2016
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
He
Golftown Journal
Grandfather Golf & Country Club By Lee Pace
That there would
PHOTOGRAPH BY HUGH MORTON
be a new golf course in the valley beneath Grandfather Mountain in Linville in the mid-1960s took quite the leap of faith. That it would be lined with vacation homes tucked deep into the forests alongside the fairways, that there would be a comfortable clubhouse offering the best regional cuisine to the members of this piein-the-sky club took true ambition and vision.
One man, Lucien P. Calhoun, was skeptical. But he was willing to give this idea hatched by Agnes Morton Cocke Woodruff a chance. He put a quarter in the hollow of a big oak tree standing outside the site of the new clubhouse and told the club official giving him a sales pitch, “I bet you a quarter this place isn’t here in a year. But if it is, I’ll join.” One year later, the club was still in business. Calhoun returned, retrieved his quarter, paid off his bet and his initiation fee, and became a contented and active member of Grandfather Golf & Country Club, which opened its doors in 1968. “Early on, the job was essentially convincing people that there was going to be another golf club built and it was going to be successful and that we needed their support to join it,” said Hugh Fields, who married Calhoun’s daughter and worked some four decades in various capacities in and around the club. “Aggie’s vision and that of her partners was that you’d see the land and the golf course and the beauty of the course, and you’d see the ball going up against the mountain and dropping with the mountain in the background,” said Fields. “I can never remember them making a decision that went against that thinking.” When “Aggie,” as she was known from Wilmington to Linville, died in May 2015, she was the last of the three founders of the club remaining, as Hugh Morton, her brother, died in 2006 and Oklahoma oil man John Williams passed away in 2013. Fields, a former club general manager who later sold much of the real estate in the 1,900-acre boundaries of the club, died in 2011. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Their legacy remains vibrant and healthy today as Grandfather approaches its 50th birthday. The club, owned by its 250-some members, has spent considerable money on improvements in the last two years, including tweaks to two holes on its Ellis Maplesdesigned golf course, an expanded golf practice facility, a new stand-alone fitness facility, an expanded recreational beach alongside Loch Dormie Lake, an upfitted kitchen, and the creation of a new casual dining facility in the main clubhouse called The Scottish Grill. The club has survived 21 percent interest rates, the Arab oil embargo of 1973, a half-dozen recessions and the proliferation of copycats in every nook and cranny of the state. Grandfather and the Country Club of North Carolina, founded five years earlier (1963) in Pinehurst, were at the vanguard of Ellis Maples, on-site the modern rush of gated, private clubs in a during construction resort community with a championship golf course and upscale residences. “We joined the club more than twenty years ago, when our three children were young,” says Bill McNairy, the club president and a Greensboro attorney. “The club had a good family atmosphere then, but it’s even better today. I have two daughters, one son and seven grandchildren, and only my son and I play golf. But there’s plenty for everyone else to do.” The club has members from around the state and beyond and has fortuitous connections to many key communities. It draws numerous members from cities like Greensboro and Charlotte that are less than two hours away. The umbilical cord stretches to the Sandhills as Maples, the golf course designer, learned his craft at the feet of Donald Ross, the Scottish-born golf pro and architect who designed seven courses in Moore County and nearly 400 nationwide in the first half of the 20th century. And Aggie Morton was a champion golfer spawned from Cape Fear Country Club in Wilmington and her spot on the boys golf team at New Hanover High in the 1940s. “In the summertime, Greensboro is hot and humid, too hot for me to get out and really enjoy golf,” says McNairy. “I look forward to going to the mountains, where you can play golf in a beautiful setting, and it’s cool. We seldom turn our air conditioning on, even in the middle of summer. It’s like having spring during the summer months.” Aggie’s great grandfather, Donald MacRae, was drawn to the mountains for the same reasons. MacRae, a Wilmington businessman who developed interests in minerals and mining in the mountains in the late 1800s, joined a group June 2016
O.Henry 27
Golftown Journal
Not everyone could spot the family resemblance. Fortunately, her doctor did. Donna Owens is a caring, dedicated nurse. Still, her liver disease diagnosis was an unwelcome surprise even though her mother had battled something similar years earlier. But the real eye-opener was learning 15 other members of her family also faced liver problems. Not one to readily give up or give in — especially when it comes to family — Donna worked closely with her primary care physician and specialists at Cone Health to manage her disease through diet, exercise and medication. She’s healthier for it and determined to share her success with 15 very special people. Learn more about Donna and her inspiring family bond at ExceptionalCare.com.
Exceptional Care. Every Day.
CH_Donna_O'Henry_6x10.75, 2.75x10.75.indd 1
28 O.Henry
June 2016
of investors to conceive the settlement of Linville and build the original Eseeola Inn, and eventually the MacRae family would own nearly 16,000 acres of land in Avery County. MacRae’s son and grandson, Nelson MacRae and Julian Morton, were crack golfers and among the early leaders of the Carolinas Golf Association, so Aggie came by the game naturally down the family tree. She won the consolation bracket of the championship flight of the Women’s Carolinas Amateur at the age of 15 and was among the top three players on the boys’ golf team at New Hanover High in the 1940s. Years later, her brother Hugh liked to smile and tell the story of grown men mentioning to him that they’d been embarrassed in their youth by losing to a girl on the golf course. Aggie and Hugh inherited parcels of some 2,000 acres each of mountain land from their grandfather in 1952. Hugh used his to create the Grandfather Mountain scenic attraction. Aggie’s land was situated in the Linville River Valley, and it occurred to her in 1964 exactly what she could do with it. The county’s one golf course, Linville Golf Club, had become so popular that tee times in the prime mid-morning slots were difficult to come by. “I was sitting around with a couple of friends and said, ‘You know, it’s about time I built my own golf course,’” Aggie said years later. “It was getting too crowded. I was kind of joking, intended it really just as a lark. But then I got to thinking about it . . . ” The kernel of an idea sprouted into reality soon after. She had made friends in golf circles with Nancy Maples, Ellis’s daughter. “I loved Donald Ross’s golf courses, but he was dead by that time, so I thought Ellis would be the next best thing,” Aggie said. “I called Nancy and said, ‘Do you think your father would design a golf course in Linville?’ She said, ‘Well, let’s ask him,’” Maples was indeed interested in the site, and he and Aggie donned boots and waders to navigate the rocks and streams, and long sleeves to keep the thick foliage from scratching their skin. Maples agreed to design the course within Aggie’s parameters: She wanted every hole to be self-contained in the forest around it, and, where possible, she wanted to use the natural backdrops of the mountains as focal points in the layout of the holes. Construction started in 1965. “Aggie loved the area, and she was excited about the construction and the building of her dream,” says Bob Kletcke, at the time assistant pro at Linville Golf Club in the summer and Augusta National in the winter. “I can remember her excitement showing me the plans — she opened them up on the trunk of a car and showed me every hole. Of course, it’s pretty hard to visualize it looking at a
5/13/16 4:36 PM
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Golftown Journal
John Jenkins, MD
Internist, Cone Health
A piece of wisdom blueprint of what a hole is going to look like. But it really turned out great.” As the project evolved, Aggie enlisted as partners the marketing, political and permitting savvy of her brother and the deep pockets of Williams, who grew up in Cuba but spent time in the summer in Linville, where he and Morton met as young boys and became lifelong friends. The club opened with an exhibition in the fall of 1968 that featured Billy Joe Patton, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice and Kletcke, who was the club’s first head pro. The course from the beginning has been consistently ranked as one of the top two or three in the state. “We overcame a lot — cost overruns, 21 percent interest rates, oil prices soaring,” Williams said in 2010. “But the beauty of the land and a great golf course eventually prevailed. We sold all the lots and turned the club over to the members in the early 1980s.” Members and guests visiting this June will find a number of enhancements — from the new 7,000-square-foot fitness facility featuring a workout room with a large window looking straight up to Grandfather Mountain, to a pizza oven in the beach cabana. The driving range has been rebuilt and enlarged under the direction of architect Bobby Weed, and the par-5 first hole reconfigured to remove the small lake guarding the front-right portion of the green. Those changes follow some tweaks made over the winter of 2014-15 to the 16th hole that cleared some of the overgrowth around the river running parallel to the fairway and opened up some views of the mountain above. “That lake on 1 was never on Ellis’s original drawings,” says Chip King, the club’s director of golf. “We believe he scooped that area out and used the fill to build up the green. It sprung a leak and he just left it. That area is still a depression, but now it’s grassed in. The hole will still have a The Art & Soul of Greensboro
good risk-reward element for the good player, but we’ll be able to get groups through faster than before. The first hole was always the slowest hole on the golf course.” The changes will be spotlighted the second weekend in June with the club’s sixth annual Founders Cup Tournament, a sixty-four-team event that started in 2011 as a way to pump up the early-season competitive juices and give members a glimpse into the club’s history by organizing a Friday evening cocktail reception with a speaker addressing some element of the club’s evolution. This year, Charlotte teaching pro Dana Rader will talk about women’s competitive golf and instruction, with an eye to the groundbreaking work a woman like Aggie did so many years ago. “Grandfather has such a rich history,” tournament director Barry Cook says. “So many of our newer members knew next to nothing about where this club came from, so we thought it a good idea to create a tournament around our history. The Founders Cup has been very well-received and it’s become our marquee event. “We have to keep the club fresh while at the same time remember our heritage. Some of these young guys don’t even know what it was like to play a Titleist 90-compression balata ball and put a ‘smile’ on it. They can’t relate to cutting a ball like we did years ago.” Indeed, materials for golf balls have evolved light-years since Lucien Calhoun made his bet nearly half a century ago. But the grand vision of a lady looking for more tee times hasn’t budged an inch in the deep, dark woods beneath Grandfather Mountain. OH Lee Pace writes frequently about golf in the Carolinas from his home in Chapel Hill and loves the summertime trek into Avery County.
Dr. John Jenkins, MD, of Cone Health passes on to medical students is that sometimes the last thing you want to give a patient is a diagnosis. Because when you do, you stop considering other possibilities. If Dr. Jenkins did not heed his own advice, he may never have uncovered the link to liver disease his patient Donna Owens shares with 15 members of her family. Learn more about Donna and Dr. Jenkins’ “aha moment” at ExceptionalCare.com.
Exceptional Care. Every Day.
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro 5/6/16 10:34 AM
In The Spirit
Low-Proof, High-Cotton Gentle drinks for long summer evenings
I decided to do was quite simple: Reverse the martini. You see, the specs for your standard gin martini may vary slightly, but here’s an example: 2 1/2 oz gin, 3/4 oz dry vermouth. I prefer using Plymouth Gin, because it is slightly earthy, but soft. I always end up going back to Dolin when it comes to dry vermouths. Made in France, the Dry is fresh and extremely clean on the palate. For the infusion, however, I opted for the Dolin Blanc, which is like the Dry, but with a touch of sweetness. I wanted vermouth to be the star in this low-proof cocktail to prove the naysayers wrong. The Sexyback was born.
By Tony Cross
Can you remember the last
time you had one too many? Smile if it was last night. I definitely have my stories; anyone who enjoys alcohol has theirs. The thing about spirits is that most of us have to pace ourselves. It’s ideal with any form of alcohol to drink a glass of water with each beer, glass of wine or cocktail. The percentage of us that do that? Yeah. Slim.
Now that the days are longer, it’s easy to let the evening slip by while enjoying cocktails with loved ones and friends . . . on a Tuesday. There are some great drinks that are lower in ABV (alcohol by volume) that you might want to try the next time you’re drinking (tonight when you’re drinking). All three of these are built cocktails. You’ll “build” them in the glass that you are drinking from.
Americano
PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIN BRADY
There are a few different stories on how the Americano originated. I like this one best: It was served in the 1860s at Gaspare Campari’s bar in Milan. Originally called the “Milano-Torino,” it became very popular with American tourists during Prohibition. Soon after, it became better known as the “Americano.” Americano is a cocktail, but also a coffee, and a style of aperitif wine. It derives from the word “amaricante,” which translates to “bitter.” The cocktail version was originally made with Campari (from Milan), Cinzano (a sweet vermouth from Torino), and sparkling water. I’d say Campari is a must, but feel free to experiment with different sweet vermouths. I recommend Cocchi Vermouth di Torino. Notes of rhubarb, spice and citrus from this moscato-based fortified wine makes a great Americano. It also tastes good in a Negroni (swap out the sparkling water for an ounce of gin). Build in a rocks glass: 1 oz Campari 1 oz Cocchi Vermouth di Torino (available at Nature’s Own or Bordeaux Fine and Rare) Add ice and top with sparkling water and an orange peel
Sexyback
Most of us have forgotten that dry and sweet vermouth are great on their own. If refrigerated after opening, your bottle of fortified wine can last for a few months. I stole the idea of infusing chamomile in dry vermouth from bartender Brandon Wise, out of Denver. I read about a cocktail that he created using the infused vermouth. Mr. Wise’s drink had a few other ingredients in it, but what
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Chamomile-infused dry vermouth 1 750 ml bottle of Dolin Blanc de Chambéry (available at The Wine Cellar and Nature’s Own) 6 bags of chamomile tea Steep teabags in vermouth for about 4 minutes, or until it starts to turn a straw color. Refrigerate after using. Build in a rocks glass: 2 1/2 oz Chamomile-infused Dolin Blanc 3¾ /4 oz Plymouth Gin (NC Code# 42-962) Add ice and stir 50 revolutions Take a twist of lemon, express the oils over the cocktail and then put the lemon twist into the drink.
Cocchi Spritzer
I mentioned the Cocchi di Torino earlier; Cocchi Americano makes a few delicious aperitif wines. Cocchi Rosa is made from the brachetto grape, which is grown in Italy’s southern Piedmont region. Brachetto d’Acqui wine is usually medium-bodied, and has a little bit of sweetness. The Cocchi Rosa takes this grape and adds bitterness, rounding it out with flowers and spice. Again, this fortified wine is also great on its own. Adding sparkling water and some fruit will make this a spritzer, which is more an aperitif than a cocktail, but that’s OK. Grapefruit Syrup Using a vegetable peeler, peel the skin of two grapefruits, avoiding peeling off the white pith. Combine the grapefruit peels with 1 cup of sugar in a food processor. Blend. Place in a sealed container and let sit overnight. Combine grapefruit-sugar with 1/2 cup of water in a pot. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar has dissolved. Strain through a sieve.
Build in rocks glass: 4 oz Cocchi Americano Rosa (available at Nature’s Own) 1½ /2 oz Grapefruit Syrup 1¼ /4 oz fresh lemon juice Add ice and top with sparkling water and a strip of grapefruit peel. OH Tony Cross is a bartender who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails. He can also recommend a vitamin supplement for the morning after at Nature’s Own. June 2016
O.Henry 31
SATURDAY JUNE 4, 2016 8 a.m. Benefitting Second Harvest Food Bank, Greensboro Urban Ministry and Open Door Ministries of High Point THE PIEDMONT TRIAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT will host its seventh annual 5K/10K ON THE RUNWAY• SATURDAY, JUNE 4, at 8:00 a.m. on the airport’s 5L/23R 9,000-foot runway. This certified run is being held to fight hunger in the Triad. For more information and registration, please visit www.ptirun.com
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32 O.Henry
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Threads
Lookin’ Like a Maxi-Million
Move over, mini-skirted Jean Shrimpton wannabes: Greensboro fashionistas have rediscovered the maxi dress — and we all look mah-velous! the young people, maxis are fresh and new, and they’ve never worn them before. They’re trendy, and they can be flattering on anyone.” The judges for the recent Betty Creative Streisand warbled the lines, “If we Awards agreed. Celebrity stylist Freddie Leiba, former creative director of Harper’s Bazaar, had the chance to do it all again/ and creative director Andrew Basile, formerly Tell me, would we, could we?” of Bergdorf Goodman, were in town for the from the 1974 schmaltzy ballad second annual fashion competition in April at Revolution Mill. “The Way We Were,” little did “It’s all about how you wear the maxi,” she know she’d have to wait four Basile says. “The proportions are important, as well as the prints and shapes.” decades for an answer — at least Leiba stresses that the dresses are easy to where ’70s fashion is concerned. wear and to sit in, given the longer length. “We’ve gone through a lot of vulgarity, and evWell, Babs, relax. Because, yes eryone has gotten tired of it, so now we’re more we would! And we are! Amid covered up,” he says. “When you see so much that’s bare and tight, it doesn’t look as sexy. the resurgence of hot pants (now Now we’re going back to the illusion of sexy.” “short shorts”), platform shoes, Words such as “romantic” and “confident” flares and tunics comes what is describe the look to them, and Betty Creative contestant Amy Moret of UNCG displayed perhaps the most wearable — and both, boldly sending a natural denim, tie-dyed summery — of Me Decade Mod: maxi with appliqued flowers down the runway. “It took a lot of pleating, and I just thought the maxi dress to use vibrant, flowing colors and not a Valentino. Elie Saab. Zara. Missoni. Paul darker, heavier denim,” Moret says. “Then & Joe. Tory Burch. Today it’s almost easier to I used a sponge to dye it. I was inspired by name a designer who’s not doing a maxi dress, Dior’s new look.” because most all of them are. In fact, endless Her model, fellow UNCG student yards of diaphanous material floated down Alexanderia Wallace, loved the dress. “It feels most all of the 2016 Summer runways. Just Amy Moret’s romantic natural denim, tye dyed, maxi dress with very comfortable,” Wallace says. “It’s not my look around, and you’re likely to see at least appliqued flowers inspired by Degas’ ballerinas, featured at Terry style, but I would wear it every day.” one fluttering down the sidewalk. Maxis have Melville’s 2nd Annual The Betty Creative Awards, Dream Big And that’s perhaps the best part of the new become the “apple a day” of the dress world. Denim & Degas. Photo by Santiago Elliott maxi trend. The dresses can be worn to work, And that’s great news for Kit Rodenbough or out on the town. For travel, they’re easy to and her local vintage store Design Archives in pack, and they go with heels or flats, with simple accessories or with something downtown Greensboro and Winston-Salem. sparkly for evening. “They’re for women who like to go out,” Rodenbough says. “Eight years ago, we’d get ’70s maxi dresses into the store, and we’d have to “They’re also great at music events. But I see them every day now for every age.” cut them off into a mini,” Rodenbough recalls. “Girls were like, ‘What is this? It Does Barbra Streisand herself still go for the maxi style? Two years ago, at looks great, but it’s too long.’ Now they get it.” age 72, the shy star was photographed in New York wearing a black maxi and Why are maxis taking a second turn at the disco? “I think it’s because matching crepe jacket. ’Nuf said. everyone can wear them,” she says. “If you’re older, they cover your legs. And for By Waynette Goodson
When Barbra
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June 2016
O.Henry 33
Threads
Max’d Out
eatatcrafted.com
In 1965, actress Julie Christie wore romantic, flowing maxi dresses in the epic film Doctor Zhivago. Three years later, The New York Times featured a cotton lace Oscar de La Renta maxi dress made for Elizabeth Arden Salon. Then the style took off like Donna Summer on the dance floor. Cher wore them perfectly in the ’70s, as did Jean Shrimpton, Cheryl Tiegs, Lauren Hutton and Bianca Jagger. Today these fashion icons inspire us to try the maxi dress on for size. For the well-endowed, avoid ruffles, pleats and strapless styles, and go for sleek, cinched-in silhouettes. Depending on the style, sometimes you can get away with a cami underneath for extra coverage. For the vertically challenged, choose dresses that are tighter (i.e. less fabric) and wear a belt to elongate your legs. Go for empire waists or A-line styles with vertical stripes or prints. For the curvy, choose a bold print rather than a solid color and try dresses with thicker straps and fabrics that skim rather than cling to the body. Empire-waist styles are the best choice. Not so curvy? Then embrace the style and go for it with plunging necklines and open backs. The more reserved can find flattering styles with molded cups and ruched details.
Take It to the Maxi
If you’re in the market for a vintage maxi dress, then groove on down to Design Archives the first week of the month when new inventory comes in. First Fridays are a great time to put on those platforms and go on a maxi treasure hunt. shopdesignarchives.com
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Your favorite Crafted fare served anywhere! Customized catering. 34 O.Henry
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Four emerging fashion designers recently faced off for Terry Melville’s Second Annual Betty Creative Awards. Keianna Smalls of N.C. A&T State, and Stephanie Shaneyfelt, Gordon Holliday and Amy Moret, all of UNCG, received raw denim from Cone Mill and created looks inspired by the Cone family’s Degas paintings of ballet dancers (See GreenScenes, page 107). Ballerinas from the Greensboro Ballet School brought the evening to life, staging a live class and posing for faux portraits. While all of the pieces that came down the runway expressed tremendous talent, Holliday won first place for his futuristic looks in which the models wore mirrored masks. For his creativity, Holliday took home a Bernina sewing machine and will have his own pop-up shop at a local boutique — masks not included. OH Waynette Goodson is the Editor of Casual Living magazine. She can think of nothing more fabulous than lounging in a maxi dress on a sunny patio by the pool. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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36 O.Henry
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Pappadaddy’s Mindfield
Yessir, Gobble Gobble Tom the turkey tells it like it is
By Clyde Edgerton
Recently, Papadaddy
wrote an essay about several friends of his who are actual wild bears. These particular hunters — yes, the bears — have somehow managed to harvest and mount (as in: put on the wall as a trophy) a few 300-pound (and plus) human hunters in the last few years. (See the March 2016 issue of O.Henry.)
Several of Papadaddy’s turkey friends liked the essay, and one, Mr. Tom Turkey, asked for a shot at writing a short piece. Papadaddy said, go for it, Turkey.
Turkey Rights
ILLUSTRATION BY HARRY BLAIR
By Tom Turkey
Hello, my name is Tom Turkey. I’m a conservative. My older brother, Forrest, is the liberal in the family. The only one, thank you. Our happy families live and worship near Wilmington, where some courageous turkey hunters, who are human, complain that they cannot, by law, “take” or “harvest” us on Sunday mornings. Hummmm. Gobble, gobble. Let’s set the record straight: First, “take a turkey” and “harvest a turkey” are politically correct ways of saying something that really means this: “That there turkey stepped into a clearing yesterday morning and I flat killed his ass.” Now that’s the American way of telling it like it is. Yessir. Let’s drop this namby-pamby verbiage. I, for one, ain’t no sissy, and I ain’t no sissy talker. You know, this sissy language gets said and written down by liberals who get all bent out of shape when they hear about dead animals. But who consistently breaks the speed limit, and always runs over possums and never stops to put them out of their misery? Liberals. Because, for one reason, they don’t tote iron — so how can they put a possum out of its misery? And for another thing, they are always in a big hurry to get to some vegetarian or trans-vegan panel discussion somewhere in Chapel Hill . . . or Charlotte. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Yessir. Gobble, gobble. Me and Forrest, my liberal brother, once in a blue moon, do agree on some things. For example, we both have been heard to say: “I’d like to be totin’ a bazooka and early one frosty morning catch a turkey hunter all slunk-up and hiding in a bush and bust his ass.” But you know what? There is a law against turkeys having bazookas. The Turkey Anti-Bazooka Act of 1945. Now think about this: Is that fair? — I mean, guns have rights too. If you were a turkey (or a gun), and some of you may be, wouldn’t you lobby for a turkey’s right to own a bazooka and other large automatic and semi-automatic weapons? Of course you would. No political correctness there. You humans think you live in dangerous times and places? Give me a break. The fact is this: You people are safer today than you’ve ever been in history. But imagine walking to church and along the way somebody’s dressed up like a tree and trying to take you out. We turkeys can load and reload a bazooka — and we should be allowed to walk in peace to and from church on a Sunday. That’s our Mother Nature– given right, and it falls under “religious freedom,” by golly, by gobble. By the way, that “no-hunt on Sundays” law was enacted by Unionists back in 1868 at about the time we Southern turkeys started going to church on Sunday mornings. The law was passed when we and other people and animals were put in danger — now this is true — because of Confederate soldiers gathering here and there and playing with their guns on Sundays. The more things change the more they stay the same. We turkeys still need that Sunday morning no-hunt law. Hear, hear. Gobble, gobble. Write your congressman or congresswoman and say you are getting tired of political correctness. Take? Harvest? You take your time. You harvest beans. By gosh, by golly, by gobble, we need to tell it like it is. —Tom Turkey OH Clyde Edgerton is the author of ten novels, a memoir and a new work, Papadaddy’s Book for New Fathers. He is the Thomas S. Kenan III Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at UNCW. June 2016
O.Henry 37
38 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
A Novel Year
The Unsung Hero A brief painful tale of second fatherhood and flag football
By Wiley Cash
PHOTOGRAPH BY MALLORY BRADY CASH
I’ve noticed a few things
about heroes over the course of my life. They’re usually modest about the attention their bravery has garnered. I’ve watched President Obama award the Medal of Honor several times, and the recipients always stand by as the president narrates their heroic story. I always imagine that the president is telling a story these heroes would never tell about themselves. A subtle message becomes clear: Heroes don’t tell their own stories.
Perhaps that’s why I had such trouble explaining my injury to my wife after flag football practice in February. It had been a cold Sunday afternoon when we convened on a muddy field. I lined up as a receiver, and as soon as the ball was snapped I felt something else snap in my left quad. I shuffled off the field, walked in circles, gritted my teeth, fell to the ground, and stared at the sky. The thigh muscle I’d just pulled tightened like a rubber band and withdrew into some secret space inside my body that I would not be able to reach with ice or heat or the icy-hot ointment that promises some combination of the two. By the time I arrived home, my lower back, clearly jealous of all the attention my thigh was receiving, had decided to seize up like an accordion
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
that could not be opened. I sat in the driveway for a few minutes, trying to decide how best to exit the vehicle. I opened the door and lifted my left leg, grimacing through the tears. Once both feet were outside the car I slid from the seat and stood as straight as I could, which wasn’t that straight. Our toddler, Early, ran out to greet me, and I found that the two of us stood about eye-level. My wife, Mallory, who at the time was seven months pregnant, followed close behind. Back in the fall, when I’d told Mallory I was going to play flag football, she’d responded, “I have no doubt that you’ll hurt yourself. The only thing I can’t predict is how.” Even though Mallory is several inches shorter than me, she towered over me now where the three of us stood in the driveway. “What happened?” she asked. Keep in mind that I’m a storyteller. Telling stories is what I do for a living. I took a moment to decide the best way to narrate the story of my injury. I looked up, found that I could not raise my eyes above Mallory’s pregnant belly. “I was standing still,” I said. “And then I ran as fast as I could.” “You hurt yourself because you ran?” she asked. “It’s way more complicated than that,” I said. “I can’t explain it.” Over the next few months, no matter how much I stretched or how much I rested, I reinjured the same quad every time I took the field. It seemed that no amount of ibuprofen, ice or heat could quell the muscle’s initial rage at being disturbed on that frigid February day. Other pulls, strains and sprains came and went, but the quad pain stayed with me. I gave up trying to explain it, especially as Mallory drew closer to her delivery date and more uncomfortable with the stress that the late stages of pregnancy has on a woman’s body. All that to say this: I suffered in silence. June 2016
O.Henry 39
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40 O.Henry
May 2016
A Novel Year On the first Sunday in April I came home from a late flag football game with burritos from Flaming Amy’s. Mallory had already put Early to bed and was reading a magazine on the couch. I served up our dinner and took her a plate. We’d been eating for a few minutes when she said, “So, I think I’m in labor.” Our bags were already packed. Grandparents were already on stand-by. There was only one thing left to do. I placed my hands on the coffee table, winced through the pain, and stood as straight as I could.
Keep in mind that I’m a storyteller. Telling stories is what I do for a living. I took a moment to decide the best way to narrate the story of my injury. “I’ll go ahead and change out of this jersey,” I said. We arrived at the hospital around 9:30 p.m., and our daughter Juniper was born about five hours later. Her birth, like our first daughter’s birth, probably like all births, was exhilarating, painful, exhausting, and beautiful. Mallory was just as amazing this time as she was the first time she gave birth after laboring for over twenty-four hours. We settled into our room on the mother-baby floor around 6 a.m. Mallory was still going strong, but my head was swimming, and I was humiliated to be so exhausted after she’d done all the work. She took one look at me and said, “Please lie down for a few minutes. I’ll need you to be rested later so I can try to sleep.” I stumbled over to the couch in the corner and collapsed just as one of the nurses entered. “Your husband looks exhausted,” she said to Mallory. “Well, he’s been through a lot,” Mallory said. “He had a flag football game yesterday.” Finally, I thought as I tumbled into sleep. Someone is telling my story. OH Wiley Cash is a New York Times best-selling author whose second novel, This Dark Road to Mercy, was released last year. He lives in Wilmington. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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O.Henry 41
Your home means everything to me
Melissa Greer Realtor / Broker, GRI, CRS
Chairman’s Circle Platinum Award 2015 Chairman’s Circle Diamond Award 2014 Chairman’s Circle Platinum Award 2013 Chairman’s Circle Gold Award 2010, 2011, 2012
336.337.5233
www.melissagreer.com
melissa@melissagreer.com
300 Staunton Drive – Starmount Forest – MLS 791325 - $664,900 Elegant custom home walking distance to Starmount Forest Country Club. Dramatic 2 story entry features marble floor, curved stairway & beautiful chandelier. Living Room with 2 sets of french doors. Spacious Dining Room with dentil molding. Gas Fireplace in Cozy Den. Kitchen has granite, attractive cabinetry, top quality stainless appliances, 5 burner Thermador gas cooktop & double oven. Main Level Master Bedroom features 2 vanities & deluxe bath. Sunroom with stone floor overlooks brick patio & professionally landscaped yard with pool & spa. All baths recently renovated. Includes wooded property beyond fence for great privacy.
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42 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Birdwatch
Heard, Not Seen The unmistakable call of the Eastern whippoorwill
By Susan Campbell
Should you live adjacent to wet
woods, for weeks now I am betting that you have been treated to a loud, haunting and repetitive call at dusk. But I’m also guessing you haven’t even caught a glimpse of the source. The sonorous, unmistakable vocalizations most likely originate from a medium-sized, extremely well camouflaged bird. And while the seemingly endless three syllable chants of “whip poor will” drive some people to distraction, it is a source of solace to others. And is there anything more distinctly Southern except, perhaps, the scent of magnolias in full bloom? But make no mistake: The Eastern whippoorwill is as hard to find as it is easy to hear! Its magnificent mishmash of mottled gray, brown and white plumage make it almost magically invisible, whether perched on a low branch or sitting on the forest floor. Although whippoorwills do have a brilliant white throat patches, as well as some pale but distinct coloration on the corners of their tails, in comparison to other birds some might call them dull. However, their variegated and mottled camouflage seems to others like a work of beauty beyond art. Males and females are almost identical in marking, except that the outer tail patches on males are white whereas they’re buff-colored on the females. Otherwise, males and females are identical. One other important difference, though, is that only the males do the calling.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
In early spring, whippoorwills make their way north from their winter lodgings, which can range from Central America to perhaps as far north as the Gulf Coast. Their overland route, which they cover at night, brings them up through the southeastern states quite early in the season. But by the time they arrive, larger insects are out and about. And a good thing, too: Whippoorwills dine solely on bugs. Their huge mouths scoop up a variety of invertebrates, including moths, beetles, grasshoppers, fireflies and even wasps and bees. Given a full moon overhead, they sometimes feed all night long; whippoorwills are versatile hunters, searching for prey in leaf litter or ripping apart rotting wood. Because they spend most of their time flying in the forest and rummaging around on its floor, whippoorwills require open terrain such as open pine woodlands — of which we have a gracious plenty in our area. Nests are mere scrapes on the ground, made by females. Typically, two marbled eggs are laid and, like the birds themselves, the eggs are amazingly camouflaged in the leaf litter. Although it is the female who incubates, the male may perform a convincing distraction display at the nest site to lure would-be predators away. It is interesting to note that nesting often coincides with the full moon so the parents can maximize night-hunting for their growing family. Furthermore, young whippoorwills quickly abandon the nest after hatching, obviously to avoid predation. Unfortunately in the East, many whippoorwill populations have been in decline due to habitat loss. Woodlands, and increasingly even lowlands, continue to be replaced by both agriculture and housing developments. Prime whipoorwill territory here in central North Carolina continues to shrink. So when the eerie and recurrent call of the whippoorwill echoes out of the woods, tell your grandchildren and children to turn off their smartphones and listen up. One day they’ll likely thank you for the memory. OH Susan would love to receive your wildlife sightings and photos. She can be contacted by email at susan@ncaves.com or by phone at (910)-695-0651. June 2016
O.Henry 43
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44 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Wandering Billy
Hollywood on the Hamburger Remembrance of a classy dame and classic train
By Billy Eye
What a great time I had the
other weekend! And I didn’t have to travel past my living room where a six-man crew from London, Italy, Spain and L.A. were encamped to film an interview with your all-knowing Billy Eye for a documentary on Steven Spielberg’s first feature film, Duel. You may recall that 1971 made-for-TV thriller. If not, picture Dennis Weaver as a traveling salesman in a red Plymouth Valiant being tormented on the highway by a maniacal unseen trucker in a demonic-looking 1955 Peterbilt 281. (It was so well-received, Spielberg was dispatched to film another twenty minutes so Duel could be released to theaters.) After director Enric Folch coached an Oscar-worthy performance out of me, the crew felt so at home they didn’t even want to The Art & Soul of Greensboro
walk two blocks to see our fabled Hamburger Square . . . they sent up a drone instead. The Stephani twins made pasta while the two Americans grilled meat, duh. The crew has been in Southern California for the last month interviewing principals including legendary Universal Studios head Sidney Sheinberg, who told a young Spielberg, “Hopefully you’re going to have a lot of success in your career. And a lot of people will stick with you in success; I’ll stick with you in failure.” Time, alcohol and the sun have ravaged my face, and I’m determined to eliminate one of those factors this summer so I went out in search of a hat. That’s how I wandered for the first time into Mitchell’s Clothing at 311 East Market. John and Ellen Mitchell have been selling men’s fine fashions since 1939 at this location. The decor at Mitchell’s reflects that bygone era of personal service with deep inventories of quality merchandise. As for the object of my quest, turns out this place has dozens of styles: cowboys, boaters, top hats and fedoras. I purchased a brown leather panama and paid a third of what I was expecting. Mitchell’s stocks an amazing collection of Stacy Adams shoes and this is the only place you can be fitted for a suit in the same spot your granddad did. Mr. Mitchell told me about changes in the neighborhood, “There used to be houses all down Church Street. Next door, when we first came here, there was a Dodge dealer and the Hudson place was across the street. Trader’s Chevrolet was right up the street. Galloway Buick, before it was Galloway, was behind me. Gate City Motors had a building on Friendly they had to tear down to put the road through. They had a speakeasy down here on Lyndon Street, a black woman used to run it. You’d see lawyers and folks come from downtown, they’d walk down here to get a shot then go back to the office.” June 2016
O.Henry 45
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46 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Wandering Billy I love trains, always have, and living two blocks from our busiest tracks, what other choice do I have? When I pass from this world into the eternal fire I hope it’s a result of being tied to the railroad tracks like Penelope Pitstop. Last summer I was delighted to look up over my keyboard to see the magnificent Norfolk & Western Class J 611 steam engine, fully restored, as it rode the rails from Spencer to Roanoke. Recognizing the unmistakable hollow whistle of the 611’s horn a few weeks ago I ran out on my porch to witness
that streamlined, ultra-modern bullet train passing by, this time at night, towing a line of ’50s-era luxury club cars and sleepers. An awe-inspiring, bellowing reminder of the days when America made everything bigger, heavier. Steam locomotion was already coming to an end when this behemoth rolled off the assembly line in 1950; the 611 became a rusting sideshow attraction a mere nine years later but is now discovering that, for some, life begins at 65. Mrs. Gloria Rothchild Wine-Shelton passed away on April 1. She would have celebrated her 93rd birthday this month. When I knew Gloria she was Mrs. Bob Poole, he being the uberpopular morning funny man on WBIG radio for twentyfive years. Gloria had a regal air and impeccable taste and decorated many homes in Irving Park including ours. A brassy dame from New Orleans, she made a quick-witted counterpart to Bob who was uproariously funny, down to earth, salty even. Somewhere around here I have a photo of the couple aboard a cruise ship in 1955 that best represents my impression of what they were like together — Gloria stylish and proper, Bob goofing around. She is survived by her son Kyle Poole and daughter Michelle DeWitt, but she will always live in my memory as the very definition of grace and class, right up to the end. OH Internationally recognized raconteur of dubious but debonair distinction, Billy Eye got his sartorial start covering unknown bands playing the downtown L.A. underground scene in 1980, trolling dark dives where Perry Farrell, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Social D, T.S.O.L. and Minutemen first took the stage. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Don’t get too comfortable seeing our sign in your yard, it won’t be there for long.
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June 2016
O.Henry 47
A Member-Owned Private Club
Greensboro Country Club 410 Sunset Drive | Greensboro NC 27408 | 336.275.8506 | www.greensborocc.org
Ideas that move. Join the Guilford College Bryan Series for our 2016-17 season as we celebrate 20 years of thought-provoking talks. We’re bringing to light ideas that spark the next step forward — for our community and for our nation. Every talk is a chance for change. What will you do with what you learn?
MICHAEL POLLAN
Sustainable food advocate
Sept. 30, 2016
MARK & SCOTT KELLY NASA astronauts
Oct. 18, 2016
AMAL CLOONEY
Human rights lawyer
Nov. 13, 2016
BRYAN STEVENSON
Founder of the Equal Justice Initiative
Feb. 21, 2017
ALAN ALDA
Actor and science education advocate
April 6, 2017
New subscriptions on sale June 1, 2016. Visit bryanseries.guilford.edu. BryanSeries-OHenry-halfpage.indd 1
48 O.Henry
June 2016
5/4/16 9:19 AM
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Bidness Golf
Game On
Using golf to improve one’s bottom line remains an American tradition, even if the tax man has taken some fun out of the game
By Jim Dodson
My old buddy Jasper makes lots
ILLUSTRATION BY HARRY BLAIR
of dough playing golf. He doesn’t make it playing professionally or even wagering on friendly weekend matches.
He makes it playing what he affectionately calls “bidness golf” around the Triad and Triangle. Using the game to enhance one’s stature with important clients and customers is as ancient as the game itself. I won’t tell you Jasper’s real name, because he would be embarrassed to the tip of his fashionable FootJoys if I singled him out as a guy who claims to be a purist when it comes to keeping the traditions of the game, yet he clearly sees golf as a key asset to his bottom line. Back in the early 1990s, when everything from Florida time shares to Trump Steaks was up for sale and red hot, I wrote about the phenomenon of company golf, a concept born around American country clubs in the 1960s and refined over the decades that followed. Though still considered heresy in much of the game’s Scottish homeland, the idea of using social connections made through golf to feather one’s business interests became as commonplace in America as designer golf courses ringed by upscale housing. One business expert told me that a third of the golf played in the 1990s had a direct business purpose. “Probably half the deals made in America,” he insisted at the time, “are made on the golf course these days.” Books described the natural connection between golf and the art of corporate dealmaking. Best of all, back then, you could merrily write off almost everything — green fees, travel expenses, drinks at the 19th Hole, even your swanky hotel room — and get clean away thumbing your nose at the Internal Revenue Service. Amid the salad days of corporate largesse, Jasper often passed out illegal
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Cuban cigars on the first tee to his best golf companions. He managed to write off at least two new custom-made sets of Callaway golf clubs, not to mention every blessed golf ball, during three consecutive presidential terms. Oh, how times have changed. First came the IRS, which around the turn of the century began denying golf-related company expenses, regarding such deductions to be about as legit as a Russian dating service. A double blow came with the recession of 2007-09, which devastated the hospitality industry and sent the nation’s overbuilt golf industry into the tank. A frightening percentage of high-priced daily fee courses and resorts — and even many mainline private clubs — became insolvent, prompting forced sales and closings. Even if you’re the purest of tradition-minded golfers like me, you can understand the irresistible attraction between business and golf. Golf in America began as an amateur game in the 19th century. It later went professional, with tournaments of the 1940s often featuring bake sales and free blood-pressure testing booths, while raising dough for worthy charities and promoting the civic virtues of host towns. It wasn’t until the early 1960s that professional golf gained its first serious toehold on the nation’s sports psyche, largely due to a charismatic Wake Forest alum named Arnold Daniel Palmer. In those days, tournaments were largely local affairs sponsored by civic organizations, car dealerships and even drugstores. In sum, golf tournaments were sporting postcards from a prosperous postwar America. Try mentioning the late, great Azalea Open to a Wilmington golfer of a certain age and just watch his eyes glaze over with misty nostalgia for a simpler time when a game seemed, well, just a game, not a platform for peddling wastemanagement services. Ditto for Pinehurst’s vaunted North and South Open and the beloved history-making opens of Greensboro, Charlotte and Durham, where the game’s greatest legends including Snead, Hogan and Nelson walked their way into the record books. Los Angeles, Phoenix, Milwaukee and other cities came of age usJune 2016
O.Henry 49
I N
NO RTH
C AR O L I N A
SMALL BUSINESS IS BIG BUSINESS Business north Carolina Is LOOkINg TO fINd THe besT TAR HeeL smALL busINess.
We ask for your help to find the small businesses that best represent North Carolina. Please submit your nominations by June 22, 2016. QualifyiNg busiNesses must be: • Smaller than 100 employees • Based in North Carolina
• Independently owned with at least one active owner • In business for at least five years
Visit WWW.busiNessNC.Com/smallbusiNess
Questions, call Laura MacLean at (704) 927-6272 or email her at lmaclean@businessnc.com
Game On ing golf tournaments to boost civic pride and drum up local business. In the early 20th century, an advertising impresario named Frank Presbrey created the first “corporate outing” at Pinehurst, attracting stressed-out business types from the Northeast’s congested cities to the sleepy Sandhills for “golf, fellowship and relaxation among like-minded businessmen,” as an ad from that era explained. (He also created the resort’s Putter Boy symbol.) That halcyon age died in the late 1970s when the PGA Tour connected golf’s growing popularity to the game’s upwardly mobile fan base and realized there were princely fortunes to be made using tournament names to peddle Cadillacs, windows, retirement plans and loads of other products. As city names were subsequently replaced by corporate logos, local identities became irrelevant: The Azalea Open quickly faded into oblivion, while Greensboro became a billboard for Kmart, Chrysler and other corporate interests before morphing into the handsomely revived Wyndham Championship. Charlotte’s tournament sponsors included Kemper, Wachovia and now, Wells Fargo. On the grassroots level, where the vast majority of the auld and honorable game has long existed, managing to survive everything from world wars to global economic crises, a little cozy company golf to flatter a boss or woo a prospective customer in the interest of an improved bottom line seems harmless enough — maybe even the American way. If P.G. Wodehouse is correct that golf not only tests a fellow’s character but sometimes reveals the absence of it, perhaps golf’s greater contribution may be the sweet clarity it brings to any human association, along with genuine bonds of trust and friendship that can come from chasing an unwinnable game through the bosom of nature with a trusted companion — or even a potential client. For what it’s worth, my friend Jasper reports that the “big cigar” element has all but disappeared from the first tees of his corporate outings, mirroring a continuing decline in both smoking and the game’s popularity. A decade ago, an estimated 30 million Americans played golf at least eight times a year, the National Golf Foundation reported. In 2015, the total was 24.1 million. Golf, like success in business, is a game that’s difficult to play and often impossible to master. “As my clients have gotten older,“ Jasper notes, “there seems to be a whole lot less talk about business and more conversation about wives and grandchildren and places we’d like to go before we give up the game. Business hasn’t been fun the past 10 years. Golf with a buddy at least is always fun — especially if you take some lunch money from his pockets.” OH This article recently appeared in Business North Carolina magazine. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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June 2016
O.Henry 51
N
ext to one’s taste in high art, ranking one’s favorite golf courses might be the most subjective challenge there is. No two courses, after all, are alike — and neither are the qualities that make one a particular favorite in the eye of the player. That being said, for 21 years running Business North Carolina magazine has tabulated the ratings of the North Carolina Golf Panel, about 130 pros, coaches, noted amateurs, and business leaders, resulting in an annual list of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the Old North State. If all politics are local, so are one’s golf passions, we would like to point out. Thus we proudly present the Top 14 from the list that represents the best of the Triad region, including several Donald Ross gems.
2016
2015
1
16
Sedgefield Country Club (Ross), Greensboro
2
18
Old Town Club, Winston-Salem
3
32
High Point Country Club (Willow Creek), High Point
5
Greensboro
Country Club (Fa rm) Greensboro
PAR 72 | YARDAGE 7,302 | COURSE RATING/SLOPE: 75.1/140 In 1969, venerable Greensboro Country Club — home to one of Donald Ross’s earliest designs — purchased popular Carlson Farms Country Club and hired distinguished British course architect Donald Steel to transform it into something special — “The Farm Course,” one of the state’s finest and most challenging layouts, boasting 7,300 yards and a slope rating of 140.
Course (Par / Yardage / Course rating/slope) (71 / 7,117 / 72.9/130)
(71 / 6,825 / 73.2/132)
(72 / 6,972 / 73.9/139)
Grandover (East)
Greensboro
7
4
33
Forsyth Country Club, Winston-Salem (71 / 6,555 / 71.7/130)
PAR 72 | YARDAGE 6,800 | COURSE RATING/SLOPE: 72.5/136
5
31
Greensboro Country Club (Farm), Greensboro
6
53
Alamance Country Club, Burlington
7
56
Grandover (East), Greensboro
The Triad’s luxury resort is home to a pair of outstanding layouts and two of the state’s premier public courses. In addition to a superb practice facility and full service pro shop, the resort’s East and West courses are always in great shape and a terrific value. The East, a 1996 collaboration between former Tour players David Graham and David Parks, is regarded as one of the state’s best.
8
58
Sedgefield Country Club (Dye), Greensboro
9
66
Pinewood Country Club, Asheboro
10
67
Grandover (West), Greensboro
11
76
Tanglewood Park (Championship), Clemmons
12
97
Mill Creek Golf Club, Mebane
13
86
Forest Oaks Country Club, Greensboro
14
95
Starmount Forest Country Club, Greensboro
(72 / 7,302 / 75.1/140)
(71 / 6,900 / 72.8/128)
(72 / 6,800 / 72.5/136)
(70 / 6,821 / 74.2/139)
(72 / 6,830 / 73.5/134)
(72 / 7,100 / 74.3/140)
(70 / 7,018 / 75.4/142)
(72 / 7,004 / 73.5/144)
8
SedgeField
Country Club (ross)
Greensboro
PAR 70 | YARDAGE 6,821 | COURSE RATING/SLOPE: 74.2/139
52 O.Henry
(72 / 7,197 / 75.9/145)
(71 / 6,518 / 72.0/136)
May 2016
Wyndham Championship Director Mark Brazil estimated the 2015 tournament, held in August, had an economic impact of more than $50 million, thanks to an appearance by Tiger Woods. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
A R O M AT H E R A P Y BEGINS WELL BEFORE
YOU E N T E R OU R D O O R S The sweet scents of Southern magnolia, fragrant gardenia and Long Leaf pine engulf you when you arrive at Pinehurst. And then our Spa transports you to another place and time.
$269* Spa Escape Accommodations at The Holly Inn • 50-minute spa treatment
Located adjacent to the historic Carolina Hotel • Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina • 844.244.1278 • pinehurst.com *Rate is per person, per night based on double occupancy. Valid 3.6-11.15.16. Subject to tax and resort service fee.
© 2016 Pinehurst, LLC
Overflowing breakfast buffet • 20% discount on spa retail
YOUR LONGEST
DRIVE will be on the GOLF COURSE a getaway in your own backyard.
Why spend hours in your car for a weekend getaway when you can enjoy a beautiful resort, golf and spa within minutes of downtown Greensboro? 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.
June 2016
The Visitor The lame crow visits once a day At least. Most often in the morning, Sometimes alone, sometimes with family. Crows are faithful, Mate for life, I’m told, Commanding, princely birds Despite the noise. This one — I call him Nevermore — limps, His foot held off the ground, Which lessens not his appetite. Don’t laugh: I buy cheap hot dogs Break them into hunks, which he swoops down to grab. I smile as he flies off, his beak is full And he is happy. At first, my only thought was pity, Did this injury cause him pain? Was he weakened in his constant search for food? Not remembering that, twisted leg or not, Unlike a wounded mortal With fractured bones and broken spirit He still can fly. — Deborah Salomon
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June 2016
O.Henry 55
Springtime in the Summer
How Piedmont Springs — today part of Hanging Rock State Park — became a resort for the local elite and North Carolina titans of tobacco and commerce By Charles D. Rodenbough
A
t the turn of the 20th century, as the June sun caressed the golden leaves of tobacco in the fields of Guilford County, the area’s elite, wealthy from the business and industrial expansion of the “new South” would scurry around packing their trunks with enough colorful casual clothing and provisions to last a month. Their destination? Piedmont Springs, situated in the Sauratown Mountains in the heart of Stokes County. Some would arrive in coaches, servants in tow, with trunks strapped top and rear. Others arrived at Walnut Cove by train, taking the thrice-weekly coach to the spring to join vacationers for shorter stays. Partway through the month, husbands with busy business schedules that precluded long absences from the office would follow. Summer excursions to “take the waters” had a long tradition in European capitals, such as Baden-Baden and Marienbad and in America at natural springs in Saratoga, New York and Warm Springs, Virginia (later christened “the Jefferson Pools”). Apart from the rural routine of the agricultural, antebellum South, the hectic pressures on the burgeoning business class set a new pattern of recreation among the harried men who could afford it. Men and women alike found that the mineral springs were not only a place of relaxation but also promoted claims of tonics for improved health. Drinking and bathing in the waters that flowed from deep in the recesses of the Earth were good for doddering grandparents and anemic children and just plain healthy for the entire family. The Moravians had been the first to appreciate the salubrious benefit of drinking from the mineral waters of Piedmont Springs. Dr. Walter McCandless, one of the early proprietors of the resort suggested that “like a charm” the water would act upon anyone suffering from dyspepsia, scrofula (a glandular disease and possible form of tuberculosis), not to mention ailments that generally afflicted females. It would “strengthen the weak and languid,” and remove “impurities from the blood,” McCandless asserted. In no time, there were more claims of cures than there were ailments. The first resort hotel at Piedmont Springs was built in 1850. Cabins sur-
56 O.Henry
June 2016
rounded a lodge-like hotel/ tavern with rustic amenities. Its owners who had cleaned out two springs discovered an obvious distinction between them. On one side, a freestone spring issued from recently formed sedimentary rock and babbled clear and cool. From the other side ran another spring thought to contain chalybeate, perhaps saline chalybeate, also clear as crystal and with a slight odor and having, yes, the ever so slight taste of blood, euphemistically described as “styptic.” The flow was a strong two gallons per minute at a temperature of 58 degrees. By taste, it was evident that one active ingredient was carbonate of iron. Already the water of their mineral springs was considered by the natives to be “a cure for diseases of pure atony or debility.” Having cleaned the springs, the hotel’s proprietors lined the banks with rock laid in lime mortar that created a small three-sided cove. The open floor was covered with stone. Vacationers enjoyed the curative waters for about fifteen years until the hotel burned to the ground at the end of the Civil War, a metaphor for the demise of the old social order based on slave labor. But as the poet once said, the old order changeth, yielding place to new, however slowly. During the Reconstruction era, over a period of another fifteen years, investors built a three-story replacement hotel with wide verandas across the face on all floors and a central cupola from which guests could enjoy an extensive view of mountain scenery. A table “furnished with the BEST eatables the market affords” and a bar “with superior LIQUORS and CONFECTIONARIES,” proved irresistible. Local gardens and the copper stills of the Buck Island hills of Dan River prospered. An Italian band made up of John Varalla, his wife and sons, Joe and Frank, played at meals, and in the evening, ladies and gents took to the dance floor. Nearby, other springs at Moore’s, Vade Mecum, Pepper’s Alum Springs and Smith’s Chalybeate Springs grew in popularity, each meeting a variety of tastes: Spa enthusiasts became particularly enamored of one over the other, swearing by alleged restorative value particular to each site. When they weren’t improving circulation and their general constitutions in the burbling waters, The Art & Soul of Greensboro
vacationers hiked the mossy trails to the rock outcroppings at Moore’s Knob and Hanging Rock, oohed and ahhed at DeSchweinitz Cascade, Mirror Falls, and ventured to the ominous-sounding Devils Den, Buzzards Rock, Tory’s Den, and the Blowholes. Longer excursions were available to the distinctive, stark dome of Pilot Knob or even the Blue Ridge. In the spring of 1880, not yet a decade old, this second hotel at Piedmont also burned to the ground. People still vacationed in the cabins and even the Italian Band continued to play. Then, in 1887, General Julian S. Carr of Durham acquired a one-quarter undivided interest in the Piedmont Springs Company. An honorary general, Carr was already well-known as an industrialist and philanthropist. He had acquired W. T. Blackwell & Company tobacco factory in Durham, and is credited with creating the Bull Durham brand. With a gift for advertising, Carr saw in Piedmont Springs a ripe opportunity and approached J. C. Braxton, former mayor of Winston (later to be joined with the Moravian town of Salem), a member of the North Carolina Senate and Chairman of the State Democratic Party to join him in promoting the mountain retreat. Braxton had the advantage, not only of political connections but social ones, as well; his father-in-law was Edward Belo, a leading industrialist in Salem. Together, these capitalists sold stock in Piedmont Springs to wealthy and influential individuals. The list of investors read like a Who’s Who of Central North Carolina: C. B. Watson, who would be the Democratic candidate for Governor in 1896 against Daniel Russell; J. A. Bitting, whose daughter, Kate, married William Neal Reynolds that year; brothers Pleasant Huber and John Wesley Hanes, who owned tobacco manufacturer P.H. Hanes Co.; Rufus D. and Dr. William Brown, who later took over T. F. Williamson Co., to become Brown & Williamson Tobacco; Jesse Lindsey Patterson, grandson of Governor Morehead and solicitor for Forsyth County; William A. Lash, a wealthy businessman in Walnut Cove. Another investor whose brother would later play a key role in the saga of Piedmont Springs was John M. Taylor; their father, Spotswood Bassett Taylor, owned the Taylor House in Danbury. These men represented a particular class of citizen. Most were Confederate veterans, many of whom had made their money in the economic boom that arose from processing tobacco in factories across the state. Some, perhaps by General Carr’s design, were also forces behind the restoration of the Democratic Party and the structuring of segregation in North Carolina.
June 1, 1889, saw the first season of the new Piedmont Springs Hotel a three-story, Tuscan-style beauty typical of the Victorian era. Occupying the site of the old hotel, it faced southwest, and on each level guests could sit and rock, socialize and take in the fresh air from full porches that stretched across the façade of the building and around both sides. The hotel’s most distinctive feature was a square tower, four stories high that appeared to rise out of the center of the high-pitched roof with dormer windows. The tower had its own set of dormers on the top level, which allowed guests to look out across the woodsy, undulating Sauratown range in all directions. Inside the tower, stairs provided access to every level (even the attic, which, more frequently than not, served for staff and overflow patrons). Each of the nearly fifty guestrooms, opened onto one of the wraparound porches, and to stave off the nighttime chill each had a fireplace. And just as in-room WiFi is a given in today’s hostelries, Piedmont Springs offered state-ofthe-art technology of its day, electric call bells. But why stay in a hotel if you could afford to own your own vacation house? With an eye toward a growing seasonal community (and no doubt, growing profits), Piedmont’s stockholders had streets and individual lots surveyed along the high ground, with spaces allocated for public lawns and a chapel. A boulevard outlined the area north and west. It ran along a topographical line following the ridge, creating a winding road on level grade. Two shorter streets were named Ridgeway and Cascade Avenue and another road, Alum Springs Drive, appropriately led in the direction of its namesake. A small street near the hotel bore the moniker befitting a Monopoly game board, Hotel Place.
Nellie Moon Taylor’s strict Quaker beliefs, — no smoking, no drinking and even a ban on Coca-Colas — stood in stark contrast to the resort atmosphere of the 20th Century.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
A total of fifty-seven private lots were sold in 1889 to families from across the state. Most of the stockholders, such as William Neal Reynolds and the Hanes brothers, bought in, as did many of. Greensboro’s elite. Among them, J. Van Lindley, the first president of Security Life and Annuity, whose interest in the mineral wealth of Guilford County had prompted him to establish Pomona Terra Cotta. Joining the new property owners was another leader in the insurance business and civic innovator Alexander Worth McAlister, whose fourth-generation descendants spend time at their summer cabin at Piedmont Springs to this day. The Glenn and Gallaway families had been denizens of the hotel since its first incarnation, so it’s no surprise that Mary B. Glenn bought a lot. Her cousin, Robert B. Glenn, would become Governor in 1904. June 2016
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Robert M. Douglas, was a Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and he and his mother-in-law, Mary E. Dick from Greensboro, had — wouldn’t you know — separate lots. Other comers to the new, exclusive mountain enclave included W. L. Trotter, J. Willie Smith and the Foushees. Joining the ranks was J. Spot Taylor, son of Spotswood Bassett and proprietor of the Taylor House Hotel in Danbury. Spotswood B., as he was sometimes called had, from time to time, managed Piedmont Springs, a fortuitous arrangement for Spot. A year earlier, in 1886, he was attending a service at the Methodist Church in Madison, N.C. one evening to hear the well-known Quaker evangelist from Indiana, Nellie Moon. Seated beside her onstage was her daughter, also named Nellie, who noticed a young man in the congregation staring at her intently. She sent him a note: “I am praying for you.” His immediate response was, “you can get me without praying for me!” Spot and Nellie Moon courted at the DeSchwienitz Cascade (now known as the Lower Cascades and named after German naturalist Lewis David de Schweinitz, after which North Carolina’s Schweinitz’s sunflower is named). The newlyweds took on management of Piedmont Springs together, establishing its reputation for wholesome family fun. Years later, Nellie recalled that at the end of that first year, they had put away $1,000, a substantial beginning for their family. Imagine the scene: Food and companionship, fresh mountain air and cool spring water. Sunday concerts of sacred music following regular church services. A leisurely game of croquet or a lively tennis match. Boating, bathing and fishing on the Dan River . . . All of these pastimes operated as equalizers for the high-powered guests. One can only imagine the conversations that must have occurred between titans of bright leaf, John Galloway and Spot Taylor (the largest growers of flu-cured tobacco in the world) and R.J. Reynolds when he was up visiting brother Neal. Hearty breakfasts of fried chicken, steak, country ham, grits, gravy, hot biscuits, honey, preserves, eggs, plenty of milk
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and butter doubtlessly greased the wheels for the consolidating the tobacco industry in the 19th century. And what lively — or even heated — political debate occurred among the likes of Governors Glenn, Jarvis, or Bickett and Braxton, the chairman of the state Democratic Party, and prominent Republican Party leaders Judges Robert M. Douglas and R. P. Dick at the dinner table, adorned with galax leaves, and bearing china plates whose neat stamp of “Piedmont Springs” was covered with a bounty of vegetables from local gardens? No doubt tempers eased by the time the rich desserts were passed around, thanks to the artistry of Walter Hawkins, an African American and chief cook at the resort in 1892, whose talents landed him a better gig as head cook at the White House in Washington, D.C. This iteration of Piedmont Springs appeared to be such a success that more hotels — ahem — sprang up at Moore’s Springs and Vade Mecum, fostering healthy competition in the widening market for recreation and leisure. Alex H. Gallaway, Jr., a Wachovia Bank executive wrote to Spot Taylor, “If you will give me a “bankrupt” (cutthroat) rate I will bring you up a little bunch of people about the 1st Aug. Mr. [James A.] Gray for a week or ten days Jas. A. Jr., the same length of time Miss Bessie Gray two or three weeks, Mrs. Gallaway & myself two to four weeks. If you don’t do me right I’ll go to the Vade Mecum Zoological Garden and take Ditch Gilmer with me.” In 1904, Vade Mecum enjoyed a big public relations boost when its water took highest honors at the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition. In the years before the First World War, transportation transformed the mineral springs resorts. The automobile substantially increased the range of the typical family vacation and at the same time made possible more frequent visits and shorter stays. Piedmont advertising promoted new highway access, hot and cold baths, electricity and the Bell Telephone Company that connected Piedmont with the world. There was daily mail and with it the daily newspapers. In 1913 Messrs Davis and Linville purchased a handsome new sevenpassenger Hup motor car to operate as the Piedmont livery line. The trip to and from the train at Walnut Cove was less than an hour. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The Taylors had now acquired controlling stock in Piedmont. Nellie Moon Taylor’s strict Quaker beliefs, — no smoking, no drinking and even a ban on Coca-Colas — stood in stark contrast to the resort atmosphere of the 20th Century. Although she enjoyed the universal respect of everyone who knew her, Nellie’s restrictions only spurred guests to come up with ingenious ways of avoiding her displeasure. Men never drank in front of her but knew where to go to find the dipper. There was nothing wrong with a nip but to take a drink in front of Nellie would be an insult to a lady. Boys played mocking pranks outside her door and then their mortified parents saw that they personally apologized to “Miss Nellie.” It never bothered her. She laughed at the paradox of her opposition to smoking when her husband was one of the largest growers of tobacco. To a friend who smoked she confided, “You are in the muck as much as I am in the mire. You smoke it and my husband grows it.” She insisted she never saw her daughters standing on the rim of the commode, blowing cigarette smoke out of the transom. As for drink, well, better roads meant a new business that grew out of the Buck Island hills above Danbury with the coming of Prohibition. On some days when the atmosphere was right, every gully and valley around was crowned with a cloud of smoke from nearby copper stills. A product reputed to be of the highest quality ran freely and a Dodge coupe with an engine that Junior Johnson would have envied gave the sheriff a merry chase as they flashed past Piedmont Springs on the way to Greensboro or Winston to deliver moonshine. A future staple of the growing leisure class, NASCAR was born. Spot and Nellie Taylor had four girls and six boys and in the roaring ’20’s, with its rising youth movement, Piedmont Springs’ family atmosphere and access to the curative waters began to take a backseat to more convivial pursuits. As the Taylor children, and those of other families who had grown up enjoying Piedmont went away to college, the springs became a magnet for courtship and entertainment. There was the dance pavilion built adjacent to the spring and weekend dances lasted until midnight. Girls always outnumbered the boys among the residents of the spring, so young ladies would summon carloads of
boyfriends from area colleges. Usually they exceeded the available accommodations, and the Taylors would fill the attic with beds, some packed with as many as thirteen people to a room. In the early hours of March 12, 1930, the town of Danbury came alive with cries as smoke and flames emanated from the hotel at Piedmont Springs, two-and-a-half miles away. The Taylors rushed from their home only to watch helplessly as, fire consumed the lovely old Tuscan-inspired grande dame, her dormered tower and graceful wraparound porches illuminating the night sky in a shower of sparks. As the embers cooled, so did the incentive to rebuild: The economic reality of the Great Depression would prevent the opulence of the Belle Époque from rising from the ashes and mute the roar of the ’20s. But as ever, the old order changeth, giving way to the new. Or rather, New Deal. The government bought the summit of the Sauratown Mountains, including Moore’s Knob and Hanging Rock, part of it from Spot Taylor. The Civilian Conservation Corps was then brought in and hundreds of young boys armed with pick axes and shovels, and lodged in barracks about a mile from Piedmont Springs, began the quarrying and construction of Hanging Rock State Park. Today, the nearly 8,000-acre park joins Piedmont Springs and includes Moore’s and Vade Mecum Springs. Visitors still come to hike the mossy trails and admire the outcroppings of rock, swim and fish in the Dan River as the beautiful people of a bygone era once did. Their accommodations are more modest — cabins, RV parks and bed-and-breakfasts have supplanted the grand stylings of the earlier hotels. There’s even a nearby music venue, the Green Heron House, which also serves — gasp! — craft brews. What would Miss Nellie think? OH Charles Rodenbough is an author living in Greensboro. His twelfth book, Martinville, a Courthouse, a Battle, a Town in Guilford County History was featured in the March 2016 issue of O.Henry. He is involved in preservation and historical research in Guilford, Rockingham and Stokes Counties, and the Museum and Archives of Rockingham County History (MARC).
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June 2016
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Sew Fine A special class of women who make community — and meaning — one stitch at a time By Cynthia Adams • Photographs by Elise Manahan
M
y grandmothers made cunning little Barbie dresses, with twee satin wraps and minute brocade coats. They made my Barbie doll cocktail dresses and evening gowns, for Pete’s sake, and ensembles fit for an investiture. One of them made baby clothes, befitting a wee Prince George or Princess Charlotte. By contrast, when they sewed for themselves, they made sensible cotton aprons and frumpy “house” dresses of fabrics that looked like dish cloths. They were actually made from flour sacks — and that’s no exaggeration. (Mind you, my Mama Patty kept a pocketknife in her apron, just in case. She could clean a fish, too, and trap a rabbit for a stew.) But I digress: At the heart of this digression is the fact that my mother had no interest in handmade clothes. Store-bought was where it was at for Depression-era-born Jonni Louise Tucker. So JLT’s daughters learned only how to sew a button on, because JLT would have sooner burned a blouse than affix a button. That is, until she discovered the miracles of a glue gun. But what goes around in life is bound to come back around. Let me intro-
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duce you to those who play a Singer with the energy that Mick Jagger plays a Gibson SG. They are a band of executive and professional women who sew like they mean business because, well, they really, really do. It’s Tuesday morning at Mulberry Silks & Fine Fabrics, a fabric shop within the converted Carr Mill in Carrboro. Liz Kobesky is the amiable owner and also instructor of Advanced Sewing and Designs. The “advanced” denotation is no exaggeration — Kobesky’s students could kit out Jagger for his next swagger through Cuba and a world domination tour. Or the Pope! Or Miss Universe! The class of high-octane women checks their egos at the Mulberry Silks door, as each becomes an acolytes, there to recharge her creative batteries and learn from a master teacher. Greeting one another are artists, a Raleigh trial lawyer, a retired teacher, a photographer, a history professor, a retired executive and a Triad chef, hotelier and restaurateur, Nancy King Quaintance. After greeting one another they take their places at a large worktable and bow their heads to work — exactly as they have every Tuesday, as some have done for
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Nancy King Quaintance The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June 2016
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the past thirteen years or more. The class members bring a crazy quilt of backgrounds to bear. Each has children, obligations and other demands on her. Each makes concessions to be there. But clearly, it is well worth it, they agree. Kobesky’s classes are so popular, there’s a waiting list in order to get into one. And by all accounts, it would be quite a wait — largely because Kobesky’s students, once enrolled, never leave. Most of the classes offered are filled instantaneously. The students come from as far away as Salisbury or the West coast. Kobesky confesses apologetically, “We don’t even take names for the list anymore.” Mulberry Silks also offers specialized classes, frequently on weekends, with national teachers and designers who come for several days at a time. Nancy Quaintance says that in addition to her Tuesday sewing sessions, she is now attending on Sundays with her teenage daughter, Kathleen. The classmates murmur appreciatively over the luxurious silks, velvets and fine fabrics that will be whipped into wearable art, or at the very least, one-of-a-kind bespoke clothing. While their closets are already full of their creative work and their wardrobes don’t actually need refreshing, this class is about more than sewing: It is about community, engagement and meaning-making. Kobesky’s class begins each Tuesday at 10 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.; but it spills over until 6 or so when the class often enjoys cocktails as the next class of younger women troops in. The actual classroom is a quaint brick-walled room with a wooden floor. The light spills inside from massive windows; a large worktable comfortably seats six. According to longtermer Quaintance, their master class is actually “half sewing and half group therapy.” The students sit before expensive sewing machines (and even sergers) with the purpose of sewing expensive fabrics into special-occasion pieces and occasional casual wear. They actually lug the machines to each class — and these are not lightweight portable machines but elaborate ones. “I sew on a Pfaff as does Liz Kobesky, Jan Williams and Pam Justice,” says Quaintance, who lives in Greensboro’s Fisher Park, but makes the forty-five-minute Carrboro drive without a murmur. “Diana Parrish and Elizabeth Baulk both sew on a Bernina and Laura Edwards uses a Husqvarna Viking. All are super good machines.” Parrish, poised before her Bernina, is making a jacket of a paisley challis wool. A photographer and artist, she has sometimes exhibited her work at GreenHill in downtown Greensboro. Pam Justice is working with an indigo patterned knit. “I was the queen of Halloween costumes,” she jokes. She has been in the class since 2001. “We save no money,” she laments, describing their love for fine fabrics and elaborate garment construction. The fabrics the women in Advanced Sewing are partial to can start at $45 a yard. When you add the cost of the class, they are certainly not sewing to save money. Because the fabric is so precious, many sew a muslin prototype, carefully adjusting for perfect fit, before they even begin the final garment. Their standards are exacting. And they can make almost anything, from wedding gowns to quilted skirts. But, Quaintance insists, she “cannot do alterations.” Actually, she clarifies, she will not do them. Since retiring, Justice has bought a second home outside San Francisco. She now divides her time between North Carolina and California, making special effort not to miss classes in Carrboro. She says her husband laughingly refers to their meeting place at Mulberry Silks as “the clubhouse.” Few of them live nearby but all religiously commute, machines in tow. Elizabeth Bauk lives in Salisbury, nearly two hours away. She discovered the Carrboro class when “one of my children entered Carolina” in 2002. She jokes, “I stumbled over this stalking her.” Now, she stays overnight in her daughter’s Chapel Hill apartment on Tuesdays; the drive to the class seems unimportant. Bauk, who makes art quilts, taught herself to sew at age 10. She appreciates the critical feedback from her fellow seamstresses. “You learn to take it like a woman,” she quips. “We have the saying, ‘We’ll do anything, but not on Tuesday.’” Bauk still confesses twinges of guilt that the class that day conflicts with her son’s ballgame in Durham. Her fellow classmates murmur and tut-tut at this, assuaging Bauk’s guilt. She fingers a black metallic fabric she is turning into an evening coat. “It’s a little blingy,” she acknowledges, smiling. Later Baulk confesses a velvet coat she made in this class is so prized that she would “run from a burning house with it.” Jan Williams has been part of the sewing group for nearly five years since retiring as an administrator. She works with cut velvet, the color of a deep garnet. It will become a draped jacket; it is a pattern she likes and has made before with tweaks
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
and variations “We are designers,” she says with pride. Her mother and daughter are also seamstresses. During a lunch break, Laura Edwards joins the class. She teaches history at Duke University and makes most of her work clothes. “It’s what I do for fun,” Edwards explains. “Some people golf. I sew.” She also says she has another mission, dispelling the myth of the frumpy professor: “I like to raise the sartorial standard somewhat.” The shirt she is busy making is more casual; therefore, one she says she probably will not wear to work. Edwards’ birthday is that week, and the class members have chipped in for a cake that they will enjoy later. After lunch — during which the friends passed plates and French fries around for sampling — the women settle quickly and bend their heads to work. The buzz at the large worktable is peaceful, companionable. Their sewing boxes are opened and filled with colored threads and miscellany. Nancy King Quaintance earned degrees at Johnson & Wales University’s College of Culinary Arts in Providence, Rhode Island, and hotel administration at Cornell University. Yet this was not her first choice as a career path. “As a kid, thought it would be fun to make clothing and design as a career,” explains Quaintance. But when Nancy Quaintance was a girl it was “uncool” to sew, she recalls. “Now, it’s a creative endeavor,” Quaintance says over lunch at the Print Works Bistro. The bistro is within Proximity Hotel, one among the Greensboro restaurants and hotels she and her husband, Dennis, preside over, along with their longtime partner and friend Mike Weaver. The duo is known as one of the Triad’s power couples. She breaks into a sort of soliloquy. “One of the things it has done, that sewing has done for me, or me for sewing, is this: I am completely in the here and now. Not connected [to other things] No matter what — sewing helps me work something out. Say there’s a people problem, or we need a great menu for some group; sometimes when I’m sewing, I slow down. Better solutions come to me. I am focused on the here and now, focused on being here. It is a great lesson to learn. Sometimes, slowing down helps me speed up.” While on the clock inside the Print Works restaurant, Quaintance wears a black-and-white jacket of her own making, accented with pearl drop earrings and a simple pearl bracelet. Diners stop by and say hello. She only buys clothing occasionally, and then “it if it’s cheaper or better.” According to Quaintance, who could no doubt afford Paris couture, “It’s Zen; everybody needs something centering.” If she were to march out and actually splurge on couture, she knows precisely what it would be. She admits, “I would die to have a Chanel suit. There must be fifteen classes on how to make a Chanel suit. It must look good inside and out.” Her fashion icons are classics ones: Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. Faultless, she says. Just now Quaintance is completing a tunic-style shirt, one which requires hand sewing. She completed both a dress and a jacket the week prior. “Not very complicated, not difficult,” she qualifies. “I just enjoy doing that kind of thing.” She recently completed a top that required attaching sequins one at a time. “It’s The Art & Soul of Greensboro
amazing — like the old adage, ‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.’” Quaintance adds thoughtfully, “I do my projects one seam at a time.” In a gidderdone, one-size-fits-all, ready-to-wear world, taking control of what one wears is an expression of taking control of one’s life. Perhaps more importantly, it is time out. Time taken for oneself. Time reclaimed. And so Quaintance keeps handwork or perhaps a bit of needlepoint with her, even when waiting in the car pool line or on a plane runway. “No one understands how much we put into it. When you buy off the rack, who are these clothes made for?” She pauses, glancing down at her body. “A friend and consultant at the hotel said once, ‘You do not need to fit your clothes. Your clothes need to fit you.’” This is now her personal doctrine, something she lives by. Sewing has definitely become a solace for Quaintance. “I set a goal for the week, constantly moving projects along. I sew a little every day. I leave my work out — even if I only sew one seam a day.” She marvels at the fact that this incremental effort moves things along to fruition, resulting in as many as one hundred garments each year. Quaintance converted a room into a closet. What would anthropologists say if they walked into it? She hoots with laughter. “Sometimes, ‘sewing’ something is only cutting something else,” she explains. “I realized in my job that if we only do a little at a time (and I sew as much as I can in fifteen minutes a day) that if you have the discipline to do it, hardly a week goes by I don’t make a garment.” Last week she finished a dress and a jacket, downloaded a pattern, and worked on a “beautiful dress, handembroidered all over.” Where will Quaintance wear the embroidered dress? Does she sew for the life she lives, or for the aesthetic beauty of the garment? “I’m enchanted by the process. It will look great on me, and will fit me. I admire things I see, read crazy magazines, and cut out things I like, creating a mood board. Pinterest — oh, my gosh — I get sucked into that rabbit hole!” She is making a negative-reverse appliqué garment, one that is time-consuming. It is all handwork. Admittedly, it is tedious. Yet, says this cheerfully, happily. In a seeming detour, Quaintance begins talking about the work of designer Natalie Chanin, who founded the cottage industry called Alabama Chanin. Chanin has won recognition and awards for bringing affirmation and employment to gifted seamstresses in economically depressed Alabama. The work is sold online and through Etsy; Quaintance admires the product of Chanin’s industry and also the company’s creativity. That’s just the sort of work that she and Dennis have been doing for decades in the Triad, providing jobs and creating something lasting and beautiful, she explains. Sharing an intense interest in green methods, creativity and creating jobs, the Quaintances have combined industry with artistry. Doing well, they have also done good. Vocation and avocation synch up neatly, tidily as if making a flawless seam inside a Chanel garment, one that fits Nancy Quaintance’s life perfectly. OH Cynthia Adams is an O Henry contributing editor. She could not make a kerchief if you held a pistol to her head. Even now, her hands tremble slightly on the keyboard while recalling Mildred Green, her home economics teacher in Concord, N.C. June 2016
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Mom
Memories and meadow flowers at Greensboro Farmers Curb Market By Ross Howell Jr • Photographs by Sam Froelich
M
argaret Rumley sits atop a tall, metal-frame chair with brown cushions, her feet resting on a wooden footstool. It’s Saturday morning at the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market the day before Mother’s Day. Beside her is a metal cash box. Above it is a sign that reads, “The Rumley Cottage Farm / Flowers, Produce, Plants, Moss, Sticks and Twigs / By Mom (Margaret) and Shirley Broome / McLeansville, N.C., Guilford County.” Shirley Broome is Margaret’s daughter. She’s at work in the stand a step or two away, making final touches to rows of bright bouquets with the sign, “Mom’s Meadow Flowers $5.00 Bunch.” Shirley, of course, calls Margaret “Mom.” But so does everyone here. Well, except for the ones who call her “Ma.” “‘Meadow Flowers’? Oh, that comes from not long after I got married,” Mom says. “Next to our land was a meadow with wildflowers by a branch. Sometimes I’d gather some to sell because they always rooted real well in the damp ground. Well, one day I’d noticed these beautiful Indian paintbrush. But as I was digging them, the owner of the meadow, Mr. Wyrick, showed up. He asked me what I was doing, and I told him I was gathering flowers to sell and I’d be glad to pay him for them. “He said, ‘No, you won’t pay me, but I want you to promise me something.’ So I said I would. And he said, ‘I want you to promise you’ll buy something nice for yourself with the money.’ I told him I would, and I bought myself this beautiful
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Chesterfield wool coat, and I wore it one day visiting him, so he’d see. It’s funny, his son Roy Wyrick became the manager of the farmers market, and ran it for many years. I bet Roy was 80 years old when he retired.” Mom smiles broadly, remembering. In fact, she always seems to be smiling, and her hair is as white as the deutzia blossoms in the bouquet she’s wrapping for a customer. When she first came to the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, Mom was 7 years old and Franklin Roosevelt was in the first year of his first term as president. One of eight children growing up in the Great Depression, Mom helped her parents sell flowers and vegetables. “My job was to look after my little sister in those days,” she says. “Keep her out of mischief. I got the nickname Mom way back then. It just kind of stuck.” These days Mom’s job is mostly to make change for customers. She can’t move around as nimbly or stand so long as she used to. She celebrated her 90th birthday in March, and has been through two hip replacements. “See, here’s a little trick,” she says. “Whenever I get ones, I fold five of them together to keep them. That way I can make change quicker.” Her customer, Cynthia Carrington, shifts an armload of peonies and two bouquets to the side and tucks the change from her purchase into her pocket. “Oh, I’ve been buying flowers from Mom ever since I got married,” Cynthia says. “Forty years. Year-round. You always get a surprise, because Mom and Shirley work with what’s in season. Over time, we became friends.” She pauses for a moment. “Mom’s helped me with all sorts of plants for my The Art & Soul of Greensboro
garden in Sunset Hills. Peonies, hydrangeas, lenten roses. She’s great with heirlooms. Gives you advice on how to take care of them. She even helped me find weigela, an old-fashioned plant.” (The Asian shrub, Weigela florida, for you serious gardening types.) Then she smiles brightly. “Oh, and one of my favorites, a bush called ‘Sweet Bubby’ or ‘Sweet Betsy,’ I forget which. It has another name, too. Victorian women used to keep a blossom in their kerchiefs for the fragrance.” “Carolina allspice,” a gentlemen in the next stand over says quietly. He’s R. L. Stewart, a plant grower from Julian, a compact man with close-cropped gray hair and soulful eyes. While he’s soft-spoken, the vegetables he’s selling are as eloquent as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. “I’ve shared space with Mom for going on forty years,” he said. “Sometimes we swap plants, or help each other with the growing. She’s been a true friend.” Shirley is busy replenishing bouquets in the little display buckets at the top of the stand from big pails underneath. She freshens the bouquets with her fingertips. The process for Saturday’s bouquets begins on Thursday. “That’s when I collect the greenery,” Shirley says. “Cedar, longleaf pine, boxwood. Ladies really like the greenery in the bouquets, for the scent.” She places a bouquet in the last empty display bucket and inspects the results. “See? It’s always different. This week we had sunflowers, roses, deutzia, snowballs, daisies, bachelor buttons, false indigo, snapdragons, azaleas, lilies of the valley and larkspur.” Her eyes quickly scan the bouquets. “I cut the flowers on Friday,” she says. “Then the bouquets have to be put together. I work fast, I have to, there are so many to do. I don’t even think. It’s like painting. I have my colors, I put them in, until the bouquet feels right. Then I band it tight and move on to the next.” She transfers flowers and bouquets in water buckets to a pickup truck, setting tall items behind the built-in toolbox to shield them from the wind. Once at market, everything must be ferried to the stand and set up for display. Sound like hard work? Mom and Shirley are women who’ve known work all their lives. And they’ve known hard times, with a husband and father who had been a drinker and gambler before he got himself straightened out. Mom once held down three jobs — full-time at Lorillard Tobacco Company, on a patch of tobacco on their farm, and in the garden plots used to grow flowers and vegetables for the farmers market, all while raising three children. She had other ventures, too. “I learned how to make scalded butter from my mother-in-law,” Mom says. “She sold it at market. So I thought I’d give it a try. I got a little electric churn, and I started playing at it. Once the butter starts to make curds, I’d pour in scalding water. Makes it real frothy. Then I’d form it in molds to chill. People loved it, because it’s light and fluffy, and it has a little buttermilk taste. There was a man owned a restaurant in Greensboro, and he’d buy every one of those molds. My mother-in-law got mad about it, said I was taking all her customers, so she bought The Art & Soul of Greensboro
my stand right out from under me. But when a man heard what had happened, he let me sell my scalded butter from his stand.” A young woman selects a Meadow Bouquet and hands it to Shirley. Shirley quickly wraps it in paper. The woman offers her a $10 bill. “Oh, Mom can help you with change,” Shirley says. “I wanted to ask you,” the young woman says, leaning toward her. “The last bouquet I bought, I took the rubber bands off, and put it in a vase. But I couldn’t arrange it to look as pretty as the way you had it. Can I just leave the bands on?” “Sure,” Shirley says. “They won’t hurt. Flowers’ll draw water just fine.” The young woman nods and smiles nervously, relieved. “Thank you,” she says. She begins to make her way to Mom. I can see Shirley’s mind is far away as she watches her mother make change. “On Saturdays when Mom’s not here, it’s hard,” she says. “I can barely keep up, restocking the stand, helping customers, making change. Everybody stops by, asking, ‘Where’s Mom?’, or they’ll say, ‘I get scared when I don’t see Ma.’ You know, because of her age. Oh, the peonies are low.” Shirley pulls two big arrangements from under the stand and places them on display. People walking in the aisle lift their faces to admire their beauty. “I was about 8 years old when Mom first brought me to the farmers market,” she says. “It was at the corner of Sternberger and Commerce Place. The men wore suits and hats and the women wore dresses. The vendors. Can you imagine? Next door was the old A&P grocery store. I remember inside the grocery, on the right, was the dairy section, and above it, they kept toys. I must’ve behaved that day, because Mom took me in after market was over, and I picked out a Suzy Smart doll. Suzy came with a school desk. And Mom bought her for me.” A woman is giving Mom a big hug, careful not to crush the gorgeous arrangement of peonies she’s just purchased. Her name is Alison Swafford. “I missed seeing you last weekend, Mom,” Alison says. “She was getting a new ceiling fan,” Shirley says. “And babysitting Troubles.” Troubles is Shirley’s cat, the size of a small pony, at least from the picture she shows me on her phone. “I named her,” Mom says, beaming. “She doesn’t miss a meal, I’ll tell you.” “You know, my mother always had peonies around for Mother’s Day,” Alison says, looking at her flowers. “I’ve always come to Mom to get them. I’ve been buying Mother’s Day peonies from her, oh, it must be twenty years.” She pauses. “The Greensboro Farmers Market is a great tradition. And Mom? Mom’s a treasure.” OH Ross Howell Jr. has retreated to the garden after four months promoting his novel, Forsaken. In June, thanks to Mom and Shirley, he’ll plant Carolina allspice by his front porch. June 2016
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Hydrangea Madness From Endless Summer to Limelight, Ruby Slippers to Nikko Blue, Piedmont to coast, a plethora of varieties boggles the mind — and bewitches the garden By Lee Rogers • Photographs by Mark Steelman
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s a garden designer, every spring I troll the aisles of Lowe’s, The Home Depot and my area’s garden centers searching for beautiful new plant introductions. In particular, I’ve been fascinated in recent years by a bounty of new hydrangea cultivars flooding the market, all making claims of superior beauty, improved strength and floral display. This year, out of simple curiosity, I flipped through some local wholesale nursery catalogues to see how many hydrangea varieties would be available for this season in North Carolina. Not counting the climbing varieties, I found fifty-five cultivars offered — enough to overwhelm even the most experienced hydrangea fan. Hydrangea madness is easy to understand. The woody stemmed shrubs are grown in virtually every warm-to-cold weather region of the United States, and their old-fashioned, long-lasting pink, blue and cream white flower heads (panicles) are outrageously showy affairs. Sometimes they last most of a summer, making them irresistible to gardeners of all skill levels. Unfussy and easy to root, arguably the most popular flowering shrub in America, hydrangeas, as everyone’s gardening grandmother knows, make great cutting flowers for any occasion and offer superb foundations for dried arrangements. Woody plant expert and University of Georgia horticulture professor emeri-
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tus Michael Dirr, however, has pronounced that many hydrangea cultivars now available or just reaching the marketplace aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Among other factors, in the rush to sell the latest cultivars with bolder colors and claims and reliability, some varieties are not field-tested adequately enough to fully assess their value to home gardeners. “It’s almost like you sell it and then move on to the next plant,” Dirr recently told Penn State’s extension service (extension.psu.edu), pointing out that some new introductions are forgotten as quickly as they appeared, just two or three years out. Some “aren’t even available in the market anymore. Customers may be dissatisfied but they’re already on to the next thing, again being promised as better [when] it probably isn’t. You tell me how to regulate it. I’d like to know how to do it too,” he vented. Dirr would certainly know. With a doctorate in plant physiology from Massachusetts, Amherst, not only did he write the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, the most popular book on the propagation of woody plants (with more than 300,000 copies in circulation), but has also developed more than sixtyfive varieties of woody plants and shrubs, including perhaps the most popular hydrangea to date: Endless Summer, a reblooming wonder that some say is the answer to a gardener’s prayer. Since its introduction in 2003–04, Endless Summer has reportedly sold well north of 20 million plants. “There’s no doubt it [Endless Summer] has genetic propensity to rebloom,” says Dirr, acknowledging that the proven success of his cultivar may have The Art & Soul of Greensboro
contributed to the public’s growing passion for hydrangeas. “Every other person that was breeding a hydrangea or marketing a hydrangea or retailing a hydrangea said, ‘I’ve got to do something to compete with this,’” says the father of modern Hydrangea Madness. But even Endless Summer may not be perfect. According to various reports, the cultivar did great in zones seven, eight, nine but failed to rebloom in zones five and six, most likely owing to the shorter growing season and factors beyond the gardener’s control, including sudden springtime freezes. (North Carolina ranges from zone five to eight on the U.S.D.A. hardiness scale.)
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o what’s a hydrangea-loving gardener to do? Simplest answer is look around and take careful note of what works best in your particular area of the state. Greensboro-based gardening guru Chip Callaway believes Endless Summer hasn’t quite lived up to its billing in his garden — the reason he uses the Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf) or H. paniculata (peegee) species instead. And although the Hydrangea serrata (lacecap) varieties are simply gorgeous, given the right conditions, he does not recommend them for clients in the Piedmont region. He recognizes Hydrangea Annabelle as another Southern favorite, especially for June weddings, and recommends that they be located in a corner of the garden to be used for cut flowers since their stems are floppy in heavy rains. “They just need to sprawl under the weight of their own glory,” Callaway says. He singles out H. paniculata (Tardiva) as a special favorite, easy to grow and profuse in its blooming characteristics. As is a variety that I’m partial to, Unique, which is very similar but has a slightly tighter blossom. In the same category is H. Vanilla and Strawberry that Piedmont retailer AB Seed’s plant buyer, Jennifer Siegenthaler, simply raves about. She has personally tested this hydrangea and reported that it takes shearing well, comes through local winters unscathed, and is not floppy . . . even under the weight of 10-inch blooms that open up creamy and progress through shades of burgundy to blush. For many of the same reasons, my fellow landscape designer, Gail Scott, of Lotus Designs in the Sandhills, finds the paniculata hydrangeas most dependable for gardens of Pinehurst and Southern Pines. She relies on H. Tardiva but also uses Little Lime and Limelight varieties interchangeably, depending on how much space there is in the garden. For Sandhills growers Scott recommends setting them where they will receive shade from early afternoon on. And because the soils of her region are so sandy, she stresses the importance of good soil amendment, regular irrigation and a full inch or two of mulch to preserve moisture. Last year Scott found an oakleaf variety called Ruby Slippers that bloomed The Art & Soul of Greensboro
outstandingly, among the more compact, varieties such as sike’s Dwarf and Pee Wee, which to my mind are practically interchangeable and equally gorgeous. I am testing all three at home here in Greensboro. Greensboro-based landscape contractor Tim Apple of New Earth Designs has built many gardens in the Wilmington area and tells me that he doesn’t find hydrangeas nearly as adaptable to the coastal climate in terms of flowering power. “Within a half-mile or so of the ocean front, you get salty breezes and the soil is poor and sandy, and hydrangeas wilt in a heartbeat,” he reports. Tom Ericson, plant buyer for The Transplanted Garden in Wilmington, agrees that the wind and salt air near the ocean can be a problem that results in stunted growth. On the other hand, he feels that certain types of hydrangeas have an important place in Port City gardens. Ericson reports customer requests for compact hydrangea varieties which work well as either garden or container plants are growing. He especially likes “Wedding Gown,” a dwarf double lacecap cultivar which initially blooms white then stays green and turns to pink late season. He’s also had good success with the Cityline series of dwarf reblooming hydrangeas (Paris, Venice, Berlin, Rio, etc.), and also gets repeated requests for the Let’s Dance series (which grow bigger than Cityline). Finally, Ericson is also a fan of H. paniculata Limelight but recommends cutting them back as the first blooms are finishing in order to produce a second set of flowers that fade to pink in late fall. Ericson still gets requests for some of the tried and true H. macrophylla like Penny Mac, All Summer Beauty, Nikko Blue and Nanctucket Beauty (some of which are not even rebloomers). As for Endless Summer, he reported “not a bit of luck” with that one. Given our nation’s long history and natural love affair with hydrangeas — a flower that simply says summer to millions — I simply cannot leave this subject without mentioning my own success and ongoing love affair with Climbing Hydrangea, H. anomala petiolaris, a woody vine that seductively attaches itself with stem-borne adhesive rootlets to walls or anything else nearby without need of man-made supporting structures.
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ften overlooked in the mad consumer dash for the latest showy hydrangea blooms, climbing hydrangeas produce wonderful Queen Anne’s Lace-type flowers in early summer and then reveal a dainty fan of peely cinnamon-colored bark after the leaves drop in winter, leaving behind its beautiful wooden architecture. Like many slow-growing plants, climbing hydrangeas are a somewhat pricy investment that, once established, prove themselves year after year and season after season. For the record, mine seem almost immune to cold and never fail to bloom come late spring and early summer. At the end of the day, summer may not be endless as advertised but choosing the right hydrangeas for your zone and particular garden can prove to be nothing short of magical upon summer’s welcome return. OH Lee Rogers has a landscape design business based in Greensboro and adores most flowering shrubs. She is currently growing only twelve varieties of hydrangea in her urban garden. You can contact her through her website at leerogersdesign.com. June 2016
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For the Love of Frank For Burlington’s John Love, America’s mid-century continues to dazzle — in his home and his music. By Robin Sutton Anders • Photographs Amy Freeman
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F
rom the sunny living room of his 1946 ranch — the first home built in Burlington after World War II — John Love lays out a convincing argument for why, if you’re only going to buy one Frank Sinatra album, it should be Sinatra at the Sands: With Count Basie & the Orchestra. The now-56-year-old Love heard it first when he was 18. “Many consider it to be the best live recording, period, of any genre,” Love says. “I fell in love with the album, recorded in the Copa Room at the Vegas Sands Hotel. About a third of the way through, Sinatra addresses the audience, all off the cuff: “You may have read — or heard recently — that I turned 50 years old. And I’m here to tell you, it’s a dirty Communist lie, straight out of Hanoi. And I’d further like to say that if I hadn’t spent all those years drinking with Joe E. Lewis, I’d be 29 and not 50. And in the immortal words of Joe E. Lewis, a friend in need is a pest” And then, just as quickly as his spot-on Sinatra impersonation fills the room, Love’s accent snaps from Atlantic City back to mid-Atlantic. “When I was 18, my first thought when I heard that was, ‘Jesus, does anybody live to be 50 years old?’” Love laughs. “And then I thought, ‘For 50 years old, he can really sing.’” Maybe that’s about the time Love realized he, too, could sing. Maybe that’s when his longtime love of Ol’ Blue Eyes solidified. At the very least, that was the moment Love had the idea to celebrate his own 50th birthday the same way. “Through the decades, since I can sing his music, people have asked me about my favorite Sinatra album. And way too many times, I’ve answered with, ‘When I turn 50, I’m going to recreate that album.’”
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Too Marvelous for Words
According to Love’s wife, Kim, this same living room, surrounded by rare, wormy chestnut paneling and warmed by light streaming through original floor-to-ceiling windows, is Love’s favorite room in the house to sing — well, aside from the shower. “The paneling in here makes the space feel masculine, and there are plenty of places for people to sit,” she says. “Now, if I could just convince him to put a baby grand in the corner over there.” John’s memory of his introduction to the house — and this room, in particular — is just as vivid as his first encounter with Sinatra’s Live at the Sands. At the time, he lived around the corner. “The previous owners had a party with a bluegrass band set up in the backyard; they were boiling lobsters; there was an open bar, and they had the doors open so it flowed in a circle,” he remembers. “It was a great house to have a party.” That December, the owners threw a holiday bash. “When I left the Christmas party, I told the gal who owned the house, ‘If you ever sell this house, let me know,’” he says. “I was thinking ten years. She called me the next Tuesday.” John moved into his new home three months later. He married Kim six years later. Over the years, the couple gradually tuned the home’s floorplan to accommodate their collective four children and later John’s aging mother — all the while maintaining the integrity of the original layout. “When you renovate a house, two things are important,” John says. “One, the addition needs to look natural from the outside. I would hope that when people drive by, they don’t notice we’ve added on. Two, the inside should flow;
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
it shouldn’t feel choppy. “As far as the way the home looks,” John says with a nod to Kim, “You leave that up to somebody who has the taste and the style and the talent.” Some might find the Loves’ living room too dark, too old-looking, Kim says. “My goal has been to accent the architecture and use creativity to make the home’s strong points stand out. You play up the good parts rather than taking a big, old wood room and making it full of man stuff,” she explains. “You try to make it so that everyone feels welcome.” Her hallmark touches include colorful art with bold, bright shapes; funky glass chandeliers that collect light and ping it back in vivid patterns along the walls; metallic paint combinations that lend an unexpected and surprising balance to the home’s traditional materials. Sumptuous fabrics and art share space with Home Goods deals. “I’m the type where, if I see it and I love it, it doesn’t matter where it comes from,” Kim says. “I think it’s fun — it’s kind of, whatever fancies me that day.” Furniture and media placement add to the vibe. “There are very few TVs in any public room in our house,” John says. “For the last fifty or sixty years, it seems like the living room and den of most houses are centered around the TV. But when you put a TV in this living room, you have to adjust the furniture in an unnatural way that makes conversation difficult.” On the contrary, their house features plenty of reading nooks, Kim says. “There are a lot of places to escape — ‘Mom!’ ‘Mom!’” she mimicks. “It takes a while for them to find me.” June 2016
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Let Me Try Again
Kim’s aesthetic sensibilities took center stage once more as time marched on, John’s 50th birthday approached, and the couple prepared to recreate the Copa Room at the Alamance Country Club. They spread the word to friends and family across the country that John, accompanied by the Florida large band he’d performed with in the past, would perform Sinatra’s Live at the Sands album. Then, the entire event was thwarted — three times. “First we postponed it and rescheduled because John’s mother got sick,” Kim says. “Then we postponed it again because his father got sick.” “A buddy from Vegas called to ask me if I was going to do this thing, and I said, ‘No, it’s a lot of work and I don’t think we can do it,’” John recalls. “He told me, ‘If you don’t do this, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.’” John hung up the phone and called his bandleader in Tampa. “His wife answered the phone and said, ‘You didn’t know? He died last week.’” Devastated, John pressed on. “I’d been told this guy from Charlotte, Doug Burns, had the best big band in the South and could do what I needed,” he recalls. Burns, who has led his seventeen-piece band for more than twenty years, remembers taking the first call from John. “I said, ‘Hello?’ and he said, ‘Hello, this is Frank Sinatra.’” Burns admits being a little skeptical at first but says they didn’t have to talk long before he realized the huge potential in John’s idea. “He turned out to be phenomenal,” Burns says. “What makes him so great is that he has lived this music for thirty-five years, and it’s just kind of
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
become part of his DNA. He’s very engaging and entertaining. He’s funny, and he’s easy to talk to. That’s the way he is when he’s performing. The really good performers are really good because they love what they do. And he loves doing this music.” Thousands of articles pay homage to the 1956 night when Frank Sinatra, accompanied by Count Basie’s orchestra, performed for 220 guests at Vegas’ Sands Hotel. Kim pored through as many of those articles as she could get her hands on so their recreation would be historically accurate. Women were dressed to the nines, she learned; men wore suits and tuxedos. John and Kim didn’t just mail invitations; they sent out instructions. “We told our friends all about the history, what to expect, what to wear, and said the first 220 people to respond would get to come,” he says. “That’s one way my party was better than Sinatra’s night at the Sands — I got to handpick my audience.”
The House I Live In
That sense of historical accuracy, combined with the desire to create an inviting home they could share with friends and family, guided each of the Loves’ home renovations. “We like to entertain — and I know that’s a cliché — but it’s fun,” John says. “It’s fun to have people over who haven’t been here before and see their reaction. Different people have different things they like.” Whereas the original house flowed in a circle, John describes their current floorplan as concentric circles. “You can get two flows,” he says. “We had a party here at Christmas, and with both of the outdoor fireplaces June 2016
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Story Of A House 226 S. ELM STREET GREENSBORO, NC 336 333 2993 OscarOglethorpe.com
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going, it can handle a lot of people and everyone feels comfortable — we know they feel comfortable because usually around 2:30 in the morning, we say goodnight and go on to bed.” At one of their parties, the Loves confirmed from a guest that their house was, in fact, the first built in Burlington after World War II. “A good friend of ours, Jim Copeland, who is 76, can still remember riding his bike over with his friends and watching the construction,” John says. “He said it was a big deal because no house had been built around here in five years.” That helped John crack the mystery of the home’s vinyl siding exterior, which, when he moved in, was covering the original, slightlycurved, thick birch planks. “They were gorgeous, so one of the first things we did was rip the siding off of the back of the house, sandblast, sand, prime and seal the birch,” John says. “By the time we finished, the paint was already peeling. I couldn’t figure out why. The wood wasn’t rotting or anything like that.” Years later, while reading a Sunday News & Record article about the original developer and builder of multiple homes in Greensboro’s Kirkwood subdivision, John solved the mystery. “I read that when the servicemen came home from the war and got married, the demand for housing was just phenomenal. The developer said they’d built all these little houses — and he was proud of how good they still look today — except that now, he said, almost all are covered in vinyl siding. “The reason is simple,” John explains. There was no lumber in the lumberyard because none had been cut for homes. “So literally, the trees were standing in the forest on Monday, cut on Tuesday, sawed on Wednesday and then onto houses on Thursday. None of the wood was cured at all or treated — and instead of rotting, which is what you might think, it turns to cement and you cannot get paint to stick to that wood.” The home’s original kitchen now serves as a 300-square-foot laundry room. “They didn’t have big kitchens back then,” Kim says. So she and John added on, and then added on again to connect the kitchen to the garage, yielding an additional fireplace, courtyard and swimming pool. One would swear the new kitchen is original, as the curved cooktop island features the living room’s rare, wormy chestnut wood and the original red-oak floors flow through to the garage entrance. Kim even used a faux-painting technique to make the new pine pantry doors match the home’s original pine. “We actually found that wormy chestnut that’s now on the island along the stairwell leading down to the cellar,” Kim says. “They just don’t make houses like they used to.” Kim’s decorating style — she calls it “eclectic The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Story Of A House elegance” — leaves no stone unturned. Or cushioned by moss, as is the case on their new patio. “We’ve been trying to make moss grow back here, and I read you could do it by blending a buttermilk mixture and pouring it between the stones,” she explains. “I think we bought every half gallon of buttermilk between here and Durham, and then back to Greensboro. It’s finally started to take off. ” Today, with the additions and the decorating “pretty-much done,” John says, “didn’t we do a lot of this to really relax? And shouldn’t the goal, for everyone who wants to improve their home — for whatever inconvenience or whatever money — be not necessarily to increase the value of the home, but to relax? This is where we live; this is our home.”
You Make Me Feel So Young
The night of his performance, John didn’t want to be showered with birthday gifts. He had a better idea. “I thought, what if we make it like Vegas and just say, ‘come to the party, but if you want a good seat, bring a check and we’ll give it to charity. Whoever brings the biggest check gets the best seat at the table,’” he says. “The people lined up outside, and we had a pit boss who took the cash. If you brought a hundred dollars, you got that seat, and with a thousand, you got that other seat, just like you did in Vegas.” Before the show started, guests mingled, sipping bottomless cocktails. When your drink got to here,” John says, pointing about halfway up his glass,” they gave you another one. When the lights went down, you were escorted to your table and your drink of choice was waiting for you. But then, about 90 percent of the bartenders went away. You could get a drink, but it wasn’t going to be a drink-fest. We copied that.” When it was time for the band to begin, John peeked through the door at the back of the room to catch the crowd’s reaction. They were still walking around, talking to each other, with no idea the concert was about to begin. “The way it worked was, the band would come out while the lights were still on and start by playing five numbers — without Sinatra in the room,” he describes. “They don’t say anything; nobody introduces them; they just start playing.” John watched the crowd and felt the disbelief. “Nobody ever hears a seventeen-piece orchestra anymore. Those musicians are unbelievably talented, and as they play, the electricity builds and sets the room on fire,” John says. “Then the lights dimmed — just like in Vegas — and I walked into the room.” John describes three types of people who come to his shows: those who love Sinatra, those interested in the cause, and the ones who are either mildly interested or dragged by the group that loves Sinatra. Performing for the third group might be the most rewarding, he says. “It’s great because you can see them falling in love with the music, and understanding why his work is so good.” The Loves, along with Doug Burns Big Band, raised $37,000 for Duke Children’s Hospital that night, and they’ve held several benefits a year since then. “We, as a band, love this kind of music, and there aren’t that many opportunities to play these original arrangements with a great singer and entertainer,” Burns says. “One of our favorite parts of it all — and the audience loves it, too — is when he talks a little between each song about the history of when it was recorded, or he gives a little information about Frank that’s interesting. “It’s a real pleasure for us, so we’re really grateful for him to let us do it. Boy, was I glad I answered that phone call.” OH Robin Sutton Anders is a freelance writer living in Greensboro. She’s already selected an era-appropriate dress for John Love’s next performance and hopes he’ll sing her favorite, “That’s Life.”
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O.Henry 77
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“Summer afternoon — summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” – Henry James
Gather Ye Herbs
By Rosetta Fawley
The summer solstice, also called midsummer, approaches toward the end of the month, June 20 here in North Carolina. Keep an eye out for mischievous fairies, who will play all sorts of tricks if they’re left to their own devices. Remember how naughty they were in A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Exactly. If you don’t want to wake up in love with your best friend’s boyfriend or having grown an ass’s head in place of your own, you need to gather the herbs of St. John on Midsummer’s Eve, fashion a garland with them and hang it on your door. Or use them to make a bracelet or some type of amulet to wear. The feast of St. John takes place on June 24. St. John’s Eve, June 23, is traditionally a time for gathering healing herbs and plants. Coinciding as it does with midsummer, the Almanac thinks it’s probably best if you gather the herbs for your garland on June 19 and keep that garland up until June 24. In keeping with custom — and adapting to what we have in season here — you can use fennel, rosemary and lemon verbena. The most important herb of all is St. John’s Wort of course, renowned for its mind-balancing properties and so-named for its propensity to flower around St. John’s feast day. If you live near woods or mountains, it might be worth collecting bracken spores on St. John’s Eve. Rumor has it that if you gather them at the exact moment of St. John’s birth, you can use them to make you invisible.
Beach Blanket Charm
You can find St. John’s wort growing wild across the state. If you’re going to the beach in search of a cool breeze, you’re sure to spot some in the dunes. You’ll also notice the dramatic red and yellow blooms of Gaillardia pulchella, sometimes known as the beach blanket flower or Indian blanket. A member of the aster family, and native to the Southeast, it thrives in sandy conditions. In fact, it will grow just about anywhere, so if you can’t get to the beach, then consider putting the seeds on your fall planting list. All the beach blanket flower needs is full sun. Technically, it’s an annual, but in North Carolina it behaves more like a short-lived perennial. The flowers will bloom from spring to late fall; you may need to prop the plant up a little once it starts to bloom. Beach blanket flower makes a great cover for waste areas or for borders. The pollinators will be grateful, as they’ll use it to make dark, buttery tasting honey. And you’ll have brought the beach to your house. Time for a drink with an umbrella in it.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Picnic Thyself
June 18 is International Picnic Day. Take the time to enjoy eating outdoors. Farms and gardens should be producing a bounty of fruit and vegetables by now. Make your picnic a real feast by choosing what’s in season for the best in succulent taste. Here are some ideas for easy picnic dishes that can be made well in advance in case you intend to hike into the wilds: Roast a chicken stuffed with thyme, garlic and an onion. Carve it up and hand it around. Slice a few zucchini lengthwise, about a quarter-inch thick. Put the slices in a bowl and pour over a slosh of olive oil and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Add a crushed garlic clove and a sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Make sure the zucchini slices are coated with the mixture. If you have time, leave them for an hour or two in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to cook, grill or broil them until chargrill marks appear. Serve with torn basil leaves and pine nuts. Slice your garden tomatoes into quarter-inch slices, cutting across their equators. Arrange artfully on a plate if you’re not hiking. Drizzle good olive oil over the tomato slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Voilà, a tomato salad. Serve with fresh bread on either side of the tomato slices and you’ve got sandwiches. Corn is coming into its own right now. It should be so fresh it only takes a few minutes to cook. Don’t forget the butter. Early potatoes should be coming in by this point in the month. Prime potato salad. And for dessert? Pick blueberries straight off the bushes. Lie back, listen to the birds and watch the trees waving above you. OH
June 2016
O.Henry 79
1200 Pebble Drive
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June 2016
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ohalloranphysicaltherapy.com June 2016
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June 2016 Artists Without Borders
Good Golly, Miss Dolly
1- 4
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TWO IN ONE. Last chance to see Nexus: Found Objects and De Kooning and Company. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 334-5770 or weatherspoon.uncg.edu.
June 1–July 17 LIGHTEN UP. If you haven’t made it to Ansel Adams: Eloquent Light, hurry up and go! Reynolda House Museum of American Art, 2250 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem. Tickets: (888) 663-1149 or reynoldahouse.org.
June 1–September 4 ARTISTS WITHOUT BORDERS. Outsider art is the focus of Outside In: Five Self-Taught Artists from the William Louis82 O.Henry
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June 1–12
June 2016
Invasive Species
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Dreyfus Foundation. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 334-5770 or weatherspoon.uncg.edu.
June 2 GORGE WITH GEORGE. 7:30 a.m. Start the day with a breakfast commemorating President Washington’s visit to Kernersville and stick around for a lecture from James Gagliardi, lead horticulturalist for the Smithsonian Gardens at the National Museum of Natural History Ciener Botanical Garden, 215 South Main Street, Kernersville. Tickets: (336) 996-7888 or cienerbotanicalgarden.org.
June 2–4 HOPPERS HERE. The Greensboro Grasshoppers are home again. NewBridge
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Bank Park, 408 Bellemeade Street, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 268-2255 or www.milb.com.
June 3 GOOD GOLLY, MISS DOLLY. 7:30 p.m. Parton, that is. The country legend is in the house. Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 West Lee Street, Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 7453000 or ticketmaster.com. LET’S DANCE! 10 p.m. Shake it, baby, shake it at Pop-Up Dance Party. Print Works Bistro, 702 Green Valley Road. Info: (336) 379-0699 or printworksbistro.com.
June 4 I THEE WED. 10 a.m. Say “I do” to a reenactment of a traditional Quaker wedding from the early American period. High Point Museum, 1859 East Lexington Avenue, The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June Arts Calendar
Hail, Mary!
Twinkle Toes
13-19
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High Point. Info: (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.org. AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 11 a.m. Meet Stacy McAnulty author of the children’s book Excellent Ed. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com. BLUE LANGUAGE. 3 p.m. Celebrate with Grimsley High School, as it releases its new literary journal Blue. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com. AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 6 p.m. Meet Natasha Nichole Lake, author of How to Be a Boss. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com. BEN JAMMIN’. 6:30 p.m. The Benjamin Matlack Quartet delivers some boss riffs at The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Eastern Music Festival
27- 30
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O.Henry Hotel Jazz Series. O.Henry Hotel, 624 Green Valley Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 854-2000 or ohenryhotel.com. HONOR CODY. 10 p.m. (Doors open at 8 p.m.). Country’s rising star Cody Purvis channels Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings. Blind Tiger, 1819 Spring Garden Street, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 272-1819 or theblindtiger.com.
June 5 AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 3 p.m. Meet Kacie Davis Idol, author of The Tulip Factory. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com. MUSEP. 6 p.m. Grab a lawn chair and your dancing shoes! Music for a Sunday Evening in the Park returns with swing and jazz from Greensboro Big Band. Blandwood
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Mansion, 447 West Washington Street, Greensboro. Info: musep.info.
June 5–26 LATIN LOVER. Have a good laugh or two watching a twist on Molière’s Don Juan. Triad Stage, 232 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 272-0160 or triadstage.org.
June 7 INVASIVE SPECIES. 7 p.m. An exotic plant creates havoc in Little Shop of Horrors (1986), part of the Wrangler Great American Movie Series. Carolina Theatre, 310 South Greene Street, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
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2016
lessons, camps, concerts, and special events!
June 13th - August 19th Different weekly themes, activities and celebrations.
There is a camp for everyone! For ages 2-6
Spots are limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis.
WWW.HPFS.ORG • (336) 886-5516 800-A Quaker Lane • High Point, NC 27262
SUMMER 2016 at
THE MUSIC ACADEMY
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84 O.Henry
June 2016
Call 336-617-0900 OR . . . mail payment to: P.O. Box 58, Southern Pines, NC 28388
delivered to your home! $45 in-state • $55 out-of-state The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June Arts Calendar June 7
June 9–15
June 12
AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet Jo Maeder, author of Naked DJ. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
HOPPERS HERE. The Greensboro Grasshoppers are home again. NewBridge Bank Park, 408 Bellemeade Street, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 268-2255 or www.milb.com.
PEN PALS. 2 p.m. What are you writing? What keeps you motivated? What keeps you going? If you answered, “The Great American Dirty Novel” (or “ad copy”), “A paycheck,” or “Coffee,” then join other writers and bare your ink-stained soul at a free Sisters in Crime discussion. High Point Public Library, 901 North Main Street, High Point. Info: (336) 883-3660 or highpointpubliclibrary.com.
June 8 HAIL, MARY! 8 p.m. We think we’ll keep her —’90s musical phenom Mary Chapin Carpenter, who takes the stage with a stash of new tunes from her recently released The Things That We Are Made Of. Carolina Theatre, 310 South Greene Street, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
June 9 HY LIFE. 6 p.m. Learn more about hydrangeas (or see page 66) from Hayden Shuping, greenhouse manager at Reynolda Gardens. Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, 215 South Main Street, Kernersville. To register: (336) 996-7888 or cienerbotanicalgarden.org.
June 10 HOMETUNES. 8 p.m. Hear local musicians Grand Shell Game and Dark Water Rising. Carolina Theatre, 310 South Greene Street, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
June 11 REVERIE-ENT. 6 p.m. See some great leaps forward at Destination Arts Center’s “Sweet Dreams” dance recital. Carolina Theatre, 310 South Greene Street, Greensboro. Tickets: 336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
MUSEP/LEVITT AMP. 6 p.m. Music for a Sunday Evening in the Park teams up with the Levitt Amp Greensboro Music Series for a concert by Piedmont Triad Jazz Orchestra. Barber Park, 1500 Dans Road, Greensboro. Info: musep.info or concerts.levittamp.org. AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet Ellenor Shepherd, author of The Secret Shack. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
First Baptist Church Greensboro
July 11-14 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
... engaging young artists in a life of Christian worship
July 25-29 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
VBS Celebration - Thursday at 5:30 pm | Front Lawn
Closing Concert - Friday at 1 pm | Sanctuary
Kids will embark on an underground adventure that will light their way ... so come and go spelunking with your cave crew!
Choral Music, Drama, Visual Arts, Instruments (guitar, drums, handbells) and Sacred Dance
Kids ages 4 years - 5th Grade $15 per child; family maximum $40 Sign-up Deadline - June 30
Kids in grades 1-7 (2015-16 School Year) $40 per camper
Information/Registration - www.fbcgso.org/children | 336.274.3286 | 1000 West Friendly Avenue Children’s Ministry - x241 Music Ministry - x238 The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June 2016
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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 FuRniTuRe, AcceSSORieS And giFTS. Tuesday- Saturday 10-5pm 3500 Old Battleground Rd. Suite A (336) 617-4275 • www.aubreyhomedesign.com
Think Local • Buy Local • Be Local 86 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June Arts Calendar June 13–August 19
June 16
TWINKLE TOES. Get to the pointe with summer dance camps lasting a day, a week or all summer. The choice is yours. (Ages 3 and up). School of Greensboro Ballet, Greensboro Cultural Center, 200 North Davie Street, Greensboro. To register: (336) 333-7480 or greensboroballet.org.
UPPER CRUST. 10 p.m. (doors open at 8 p.m.). Hear the Toasters, the group that helped introduce Ska music to American audiences in the 1980s. The Blind Tiger, 1819 Spring Garden Street, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 272-9888 or theblindtiger.com.
June 14
June 17
AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Carol Boston Weatherford and illustrator Jeffrey Boston Weatherford discuss their children’s book, You Can Fly: The Tuskeegee Airmen. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet novelist Leigh Himes, author of The One That Got Away. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
June 15
WALKABOUT. 8 a.m. Historian Glenn Chavis reveals the Washington Street district’s past as a thriving entertainment and business district for the black community. Limit twenty people. Changing Tides Cultural Center, 613 Washington Street, High Point. To reserve: (336) 885-1859.
AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet Mark Beaver, author of Suburban Gospel. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
June 18
The Perfect Gift for Dad
Yankovic Shtick
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modern furniture made locally
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June Arts Calendar
experience fine dining from the comfort of your own home
BREW-MANCE. 10 a.m. Sip a cuppa or two — of Chinese and herbal teas grown in most colonial gardens and find out why the drink was boycotted during the American Revolution. High Point Musuem, 1859 East Lexington Avenue, High Point. Info: (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.org.
• Private dinner parties • Cocktail parties • Cooking classes • Personal chef service
YANKOVIC SHTICK. 8 p.m. Eat it up: the parody routine of Weird Al Yankovic. Hear his latest sendups such as “Happy,” retooled as “Tacky,” on his Mandatory Fun tour. White Oak Amphitheatre, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 West Gate City Boulevard, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 7453000 or ticketmaster.com.
June 19 600 South Elam Avenue 336.274.0499 chef@retoskitchen.com www.retoskitchen.com
MUSEP/LEVITT AMP. 6 p.m. Caleb Caudle croons country, followed by the Suffers, singing “Gulf Coast Soul.” Barber Park, 1500 Dans Road, Greensboro. Info: musep.info or concerts.levittamp.org. POPS’ CONCERT. 7 p.m. Dig that jazz, Daddy-O! Piedmont Triad Jazz Orchestra delivers some riffs for a Father’s Day Concert. Carolina Theatre, 310 South Greene Street, Greensboro. Tickets: 336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
June 20, 21 & 23 CHOW DOWN. 6 p.m. Ready, set (the table), eat! Teams of chefs are pitted against one anther in the Greensboro leg of the Got to Be NC! Dining Competition. The Empire Room, Elm Street Center, 203 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Tickets: competitiondining.com.
June 23–26 HOPPERS HERE. The Greensboro Grasshoppers are home again. NewBridge Bank Park, 408 Bellemeade Street, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 268-2255 or www.milb.com.
June 24 SOUL MEN. 8 p.m. It’s R&B heaven with New Edition and Babyface crooning at the 88 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June Arts Calendar mic. Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 West Gate City Boulevard, Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 745-8000 or ticketmaster.com.
June 24 & 25 BEER-ONIMO! 7 p.m. & Noon. Immerse yourself in a sudsy weekend that starts with the Greensboro Summertime Brews Pre-Game Street party, consisting of craft brews and live music on Lewis Street. Then get ready for the mac daddy: Bestway’s Summertime Brews Festival. Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 West Lee Street, Greensboro. Tickets: summertimebrews.com.
June 25–September 18 MATISSE’S PIECES. Forty-five drawings spanning the fifty years of Henri Matisse’s career, some never before seen or curated, form the basis of Matisse Drawings: Curated by Ellsworth Kelly from the Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation. While you’re there, see Kelly’s work at Plant Lithographs by Ellsworth Kelly 1964–1966. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 334-5770 or weatherspoon.uncg.edu.
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June 2016
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90 O.Henry
June 2016
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June Arts Calendar MORE MATISSE’S PIECES. Lithographs and bronzes are the highlight of Henri Matisse: Selections from the Claribel and Etta Cone Collection and showcase the breadth of a French master’s talent. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 334-5770 or weatherspoon.uncg.edu.
June 26 MUSEP. 6 p.m. Americana gets a shock from electronica with Molly + Quilla; Martha Bassett Band follows up with folk and Americana (7:15 p.m.). Hester Park, 3906 Betula Road, Greensboro. Info: musep.info.
June 27 EMF. 8 p.m. The Faculty Chamber Series kicks off the Eastern Music Festival with a lineup of Mozart, Dvořrák and Debussy.
UNCG School of Music, Theatre and Dance Recital Hall, 100 McIver Street, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 272-0160 or easternmusicfestival.org.
June 28
EMF. 8 p.m. Get keyed up for the Piano Gala, featuring the virtuosity of William Wolfram and Awadagin Pratt. Dana Auditorium, 5800 West Friendly Avenue, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 272-0160 or easternmusicfestival.org.
EMF. 8 p.m. Hear more of the Faculty Chamber Series, which starts and ends with J.S. Bach, with a helping of Lowell Lieberman, William Grant Still and more in between. Dana Auditorium, 5800 West Friendly Avenue, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 272-0160 or easternmusicfestival.org.
June 30
June 29
June 30
AUTHORS, AUTHORS. 7 p.m. Meet Erik Lars Myers and Sarah Ficke, authors of North Carolina Craft Beer & Breweries. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
EMF. 8 p.m. Violinst Nadja SalernoSonnenberg fires up her bow for an evening of Arvo Pärt, Fauré, Elgar, Grieg and more. Dana Auditorium, 5800 West Friendly Avenue, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 272-0160 or easternmusicfestival.org.
EMF. 4 p.m. Awadagin Pratt leads a master class in piano. Sternberger Auditorium, Founders Hall, Guilford College, 5800 West Friendly Avenue, Greensboro. Info: easternmusicfestival.org
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Business & Services
June 25–October 16
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Indoor/Outdoor • Luxury Lodging Lots of Cuddle and Play Time Professional Grooming • Doggie Daycare Nature Walks • World Class Training
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June 2016
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Premiere Custom Design & Retail Jewelry Since 1969
State Street
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Hours: 10:00-5:30 Monday - Friday, 10:00-3:00 Saturday And By Appointment
Come In and See Our Selection of Asian Arts and Curios; Japanese Woodblock Prints, Laquerware, Nippon Porcelain, Yixing Teapots...and More!
Anue Ligne • Alison Sheri • Bel Kazan • Elena Wang • Gretchen Scott Designs • JP Mattie & More
507 State Street, Greensboro NC 27405 • 336-275-7645 • Mon - Sat 11am - 6pm • www.LilloBella.com
92 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June Arts Calendar 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 Street, 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 Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
Tuesdays READ ALL ABOUT IT. Treat your little ones to storytimes: 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.
WEDNESDAYS
High Point Public Library, 901 North Main Street, High Point. Info: (336) 883-3666 or highpointpubliclibrary.com. PICKIN’ AND GRINNIN’. 6 until 9 p.m. Y’all come for Songs from a Southern Kitchen — live music featuring Laurelyn Dossett, Scott Manring and guests at Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen, 1421 Westover Terrace, Greensboro. Info: (336) 370-0707 or lucky32.com/greensboro_music.htm.
Wednesdays TO MARKET, TO MARKET. 7 a.m. until noon. The produce is fresh and the cut fleurs belles. They can be yours mid-week, through December. Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, 501 Yanceyville Street, Greensboro. Info: 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
bring spring inside
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www.dolcedimora.com
June 2016
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June Arts Calendar by Evan Olson and Jessica Mashburn — at Print Works Bistro, 702 Green Valley Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 379-0699 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 Street, 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 Street, High Point. Info: (336) 883-3666 or highpointpubliclibrary.com.
JAZZ NIGHT. 7 p.m. Fresh-ground, freshbrewed coffee is served with a side of jazz at Tate Street Coffee House, 334 Tate Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 275-2754 or tatestreetcoffeehouse.com. OPEN MIC COMEDY. 8–9:35 p.m. Local pros and amateurs take the mic at the Idiot Box, 348 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 274-2699 or idiotboxers.com.
Fridays THE HALF OF IT. 5 p.m. Enjoy the handson exhibits and activities for half the cost of admission at $4 Fun Fridays. Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 North Church Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com.
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS
Food & Dining
ALL THAT JAZZ. 5:30 until 8 p.m. Hear live, local jazz featuring Dave Fox and Neill Clegg, and special guests in the O. Henry Hotel Social Lobby Bar: April Talbott (6/2);
Ken Kennedy (6/9); Nisha DiMeo (6/16); Joey Barnes (6/23) and Breanda Morie (6/30). No cover. 624 Green Valley Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 854-2000 or www.ohenryhotel.com/jazz.htm.
94 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June Arts Calendar Fridays & Saturdays NIGHTMARES ON ELM STREET. 8 p.m. A 90-minute, historical, candlelit ghost walking tour of Downtown Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 905-4060 or carolinahistoryandhaunts.com/information.
Saturdays
Food & Dining
TO MARKET, TO MARKET. 7 a.m. until noon. The produce is still fresh and the cut fleurs still belles. Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, 501 Yanceyville Street, Greensboro. Info: gsofarmersmarket.org. THRICE UPON A TIME. 11 a.m. Hear a good yarn at Grannies Galore Children’s Storytime. Scuppernong Books, 304 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 7631919 or scuppernongbooks.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 the ideas of others, creating shows that are one-of-a-kind — at the Idiot Box, 348 South Elm Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 274-2699 or idiotboxers.com.
Sundays 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 Street, Greensboro. Info: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com. MISSING YOUR GRANDMA? 3 p.m. until it’s gone. Tuck into Chef Felicia’s skilletfried 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.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June 2016
O.Henry 95
7th Annual “Shagging In The Vines” July 16th - 12:30-7pm • Gates Open at 11am
4th Annual
Bring your blanket, and enjoy an evening of dogs, wine, music and fun to benefit
Saturday, June 25, 6pm - 9pm Adoptable Dogs • Local Artisan Vendors • Raffle Fresh Food • Grove Wine • Natty Green Beer Your well behaved, leashed dogs welcome!
Tickets $10 available on our website: www.ruffloverescue.com and at any of our events.
Live Music by The Gooseberry Jam Grove Winery & Vineyard • www.GroveWinery.com 7360 Brooks Bridge Rd., Gibsonville, NC 27249 Cheers to our sponsors: Old Dominion Freight, Nature’s Emporium & Bolt Stump Grinding!
100% of proceeds go directly back to the care of the dogs of Ruff Love Rescue
with the Night Move Band
Tickets available at Autumn Creek Vineyards and www.etix.com.
Wine & More www.autumncreekvineyards.com Vineyards • Tasting Room • Getaway Cabins • Retreats Special Events • Weddings • Corporate Outings 364 Means Creek Road • Mayodan, NC 27027 • 336.548.WINE (9463)
“Top 100 Restaurant Views in America.”- OPEN TABLE
CHATEAU MORRISETTE Blue Ridge Parkway • Floyd, Virginia THEDOGS.COM
Call 336.617.0900 OR . . .mail payment to: P.O. Box 58 • Southern Pines, NC 28388 $45 in-state • $55 out-of-state
96 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Worth the Drive to High Point Brew It, and They Will Come At 4 o’clock in the afternoon, a handful of folks have stopped by: High Point University grads perched on metal, swivel draftsmen’s stools at one of the high, jaggededged maple tables; hipsters hanging out at the bar, debating between the pale ale, a crisp Saison or — whoa! — the 10.3 percent Belgian tripel listed on the chalkboard. By 5 o’clock, a professional crowd saunters in, one with a collie in tow. Britt Lytle is unstacking cushions for the concrete sectionals outside. John Vaughan, meanwhile, is checking on things in the back. After a day at their 9-to-5 jobs as a contractor (Vaughan) and furniture designer (Lytle), the two are moonlighting as proprietors of High Point’s Brown Truck Brewery. Named for Lytle’s 1986 Ford pickup, Brown Truck is a longtime dream of the entrepreneurs to open “a community spot,” Vaughan says. Where better than Uptowne, poised for a transformation? “High Point is important to us,” explains the native son. And to Chris Borsani, too. The owner of At Your Service appliance repair shop at 1234
North Main Street — with the life-size statue of Elvis Presley on its roof and a mural of rock ’n’ roll icons on its outside wall — sold his building to the two entrepreneurs. “It wasn’t even for sale,” Lytle recalls. “[Borsani] said, ‘High Point needs this.’” Vaughan and Lytle couldn’t have asked for a better location, next to Kepley’s Barbecue, and near Emerywood and HPU. There’s plenty of parking, enough room for a driveway where food trucks park, and a patio for live music. And, adds Vaughan, “We wanted to make it look not like High Point.” Meaning the sleek industrial decor, thanks to Christi Barbour, of Barbour Spangle Design. She painted the cinder block walls a deep blue, installed black ceiling rafters, studio lighting and a panel of reclaimed wood taken from a barn. The maple tables came from a blacksmith friend of Lytle’s in Burke County, the floor and countertops are concrete (for easy cleanup). The rock ’n’ roll mural remains (though Elvis, left the building along with Borsani), an apropos backdrop for the patio. For a finishing touch, Vaughan and Lytle hung black-and-white photographs of the city’s Thomas Built trollies and Amos hosiery mill. “High Point is all about craft,” explains Vaughan. “It comes full circle to the craft beer,” Lytle adds. As for the beer, credit goes to Ian Burnett, former brewmaster at Foothills Brewing in Winston-Salem. “We just let him do his thing,” says Vaughan. Smart move: The pale ale sold out within the first ten days of the brewpub’s opening in February. “We were blown away,” says Lytle. As is the swelling crowd sipping pints on the patio to the first twang of a bluegrass band. Brown Truck has delivered. OH — Nancy Oakley
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5703-A HUNT CLUB ROAD GREENSBORO, NC 27410 336.294.2299
Practicing Commercial Real Estate by the Golden Rule Bill Strickland, CCIM Commercial Real Estate Broker/REALTOR 336.369.5974 | bstrickland@bipinc.com
www.bipinc.com The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June 2016
O.Henry 97
ANNUAL MEETING THURS, JUNE 23, 2016 4:30 - 8:00 PM
Tiny Gallery by Asheville BookWorks
Arts & Culture
+ OPENING RECEPTION + BEER TASTING
You are invited to our Annual Meeting at 4:30 PM followed by a talk by Stephanie Moore, Executive Director of The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design, Asheville, NC. At 6:00 PM stick around for the opening of Gallery Nomads Asheville, with a beer tasting by Hi-Wire Brewing. Free and open to the public. Cash bar.
GREENHILLNC.ORG
98 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Willow Walk
June 4 & 5, 2016
Willowbrook Park
Burlington, NC
525 W. Willowbrook Drive
willow walk ART
AIR
MUSIC
You are invited to attend the 8th Biennial Sculpture in the Park. Explore Burlington’s Willowbrook Park after it is transformed into a sculpture garden for a weekend of art, air & music.
30+ ARTISTS FEATURED
LIVE MUSIC
FREE
Arts & Culture
Willow Walk
FOOD
Sunset at Willow Walk
Saturday, June 4 6:30 - 9:30pm, Sat. June 4 A ticketed evening event. 10am - 6pm Tickets can be purchased for $35. Sunday, June 5 Call 336-226-4495 Noon - 5pm www.alamancearts.org
“Dunes”
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Original Oil
16”x20”
June 2016
O.Henry 99
SATURDAY, JULY 2 Dana Auditorium | 8:00 PM
Arts & Culture
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Awadagin Pratt, piano
Enjoy music & stories
SATURDAY, JULY 9 Dana Auditorium | 8:00 PM
from the Blue Ridge
Gerard Schwarz, conductor Julian Schwarz, cello Marco Núñez, flute
region in this fun, smart, & entertaining show, hosted
2015 Rosen-Schaffel Competition Winner
by former NPR newscaster
SATURDAY, JULY 16 Julia Adolphe Viola Concerto World Premiere Dana Auditorium | 8:00 PM Gerard Schwarz, conductor Cynthia Phelps, viola Jason Vieaux, guitar series continues July 23 & 30
Tickets on Sale NOW Box Office 336.272.0160
FOR MORE INFORMATION: EasternMusicFestival.org
100 O.Henry
June 2016
Across the Blue Ridge on 88.5 WFDD
SUMMER 2016
Paul Brown!
Saturdays at 8pm & Sundays at 6pm.
JUNE 25-JULY 30
88.5 WFDD 1834 Wake Forest Rd. #8850, Winston-Salem, NC 27109
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Alamance Photography Club “Southern Nights” Competition Winners
Summer’s nocturnal hours come alive through the lenses of the Alamance Photo Club
“Have you ever felt a Southern night?” Goes the popular song. Feel the steamy heat of a city street, hear cicadas in a quiet cemetery, the crack of lightning or the tinny music of a fair’s midway, through these seasonal images from Alamance Photo Club.
1
2
3
5
4
6
1 1st Place – Bob Finley – Nightwatch 2 2nd Place – Ray Munns – Burlington Fair 3 3rd Place – Mike King – Electric Sky The Art & Soul of Greensboro
4 Honorable Mention – Gary Gorby – Light Fantasy 5 Honorable Mention – Sandra King – Cinderella’s Celebration 6 Honorable Mention – JP Lavoie – Chicago Nights June 2016
O.Henry 101
Irving Park
lAdIeS ClothIng, gIftS, BABy, jewelry, gIftS for the home, tABlewAre, delICIouS food
1738 Battleground Ave • Irving Park Plaza Shopping Center • (336) 273-3566
dressing childhood.
TIMELESS STYLE FOR
the smallest
BATHING BEAUTIES
Clothing, Accessories
www.polliwogs.com 336.275.1555
102 O.Henry
1724 Battleground Ave. Suite 104 Greensboro, NC 27408
June 2016
Gifts & More!
1804 Pembroke Rd. • Greensboro, NC 27408 (Behind Irving Park Plaza) • 336.763.7908 Tues. - Fri. 11-6pm & Sat. 11-4pm www.facebook.com/Serendipity by Celeste
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
GreenScene
Kate Barrett, Chelsea Lewis, Chris Bohjalian, Camille Payton, Jessica Van Rheenen, Dean Rosann Bazirjian, Rebecca Davis, Katie Kehoe, Sean Whiteford, Luke Huffman, Kathy Crowe, Caitlin McCann, Ross Garrison, Eleno Makarion, Barry Miller
The Friends of the UNCG Libraries 57th Annual Dinner Featuring Chris Bohjalian Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Photographs by Lynn Donovan
Rosann Bazirjian, Chris Bohjalian
Kate & Jim Schlosser, Barry Miller
Bobbie Jones, Trina Gabriel, Libby Schinnow
Jessica Van Rheenen, Rebecca Davis, Elena Mckarion Doreen Sloman, Stephanie Bazirjian, Catherine Magid
Terri Jackson, Billie Durham, Ann Pugh
Lewis & Carolyne Burgman, Janet Gordon
Erin McCarty, Charles Blackmon, Camille Payton
Sean Whiteford, Katie Kehoe, Jeni Smith, Luke Huffman, Caitlin McCann
Chelsea Lewis, Jessica Van Rheenen, Ross Garrison, Elena Makarion, Rebecca Davis
Gerald Walden Jr., Camille Payton, Betty Brown
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June 2016
O.Henry 103
Sizes: 1X, 2X, & 3X
336-545-3003
Vera’s Threads
Sizes: S, M, L & XL
336-288-8772
Habitat • Oh My Gauze • Parsley & Sage • Art of Cloth Alembika • Kleen • Comfy USA • Chalet • Amma • Heartstring Hours: M-F 11-6, Sat 11-5 2274 Golden Gate Drive - Golden Gate Shopping Center
www.linneasboutique.com
FLUTTER BY
Carriage House
Antiques & Home Decor
Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm • Sunday 1-5pm 2214 Golden Gate Drive • Greensboro, NC Carriage_House@att.net
336.373.6200 104 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
GreenScene Carolina Theatre Command Performance Gala Benefit Concert featuring Boz Scaggs Thursday, April 21, 2016 Photographs by Lynn Donovan
Yvonne Cobb, Deborah Rondo
Denise & Keith Napier Dan & Dawne Deuterman
Anne Gundlach, Susan Russell
Sherrie Ward, Sheila Chang
William Spencer Jr & Dr. Irish Gaymon Spencer
Scott & Robin Henley
Milton & Maura Kern
Anne & Sam Hummels
Micky & Janet Silvers
Eric & Pam Salter Ben & Katie Tesh
Randy & Beth Spivey
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
June 2016
O.Henry 105
Visit our decorative hardware and plumbing showroom and indulge in Dornbracht—featuring state-of-the-art, luxury plumbing products. Beeson Decorative Hardware and Plumbing 2210 Geddie Place | High Point, NC 27260 | 336.821.2170
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Located in the Brassfield area, 1 block from Battleground Ave.
106 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
GreenScene
Ava Enochs, Madelyn Riffle
Sara Pilling, Brie Salamone
Dream Big — Denim & Degas
Terry Melville's 2nd Annual The Betty Creative Awards Saturday, April 23rd, 2016 Photographs by Lynn Donovan
Louis St. Lewis Kelvin, Chloe, Mary Lou & Keith Holliday
Andy Basile, Terry Melville, Freddie Leiba
Monique Stubbs-Hall & Victoria Hall
Angela Fitzgerald, Stahle Vincent
Lindsay Caesar, Zoe Lent-Bews, Derick Jones, Morgan Rigsbee, Brittany Hiter
Kianna Sisco, Travis Tabor
Katie Bailey, Bonnie Moser
IF AN INTERIOR DESIGNER HAD A YARD SALE, IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE THIS. Saturday, June 11, specific furniture items are 50 - 70% off their original low price in our inventory reduction sale benefiting The Barnabas Network. Come early! This special sale starts at 8 am and ends at 3 pm.
Kathy Devereux, Lisa Sherry
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Start with a Top Real Estate Team that knows the Triad.
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Kim Mathis REALTOR®, Broker
2024 Sixteenth Street, Greensboro • 336.370.4002 The Art & Soul of Greensboro
(336) 339-7757
Kim Mathis
Sterling Norins
kimsmathis@gmail.com June 2016
O.Henry 107
GreenScene
Joey Peele, Randi Owenby, Jayke Hamill, Michael Robinson, Brandi Nicole Johnson, Candace Tucker
A Place to Call Home
Children's Home Society Thursday, April 28, 2016
Photographs by Lynn Donovan Elizabeth Rankin, Meredith Scott, Laurie Lloyd
Debbi Fox, Davis Hector McEachern, Brenda McEachern, Aimee Kensky
Courtney Dabney, Emily Rector, Brook Wingate, Betsy Seaton, Celena Velez
Elizabeth & Gero McClellan, Cecil & Amy Mills, Mark & Jill Reynolds
Kimberly Jones, Emilie Samet
Jill & Ben Jenkins
Shelly Worsley, Rebecca Starnes, Matt Anderson
Jeff & Kelly Copeland, Mark Hale, Margaret Lowe, Rachel Percival Lee Williams, Libby Booke
Anne, Randall, Michael & Ivan Godette Woody & Mary Sandlin, Steven & Kate Weaver, Sherry Reitzel, Teresa Scheppegrell
108 O.Henry
June 2016
Gene Tiedgen, Marikay & Isa Abuzuaiter, Brian Cheek, Dan Miller
Kelly, Dee & Wes Bartlett
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Summer Days and Summer Nights Irving Park
Irving Park
Ascot Point
Chesnutt - Tisdale Team
302 Wentworth Drive Location! Location! Location! Old Irving Park charming storybook Craft home within walking distance to Greensboro Country Club and parks! Open floor plan - Living Room, Dining Room, large Den overlooking wonderful patio, garden and fenced yard. 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths. Covered Porch.
2 Waldron Court This classic traditional home is in the heart of New Irving Park on a corner cul-de-sac lot is ready for family living. With spacious rooms, open floor pan 5 bdrms 3.5 baths . Bonus, sunroom and office. 2 car garage and fenced back yard Come see - you won’t be disappointed!
MERIDITHMARTENS
state of the ART • north carolina
5 Ashton Square Ascot Point desirable home with 9’ ceilings and hardwoods. Master Bedroom on main level. Updated Kitchen and Master Bath. Upper level with 2 Bedrooms and Office. Enclosed Charleston gardens. Lovely grounds and park area. Lots of storage.
Xan Tisdale 336-601-2337
Kay Chesnutt 336-202-9687
Xan.Tisdale@bhhsyostandlittle.com Kay.Chesnutt@bhhsyostandlittle.com ©2016 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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f MeridithMartens.Artist • 910.692.9448
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
ANTIOXIDANTS PREVENT
SUNSCREEN PROTECT
Located at friendly center next door to Barnes and Noble Mon-Fri 10-8 | Sat 10-6 | Sun 1-6 • 336-294-3223 Visit our new website… shereesinatural.com for special discounts on SkinCeuticals and brow waxing.
June 2016
O.Henry 109
! Sacred Threads - The Art of Clothing NewJewelry • Clothes • Shoes • Home Accessories
Everything a Girl Could Want... *Clothing *Jewelry *Shoes *Home Accessories
227 South Elm Street • 574.4496 Monday 12pm-4pm Tues. - Thurs. 11am-6pm Fri. - Sat. 11am-9pm Sunday 1pm-4pm
110 O.Henry
June 2016
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The Accidental Astrologer
June Bugging
Maybe true love is in the cards (or maybe it’s not) By Astrid Stellanova
June is the month when many of us get hitched,
unhitched, or even re-hitched. I, myself, picked June three times to go down the aisle of temporary romantic insanity. The third time was not the charm. Read and learn from me, dear readers . . . It’s all written in the stars’ guide to love, if we read before we march. Ad Astra — Astrid
Gemini (May 21–June 20) June Bug, your birthday month is one to love. Each day in June will slide smoothly and sweetly after the next one, pairing up like Mama’s cream cheese icing on red velvet cake. There are times when you are a trial to all who love you (admit it), but then there are times when you make it right and make us all remember why we put up with your wild and untamed self to begin with. This month, your fans are legion, lining up with birthday ju-ju from as far as Moose Breath, Alaska, to Hot Coffee, Mississippi. Cancer (June 21–July 22) You’ll have your struggles early in the month, when your donkey gets in the ditch and someone you respect acts out in a way you just cannot figure. Astrid can’t either, Honey. They are ruthless and so hard and they look just like the kind that would grin and show you too many teeth while tearing out a liver and snacking on their young. Surround yourself with friends and meditate until they slither away. On the good side — they will go away. Leo (July 23–August 22) You are two beats away from a real hit. It will surprise your critics to learn something new about unforgettable you. Turns out, you have learned something valuable from a big, bad ouch and are about to transform it and shine, Sugar. You drew inspiration when anybody else might have just drawn blood. Stand tall; never let them read your cards, and never let them check your breath. Next month is a game changer. Virgo (August 23–September 22) Before the month of June ends, you will have had a massive breakthrough. Which is good news, as you had secretly feared you were on the brink of a burn-down-the-house kinda breakdown. It’s always like that for you — shaking up the status quo feels exactly like this — it leaves you shaken. But you are definitely not breaking, Sweet Thing. And for the record, stop trusting somebody with more tattoos than teeth. Libra (September 23–October 22) Change is looking for you. I know, Sugar, you don’t want anything to do with it. You like things just as they are, just got things lined up like you like it. You’ve tried to discourage a chance opportunity that is presenting itself by looking back at it, your scary eyes harder than a cold biscuit without butter. This is a change for the good — throw yourself into it, eyes closed if you have to, but abandon yourself to the opportunity. True love may actually be in the cards. Scorpio (October 23–November 21) The same person that made life difficult for you recently ain’t no prize either. Their Mama went swimming in the shallow end of the gene pool, and they can’t exactly help being so misguided. Smile sweetly and ignore every stupid word coming out of their mouth — that split tongue is spewing out misinformation. Whatever you do, don’t be crazy enough to ask split tongue out for some fire eating. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Sagittarius (November 22–December 21) You have the capacity to be uncommonly happy over small things, like having correct change for the Laundromat, or a place to park, or even five minutes left on the parking meter. That, Sugar Bug, is a talent. If you don’t remember anything else this month, just remember to tell the universe thank you and pass the butter beans around. Capricorn (December 22–January 19) This year has been a real slobberknocker so far, and it is easy to understand why you are feeling a little banged up by life. It’s nothing you did wrong, Honey. You have just been experiencing a cycle that will test your resilience and capacity to forgive. You will pass with flying colors, like the ace you are — and, the way I see it, romance will not pass you by. Aquarius (January 20–February 18) Don’t bust a kidney trying to figure out what made a close associate so cranky. They are carrying a weight that has nothing to do with you and everything to do with a wrong they didn’t deserve. Give them space and time. They will appreciate having the understanding they need, but may not be able to request. Pisces (February 19–March 20) There is every reason to wait for just another minute before you pop the question. It’s powerful when the birds and the bees and every lip in sight is locked with their true love . . . or at least their current love. But wait two beats before you commit to forever. There is one more piece of the puzzle that needs to fit; one more question that must be answered. Aries (March 21–April 19) Take. Two. Breaths. What has got you running like a rabbit with its tail in a trap? Your energy is a little over the top; not everybody wants to live at the pace you do. You have boundless energy but give folks just a moment to catch up and sign on with your program. Of course, they will, because you make these manic dashes and up-all-night projects look so fun. Taurus (April 20–May 20) It was a challenge for you last month to own some very odd behavior. But, you sort of did, and that is a big old step in the right direction. Now put that toe into the “maybe I was wrong” pool once again and see if you can take a plunge. You get out of an awkward fix by saying two little words: “I’m sorry.” They have big magic, those little words. 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.
June 2016
O.Henry 111
O.Henry Ending
On the Road with Fred
By Joya Wesley
My dad has a funny way he likes to say that he has “haaaaaaad fun.”
“No, thank you. I have haaaaaaad fun,” he’ll often say to a suggested exertion that has not purpose other than fun. His tone has a tongue-in-cheek finality to it that makes it clear that if fun never happens to him again in life — in any way, shape or form — he’s good. I’m blessed to be able to say, with exactly the same tone, that I have haaaaaaad my father in my life — his early fun-pursuing years not withstanding. If the recent goodbye hug we shared after a session with Dave Fox at Earthtones Recording Studio in Greensboro’s Gateway Center were our last ever, God forbid, I’m good, too. Unlike so many of my sisters and brothers who would have been happy to have had any time with any father, I haven’t had just any father. My father is the brilliant trombonist, bandleader, arranger/producer Fred Wesley, a man recognized as a forefather of funk music, and known far and wide as a delightful guy who spent many of his seventy-two years having mad fun alongside the likes of funk icon George Clinton. These escapades (detailed in his book, Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Side Man) cost my father his marriage to my mother, Gertie, his childhood sweetheart growing up in the often mispronounced port city of Mobile (mo-BEEL), Alabama. She held down the roles of mother and father for most of my formative years in Los Angeles, and to her I am eternally grateful. I’m also grateful to God for allowing me to be by Fred’s side as he circled back through divorce, rehab, remarriage and relocation to renew our special connection — and now to create a partnership so precious and unique that we’re both the envy of all our friends. I say “Fred,” because “Daddy,” inevitably draws snickers if I let it slip while we’re on the road. Eight years ago, I was lucky enough to get the gig as my father’s manager and began a continuing adventure that’s not just fun, but full-on “funky good time,” as the lyric goes in a song from when he was a leader of James Brown’s band. Whether in London or Greensboro, a city I called home for eighteen years, I travel with Fred’s current band, whose members are as positive and as light-hearted as he is. The core of the group has been with him for twenty-seven years, and we do an average of four tours a year, mostly in
112 O.Henry
June 2016
Europe, but also South America, South Africa and the United States. Along the way I’ve learned valuable lessons from Fred. Tops among them is that traveling is a joy when you focus on its joys rather than its inevitable inconveniences. Tops among those joys are the delicious foods and treasured friends to be had by keeping an open mind and an open heart. An open mind introduced me to baby marrow soup — a creamy blend of zucchini and potato I first enjoyed in Abu Dhabi, then figured out how to make at home in minutes with my beloved NutriBullet Rx. An open heart made me friends with a Nigerian priest I met on a plane from Chicago, and later met for lunch in Paris at his monastery’s community meal, which cost five Euros and included carafes of red wine. I’ve walked the famed Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro, taken in the beauty of Italy’s Follonica coastline, and made friends with a Japanese recording executive who now lives in New York, thanks in part to a letter we wrote supporting her application for U.S. citizenship. On the road, it’s all about quality of the people and experiences you encounter, not quantity. I’ve also learned how the magic of music unites people in all corners of the world. Devoted Fred-lovers come in all flavors, ranging from hardcore European “funkateers” in their 70s, who have been to countless concerts and can trace in detail every contribution Fred made to the funk, to Asian 20-somethings who shook their booties to his music for the first time at the Malasimbo Festival in the Philippines last year, and continue to do so via YouTube. Whether he’s shopping at the Piggly Wiggly in his adopted hometown of Manning, South Carolina, or playing at the venerable London jazz club Ronnie Scott’s, Fred makes the air around him a reliably groovy place to be. Even when he’s not present. A few years back, my father left me a voicemail on my birthday, the anniversary, he said, of one of the happiest days of his life. It still makes my eyes tear up to recall how he got choked up telling me how he “had never seen anything quite so beautiful, or loved anything quite so much.” No wonder I’m the world’s No. 1 daddy’s girl, and always will be. OH Joya Wesley, a former Greensboro newspaperwoman and radio host, now lives in Mobile, Alabama, when she’s not traveling. Keep up with Fred Wesley’s work through his blog: www.funkyfredwesley.com. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
ILLUSTRATION BY HARRY BLAIR
A daughter of a junk master and brilliant musicians learns valuable lessons life, love and fun from her father
BUILT By DUran anD WooDWarD ConsTrUCTIon
Make yourself at home
7709 Northern Estates Point Greensboro • 1/2 mile from Northern High School This over 4600 heated sq ft custom home in Northern Guilford County features 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths with a bonus room on the second level and a 3 car side entry garage. Experience exceptional quality and wonderful outdoor spaces. Welcome the seasons with an abundance of natural light and a stone fireplace that is perfect for entertaining family and friends. A culinary dream kitchen completes this home, equipped with chef appliances, custom designer cabinets and beautiful granite countertops. Builder, Luisa Duran, has just broken ground on a beautiful deluxe home in Center Grove which will have 4 bedrooms & 3.5 baths. Call today for details.
Luisa Duran
Owner/Builder/Broker
Homebuilding • Renovations • Additions
336.369.2187 • duran@kickinclouds.com • www.kickinclouds.com
Coming Soon! 5551 N. Church Street • Greensboro 4 BR / 3.5 BA • 3-car garage Approximately 2,600 sqft $359,000
SHE SAID
The average Triad area wedding costs $22,028. W H E N M E B E C O M E S W E , B E R E A DY W I T H A J O I N T C H E C K I N G AC C O U N T F R O M CA R O L I N A B A N K .
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