BHHSYostandLittle.com/887146
BHHSYostandLittle.com/902122
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2200 West Market Street Greensboro
708 Northern Shores Lane Greensboro
18 Sunfish Point Greensboro
MELISSA GREER 336 –337–5233
SHERRI HILL 336 –209 – 8482
DEAN LITTLE 336 –337– 0906
$785,000
BHHSYostandLittle.com/896992
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JA R E E TO D D 336 – 601 –4892
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$729,900
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Every home has a story to tell. A great broker knows every chapter by heart.
$689,000
Adams Farm 336 – 854 –1333 • Elm Street 336 –272– 0151 • Friendly Center 336 –370 – 4000 ©2018 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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10 Elm Ridge Lane
Katie L. Redhead GRI, CRS
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8007 Perlette Court
900 Rockford Rd $3,750,000
3215 N Rockingham Rd $2,900,000
701 Sunset Dr $1,650,000
2302 Princess Ann St $1,632,052
8 Loch Ridge Court $1,380,000
2800 Lake Forest Dr $1,379,999
5403 Eastern Shore Drive $925,000
14 Provinvetown Court $870,000
8007 Perlette Court $839,000
1004 Dover Road $811,000
1505 Allendale Road $835,000
1056 NC HWY 150W $799,900
302 Wentworth Drive $599,000
402 Willoughby Boulevard $599,000
1904 Huntington Road $587,000
201 N. Elm St $581,000-$264,000
21 Elm Ridge Lane $575,000
5008 Carlson Dairy Road $550,000
5215 Bodie Lane $495,000
6305 Matheson Court $485,000
2602 Turner Grove Drive S $479,900
6094 Clopton Drive $469,900
2316 Lafayette Ave $449,000
304 N Chapman Street $399,000
4797 Forest Oaks Drive $314,500
1101 Brookside Drive $275,000
8325 Richardsonwood Road $269,900
1915 Shepherds Way $269,900
351 Carlise Park Drive $256,500
1056 NC HWY 150 $225,000
UC
304 Martin Luther King Jr Drive $215,000
1104 Quail Drive $200,000
35 Ackland Drive $178,000
3131 Sedgefield Gate Road $166,000
290 Grady Road $159,900
2404 Donlora Drive $139,500
435 Big Oak Farm Road $125,000
402 Wheeler Road $104,000
1700 N Elm St #N2 $99,500
19 & 21 Carlson Terr $90,000 per lot
6307 Alley Ridge Way $65,000
Willow Wind Drive $43,000-40,000
1010 Country Club Dr $1,250,000
17 Flagship Cove $1,250,000
2020 Saint Andrews Road $1,200,000
10 Elm Ridge Lane $1,175,000
15 Carlson Terrace $999,000
11 Monmouth Court $979,000
207 W Greenway Drive N $785,000
3291 Wynnewood Drive $785,000
203 Sunset Drive $725,000
2902 Turner Grove Drive N $679,900
310 Country Club Drive $675,000
7525 Henson Forest Drive $645,000
1100 Double Oaks Road $550,000
28 Elm Ridge Lane $549,900
6073 Old Brickstore Road $549,900
2511 Rivers Edge $539,900
227 CLeek Drive $500,000
0 US HWY 158 $499,000
UC
4205 Clapp Mill Road $375,000
7 Devonshire Drive $350,000
SEE ONE YOU LIKE? To arrange a showing or get more
information on one of these charming homes, call one of our agents or visit trmhomes.com today.
34 Willett Way $342,900
3003 Henderson Road $332,000
Hilburn Michel 336.207.7100
Lori Richardson 336.549.4414
Marti Tyler 336.210.7503
Joanna Harris 336.707.2828
Katie Redhead 336.430.0219
Jessica Haverland Shane Morris 336.416.3922 336.312.8491
Alec McAlister 336.707.0463
Rodney Hazel 336.254.8946
Stacey U. Ofsanko Leslie Stainback 336.508.5634 336.404.6342
Mary Ed Banner 336.314.1815
Kristen Haynes 336.209.3382
Meredith Parsons 336.202.7070
Meredith Uber 336.451.4839
Elizabeth Pell 336.447.5516
Lindsey Whitlatch 336.708.2711
Karen Bickham Jobe Wendi Huffman 336.254.4122 336.430.6552
trmhomes.com / 336.274.1717
1104 Shoemaker Court $325,000
Beth Sherrill 336.456.2211
Karen Bolyard 336.202.4477
Kelli Kupiec 336.541.0832
Charlotte Quinn 336.314.4105
Preston Young 336.420.1478
Frank Slate Brooks 336.708.0479
Maggie Marston 336.253.2467
Helen Richardson 336.402.4527
Patty Yow 336.255.9369
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...
Say goodbye to lunch and hello to the Happenin’ Hour, with fun food and drinks afternoons from 3 to 5:30 p.m. At dinnertime, explore our new feature dishes and try out the tasting menu. And then hangout til midnight and snack on special late-night fare. And oh yeah, we have a new logo!
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NEW CLASSIC MODERN LIVING FALL 2018
SPECIAL SAVINGS GOING ON NOW
WINSTON-SAL EM
1140 CREEKS HIRE WAY 336.768.8334
Sale going on for a limited time. Exclusions apply. Ask a designer or visit ethanallen.com for details. ©2018 Ethan Allen Global, Inc.
Here, women are moms or daughters first. And patients second.
When the specialists who treat you live in your community, they understand who you are and the many roles you fill. Our local experts have dedicated their lives to providing quality, compassionate care and fast, accurate results. So whether it’s a mammogram, MRI or an ultrasound that your doctor recommends, make the right choice for you. Request The Breast Center of Greensboro Imaging—the premier center for breast health in the Triad. greensboroimaging.com • 336.433.5000
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I FOUND FIN D YOU R
girls’ night. D OWN TOWN .
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DOWNTOWNGREENSB ORO . ORG
I love how work, leisure and life intersect here. Greensboro is a wonderful place to call home. We are a city of colleges and universities, artists and craftspeople, major corporations and small businesses, great restaurants and breweries — and friendly people from all walks of life. Whether you’re buying or selling, I know how much home means as an investment and as a big part of your life journey. I’ll help you navigate the process every step of the way.
Home means everything.
MELISSA GREER R E A L T O R tm / B R O K E R , G R I , C R S
Chairman’s Circle Diamond Award 2014, 2017 Chairman’s Circle Platinum Award 2013, 2015 and 2016 Chairman’s Circle Gold Award 2010, 2011 and 2012 Top half of one percent of BHHS associates nationally
3rd in units sold of 45,000 agents in the BHHS network 5 Year Legend Award Top Performer of the Elm Street Office Top Performer in Greensboro
336 . 337. 5233
MELISSA@MELISSAGREER.COM
“Welcome Home!” City house or country house, our team is ready to build your home as if it were ours. By truly partnering with our clients for over 18 years, we’ve set a high standard for quality in everything we do. You can expect consistent, continuous, honest communications, and together, we’ll create a stunning and exceptionally sound home. With Building Dimensions, you’re always part of the team.
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October 2018 FEATURES 72 Reimagine, Repurpose, Refresh
By Cynthia Adams Dabney and Walker Sanders’ stunning Fisher Park renovation
82 Simple & Southern
By Nancy Oakley A kitchen remodel and refreshed décor open up an Oak Ridge home
86 Pistil-Packin’ Mamas
By Ross Howell, Jr A meditation on women’s botanical names
88 Pastel Perfect
By Nancy Oakley The spirited works of Laura Pollak
94 A Second Act
By Billy Ingram The Carolina Theatre’s stunning renovation is unveiled this month
98 Where the Ghouls Are
By Maria Johnson
109 Almanac
By Ash Adler
DEPARTMENTS 25 Simple Life By Jim Dodson 28 Short Stories 31 Doodad By John Gessner 33 Life’s Funny By Maria Johnson 35 Omnivorous Reader By DG Martin 39 Scuppernong Bookshelf 41 Homestyle By Nancy Oakley 47 Drinking with Writers By Wiley Cash 51 Life of Jane By Jane Borden
5 5 The Evolving Species By Maria Johnson 57 In the Spirit By Tony Cross 61 Wine Country By Angela Sanchez 63 True South By Susan S. Kelly 65 Birdwatch By Susan Campbell 67 Wandering Billy By Billy Eye 1 10 Arts Calendar 136 GreenScene 143 The Accidental Astrologer By Astrid Stellanova 144 O.Henry Ending By Grant Britt Cover Photograph by Amy Freeman Photograph this page by Lynn Donovan
18 O.Henry
October 2018
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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The nexT GeneRaTion in Real esTaTe The Art & Soul of Greensboro
October 2018
O.Henry 21
M A G A Z I N E
Volume 8, No. 10 “I have a fancy that every city has a voice.” 336.617.0090 1848 Banking Street, Greensboro, NC 27408 www.ohenrymag.com PUBLISHER
David Woronoff Jim Dodson, Editor • jim@thepilot.com Andie Stuart Rose, Art Director • andie@thepilot.com Nancy Oakley, Senior Editor • nancy@ohenrymag.com Alyssa Rocherolle, Graphic Designer CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Cynthia Adams, David Claude Bailey, Harry Blair, Maria Johnson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Mallory Cash, Lynn Donovan, Amy Freeman, Sam Froelich, John Gessner, Bert VanderVeen, Mark Wagoner CONTRIBUTORS Ash Alder, Jane Borden, Grant Britt, Susan Campbell, Wiley Cash, Tony Cross, Clyde Edgerton, Billy Eye, Ross Howell Jr., Billy Ingram, Susan Kelly, Sara King, Brian Lampkin, Meridith Martens, D.G. Martin, Ogi Overman, Romey Petite, Angela Sanchez, Stephen Smith, Astrid Stellanova
A custom-fit investment plan is just a conversation away Done right, a financial advisor works with you to develop an investment plan designed to help you meet your unique goals. We can help you create your personalized plan, and we’ll review it with you on a regular basis to help keep you on track. Working together is all about you. Call for a complimentary portfolio consultation.
O.H
ADVERTISING SALES
Ginny Trigg, Advertising Director 910.693.248, ginny@thepilot.com Hattie Aderholdt, Advertising Manager 336.601.1188, hattie@ohenrymag.com
Lisa Allen, 336.210.6921 • lisa@ohenrymag.com Amy Grove, 336.456.0827 • amy@ohenrymag.com Brad Beard, Graphic Designer Lisa Bobbitt, Advertising Assistant 336.617.0090, ohenryadvertising@thepilot.com
O.H
Darlene Stark, Circulation Director 910.693.2488 Douglas Turner, Finance Director 910.693.2497
Private Client Group Alex Sigmon Branch Manager 806 Green Valley Rd. Greensboro, NC 27408 Phone: 336-545-7100 www.wellsfargoadvisors.com Investment and Insurance Products:
Wealth Brokerage Services Greg Costello Regional Brokerage Manager 100 N. Main St. Winston-Salem, NC 27150 Phone: 336-842-7309 www.wellsfargoadvisors.com NOT FDIC Insured
NO Bank Guarantee
MAY Lose Value
Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank ailiate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2016 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved. 0518-03180 [99914-v1] A2062 (4327503_521508)
22 O.Henry
October 2018
©Copyright 2018. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. O.Henry Magazine is published by The Pilot LLC
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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Simple Life
Ancient Roads
Wherever in the world they happen to be, all of them lead home
By Jim Dodson
Over a year ago I began traveling
the route of the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road, said to be the most traveled road of Colonial America, the frontier highway that brought a quarter of a million European immigrants to the Southern wilderness during the first two-thirds of the 18th century.
From 1700 to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, successive waves of German, Scotch-Irish, English, Welsh and Swiss immigrants — many of them refugees fleeing their war-ravaged homelands — found their way to the Southern backcountry following an ancient trading path used by Native American tribes for millennia. The Great Road, as I prefer to call it, stretched from Philadelphia’s Market Street to Augusta, Georgia, traversing the western portions of half a dozen colonies before crossing the Savannah River in Georgia. Both wings of my family (and quite possibly yours) came down it — my father’s English and Scottish forebears who settled around Mebane and Hillsborough in the mid-1700s followed by my mother’s German ancestors, who hopped off the road in Hagerstown and migrated into the hills of what would later become West Virginia. In one way or another, much of my life has been spent traveling major sections of this old road from the Carolinas to western Pennsylvania, for either work or pleasure or when I left my native South for two decades to live on the coast of Maine. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The route of the original road is buried beneath modern highways, towns and cities, suburbs and shopping centers, but it is still with us — a pathway fully determined by extensive research by scholars, state archivists, local historians and organizations that specialize in finding historic lost roads. As one leading old road researcher put it bluntly to me, “The Great Wagon Road is the granddaddy of America’s lost roads — the reason we’re all here.” I first heard about it on a winter day in 1966 when my father took my brother, Richard, and me to shoot mistletoe out of the oak forest that grew around our grandmother’s long abandoned home place off Buckhorn Road near Chapel Hill. On the way home, he showed us the site of his great-grandfather’s gristmill and furniture shop where I-40/85 now crosses the historic Haw River. That man’s name was George Washington Tate. A street in Greensboro is named for this rural polymath who helped establish Methodist churches toward the foothills and made such beautiful cabinetry. Surviving pieces are displayed in important decorative art museums across the South. From that day forward, I’ll admit, I was quietly obsessed with the Great Road, germinating a plan to someday travel the road of my ancestors just to see what they had seen of early America’s landscape. It only took me a half-century to finally get around to making the journey. My original thought — silly me — was to drive the full 800-plus miles of the Great Road over several unhurried weeks beginning in late summer of 2017, stopping to investigate the historic towns and villages along the way, checking out the important battlefields and burying grounds, equal parts listening tour and journalistic inquiry, learning whatever I could about the most important road of early America. After years of preparation — reading everything from colonial histories to the biographies of Founding Fathers, academic monographs to personal journals, and building a network of experts and contacts along the October 2018
O.Henry 25
Simple Life E ART & ANITQUES FINE ART & ANITQUES & ANITQUES FINE ART & ANITQUES E ART & ANITQUES FINE ART & ANITQUES & ANITQUES FINE ART & ANITQUES E ART & ANITQUES FINE ART & ANITQUES & ANITQUES FINE ART & ANITQUES E ART & ANITQUES FINE ART & ANITQUES & ANITQUES FINE ART & ANITQUES E ART & ANITQUES FINE ART & ANITQUES & ANITQUES FINE ART & ANITQUES 664. S. Stratford Road • Winston-Salem Less than 1 mile from Trader Joe’s!
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October 2018
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way — my larger hope was to meet people for whom the Great Road is a living passion and see how the culture of the Great Road had shaped their lives — and mine. In theory, it was a nice approach. With the exception of one problem. By my fifth day out, I’d only reached Amish country east of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, just 60 or so miles from the start of my journey in Philadelphia, when I realized something. There was so much unique history and culture arrayed along this pioneer pathway — to say nothing of colorful characters, great local food, quirky hometown events and tacky roadside attractions that appealed to my inner coonskin-capped kid — there was simply no way three weeks could possibly do the old road justice. No less than seven American presidents, after all, were either born on or near the Great Road and at least a dozen key military engagements from our country’s two primary wars happened on it — Kings Mountain and Guilford Courthouse during the American Revolution, Antietam and Gettysburg during the Civil War. After 10 days out in my own vintage “wagon” — a 1996 Buick Roadmaster Grand Estate, the last true station wagon built by Detroit — I rolled home with a full notebook and a revised plan to travel and research the road in segments of three or four days at a time. If this realistic approach did little to benefit my (neglected) garden, the people I met and stories I heard along the way were nothing shy of eye-opening and even healing at a moment when America at large was bitterly divided over the presidency of Donald J. Trump. For what it’s worth, the Great Wagon Road bisected the heart of Trump Country from Pennsylvania to Georgia. As this October dawns, I’ve clocked more than 1,200 miles researching the past and present of this great American road and plan to settle in to write my interaction with it over the coming winter months. I just hope I can keep the book under 900 or so pages. Ironically, this has been a year of dramatic travels along other notable historic and ancient pathways. In late June, my son Jack married a fellow journalist and beautiful Palestinian gal named Henriette that he met during graduate school at Columbia University. Their wedding was a charming five-day affair in Old Jaffa on the coast of Israel. On the morning of the wedding at an ancient church where legend held that St. Peter received the vision to take Christianity to the wider world, I was tasked with calling upon the Chacar family’s 84-year-old patriarch to ask permission for my son to marry his granddaughter. Tennuce Chacar smiled, grasped my hands and kissed my cheeks. We shared a glass of very The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Simple Life
fine whiskey over the matter. The party lasted way after midnight. On our last day in the Middle East, we followed an Israeli archeologist through the crowded streets of old Jerusalem, following the path Christ took, carrying the cross. We also stood at the Wailing Wall and walked the outer walls of the most besieged and contested city in human history. Soldiers and pilgrims were everywhere, armed, respectively, with Uzis and icons. Between us, I felt little in the way of peace in the old city of Jerusalem, a place that seems captive to blood and tears. Finally, as summer ended, my wife and I joined 60 souls from our Episcopal church for an 80-mile pilgrimage along an ancient road called the Via Francigena, the medieval pathway that connected Canterbury to Rome. For a week we trekked through the glorious Tuscan countryside, through breathtaking hills of ripening vineyards and olive orchards, through dense forests and sleepy villages, exploring hill towns and ancient abbeys, sharing good wine and great pasta, thunderstorms and theology, sore feet and simple meals and a few unexpected thin moments between earth and sky. For this sore-footed pilgrim, exploring walled Lucca (where we honeymooned 17 years ago) and Siena with its proud family flags and bustling central piazza was a deeply rewarding experiences. Farther along the pilgrim’s path in teeming Roma, I loved seeing the statue of my hero Marcus Aurelius and poking around the ruins of the Pantheon and Cicero’s Forum, places I’ve hungered to see since I was a knee-high to toga. But on the opposite end of town, quite unexpectedly, I found myself spiritually suffocated by the over-the-top art and power of Vatican City with its soaring heights and monumental treasures, a gilded city on a hill full of tourists, pilgrims, polizia and pickpockets. Thus, I skipped the Sistine Chapel altogether in favor of a quiet compline service at a Greek Orthodox church on a neighboring hill. In the nick of time, the message seemed to be that it was high time to end my year of traveling ancient roads and turn for home — arriving just as a historic hurricane swept ashore to wreak death and devastation on the Old North State and finish off whatever was left of my unfinished garden. Looking back, what a curious and unforgettable year it has been. The beauty of any road, ancient or otherwise, is that it takes you somewhere you’ve never been and provides a useful new perspective. Old Roads tell fascinating stories, I’ve been reminded anew. But being home for a quiet October is a story I never get weary of hearing. OH Contact Editor Jim Dodson at jim@thepilot.com. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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BACK TO SCHOOL In style
CASS JEWELERS BEAutifuL JEWELRy foR A LifEtimE
5559 W Market St. • GreenSboro, nC
336.292.1736 | www.cassjewelers.com October 2018
O.Henry 27
Short Stories Earth Tones
Fall Flora
Mums and asters, sage and lavender . . . Who doesn’t love the splashy colors of fall blooms? Learn how to show them off at “Autumn/Holiday Floral Arrangements,” courtesy of the Ingleside Garden Club. Held at 10 a.m. on October 17 at the Greensboro Council of Garden Clubs (222-4 Swing Road), the event features Clark Goodwin of Plants and Answers, who will demonstrate how to create fetching centerpieces for Halloween, tailgates, the Thanksgiving table — and dare we say it? — the upcoming holidays. To reserve, please call (336) 282-4940. Info: greensborocouncilofgardenclubs.com.
Rally vs. Rett
A year ago this month, O.Henry magazine and the Greensboro writing community lost a guiding light in former UNCG English Prof. Jim Clark. Jim was enthralled by many things, including words and his granddaughter Charleston “Charlie” Trippodo, who was diagnosed with a rare disorder, Rett syndrome, just before Jim died on October 30. As Jim had begun to do, his family continues educating people about Rett, a progressive motor-control affliction that strikes mostly girls. Now, they’re launching an annual fundraiser to support research and the care of 3-year-old Charlie. The party, featuring food, music and a silent auction, will be Friday, October 19, 6–10 p.m. at Double Oaks Bed & Breakfast, 204 North Mendenhall St., Greensboro. For information, call (336) 587-1410 or see Charlie Trippodo’s Facebook page. —M.J.
28 O.Henry
October 2018
Among the many of the charms of our corner of the world are the expanses of green, whether rolling pastures, babbling brooks or dense clusters of hardwoods. Thanks to the Piedmont Land Conservancy, we’re able to continue enjoying these natural wonders, but the organization’s efforts require resources. An easy and affordable way to help? Why, a benefit concert, of course. On October 12, come to the Carolina Theatre, and clap your hands and stomp your feet to the rousing bluegrass tunes of GrammyAward-winners from Brevard, the Steep Canyon Rangers, who will headline the Piedmont Conservancy Land Jam. How apropos that the roots musicians’ own roots run deep in North Carolina red clay. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
Home Plates
Or rather, Him Plates. When it launched 17 years ago, Men Can Cook drew on the old saw that men are all thumbs in the kitchen. Fast-forward to 2018 and you’ll find that the fellas are smokin,’ sizzlin’, searing, sautéing, slicing and stirring with aplomb. And unwavering in their commitment to the cause: the Women’s Resource Center, whose programs empower local women. See what’s cookin’ at the Coliseum’s Special Event Center (1921 West Gate City Blvd.) on October 6 at 5:30 p.m. as 50-some community chefs fire their ovens, grills and burners, and sample their tasty eats and enjoy the tunes of Low Key Band. Tickets: womenscentergso.org.
Witch’s Brew.
But only if you’re a good witch, like Glinda. Don your ruby slippers, take heart and courage, and join Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion from Community Theatre Greensboro’s annual production of The Wizard of Oz for a no-brainer: a Wizard of Oz Tea at 2 p.m. on October 28 at the O.Henry Hotel (624 Green Valley Road). Munch on treats with the Munchkins, pick up your ticket to CTG’s show, but, whatever you do, please don’t light any matches — or feed Toto scraps from the table! Tickets: (336) 8542000 or ohenryhotel.com. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Gate City Vogue
From its first baby steps down the runway to leaps in spotlighting the Gate City’s singular style, Greensboro Fashion Week has worked tirelessly to cultivate local and international designers, nurture aspiring models, and showcase the wellspring of talent fermenting at area schools and independent boutiques. For its fifth year, GFW founders Witneigh Davis and Giovanni Ramadini have ramped up the Ritz factor, starting with a meet-and-greet on October 2 at The Mill Entertainment Complex downtown and continuing every night during the following week with a sponsors’ dinner, a kids’ fashion show at the Children’s Museum, and at Koury Aviation, no less, two shows: one with a focus on emerging designers from around the globe, the other on local boutiques and national brands. Winding up the week on October 7 is a finale of luxury and outerwear presented by Kriegsman, along with Mack and Mack at Van Dyke Performance Space. So come out, join the parties, marvel at the talent, the stylish duds — and you’ll understand why Greensboro is smiling and profiling. Tickets: greensborofashionweek.com.
No Gaines, No Pains
Abandon shiplap and meet the other fixer uppers, Erin and Ben Napier, hosts of HGTV’s Home Town. In addition to attracting audiences with their creative flair for renovating old houses and passion for everything about their uh, home town of Laurel, Mississippi, the couple has partnered with Virginia-based Vaughan-Bassett to create a furniture line (and give a boost to U.S. manufacturing jobs). Now there’s the inevitable book, Make Something Good Today, a memoir that chronicles the Napiers’ experiences living in a small town and learning to appreciate life’s simple pleasures. The dynamic duo will be at Scuppernong Books from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on October 11 to sign copies of their new tome, which, as another home lifestyle icon might say, is “a good thing.” Info: scuppernongbooks.com.
Let’s Roll!
If you want to do something that helps others and gives your health a boost as well, the Carolina Century Ride ’n’ Roll is a worthy endeavor. Now in its 11th consecutive year, the charity bike ride, held on October 20, raises money to fight Multiple Sclerosis — without a cost-prohibitive minimum that most tours require riders to raise. “It allows you to do as few as 20 or as many as a hundred miles,” says Leesona Corporation engineer John Hepburn, who has participated in the event over the years. “The only real requirement is if you don’t have a helmet, don’t show up,” he chuckles. Organizer Blake Lambert, who started the event after being involved with the Tour to Tanglewood, concurs, explaining that the event encourages riders of all abilities and those with disabilities as well. “One lady with MS did the 102, another lady with lupus did 72, another lady with MS did the metric century, 62 miles, probably three times.” And if that isn’t inspiration for you, start pedaling, Lambert mentions other enticements. “We offer 10– 13 rest stops with sports drinks and snacks, some of which are healthy, some are just tasty.” For instance: homemade brownies, and cake and pie, and afterward, cheese sandwiches and chili. “Some people claim they have gained weight during the Carolina Century,” Lambert says with a smile. The event starts from Gospel Baptist Church on Church Street Extension just north of NC Hwy 150. For more info on route, entry fees, and how to sign up, go to: http://bl2u.com/events/carolina-century/— G.B. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Ogi Sez Ogi Overman
It so happens that October is my favorite month of the year. World Series, Halloween, autumn leaves, college football Saturdays, pumpkin-flavored everything, and, oh well, my birth month. Plus, for a music maniac like me, it means the weather’s perfect for both indoor and outdoor concerts. As Briscoe Darling would say, “Jump in and hang on.”
• October 4, Ramkat: Shinyribs is why Austin remains the musical Mecca that it’s been since the mid-1970s. An outgrowth of the Gourds (Austinites whom I also loved), the seven-piece ensemble is swampy, bluesy, funky, soul-ly, Americana-y, etc.-y. And if you’re nice, you can jump in their conga line. • October 12, Blind Tiger: What stands out about Ana Popovic’s career is not that she’s a blistering female blues guitarist from — wait for it — Serbia, but that she was invited to play on a Jimi Hendrix tribute album alongside Buddy Guy, Eric Burdon, Taj Mahal and Eric Gales. Pretty good company, eh? • October 16, White Oak
Amphitheatre: I have one question: Why in the name of Elvis are the Doobie Brothers not in the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame? If 40 million albums sold, a dozen or so genuinely iconic hits, and 14 albums recorded over a 47-year (with one five-year hiatus) career doesn’t count, what the hell does it take? Harrrrumph!
• October 18, Carolina Theatre: In a match made in Honky Tonk Heaven, my two favorite Texas A&M alums (who were actually buddies back then), Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen, are touring together. Can it get any better? Nope. • October 25, Cone Denim Entertainment Center: It pains me to admit this, but my wife turned me onto Andy Grammer a few years back when he was on Dancing with the Stars. He’d already had several hits, including the multiplatinum “Honey I’m Good,” so I went back and started listening to him. And, yes, he really is good. October 2018
O.Henry 29
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Doodad
Sentimental Journey Chris Stamey’s musical love letter to the Gate City Photograph and Story By John Gessner
“As a child, Greensboro seemed like a
magical place to me, where we’d climb aboard behind the great locomotive in the evening and watch as all that was familiar slowly dissolved out the window,” says Chris Stamey, recalling family trips from North Carolina to New York or Boston, where his dad, a Winston-Salem pediatrician, had gone to medical school. “When the sun came up, we’d find ourselves deposited in an alien land, full of skyscrapers and taxi cabs,” Stamey remembers. After I finished school in N.C. and moved to the North, I’d still travel back sometimes by train, and it became a different voyage, where arrival in Greensboro would mean I was truly home once again.” It was New York City where Stamey and another Winston-Salem native, his elementary schoolmate Peter Holsapple, formed the dB’s. They were (and still are) pioneers in the music industry who came together during a time of great change — the late 1970s and early ’80s. Around this time I heard their single, “Black & White,” and forever associated the band with the Big Apple. But Stamey owes Greensboro a great musical debt, describing it as “an oasis of nascent indie-rock culture, based around the vibrant, tiny club Fridays,” not to mention UNCG concerts, and, as he’s come to learn, the city’s musical legacy as “a sanctuary” for Piedmont Blues. “For me, the city’s mystique has grown,” he says. His memories, starting with those childhood trips by train served as inspiration for the recently released single, “Greensboro Days”: Greensboro Days the leaves are calico and brown and I am New York bound. . . The song is a sentimental journey by rail, wonderfully filled with Kodak moment snippets from the early days of his stellar career. What strikes me in most of Stamey’s lyrics, and in this song particularly, is his genuine love of place. He is able to distill fond memories, folks he has met, places he has been, into the few minutes of well-crafted songwriting and singing. He puts you there in the train to sit side by side with the uncertain excitement of leaving a familiar place for unknown territory. Joining Stamey on the single, which was produced on his own Car Record label, are his buddy and co-founder of The dB’s, Peter Holsapple, on harmonies, and John Teer of Chatham County Line on fiddle and mandolin. Drummer Dan Davis (6-String Drag) and Jason Foureman on acoustic bass provide a catchy beat for the conductor of this ride, Chris Stamey, playing guitars. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
I often refer to him as “The Wizard of Chapel Hill” (his birthplace, incidentally), given his numerous projects with musical luminaries of every stripe. Stamey’s vast creative palette as a musician and a producer includes albums such as Lovesick Blues and Euphoria, as well as Falling Off the Sky with the dB’s, and collaborations with the likes of with Ryan Adams, Alejandro Escovedo, Flat Duo Jets, Skylar Gudasz, Tift Merritt, Le Tigre, and Yo La Tengo. When he’s not on stage, Stamey can often be seen tuning guitars and pulling ropes in the background for his fellow musicians. But for the few minutes of “Greensboro Days,” he is once again the young indie rocker, embarking on an adventure, eager to embrace the bright lights of the big city, while smaller ones pass before his eyes. “In this song I’ve used the specificity of the Gate City’s name as a totem for all the great Carolina towns, each reservoirs of mystery and romance to this day,” Stamey reflects. Greensboro Days of endless summers, a North bound train rolls out of town. Greensboro Days, the leaves are covering the ground and I am New York bound. OH Photographer John Gessner whole-heartedly suggests going to www.chrisstamey.com so you can catch Chris next time he rolls into your town. Until then you can hear “Greensboro Days” on Spotify, Amazon, iTunes, watch the video on You Tube, or scan the bar code (right) on your cell phone. October 2018
O.Henry 31
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Life’s Funny
Cagey Character Winging it with Gandalf the Grey
By Maria Johnson
I’ve always thought
that anyone who uses “pansy” as a synonym for wimp knows nothing about pansies, which can be frozen under winter ice and come back swinging in the spring.
In a similar vein, you’d better think twice about the term “bird brain.” Gandalf is why. I first met the 17-year-old African Grey parrot this past spring when I took our dog, Rio, to the vet. He caught wind of Gandalf as soon as we stepped into the waiting room at Lawndale Veterinary Hospital, where the foot-long bird perched inside a large cage. Rio was curious. He approached slowly and planted his front paws on the cage to get a closer look. Gandalf cocked her head and fixed him with a beady black pupil that floated inside a white iris. A sign on her cage warned she could bite, but she kept her distance as they calmly checked each other out. At the front desk after Rio’s visit, I learned that despite her mostly gray plumage, Gandalf was a colorful character. She was new at being the clinic’s greeter, but she’d already gotten the hang of telling customers “hi” and “bye,” plus a whole lot in between. She’d commanded one customer — an innocent bloke who’d caused no flap — to “shut up.” “Did that bird just tell me to shut up?” said the guy, laughing. “Keep moving,” said Gandalf. You gotta admire a bird with that kind of comic timing. On a more recent visit, I met Gandalf’s owner, vet tech Carmen Bowes, who recounted how Gandalf landed in her life. It started last November, when Carmen got a call from friends at the Greensboro Science Center, where she used to work. A zoo volunteer was looking for a new home for her African Grey. The woman and her husband were traveling a lot, and the bird had been chewing her feathers, a sign of stress. The couple hoped to find a loving, long-term home for her, although at the time they believed Gandalf, named after a wizard in Lord of the Rings, was a male. She had never laid an egg and, like other African Greys, had no visible sex organs. Carmen, a former keeper of penguins at the Science Center, was interested in meeting Gandalf. She had a fairly birdy background and knew that African Greys could live to be 50 or older, that they were endangered in their native Africa, and that they could be, in her words, “temperamental and bitey.” Sure enough, Gandalf nipped Carmen the first few times she visited. Carmen decided to let Gandalf make the overtures. She also introduced Gandalf to her husband, Drew, who wasn’t really a bird person. Gandalf took a shine to Drew, confirming what her owners had observed: She liked men more than women. Drew liked Gandalf, too, so he and Carmen took her home to their other
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
“children,” three Great Danes and two cats. Gandalf fit right in. She was sociable and sassy. She corrected the dogs with a sharp “Ah-ah!” She mimicked the microwave: “Bing!” When someone dropped something, she sympathized: “Oops. Sorry!” When night fell, she asked for her cage to be covered: “Gandalf ready to go night-night.” When she didn’t get what she wanted, she sighed loudly. Not only did she copy sounds, she understood context and generated responses that fit the situation. “It’s like living with a 2- or 3-year-old child,” says Carmen. “She’s extremely smart.” Gandalf and Drew were birds of a feather. She clung to his hand and recited rap songs with him. She let him dangle her upside. She cuddled against his chest. About a month into the adoption, a white, walnut-size egg appeared on the floor of Gandalf’s cage. A wizard indeed. For whatever reason, Gandalf had become fertile, but Carmen and Drew decided not to breed her. They also kept her name because that’s what Gandalf called herself, as in, “You’re a good bird, Gandalf.” With the blessings of her coworkers, Carmen started bringing Gandalf to work. The stimulation would be good for her, Carmen thought, and her antics might entertain the customers. Gandalf seized the stage. Sometimes, she growled and barked as dogs entered. Other times, she whistled and called, “Come here!” She has been known to make her “sick kitty” sound — a moaning mewl — when people bring in ailing felines. When music plays in the background, she steps and shimmies to the beat. She favors “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars and “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. When delivery trucks back up to the clinic, Gandalf alerts bystanders with the “beeeeep, beeeep, beeeep” of machinery in reverse. She has pecked a handful who’ve ignored the warning about biting, but most people keep their fingers to themselves and enjoy the interaction. For many customers, stopping to speak to Gandalf is a part of the visit. Kids flock to her. And yes, she warms to men. Several weeks ago, she flirted with a departing fellow. She preened and chattered. She said “bye” to him four times. She turned to watch him walk across the parking lot. “She was sad to see him go,” says receptionist Julie Hean. “It was funny because he wasn’t her type.” Big, furry and friendly, like the bearded Drew — that’s Gandalf’s type. Maybe that’s why, when Carmen freed her from her cage recently, she let Rio come close, sniffing. I worried she might take a chunk out of his nose. At least we were already at the vet. Rio stopped a few inches away. What would happen next? Anticipation was thick. Gandalf read the moment. A smooch sound filled the gap. “She blew him a kiss,” said Carmen. OH To see video of Gandalf dancing, go to O.Henry’s Facebook page. Maria Johnson is a contributing editor of O.Henry. You can reach her at ohenrymaria@gmail.com. October 2018
O.Henry 33
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October 2018
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The Omnivorous Reader
Linking Different Worlds Orr and Sparks connect North Carolina and Africa
By D.G. Martin
Two important new novels are set
in North Carolina and in Africa. It is an amazing coincidence because the books’ authors live in two different literary worlds.
The first new, Africa-connected book is N.C. State professor Elaine Neil Orr’s Swimming Between Worlds. She is a highly praised author of literary fiction. The second is New Bern — based Nicholas Sparks’ latest, Every Breath, which is being released this month. Sparks’ 20 novels have been regulars on The New York Times best-seller lists, often at No. 1, making him one of the world’s most successful writers of what some call commercial fiction. What is the difference between literary and commercial fiction? According to Writer’s Digest, “There aren’t any hard and fast definitions for one or the other, but there are some basic differences, and those differences affect how the book is read, packaged, and marketed. Literary fiction is usually more concerned with style and characterization than commercial fiction. Literary fiction is also usually paced more slowly than commercial The Art & Soul of Greensboro
fiction. Literary fiction usually centers around a timeless, complex theme, and rarely has a pat (or happy) ending. Commercial fiction, on the other hand, is faster paced, with a stronger plot line (more events, higher stakes, more dangerous situations).” Although both Orr and Sparks would argue that their work cannot be neatly packaged in either genre, the literary/commercial distinction helps prepare readers for the authors’ different styles. In these two books, both authors tell compelling stories and feature interesting and complex characters. Orr’s Swimming Between Worlds raises the question of whether there is a connection between the 1950s Nigerian movement for independence and the civil rights movement in Winston-Salem. Orr grew up as the child of American missionaries in Nigeria. Her experiences gave a beautiful and true spirit to her first novel, A Different Sun, about pre-Civil War Southern missionaries going to black Africa to save souls. Instead of slaveholding Southerners preaching to Nigerian blacks, the new book contrasts the cultural segregation of 1950s Winston-Salem with the situation in Nigeria. Although Nigerians at that time were coming to a successful end of their struggle for independence from Great Britain, they were still October 2018
O.Henry 35
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October 2018
Reader mired in the vestiges of colonial oppression. Set in these circumstances is a coming-ofage story and a love story. These themes are complicated, and enriched, by the overlay of Nigerian struggles and the civil rights protests in Winston-Salem. The main male character, Tacker Hart, had been a star high school football player who earned an architectural degree at N.C. State. He was selected for a plum assignment to work in Nigeria on prototype designs for new schools. Working in Nigeria, this typical Southern white male becomes so captivated by Nigerian culture, religion and ambience that his white supervisors fire him for being “too native” and send him home. Back in Winston-Salem the discouraged and depressed Tacker takes a job in his father’s grocery. The female lead character, Kate Monroe, is the daughter of a Salem College history professor. Her parents are dead, and after graduating from Agnes Scott College, she leaves Atlanta and her longtime boyfriend, James, to return to Winston-Salem and live in the family home where she grew up. She still, however, has feelings for James, an ambitious young doctor. How Tacker wins Kate from James is the love story that forms the core of this book. But there are complications created by a young AfricanAmerican college student who is taking time off to help with family in Winston-Salem. Tacker and Kate first meet Gaines on the same day. After Gaines buys a bottle of milk at the Hart grocery store, white thugs attack him for being in the wrong place (a white neighborhood) at the wrong time. Later on the same day, Kate spots an African-American man holding a bottle of milk, walking by her home in an upper-class white neighborhood. She thinks he probably stole the milk. She is terrified, and immediately locks her doors and windows. She shakes with worry about the danger of this young black man walking through her neighborhood. The young man is, of course, Gaines. It turns out that Gaines is the nephew of Tacker’s beloved family maid. Tacker and his father hire Gaines to work in the grocery store, and he becomes a model employee. But Gaines has a secret agenda. He is working with the group of outsiders to organize protest movements at lunch counters in downtown retail stores. Gaines sets out to entice Tacker to help with the protests, first, only to allow the store to be used at night for a meeting place. Then, over time, Tacker is led to participate in the sit-ins. In Nigeria, Tacker had found his black colleagues and friends to be just as smart, interestThe Art & Soul of Greensboro
Reader ing, and as talented as he was. He found them to be his equals. Back in Winston-Salem, he has at first slipped back into a comfort level with the segregated and oppressive culture in which he grew up. His protest activities with Gaines put his relationships with his family, Kate and possible employment at an architectural firm at risk. Tacker’s effort to accommodate his growing participation in the civil rights movement with his heritage of segregation leads to the book’s dramatic, tragic and totally surprising ending. The African connection in Nicholas Sparks’ new book is Tru Walls, a white safari guide from Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia. In 1990, the 42-year-old Tru comes to Sunset Beach to meet his biological father. It is his first visit to the United States. On the beach he meets Hope Anderson, a 36-year-old nurse from Raleigh. She is in a long-term relationship with Josh, a selfcentered orthopedic surgeon. Nevertheless, she and Tru immediately fall into a deeply passionate love affair. How Hope resolves her competing feelings for Tru and Josh is the thread that guides the book to a poignant conclusion 24 years later at another North Carolina beach. In the meantime readers learn from Tru’s experiences about the lives of white farm families and the competing claims of the overwhelming black majority in Zimbabwe. Sparks’ descriptions of wildlife and the safari experience evoke memories of Ernest Hemingway’s African short stories. Sparks’ publishers say that Every Breath is in the spirit of The Notebook. In both books, the lovers’ early encounters involve fiery and youthful passion. Sparks brings them together again years later as older, even infirm, people still deeply in love. PBS’s Great American Read has named The Notebook one of America’s 100 best-loved novels. It’s the only book set in North Carolina to make the list. On Oct. 23, PBS will announce the one book selected as America’s best-loved novel. Voting will be open until Oct. 18. You may register your votes for The Notebook and for other books on the list. Go to www.pbs.org/the-great-americanread/vote/. For a list of all 100 books, go to www. pbs.org/the-great-american-read/books/#/. As part of its participation in The Great American Read during the first two weeks in October, UNC-TV will air special “North Carolina Bookwatch” interviews with Sparks about The Notebook and Every Breath. OH D.G. Martin hosts “North Carolina Bookwatch,” which airs Sundays at noon and Thursdays at 5 p.m. on UNC-TV.
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O.Henry 37
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Scuppernong Bookshelf
In the House
October sees the release of several design books, in time for High Point Market
Compiled by Brian Lampkin
When I first landed in the Triad, I had no
idea what a furniture market was, let alone what constituted a High Point. Now, I understand what a vital economic engine the High Point Market is — and not only for downtown HP. Small businesses across the Triad bask in the overflowing excess of the furniture world coming to our backyard. Not surprisingly, we sell our share of furniture and design books during the madness. Listed below are some of the designers with new books who will be coming to High Point this October. Ray Booth, Ray Booth: Evocative Interiors. Presented here are Booth’s most celebrated Nashville residences and never-before-seen projects in Palm Beach, Louisiana, New York, Texas and the Hamptons. Each illustrates his innovative use of furniture as architecture to define rooms, draperies in place of walls, captivating displays of art and mirrors, and an eclectic mix of antiques and contemporary pieces. Among the house profiles is Booth’s Nashville home, which shows the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School, revealing his appreciation for traditional materials, particularly large expanses of glass, masonry and wood. Ray Booth will appear at the Antique & Design Center on Saturday, October 13 at 4 p.m.
Kathryn Scott, Creating Beauty: Interiors. The first book from acclaimed Brooklyn-based interior designer Kathryn Scott, whose handcrafted interiors evoke a sense of serenity, harmony and simplicity. Kathryn Scott is a designer whose disciplined eye results in interiors praised for their beauty and minimalism, as well as their artisanal details. Through 10 residences, bookended by Scott’s own acclaimed five-story, 19th-century Italianate brownstone in Brooklyn Heights and her ravishing country house, the book explores the idea of home as sanctuary, a place to rest, replenish and refocus. Kathryn Scott will appear at the Antique & Design Center on Saturday, October 13 at 4 p.m. Richard Keith Langham, About Decorating: The Remarkable Rooms of Richard Keith Langham & Paloma Contreras, Dream Design Live. This first book on the esteemed decorator and tastemaker — known for beautiful interiors that are replete with tradition, saturated color, elegance and Southern flair — will delight design aficionados. Paloma Contreras is the blogger The Art & Soul of Greensboro
behind the popular interior design site La Dolce Vita. She has been featured in many major publications, including Domino, House Beautiful, The New York Times, AD online, Vogue, Elle Decor and the Wall Street Journal. Richard & Paloma will appear at the Universal Furniture Showroom at 11 a.m. on Sunday, October 14. Jeff Dungan, The Nature of Home: Creating Timeless Houses. Following in the tradition of populist architects Gil Schafer and Bobby McAlpine, Dungan designs new traditional houses for today — houses with clean lines, made with stone and wood, that carry an air of lasting beauty and that are made to be handed on to future generations. In his first book, Dungan shares his advice and insight for creating these “forever” houses, exploring eight of them in full, from a beach house on the Gulf Coast to a farmhouse in the Southern countryside, as well as a family home in the Blue Ridge Mountain. Jeff Dungan will appear at Curry & Co. at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 14. John Loecke, Jason Oliver Nixon, Prints Charming: Create Absolutely Beautiful Interiors with Prints & Patterns. This bright, lively interior design book is like no other: It shows readers how to choose and use pattern (whether on upholstered furniture, walls and floors, or in curtains, rugs and accessories) to create gorgeous room designs. It also teaches readers how to layer pattern[s?] for fresh, exciting, personalized spaces. The book is delightfully illustrated with inspiring images of design elements and finished rooms with each chapter packed with lively DIY projects, plus Dos and Don’ts, Try This, and more. Jason Oliver Nixon will appear at the Port 68 Lighting Showroom on Monday, October 15 at 10 a.m. Thomas O’Brien, Thomas O’Brien: Library House & Charlotte Moss, Charlotte Moss Entertains: Celebrations and Everyday Occasions. Charlotte Moss is a designer, author and philanthropist. She has designed numerous private residences in the United States and abroad, collections of carpets, furniture, fabrics, china and enameled jewelry. She has authored nine books. Thomas O’Brien is an interior and home furnishings designer based in New York City. He is the founder and president of Aero Studios, one of America’s most respected design firms, and is the author of American Modern and Aero. Charlotte and Thomas will appear at Century Furniture on Monday, October 15 at 4 p.m. Paloma Contreras, Dream Design Live, Donna Garlough, Your Home, Your Style: How to Find Your Look & Create Rooms You Love, and Nora Murphy, Country House Style: Making Your Home a Country House. Enjoy lunch with Paloma, Nora and Donna at their book signing at The Point (near the Transportation Terminal) at 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, October 16. OH Brian Lampkin is one of the proprietors of Scuppernong Books. October 2018
O.Henry 39
CITY OF GREENSBORO
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Homestyle
Everything in its Place
Meg Brown Home Furnishings offers pearls of wisdom in choosing and arranging furniture
Meg Brown (left) and Hannah Wood (right) By Nancy Oakley
PHOTOGRAPHS BY LYNN DONOVAN
We’ve all been there. You dream of the
perfect room, certain that the image conjured in your mind’s eye will materialize as you imagined it, or as it looked on the Pinterest post you so admired — only to discover the sofa doesn’t fit. Or the upholstery doesn’t quite complement the rug. Or that groovy piece of pottery you just had to buy from a flea market seems, well, off. What to do?
Well, you might stop at a place like Meg Brown Home Furnishings in Advance, where owners Meg and Davin Brown, and their in-house designer, Hannah Wood, can offer some advice. “There are so many things, so many pitfalls that we can help you avoid if we talk to you, so many things we can educate you about in the store,” says Davin, whose family has deep roots in the furniture business. “We troubleshoot and ask lots of questions,” adds his wife, Meg, a designer and the store’s namesake. They built the 10,000-square-foot space 12 years ago on an empty lot just a stone’s throw from Bermuda Run, which, Meg explains, “felt right.” At the The Art & Soul of Greensboro
time they were looking to tap into a younger demographic: 30- to 45-yearolds busy raising families. “We tried to be a lot more hip. Didn’t have the older stuff. But we found that older people in their 60s and 70s didn’t want the traditional anymore,” Davin says. And, let’s face it, older customers, especially those with kids out of the house, have more motivation and cash to spend on furniture and furnishings. “We got lucky that we appealed to both,” Davin continues. Their inventory is far-reaching but consists mainly of upholstered furniture, with a healthy supply of case goods (pieces with hard surfaces such as tables, end tables, bookcases and so forth), rugs and various accents, from lamps to decorative pieces. Their merchandise is artfully arranged in roomlike scenarios by Wood (“a fun job,” she says). Though it speaks to current sensibilities, there is one bit of tradition you’ll find here: good old-fashioned, face-to-face customer service. “Right now we really don’t want to sell online,” says Davin. “If you just look at a picture on our website and click it, you don’t know if that wood’s distressed. If you touch it, feel it, sit in it, know it’s comfortable, it’s just a lot easier to get it right.” Buying furniture in person also minimizes returns on sales. And as Meg and Wood, whose other responsibility is in-home consultations, allow, you can pinpoint the dimensions of the pieces so that they’ll fit your space. What are some of designers’ considerations when walking customers through the buying process? “How are you going to live in your space?” Meg posits. As parents of two October 2018
O.Henry 41
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Homestyle boys, 11 and 14, she and Davin know firsthand that a family with young children is going to use a space differently from a retired couple. “You’re going to want to pick upholstery and pieces that are comfortable, durable, things that are going to last a little bit longer,” she says. “Cleanable,” Davin chimes in, adding that high-performance fabrics are popular among their clientele, who’ve done their research before entering the store. Traffic patterns, says Meg, also figure into the equation. “Is this room going to be just for conversations? Is this going to be a TV-watching room?” she’ll often ask. “It’s so personal!” Wood emphasizes. “They’ll be living there, not me!” Meg suggests that one start by editing existing pieces. “I’m not saying throw everything out,” she clarifies. Otherwise, your home might start to look like a showroom. She suggests combining old and new, to give a space a layered look and personality. And since you’re more likely to keep those case goods for a while, refresh them with new upholstery. As for the “edited” pieces? They don’t have to go into a box in the attic. Meg says you can arrange them in “collections,” in a single area, rather than scattered throughout, so they aren’t lost. “Not everything has to be on show,” she adds. “You can have a little shrine. I like that people build a spot in their closet that means only something to them.” (She keeps her race medals and trophies from running in a special place in her own closet, believing “not everyone needs to see that junk.”) And what about finding that sofa to fit your space? Again, it goes back to how you intend to use it. Age, says, Meg, is a factor. “Are you just going to have friends over and you just want to sort of flop into it? Some people have health needs, where they need to sit up and don’t need to be super slouched back.” These concerns may seem obvious, but they can affect whether you buy a couch that’s 40 inches in depth, for slouchy comfort, or 38 inches,
if you need something firmer, to sit upright. And the dimensions can also affect how intimate the space is. “People are wanting a sense of connection,” says Meg. “They’re feeling a little bit out of control and the world is going around really, really fast. But people are wanting some intimacy and they’re wanting to reconnect.” Best, then, to bring sofas and chairs toward the center of a room, rather than around its periphery, which is a natural tendency for novices. To pull everything together, Meg maintains that art is a great option. “You just kind of need to find a focal point in your room,” she says, and that can be an original piece of art, something that’s been in the family for a while or maybe just a stock piece of art. That can be a bit of a challenge, in
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
October 2018
O.Henry 43
Homestyle this day and age of open floor plans, which produce multiple focal points — fireplaces, televisions and kitchen islands — not to mention a dearth of floor plugs for lamps (Meg’s and Wood’s preferred way to light and soften a room, rather than using the glare of overhead lighting). Otherwise, you can unify a space by choosing metallics in some of the case goods — and don’t be afraid to mix tones. That old rule of separating gold from silver is a thing of the past. “You can do it,” Meg asserts, pointing to two attractive lamp bases in the contrasting colors. “Rules were meant to be broken,” she says. Last but not least in achieving a harmonious setting are rugs. With
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hardwood floors being more popular, wall-to-wall carpet isn’t as common as it once was. So how to choose an area rug? “You need to have a rug that’s at least 8-by-10 minimum with upholstery,” says Meg. For a cohesive look, Wood advises tucking it under the sofa “at least halfway.” If they’re placed in front of the sofa, she says, “they’re sort of floating and they look so small.” As with upholstery, cleaning is a big factor. Meg says that wool is still easiest to clean, with a combination of wool and viscose being another good option (but avoid an all-viscose rug, which is harder to clean). Nylon is less expensive, especially for families with young children, but Meg feels its look isn’t as “luxurious.” And what about the trend toward seagrass, sisal and jute? “I love them. I think they are always in style. It’s a designer look,” Meg enthuses. But here again, cleaning is a challenge: They require a powder, and inevitably when they come in contact with water, they acquire brown spots. “They’re disposable rugs. If you’re planning to do a seagrass or sisal, you’re going to have to plan on getting rid of it in two years,” she says, casting a knowing look toward Davin. “We did it, remember?” she asks. “It’s uncomfortable,” he replies with a grimace. “Especially for kids crawling around and playing. It hurts.” But, “It’s good for cats!” Meg offers. It’s this kind of personal interaction you’ll find at Meg Brown Home Furnishings, “a small furniture store,” Meg says, compared to many. “I feel like we have a wide array of what’s out there,” she says. Larger stores, as Davin observes, might overwhelm some customers with their wealth of choices. The Browns’ potential customers “can shop at a 100,000-squarefoot store” but ultimately, they predict, they’ll return here. `“We’ve fine-tuned our assortment,” he says. “Curated it,” Meg adds. In other words, they’ve learned the art of editing. OH Info: Meg Brown Home Furnishings, 5491 U.S. Hwy 158, Advance; (336) 998-7277 or megbrown.com The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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O.Henry 45
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October 2018
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Drinking with Writers
Well-Behaved Women Zelda with a twist
By Wiley Cash • Photographs by Mallory Cash
For anyone who knows Therese Anne
Fowler, it is no surprise that she writes about women like Zelda Fitzgerald and Alva Vanderbilt, women who were artistic, brilliant, and outspoken. Therese’s friends would describe her much the same way. I first met Therese at the South Carolina Book Festival, where we spoke on the same panel in the spring of 2012. We made fast friends, telling stories about book tours and life in North Carolina, where she and her husband, novelist John Kessel, live in Raleigh. I saw Therese several times over the next few months at various conferences and festivals. I knew she had a new book coming out, but she never said much about it. And then Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald was published The Art & Soul of Greensboro
in March 2013. It blew the doors off every preconceived notion readers had about the woman who had always been known simply as Mrs. F. Scott Fitzgerald. A few months after the novel came out, I saw Therese again at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. By that time both Z and Therese had experienced incredible success: The novel had appeared on The New York Times best-seller list, and a television show based on the novel and starring Christina Ricci as Zelda Fitzgerald was in production at Amazon. I told Therese how thrilled I was for her, and I asked her how it felt. She smiled, turned her head, and revealed the tiny “Z” she had tattooed behind her left ear. She planned to keep Zelda with her forever, and people who have read the novel and have seen the series understand why. October 2018
O.Henry 47
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October 2018
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Drinking with Writers With her new novel, A WellBehaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts — which tells the story of Alva Vanderbilt, a woman who went from being a member of the fallen Southern aristocracy to a Gilded Age socialite and, eventually, a leader in the women’s suffrage movement — Therese has once again given life to a heroine that readers will not soon forget. It seems that critics feel the same way. Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews both gave the novel starred reviews, and People magazine named it a Best Book of the Fall. Sony Pictures believed in Therese’s take on Vanderbilt’s life so much that they optioned the novel for a television series before she had even finished writing it. Over Labor Day weekend I met Therese at The Haymaker in downtown Raleigh to talk about writing about historical women, the thrill of seeing her work on the screen, and how she is feeling about her new book, which is scheduled for release on Oct. 16. “I’m excited,” she says. “But I’m cautious. You can’t predict the book business.” We are sitting at a small table by the huge windows where the late-day light barely reaches the high ceiling. On my right, a gorgeous flower mural spans an entire wall. The bar behind Therese features leather-covered stools and industrial lighting. To my left is a sitting area where a comfortable Victorian-styled sofa and leather armchairs invite patrons to sip cocktails and chat. The interior of The Haymaker is the perfect combination of clean lines and lush decadence. When our drinks are delivered, I offer a toast to well-behaved women. Therese laughs and lifts her cocktail, the cachaca/Camparibased Agua-Benta, which is infused with jalapeno and features hints of lime and pineapple, and clinks it against my pint of Peacemaker Pale Ale. She takes a sip and looks around. “Alva would have been very comfortable in a place like this,” she says. “Zelda would have been, too.” “What was it like to see Zelda come to life on the screen?” I ask. “Wonderful,” Therese says. “I loved it, and I think Christina Ricci was perfect. My only regret is that Amazon didn’t renew it for a second season. Viewers The Art & Soul of Greensboro
learned all about the beginning of Zelda’s life and her relationship with Scott Fitzgerald, but we never saw them get to Paris, where the writers of the Lost Generation all come together. It would have been fascinating to see that.” “Were you surprised when Hollywood came calling a second time when Sony optioned A Well-Behaved Woman?” “Very surprised,” she says. “I was in New York with my agent, pitching the novel to editors and sending the book to auction. We were standing on the subway platform when my agent got a call that Sony wanted to option it. The book was still at auction and hadn’t even been purchased yet.” I have a feeling that many people will be hearing about Alva Vanderbilt when A WellBehaved Woman is published, some perhaps for the first time. After a life that spanned the Civil War, World War I, the Gilded Age and the Great Depression, Alva Vanderbilt would die in Paris in 1933. Perhaps, if Therese and Sony have their way, both readers and viewers will make it to Paris even though Amazon did not get us there with Zelda. And who knows? The next time I see Therese she might show me a fresh “A” that has been tattooed behind her other ear. You never know what a wellbehaved woman is going to do next. OH Wiley Cash lives in Wilmington with his wife and their two daughters. His latest novel, The Last Ballad, is available wherever books are sold.
October 2018
O.Henry 49
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October 2018
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Life of Jane
Not-SoPolite Company A comedy of manners
By Jane Borden
Everyone is someone else’s intruder. I
ILLUSTRATION BY MERIDITH MARTENS
certainly felt like one when I first met Nathan’s family. They did nothing to make me feel that way, I should clarify. But I still did. Gaining in-laws is like joining the Witness Protection Program: You get a second life, but it’s full of strangers. Nevertheless, they were now part of my closest circle, as if the word “insider” were a contronym. Nathan had once been completely unknown too, of course, but the time span comprising his transition to life partner was longer than one weekend.
For the record, my in-laws are great. We loved and accepted one another immediately. But even those circumstances can’t mitigate the strangeness of the scenario. Hey, people I hardly know, let’s do Christmas biannually until we die! Yes, technically, it is a choice based on DNA, but it’s not my DNA. In at least one way, in-laws are even further from family, on the relationship spectrum, than strangers are. I am way more polite to my in-laws than I am to almost anyone else. As a child, when I protested the practicality of the regimented system of traditional manners I was taught, my parents’ response was, “You might meet the Queen of England one day.” This is a ridiculous statement. When would I meet the Queen? When she visited North Carolina because of her interest in tobacco farming and Michael Jordan? Or would it be when I was knighted for my contribution to the junior-dance arts? Further, if I did meet her, how would she know that the reason I wasn’t The Art & Soul of Greensboro
discussing money was simply because it hadn’t come up yet? Nevertheless, the specter of this future royal meeting endured, precisely because it is an unfalsifiable argument. But now I also understand it to be a metaphor: The Queen of England is my mother-in-law. Somewhere a needlepointed novelty pillow is smiling. And so, I reserve my most respectful comportment for her. As examples, I’ve put together this list of behaviors, categorized by whether or not I will exhibit each behavior in front of in-laws, strangers, or family. Belching: In-laws: Never. Strangers: Occasionally, by accident, and always followed by apology. Family: Often. Then my sisters shout, “Good one!” — and my mother dies inside. Talking about religion or politics: In-laws: Never. Strangers: Sometimes. This is why Twitter exists. Family: My parents’ frequent suggestion that I “grow up to be a lawyer” was really just their exit strategy from arguments. Sarcasm: In-laws: Rarely. Strangers: It’s how I make friends. Family: I hardly see them when I visit because my eyes are rolled so far back into my head. Criticizing them: In-laws: Never. Strangers: When I am in my car and can safely drive away. Family: I’m beginning to wish I hadn’t made this list. October 2018
O.Henry 51
Life of Jane
The smile of your dreams doesn’t have to be in your dreams anymore.
Taking advantage of hospitality: In-laws: Never. Strangers: I tidy after myself in hotels. Family: I walk in the door and I’m 16 again. Walking around in pajamas: In-laws: Almost never. Strangers: It’s how I bank. Family: I hardly packed anything else. Complaining: In-laws: Never. Strangers: This is what Facebook is for. Family: I definitely shouldn’t have made this list.
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Drinking too much: In-laws: Never. Strangers: This is what strangers are for. Family: Only in the summer, at the beach, every summer, for an entire week. Arguing over who’s paying the check: In-laws: Never. Strangers: Never. Family: Never. I need to apologize to my family. I don’t know why they still claim me, but I’m assuming it’s because I have their granddaughter. Since she is also Nathan’s, my in-laws have less incentive to keep me around, and this is precisely why I behave around them. I still live in fear of them calling him to say, “Think about your daughter, Honey — what if sarcasm is genetic?” It’s a silly fear, I admit. It’s not like washing dishes and avoiding politics obscure my other faults. So, clearly they have already accepted me, including never called to warn him that I’m a bigot. I should explain. Before Nathan and I were engaged, he invited me to Indiana to meet his family. Part of the trip included a drive north to his grandmother’s lake cottage. For about 30 minutes of that afternoon, while Nathan ran an errand, she and I were alone together, sitting on lawn chairs facing a small waterway that connects two sections of the lake. While we chatted politely, a pontoon boat rumbled down the waterway, propelled by an outboard motor and carrying close to a dozen Amish teenagers. “Interesting,” I said. “They’re using a motor.” “Yes,” she replied. “Interesting.” Then I remembered that Amish communities encourage adolescents to spend a period of time away from their culture and its rules, in order to strengthen their faith upon returning. This rite of passage is called Rumspringa. So I said, “Maybe they’re on their Rumspringa.” Then there was a period of silence, after which Nathan’s grandmother replied, sternly, “Well, I think the Amish are very nice people.” Wait, what? “I do too,” I protested. “What did you think The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
BU
B
SS
25
25
IN
Greensboro native Jane Borden continues her own Rumspringa in Los Angeles.
B
I said?” After a brief silence, she asked, “Well what did you say?” “That maybe they’re on their Rumspringa.” More silence, until, finally: “Hmm. Yes. Well.” Then she changed the subject. What could I do? Argue with a nonagenarian hosting me in her home, a tactic that would surely make whatever happened even worse? Instead, I let it go. I let her think I hate the Amish. What an unlikely group to disparage! That’s exactly how bigoted she must think I am — if you hate a group of hardworking, simple-living Christians, whose entire belief system is rooted in pacifism, then you have cast a wide net of hatred. No wonder she changed the subject: She was probably afraid I’d start in on the Quakers. Further, she believes I was confident enough in said bigotry to casually drop it in front of a woman I’d never met, who also happens to be my boyfriend’s grandmother. One question remains: What did she hear when I spoke? “Rum slinger?” “Gun singer?” ”Their lack of alcoholism and generally quiet nature are ruining this country?” I’ll never know. But here are some things I do know, after doing some reading about the Amish way of life. Not all communities abstain from the use of all electronic or motorized devices. Rather, each group’s church leaders approach powered appliances on a case-by-case basis. So it’s possible these teenagers use outboard motors often, regardless of whether they were on any kind of culturally sanctioned break from the religion’s rules. Further, that time period is not always referred to as a Rumspringa. And whatever you call it, it isn’t really a time of partying. Most Amish adolescents don’t live outside the home during this period, or booze it up, or blare rock music. The period is mostly marked by a higher degree of socializing and courting, in advance of making the decision to be baptized and join the church. In other words, during my lakeside conversation with Nathan’s grandmother, I unfairly defined an entire group by the behaviors of only a handful of its most visible members, which is literally part of the definition of racism. Grandma was technically right. On the car ride home, I told Nathan what happened. But there was something he didn’t tell me until much later: Earlier that afternoon, after she and I had been alone together, he shared with her that he planned to propose to me. And she said nothing to him about the Amish incident. I may be a bigot, but you know what they say: The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who stayed silent.. OH
YEAR S
Life of Jane
E SIN
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The Evolving Species
Haint Misbehavin’
Ghostwriting Greensboro history with Carolina History & Haunts
By Maria Johnson
Under a full moon,
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DAN RIEDEL
cars polished to a Saturday night sheen thump with rap music along Greensboro’s South Elm Street as a young woman in a long, Regencystyle dress clutches an LED lantern at her waist and leads a line of pedestrian thrill seekers down sidewalks and alleyways.
They pool under a wide oak on a wedge of grass near the railroad tracks. It was at the tail end of the Civil War, about 150 years ago, the costumed lady says, when clanging steam trains pulled into the Greensboro station. Their cars were packed with bloody bodies — the dead, the dying and those who would live with scars of flesh and memory. They were fresh from the Battle of Bentonville, southeast of Raleigh. The trains carried a thousand passengers, half the number of people in Greensboro at the time. The townsfolk did the best they could, transporting the wounded to a makeshift hospital at what was then First Presbyterian Church, now the Greensboro History Museum. Many of the dead went straight from rail to ground, landing in graves dug near the tracks, including, she says, on the verdant patch where we stand. “Watch your step,” she cautions, turning to leave as her charges look down quickly and pick up their feet. Brrr. For 10 years, the storytellers of Carolina History & Haunts have raised the dead with the tales of spirits purported to linger in the Gate City. The 90-minute walking tour, which covers several blocks of downtown Greensboro, was conjured by Dan Riedel and his wife, Bridgette, who met around the turn of this century.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
During their courtship, Bridgette begged Dan to go on a ghost tour of historic Lexington, Virginia. Dan was enchanted, already by Bridgette and soon by tales of souls that hung around. They repeated the Lexington trek so many times, the guide urged them to do their own tour in Greensboro. So they did. They spent a couple of years researching ghost stories. They read history, consulted old Sanborn maps and interviewed people who claimed to have seen specters, glowing orbs and other oddities. Dressed in tailcoat and top hat, Dan conducted the first tour in 2008, a spooky time in its own way. Despite the economic meltdown, the jaunts caught on. Dan, a former print-shop manager, and Bridgette, a former middle school history teacher, eventually added ghost tours in Charlotte and Winston-Salem. This past summer, they launched a sister operation, Savannah History & Haunts, in that old Georgia city. They’re working on a similar attraction for High Point. Their family-friendly tours operate year-round, but this time of year bristles with customers dying for a chill. The Riedels and their guides oblige Greensboro ticketholders — many of whom are out-of-towners — with stories of a haunted theater; a bone-filled wall between an interactive museum and a contemporary cat house; an eatery where female spirits seem to coddle pregnant women; and a boutique hotel where a long-ago tenant, a lady of the evening, was dropped to her death in a stairwell. The hotel staff has painted her room pink to appease her mischievous spirit and the ghost-hunting lodgers who hope to interact with her. The Riedels hope their customers walk away with spines tingling and heads brimming with historical facts. “It’s a tricky way of teaching people,” Dan says. OH Maria Johnson is a contributing editor of O.Henry. For more information, go to carolinahistoryandhaunts.com October 2018
O.Henry 55
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In the Spirit
Syrup, Salt and Jigger Keeping it simple and delicious
By Tony Cross
Last month I touched on a few drinks
that can be made with only three ingredients. I’m carrying the theme over into October with three tips that can help improve your cocktail game. A lot of people have a fantastic collection of spirits and are super creative with their drinks. Others love trying new drinks, but when it comes to making them, would rather keep the ingredient list short and simple. Here’s something for both groups.
PHOTOGRAPH BY TONY CROSS
Your Simple Syrup
I don’t know how many times I’ve harped on this and I’m too lazy to check. Let’s just say this definitely isn’t my first rodeo when it comes to explaining why I think a 2-to-1 ratio with simple syrups is the way to go. When I first got into making everything from scratch behind the bar, simple syrup was first in line. Equal parts sugar and water. Easy enough. I’d take a measuring cup of baker’s sugar and then use the same cup to add water, throw them both in a pot over medium heat and stir the combo until the sugar disappeared. But then one night I saw a video clip of bartender Jaime Boudreau explaining how he makes a rich syrup for his cocktails. Rich syrup consists of two parts sugar and one part water. Boudreau explained that a richer syrup gives a cocktail more body. I’ll explain. If you’re using a 1:1 ratio, you have to use more of that syrup in each cocktail. Because the
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
syrup is equal parts, and you’re using more, that means you’re adding more water to the drink as well. You’re over-diluting the cocktail. More so if you don’t weigh your sugar. If you use a measuring cup, it’s not going to be exactly one cup — it’s going to be under. In reality, your syrup ratio is 1-to-.80. I can’t stress the importance of weighing out the sugar (and water too). It’s going to make a huge difference in your next sour cocktail. Finally, please don’t think that having a richer syrup is going to mean your end product will be sweeter. If measured correctly (see below), you’ll have a more velvety feel on your palate from your perfectly balanced drink. Try this:
Whiskey Sour
2 ounces Rittenhouse Rye 3/4 ounce lemon juice 1/2 ounce rich simple syrup Add ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake hard until proper dilution has occurred. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with oils from a lemon peel. Taste the difference.
Salt + Citrus = Damn!
I can’t remember when I first heard about adding salt to sour-style cocktails. I believe there was a cocktail competition out West, and the guy who won added saline to all of his drinks. It was definitely a duh! moment. Here’s the thing, though — you don’t have to just add them to shaken drinks. A small pinch of salt can go a long way in stirred drinks as well. Mess around with it to get the right balance. I’ve done a pinch of salt in drinks before. I’ve also made a saline solution. My preference? Saline. I like knowing that I’m going to get the same result when measuring out the drops. In the past October 2018
O.Henry 57
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when I’m busy, I know I’ve pinched a bit too much salt at times. So, what I’ll normally do now is make a solution of 3 parts salt to 1 part water. I’ve always used Himalayan pink salt, so I’d recommend starting there. I will say, I don’t think it’s necessary to use salt for every citrus cocktail, but it definitely helps, especially when your fresh pressed juice has been sitting for half a day. Lemon and lime juice start losing their pop in around five hours, so a dash of salt could bring it back to life. Another way it helps is with consistency. The juice from one case of lemons may differ in taste from the next. The same goes for limes and grapefruit.
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Daiquiri
2 ounces Flor de Caña dry rum 3/4 ounce lime juice 1/2 ounce rich simple syrup 3 drops saline (3:1) Combine all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake hard until your vessel is frosty cold. Double strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. No garnish. Measure, Measure, Measure This is another one that I’m sure I’ve beaten to death, but it’s so important — more so than the first two tips above. When I first got into bartending, I was obsessed with a bar in New York City that was one of the first bars in the new millennium’s surging cocktail trend. These guys made (and sold to other bars) their own syrups, bitters and cordials. Their drinks looked amazing, their uniforms were cool, and the bar itself was gorgeous. They did not measure. They eyed all of their cocktails. The risk factor in throwing a drink off balance made it even cooler in my eyes. So, that’s what I started doing. I would eye all of my drinks. I got decent at it, but do you know how hard it is to eye 1/8 an ounce for a cocktail when you’re slammed? It can be done . . . if you’re a bartending guru, which I was not and am not. I’m not sure why I got back into measuring. It was probably some David Wondrich article I read that stressed the importance of it. If so, he was right. Understatement. Consistency is key. I do remember that the month I got back on the jigger train, more compliments were directed at our waitstaff about the drinks. It means a lot when your guests return for another cocktail because they know it’s going to be just like it was the last 30-something times they imbibed there. Put your pride aside and pick up a jigger. That is, unless you’re a guru. And if you are, please show me your ways. OH Tony Cross is a bartender who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.
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O.Henry 59
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Wine Country
The Chardonnay Way Finding the right fit for fall
By Angela Sanchez
There are as many reasons why
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN GESSNER
so many people, in so many places, love chardonnay as there are, well, chardonnays. It’s highly adaptable and easily grown in many soil types and climates. It’s easily influenced by where it’s grown and by the winemaker’s hands, with as many styles and price points as its broad range of appeal would suggest. But does anyone really know what chardonnay should taste like? If we compare chardonnay-to-chardonnay (like apples-to-apples), there are styles ranging from Golden Delicious to Pink Lady to Granny Smith. If you like big, rich, round and citrus; or bold, oaky and tropical; or lean, mineral lemon-lime characters (my favorite), there is a chardonnay for you. Oak bomb, butter bomb, or classically elegant and restrained, chardonnays in all these forms, and more, are out there.
Chardonnay’s origin is in the Burgundy region of France, where I believe it’s at its very best. Burgundy is where you find chardonnay based on true terroir. In Chablis, a cool climate with limestone soil, the chardonnay is crisp, lean and clean. Minimal oak aging is used. Those who like Domaine Dauvissat use it as a complement to the natural flavors of chardonnay and to round out its natural acidity, pronounced by Chablis’ cool climate. Others, like Domaine Louis Michel & Fils, use no oak on any of their chardonnays, leaving them in their pure form, racy and mineral driven. A mix of soil types and elevation in Burgundy make the malleable chardonnay grape show different characteristics from one growing region to the next. In Meursault, chardonnay is rich, buttery with some honeyed notes, while in the neighboring region of Puligny-Montrachet, hazelnut, lemongrass and green apples are the primary characteristics. North of Burgundy in Champagne, we find chardonnay used as a blending grape in styles like brut and sec. Or it can stand alone in its yeasty, nutty, racy beauty in blanc de blanc, a 100 percent chardonnay. In regions with cooler climates and limestone-driven soils, chardonnay lends structure and backbone to the blends and bright, focused acidity to the blanc de blancs. Chardonnay is grown all over the world, in warm climates, cool climates and those that have heavy coastal influences. Each country and region produces a chardonnay of a different flavor. Add the light or heavy hand of a winemaker and
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chardonnay becomes something else altogether. California chardonnay is a great example. Cooler climates in Northern California, like Carneros, produce chardonnay with higher acid and more structure than those from warmer climates in the south around Santa Barbara and Santa Lucia Highlands. Whether naturally higher in acid or more round and lush (depending on the growing region), the winemaker can greatly influence the wine as well. For many years winemakers in the New World were heavy-handed with oak “treatments,” or aging in barrels and manipulating the fermentation process, creating wines that were overly weighty, with buttery notes and vanilla, or predominantly oaky. Big, mostly over-the-top California chardonnay became the norm. Nowadays winemakers show more restraint with their influence on the wines, resulting in cleaner styles that allow consumers to taste a difference from region to region based on elevation, climate and soil — the terroir. The trend is due both to consumers’ move to a fresher, lighter style of chardonnay and to their consumption of imported chardonnay from areas like France and Italy. Winemakers are also keen to let their region, vineyard and their own house style show through rather than producing and manipulating chardonnay to be oaky, buttery and slightly sweeter. Something about chardonnay has always reminded me of fall; maybe it’s the golden-hued color, like the turning leaves and afternoon autumn sun. With cooler weather, I still like to drink white wines, maybe just not as crisp and light as in late spring and summer — something with a bit more weight and viscosity. Enter chardonnay. As a personal preference I choose to drink Burgundy. If I’m going big on spending and style, I’ll choose a Chablis or Puligny Montrachet or, for something more budget-friendly and offering a lot of wine for the money, a selection from the Mâconnais or Côte Chalonnaise. As always, I add a cheese to snack on with the wine. Stick to the old saying “if it grows together it goes together.” Triple cream Brie, with fresh cream added during the production process, produces a spreadable butter-like cheese that matches nicely. Brillat-Savarin cheese made in the Burgundy region is a classic example of the triple cream style. Small wheels, about one pound in weight, made from cow’s milk with a bloomy white rind, resemble perfect little cakes when whole and fresh. Cut into them and you’ll find a delicate soft cheese with sweet butter and slightly nutty notes. A little stronger cheese, but still with the same elegance and beauty, is Delice de Bourgogne. The addition of cream fraiche to the cheese makes it even more decadent and luscious with added notes of mushrooms and earth. Not to mention it is a dream companion with Champagne. As you ponder the rows and rows of chardonnay at your local wine shop, or the wine list at your favorite restaurant, be bold and try something new. If you always drink California chardonnay, try Burgundy. Or vice versa. Grab some triple cream Brie and you just might find a chardonnay style that’s right for you. OH Angela Sanchez owns Southern Whey, a cheese-centric specialty food store in Southern Pines, with her husband, Chris Abbey. She was in the wine industry for 20 years and was lucky enough to travel the world drinking wine and eating cheese. October 2018
O.Henry 61
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True South
Closet Conundrums When it’s time for the big switch By Susan S. Kelly
Now approacheth the dreaded
biannual chore, at least for the females of the species: The Closet Changeover.
The way I understand it, and if the pictures in People magazine can be believed, people in LA never have to do this. Los Angeles is seasonless. Celebrities: They’re not just like us, actually, as People would have you believe. And for Wisconsinites, Vermonters, Floridians and even some Texans, whatever seasonal change they have is so short that barely a hanger or a shelf needs disturbing. Ten-month winters, two-month summers, and vice-versa. But for those of us who live with real seasons, it’s time to get to it. Now, normal people, sane people, probably schedule this task; take a Saturday and tackle it all at once, chop-chop. Then there are the folks who wake up one chilly morning and say, “Where is that sweater?” And tackle it all at once. And then there’s me — and I suspect a lot of others — who begin with good intentions and get sidetracked not by the internet, but by decisions, so that the task takes six weeks, on and off. You can’t tell, but I do have a system. Throw everything on the floor and bed. (Hope it’s a king-size.) First, separate into categories of Too Tight, Too Short, Too Bare, and Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should. Likely, there will be a tall pile of Not Sures. And, like that old saw that warns if you have to ask the price of something, you can’t afford it, it follows that if you have to take a selfie wearing the garment in question and send it to your sisters and ask if you should keep it, the answer is probably no. (Speaking of not affording, now’s a good time to get out the Goof Off and scrub away the tell-tale Marshalls and TJ Maxx stickers on your shoes.) During this process, you’ll experience acute apparel anxiety. One of my sisters has said, “I’m living in separates hell.” (Remember that term, “separates”?) To escape, she’s decided to convert nearly her entire “’drobe,” as she calls her wardrobe, to dresses, and tech clothes. The other sister is such a shopper that she began putting clothes on layaway when she was in seventh grade. (Remember that term, “layaway”?) I ask you, what kind of 12-year-old knows what layaway is? A born consummate clotheshorse, that’s who, and that sister hangs tags on her clothes to remind herself what event she last wore it to — a dinner, a cookout, a meeting. I kid you not. She’s the sister who coined two of my favorite ’drobe terms: The Punishment Dress (or shirt, or whatever) that you’re sorry you bought but you have to wear to punish yourself for buying it.
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And The Whistle Dress, for the dress that’s so easy, and is ideal for so many situations, that you just whistle and it jumps out of the closet. Often, it must be admitted, Whistle Dresses don’t touch your body anywhere but the shoulders. “Is this out?” I text the clotheshorse sibling, attaching a picture. “Houndstooth is never out. Neither is leopard print,” she messages back. OK, that’s settled. Onward. Here are the clothes you’ve simply turned against, have developed an inexplicable and unreasonable hatred toward. Pitch. Here are the ones to downgrade, meaning that you “saved” it for in-law dinners, a charity speaking event, etc., but this year, it gets demoted to church. In-laws judge in-style. God does not. I know it looks great on you, but if it itched last year, it’s going to itch this year. Pitch. It’s also OK to toss something just because you’re tired of it. But, a warning: When photographs of you wearing it come up later in some post, or in the photo drawer that’s never been properly organized, you might find yourself saying, “Dang, that looked good. Why did I get rid of it?” Too late for regrets. Now, here comes the poundage pile, the five-fewer-pounds-and-this-willfit-fine-again layer, I mean pile. The clothes that my mother calls “tailored,” I call “tight,” and my daughter calls “body con” (for “conscious”). Here’s how you’re gonna deal with that. If you’ll still need Spanx with it even after the five pounds magically evaporate, pitch. A moment, now, of self-congratulation for all the stuff I don’t have to pitch, the trends I managed to live through and do without: poufs; shrugs; tracksuits; Crocs; boiled wool jackets. The trend I wish I’d bowed to: jean jackets. The trend I fell victim to, but only once: Ultrasuede. What I will never, ever give up: clogs and cardigans. What I am, thank you Jesus, too old for: bralettes. My final advice, born of experience, is to always buy something at the end of a season, when it’s on sale, and then, facing that shelf or rack of been-thereworn-that duds the next closet changeover (April), you’ll spot something fresh, unworn, and new-to-you, which makes the chore the faintest bit more bearable. In Los Angeles, everybody from bums to billionaires just wears T-shirts. In New York City, everybody but Hoda and Kathie Lee just wears black. But you’re Southern. What’s in your closet? OH Susan Kelly is a blithe spirit, author of several novels, and proud grandmother. October 2018
O.Henry 63
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Birdwatch
Jay Day
There’s more to the ubiquitous blue jay than meets the eye
By Susan Campbell
The blue jay is one of those species most
of us can instantly recognize. But how well do we really know this medium-sized raucous bird found at feeders or flying around in the treetops at any time of the year? Though their behavior may not seem particularly remarkable at first glance, they are complex and unique creatures.
Jays are closely related to crows, a highly evolved species. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they exhibit an advanced degree of intelligence and have complex social systems. Blue jays remain together as a family for a relatively long period and also mate for life. And here’s a species that communicates not only with their voices but also with body language. The telltale bristling of a jay’s crest is one of the most obvious ways they express themselves. Look for a raised crest whenever an individual is alarmed or intimidated. Although the bird’s underparts are a dingy gray, the jay’s bright blue coloration and its distinctive blue crest give the bird a cocky, imperious air. A unique brindling pattern specific to individuals also makes each bird distinctive. (Interestingly the pigment found in jay feathers is produced by melanin, which is actually brown. It is the structures on the barbs of the bird’s feathers that cause light to reflect in the blue wavelength.) In addition to their bright coloration, jays attract attention with their loud and piercing calls. They make a variety of unusual squawks and screams, often from a perch high in the canopy. Jays are well known for mimicking other birds’ calls: especially hawks. Whether this is an alarm tactic or whether they are trying to fool other species is not clear. The great early ornithologist John Audubon interpreted this behavior as a ploy that allowed blue jays to rob nests of smaller birds, such as warblers and vireos that instinctively scatter whenever they hear
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the terrifying sound of a hawk hunting for prey. But modern studies of blue jay diets have not found that eggs or nestlings are particularly common foods. Another mystery is why, in some years, these birds migrate. Blue jays are particularly fond of acorns. It may be that in years when oaks here are not very productive, jays move southward in search of their favorite food. So the number of blue jays that remain in the Piedmont and Sandhills this winter will likely depend on the mast crop — especially the abundance of white oak acorns. These acorn-lovers have a specialized pouch in their throats for carrying acorns and other large edibles, which they stash in holes and crevices for later delectation. Blue jays also have interesting nesting habits. While males collect most of the materials — live twigs, grasses and rootlets — females create a large cup, where they incubate and brood the young birds. All the while the male feeds the broodking female — and then forages for the tiny hatchlings. Once the young have developed a good layer of down, the female will join the search for food for the family. It is not unusual for young jays to wander away from the nest before actual fledging occurs. But the wise parents are not likely to feed the begging youngsters unless they return to the nest. It is during this period that some people are convinced they need to “rescue” the wayward youngsters. Finally, reports of “bald” blue jays are not uncommon. Do not be surprised if you see an odd-looking individual at a feeder or bird bath with virtually no feathers on its head: just dark skin. At first this was thought to be caused by feather mites that can be found on all birds to varying degrees. But now it seems there are simply individuals that lose all of their head feathers at once instead of in the normal, staggered fashion. It appears this is more likely in adolescents who are undergoing their very first molt The next time you notice one of these noisy, crested birds take a closer look. Blue jays are fascinating — and full of surprises! OH Susan would love to receive your wildlife sightings and photos. She can be contacted by email at susan@ncaves.com. October 2018
O.Henry 65
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Wandering Billy
Our Gal Friday
After 70-plus years, former local reporter Eleanor Dare Kennedy feels the pull of printer’s ink
By Billy Eye
“Fifty percent of people won’t vote, and fifty percent don’t read newspapers. I hope it’s the same fifty percent.” — Gore Vidal
I spent a wonderful afternoon at
PHOTOGRAPH BY LYNN DONOVAN
Friends Homes West visiting with Eleanor Dare Kennedy who spent three decades writing for the Greensboro Record and the Greensboro Daily News. Hired on full time in 1945 by Anne Cantrell White, she was an integral part of the team that made up the women’s section of the newspaper. “We wrote the weddings, we wrote parties,” Kennedy told me. “The paper was full of bridal showers, things of that sort. Gradually I morphed into doing more features.” The first real story she filed was about the Art Deco bus station built to replace the original depot, which had been in the basement of the King Cotton Hotel. “I wrote all there was to say about it, which was four paragraphs. My city editor said, ‘This is not long enough’ so he showed me how to, what he called, ‘needle’ a story. Saying the same thing in three different ways to make it a little bit longer.” Working on what was called the “day side” she could submit a story at 3:30 p.m. and, “It would be on your front porch that afternoon.” The newsroom Kennedy describes is reminiscent of those depicted in the movies; cigarette smoke clouding the air as news and sports writers in a central bullpen generated a constant cacophony of clacking keys. The women’s department was
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located in a smaller adjacent room, “There was no air conditioning; they had big fans that blew our papers all over the room.” After a reporter finished an article, they’d stick it on what was called a “copy hook” on their desk where, Kennedy explains. “Copy boys came and picked that up, then it went to the City Editor [who] read through it. If he found an error, he challenged you.” Next stop was the linotype operators, who typed stories in “hot-type” machines, which cast lead blocks of type that would be used on a press to print the paper. “They were smart, knew the city, they knew the grammar, knew spelling, everything. If they found an error they’d come back, challenge you. When they got through, it went to the proofreader. Likewise.” There were, in her opinion, fewer errors in the paper in those days. What was Kennedy’s favorite opening paragraph? “It was pretty nervy. My lead said: ‘Two dozen North Carolina women put on their fur coats and diamond earrings and came to Greensboro yesterday to talk about poverty.’” As for working alongside legendary society columnist Martha Long (who died in 2016), “She and I became very close friends. She was the best editor I ever had; she brought out my best work. Martha was a very good creative writer.” Multitalented, Long not only wrote eye-catching headlines she actually laid out the Women’s section herself. And she never hesitated to do what needed to be done, no matter the hour: “She very graciously would respond at 1 a.m. and go back downtown to the layout department to correct a mistake or whatever.” Kennedy wasn’t confined to the women’s section. She also covered hard news stories. “I would go to Federal Court in the morning. If there was a story worth reporting, when they adjourned for lunch, I would walk back to the office on Davie Street, write my story, go back to the courthouse when they reconvened at 2, leave say at 3:30, go back and update my story and it would be on your front porch that afternoon.” Once while digging through files at the Federal Building, “I found the lawsuit filed by Kenneth Lee to be admitted to the law school at the University of North Carolina. That was a scoop,” Kennedy remembers. Word had not yet gotten out October 2018
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Wandering Billy that the African-American student was attempting to break the color barrier at UNC-Chapel Hill, she explains. “I wrote that story but I was never told to pursue it. Nowadays it would have been followed up.” Future Supreme Court jurist Thurgood Marshall represented Lee, who successfully enrolled at Chapel Hill in 1951, then went on to be a prominent civil rights lawyer in Greensboro. In 1968 Judge Elreta Alexander became the first African-American woman ever elected district court judge. Kennedy was first to interview her, “She was good copy! I remember she quoted Esther from the Bible. She told me, ‘And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’” Kennedy was particularly fond of fellow Greensboro Record scribe Anne White. “Very eccentric but she was a wonderful person. She was covering the golf tournament out at Sedgefield and her doctor had told her to take a nap every afternoon. So out there at the golf tournament she’d just lie down on one of the greens and take her nap.” When Eleanor Kennedy served for a year as president of the North Carolina Press Women, “This one lady, who was editor of a small town newspaper, asked Anne, who was very liberal, ‘Anne, what are you going to do when a black girl comes up here and wants to announce her engagement?’ Anne said, ‘Do what we’ve been doing, just get the information, write it up, and put it in the paper.’” After Anne White passed away it was stipulated there would be no service of any kind but, says Kennedy, “Martha Long led the pack and all of us in Anne’s old department decided we would have a memorial service for her in the chapel at First Presbyterian Church. Rich Preyer was the facilitator, and we all just told stories about Anne.” Eleanor’s husband Sol donated the money for a plaque for the church’s columbarium. “I liked the paper better when the Jeffress family owned it.” Kennedy retired in 1975 after the Record and Daily News were sold to Landmark Communications, based in Norfolk, Virginia. “It wasn’t all bad. We had a managing editor I thought was great but, I don’t know, it got to where it was changing and it wasn’t that much fun anymore.” Eleanor Dare Kennedy reads the newspaper every day, printer’s ink still coursing through her veins, “For example, they just finished doing restoration on the Julian Price home, Hillside. I would read those stories and say, ‘If I was still working, that would be my job.’” OH Billy Eye plans to once again participate in the New Garden Friends Cemetery tour on Halloween night conducted by Max Carter, where famous folks from Greensboro history come alive, an event that gets more popular each year. See you there! The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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October 2018
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Hickory Nut Falls
October 2018
The wind says, Breathe into the sting, but the mind anticipates the hive. Each day bears a lesson. In my room, where the dry leaves know the secret to eternal life and the acorn shows me how to stand tall, I search for the gorge, cool patches of earth like open mouth kisses. There is no separation. Papa used prayer, sat in his threadbare chair, each labored breath a short infinity; each day a gift. At the water’s edge, I see him as a young man, feet bare, toes crooked like mine, working a smooth stone between his fingers like a talisman to a timeless space. Ankles numb in the flowing river that connects us, I stand there as he sends the stone dancing across the water’s surface, feel the ripples expand within me, remember the calm of his voice: I am always with you. We are always home.
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—Ashley Wahl
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Reimagine, Repurpose, Refresh
Dabney and Walker Sanders’ stunning Fisher Park renovation
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By Cynthia Adams • Photographs by Amy Freeman
alk by the handsome and historic Fisher Park home of Dabney and Walker Sanders and don’t be surprised to find them on the porch. Furnished with roomy seating and a vintage chicken coop used as a table (a design nod to their chickens, Betty, Flora and Violet who live out back), it’s a favorite place for sipping a bourbon and decompressing. The two have a lot to decompress from. Walker heads the far-reaching Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. Dabney is project manager of up-and-coming Downtown Greenway, a 4-mile urban cycling and walking trail project developed by the City of Greensboro and Action Greensboro. Both are also involved in a variety of community-based initiatives. All of which might lead you to think that the two might not have much time for porch-sitting. However, when networking is almost a job require-
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ment, it puts a different light on your front porch and the rest of one’s house. Which might explain why sometimes there’s a bar at one end of the porch and a dozen or so of Greensboro’s movers and shakers sitting and standing up and down the porch. And what a porch it is — 114 years old, just like the house, a real standout in an historic district known for two-story beauties. The house possesses more than just a handsome face, it has great bones, with features the Sanderses admired at first sight. It also has historic provenance, having been owned in the 1970s by Brooks Lumber Company, which for over a century, sold wood and provided custom woodworking to area residences and commercial projects, such as the Grandfather Mountain Observatory. “We have deeds going all the way back,” says Dabney. Hence there are special woods (like pecky cypress and tongue-and-groove, narrow heart pine The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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flooring), unusually-detailed bookcases, and mantels that handily mingle original details with later upfits that are discretely blended. The house lent itself to antique pieces the couple inherited and to their artistic tastes. It contained flexible space, rare for a historic house. For the Sanderses, it was almost perfect. They could easily walk to work on sidewalks connecting the close-knit neighborhood to churches, restaurants, the Greenway, ballpark and downtown. In addition to accommodating the couple’s antiques and streamlined, artistic tastes, it boasted another feature that Dabney particularly loves: the generously sized foyer, not only because it’s visually appealing, but because it, too, can be apportioned for entertaining. (Dabney says they have seated as many as eight in the hall when the dining room is full.)
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owever pleasing their surroundings, late last year, the Sanderses agreed it was time for some upfitting to make their house a better venue for those they entertain and for one of their passions — cooking. It all began with a kitchen redo/updo, as it was largely unchanged since a 1970s renovation. They sketched out plans and hired a draftsman to draw them up. “I was able to crank a lot out of this kitchen before,” says Dabney. “But we were just ready for a little upgrade.” But like most projects, one thing led to another. As in, a new rear
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addition that makes the 2,500-square-foot house read larger, accentuating its original positives. When Dabney’s parents departed Greensboro for a months-long world cruise, the couple swung into action, taking advantage of a window of opportunity that would allow them to renovate and live away from the construction mess. “We took everything out of the dining room and moved all the furniture and took all the artwork down,” she says.
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n December 15, the Sanderses decamped to Mom and Dad’s with dogs Hudson and Scout; three days later Phase One had started. Once demolition was underway, the kitchen was opened up, creating yet more space to accommodate larger numbers of guests. But what distinguishes the space is the couple’s personal stamp. They were determined to reuse and repurpose. For instance, Dabney points out the kitchen’s open shelving, which has a past life from another historic property. “What we’re really excited about is that these shelves are reclaimed,” Dabney explains. She called her friend Andy Zimmerman, who owns and renovates properties in downtown Greensboro. “He used a lot of recycled materials,” she continues. “I like his aesthetic. We just had the idea. Andy said, ‘You know, I think I have some old floor joists from the building I’m not going to use. Let’s look and see what we have.’”
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The joists came from a factory once used by Blue Bell and Hudson Jeans before it was converted to The Gateway. The building was constructed in 1919, meaning the materials are actually younger than the Sanderses’ home. “Walker refinished them himself at The Forge,” says Dabney, referring to Zimmerman’s downtown facility that provides tinkerers and inventers with tools and machinery. “He replaned them and cut them down to size,” she continues. Walker also fashioned the brackets. Once the shelves were installed along two walls above lower cabinets, replacing upper cabinets, it lent an air of rusticity to the kitchen. “I wanted it to be industrial-ish, but to fit into the house — not to look like a fancy modern kitchen,” Dabney explains. She and Walker edited every choice in the house’s refreshed interior. “We did not use a decorator. Both of us have strong tastes,” she says. “We are 99 percent in sync.” Their choices reflect their discriminating taste for organic materials and colors, and a special fondness for art. “It’s not “just a show kitchen,” as Dabney stresses. “This kitchen gets a lot of use.” The first idea was to use concrete countertops. When that idea stalled, they had another. “We ended up finding this honed quartz; it looks like concrete from a distance.” She indicates the island. “We also wanted this stainless-steel on the island, and initially thought about doing it everywhere.” Dabney explains that it’s not easy to find someone who fabricates stainless steel. “But we found a guy who does commercial work and who was willing to The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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work with us because we had a contractor.” Thanks to the experienced installer it’s all one piece with no seam. “We were in a friend’s house,” she adds, her forefinger tracing a mark probably left by chopping veggies. “They had just redone their kitchen and they had a stainless-steel topped island. She said, ‘you’re going to freak out when you get the first scratch. Then, you’ll get over it.’” True enough: Dabney says she likes grooves and chop marks — reminding her of satisfying meals and parties. The gas range is professional grade, with commercial appeal. The Sanderses liked the appliances they had used for years. Rather than throw out anything that was still functional, they kept what they had. “It’s a 20-year-old stove we bought from someone in the neighborhood. We reused the refrigerator and the dishwasher. The only new things were the sink and we put in an icemaker.” As a Delancey Street mover pointed out as they were moving back in, there is no microwave to be seen. Dabney says she was impressed that he noticed. “He said it was a sign we are serious cooks.” Once upon a time, the couple’s many cookbooks were stored above traditional cabinets. Now, a wall is devoted to floor-to-ceiling bookcases. “My mom’s idea,” Dabney says. Since the renovation called for relocating the laundry room upstairs, there was room to install new French doors as the back entrance. An echo of the double front doors, they open onto a wide rear porch with a table and more
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seating. The former pergola was covered with a metal roof, further expanding the porch’s space. At the rear of the kitchen, a work desk was created near double dog doors tucked below. Both are discretely placed out of sight. “As you move in, you think of things you might have done. We’re still in this phase,” Dabney confesses. “I felt good about having a vision and sticking with that. I would renovate again.” They displayed crockery and pottery on the customized shelves and hung art (most of which has been purchased from favorite benefit auctions) throughout the house. In the dining room, a chair sketch by M. C. Barrett, purchased from a Guilford Green Foundation auction, has a place of pride over a sideboard. It is the first thing one notices when entering through the front doors. “A lot of the art we’ve acquired was through events to benefit nonprofits,” says Dabney. “The bowl [beneath] was a Collector’s Choice purchase at GreenHill.”
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y April, the kitchen was completed, and Phase Two of the renovations began in May. This phase included relocating the aforementioned laundry room to an upstairs bath, creating a guest bath with a soaking tub, and building an upstairs master suite, with his-andher closets, and master bath with an open shower and customized console The Art & Soul of Greensboro
and sink. The addition would require new windows, which, like the kitchen shelves, would be sourced to reflect the house’s status in a historic district. This time, the couple stayed in place during renovations, living in the downstairs guest room and taking full advantage of their new kitchen. A single glitch with flooring created a slight delay. Otherwise, the process went as planned. They have only just begun hanging art and moving into the upstairs suite. The master overlooks the backyard with a view of a terra cotta roof, which reminds Dabney of Italy. Her closet, off the master bath, is artfully arranged in a color-wave of earth tones, all natural, organic materials, which she favors. “In Catholic school I wore a uniform,” she says, explaining her preference for simplicity. Walker’s closet is also tidily organized. However, Dabney confesses her things have begun creeping into his closet. She is an organizer, and apologizes for a spread of jewelry, which she is winnowing down as she deletes the extraneous. She favors handmade statement pieces, sometimes items found on travels or in museum shops. But the piece of jewelry she is most known for is one she wears daily. It is her father’s POW bracelet, stamped with “LCDR Porter Haylburton.” Lieutenant Commander Haylburton left for Vietnam when Dabney was 10 days old. He returned eight years later. The bracelet is made of stainless steel. Durable. And, in her case, especially meaningful. A traveling exhibition of artifacts will feature her father’s collection of
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POW bracelets, which were mailed back after the war ended. “We had about a thousand POW bracelets,” Dabney explains — so many that they fashioned a makeshift chandelier from them. Back downstairs, she looks around the new kitchen, a place where they spend so much of their home time. What was their best idea? “The icemaker,” she says suddenly. “It was such a nice addition. We decided to have a small bar installed in the kitchen for the standards that we drink. We spend a lot of time at the end of this island. On a nice day, we have both of those doors open to the outdoors,” she says, casting a gaze through to the back porch. Here they sometimes have cocktails, especially in cooler weather, as they have ample cover from the rain and outdoor heaters to warm them. Out back, too, there is a view of the charming chicken coop for their three chickens. The enclosure — another one of Walker’s construction projects — is dubbed “Close Enough,” Haylburton’s joke that the coop wasn’t plumb, but “close enough.” The chickens are friendly, and one darts underneath the chicken wire enclosure as Dabney chides it. She briefly admires the improved rear elevation of the house, which now more neatly echoes the front. Post renovation, what is their favorite thing? “Right now, it’s all our favorite!” says Dabney. “It’s such an upgrade from where we were.” OH Cynthia Adams is a contributing editor to O. Henry.
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Simple & Southern
A kitchen remodel and refreshed décor open up an Oak Ridge home By Nancy Oakley
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o remodel or not to remodel? Given the choice of living through a complete kitchen overhaul or walking on shards of glass, many homeowners would choose the latter. But if you’re running your own business, raising children, and you like to cook, at some point, you just have to take the plunge. Ginger Ayadogdu (pronounced “EYE-uh-doh-doh”) didn’t waste any time shortly after she and her husband, Giorgio, and their three children moved into their Oak Ridge home. “The kitchen had a dark countertop, a huge island with only two barstools and a tiny refrigerator,” Ginger recalls. In addition, the wood-stained cabinetry was dark and a bit dated, and the breakfast area was separated from the aforementioned island. “There was no flow,” Ginger says. She needed something more functional. Especially considering her full days as co-owner along with her husband, of Simply Southern, a national wholesaler of T-shirts, hats, bags and an assortment of gifts — key fobs, lanyards, cupholders, phone sleeves and the like. The
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business started in 2005 as a modest kiosk at Four Seasons Town Centre, where Ginger and Giorgio sold “instant gratification” gifts — items like T-shirts, mugs, and such, almost inevitably imprinted with a customer’s photograph. The operation expanded to a chain of stores, Dazzle Up, in area shopping centers, and by 2010, the Ayadogdus decided to “cut out the middleman” and produce their own T-shirts. Emblazoned with colorful, whimsical designs and taglines — (“Living the Mom Life,” “My Y’all Is Authentic,” “Suck it Up, Buttercup,”) — the gear is popular at vacation destinations, particularly the beach, “our ultimate destination spot,” says Ginger. “It’s like, ‘Aaaaah!’ You can relax,” she adds. With the obvious exception of recent hurricane victims, she maintains “there aren’t many people [for whom] the beach isn’t a happy place. She desired a similar sort of clarity, and lightness and brightness from her surroundings at home, not only in the kitchen, but also in the adjoining den and dining room. But how to effect that relaxed, open coastal vibe without replicating the bright palette so prevalent in the merchandise from the
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Ayadogdus’s workaday world? The answer, as it turns out, was right in the family’s own backyard: Maria Adams of Maria Adams Designs was a sponsor of Oak Ridge Elementary School, which the Ayadogdu children attended. “Who better than someone local and someone you know?” Ginger posits. “Her vision was like mine. She was very open about what she wanted this to be — and open to our suggestions.” “Function was first,” Adams says, reiterating Ginger’s concerns about the kitchen’s lack of flow. Her solution? “I designed an island to include a banquette in one piece,” she explains. She went with a white color scheme (actually a tone called “linen” with a gray wash) to create airiness in the space, which, given the deck just beyond the back door, appears larger. Ginger had hoped to repaint the old cabinets, but new cabinetry fashioned by Marsh Kitchens turned out to be “a better long-term solution,” Adams says, in part because she was able to create yet more illusion of space by extending them all the way to the ceiling, and because new cabinetry provided her client with better storage. Indeed, the culinary-minded Ginger is delighted with a pull-out drawer for spices, another for utensils, and yet another for the all-important Kitchen-Aid. As for managing during the construction phase, “We have a microwave and a hot plate in the basement,” Ginger shrugs. “It was winter.” (February 2017, after the company’s busy holiday season). “Soup and pasta are pretty easy,” she says with a laugh. For all its functionality, the kitchen has some pleasing aesthetic touches: A
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few geometric chandeliers sans glass panels hang over the new island, which is topped with Macaubas quartzite that has a linear pattern, and is framed with Cambria quartz in solid gray. The showstopper is the backsplash with an interlacing design. “It’s ceramic tile but it looks hand-painted,” Adams says, pointing out the 15 different designs in the tiles, each placed in such a way so as to look random. “Since the kitchen is so neutral, the backsplash is where we gave it some ‘wow,’ taking it behind the hood to the ceiling,” she adds.
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he picked up the neutral tones in the tile and wood floor extending into the open floor plan that includes a den, where as Ginger notes, Adams “blended grays and browns” that echo the shades in the stone fireplace. But first, the designer consigned the dark blue sofa and chairs to the basement. As a focal point, she chose an area rug, “with pretty shades of blue, raspberry and cream that added color, but not too much,” and continued the reddish-pink hue in some throw pillows that added more pop to the new, gray-and-white furnishings. Gray and white for a family with three children ages 13, 11 and 8? “They’re covered in a performance fabric, which is very kid-friendly and resistant to spills,” Adams says, acknowledging the necessity of designing for “real lives, real spaces and real messes.” A point that Ginger reiterates. “We’re in there every evening,” she says. “Family time is very important.” And the beach is never far away: As
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a final touch, Adams replaced the print over the mantel with a soft seascape in similar neutral tones. The coast — and family — are themes that echo in the adjoining dining room, as well. Using existing pieces — a table, chairs and a cabinet with glass doors — Adams made some simple changes by replacing two captain’s chairs with upholstered ones in a coral-and-white print that she repeated in the window treatments. “It feels like a casual room,” she says. “The coral really warms it up,” as do her signature light fixtures: two round chandeliers that cast a soft glow throughout. Her other suggestion was to replace a console with another cabinet identical to the existing one. Standing side by side, they give the room balance and symmetry. And, they allow for a bit of personal expression. “I’m more of a minimalist in terms of knick-knacks,” says Ginger, but she enjoys displaying some Turkish porcelain, from her husband Giorgio’s family, handed down through the generations. “Some of it was in the drawers of the console,” The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Adams recalls. “I said, ‘This needs to be displayed.’” Alongside the pieces are other “old different things you don’t see every day that I picked up,” Ginger says, pointing out a vintage honeycombed plate (used for actual honeycombs) and a pancake batter pitcher. Placed between the two china cabinets is yet another reminder of Giorgio’s family: a print of a Turkish landscape he picked up during his travels. Adams had it reframed “to give it a home and remind the family of their Turkish heritage.” Family and function come together in this happiest of places, with its seamless backdrop of soft neutrals, punctuated with the occasional bursts of color . . . like rare shells washed upon a sandy beach with the ebb and flow of the tide. OH Nancy Oakley is the senior editor of O.Henry.
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Pistil-Packin’
Mamas A meditation on women’s botanical names By Ross Howell Jr.
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n a recent trip to Blowing Rock, my wife, Mary Leigh, and I breakfasted at a favorite spot, Sunny Rock, where we were served by a woman named Heather. That evening we dined at Bistro Roca, another favorite, where we were served by a woman named Ivy. I couldn’t remember coming across a woman with a plant name in quite a while and certainly not two in the same day. That got me to thinking about women’s botanical names I’d come across over the years. I mentioned this to Mary Leigh as we got in the car after dinner. “Um,” Mary Leigh said, scrolling through business emails on her phone, “There was a girl at my elementary school named Poppy.” “That’s a good one,” I said. “Honey, I need to answer some of these,” Mary Leigh said. Hers is the practical mind in the family, so she wisely ignores my flights of fancy. Alone with my thoughts, I recollected my great-aunt Flora, and her daughter, Myrtle, who died young. There was a cousin Violet — on my grandfather’s side, I believe. Oh, and another cousin, Iris. Let’s see. In high school, there was a very pretty girl named Camellia. One of my cousins dated a woman named Rose. Back in Greensboro, I brought the subject up with my barber, Danny Vannoy, who’s within a day or two of being exactly my age. The pity for barbers is they can’t really ignore you.
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Botanicus
“Let’s see, I dated a Holly and a Ginger,” Danny said, trimming a sideburn. “And I knew a Hazel,” he continued. “Those are good ones,” I said. “I remember a girl at church named Fern.” “A waitress I know has a girlfriend named Sage,” Danny said. “There was a skinny girl in elementary school we called Sticks,” I said. Danny and I were looking at each other in his big barber’s mirror. He rubbed his chin. “I don’t think you can count that one,” Danny said. “I guess not,” I said. I puzzled for a moment. “How about Peaches?” I asked. “You know, like in Peaches and Herb. The song ‘Reunited?’” “Sure, that one counts,” Danny said. “There was a girl named Laurel I met at college,” I continued. “That’s a good one, too,” Danny said. “In one of my writing classes there was a woman named Indigo,” I said.
“Isn’t that a color?” Danny asked. “Uh-huh,” I said. “But the dye comes from a plant.” Danny nodded agreement in the mirror. “Seems like you don’t hear the botanical names like back in the day,” I said. Danny unclipped the paper collar and lifted the barber’s apron from my lap. “I guess not,” he said. “Funny, I never met a Daisy,” Danny mused. “Me, neither,” I said. “Or a Lily. Seems like at our age, a fellow’d met a Daisy or Lily, doesn’t it?” We pondered this as I unfolded my wallet and handed Danny his payment. “Or a Petunia,” I continued. “Well, I don’t know about a Petunia,” Danny said. OH Have plant names among family, friends, or acquaintances? Favorite plants? Email Ross Howell Jr. at ross.howell1@gmail.com. (Please don’t miss the number 1 in the email address. There’s a Ross Howell working on a graduate degree, and he doesn’t need extra interruptions!)
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Reflections of Greensboro
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Before the Wedding
Mom’s Garden
Pastel Perfect The spirited works of Laura Pollak By Nancy Oakley
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always joke that using pastels is like playing the piano with a sledgehammer,” says Laura Pollak. You wouldn’t know it from looking at her vivid, finely wrought works — a fiery lake at sunset, a wedding tent set aglow by the soft light of a lantern, the brilliant blue of a starlit sky. She adores working in pastels, which she likens to “painting with a tube of paint.” Mastering the craft requires “getting a feel” for where the crayon will hit the paper, the artist explains. “You don’t exactly know where that mark is going to end up.” The medium, she says, “is very, very direct.” And very forgiving, which is how Pollak came to it in the first place. She had been taking a watercolor class from another local artist, Alexis Lavine (featured in the May issue of this magazine). “You know how watercolors are transparent, drippy and melting colors?” Pollak suggests. “Mine got chalkier and thicker, darker, muddier,” she recalls. At Lavine’s urging, she signed up for a few classes
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
with pastel artist Adrien Doss. “And I fell in love,” Pollak remembers. “If you work on computers you can hit “Command Z” and undo anything,” she offers. With pastels, “you can do the same thing,” she says. “You don’t like an area? You can brush it off and say, ‘I need to redo that.’” And gripping the pencil, or big block of pigment (for pastels come in all shapes and sizes, depending on what an artist chooses to draw), harks back to Pollak’s childhood in Detroit, when at age 3 or 4 she would grab “whatever device was around,” and sit at the kitchen table, drawing mountains. “I was enthralled that I could create distance,” the artist remembers. From then on she was perpetually involved in the visual arts, going on to earn a Bachelor’s and then a Master’s in Fine Arts from Michigan State University, and continuing with some post-graduate work at the Motor City’s Center for Creative Studies. “However” she adds, “with the encouragement
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Fire and Water
Moon Bubbles
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A Taste of Champlain
of my parents saying, ‘You need to have a career and earn a living,’ I went into advertising and graphic design,” Pollak explains. She landed in Chicago, working at big agencies like J. Walter Thompson, on accounts for household names such as Sears, Kraft and former telecommunications giant Northern Telecom, later Nortel. By then she’d met her husband, Jeff Petrinitz, who had gotten a medical residency in podiatry back in Detroit. Disappointed at having to relinquish the “cool Mad Men–style” culture she’d led in Chicago, Pollak decided to take a break from the rat race and get back to fine arts, learning glass-blowing and ceramics. “I love to get my hands dirty,” she confesses. When her husband acquired a second residency in Detroit, Pollak, reluctant to have another gap in her resume, took a job at a downtown agency working on the General Motors account. But urban living and Midwestern winters began to take their toll. “We wanted to get the hell outta Dodge. So, we started looking around the country, and turned to North Carolina — and made Greensboro our home,” she says.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
That was 33 years ago. In that time, the artist set up her own agency, Pollak and Associates. But running a business while raising two boys, Jonathan and Matthew, proved too much. “So I pared it down a little bit, and then I said, ‘You know, it’s time for me to paint.’” Pollak says. In the last decade, devoting her energies to art full-time has been “great fun,” she says. “This is the job I was meant to have.” Her avocation quite literally shines through in her works, whether a vineyard bathed in golden light or downtown cityscape burnished at sunset, each imbued with an otherworldliness. They reflect, not so much a moment in time, as a place seemingly outside of time. The effect is deliberate on the artist’s part. Recalling a cycling trip to Japan’s Noto Peninsula, she found inspiration in a temple atop a hill. “It was palpable,” she says, describing the spirit of the place. “It just felt very holy . . . a sacred space. It was beautiful.” Pollak continues to explore the intangible through her oh-so-tangible medium, taking classes and workshops, and serving as president of the Pastel
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Core Illumination
Summer Light
Light Catcher Greensboro’s Namesake
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Society of North Carolina, which, last spring, presented a show of all pastel societies across the Old North State at The Art Shop. A more recent online show led her to a new genre, abstract drawings, which “very few pastel artists are doing,” Pollak says. “They’re very freeing, playful,” she adds, estimating that about 50 percent of her work is now abstract. Several of them are currently on view at Beth David Synagogue until month’s end. With an eye ever toward the distance, like those distant mountains in her childhood drawings, Pollak continues to explore and expand her repertoire. She began teaching about a year ago, and just last month was anticipating a return to painting — this time with oils. “I love using brushes,” she says. But she’ll
never relinquish the immediacy of pastels, and its seemingly endless avenues to what some call “the other.” She says that she’s determined to learn how to translate words and music into visual space: “I want to translate The Moldau by Smetana into pastels. I want to be able to translate a beautifully written passage by rhythm, by color, the words,” Pollak says. “I still haven’t figured out how it works. I’m getting closer,” she allows. And how lucky for us when she does. OH Laura Pollak’s abstract pastels will be on view at Beth David Synagogue (804 Winview Drive) throughout the month of October. For more information about the artist visit laurapollak.com.
Marshland Glow
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A Second Act
The Carolina Theatre’s stunning renovation is unveiled this month By Billy Ingram • Photographs by Lynn Donovan
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couple of months ago I toured the Carolina Theatre with Executive Director Brian Gray while construction was fully underway for their $2.5 million renovation and restoration project, slated for completion this month. It’s a floor-to-ceiling facelift of this former vaudeville theater. When I was there, all the seating had been removed and more than a dozen workers were pouring cement and installing new floor lighting. “What we did to prioritize the work was we did surveys of our audiences, our guests,” Gray notes. “‘What do you like? What can we do better?’ And we heard back from hundreds of people.” The number one thing folks requested was additional ladies’ restrooms. “Number two were the seats and number three was the wait at the concession stand. So these are the things we addressed.” The bathrooms were few, the ones on the second floor, small, so an addition was made to the north side of the building to accommodate an expansive ladies’ room on the first floor. Seating in the auditorium was left over from 1969 when the Terrace Theatre converted from one screen to two. That’s when their famous rocking-chair seats were installed at the Carolina. “They were old and uncomfortable,” Gray says. “The new chairs are wider and they don’t rock. With a little creative ingenuity we actually added a row and there’s still the same amount of walking space between the rows.” The concession stand in the lobby? “We reconfigured it, took out a wall for more space so we can have product waiting for our folks.” To lessen wait times Gray points out, “We’re going to have digital display boards that will fit in with the décor so we can move the lines much more quickly.” Everything in sight will be polished and upgraded, including new state-of-the-art loudspeakers, “We’re going to be installing a LINA Line Array system by Meyer. It can handle all of our shows.” Now when touring acts arrive, they can plug into a system that’s tuned to the building, with speakers hidden from view. If you’ve noticed more big-name entertainers playing the Carolina lately, there’s a reason. For the last few years management has been partnering with outside promoters who can book up to 20 acts for a season. “They’ve brought in higher recognition acts and it’s been a financial boon for the theater,” Gray explains. One of those marquee performers in 2018 was soul singer Gladys Knight, “She was wonderful. She’s 70-something years old, she never sat down.” That show sold out, “It was a really wonderful night for the theater.” In the months while work on the theater’s interior progressed, movies and concerts were staged upstairs in The Crown, originally a sign shop that now serves as an event space. This kept the staff busy — and intact. While the original 35mm projectors are still in place adjacent to The Crown, Gray notes, “We don’t use them. We can’t get the prints.” The Crown is scheduled to undergo its own facelift next summer. That’s when the projection booth will be repurposed for prop and dressing rooms. “We’re going to see if someone has a use for the [projectors]. I don’t want to landfill them but at the same time, it’s taking up space.” For that effort, “We’re still raising funds,” Gray reminds us. “We haven’t met our goal yet.” Of course, there have been hiccups for their construction team, “There’s just unknown conditions when you’re doing work on a building this old. We didn’t have the original blueprints, so when they went in to cut the concrete [for new seating] they cut some power lines.” Still, Brian Gray assures me everything is on track for the Carolina Theatre’s early October relaunch, “We have to be finished by then. One of our first events is a member of our staff’s wedding!”
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Showplace of the Carolinas When the dust clears, the Carolina Theatre will shine just as brightly as it did on Monday evening, October 31, 1927, when the 2,200-seat vaudeville theater opened her doors to the public for the first time, offering a full slate of touring acts from jugglers to crooners. Built at a cost of half a million dollars, it was the largest theater in the state, employing a staff of 50 individuals, including an army of nattily attired ushers who stood ramrod straight for inspection every morning. Twenty musicians filled the orchestra pit for musical interludes and to accompany the movie portion of the program. The melodious Carolina Wonder Organ backstage could imitate a car horn, fire alarms, and other sound effects. That Robert Morton Organ Company theater pipe organ, says Brian Gray, the theater’s executive director, “Is still functional. We play it before movies and shows.” Touring acts appearing here were on the Keith Circuit, the exalted Palace Theater in New York being their flagship operation. The Carolina was of a similar gilded interior design as the Palace, though not nearly as elaborate. Matinee tickets at the Carolina sold for 50 cents, 75 cents for an evening’s entertainment, 15 cents at all times for children. And lest you think that was a great bargain, 50 cents in 1927 is equivalent to $7.24 today. Performers on the circuit were paid well, almost three times what the average factory worker earned. The reasoning, B. F. Keith famously said, “I never trust a man I can’t buy.” Ever wonder where the phrase ‘working blue’ originated? In her autobiography, legendary chanteuse Sophie Tucker, best known today for her dirty jokes, described a common practice on the Keith Circuit, “Between the [Monday] matinee and the night show, the blue envelopes began to appear in the performer’s mailboxes backstage. Inside would be a curt order to cut out a blue line of a song or piece of business. There was no arguing about the orders in the blue envelopes. They were final. You obeyed them or you quit.” A sign posted backstage at all Keith theaters proclaimed: “Don’t say ‘slob’ or ‘son of a gun’ on the stage unless you want to be canceled peremptorily. If you are guilty of uttering anything sacrilegious or even suggestive, you will be immediately closed and will never again be allowed in a theater where Mr. Keith is in authority.” In retrospect, the Carolina Theatre’s timing couldn’t have been worse. Vaudeville was floundering in 1927, and only a dozen of the finest theaters around the country were still in the business of live entertainment. After all, admission to the movies was only a nickel, equivalent to 75 cents today. Weeks after the Carolina opened, one of Broadway’s greatest female impersonators, Julian Eltinge, declared that vaudeville was “shot to pieces” and no longer able to attract top box office draws. He was right. Although Mae West, W. C. Fields, and the Marx Brothers played the Keith Circuit at one time, after perusing advertisements for entertainers appearing at the Carolina, I didn’t come across any familiar names. However, one of the attractions that first week was My Maryland, a Civil War diorama drama boasting a cast of 150 players that featured a singing soldier chorus for its finale. By March 1928, the Carolina Theatre took to screening motion pictures exclusively, at first silent films accompanied by their in-house Carolina Symphony Orchestra. When talkies came fully into vogue that year, the Carolina was first in the state to install the Vitaphone sound system, and would soon be the first business in Greensboro to offer air conditioning. In the ensuing years, the Carolina Theatre became the city’s premiere movie palace, considered the finest between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. Baby Boomers packed the rafters on Saturday mornings in the ’50s and ’60s for the Circle K Club, with live performers like The Old Rebel and Pecos Pete. WCOG DJ Johnny Cee appeared regularly along with Looney Tunes cartoons, local bands, dance contests, sci-fi movie serials and black-and-white Westerns. Like vaudeville for the kiddie set, admission was a quarter but youngsters could get in free with burger wrappers from McDonald’s. (Mom needs some “me time?” Drop the kids off downtown and go shopping for a couple of hours.) In the mid-’60s, the Carolina was relegated to second run and B-movie status after more modern venues like the Terrace at Friendly Center and the multiple screens at Janus on Northwood eroded its customer base. Then people stopped going downtown altogether. By the 1970s, “The Showplace of the Carolinas” was scheduled to be demolished for a parking lot. Thanks to the efforts of Betty Cone and the United Arts Council, the theater was rescued in 1975. Gray remembers, “Betty and her team raised maybe $25,000 in a couple of days to pony up the money and they saved the building.” Not long after the antiquated theater was acquired, I and local arts supporter Dee Covington shampooed each and every seat in the house. Exploring that somewhat dilapidated building, I discovered a treasure trove of 3-D glasses from the 1950s on the third floor and two elaborately painted scrims hanging above the stage that were apparently abandoned in 1928. In 1977, the Carolina Theatre reemerged as a 1,200-seat performing arts center. A decade later, a $5 million, three year long renovation resulted in refurbished dressing rooms, new sound and lighting facilities, and a second floor banquet space. Now, 41 years later, the Carolina is getting a third or fourth new lease on life. OH The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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Where the Ghouls Are By Maria Johnson • Photographs by John Gessner
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ou never know who you might be rubbing rags with these days. You could be sitting at a lunch counter, minding your grilled cheese, and the person next to you could be a murderous clown in a prison jumpsuit. It happened one Saturday morning when our friends from Spookywoods, the haunted attraction at Kersey Valley amusement park in Archdale, mixed and mingled with folks at popular Greensboro locations. Reactions ranged from giggles to gasps to gawks as the actors, dressed in their Saturday-night best, visited a bookstore, a farmers’ market, a jewelry store, a brewery and a drugstore soda fountain. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” remarked 6-year-old Tommy Johnson, who was waiting on an order of Tater Tots at the Brown-Gardiner Drug Co. lunch counter when the aforementioned clown claimed a stool next to him. Tommy, who was with his aunt Lynn Doolittle, seemed nonchalant about the fact that, only a few inches away, a guy named Slash, with tufts of red-streaked yellow hair and a face that only a . . . nothing, really . . . could love, was sitting down to a lunch of orangeade, crinkle fries and a hot dog all-the-way. “I saw them putting on his makeup in the parking lot,” Tommy said, before returning his attention to his electronic tablet, which offered a much more intriguing drama, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on YouTube TV. Scary. What Tommy saw, of course, is something we forget — something we pay to forget at haunted houses and the like — namely that the seasonal beasties are just folks who put on their blood-splattered pants one leg at a time like the rest of us. Kind of. Take Slash the Clown. In real life, he’s 34-year-old Clint Briggs, a Thomasville resident who does home repairs and fixes leather furniture. He started working at Kersey Valley four autumns ago when his girlfriend, Deanna Jones, who’d worked there for two years, talked him into applying for an actor’s job. Clint didn’t consider himself an actor, but he’d played in bands when he was younger, and he missed the thrill of being onstage. He found it again as a character in Spookywoods, where 120 actors kit out as nightmare fuel to entertain tens of thousands of customers every fall. “It gives you that performance taste,” Clint says. “They’re not coming to see me, but they love the interaction with me.” And he loves the interaction with them, especially on the midway, where he jumps out at people waiting in line for the main attraction. The character of Slash — which requires him to wear bright blue contact lenses and enough makeup to blend with his mottled mask — is among Clint’s favorite roles. “Some people really love clowns and want to hang out with me all night, and then there are people who absolutely cannot look at me,” he says. “You can see they’re truly terrified.” Two people have swung at him reflexively — and missed. They apologized for their haymakers after Clint ducked. As a trained haint, Clint abides by the no-touch rule of the industry. He’s also supposed to stay in character, but he has broken the illusion twice, once for a petrified child and once for a woman whose eyes filled with tears. “Hey, I’m just a regular guy behind a mask,” he told them. This time of year, Clint spends 60 hours a week working at Spookywoods. The payoff: pocket jingle and emotional tingle. “I love doing it, seeing people have fun,” he says. “There’s nothing like it, especially when you’re the one helping them to have a good time. Even the ones that do get scared, 95 percent of the time they’ll be smiling when they leave, and they’ll want a picture with me. All night, I’m taking pictures.” Good thing his evil grin is painted on. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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Writerly Chops
“When I’m not eating flesh, I’m interested in economics and world politics.” So says the leather-bound Kersey Valley Killer — think of him as a not-so-friendly neighborhood butcher — who gravitated to a table of new releases at Scuppernong Books in downtown Greensboro. He might have been projecting when he picked up Shari Lapena’s novel, An Unwanted Guest. His self-assessment was confirmed when he opened the front door for a startled customer. “We had a very in-depth conversation,” he said later. “I said, ‘Books! READ!’ and she scurried away as fast as possible.” Underneath the grisly facade you’ll find easy-going Lee Troutman, 39, of Greensboro. His day job is reading meters all over the Piedmont as a contractor for Duke Energy Co., a monster of a job. Outside of work, Lee enjoys listening to heavy metal music and watching horror movies. Surprise. A five-year veteran of Kersey Valley, he keeps coming back because eek is his thing. “I love Halloween and horror. Spookywoods sort of speaks to the things I love the most, and most of my closest friends are people from there.’
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Farmto-Fang
There’s nothing more tempting to bite than fresh peaches, especially these blushing beauties that were trucked into the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market from Kalawi Farm in the Sandhills community of Eagle Springs. But for some reason — and we watched the stand for a while — no one wanted to buy the fruit that was fondled by this ancient vampire. Go figure. This character was conceived and built by the man behind the hoary mask, freelance makeup artist Joh Harp, 35, a Raleigh native who started as an apprentice at Spookywoods 11 years ago. Now, the Archdale resident is hooked on the scare biz. A haunted house is nothing more than an intimate theater, he says, with the safety nets of screen and stage removed. When done well by actors who know how to read their audiences, scaring the daylights out of people is a service to those who can withstand the anticipation. “It’s like taking the big hill on a roller coaster,” Joh says. “When you get to the bottom of the hill, it’s all laughs, but it’s going up the hill that’s the hard part.”
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The Ice Lady Cometh
What a coincidence. Schiffman’s Jewelers, a Greensboro institution, is 125 years old, roughly the same age as the Victorian wraith who glided into the Friendly Center store and asked manager Karolyn Fulp for help in trying on a vintage necklace dripping with 16 carats of aquamarine. Too bad m’lady wasn’t toting a carpetbag of old money, too. The necklace (price: $26,950) would have provided a much-needed sparkle for her hollow countenance, accentuated by prominent cheekbones, deep eye sockets and gaping nasal cavity. Believe it or not, underneath the hatpins and black taffeta is the lively Deanna Jones of Thomasville, an interior painter and stay-athome mom. Now in her sixth season of haunting, Jones, 29, says she loved playing dress up as a little girl, a pleasure she continues at Kersey Valley. “It’s like being a little kid again.” Her 9-year-old son Payton digs the theatrics, too. Last year, he played a character resembling Chucky, the possessed doll from “Child’s Play.” Mom kept a close eye on him, and so did her coworkers. “It’s like a family at Kersey Valley,” she says. “It’s different from the way you might think it is.” The Addams Family gets it.
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A Head For Horror
How ironic that a fellow whose mutilated noggin is held together by rows of staples would be propping up the bar at a brewery called Joymongers, but that’s exactly what’s going on here, as our friend Ruckus, better known to his friends as Puke, sips a glass of fine French Saison. He can’t blame a morning-after headache on the alcohol. A mosh-pit mishap — and a penchant for self-piercing with safety pins — explain the aches endured by our punk rock pal, a creation of Kersey Valley lab manager Matt Patterson, who also minted the Kersey Valley Killer character. Do you see a leathery pattern here? For six years, Matt has run the workshop that makes Spookywoods writhe with original characters, custom-made props and one-of-a-kind costumes, including masks that are sculpted on site, cast in silicone or rubber, and painted by hand. Once a Navy cook and later a professional chef, Matt, 36, found his calling by returning to his teenage job of working in a haunted house to overcome fears that were implanted by watching horror movies as a young child. “I forced myself to face my fears,” he says. Now a full-time employee at Kersey Valley, he doesn’t worry about his greatest fear, having to work a normal job. “You want to hear me scream? Make me go punch a time card for a 9-to-5 job,” he says. “That’s horrifying to me.” OH Maria Johnson is a contributing editor of O.Henry magazine. Spookywoods, created by Kersey Valley owner Tony Wohlgemuth, celebrates 33 years this season. The 2018 show runs through the first weekend of November. See www.spookywoods.com for times and ticket prices.
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A L M A N A C
October n
By Ash Alder
October is a window to a sacred temple.
Inside, the poplar undresses. She does not toil for attention, nor does she shrink from it. She simply allows her beauty in its many forms, moved by an ever-changing rhythm, the blessed pulse of all creation. This is what Ralph Waldo Emerson meant when he declared every natural action graceful. As poplar spills her golden leaves across the lawn, the patio, the sidewalk, we gasp at the totality of her surrender, the magnitude of her offering, the dazzling purity of her perfect faith. Poplar is a living prayer. As we rake her fallen leaves, tidy piles awaiting compost, a lusty wind scatters our efforts. Let go, poplar whispers. We too must learn the dance of sweet surrender. In the garden, we dig up summer bulbs and sweet potatoes, plant fennel, dill and sage, and when a holy swirl of swallows flashes across the pale horizon, again we gasp. Swallows light on poplar’s branches, and as children drum on swollen pumpkins in the patch, the hymn of autumn rises. Glory be this hallowed month. Glory be October.
Nature’s Candy
Songbirds arrive and depart, dark-eyed juncos (snowbirds) replacing our yellow-rumped warblers, indigo buntings, northern flickers. Flashes of color dazzle the periphery, and in the garden, where feeders sway between visitors and the last tomato has been plucked, pansies paint the landscape magnificent. Named from the French word pensée, which means “thought” or “remembrance,” pansies are early bloomers adored for their bright petals and cheerful “faces.” Like violets, known for their intoxicating perfume, pansies are members of the genus Viola and can bloom all through winter. They’re edible too. Add them to purple kale salads or creamy carrot soups, and in the spirit of Halloween, candy them. Pansies, pansies everywhere, and now’s the time to plant them. Plant in full to partial sun, six or more inches apart. Water once or twice a week, remove dead blooms to encourage new growth, and as they bloom yellow, scarlet, purple, orange, consider the warmth these cold-hardy darlings will bring to you and all who see them.
DIY Love Potion
In the 19th century, wild pansies were often used in love potions. Also called Johnny Jump Up, tickle-me-fancy, heartsease, and love-in-idleness, a creeping viola by any other name would smell as rousingly sweet. Want to try making your own? Pour boiling water over two cups of fresh-picked violets, cover, then allow the flowers to steep for 24 hours. Next, move them to the refrigerator, where they can continue steeping. Wait two more days, strain the infusion, then add two tablespoons of brandy or gin. Bottle, keep refrigerated, and when inspired, use as perfume or a fragrant mist for rooms and linens. You’ll love it.
I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.– Henry David Thoreau The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Pumpkin Eater
They’re everywhere. Big ones and small ones. Prizewinners and miniatures. The heirlooms are darling, but the perfect orange ones call for carving. National Pumpkin Day is celebrated on October 26, two days past the full Hunter’s Moon. Have your latte, if you’d like. I’ll take mine in a pie. Brown sugar, homemade crust. Thin slices, so seconds are a must.
How beautiful the leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days. — John Burroughs
For the Birds
This month, we’ve got peanuts and pumpkin seeds for munchies. And as we snack from the back porch, backyard birds preparing for migration need fuel too. Fill the feeders (black oil sunflower seeds are best). Water the birdbaths. Plant chokeberry. And if you really want to delight weary foragers, offer fruit. Blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, raspberries, peaches, and purple grapes. Arrange them on a wide platform feeder, sit back, and enjoy autumn’s brilliant color show.
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October 2018
Meet the Author - Dana Levin
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October 1–November 4
BEGUILING BAUBLES. The word “jewelry” acquires a new level of meaning at Beyond Ornament, an exhibition of unusual baubles fashioned by N.C. jewelry makers. GreehHill, 200 N. Davie St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 333-7460 or greenhillnc.org.
October 1–December 9
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October 1–February 17, 2019.
DECADENT DECADE. Or revolutionary, whichever you prefer. See the turbulence of the 1960s play out in art at 1960s: Survey of a Decade. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 334-5770 or weatherspoon. uncg.edu.
HAPPILY EVER AFTER? Maybe, maybe not. See how artists express contemporary angst in Dread & Delight: Fairy Tales in an Anxious World. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 334-5770 or weatherspoon. uncg.edu.
October 2
October 1–February 3
TARHEEL TENDRILS AND TIMBERS. 7 p.m. Tim Hanauer, president of Earth Graphics, will discuss planting and pruning through the ecological cycle at a meeting of the Triad Chapter of the North Carolina Native Plant Society. Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Library, 1420 Price Park Drive, Greensboro. Info: (336) 493-3070 or ncwildflower.org.
DANDY ANDY. Warhol, that is. Catch some works by the pop icon at Andy Warhol: Prints, Photgraphs and Polaroids from the Collection. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 3345770 or weatherspoon.uncg.edu.
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Casablanca
Vet-ting the Family Tree
AUTHORS, AUTHORS. 7 p.m. Meet poets Val Nieman, Kevin Rippin and Marc Harshman. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
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ALRIGHT! ALIGHT! ALIGHT! 6 p.m. Help raise funds for the Alight Foundation, which helps breast cancer patients, by enjoying wine, hors d’oeuvres, a raffle and drawing at the opening reception for Pathways. The exhibit, featuring the works of Becky Denmark runs through November 10. O’Brien Gallery, 307 State St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 2791124 or send an email to kathylovesart@aol.com. AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet poet Dana Levin, author of Banana Palace. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 7631919 or scuppernongbooks.com. STRUMS UP. 7:30 p.m. Piedmont Classical Guitar Society and the Guilford College Music Department team up for a concert featuring the U.S. premiere of Sergio Assad’s The Walls, featuring renowned guitarist William Kanengiser. Dana Auditorium, 5800 W. Friendly Ave., Greensboro. General admission is $15 at the door. Info: guilford.edu/events.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Billy Joel
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October 4–7
CLASS ACTS. Catch Evening of Short Plays #37, original pieces courtesy of the Drama Center Playwright’s Forum. Performance times vary. Suggested donation, $10. Stephen D. Hyers Theatre, Greensboro Cultural Center, 200 N. Davie St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 335-6426 or greensboro-nc.gov.
Sound of Music Sing-a-long
Shake a leg at Pop-Up Dance club, featuring spins by DJ Jessica Mashburn. Print Works Bistro, Proximity Hotel, 704 Green Valley Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 379-8200 or proximityhotel.com.
October 6
October 5
THE GAL FROM UNCLE. 9 p.m. Meaning, Uncle Watson’s Widow, a top-drawer blues group from the Piedmont. The Crown, Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
ART IN BLOOM. 10 a.m. Peruse handmade goods — clothing, paintings and more — by local artists and craftsmen at “Art in the Garden: A Celebration of Fall,” courtesy of Volunteers of N.C. Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Guilford County. Demonstration Garden at the Guilford County Cooperative Extension Office, 3309 Burlington Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 641-3600 or email hanna_smit@ncsu.edu.
DANCING KINGS AND QUEENS. 10 p.m. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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GROW FOR DOUGH. 8 a.m. Pick up your favorite sun lovers, shade lovers, trees, shrubs, perennials and more at the Fall Plant sale. While you’re there, catch Matt and Tim Nichols’ lecture, “Japanese Maple Madness.” Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, 215 S. Main St., Kernersville. Info and lecture tickets: (336) 996-7888 or cienerbotanicalgarden.org.
L.O.L. 8 p.m. Funnymen Mike Epps, Sommore, Tony Rock, Bruce Bruce and George Wallace yuk it up for the Platinum Comedy Tour. Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.
Cemetary Walk
MANWICHES AND MEALS. 5:30 p.m. Gentlemen, start your ovens! All manner of tasty eats fill the bill at Men Can Cook, a fundraiser benefiting the Women’s Resource Center. Special Event Center, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: womenscentergso.org.
October 6 & 20
THE NORTH WIND DOTH BLOW. 10 a.m. Learn how early Americans prepared for winter. Historical Park, High Point Museum, 1859 E. Lexington Ave., High Point. Info: (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.org.[I often think that the Greensboro History Museum people ought to intern with these guys[
October 7
SKIN-ANNIGANS. 5 p.m. Enjoy some guffaws — or buff-aws — watching The Naked Magicians, who combine comedy with sleight of hand, sleeves up, pants down. Odeon Theatre, Greensboro Coliseum October 2018
O.Henry 111
Arts Calendar
Complex, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 745-3000 or ticketmaster.com. AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 1 p.m. Meet Susan Verde, author of I Am Human. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com. AUTHORS ,AUTHORS. 3 p.m. Meet Deborah Gold (Counting Down: A Memoir of Foster Care and Beyond) and Wendy Welch (Fall or Fly: The Strangely Hopeful Story of Foster Care and Adoption in Appalachia). Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
October 8
VET-TING THE FAMILY TREE. 6:30 p.m. Marcellaus Joiner explains how to delve into military records for genealogical research. Morgan Room, High Point Public Library, 501 N. Main St., High Point. Info: (336) 883-3638 or send an email to ncroom@highpointnc.gov.
October 9
LUNCH, LISTEN AND LEARN. 11:45 a.m. Hear jazz concerts streamed live from Lincoln Center, with a brief 15-minute introduction from a Jazz Ambassador. High Point Public Library, 501 N. Main St., High Point. Info: (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.org.
CHARLES IN CHARGE. 6:30 p.m. Historian Charles Rodenbough, contributor to O.Henry magazine, discusses Alexander Martin at a lecture presented by High Point Historical Society, HPU and Alexander Martin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Wilson Ballroom, Point Place, High Point University, University Drive, High Point. Info: (336) 8851859 or highpointmuseum.org. SOCIAL BUTTERFLY. 6:30 p.m. Help fund the Greensboro Opera’s production of Madama Butterfly in November at GO Butterfly!, a gala featuring a sake bar, a “Madama Butterfly Garden,” an East-Meets-West fusion menu, live auction and more. Temple Emanuel patio, 1129 Jefferson Road, Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 273-9472, ext. 402 or greensboroopera.org. HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU. 7 p.m. Classics don’t get any better than the wartime romance, Casablanca. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com. AUTHORS, AUTHORS. 7 p.m. Meet poets Jonathan “J.G.” McClure (The Fire Lit & Nearing), Michael Pittard, and Michelle S. Reed (I Don’t Need to Make a Pretty Thing). Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
October 10
EMO-TIVATED. 9 p.m. Eddie Reyes and his band Fate’s Got a Number, play Emo Rock Music. The Crown, Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
October 11
LET YOUR LOVE GROW. Noon. Literally at “Fall in Love with your Garden,” a lunch and learn courtesy of garden curator Adrienne Roethling. Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, 215 S. Main St., Kernersville. To register: 336) 9967888 or cienerbotanicalgarden.org. AUTHORS, AUTHORS. 7 p.m. Meet Erin and Ben Napier, HGTV hosts and authors of Make Something Good Today. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com. HAMILTON. 7 p.m. No, not the musical, but Falk visiting artist Ann Hamilton, known for large-scale installations, public art projects and performance collaborations. Hear her thoughts at the University Concert & Lecture Series. Elliott University Center Auditorium, UNCG, 507 Stirling St., Greensboro. Info: vpa.uncg.edu.
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October 2018
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
October 12
BERN ’N’ DOWNES. 8 p.m. Meaning, Alex Bernstein, son of composer Leonard and pianist Laura Downes, who present an evening of music and conversation as a part of the University Concert & Lecture Series. School of Music Recital Hall, UNCG, 100 McIver Street, Greensboro. Ticekts: vpa.uncg.edu. ROOTS MUSIC. 8 p.m. Feel the earth move under your feet at the Piedmont Land Jam, featuring Steep Canyon Rangers. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
October 12–14
QUACKHEAD. Drama Center presents an adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen’s classic retooled as The Uuugly Duckling. Performance times vary. Tickets are $8. Odell Auditorium, Greensboro College, 815 W. Market St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 335-6426 or greensboro-nc.gov.
October 13
October 13 & 14
STOCK UP. 10 a.m. & 1 p.m. On the 21st Annual Artstock Artists Studio Tour. Grab a map and wander through participating studios of talented, local lights. Info: artstocktour.com. HORNSWOGGLED. 6:45 p.m. & 1:45 p.m. Champion bull riders from around the world gather for PBR: Unleash the Beast Greensboro Invitational. Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.
around the Gate City go to 17daysgreensboro.org.
October 13–December 23
VIVA EL ARTE. Admire works by artists from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua and Uruguay at Modern Roots: A Survey of Latin American Art from the Collection. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 334-5770 or weatherspoon.uncg.edu.
October 14
CLIMB EV’RY MOUNTAIN. 1 p.m. Get a real charge at no charge, singing high high and low notes at The Sound of Music Sing-Along. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
October 13 & 17
October 15
FER PLAY. 10 a.m. Forge. Check. Tongs. Check. Bellows. Check. The Blacksmith strikes! High Point Museum, 1859 E. Lexington Ave., High Point. Info: (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.org.
IN VEIN. 2:30 p.m. Literally. Calling Type A’s, O’s, and AB’s for the Paul Ciener Blood Drive. Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, 215 S. Main St., Kernersville. Info: cienerbotanicalgarden.org.
October 13–29
October 16
JUST SEVENTEEN. Attention, Culture Vultures: Immerse yourself in art, music, dance, literature, food, and then some, for ArtsGreensboro’s 17Days Arts Festival. For a full listing of events and locations
LISTEN TO THE MUSIC. 7:30 p.m. Minute-byminute, they’re takin’ it to the streets. Catch legendary 1970s rockers, The Doobie Brothers. White Oak Amphitheatre, Greensboro Coliseum Complex,
Irving Park
PLAY DOUGH. 10 a.m. Kids age 6 to 8 can sign up for cooking class with a theme that everyone will enjoy: a pizza party! Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com.
PIANO MAN. 8 p.m. It’s still rock ’n’ roll to him. Pop music legend Billy Joel tickles the ivories with beloved ballads. Wake Forest BB&T Field, 499 Deacon Blvd., Winston-Salem. Tickets: (800) 7453000 or livenation.com.
Arts Calendar
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
October 2018
O.Henry 113
Arts Calendar
1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.
Road, Greensoro. Tickets: musicforagreatspace.org.
October 17
SPECTRE-TATOR SPORT. 10 p.m.–4 a.m. Maybe you’ll see dead people at Parnormal Carolina with the Ghost Guild. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet Pam Kelley, author of Money Rock: A Family’s Story of Cocaine, Race, and Ambition in the New South. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
October 20
October 18
PUNK’D. 8 a.m. Chow down on Chef Alex’s flapjacks at Pumpkin Pancake and Harvest Celebration Day. Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, 501 Yanceyville St., Greensboro. Info: gsofarmersmarket.org.
TEXAS TWOSOME. 8 p.m. As in, Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
October 18–28
October 19–20 & 27–28
WAR TORN. Catch A&T Theatre Program’s production of Ruined, the riveting drama set in Democratic Republic of Congo’s civil war by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage. Performance times vary. Paul Robeson Theatre, N.C. A&T State University, 1601 E. Market St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 3347749 or ncataggies.com.
CINEMA FARE. 10 a.m. Movie night snacks are on the agenda for Family Cooking class (ages 5 and older with caregiver). Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com. SPOOKED. 6 p.m. Lend your ear to the eerie as Jon Sundell recounts ghost stories in Historical Park. High Point Museum, 1859 E. Lexington Ave., High Point. Info: (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.org.
October 20 & 21
October 19
ORGAN-IC. 7:30 p.m. Organist Jack Mitchener pulls out all the stops at Music for a Great Space. Christ United Methodist Church, 410 N. Holden
CREEPY CRAWLIES. 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. If it slithers, crawls, hisses, bites or sends shivers up and down the spine, then you’ll likely see it at Repticon,
October 23
PUMP’D UP. 5 p.m. Cooking class for kids ages 8 to 11 revolves around that fall fave, pumpkin spice (and everything nice). Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com.
October 24
LIMN PICKIN’S. 10 a.m. Who was the Guilford Limner? Find out from Sally Gant at a High Point Society Guild Series lecture — or read Jim Schlosser’s cover story of the February/March 2012 issue of O.Henry. High Point Museum, 1859 E. Lexington Ave., High Point. Info: (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.org. AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet Rebecca Gayle Howell, author of American Purgatory. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 7631919 or scuppernongbooks.com. SHAKE IT! 8 p.m. Get up and groove to the Latin beats of Colombian superstar J Balvin, who brings his “Vibras” Tour to town. Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 745-3000 or livenation.com.
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a leading expo of reptiles and exotic animals. Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: repticon.com.
Monday-Friday 10-5:30 • Saturday • 10-5 Sunday 1-5 Carriage_House@att.net The Art & Soul of Greensboro
OCTOBEREVENTS 10/2 Swiss Fall Feast Cooking Class
Reto’s Kitchen 6:00 pm
10/3 Swiss Fall Feast Cooking Class
10/19 Music For a Great Space presents Jack Mitchener Concert
Christ United Methodist Church 7:30 pm
10/23 Bonjour! French Night Out
Reto’s Kitchen 6:00 pm
Cooking Class
10/9 Working Women & Wine
Reto’s Kitchen 6:00 pm
Workshop
Rioja Wine Bar 6:00 pm
10/11 Beyond The Casserole: How to Truly Support Grieving Loved Ones Lunch & Learn
10/24 Bonjour! French Night Out Cooking Class
Reto’s Kitchen 6:00 pm
10/24 Why Project Managers Do What They Do Workshop
The Lusk Center Hospice 12:00 pm
HQ Greensboro 8:00 am
10/13 Music For a Great Space
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Arts Calendar October 25 & 27
TCHAI-TOWN. 8 p.m. Irish Pianist Barry Douglas joins Greensboro Symphony for “The Great Tchaikovsky,” featuring the Russian composer’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Major. Dana Auditorium, 5800 W. Friendly Ave., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 3350 5456, ext. 224 or greensborosymphony.org.
October 26
THE “TONIGHT” SHOW. 7:30 p.m. UNCG Jazz Faculty Sextet of the Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program performs Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. The Crown, Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com. SCHU, B. DO! 8 p.m. Barry Douglas tackles Schubert and Brahms at a Rice Toyota Chamber Series concert. 100 McIver St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 3350 5456, ext. 224 or greensborosymphony.org.
October 27
BOOK TALK. 2 p.m. Join WFDD’s book club discussion of We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
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AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 4 p.m. Meet Dan Koplen, author of Jewboy of the South. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
October 28
GRAVE MATTERS. 2 p.m. Take a walking tour of the Gate City’s historic cemetery, Green Hill, weather permitting. Wharton Street gate near Fisher Avenue, Greensboro. Info: friendsofgreenhillcememtery.org.
October 28–November 18
FAERIE TALE. It may be fall, but never too late or too early to dream about summer. Catch Triad Stage’s production of the Shakespeare comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Pyrle Theatre, 232 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 272-0160 or triadstage.org
October 30
FANG-DANGO. 7 p.m. Sink your teeth into the silent film classic, Nosferatu. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
WEEKLY HAPPENINGS
Mondays
BUZZING. 10 a.m. Your busy little bees engage in a Busy Bees preschool program focusing on music, movement, garden exploration and fun in the kitchen. (Members only). Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. Preregistration: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com. CHAT-EAU. Noon. French leave? Au contraire! Join French Table, a conversation group. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
Tuesdays
READ ALL ABOUT IT. Treat your little ones to story times: BookWorms (ages 12–24 months) meets at 10 a.m.; Time for Twos meets at 11 a.m. Storyroom; Family Storytime for all ages meets at 6:30 p.m. High Point Public Library, 901 N. Main St., High Point. Info: (336) 883-3666 or highpointpubliclibrary.com. ONCE UPON A TIME. 2 p.m. Afterschool Storytime convenes for children of all ages. Storyroom, High Point Public Library, 901 N. Main St., High Point. Info: (336) 883-3666 or highpointpubliclibrary.com. ’TOONS FOR TOTS. 3:45 p.m. From Oct. 30– Dec. 4 kids can tap into their inner Pixar with a
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October 2018
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shops • service • food • farms course in digital animation. Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com. PINT-SIZED GARDENERS. 3:30 p.m. Instill in your kiddies a love of gardening and edible things at Little Sprouts (ages 3 to 5 years). Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com. PAGE BURNERS. 3:30 p.m. Literature inspires kids’ meals made with fresh ingredients at Book & Cook (through Nov. 27). Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com. PICKIN’ AND GRINNIN’ 6 until 9 p.m. Y’all come for Songs from a Southern Kitchen, featuring: Rob Massengale Trio (10/2); Jack Gorham & Carrie Paz (10/9); South Carolina Broadcasters (10/16); Jon Shain & F.J. Ventre (10/23); Abigail Dowd & Jason Duff (10/30).1421 W. Wendover Terrace, Greensboro. Info: (336) 370-0707 or lucky32.com. CREATIVE KIN. 5 to 7 p.m. Moms, dads, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins: Enjoy a free evening of artistic expression at ArtQuest. GreenHill, 200 N. Davie St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 333-7460 greenhillnc.org.
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MUSSELS, WINE & MUSIC. 7 until 10 p.m. Mussels with house-cut fries for $15, wines from $10–15 a bottle and live music by AM rOdeO — at Print Works Bistro, 702 Green Valley Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 379-0699 or printworksbistro.com/live_music.htm.
Wednesdays
TO MARKET, TO MARKET. 8 a.m. until noon. The produce is fresh and the cut fleurs are belles. Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, 501 Yanceyville St., Greensboro. Info: gsofarmersmarket.org.
Thursdays
TWICE UPON A TIME. 11 a.m. Preschool Storytime convenes for children ages 3–5. Storyroom, High Point Public Library, 901 N. Main St., High Point. Info: (336) 883-3666 or highpointpubliclibrary.com. ALL THAT JAZZ. 5:30 until 8 p.m. Hear live, local jazz featuring Dave Fox, Neill Clegg and Matt Kendrick (aka the O.Henry Trio) — and featured guest artists Courtney Hudson (10/4); Jessica Mashburn (10/11); Vaughan Penn (10/18); Tanya Ross (10/25). All performances are at the O.Henry Hotel Social Lobby Bar. No cover. 624 Green Valley Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 854-2000 or www.ohenryhotel.com/jazz.htm.
Arts Calendar
JAZZ NIGHT. 7 p.m. Fresh-ground, fresh-brewed coffee is served with a side of jazz at Tate Street Coffee House, 334 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 275-2754 or www.tatestreetcoffeehouse.com. OPEN MIC COMEDY. 8–9:35 p.m. Local pros and amateurs take the mic at the Idiot Box, 2134 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro. Info: (336) 274-2699 or idiotboxers.com.
Friday
THE HALF OF IT. 5 p.m. Enjoy the hands-on exhibits and activities for half the cost of admission at $5 Fun Fridays ($2 on First Fridays). Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com.
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
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 St., Greensboro. Info: gsofarmersmarket.org.
Keep your furry friends safe from goblins & ghouls • • • •
Keep your pet leashed and make sure they are secure inside If your dog consumes chocolate please schedule an appointment or visit an emergency vet clinic immediately Pumpkins and many other decorations can cause choking and/or fire hazards if left around active animals Keep your pets ID tags up to date and on their person in case they get spooked and bolt
Happy Halloween from all of us here at Benessere!
Dr. Janine M. Oliver
1052 GRECADE ST. | GREENSBORO, NC 27408 Conveniently located in Midtown
336.897.1505 | www.BAHpetcare.com The Art & Soul of Greensboro
October 2018
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O.Henry 117
shops • service • food • farms
Arts Calendar
THRICE UPON A TIME. 11 a.m. Hear a good yarn at Children’s Storytime. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com. GENIUS AND JAVA. 11:15 a.m. With a cup of Joe as inspiration, create that masterpiece at Coffee and Canvas, which pairs painting and sipping. Cost is $5 and includes art supplies and bean. Griffin Recreation Center, 5301 Hilltop Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 373-2928 or email Latrisha. Carmon@greensboro-nc.gov. WRITE IS MIGHT. 3 p.m. Avoid writer’s block by joining a block of writers at Come Write In, a confab of scribes who discuss their literary projects. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com. C12H22O11. 3 p.m. That would be the chemical formula for sugar, the subject of a teen cooking class, “Science and Sugar,” available October 6–27. Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com. JAZZ ENCORE. 6:30 p.m. Hear contemporary jazz cats Sarah Partridge (10/6); Clinton Horton (10/13); Diana Tuffin (10/20) and Steve Haines (10/27), while noshing on seasonal tapas at O.Henry Jazz series for Select Saturdays. O.Henry Hotel, 624 Green
118 O.Henry
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Valley Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 854-2000 or ohenryhotel.com.
442 Gorrell St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 617-3382 or thehistoricmagnoliahouse.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, 2134 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro. Info: (336) 2742699 or idiotboxers.com.
HALF FOR HALF-PINTS. 1 p.m. And grownups, too. A $5 admission, as opposed to the usual $10, will allow you entry to exhibits and more. Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com.
Saturdays & Sundays
KIDS’ CRAFTS. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop — unless you enroll Junior in one of three structured activities at Greensboro Children’s Museum: Art Studio encourages making art in all kinds of media; at Music Makers kids can shake, rattle and roll with percussion instruments; while Get Moving! inspires physical activities. Times and dates vary. Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 574-2898 or send an email mailto: marketing@gcmuseum.com.
MISSING YOUR GRANDMA? 3 p.m. until it’s gone: Tuck into Chef Felicia’s skillet-fried chicken, and mop that cornbread in, your choice, giblet gravy or potlikker. Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen, 1421 W. Wendover Terrace, Greensboro. Info: (336) 3700707 or lucky32.com/fried_chicken.htm.
To add an event, email us at
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Sundays
FOOD OF LOVE. 11 a.m. Tuck into mouthwatering Southern brunch fare (biscuits, anyone?), courtesy of Chef Irvin J. Williams, while students from the Miles David Jazz Program serenade you with smooth jazz. The Historic Magnolia House,
October 2018
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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O.Henry 119
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“You Will Be Pleased”
310 South Elm Street • Greensboro, NC 27401 336.279.7025 | Mon-Sat 11am-9pm | www.jerusalemarket.com
HALLOWEEN PHOTOS OF YOUR PUPS Oct.9 & Oct 11 Call us for details or to schedule your dogs pictures. Proceeds benefits the SPCA of the Triad
336-274-2426 251 N. GreeNe Street www.MartinsFrameandArt.com
Specializing in doggie happiness WE OFFER: dog daycare • sleepovers grooming • webcams
705 Battleground Ave.
www.DogDaysGreensboro.com The Art & Soul of Greensboro
D OW N TOW N GR EEN S BO R O . O R G
October 2018
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Interior Design • Furnishings • Accessories • Art • Gifts
VIVID i n t e r i o r s
513 South Elm Street , Greensboro, NC 27406 336.265.8628 www.vivid-interiors .com
Visit
➛
online @ www.ohenrymag.com
122 O.Henry
October 2018
D OW N TOW N GR EEN S BO R O . O R G
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Next Revolution IN PROGRESSIVE LENSES
STARTING AT $350 INCLUDING ANY FRAME IN THE STORE
226 S. ELM STREET, GREENSBORO, NC 336 333 2993 OscarOglethorpe.com
Our name doesn’t say it all! If it’s broken glass, we can replace it.
Voted Best Menswear Store 2015, 2016, & 2017 LOCALLY OWNED SINCE 1963 JACK VICTOR
Business & Services
HART SCHAFFNER MARX BALLIN TROUSERS BILL’S KHAKIS BERLE TROUSERS REMY LEATHERS Window & door panes | Screens | Glass Top Tables for furniture Mirrors | Storm windows & doors | Tempered glass
GITMAN BROTHERS
Windshield Glass is your one-stop glass shop. We service the Triad and surrounding counties for all types of residential and commercial glass repairs.
34 HERITAGE JEANS
510 N. SPRING ST. | GREENSBORO, N.C. 27401 336-273-1791 | www.windshieldglass.com
BARONI CLOTHING CUSTOM SUITS & SHIRTS
JACK VICTOR
the HUB ltd 2921-D Battleground Ave. • Greensboro 336.545.6535 | TheHubLtd.com
MONDAY-SATURDAY: 11 AM - 5 PM OR BY APPOINTMENT
Personalized, Stress-free, Effective College Admissions Planning. KERRI BECKERT
etc. Consignment • 336-659-7786
etc. Home • 336-659-0900
Monday-Saturday 9-6 690 Jonestown Rd. • Winston-Salem www.etcConsignmentShoppe.com
124 O.Henry
October 2018
With 10 years of experience and expertise, Kerri Beckert is dedicated to helping students and their families understand and succeed in the competitive college admissions and application process. Giving student-clients the ability to showcase their own achievements, personalities, and admissions goals, Kerri assists them in envisioning, defining, and actualizing their admissions plans.
410-991-8492 | anchorcollegiate.com | kerri@anchorcollegiate.com
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Beware of Serial Stitchers Sub-Zero, the preservation specialist. Wolf, the cooking specialist. You’ll find them only at your local kitchen specialist.
SHOP LOCAL FOR BEST PRICES We Service What We Sell & Offer Personal Attention 336-854-9222 • www.HartApplianceCenter.com
2201 Patterson Street, Greensboro, NC (2 Blocks from the Coliseum) Mon. - Fri.: 9:30am - 5:30 pm Sat. 10 am - 2 pm • Closed Sunday
1614-C WEST FRIENDLY AVENUE GREENSBORO, NC 27403 336-272-2032 stitchpoint@att.net MONDAY-FRIDAY: 10:00-6:00 SATURDAY: 10:00-4:00
Business & Services
You won’t find them in ordinary kitchens. Or at ordinary stores.
Specializing in • golf club repair, • custom club fitting, • and we sell new and used golf clubs.
improper equipment can wreck your golf game
kelly’s golf 2616-C Lawndale Drive • Greensboro, NC 27408
336.540.1452 • www.kellysgolf.com
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Security & inveStigative conSulting ServiceS Get your company on the path to success
Security Risk Consultation Executive Protection & Investigative Brokering Emergency Preparedness • Active Shooter Planning Threat Assessments (Behavioral, Corporate, Residential and Personal) • Travel Risk Management Pre-Employment Assessments • Advisory Counsel and Support Security Guard Brokering call us today to discuss your business and personal needs.
336.897.3101 114 N. Elm St. Ste. 302 • Greensboro, NC 27401 corporate@signalzero.us • www.signalzero.us
October 2018
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S
eptember & ctober
Business & Services
O
1/2 Off all KIds eYe wear
must purchase lens and frame
2222 Patterson St. #A | Greensboro, NC 27407 336.852.7107 | www.houseofeyes.com Only one block from the coliseum.
Practicing Commercial Real Estate by the Golden Rule Bill Strickland, CCIM Commercial Real Estate Broker/REALTOR
Katie Koballa, iC Travel Agent
336.369.5974 | bstrickland@bipinc.com
336.402.3238 336.299.4164
katie@4moonstravel.com
www.bipinc.com
your loCal oFFiCE suPPliEs solution Office PrOducts, furniture & Machines Now in our new location. Locally owned.
FALL-SCAPING PERFECTED! Seasonal plants, supplies, gifts, accessories & trinkets
Free Next Day Delivery in the triad area on over 30,000 office products 3402-C W. Wendover Ave. | Greensboro, NC 336.275.2871 | www.carolinaofficemachines.com
126 O.Henry
October 2018
GUILFORD GARDEN CENTER Where gardening is fun!
701 Milner Dr. Greensboro | 336-299-1535 | guilfordgardencenter.com
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Create your own Initial Greeting!
Sewing Machines • Vacuum Cleaners/Supplies Authorized Husqvarna, Viking, Pfaff and Brother Dealer Repair and Service Classes and Machine Instruction 1710 Battleground Ave. • Greensboro, NC
336.274.6793 • www.mckinneysewandvac.com Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri 10:00am-5:30pm Wed 10:00am-1:00pm • Sat 10:00am-3:00pm
Never Miss An Issue! Subscribe today and have
MAGAZINE
delivered to your home!
g $45/yr • In State
Business & Services
This banner celebrates your home with style! It also makes a great gift!
ASHMORE RARE COinS & MEtAlS Since 1987
• 30+ years as a major dealer of Gold, Silver, and Coins • Most respected local dealer for appraising and buying Coin Collections, Gold, Silver, Diamond Jewelry and Sterling Flatware • Investment Gold, Silver, & Platinum Bullion
Visit us: www.ashmore.com or call 336-617-7537 5725 W. Friendly Ave. Ste 112 • Greensboro, NC 27410
$55/yr • Out of State
Across the street from the entrance to Guilford College
Name AddreSS CIty
StAte
ZIp
It’s a Dual Market!
phOne
e-mAIl AddreSS
payment enclosed
Best move up market in a long time! Yvonne Stockard Willard
Bill me later
Realtor™, Broker, GRI
g 3 wAyS tO SuBSCrIBe Fill out and return, Call 336.617.0090 or email dstark@ohenrymag.com O.Henry Magazine • P.O. Box 58, Southern Pines, NC 28388
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
allentate.com
336.509.6139 Mobile 336.217.8561 Fax
yvonne.stockard@allentate.com www.allentate.com/YvonneStockard
717 Green Valley Road, Suite 300 • Greensboro NC • 27408
October 2018
O.Henry 127
M A R ION Tile & Flooring
CERAMIC TILE • MARBLE • VINYL • CARPET • HARDWOOD
Family Owned & Operated For 55 Years
Gathering Friends of
dinner & luncheon
Life & Home
DINNER Tuesday, October 16th Grandover Resort and Conference Center one Thousand club road, Greensboro, nc
Dr. Rick Rigsby Motivational Speaker & Author
6 PM - reception 7 PM -- dinner and Keynote
LUNCHEON Monday, October 22nd Sheraton Greensboro @ Koury Convention Center 3121 W. Gate city Boulevard
Elizabeth Vargas Television Journalist / ABC News + A&E
11:30 AM - Seating and Social Time 11:45 AM luncheon and Keynote
Porcelain & Ceramic Tile • Brick & Stone • Marble & Granite Cork • Hardwood • Luxury Vinyl Tile • Carpet Bathroom Remodeling • Kitchen Floors & Backsplashes Complete Installation Service by Qualified Craftsmen Tickets and sponsorships available at
Monday - Friday • 9am-5pm
4719 Pleasant Garden Road, Pleasant Garden 336-674-8839 | www.mariontile.com
www.earlier.org or 336.286.6620
Re-Inspiring everyday living
We Buy, Renovate and Sell Residential Real Estate
Visit our website infiniteinv.com and check us out on Facebook.
8204 Windspray Drive, Summerfield
RODDY AKBARI
4 BR/4 BA, 2.17-acre lot. Room to roam inside and out. Front porch, deck and patio for enjoying outdoor living. Basement den, full bath on each floor, and 2-car garage. $369,900 • Interior Design • Remodeling • Staging
Call for your inspiration today! 336.337.2402
infinv@gmail.com
128 O.Henry
October 2018
Great designs begin with the details.
336.542.3231 reddinteriors.com
For superior marketing, call Ramilya Siegel CRS, GRI, ABR, Realtor Chairman’s Circle Award
(336) 215-9856
ramilya.siegel@allentate.com
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
michelleporter.com/schedule
MICHELLE PORTER
Life & Home
Don’t overpay for your next home!
MP
L E T ’ S
Vintage Home Decor • Home Accessories Gifts • Design Services by appointment 5315 Liberty road | Suite G | GreenSboro, nC
336.790.1046
Model: Larissa Abuhl
G E T
M O V I N G !
...turning dreams into an address REALTOR®, BROKER, MBA, ABR, CSP, GRI, CRS, SFR, CPM • homes@michelleporter.com www.michelleporter.com ©2017 BHH Affiiliates, 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.
Everyday is a beautiful day at Dirty Dogs!
Boutique
• Dog Treats and Antlers • Shampoos, Conditioners and Fragrances • Dog Toys • Collars and Leashes
Our Services
• Self-Service Dog Wash • Premium Dog Wash • Grooming Introducing Heather Richardson, Pet Stylist • 336-587-0195
Fractional CO2 Laser Treatments. MicroNeedling with PRP and Medical Peels, Dermaplaning Facial.
2511 Battleground avenue, greensBoro, nC K9CRZY7@aol.com • www.dirty-dogs.com (336) 617-7191 • Like us on Facebook Monday-Saturday 9am -7pm • Sunday 12-5pm
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Amy Rumley L.E. C.L.T , CPT
October 2018
O.Henry 129
Call us to schedule your
Awarded for Hard Work and Dedication to the Triad
Life & Home
DATE NIGHT
Remember to take care of yourself. Sometimes you get so busy taking care of others that you forget that you are important too.
1515 W Cornwallis Drive, Suite 100 Greensboro, NC 27408
Phone: 336.285.9107 Fax: 336.285.9109
email: info@1stChoiceHomeCareInc.com
Allen Tate’s Legend’s Club with Career Sales of $150 Million Allen Tate Company Top 5% 16 Years Serving The Triad
ANGIE WILKIE, Broker/Realtor®
(336) 451-9519 | angie.wilkie@allentate.com
www.allentate.com/AngieWilkie
25 Years of Adoption Expertise Serving Families Like Yours Through: International Adoptions (Serving U.S. Citizens Worldwide) Domestic Adoptions Home Studies in NC, SC, and VA Training and Support Services
Changing the world...
...one child and one family at a time
info@carolinaadoption.org l 800.632.9312 l CAROLINAADOPTION.ORG
Join us on November 3, 2018 for the Blue Jeans and Pearls Gala
130 O.Henry
October 2018
save 15 $
on your 1st 60 or 90 Minute Custom Massage w/any therapist New Clients only. Not valid with any other specials or discounts
336.334.0044
5 2 3 S ta te S t, G reen sbo ro , N C
www.AtoZenMassage.com Massage services provided by NC Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapists.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
e ny re ag a at S: tr g mp The NT E o o M C ity RES n P h e u rc c A ran mm oro su o sb In e C en Th Gre & f o
MERIDITHMARTENS
state of the ART • north carolina
Arts & Culture
Dead and Gone • Original Artwork Oil on Linen Canvas • 36” x 48” • $3,500 Starr Theatre @ 520 South Elm Street, Greensboro
Tickets $15-30 (+NC sales tax & $2 Restoration fee)
www.meridithmartens.com
f MeridithMartens.Artist • 910.692.9448
Call 336-333-SHOW or visit ctgso.org/tickets
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
October 2018
O.Henry 131
Arts & Culture
JACK MITCHENER
OCTOBER 19, 7:30PM Christ United Methodist Church
GREENSBORO EARLY MUSIC COLLABORATIVE
NOVEMBER 9, 7:30PM Christ United Methodist Church
For tickets or call 336-638-7624 or visit ticketmetriad.com
Tickets: triadstage.org/tickets 336-334-4392 132 O.Henry
October 2018
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Mention OHENRY to be entered in the October Giveaway!
GUNTER HAUS Art Studio (336) 350 - 3741 Angie Gunter GUNTERHAUS.COM STUDIOGHA@GMAIL.COM
Arts &
CULTURE The Art & Soul of Greensboro
October 2018
O.Henry 133
OCT. 28 - NOV. 18 Fall in love all over again. But watch your step. Deep in a wondrous forest, mixed up humans and mischievous creatures turn the world upside down. Let your heart delight in this magical romance.
BUY TICKETS TODAY! 232 SOUTH ELM STREET | GREENSBORO | 336.272.0160 | TRIADSTAGE.ORG
Pathways F E AT U R I N G
BECKY DENMARK Raffle includes THIS original oil painting by Becky Denmark & jewelry by Schiffman’s valued at $2,500
Raffle Drawing at 7pm
“BY THE WATER’S EDGE” BY BECKY DENMARK, 18X36, OIL, VALUE $1,100 EXHIBIT RUNS OCTOBER 4TH TO NOVEMBER 10TH. The gallery will donate a portion of our total sales for the whole month of October to The Alight Foundation, so come shop often in October!
THE ALIGHT FUNDRAISER AT THE O’BRIEN GALLERY Art & Wine Reception
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4TH, 5:30 -8:30PM Admission: $30
3 0 7 S TAT E S T R E E T, G R E E N S B O R O • ( 3 3 6 ) 2 7 9 - 1 1 2 4 • W W W.T Y L E R W H I T E G A L L E R Y. C O M 134 O.Henry
October 2018
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
2018 University Concert 2019 & Lecture Series Don’t miss our upcoming season, featuring artists such as Audra McDonald, Alan Alda, Herbie Hancock, Mark Morris Dance Group, and more!
© Douglas Kirkland
© Allison Michael Orenstein
For tickets and more information:
UCLS.UNCG.EDU | 336.272.0160 The Art & Soul of Greensboro
October 2018
O.Henry 135
GreenScene
Dacia Quate, Riley & Angie Wrenn
Alamance Elementary & Erwin Montessori Elemntary Open House
Wednesday, August 22, 2018 Photographs by Lynn Donovan
Lauren Logan, Wendell & Logan Phillips
Daniel, Carmen & Coretta Walker
Ashley & Kinley McClain Kim & Ryan Adolph
Xxxxxxxxxx
Reese, Regn, Rachel, Bella & Riley Purcell
Elizabeth Brown, Heidi Pegram
Lakey, Jaylah & Jazemyn Orbert
Sarah, Elliott, Chris & Adah Zimmer
Landon, Jordan & Logan Morris
136 O.Henry
October 2018
Regina Cannady, Wanda Devone
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Michelle Williams, Desiree Jackson, Nevaeh Jeffress, Naomi, Megan & Treena Jackson Alanna & Ava Hunt, Jessica & Jason Patterson
Nicole, Ashley & Natalee Towseley
King Garrett, Brittany Maxwell
Dedra Cherry, Stacey Moore
Rolanda, Lenard & Faizon Brandon
Tonia Smith, Mikari & Tonya Gibson Evan Mitchell, Keith Jones, Ethan & Monique Mitchel
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Quentin & Christina Adt Sherri Edmondson, Laurie McMasters, Toya Quick, Dacia Beachum, Kaylen Hawkins, Jennifer Snow
October 2018
O.Henry 137
Arts & Culture
November 9, 2018 @ 7:30 p.m. November 11, 2018 @ 2:00 p.m.
UNCG Auditorium (408 Tate St.) FREE Parking
Tickets: $15 - $85 (336) 272-0160
GreensboroOpera.org
138 O.Henry
October 2018
Puccini’s
MADAMA BUTTERFLY
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
GreenScene
Kezia Peterson, Azayvia Farrar, Tynisha Hinton
Maria Lemboris, Frank & Sofia Butcher, Eliana Henley
Central Carolina Fair
Greensoro Coliseum Complex
Sunday, September 9, 2018
Photographs by Lynn Donovan Karol, Elian, Diana, Brianna & Jordany Fernandez
Corey, Donna & Christopher Rose
Lisa Whitehurst, Christian Stockton, Layton King Emanuel, Cristino, Brandon & Patricia Antonio
Sylvia Poole, Madison & Deanna Swaney
Meezi Moss, Kerra Gibson
Angelin & Brent Ham
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Hailey Paivanas, Haleigh Everhart
October 2018
O.Henry 139
GreenScene
Doug Mokaren, Alex Forsyth
Janeeta Mamame, Anna Johnson
NC Folk Festival Greensboro
Sunday, September 9, 2018
Photographs by Lynn Donovan Jordan Sasiela, Katie Collins, Kaitlyn Warren Martin Messick, Mandy Mentzer, Zac Messick
Amy Davis, Gael McAllister
Doug Canavello, Kathy Rooney
Regina Robertson, Eve, Ashlee & Ezra Hein
Jake Bensimhon, Margaret Manning, Emma Autry, Alena, Stephanie & Aidan Ezerman
Jill Heacock, Matthew Smith
Kayla Dye, Natasha Beavers
Becky & Bart Brown Zea Robinson, Harrison Frederick
Angel Herrera, Nubia Ortiz
140 O.Henry
October 2018
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
NO TRICKS JUST TREATS
know
WE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Chesnutt - Tisdale Team Xan Tisdale 336-601-2337
Kay Chesnutt 336-202-9687
Xan.Tisdale@bhhsyostandlittle.com Kay.Chesnutt@bhhsyostandlittle.com ©2018 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.
Let our cheery and professional team decorate your home for the holidays! We’ll bring your holiday decor out of storage and decorate your trees, banisters, doors, mantels, etc. Then, we return after the holidays to take down and neatly organize your decor for storage until next year. Call us for a custom holiday quote!
336.327.6074 | carefulwiththechina.com
PIPTRIAD.COM BURLINGTON
825 South Main Street Burlington, NC 27215 336-222-0717
GREENSBORO
1840 Pembroke Road, Suite 1 Greensboro, NC 27408 336-315-2331
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
October 2018
O.Henry 141
BedStu Gabor Think! Lior Paris Judy P Milla
Unique Shoes! Beautiful Clothes!! Artisan Jewelry!!! Shoes Sizes 6 - 11 • Clothes Sizes S - XXL
507 State Street, Greensboro NC 27405 336-275-7645 • Mon - Sat 11am - 6pm www.LilloBella.com
142 O.Henry
October 2018
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The Accidental Astrologer
Stars and Star-Makers
Dazzling, yet old-fashioned, Librans treasure their nearest and dearest
By Astrid Stellanova
Star Children, our October-born enjoy longer lives and a better chance of becoming Presi-
dent; they are more romantic and athletic than the rest of us average Joes. Famous October babies are either stars themselves or star-makers: Julie Andrews, Kim Kardashian and that acid-tongued Simon Cowell with the angelic grin. Pumpkins, bonfires and harvest moons are enough to make anyone grin; if not, then you may be an alien child. Before sending your DNA off to Ancestry.com, consider that our ancestors celebrated the deep connection with Mother Earth in late fall and were grateful for this golden time. As the days grow shorter, enjoy hearth and home — and chill, Baby. — Ad Astra, Astrid Libra (September 23–October 22) There’s no shame in your game, Sugar. You are old-fashioned, just as accused. But you know how to love what you have and to make your nest a welcoming and special place. When you take stock of all the things in your plus column, notice how many old friends and long relationships you have made. That, Birthday Child, is a fine gift. Scorpio (October 23–November 21) You’re tetchy, and more self-critical than normal. Don’t shave an eyebrow off trying to fix a tee-ninesy mistake. Nobody else sees you through the same harsh lens. In fact, those who know you feel they can’t live up to your standards. Relax, Honey, and realize you are no ordinary creature. Sagittarius (November 22–December 21) Somebody you trust seems to be goading you toward a step you don’t want to take. Don’t that just grind your gears? Are they friend or frenemy? Buttercup, hitch up your britches and grin and bear it. They mean well, they just don’t speak your language. Capricorn (December 22–January 19) Hearing the truth is like drinking from a firehose. Hard to swallow. Hurts. Yep. But here you are, swallowing another needed dose of reality. Now, Honey, it will require you to take another step and face one more test of your resolve and backbone. Aquarius (January 20–February 18) You’ve had to power through a challenge that tested your nerve — and sexy verve — on every level. But in the background, an ally has got your back like a wool sweater. They know you better than you know yourself, and don’t want to see you fail. Pisces (February 19–March 20) You took two steps forward and one backwards in a weird shuffle regarding health matters. Is Chick-fil-A your secret sponsor? Your devotion to habit and fast foods are at war with your best interests. Something has to give, Sugar. (And sugar and fried food are a good start.)
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Aries (March 21–April 19) False flattery is no reason to marry a prison pen pal. The power of a good line is indisputable, but Darling, you can’t trust your bedazzled self this month. Snap out of it and ask yourself why you need a yes man or woman so much. Taurus (April 20–May 20) Open mouth and exchange feet, Sugar. If you weren’t so charming, a lot of your best pals would not be so forgiving. If you can do one more crucial thing, Sugar Pie, share the credit for a project completed and don’t hog all the credit. Baby steps. Gemini (May 21–June 20) Lordamercy! Take the next exit off the Ho Highway. Have you lost your grip? Think nobody has noticed? Well, Darling, they did. I’m not saying your standards are slipping, I’m saying they have conveniently disappeared. Chin up, head high and don’t look back! Cancer (June 21–July 22) Sugar, time to learn how to mine gold from whatever you learned from whoever ticked you off. Actually, a few too many did. You’ve been unable to settle, get rest, find a comfy place with yourself lately and it’s taking a toll. Turn that crazy train around. Leo (July 23–August 22) Is Boss Hog your role model? If you watch TV, you begin to think that everybody has lost their ever-loving minds. Raised voices don’t make for stronger arguments, Honey. Somebody has to set a better example — and why not a natural leader like you? Virgo (August 23–September 22) Feeling duller than a plastic fast-food knife? By the end of the summer days, you’ve battled to get your game back. Mix and mingle with a friend you look up to, and energize yourself again. You are very affected by the company you keep. 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. October 2018
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O.Henry Ending
Dustin’ The Bunnies An ode to the power of leaving well enough alone
By Grant Britt
for the first, and usually, the last time, seem somewhat taken aback by my housekeeping methods, or lack thereof. It’s not so much that I’m bad at it as it is that I just don’t see what the problem is. When I put something down, it’s usually because I want it to stay where it is for the duration. And that would be either for the duration of my life or that of the object. Therefore, I see no need to disturb it, or me, for the mere purpose of brushing it off. I find that over the years, my objests d’art — the various Elvii reincarnations including a bust of the King topped with a luchador mask, a plaster statue of Martin Luther King sporting Bullwinkle horns and wearing an orange sash of police tape with “Do Not Enter” emblazoned on it, and a revolving Santa figurine sporting a “I’d Rather Be Riding My Tractor” bumper sticker across his ample belly, all surrounded by life-size standup posters featuring the full cast from the movie The Big Lebowski, — acquire a fine patina, composed of dust, finger smudges, and various and sundry airborne pathogens.
Movement, regarding among people or objects, makes me nervous. When something gets where it’s supposed to go, it’s time to leave it be. It’s like this: If I wanted to use the damned thing in daily life, I’d have it either in my hand, my pocket, or a-hangin’ off my belt. If it’s just sittin’ there, then by Gawd it’s at rest and you’d best leave it there if you know what’s good for you. But obviously you don’t, or else I wouldn’t have to be writing about your meddling with my stuff.
144 O.Henry
October 2018
Most people know and abide by the rules, but every once in a great while I’ve had an out-of-towner or a trial girlfriend who turns out to be an under-thebed peeper. It’s OK to look; just don’t make the mistake of mentioning it to me. I don’t give a damn if the dust bunnies are the size of Bigfoot — they don’t eat much and they don’t keep me up at night, so let them, and me, alone. If you look at it in the right way, which is my way, it’ll make life a whole lot easier — for both of us. I don’t consider it dust so much as decoration, a natural enhancement not to be fiddled with by grubby human paws. A few Elvii appear to have dandruff issues, and the Jesus action figure seems to be performing another miracle by causing it to snow atop the desert background in his display case, but other than that, nobody seems concerned abut it, least of all me. Not to mention the fact that dust doubles as a protective coating. All that shiny paint they put on stuff can hurt your eyes if it doesn’t have a nice layer of funk on top. Dust is our friend. In addition to dulling the glare from bright and shiny surfaces, if you leave it alone long enough, it gets all gummed up around the sharp edges of things so you won’t cut yourself if you violate house rules and pick something up, (but that doesn’t mean that I won’t cut you, so behave yourself!) Well, you get the idea. Maybe it’s time for you to run along. You won’t keep still, you’re stirrin’ up the dust and disturbin’ the critters, and more important, me. So for everybody’s sake, why don’t you just scoot on along back to your spotless little house and squeaky-clean life and leave me to do the dirty work? Somebody’s got to feed those bunnies. OH Readers are encouraged to enable Grant Britt’s pursuit of collectibles to hoard by leaving possible treasures on his porch on trash day or any other joyous discarding occasion. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
ILLUSTRATION BY HARRY BLAIR
People who come to my house
PRIVATE DINING ROOM – BOOKING HOLIDAY EVENTS NOW
Lunch M-F 11:30 AM-2:30 PM | Dinner 5:30 PM - 9 PM | Friday and Saturday until midnight
4 03 N . E lm Street G R E E NSBORO | 3 3 6. 2 52 . 2 2 53
Half Price Wine Every Tuesday Mimosa brunches on the weekends. Chef’s specials every night.
RUEBAR | 318 S. Elm Stre e t GREENSBORO | 91 9. 931 . 24 2 6