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January 2020 DEPARTMENTS 13 Simple Life
37 Birdwatch
16 Short Stories
39 Wandering Billy
By Jim Dodson
19 Doodad
By Ogi Overman
21 Life’s Funny
By Maria Johnson
23 Omnivorous Reader By Stephen E. Smith
27 Scuppernong Bookshelf 29 Drinking with Writers
By Susan Campbell By Billy Eye
75 Arts Calendar 87 GreenScene 95 The Accidental Astrologer By Astrid Stellanova
96 O.Henry Ending By Cynthia Adams
By Wiley Cash
35 True South
By Susan S. Kelly
FEATURES 47 Musings on Fitness Poetry by Laura Lomax
48 Come Join the Dance
By Jim Dodson Celebrating 36 years of life, the Greensboro Scottish Dance Society keeps ancient traditions alive — while “flying” into the future
54 Greensboring No More
By Margaret Moffett For the Gate City, the ’20s are set to roar
58 To Hair Is Human; To Give, Divine By Waynette Goodson The Big Hair Ball is January’s mane event
62 Top Notch
By Maria Johnson Johnny and Karen Tart’s downtown penthouse perch
73 Almanac
By Ash Alder
Cover Photograph by Bert VanderVeen
6 O.Henry
January 2020
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Fine Eyewear, Artwork and Jewelry 327 South Elm | Greensboro 336.274.1278 | TheViewOnElm.com Becky Causey, Licensed Optician Find us on Facebook
M A G A Z I N E
Volume 10, No. 1 “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 Lauren M. Coffey, Graphic Designer 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 Koob Gessner, Bert VanderVeen, Mark Wagoner CONTRIBUTORS
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.
Ash Alder, Jane Borden, Grant Britt, Susan Campbell, Wiley Cash, Tony Cross, Clyde Edgerton, Billy Eye, Ross Howell Jr., Billy Ingram, Susan S. Kelly, Sara King, Brian Lampkin, Meridith Martens, D.G. Martin, Ogi Overman, Angela Sanchez, Stephen E. Smith, Astrid Stellanova
O.H
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O.H
Steve Anderson, Finance Director 910.693.2497 Darlene Stark, Circulation Director • 910.693.2488
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:
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8 O.Henry
January 2020
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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HERE’S TO ANOTHER GREAT YEAR OF NEW HOMES.
Happy New Year By truly partnering with our clients for over 19 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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EXPERIENCE MATTERS IN SENIOR LIVING Join us at our upcoming “Roaring 20’s Returns” event on February 20, 2020 at Proximity Hotel. To RSVP, please call 336.542.6370
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2019 U.S. National Champion Featured athletes are not guaranteed to compete.
The U.S. Figure Skating Championships return to the Greensboro Coliseum January 20-26, 2020. See America’s top skaters compete for the title of U.S. Champion in ladies, men’s, pairs and ice dance.
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Simple Life
For the Time Being To count the hours . . . or make them count
By Jim Dodson
My office over the garage, which I fondly
call the “Tree House,” is a place where time stands still, in a manner of speaking, something of a museum for dusty artifacts and funky souvenirs that followed me home from six decades of traveling journalism. Among them is a collection of wristwatches that accompanied me most of the way. They’re part of what I call Uncle Jimmy Bob’s Museum of Genuine & Truly Unremarkable Stuff.
Most unremarkably (if you know me), many of the watches are broken or simply worn out from the misfortune of being attached to my person. Suffice it to say, I have a history of being tough on timepieces, having cracked more watch crystals than I can count, and either lost or damaged half a dozen of these loyal beauties by various means. I suspect that a good shrink could have a field day with the fact that all these defunct watches are the same model and brand — the famous Timex Expedition models, an outdoors icon known for its durability and rustic beauty. You can blame black-and-white television for this unholy devotion. See, when I was a little kid and the TV world was not yet in living color — I was a highly impressionable son of a successful advertising executive, it should be noted — my favorite commercial was a spot for Timex watches in which suave company pitchman John Cameron Swayze subjected Timex watches to a series of live “torture tests” in order to prove that the durable timepiece could “take a licking and keep on ticking.” To this day I remember watching slugger Mickey Mantle wearing his Timex during batting practice. Other favorites included watches freed from solid blocks of ice by a wielded hammer, also dropped to the bottom of fish tanks for hours or put through the washing machine cycle, even attached to the bow of a roaring speedboat! In fifth grade, I actually wrote a research paper on Timex watches, learning
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
that the company started in 1854 in Waterbury, Connecticut, producing an affordable six-dollar clock using an assembly line process that may have inspired Henry Ford to do the same with cars half a century later. The company made its name by selling durable pocket watches for one dollar. Even Mark Twain carried one. During the Great Depression, they also introduced the first Mickey Mouse watch. I received my first Timex watch for Christmas in 1966 and wore it faithfully everywhere — to bed, to baseball practice, even to Scout Camp where I took it off to do the mile swim and never saw it again, the start of a tradition. The next one I owned was an Expedition model purchased for about 25 bucks with lawn-mowing money. I wore that sucker all the way through high school, occasionally losing and finding it in unexpected places while putting it through the kind of personal abuse that would have made me a natural for Timex TV spots. For high school graduation, my folks gave me an elegant Seiko watch, a sleek Japanese quartz model that never needed winding and kept perfect time but never felt right on my wrist. I have no idea what happened to that lovely timepiece. Or at least I ain’t telling. By the end of college, I was safely back to Timex Expeditions, the cheap and durable watch that would accompany me — one lost or broken model at a time — across the next four decades. I mention this because a month or so ago, during a particularly busy stretch, I misplaced my longest-running Expedition and, feeling it might be the end of time or at least civilization as we know it, impetuously ordered a replacement model from the internet with guaranteed 24-hour delivery . . . only to discover, the very day the new watch arrived, that the missing watch was under my car seat all along, keeping perfect time. God only knows how it got there. But the message wasn’t lost on me. Why do I need anything delivered within 24 hours? Instead, perhaps it’s time to slow down and pay attention to what is already happening here and now, to pause and take notice of the simple things that give my life its greatest purpose and meaning. The start of a new year is a time when many of us pause to take stock of how far we’ve come this year and may be headed in the year to come. After a certain age, the question of how to make use of whatever time we have left to January 2020
O.Henry 13
Simple Life
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14 O.Henry
January 2020
do the things we still hope — or need — to do is also on our minds. Yet in modern America, “where time is money,” most of us live by the silent tyranny of the ticking clock, obsessed with achieving deadlines and keeping schedules. With no time to waste, we put everything on the clock or at least mark it down in the Day-Timer, making helpful “To-Do” lists and dinner reservations, planning holidays a year in advance, booking flights to warmer seas, appointments with the decorator or therapist, paying the mortgage on time, picking up the kids at 3 —all of it shaped by, and subject to, the hopeless idea of saving time. Someone, my late Grandmother Taylor liked to say, is always waiting beneath the clock for a child to be born, a life to pass on, a decision to be made or a verdict to be rendered. A proper Southern Baptist lady who knew the Scriptures cold but enjoyed her evening toddy, she often told me, “Child, for the time being, you’re on God’s time. This is heaven.” A nice thought, but just to complicate matters on the planetary scale, there’s the shadow of the infamous Doomsday Clock to contend with, the symbolic timepiece created by the world’s concerned scientists that chillingly charts the steady devolvement of the planet’s environmental and nuclear climates. In 2019, the minute hand was moved forward to two minutes to midnight. So what happens next? Presumably, God only knows that, too. When it comes to contemplating the passing of time, I often think about the month “out of time” my wife and young son and I spent following our noses through rural Italy and the Greek Islands with no firm travel agenda or even hotel reservations. We met an extraordinary range of unforgettable characters and ate like gypsy kings. We swam in ancient seas, probed temple ruins and disappeared into another time, discovering a race of people who happily ignore the clock if it involves the chance for an interesting conversation about life, food or family. For the time being, it really was heaven. Somewhere along the way, I managed to lose yet another Expedition watch — but failed to notice for several days. To us, a siesta between noon and 3 p.m. would be unthinkable in the heart of an ordinary work day, generally viewed as either a costly indulgence or colossal waste of time. Yet in Italy, Spain and many Arab cultures, the idea of pausing to take rest and recharge batteries in the midst of a busy day is viewed as a sensible restorative act, a way to slow down and keep perspective in a world forever speeding up. From the mystical East, my Buddhist friends perceive time as an endless cycle of beginning The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Simple Life and ending, life and death and rebirth, time that is fluid and forever moving toward some greater articulation of what it means to be human. Native American spirituality embraces a similar idea of the sacred hoop of life, a cycle of rebirth that prompted Chief Seattle to remark that we humans struggle with life not because we’re human beings trying to be spiritual, but the other way around. A version of this quote is also attributed to French Jesuit priest and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, proving great souls think alike, even in different languages. How ironic, in any case, that a booming West Coast city that is home to time-saving megaliths of commerce like Amazon, Starbucks, Costco and Microsoft is named for a man who lovingly presaged, decades ahead of his time, that we humans essentially belong to the Earth and not the other way around, and that, in time, when the last tree falls and final river is poisoned, we will finally learn that we cannot eat money or replace whatever is forever lost in time. Fearing his own time brief on this planet, Transcendentalist Henry Thoreau went to live by Walden Pond “because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” I hold a similar desire close to my own aging heart, though in the short-term I sure would like to finish a trio of half-written novels I’ve been cobbling on for years, write a few more books about subjects that greatly interest me, and maybe — if there’s any time leftover — build a cabin in the Blue Ridge like the one my late papa and I always talked about “someday” building together. For the record, just for fun, I’d also like to learn to speak Italian, play the piano and spend a full summer exploring the fjords and forests of Scandinavia with my wife. So much to do. So little time to do it. That seems to be our fate. At least mine. On golden autumn afternoons and quiet winter days, however, I swear I can almost hear Chief Seattle, Father De Chardin and Grandma Taylor whispering to me that we are all living on God’s Time, wise to wake up and slow down and live fully in the now as we journey into a brave new decade, hopefully appreciating the many gifts of time and its precious brevity. For the time being, I now have two fine Expedition watches that can take a licking and keep on ticking. Though how long I can do the same, goodness me, only time will tell. OH Contact Editor Jim Dodson at jim@thepilot.com.
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January 2020
O.Henry 15
Rats!
Get ready to ring in the New Year all over again — Lunar New Year, that is, as observed in Asian cultures. January 25 heralds the Year of the Rat, characterized as clever, independent, imaginative — if a bit stingy. Celebrate the creature’s arrival early on January 21 with a dinner of Chinese egg cake and potstickers at Reto’s Kitchen (600 South Elam Avenue) or take the kiddoes over to High Point Museum’s Little Red Schoolhouse (1859 East Lexington Avenue, High Point) on Lunar New Year’s Day proper, where they can learn about the holiday and make Chinese paper lanterns. Or, simply curl up with the childhood favorite, E.B. White’s Stuart Little. Tickets to Reto’s Kitchen: ticketmetriad.org.
Moveable Feast
For Saturday morning regulars at Greensboro Farmers Curb Market please note a temporary change of address during the month of January to Revolution Mill (1601 Yanceyville Street). Don’t worry: You’ll still be able to purchase fresh eggs, meat, homemade cakes and pies, and plants, and though we were unsure at press time, we’re hoping the annual Market Chili Challenge is still on the docket. Come February, vendors will return to their stalls in the time-honored but spruced-up location, the old armory at 501 Yanceyville Street. Till then, see you at Rev Mill! Info: gsofarmersmarket.org.
16 O.Henry
January 2020
Curtains!
Forget bingeing on Netflix. Why not binge on Fringe? Yep, the Greensboro Fringe Festival is back — for the 18th year! Supporting aspiring playwrights with a professional platform for their works, the festival, held January 16 through February 3 at Stephen D. Hyers Studio Theater (200 North Davie Street), is an opportunity to see plays that have not previously been performed in North Carolina. And did we mention admission is a donation in the amount of your choosing? We should add that said donation goes directly toward the production you are seeing rather than toward overhead costs. Kicking off this year’s program: Pete Turner’s Bags of Skin, winner of the 2020 New Play Project and Mark Gilbert Award. Author! Author! Info: greensborofringe.org.
Worth the Drive to Durham
Say whaaaat? Yeah, we know, it’s a bit far afield, but we’ll gladly travel over the woods and through the snow — or down I-85 to see the works of two Gate City born-and-bred artists, John Beerman, featured in this magazine in January of 2019, and Stephen Costello, who exhibited his charming building models at sis Tricia’s Carriage House Antiques a few years back. Admire Beerman’s meticulous, luminous paintings and Costello’s engaging structures at The Shape of Light/Places on view through January 25 at the Bull City’s Craven Allen Gallery (1106 1/2 Broad Street). Tell ’em O.Henry sent ya. Info: cravenallengallery.com.
Ice Agents
Meaning the sliding, gliding, twosome-eliding and gravity-defying athletes competing January 20–26 at the 2020 U.S. World Figure Skating Championships. Held right in our backyard at the Greensboro Coliseum (1921 West Gate City Boulevard), you can witness the skaters’ athleticism and grace as they wow audiences with twirls, jumps, double axles, salchows, among other moves. Single session tickets and packages available. To purchase: ticketmaster.com. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
TR IN ITALY, EGG TEMPERA AND OIL ON LINEN, 14 X 16 BY JOHN BEERMAN
Short Stories
Vito Power
As in Vito Corleone, titular character of Francis Ford Coppola’s groundbreaking film, The Godfather. On January 14, the Carolina Theatre (310 South Greene Street) will make an offer you can’t refuse: a screening of the 1972 Oscar-winning classic about the inner workings and drama of the fictional crime family, including the aforementioned Don Vito played brilliantly by Marlon Brando, and his children, hotheaded Sonny (James Caan), feckless Fredo (John Cazale), spoiled Connie (Talia Shire), calculating Michael (Al Pacino) and strategic consigliere, Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall). And unless you want to wind up like the ill-fated soldato Luca Brasi by “sleepin’ wit da fishes,” catch this chance to see a classic on the big screen. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com
“THE DESTRUCTION OF TEA AT BOSTON HARBOR,” NEW YORK,1846 COURTESY OF LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Making History
Who knew that Richard Nixon blamed his poor showing in the 1960 televised debate against John F. Kennedy on an injury incurred . . . in Greensboro? Or that Henry Frye, the first African- American chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, was forced to take a literacy test — which he failed? These are but two episodes in the epic and ongoing story of what Alexander Hamilton dubbed the “Grand Experiment,” elaborately presented in Project Democracy 20/20, an initiative at Greensboro History Museum (130 Summit Avenue). Its centerpiece and only stop in the Southeast until March 29 is Smithsonian’s traveling exhibit, American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith. Examining the crux of our constitutional republic — just who, er, constitutes “We the People,” and how we participate in the democratic process — the multimedia extravaganza incorporates N.C. inflection points in democracy, such as the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and mixes local artifacts with Smithsoian’s. Be sure to see rare items, such as a “Liberty Cap” from 1781, not to mention scads of political memorabilia and interactive features, namely, Voices & Visions of Democracy, and The Gerrymandering VR Game, a virtual-reality exhibit examining the relationship between technology and the popular vote. Throughout the year, look for an N.C.-centric exhibit, lectures, educational programs and more. Info: (336) 373-2043 or greensborohistory.org.
A Ton of Bricks
Build it and they will come, especially if your building materials of choice are LEGOs. Now’s the chance to enroll your kids in LEGO League Jr., the first of its kind at Greensboro Children’s Museum (220 North Church Street). The 10-week program starting January 8 and lasting through March 11, encourages participants, using LEGO Education WeDo 2.0, to design and create buildings adapted to the needs of those in the community who would hypothetically use the structure. In short, the class is an exercise in imagination and problem-solving, and for kids 8–11, quite literally a snap. To register: gcmuseum.com.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Ogi Sez Ogi Overman
The first two months of the new year invariably mark a slowdown in live concerts, as touring acts generally take a bit of a break from the road and hit the studio. But the beauty of living in a venue-rich area is that plenty of top-shelf acts are playing in smaller rooms, even as the arenas go temporarily dark (at least for concerts). So, not to worry, Dear Hearts, your live music fix will be sated through the winter.
• January 4, Ramkat: I’ve said many times that siblings have an unfair vocal advantage, and the Gibson Brothers are further proof in the pudding. They have won virtually every International Bluegrass Music Association award there is, including the big prize, Entertainer of the Year, twice. This year you won’t have to wait until MerleFest to see them. • January 11 & 12, Stevens Center: Not many acts get a two-nighter here, but, then again, not many acts feature the world’s finest banjo player. Béla Fleck has turned what is typically a bluegrass instrument into a classical concert instrument. Or, for that matter, any genre that he chooses. He has literally redefined the banjo, and everyone knows it, including the Winston-Salem Symphony, with whom he’ll perform. • January 19, Carolina Theatre: It appears that Mipso is following in the footsteps of their UNC brethren, the Steep Canyon Rangers, at least in terms of popularity. While they are more bluegrass-ish than straight-up high-lonesome, they can easily fit into several categories. Their star is clearly on the rise. • January 24, UNCG: It’s been a long time coming, but Emmylou Harris is finally returning to where it all started. Well, the 14-time Grammy winner won’t be playing for tips at the Red Door on Tate Street, but at the UNCG (formerly Aycock) Auditorium. It will be quite a homecoming, indeed. • January 25, Brad and Tammy’s Listening
Loft: This unique and inviting room was recently named as one of the top 100 house-concert venues — in the country. And when Curtis Eller’s American Circus plays there, it may actually be the best in the nation. Brilliantly quirky, one of Eller’s albums is titled Banjo Music for Funerals. You gotta see it to believe it.
January 2020
O.Henry 17
Doodad
Where Have You Been, Emmylou? Emmylou Harris returns to her roots
A
bove all else, Bill Kennedy knew a good promotional opportunity when he saw one. Already a seasoned concert promoter and venue operator, by 1976 he had become a fan of rapidly rising countryfolk-bluegrass star Emmylou Harris. A fledgling sports and entertainment complex, Piedmont Sports Arena, had recently opened on Wendover Avenue, and Kennedy and the owner agreed to book the singer that April. She would have likely drawn well anyway, but Kennedy had an additional dual hook. For one, the concert date was close to Harris’ 29th birthday on April 2; for another, she had a local tie-in, having attended UNCG in 1965–67 on a drama scholarship. Kennedy approached the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce about declaring it “Emmylou Harris Day” and billed the show as a “welcome back” party. The concert lived up to its billing, drawing a couple of thousand delirious fans. Not even a group of Moonies, protesting outside because the venue served alcohol, could dampen the evening. During her stint at UNCG, Harris had racked up stage roles in Shakespeare’s The Tempest and a children’s theater production of The Dancing Donkey. She also performed in a group called The Emerald City with UNC grad Mike Williams, when she wasn’t singing solo at her regular gig: a small club on Tate Street called the Red Door. The pay was $10 a night plus all the beer you could drink. She would transfer to Boston University, choosing music over theater. Ultimately she wound up in the Greenwich Village coffeehouse circuit and soon afterward the burgeoning Washington, D.C., bluegrass scene, where fate and Gram Parsons, who discovered her singing in a Georgetown club, intervened. Forty-three years on, with 25 albums and 13 Grammy awards to her credit, Harris has not since performed in Greensboro. But January 24 will serve as another welcome back when the singer takes the stage at UNCG’s Memorial Hall (formerly Aycock Auditorium) as part of the University Concert and Lecture Series — across the street and ten million miles from the Red Door. (Full disclosure — Bill Kennedy and the author were co-founders of ESP Magazine in 1988. When Kennedy died in May 2016, the author wrote his obituary for the News & Record and officiated at his funeral.) — Ogi Overman The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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O.Henry 19
HOP ON DECK! PROUD AFFILIATE OF THE
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Life’s Funny
Waves of Kindness No man is an island — especially one who walks five dogs
By Maria Johnson
The first time
ILLUSTRATED BY GRISEL MONTES FOR THE MAN WHO WALKS THE FIVE DOGS
I saw the canine wave, a bubbling tide of blonde fur about one foot high, it was rippling down a sidewalk near Lake Brandt Road and Lawndale Drive.
A powerfully built man in a windbreaker walked behind the swell. In one hand, he gripped a massive stick that looked like it could be used to greet or beat, depending on what the occasion called for. From the other hand, a twist of leashes fanned out to his charges. How many? One, two, three, four . . . Wait, was that one or two dogs? EYES ON THE ROAD! It took several more sightings — and the realization that it would be easier to count leashes than furry heads or tails, all roughly the same color — for me to be confident in the number of pups. Five. He was walking five dogs. Not a record number, by the standards of professional dog walkers, but enough to make for a memorable sight. Big guy, big stick, big team of little dogs. Somehow the scenario balanced. It also suggested to me a gentle strength and confidence on the man’s part. Whereas a lot of tough-looking guys seem to enjoy marching around with equally threatening-looking dogs, there’s something touching to me about a strong guy with a delicate pup. It takes a big man to walk a little dog. Over time, I noticed something else: The man had a loyal audience in motion, the drivers who hailed him with a steady flurry of beeps and raised hands. From far away, the man lifted his walking stick to acknowledge his public so steadily he looked like he was waving away mosquitoes. He reminded me of Ralph Vaughn, who used to sit on his porch, near Lake Brandt Road and Kello Drive — in the very same area trod by the man with five dogs — and raise his hand every few seconds to the drivers who sounded a symphony of beeps as they passed his house. Ralph died in 2006, but sometimes I still catch myself looking at his concrete porch, ready to see the cigar-chomping former Marine, ready to punch the center of my steering wheel and throw up my hand for a quick, “Hey.” I’m sure I’m not the only driver who has transferred my beep-and-wave skills, honed by years of greeting Ralph, to the man with five dogs. Sometimes, I ask myself why I bother with such a small gesture toward some-
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
one I really don’t know. I suppose the answer is the need to connect. We all like to be noticed, known, remembered even in the smallest ways — by the cashier who recognizes us and waves us over to her empty register; by the waiter who asks if we want the red curry with tofu, as usual; by the postal clerk who smiles at all of the packages going to our sons in New York. These are the silky strands of belonging, the barely perceptible filaments that lift our hearts, bind us to a place and weave the shape of home. The feeling sticks on both ends of the exchange. Ralph Vaughn, a gruff-voiced teddy bear of a man, told me so. After open heart surgery, he took to his front porch to recuperate. The passing sparks of affection warmed him as much as much as his honking admirers. “It seems like there’s one big family driving around out there,” Ralph said. Mark Hunt would understand. He’s the man with the dogs. Recently, his daughter, Cynthia-Mae Hunt, wrote a book, The Man Who Walks the Five Dogs. In the book, Cynthia-Mae, whose family moved here from New Jersey, reveals that the dogs are shih zhus: Sir John and his mate Duchess Robyn and their three pups, Duke Turner, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, the last two named for eldest children of Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton. Typically, Cynthia-Mae writes, her father walks the dogs three times a day, shooting for 10 miles overall. She writes how surprised and happy he was when a passing driver stopped to give him an umbrella in a sudden downpour. She tells about a woman who once ran out of a subdivision, chasing down her dad to hand him a wooden walking stick that she had carved so he could protect himself and his tsunami of Shih Tzus. Cynthia-Mae, who studies neuroscience in college, writes that she admires her father, who has multiple sclerosis, for his dedication to healthy living. And she thanks the people who, in fleeting seconds, throw her father the faintest tethers of attachment, which he gladly catches and tosses back. “Greensboro is a special place because people here show acts of kindness without any incentive,” Cynthia-Mae recently told the hosts of a local TV morning show. “I hope it shows the world and the people of Greensboro how special of a place it is.” Sometimes, those silky strands weigh more than you think. OH For more information, see the Facebook page for The Man Who Walks Five Dogs. Paperback and digital versions of the book are available on amazon.com. Maria Johnson can be reached at ohenrymaria@gmail.com. January 2020
O.Henry 21
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The Omnivorous Reader
The Unforgiving Arctic Story of the perilous Lady Franklin Bay Expedition
By Stephen E. Smith
In July 1881, the USS
Proteus set sail from Newfoundland for Lady Franklin Bay in the Canadian Arctic. On board were the expedition’s commander, Lt. Adolphus W. Greely, astronomer Edward Israel, photographer George Rice, and 21 men chosen from the U.S. military. Their stated purpose was to establish a meteorological observation station as part of the First International Polar Year. But Greely had a personal objective: to reach “Farthest North,” an achievement claimed by the British Navy decades earlier.
A month after departing Newfoundland, the Proteus anchored off Ellesmere Island in the Arctic Circle, where tons of supplies were unloaded, a substantial building constructed, and the expedition’s work began in earnest. The four years that followed were to be the most harrowing and terrible of all recorded Arctic voyages. Buddy Levy’s Labyrinth of Ice is the latest and most comprehensive popular history of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition (the undertaking’s official designation), recounting in detail the travails that befell men subsiding on meager rations and caught in continuous sub-zero temperatures — sometimes 50 degrees below — during extended periods of total darkness. Their suffering notwithstanding, Greely’s men fulfilled their scientific obligations and maintained meticulous records that are useful today in our analysis of global warming. And during the first year of his Arctic sojourn, Greely also achieved his personal objective: Two of his men established Farthest North. Then the expedition settled in to await resupply ships that never arrived. What befell the Greely Expedition is what doomed many of the Arctic and
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Antarctic voyages of the 19th and early 20th centuries: extreme privation. Without resupply, the expedition had to abandon their camp and head south, first by boat, then by sled and finally on foot, hoping to link up with relief ships headed in their direction. They were constantly impeded by ice — mountains of ice, jagged blocks of broken ice, icebergs, massive ice floes, ice in every possible configuration — making forward progress almost impossible, and denying the explorers sustenance and subjecting them to the unforgiving elements. Relying on Greely’s notebooks and the personal dairies of expedition members, Levy writes in measured, almost journalistic prose, describing the quirks of personality and the details of the inevitable conflicts that arose when the expedition’s men were confined in life-threatening conditions. Greely was able to mediate most of these squabbles, but when rations grew short and shelter increasingly insubstantial, the conflicts grew more intense: “Pavy grew incensed, and when he started yelling at Whisler, the dutiful military man drew and leveled his pistol at Pavy to show there would be no more talk.” Disagreements between Greely and the Expedition’s doctor were a constant source of unease, and the growing tension among the starving men eventually led to the execution of Pvt. Charles Henry, who had confessed to stealing food, which he continued to do after numerous warnings. In 1882, the relief ship Neptune was blocked by ice and forced to abandon its mission, leaving much-needed supplies in Newfoundland, thousands of miles south of the expedition. The Proteus attempted a rescue in 1883 but was crushed by pack ice and sank. The expedition would surely have perished but for Greely’s dutiful wife, Henrietta, who had political and journalist connections. She lobbied constantly for her husband’s rescue, and much of the book is given over to her unrelenting efforts. She had to contend with a Washington bureaucracy that was painfully slow to act. There were boards of inquiry and much finger-pointing concerning failed relief efforts. But Henrietta’s persistence yielded results, and a third rescue mission was finally mounted, despite Secretary of War Robert Todd Lincoln’s reluctance to waste resources on “dead men.” By the time Greely and six of his surviving crew were located on the barren shores of Cape Sabine, they were hours from death. “Greely is that you?” a January 2020
O.Henry 23
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24 O.Henry
January 2020
Omnivorous Reader rescuer asked. “Yes — seven of us left — here we are, dying like men,” Greely replied. “Did what I came to do — beat the record,” meaning he’d obtained Farthest North. Readers are left to decide if the suffering was worth it. The survivors may have thought so when they were received as heroes. Celebrated and roundly lauded in the press, honored with a parade, promoted in grade and awarded medals, they basked in the limelight. But not long after they had settled into their new lives, rumors of cannibalism materialized. Greely and the other survivors denied any knowledge of such an outrage, but a medical examination of at least one of the corpses revealed that flesh had been removed from the bones with a cutting implement. It may be that our general lack of knowledge of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition is the result of these lingering accusations — after all, we’ve never forgiven the Donner Party — and only in recent years have books on Greely’s Arctic adventure seen publication. Three of these books, Ghosts of Cape Sabine, Frozen in Time and Abandoned, have helped raise awareness among readers of popular histories, and a PBS American Experience documentary, “The Greely Expedition,” has attracted attention, but we live in a moment when yesterday’s news is ancient history and the majority of Americans can’t tell you where the Grand Canyon is located. A plethora of recent books detailing other desperate Arctic and Antarctic expeditions have come to constitute a “desperate polar rescue” subgenre. The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition, a beautifully written history of a 1914 attempt to reach the South Pole, has received much critical attention, and the lifeboat Shackleton used to navigate the stormy waters from Antarctica to the Falkland Islands has toured museums around the country. But Shackleton’s Expedition had a happy outcome; every member of the Endurance crew survived. Nineteen of Greely’s command died in order to achieve the most ephemeral of objectives. If you have a grim fascination with self-inflicted suffering in inhospitable environs, you can always revel in TV’s Life Below Zero, Ultimate Survival Alaska, Dual Survival, Naked and Afraid, or, this reviewer’s favorite series title, Dude, You’re Screwed. There’s no denying that the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition suffered unimaginable horrors — and there was no “tapping out” when they found themselves trapped in the Arctic. How silly and shallow reality TV programs seem when compared to the real reality of the Greely Expedition. OH Stephen E. Smith is a retired professor and the author of seven books of poetry and prose. He’s the recipient of the Poetry Northwest Young Poet’s Prize, the Zoe Kincaid Brockman Prize for poetry and four North Carolina Press awards. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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Scuppernong Bookshelf
A Backward Glance A look back at 2019’s favorite books from our favorite bookseller Compiled by Brian Lampkin
Let’s take a column and look
back at 2019 before we return to our regularly scheduled 2020. Here at Scuppernong Books we reject the idea of “Best Of” lists because we don’t believe that our authority extends to such absolute determination of quality. Instead we prefer the inarguable conviction that accompanies a list of our “Favorite Books of 2019.” Each staff member at Scuppernong has offered the two books they most loved — with a few reasons why — without any concern for hierarchy of quality. It’s a good way to go through life: Love more; judge less. Here’s a sampling of our choices: The Furious Hours, by Casey Cep (Knopf, $26.95). A fascinating investigation of a corrupt, murderous, smalltown Alabama pastor who terrorizes an entire county. Eventually this nonfiction account connects to the unwritten last book of Harper Lee, whose own fascination with small-town murderous Alabama is well understood. It’s a remarkable piece of literary journalism, and Cep will be featured at the May 2020 Greensboro Bound Literary Festival. (Brian) The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters, by Balli Kaur Jaswal (William Morrow, $26.99). Once again, Balli Kaur Jaswal proves herself to be a captivating and extraordinary writer. Full of authentic characters with rich histories, individual voices, relatable struggles and controversial dilemmas, this book manages to be a family portrait, a mystery, a drama, a cultural exploration and a comedy all at once. With the passing of pages, I alternately shed tears and laughed aloud, which, let me tell you, is no small thing. (Chella) The Source of Self-Regard, by Toni Morrison (Knopf, $28.95). Morrison’s death in 2019 left a crater in the literary world that is unlikely to be filled any time soon. This collection of essays, speeches and meditations is her final published book. The Source of Self-Regard is brimming with all the elegance of mind and style, the literary prowess and moral compass that are Toni Morrison’s unique purview. (Ashley)
Who Killed My Father, by Edouard Louis (New Directions, $15.95). “That’s the trouble with stolen things, like you with your youth: We can never quite believe they are really ours, so we have to keep stealing them forever. The theft never ends. You wanted to recapture your youth, to reclaim it, to re-steal it.” Skillfully and incisively balancing love, terror, and rage, this taut memoir examines Louis’ own relationship with his father, and the social and cultural conditions in France that formed his father and laid the groundwork for his death. A rare memoir of righteous anger laced with inexplicable affection. (Steve) The Ash Family, by Molly Dektar (Simon & Schuster, $26). “You can stay for three days, or the rest of your life.” Thus is the ominous timeline given to Berie — renamed Harmony — when she runs away to live off the grid in the North Carolina mountains. At first, life with the Ash Family seems idyllic, but soon Harmony finds that the disturbing feelings she’s tried to ignore were rooted in sinister happenings on the farm. A literary thriller, this novel also has gorgeous nature writing that casts an eerie melancholy throughout. (Shannon) Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, by Lori Gottlieb (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $28). This is an honest look at the practice of psychotherapy as told by a therapist and the therapist’s therapist. “Therapy elicits odd reactions because, in a way, it’s like pornography. Both involve a kind of nudity. Both have the potential to thrill. And both have millions of users, most of whom keep their use private.” A must-read for anyone interested in psychology. (Timmy) Normal People, by Sally Rooney (Crown, $29.95). This is worth all the hype! Rooney distills what it feels like on that curious edge of teenage/ adult life while stumbling through a first love headfirst. Honestly, she may be a mind reader. She is that good at capturing the lives of two friends (and lovers) from very different backgrounds at Trinity College in Dublin. Sally Rooney, I love you. (Mackenzie). Other choices: Dreyer’s English, by Benjamin Dreyer (Chella); Red at the Bone, by Jacqueline Woodson (Brian), Women Talking, by Miriam Toews (Steve); The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett (Shannon); A Devil Comes to Town, by Paolo Maurensig (Ashley); Monster, She Wrote, by Lisa Kröger and Melanie Anderson (Jenny); Trick Mirror, by Jia Tolentino (Mackenzie); Machines Like Me, by Ian McEwan (Timmy). OH Brian Lampkin is one of the proprietors of Scuppernong Books.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
January 2020
O.Henry 27
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Drinking with Writers
Songs of Home
The Steep Canyon Rangers celebrate the music of the Old North State
By Wiley Cash • Photographs by Mallory Cash
What do you do after spending
several weeks playing sold-out shows across Australia, some of them with Steve Martin and Martin Short? If you are the Steep Canyon Rangers, you come back to North Carolina and play a lunchtime show inside a strip-mall record store in Raleigh. If you are the Steep Canyon Rangers you even carry your own equipment through the front door and snake your way through the crowd on the way to the stage. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
There were no crowds when I arrived nearly an hour or so before the noon show on a chilly Wednesday in early December. The Steep Canyon Rangers had just released their latest album, North Carolina Songbook, which they had recorded live at MerleFest in April. The album is a celebration of North Carolina music, featuring the band’s renditions of the work of some of North Carolina’s most foundational voices, including Thelonious Monk, Doc Watson, Elizabeth Cotton and James Taylor. The album was released on the Friday after Thanksgiving, a day that many music lovers have come to revere as National Record Store Day Black Friday. In support of the album, the Rangers had decided to play record stores, starting with School Kids Records in Raleigh. If you want to feel uncool, I invite you to visit an independent record store that sits a stone’s throw from a university campus. “VIPs only down front,” says the record store manager from behind the bar. I call it a bar because while it is a counter where you can pay for records and merchandise, it is also a bar in that beer is served from behind it. January 2020
O.Henry 29
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“I’m friends with the band,” I say. He knits his brows as if he has heard this hundreds of times over the years from lame dads like me. But it is the truth. I went to college with mandolin player Mike Guggino, and I have written about the band and gotten to know them over the years. I decide to try another tack. “I’m with the media,” I say, which is also true. After all, you are right now reading the media story I wrote, but this was not enough for the manager. “You have to purchase an album to be a VIP,” he says. “That’s it?” I ask. “I was going to do that anyway.” “Great,” he says, not smiling. “You can be a VIP.” As the clock crawls closer to noon, the store begins to fill to capacity with a mixed crowd that ranges from college students to retirees. Someone has ordered pizza. Beers are being passed from the bar back through the crowd. “Do a lot of bands play here?” a middle-aged woman asks the manager. “A couple times a month,” he says. He looks around. “But nothing like this.” I hear someone say my name, and I turn to find Graham Sharp, one of the band’s vocalists, carrying his guitar case and pushing through the crowd. I say hello to him and pray that the record store manager has seen us greet one another by name. The rest of the band streams in behind Sharp, each of them carrying an assortment of instruments. The band takes the small stage, nearly filling it. The room is warm and pleasant; everyone clearly happy to be out of the office or skipping class in favor of live music from one of North Carolina’s most famous bands. “Hey, y’all,” Sharp says to the audience. “These are songs we recorded at MerleFest.” The crowd cheers at the mention of the iconic festival. “But we haven’t played them since April.” “We relearned them on the way here,” says lead vocalist Woody Platt to the audience’s laughter. And then the band is off into a rollicking version of Charlie Poole’s “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down,” Platt’s rich baritone playing a wonderful historical The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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Drinking with Writers
opposite to Poole’s higher pitch. The event soon takes on the feel of a college keg party, a feel that is intimately familiar to the Steep Canyon Rangers. The band was co-founded by Sharp and Platt at UNC-Chapel Hill in the late ’90s, when both were undergraduates. They released their first album in 2001, and they have released 13 albums since then, a few in collaboration with Steve Martin. “This new album is a homecoming for us,” Platt later tells the audience. “We released our first record with Yep Roc Records, and that’s who’s just released North Carolina Songbook.” And what a homecoming. The album is not only a celebration of famous North Carolina musicians and their music; it is also a testament to the Steep Canyon Rangers’ ability to blend and bend genres and styles while making a cover song seem like their own. The band moves through gorgeous covers of Thelonious Monk’s “Blue Monk,” Tommy Jerrell’s “Drunkard’s Hiccups,” Ola Belle Reed’s “I’ve Endured,” Elizabeth Cotton’s “Shake Sugaree,” closing out the set with the state’s beloved James Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James,” sung by bassist Barrett Smith, a longtime friend of the band who is the newest addition. At the close of the show, Platt sets down his guitar and tells the audience that the band will hang around for a little “shake and howdy,” but they have to get over to Chapel Hill for a mic check. They are singing the national anthem at the Dean Dome before tonight’s Tar Heels game against Ohio State. A homecoming indeed, but while so much has changed for the Steep Canyon Rangers, shows like the one at the record store prove that so little about them has. 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. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
January 2020
O.Henry 33
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All Peopled Out
True South
Introverts of the world unite — separately By Susan S. Kelly
Not long ago I said to some pals, “Heavens, tell me about Duncan. I heard he had four shunts put in.”
“Where have you been?” someone replied with incredulity. “You know I don’t go out,” was my lame, weak, but honest answer. Well, there’s the rub. At the core, I’m an introvert. Pause, for clamor claiming otherwise. But as my children like to say in millennial shorthand: “Truth.” I do not fit the old-school definition of introvert: retiring, withdrawn, uncomfortable in social situations. “She’s just shy” was the old expression — or, as my mother excuses people, “She’s just insecure.” I am not shy. I veer toward that other old expression: “She’s as strong as train smoke.” Nowadays, anybody with a penny’s worth of psychiatry or Myers-Briggs familiarity knows that “introvert” means someone who gets their energy from being alone, and that extroverts get their energy from being with other people. The old definition of introvert is no longer relevant, has gone the way of Greta Garbo’s famous utterance, “I vant to be alone.” Take my sister. She so needs to be with people that she can hardly go to the bathroom by herself. In her 20s, she developed polyps on her vocal cords, and had to communicate with a pad and pencil for weeks. When I join her on the beach, unfold my chair, sit down and take out my book, she says, “Oh no you don’t.” She wants to talk. When her children came home from boarding school, she always said, “Let’s have a cookout!” Meaning, invite people over! Yay! “Let’s have a cookout!” has become an oft used, eyeroll mantra in our households now. We lived in Larchmont, New York, when I was a small child, and my mother says she could put me in a stroller, go to the city and spend all day — shopping, eating, going to museums — without a peep from me. On the other hand, she claims that she’d put my sister down for a nap, open the door an hour later, and the room looked like a bomb had gone off. This could be attributed to undiagnosed ADHD, but I suspect my sister was just rebelling at being left alone. I guarantee you she has never played a hand of solitaire. Looking back, my childhood strategy of asking a playmate, “When do you have to go home?” instead of, “When are you going home?” was just another way of getting back to my self-entertaining self. Back to playing with Steiff stuffed animals, alone; back to singing along with musicals, alone. Back to reading, alone. All my early, handwritten stories with plotless plots about someone running away to live in the woods and eat squirrels were another symptom. The introvert indicators were all there — I just hadn’t realized it. (There was that one day when I called three or four people to see if they could come play, and when I called the fourth, I opened with, “Can you come over? I’ve called everyone else.” Could be that the fact that I had to call four people to come play and no one could — or would — was an indication of something, too. Hmm. At any rate, my mother made me call the friend back and apologize.) During a trip, any trip — Europe, the beach, a long weekend somewhere — I unfailingly have a moment when I’m desperate to go home. “I want to be home,” I’ll say to my sister. “Yep,” she replies, nonplussed. “Been waiting for that.” “I want to be home,” I’ll say to my husband, who’s lying in bed, reading a guidebook. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
“I know,” he mildly answers, and turns a page. Once, when all my children were small, my husband asked, “Just how much time do you need alone every day?” “Two hours,” I said. “That’s too much,” he said. Still, he knows me well. “What’s the matter?” he’ll ask me of a Sunday morning, “All cuted out?” This is shorthand for my extrovert quota having been depleted. Also, a hangover. My husband is the reason, as a matter of fact, I know about the Myers-Briggs introvert definition in the first place. When he was senior warden at our church, all the officers and spouses were (gently) required to take the test. Trust me, I’d never have done it on my own. I ventured, once, into a Sunday school class, well aware that we might have to “break into small groups” — an introvert’s nightmare — but nevertheless interested in the topic. The minister caught sight of me (at the back of the room) and called out, “What are you doing here?” I never went back. This, as opposed to my friend whose wife claims that the main reason he goes to church is that he’s such an extrovert he can’t miss a party. Existential question: If I post on Instagram, does that negate being an introvert? Often, introverts are mistaken for aloof snobs. They are not aloof snobs. They’re just all peopled out. I’m an expert at the so-called “Irish exit,” when you leave a gathering without telling anyone you’re going. To all those hosts and hostesses of parties past, I apologize. I had a wonderful time and appreciate having been invited. A friend of my mother’s eventually sold her beach cottage because she couldn’t bear to be away from her yard. Oh, sure. Right. A fellow introvert told me that she hates having her hair cut because she can’t stand all the chatter. So she goes to no-name salons and shows the operator a card she made that reads, “I am a deaf mute. Please take an inch off the bottom.” A friend on the board of Outward Bound offered me an Outward Bound trip at no cost. “You’re the perfect person,” he said. I suggested he find another adventurer for his freebie. Whatever I don’t know about myself by now, I don’t want to know, and I certainly don’t want to find out through shudder-inducing group collaboration and cooperation. My worst introvert nightmare was the summer Friday I made plans to go see When Harry Met Sally on its opening day. By myself, of course. There, I sit in the quiet darkness, waiting for the movie, eating my popcorn, contentedly alone and anticipating, and . . . three dozen members of the neighborhood swim team troop in. Talking, laughing, jostling, scrabbling to see who sits beside whom . . . nightmare. On the other hand, as I was all by myself waiting for another movie to begin, a little old lady shuffled in, took a seat, and proceeded to unwrap carrot sticks from a baggie as her movie snack. Was this an omen for a future nightmare? Because it’s common knowledge that whatever you are — punctual, talkative, forgetful — gets more pronounced with age. I deliberately quit writing novels to go out and be with people again. Because I’m not an irredeemable recluse. Essentially I’m a high-functioning hermit with intermittent FOMO. Let’s have a cookout! OH Susan S. Kelly is a blithe spirit, author of several novels, and a proud grandmother. January 2020
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January 2020
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Birdwatch
Keep Your Eye on the Sparrows
Dark-eyed Juncos return to these parts in cold weather
By Susan Campbell
“The snowbirds are back!” No, not
the thin-blooded retirees — you won’t see them until spring. But you will see the little black-and-white, sparrowlike birds that appear under feeders when the mercury dips here in central North Carolina. They can be found in flocks, several dozen strong in places. And, in spite of what you might think, they are far from dependent on birdseed in winter.
Dark-eyed juncos are a diverse and widely distributed species, with six populations recognized across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Some have white wing bars, others sport reddish backs, and the birds in the high elevations of the Rockies are recognized by the extensive pinkish feathering on their flanks. Our eastern birds are known as “slate-colored juncos” for their dark-brown to gray feathering. As with most migrant songbirds, their migratory behavior is based on food availability, not weather. Flocks will fly southward, stopping where they find abundant grasses and forbs. They will continue traveling once the food plants have been stripped of seed. Dark-eyed juncos can be found throughout North America at different
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
times of the year. During the breeding season, juncos are found at high elevation across the boreal forests nesting in thick evergreens. Our familiar slatecolored variety breeds as close as the high elevations of the Appalachians. You can find them easily around Blowing Rock and Boone year round. Watch for male juncos advertising their territories up high in fir or spruce trees. They will utter sharp chips and may string together a series of rapid call notes that sounds like the noise emitted by a “phaser” of Star Trek fame. In winter, flocks congregate in open and brushy habitats. Juncos are distinguished from other sparrows by their clean markings: dark heads with small, pale, conical bills, pale bellies and white outer tail feathers. Females have a browner wash and less of a demarcation between belly and breast than males. They hop around and feed on small seeds close to ground level. Some individuals can be quite tame once they become familiar with a specific place and particular people. Juncos do communicate frequently, using sharp trills to keep the flock together. They will not hesitate to dive for deep cover when alarmed. So the next time you come upon a flock along the roadside or notice juncos under your feeder, take a close look. These little birds will only be with us a few months, until day length begins to increase and they head back to the boreal forests from whence they came. OH Susan would love to hear from you. Send wildlife sightings and photos to susan@ ncaves.com. January 2020
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38 O.Henry
January 2020
1908 Lendew Street Greensboro, NC 27408 wendoverobgyn.com
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Wandering Billy
Tonys and Tigers, and Rhinos, Oh My! A backward glance thrusts us forward into a new decade
By Billy Eye
“The past is always tense, the future perfect.” – Zadie Smith
With the start of a brand-new year, let’s
take a merciless look back at some of our city’s “Memorable (And Farcically Forgettable) Milestones of 2019.”
You Snooze, You News Maddie, a UNCG co-ed living off-campus, had come to believe over a period of weeks she had bats in her belfry or perhaps a restless spirit haunting her apartment. Shirts and pants were going missing, mysterious handprints began appearing on the bathroom wall, along with a vague rustling sound seemingly nearby, and yet with no one in sight. One Saturday afternoon, with more indistinct commotion accompanied by a stench emanating from her bedroom closet, Maddie cried out in hopeless frustration, “Who’s there?” An answer came, “Oh, my name is Drew!” Throwing open her closet door, to her horror she discovered that 30-year old transient Andrew Swofford had been residing in there, fully attired in the co-ed’s wardrobe right down to the socks and shoes, clutching a book bag filled with unwashed unmentionables. Talk about your tiny houses . . . The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The Mr. Congeniality Award Goes To . . . When Danny Rogers sprang from behind to defeat B.J. Barnes for Guilford County Sheriff, the guy who calls himself B.J. was less than congratulatory, characterizing Rogers’ approach to crime-fighting as something akin to “hug a thug,” as opposed to Barnes’ more straightforward, shoot-from-the-artificial-hip methodology. What followed was a slew of catty internet posts and faux-concern media trolling from the former sheriff. “I’m a little bit concerned about the security of my folks going into this particular thing,” Barnes mock-confessed to WFMY. Asked point-blank if he believed Rogers would make a good Sheriff, “No, I don’t,” the ousted lawman replied. “I wish him luck. But, to be honest with you, I don’t.” Now that Barnes has been elected mayor of Summerfield, maybe he’ll move on other targets. Today’s Lesson: Save A Nickel A Day, 41 Years Later You’ll Have $750 In June an anonymous Greensboro Public Library patron returned an overdue book, Symbols of Magic Amulets and Talismans, that was due back in 1978. One wonders, before he dispatched that manual on how never to pick up girls, why this mystic-minded delinquent didn’t use the book to cast a spell over librarians before running up a pro-rata fine of over $750. Gate City Theater Nerds Conquer The Great White Way Go ahead and call our fair city Greensboring but consider that in March of January 2020
O.Henry 39
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40 O.Henry
January 2020
2019, UNCG alumnus Deon’te Goodman joined the ensemble cast of Broadway’s hottest ticket, Hamilton. Another UNCG grad, Beth Leavel, was nominated that year for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for The Prom, her third nomination. Leavel brought home a Tony Award in 2006 for her role as a “strutting, martini-swigging vamp” in The Drowsy Chaperone. Her portrait hangs at Sardi’s, ya’ll. Meanwhile, Greensboro’s own Isaac Powell landed the role of Tony in the highly anticipated Broadway revival of West Side Story. As a middleschooler, this dreamy-eyed romantic lead honed his acting chops in Community Theatre of Greensboro productions and years later portrayed Nikos in Barn Dinner Theater’s 2013 production of Legally Blonde. Little House On The Pavement Sitting unnoticed for decades, surrounded by the various fast food joints and big-box grocery stores that make up the retail corridor of West Market Street, was a farmhouse dating back to the 1930s, schoolteacher Rosemary Barker’s lifelong home. Her house fronted 4 acres, one of the most beautiful horticultural habitats in the state, with an impressive array of indigenous plant represented. Over time it became Greensboro’s own Grey Gardens where Barker and her sister spent the last couple of decades in a futile attempt to maintain this paradise lost. For the most part unattended, the azaleas and fruit trees continued blooming during the summer between Barker’s passing and the sale of the property in 2018. A lone pine tree from this botanical wonderland is all that remains, towering over the parking lot of our newest Biscuitville. For Engaging In Public Heavy Petting . . . Entertainer Jessica Mashburn launched the Guilford County Furr Frames Project in 2019, digital picture frames featuring shelter pets available for adoption, strategically positioned in businesses all around the county like the Carolina Theatre, Smith Street Diner, 1618 Midtown, Sticks & Stones, AMC Cinemas, and Potent Potables in Jamestown. These furry friends seem to enjoy having their pictures snapped in a photo booth that Jessica fashioned out of a portable kennel, complete with green screen backdrop to highlight just how adorable these critters are. By year’s end, thanks to this vivacious vocalist who performs with Evan Olson every Wednesday evening at Print Works The Art & Soul of Greensboro
We are proud to welcome Chip Pegram and Allen Hammonds to our team! From left to right: John G. Scott, Jr., CFP®, Senior Vice President/Investments; Paul Vidovich, CFP®, First Vice President/Investments, Branch Manager; Jacqueline T. Wieland, AIF®, First Vice President/Investments; Chip Pegram, First Vice President/Investments; Allen Hammonds, Vice President/Investments; Robert B. Mitchell, Jr., Senior Vice President/Investments; Gregory E. Gonzales, AIF®, Senior Vice President/Investments; Christopher T. Barbee, CFP®, Vice President/Investments; Phillip H. Joyce, Vice President/Investments
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O.Henry 41
Wandering Billy Bistro, more than 200 cats and dogs found their forever homes. Furr Frames Project is on Instagram at theshelterpetsofguilfordcounty.
REAL ESTATE IS LOCAL. SO IS JACK.
If Only Cordelia Kelly Could Bake Us A Cake . . . WFMY turned 70 years old last year, which, coincidentally, is about the same age of their core demographic. I’ll See Your History and Raise You One In 2018, furniture executive Jason Harris and his wife, Jennifer, paid $2.4 million for Adamsleigh, an exquisite 11-bedroom, 17,000-square-foot, 90-year-old brick Tudor-style mansion, featuring panoramic views of the 12th, 14th and 15th holes of Sedgefield Country Club’s golf course. Besides the two swimming pools, distinctive features included stone fireplaces, a gazebo, plaster-molded ceilings, Ludowici tiled roof, and a sumptuous library adorned in hand-carved wood. Last year, the Harrises had Adamsleigh demolished, hauling away the remains like yesterday’s garbage. We’re No. 1! (Which Explains A Lot) Collating evidence from FBI crime statistics, CBS News declared Greensboro the 39th most dangerous city in America (neighboring High Point came in at No. 25). That CBS report didn’t indicate whether it was largely due to Lime Scooter wipeouts, contracting an STD (we’re high up on that list too), or folks tumbling drunkenly out of their vehicles. That last example isn’t so far-fetched, based on over 1 million data points. Greensboro topped QuoteWizard’s list of the “25 Drunkest Driving Cities in America.” And we thought this was before B.J. Barnes reduced crime by 65 percent!
From the convenience of urban living to the serenity of county living, Greensboro has so much to offer. Great food, music and art are ingrained in our culture here. We are lucky to have a community with an abundance of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, while maintaining the quaint hometown feel. Welcome to my hometown, Greensboro! When it comes to selling your home, no one in the Greensboro area does it better than Jack and the team at TR&M. Local experts, global reach. Call 336.274.1717 or visit trmhomes.com today.
Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Trader Joe’s (or Hey Joe, Where You Goin’ With That Plum In Your Hand?) When Trader Joe’s at long last descended upon Greensboro, you’d think our alien masters had returned to Earth judging from the crush of humanity pouring through the doors on opening day. Last time Brassfield Shopping Center’s parking lot was this packed was decades ago, in the late ’80s when Fatal Attraction was playing at the Brassfield Cinema Ten and Eye screamed like a stuck pig when they pulled that toddler’s pet bunny out of a boiling pot. Let Your Fingers Do The Walking Through The Mellow Pages
42 O.Henry
January 2020
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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Wandering Billy Citypost digital kiosks popped up around Hamburger Square this fall so that no matter where you are downtown you’re never more than a block or three away from one. Like a smartphone transported from Land of the Giants, these interactive Citizen Engagement Platforms assist visitors in locating events, scheduling public transit, searching for nearby restaurants, nightclubs and businesses, even providing free Wi-Fi while serving as a photo booth. About the only thing these information portals can’t help you find are your car keys.
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44 O.Henry
January 2020
Where The Wild Things Are / Were / Will Be Construction got underway in 2019 on Greensboro Science Center’s Revolution Ridge, a major expansion to their wildlife menagerie, home with all the creature comforts for our first Malayan tiger, a male named Jaya. Concurrently, the zoo also added several new breeds of goats and chickens which, if I’m not mistaken, would make a Malayan tiger feel mighty welcome at dinnertime. On the subject of exotic wildlife, work began last fall restoring the Rhinoceros Club to its former 1990s’ glory, polishing and faithfully refurbishing as many of the original fixtures as can be saved, including those ornately carved hardwood booths and that anachronistically antiquated overhead mechanical fan system. Look for the new Rhino this spring. OH My column last month, because of an earth-shattering act of editorial malfeasance, was credited to “writer” Billy Ingram. No one regrets this error more than Eye.
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46 O.Henry
January 2020
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Musings on Fitness
January 2020
Do I dare to eat a peach? - T.S. Eliot Calculating carbs and calories, logging laps in the pool, miles on the bike, my walks in the woods. Examining family photos, genetic code for metabolism that screwed up our capacity to eat ice cream with impunity. Questioning the processing of wheat, golden staff of life, meant to sustain, not kill us. Thinking about endless revolutions on a stationary bike, or the treadmill, going nowhere but into looser pants, if I’m lucky. Thousands of folks doing the same, spinning away, all over the nation. What if we spent that same energy raking leaves for those too old to scratch the dirt themselves? Or building something — a giant calorie-burning skyscraper, or tap-dancing or waltzing to make ourselves smile? Sometimes I am jealous, of my grandparents, never thin, never fat, farmers who ate eggs, bacon, and biscuits with molasses, and never once logged their work in the fields. I miss their apple pie, MaMa’s light yellow pound cake. Most of all, I miss not fretting about it. — Laura Lomax
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
January 2020
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First row: Pete Campbell, Jerry Cecil, Andrea Lee, Mary McConnell, Melody Glick, David Thomas Second row: Craig Davis, Sherri Davis, Kate Seel, Roger Seel, Patty Lindsay Kinkade, David Glick Third row: Sam Dawson, Catherine Holt, Judy Roy, Sarah Vincent Fourth row: Margaret Young, Fran Young, Esther Leise, Merritt Wayt
48 O.Henry
January 2020
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Celebrating 36 years of life, the Greensboro Scottish Dance Society keeps ancient traditions alive — while “flying” into the future By Jim Dodson • Photographs by Bert VanderVeen
ittingly, (as if from the very pages of Robert Louis Stevenson) it was a dark and stormy night. As wind shrieked and rain swirled outside the warm confines of First Presbyterian’s cozy fellowship hall, the 50 or so members and guests of the Greensboro Scottish Country Dance Society, replete in their finest tweeds and proud clan tartans, performed a country a dance called “The Last of the Lairds” to a lively jig titled “The Stool of Repentance,” the fourth set on the program of their annual Emerald City Ball St Andrews Day Dance. “It’s a fine night for a Scottish dance,” said Jerry Cecil, coming off the floor with his wife Andrea, a bit winded from a turn that requires both physical and mental fitness. “Then again, any night is perfect for Scottish dancing. Even a cold, rainy night like this won’t stop this crowd.” Cecil, a retired IRS worker and avid golfer from Forest Oaks, knows what he’s talking about — having been a member of the Greensboro chapter of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society since 1987, a handful of years after the group was formed by Mary McConnell and later joined by her Renaissance husband, Pete Campbell. This year’s Ball in late November celebrated the organization’s 36th anniversary. The large turnout in the midst of a November Nor’easter spoke volumes about the passion of these hardy Caledonian dancers. As Campbell’s nimble piano and Mara Shea’s infectious fiddle filled the room for the next dance set — a “Reel for Cosmo John” — Cecil paused to explain that Scottish country dancing — a communal form of folk dancing from the 18th century, when it was done in the barn as well as the ballroom — that
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
got into his bloodstream near the end of his college days in California. But here in the Gate City, his passion found its truest expression among others who share his reverence for the past and a love of country dancing. “Because each dance is different, with specific steps and patterns of its own, the switching of partners and such, Scottish dancing can seem a bit intimidating. I know I felt that way at first,” Cecil acknowledges, explaining that’s why most folks who do it attend classes to learn the steps and figures to the many different dances. The good news, he goes on to say, is, once you get a few basics down and practice a bit, everything tends to flow. “Scottish dancers aren’t at all judgmental. Everyone is welcome, especially beginners. You’ll never see Scottish dancers looking at their feet, he reflects. “What you’ll see instead is people smiling and laughing as they twirl around the hall. At heart, it’s really about music, fun and friendship.” His wife of four years, Andrea, nods in agreement. “I’m afraid that I’m still getting the hang of it,” she allows with just such a grin. “But it really is fun.” Cecil’s description pretty well describes any of the four dozen or so dancers on the fellowship hall floor at any moment, a diverse gathering of local members and visitors from similar clubs, some of whom traveled from as distant as Atlanta and Staunton, Virginia, simply to be on hand. Even the evening’s gifted fiddle-player, Mara Shea, was herself just off a flight from Aberdeen, Scotland, where she made a quick flight to attend her college graduation from Elphistone Institute at the University. For her part, Mary McConnell got interested in this form of community dance after she learned about it during a Thanksgiving dinner at her sister’s house in Richmond, Virginia, in 1979. Back home in Carrboro, she spotted a notice
January 2020
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Pete Campbell & Mary McConnell
Esther Leise, Judy Roy, Patty Lindsay Kinkade
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January 2020
David & Melody Glick The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Margaret & Fran Young, Kate & Roger Seel that a Scottish Dance class had just started in town and went to investigate. “I was coming down a hallway and heard this magical Scottish music coming from the dance,” she recalls. “I knew this music from my childhood. I knew I’d found home.” A short time later, Mary attended the first Thistle School in Banner Elk the week before the annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. It was there, in 1982, that she met Pete Campbell, a researcher in environmental sciences at UNC- Chapel Hill who’d been a country dancing aficionado since his days at Swarthmore College, in Pennsylvania. “Because I used to stay up half the night in the labs, you see, when everyone else was gone, I always listened to Scottish dance music to keep me awake. I was destined to get hooked!” he allows from his piano bench during a break between dance sets. A musical polymath who founded and played in numerous folks bands, Pete helped found the international folk dance group at UNC, now celebrating its 55th anniversary, and did a bit of everything from English contra dance to old-fashioned American square dances until he activated his ancestral genes and gave his heart to Scottish country dance. At the Thistle School’s Teacher’s candidate class in 1982, Mary met Greensboro resident Karen Becker, who convinced her to start a similar class in the Gate City. The class began at Lewis Recreation Center in September of that year. Mary later went to St Andrews, Scotland, for her Teacher’s Certificate, relocating to Greensboro in 1983 to build the echocardiography laboratory at Moses Cone Hospital. Becker was a weaver at Old Salem with a strong background in The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Margaret & Fran Young January 2020
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Sarah Vincent, David Thomas, Catherine Holt early American domestic skills and international folk dancing. “We started with a small group of about eight or nine dancers,” Becker remembers. “In Scottish dancing, we dance with a partner but it is the whole group, or set, that dances as a team.” Adds Mary: “Everyone dances with everyone else and has their part in the dance. There is no need to come with a partner. It's a very egalitarian dance form.” Scottish dance steps, she explains, are somewhat challenging and energetic. The figures are complex, and unlike contra or traditional American square dancing, there is no one calling out the moves. The steps, holds and patterns must be learned, something that requires both physical exertion and mental focus. “These factors set Scottish dance apart, and those of us who love it are forever young,” she adds with a laugh. “It’s really not as hard as it seems to someone watching it for the first time,” echoes Becker, today a semiretired costume and living history coordinator at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia. “When it’s done well, with the springs and setting steps done in quick time, Scottish country dancing is like watching people take flight, barely tethered to the floor. The energy is quite striking and irresistible.” Another misconception, says member Patty Lindsay Kinkade, a former American history teacher at Southeast Guilford High School who joined the
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Sherri & Craig Davis dance group in 1985, is that participants are obliged to have Scottish heritage and a family tartan. “I happen to wear a Lindsay tartan but other members wear whatever tartan appeals to them,” she says. “Some have Scottish heritage. But many others don’t. “It’s the enjoyment of sharing the dance tradition and dressing up to celebrate this tradition that appeals to everyone.” For her part, longtime member and textile designer Sarah Vincent points out that a Scottish dancer could go anywhere in the world and feel “right at home joining a dance that goes back hundreds of years.” She got hooked on bagpipe music in college in Michigan and soon found her way to the Greensboro group in 1985, a year after the local club became an official sponsored club of Greensboro Parks and Recreation. Early on, the Greensboro Society became affioliated with the Royal Scottish Dance Society (RSCDS), based in Edinburgh, which promotes and develops Scottish country dance and music worldwide for the benefit of future generationa. They are now members of the Carolina Branch. The local chapter found a new home and a boost in membership at The Guilford Grange Hall, which is also the home to the robust Fiddle & Bow Country Dancers. “The wooden floor there is perfect for country dancing — and much kinder to aging bodies,” notes Pete Campbell, inspiringly spry at 79 years The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Jerry Cecil & Andrea Lee and counting. “A good number of our regulars are older folks who find dancing like this a great way to stay in shape — and mentally sharp. It’s also the warm social aspect that appeals to everyone.” No small amount of socializing goes on between dance sets, when some dancers inevitably “pause to take a rest and catch up on news and gossip,” quips Karen Becker. “It’s really like a great big family,” agrees Sarah Vincent. “A social dance in which you change partners often and make friends easily doing it. Nobody really cares if you screw up. The fun and friendships are the important parts. Would you believe, weddings have come out of these dances?! We also attend each other’s anniversaries, births and even funerals.” Over the years, the Greensboro group has performed at Celtic festivals around the state, including the annual one at Bethabara. Last autumn, the Greensboro dancers were featured performers at Hillsborough’s inaugural Outlandish Scottish Festival, with Pete Campbell introducing scores of festivalgoers to traditional Cèilidh dancing that had whole families and young couples enthusiastically joining the dance. “Scottish country dance is really for everyone, young and old, from any walk of life,” says Mary McConnell. “For many of us, it is a joyful thing to dress up The Art & Soul of Greensboro
and dance the way others have done for centuries.” She adds that her hope is to attract younger dancers from around the Gate City. In the meantime, the society’s regular dance class series, which began in September, is on Tuesday nights Tuesday night at The Grange. The first class is free of charge and open to all. A highlight of the Scottish year comes this month with the annual Burns Night supper — a worldwide observance that typically celebrates the life and poetry of Ayrshire bard Robert Burns with music, poetry, dance and a famous “Address to the Haggis” on or about his birthday January 25. This year, as in years past, Karen Becker will make the traditional haggis — best not to ask for the ingredient list — to be served with “neeps and tatties” along with traditional cock-a-leekie soup. Piper David Thomas will lead the procession for the meal, followed by an evening of toasts, poetry and song, with Pete Campbell reciting the poet’s famous address from memory. “It should be a wee fine time for all,” Campbell allows with his usual spry twinkle. OH When Jimmy McDodson is toasting Rabbie Burns wi’ a wee dram, don’t inquire too closely what he’s wearing ’neath his kilt. January 2020
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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY LYNN DONOVAN
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Greensboring
No More For the Gate City, the ’20s are set to roar By Margaret Moffett
M
idsummer, like clockwork, it begins — the rat-a-tat-tats and oompahs and wah-wha-whas floating across east Greensboro, teasing autumn’s arrival. “It,” of course, is the N.C. A&T State University Blue and Gold Marching Machine, a drum-banging, horn-tooting, whistle-blowing wall of sound that high-steps through half-times of Aggie home games several Saturdays each fall. Year after year, the band starts preparing for football season around July, when air conditioners run without ceasing and even the evenings leave you hollow-eyed and sweat-soaked. Ask anyone who lives within a mile or two of campus — from Dunleath to downtown, East Bessemer to East Market. Ask them about the time they sat on breezeless breezeways, or opened their windows in the middle of a heat wave, just to hear The Machine practice. Not perform, mind you. Practice. They’ll tell you it was worth it. So worth it. This is a small thing. Impactful, yes, and also delightful. But small. Greensboro is home to a thousand small things. The lighted Christmas balls in Sunset Hills. The hippie scene on Tate Street, unchanged since 1969. The dogs that chase fly balls at Greensboro Grasshoppers games. The Eastern freaking Music Festival. Combined, they constitute the je ne sais quoi that is Greensboro. Woe betide any newcomer or visitor who scoffs at our je ne sais quoi: “OK, maybe we don’t have a Trader Joe’s or a world-class auditorium,” we would snarl — obviously in the pre-Trader Joe’s/Tanger Center for the Performing Arts era. “But we re-enact the Battle of Guilford Courthouse here all the dang time. Plus our community swim meets are fierce. Oh, and Safety Town. Bet your kids didn’t go to Safety Town (clearing our throats for compulsory recitation of Greensboro’s unofficial motto). “This is a great! Place! To live!” For years now, we have clung to small things as proof of this city’s worth. But they don’t fit neatly on marketing materials or land us on lists of Best Cities in America. The ice skating rink at LeBauer Park is all well and good to a Fortune 500 company looking for a new headquarters. Its leaders, however, would much prefer a robust economy and low unemployment; an entrepreneurial spirit and an energetic workforce; a youthful culture and a vibrant downtown. They’re looking for big things. And big things have been missing from Greensboro’s narrative for far too long. But the times they are a’changing. Over the course of 2020, the city is set to blossom like a Greensboro red camellia (It’s our official flower. Look it up.) The Art & Soul of Greensboro
In the first quarter alone, the Greensboro Coliseum will host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the women’s and men’s ACC basketball tournaments and first-and second-round games in the NCAA basketball tournament. The $90 million Tanger Center on the eastern tip of downtown will open sometime amid March Madness. As the year unfolds, we’ll be treated to one of the busiest periods of construction and revitalization in the city’s history. That means more luxury apartments and boutique hotels. More office towers and mill renovation projects. More cool entertainment districts and cultural pop-up events. You know, you almost could make the argument that this city is poised for a rebirth. Aw, heck, let’s just go ahead and call it: Greensboro is back.
***
Shall we take a moment to recount the Dark Days? Quickly summarized: Textiles and tobacco began their slow marches to death in the mid- to late-1990s. Then came 9/11, followed by a brief economic resurgence, followed by the Great Recession. Greensboro lost more and struggled longer than other progressive Southern cities, which seemed to more easily be replacing the high-paying manufacturing jobs lost to overseas competition and recovering from the disintegration of entire industries. In North Carolina’s third-largest city, however, tobacco farmers and textile workers found themselves at the mercy of a service economy that offered lower wages and reduced benefits. Unemployment rose and median income fell. Corporate headquarters moved and longtime businesses folded. Developers delayed projects, or axed them altogether. Greensboro was depressed. And depressing. Robbie Perkins had a front-row seat for the downturn — as a nine-term member of Greensboro City Council, including a turn as mayor from 2011 to 2013; as a commercial real estate developer who struggled to close eight-figure deals at the height of the crisis; and as a resident of four decades who was emotionally and financially invested in the community when it was at its most robust. “This city got hit really hard,” he says. “People who lived here and slogged their way through it don’t realize it as much as people from the outside.” One thing he knows for sure: “We’re better now than we were. A lot better.” And then some. Median household income is on the rise — finally — as is January 2020
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the promise of better-paying jobs. Young people are sticking around a little longer. Exciting projects are beginning to gel. New industries have emerged. Vitality has returned. For proof, look no farther than our burgeoning aerotropolis. About 5,800 people work in and around Piedmont Triad International Airport — roughly 1,500 of them at the world headquarters of HondaJet. Perkins notes the aviation economy is prompting an unprecedented surge in nearby development. Even as we speak, workers are grading 700 acres here and there around the airport, perhaps for future distribution and logistics operations, or maybe retail and office construction. He’s expecting the N.C. 68 corridor to pop sometime this year. Then there’s the Publix distribution center, which Perkins promises will have “a substantial benefit to Greensboro.” Around springtime, the Florida-based grocer will start building a $400 million warehouse for 1,000 workers, whose $44,000 annual salaries will surpass the city’s median earnings. Perkins goes on to praise Greensboro’s emerging downtown and incredible infrastructure. Plus, our universities will collaborate on projects like the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering — and even relocate some functions to the Center City, as they did with the Union Square Campus. So sayeth Robbie Perkins: “It’s all going in the right direction.”
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If Perkins is correct that people outside Greensboro best recognized our economic malaise, then perhaps the reverse is true: It takes someone with perspective to recognize our renaissance. Enter Denise Turner Roth, a former city manager who left town in 2014 to work for the Obama administration. As the General Services Administration’s No. 1, she managed 12,000 federal employees, oversaw a $20 billion budget and travelled to just about every major metro in these United States. Upon moving back to Greensboro with her family in 2018, Roth immediately spotted the most noticeable — and to hear her tell it, the most significant — upgrade made in her absence. There’s street art everywhere. On buildings and parking lots, storefronts and retaining walls. “I thought it was an explosion of energy,” she recalls. “The colors jumped off and caught my eye. They made me want to stop and investigate.” Most of the murals come courtesy of developer Marty Kotis, who has commissioned more than 100 pieces on buildings he owns across the city. City leaders followed Kotis’s lead, cataloging all of the city’s public art on a webpage — even relinquishing an old water tank at the Mitchell Water Plant to become an artist’s canvas. Roth found it added an edgy, exciting, unexpected je ne sai quoi to the Gate City — the sort of quirky edge she noticed among other hip cool cities she visited as GSA administrator. “This is it,” she remembers thinking. “This is what Greensboro needs to be.” The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Here’s why: If the city is to maintain its forward momentum, we must — What’s the right word? — mesmerize? captivate? beguile? Millennials and Gen Z’ers. Period. End of argument. They’re every successful urban area’s economic engine, not only as innovators and entrepreneurs, but also as homebuyers and consumers. On that front, too, Greensboro has gained ground. You can see it in the way downtown comes to life after midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. And in the sudden explosion of breweries and distilleries near Center City. And in the popularity of Boxcar, a combination bar and arcade on Lewis Street that’s packed with college students craving dollar mimosas and Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA (yes, it’s a thing) on Sunday evenings. Since Roth’s exit and return, the city has opened two skate parks, a long sought-after amenity in street-punk chic. And UNCG basketball, now experiencing its own renaissance, has become a popular, inexpensive hang for students and alums. But Greensboro’s menu now offers something Millennials and GenZ’ers need more than microbrews and games: opportunity. Take LaunchLab, a business accelerator program provided by the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. The program pairs its startups with college interns from the city’s seven colleges and universities, doing both parties a solid. Another small business incubator, the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship, offers budding business owners everything from coaching and office space to financial assistance. And 2020 promises more of the Wow Factor 20-somethings demand. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Sometime this year, a new six-story Hampton Inn & Suites will open downtown, joining a Hyatt Place that welcomed its first guests in 2019 — and Westin and Aloft hotels are in various stages of development. Also opening soon: a 188-unit upscale apartment complex — Hawthorne at Friendly — that’s so close to Friendly Center that residents will be able to smell the salmon patties cooking at K&W Cafeteria. And later this year, redevelopers will finish a $54 million project bringing 200-plus apartments to the old Proximity Printworks Mill — just a hop across Yanceyville Street from the previously rehabbed Revolution Mill. That’s in addition to the nine-story, 111,000-square-foot office building set to open at the Greensboro Grasshoppers’ baseball stadium. What was that we said about a deficit of “big things” filling Greensboro’s narrative? About fixating on “small things” to distract us from our economic unpleasantness? Meh, that’s so 2008. No, this is a city reborn, a city on the . . . Wait. Is that “Smells Like Teen Spirit” we hear coming from the general vicinity of N.C. A&T State University? Is the Blue and Gold Marching Machine actually playing Nirvana? Cool. OH A graduate of UNCG, Margaret Moffett has called the Greensboro area home since 1985. After 27 years career as a newspaper journalist, she embarked on a career as a freelance writer and adjunct instructor of journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. She resides in Dunleath in a 100-year-old house with her two cats. January 2020
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To Hair Is Human; To Give, Divine The Big Hair Ball is January’s mane event
By Waynette Goodson • Photographs by Lynn Donovan
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“Higher the hair, closer to heaven.” — Parlor Salon
I
t was 2002, and my country needed me. I got the call from the World Championships of Hairdressing, known as the “Hair Olympics,” to join the U.S. team to model for their stylists competing for the gold. (Yes, this is a true story. Think of the Indie hit movie Blow Dry.) Before I could say “shampoo,” I was on the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center, positioned amid rows upon rows of salon chairs and numbered mirrors, with 10,000 spectators looking on in anticipation. Three-hundred stylists from more than 40 countries had gathered here to hair off in events like “Classic Cut & Style” or “Hair by Night.” When the judges announce “Start!”, my stylist, Stephanie Loy, begins furiously pinning layers of my hair to the top of my head. As if we were performing surgery, she barks at me “Water!”, “Wax!” or “Freeze!” and I pass her the right products (this is a timed event, of course). “Stop! Step away from the models! Do not touch the hair!” The battle of the bouffant is over. The result? It looks as if I’m wearing a sleek, futuristic orange helmet — neon orange. One alfalfa sprout springs from the top of my head. And the shape in the back looks like a “V” at my neckline, which is dyed a plum purple color. Out of the 100 competitors, we would place ninth in the world. Not bad for my then 23-year-old junior stylist who also took home the highest honor: the Grand Prix Master Alexander de Paris Trophy. True, the World Championships of Hairdressing can’t be compared to the physical contests of the Olympic games. Still, these brave stylists’ javelins and shot puts are their blow dryers and curling irons, which they use to create modern interpretations of hair designs that epitomize the art of hairdressing. Yes, hair is art. And there’s no better place to enjoy the craft of coiffure locally than the annual “Big Hair Ball.” The eighth annual event will take place January 25 at Grandover Resort. The theme: 20/20: A Landmark Vision. Be forewarned: This affair is no pixie cut. The 2019 Big Hair Ball attracted more than 1,000 revelers and helped raise more than $315,000 to help fund the Greensboro programs of Family Service. Proof positive that hair is power. OH For more information, go to www.fspcares.org/bighairball/. Waynette Goodson enjoys “Club Level” membership at Blasted Blow Dry Bar where she gets her long locks washed and styled twice a month.
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Top Notch
Johnny and Karen Tart’s downtown penthouse perch By Maria Johnson • Photographs by Nancy Herring
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H
ow do you know when a downtown has arrived? Maybe when people who live on the outskirts of town also keep “a place in the city,” an apartment with easy access to the thrum of center-city life. If that’s so, then downtown Greensboro is headed for success because at least one local couple maintains a leafy suburban residence, as well as an urban getaway. Johnny and Karen Tart’s permanent address is a modern stucco-and-glass home on the golf course at Sedgefield Country Club. Their citified roost is a penthouse atop a newly constructed building that hugs the Eugene Street overpass on the southern skirt of downtown. “It’s our home away from home,” says Karen Tart. “It’s mainly a weekend place.” The Tarts own the three-story brick building, which also houses the headquarters of their business. Johnny is president of J.T. Enterprises, which holds the franchises for 16 McDonalds restaurants sprinkled across Greensboro, Reidsville and southern Virginia. Fittingly, the Tart’s new building is a stone’s throw from Hamburger Square, the downtown intersection that was once home to steamy diners and grills.
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The new building’s proximity to Hamburger Square is coincidental, but Johnny, who’s nearing 70, has fond memories of the district from the 1950s. Every other weekend, he and his dad would grab lunch at the California Sandwich Shop while his mom shopped at the A&P grocery store across the railroad tracks. “I’ve seen downtown in its heyday, and I’ve seen it in its worst days,” Johnny says. “It’s come a long way.” The idea to live downtown was born several years ago, after the Tarts moved back East from California. They lived on a pastoral spread in Johnny’s hometown of Pleasant Garden, about 10 miles south of Greensboro. The couple often came to town on weekend nights to wine and dine at their favorite downtown restaurants, then drive or Uber home. They started mulling the idea of a downtown crash pad. “We thought, ‘Maybe we’ll get a little condo or something,” says Johnny. At the time, they owned an office building on Oakcrest Avenue, off Battleground Avenue, in an area known as “drill hill” because of numerous dentist and doctor offices. “I was the only guy who had a car in the parking lot on Friday afternoon,” Johnny says. “All the doctors were gone.” One day, Tart was approached by the wife of a doctor who practiced in a nearby office. She said they were interested in buying Tart’s building. “I said, ‘Well, it’s not really for sale,’ and she said, ‘Here’s how much we’ll give you,’ and I said, ‘When do you want us to move out?’” Tart recalls, laughing. The Tarts leased office space. They also downsized from their Pleasant Garden homestead to slightly smaller digs in Grandover. But the siren call of downtown, still 9 miles
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away, remained strong on the weekends. Johnny had an idea. Why not combine business and pleasure in one building? He sussed out a parcel on a triangle of land bound by the Eugene Street overpass, Eugene Court and Spring Garden Street. The wedge, home to a bail bond business, a vape stop and a billboard advertising lawyers, would allow for a new building with wide balconies facing the crane-studded vista of downtown. Architect Grant Fox, of Elon, drew a 6,000 square foot building flecked with enough classical elements — see pilasters and pediment — to harmonize with the neighborhood. The first two floors would be dedicated to business. The top floor, a two-bedroom penthouse crowned by a deep cornice with down-lighting between brackets, would be devoted to leisure. Fox introduced the Tarts to several builders, and they picked Jason DeBoer of Burlington. All that remained was the interior. The Tarts’ homes had always leaned toward traditional/transitional styles, but they knew they wanted a sleeker vibe for their new living space. “We wanted an urban feel, but not industrial,” says Karen, a native of Thomasville. “We were a little outside our comfort zone,” says Johnny. For the first time, they sought help with the decor. Johnny Googled designers in Greensboro. He liked what he saw on Marta Mitchell’s website. He called the number. “Her husband Peter picked up,” Tart remembers. “He had a nice voice and was very helpful. I thought, ‘Well, maybe we just found a designer.’” Their hunch was confirmed when they met with Marta.
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“I knew it was going to work instantly,” says Karen. “The ideas she was throwing out — I was like ‘Yes, yes, yes.’” Mitchell helped them to create a refuge anchored by blacks and grays, glass and iron. For warmth and verve, ambers and ochres play with blues and greens. Conversation pieces wink at visitors. Take the Elton–John–worthy eyeglass frames, purely decorative, on an end table in the living room. Or the two metal hands that protrude from the wall near the elevator. They hold keys, dog leashes and cell phones. Nearby, a skinny hall table, sold by Phillips Collection in High Point, is fronted by a slab of polished wood from a decayed fallen tree. Knotted by swirls and pits, the plank is boxed by a black metal frame. No doors or drawers in this piece; it’s chiefly a tone note. The central kitchen/living/dining area features more flavors of axe and anvil: a live-edge stump as coffee table; walnut shelves propped on black iron pipes that jut from walls; and a black rolled-steel wall with a recessed fireplace and a motion-sensitive TV screen that displays a photo when it detects movement. On a recent afternoon, the screen showed a black-and-white photo of a zebra, which fit nicely with the decor and with the Tarts’ love of all things equine; both of them used to ride, and they also raise Quarter Horses on a farm in Climax. The neighs have it, judging from a crystal horse head that rears atop a sideboard bar. Reidsville cabinetmaker Richie Alcorn built the kitchen and bathroom storage, as well as floating nightstands for the master bedroom, and a custom
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dresser with a motorized lift for a TV screen that vanishes into a pocket at the back of the dresser. He also added geometric fretwork to the rolling barn doors that separate master bedroom and bathroom. The deluxe bath includes a glassed-in shower stall that measures about 6 feet by 8 feet. “I told Johnny that was about the size of the nursery in our first apartment,” Karen says, referring to a unit in the former Colonial Apartments on West Market Street. The couple has moved 27 times in 47 years of marriage, including preMcDonalds stints in Phoenix and Los Angeles, when Johnny was working for Golden State Foods. They are happy to be back home. Whenever possible, they pick furniture and accessories made by North Carolina artists and craftspeople. The black rolled-steel wall around the fireplace was built by Brian Wilkinson of Winston-Salem. He also welded the base of the dining room table, which resembles an X-shaped truss under a nearby railroad bridge. Charleston Forge, of Boone, made the weighty dining room chairs, framed in wood and iron and padded with rust-colored leather cushions. The rippled glass tabletop — from Andrew Pearson Glass in Mount Airy — looks like ice cut from a frozen creek. Side-by-side abstract panels, painted by Charlotte artist Jenny Fuller, finish the space. A few steps away, the kitchen, which is equipped with Wolf appliances, harbors what amounts to a midair sculpture — a cluster of pendant globes suspended inside geometric frames. Below sits an island topped with leathered grayish granite; glossy black granite countertops line the walls. One plane spans a tall picture window, creating a bridge and knee-hole for two stools. “It’s a good place to have a cup of coffee, and read the paper, and watch students going to UNCG,” Johnny says. “Lots of scooters go by,” says Karen.
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Being within the city’s Downtown Design Overlay, which requires new buildings to amass points tied to aesthetic features, the Tarts notched a point for including a “wayfinder,” or landmark, on their property. Johnny hired local sculptor Jeffrey Barbour to make a sculpture to stand outside the building, at the corner of Eugene Court and Spring Garden Street. “Whaddya want?” said Barbour. “Be creative,” said Tart. Barbour thought about the project for a couple of days and called Tart. “I got it,” he said. Barbour had been raking leaves in his yard when — as artists who are engaged in yard work are wont to do — his attention wandered to an interesting form in nature. He noticed a carpet of spiny brown balls dropped by a sweet gum tree. But instead of cursing the underfoot wobble-makers, he wondered what was inside them. He cut one open and found out: lots of seeds. That was it. He would make for the Tarts a brown metallic sculpture bursting open to reveal seeds, a symbol of downtown Greensboro’s rebirth. In this case, the seeds would serve double duty: the turquoise orbs also would reflect Karen Tart’s love of the western gemstone and her affection for Santa Fe, New Mexico, a favorite destination. The sculpture’s metallic shell would signify the neighborhood’s industrial history, visible from the back of the Tart’s building, which overlooks active railroad tracks and affords glimpses of a former lumber yard and the street art commissioned by developer Marty Kotis. That side of the Tart’s building, parallel to the sidewalk along Spring Garden, actually looks like the front — until you climb steps to what appears to be a double-doored entrance and notice there are no handles on the doors. The real entrance is tucked into a courtyard on the city-side of the building. From their broad balcony facing the same direction, the Tarts can see most of the city skyline, including a new Hampton Inn rising a block away. Were it
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not for the faces of the personal injury lawyers on the billboard, they would have an unobstructed view of more hotel and office space under construction near the downtown ballpark. “Maybe someday, if we hit the lottery . . . ” Karen muses. Still, the Tarts treasure the covered space, which Johnny also refers to as the “smoking room.” Amply furnished as an outdoor living room, complete with gas-fed fire table, the space is a good location to sip morning coffee or after-brunch bubbly while soaking up the swish of traffic on the bridge below. “It’s like Karen says: ‘If we were in Pleasant Garden or Sedgefield, we’d be complaining about the noise,’” Johnny says. Instead, Karen, tests herself by trying to identify, according to the diesel roar, how many engines are pulling a train passing on the other side of the building. “I call it the sounds of the city,” she says. The downtown loft was finished in March of last year. The couple lived there full-time while they moved their main residence again, this time from Grandover to nearby Sedgefield, within walking distance of grandchildren. “We have a habit of moving, but I think we’ve stopped,” says Karen. “The next house,” joshes Johnny, “will be the poor house.” OH Maria Johnson is a contributing editor of O.Henry. She can be reached at ohenrymaria@gmail.com.
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A L M A N A C
January n
By Ash Alder
By Ash Alder
January is fresh linens, heightened awareness, infinite possibility. Like a dream within a dream. Last night, I dreamed I was flying through a thick forest of pine, a holy swirl of stars like pinholes to the heavens in the winter sky above me. Cassiopeia the Queen was dancing west of Polaris, and my breath became a living veil, the Big Dipper disappearing and reappearing with every exhale. Suddenly, in the midst of all this magic — flight, the crisp night sky, the dance of breath and starlight — I realized that I could plummet to Earth at any moment. And yet the thrill of the alternative ignited me. This is my dream, I thought. And to claim a dream requires faith. As the Big Dipper rose above the North Star, I began pumping my legs, swimming through the air at what felt like the speed of light, weaving between trees, between realms, between worlds. January is here, and with it, a world of infinite possibility. A seed of hope. A bulb, cracking open beneath the soil. A field of daffodils in the making. New beginnings, new rituals, new dreams. All that is required is faith.
Rabbit, Rabbit
Every New Year’s morning in the first blush of light, I bundle up, go outside, and listen to the deep quiet. As Earth begins stirring with unseen critters, silhouettes dance in the periphery. Often, one of a rabbit. On such occasions, I’ve wondered if there was some correlation between rabbits and New Year’s, but settled with my own belief that it was some sort of good omen. Only recently did I discover the quirky superstition of saying “Rabbit, rabbit” on the first day of the month for good luck. Have you heard about this? According to the Farmers’ Almanac, the first written record of this strange rabbit habit traces back to a 1909 British periodical called Notes and Queries. I think I prefer my New Year’s tradition, and how the language of nature seems to transcend words. But, for what it’s worth: Rabbit, rabbit. Rabbit, rabbit, and happy New Year!
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Year of the Rat
Twelfth Night (Jan. 5), the eve of Epiphany, marks the end of the Christmas season. But the merriment continues. Saturday, Jan. 25, marks the celebration of the Chinese New Year. Cue the paper lanterns for the Year of the Metal Rat, a year of wealth and surplus. Bring it on. According to one ancient myth, the rat is the first of all zodiac animals because it tricked the ox into giving it a ride to the Jade Emperor’s party, a race to determine the order in which the animals would appear. Just as the ox was approaching the finish line, the rat leapt down in front of it, arriving first. All this to say that 2020 just may be a year of newfound ingenuity and resourcefulness. But in case you’re not convinced that the Year of the Rat will be an auspicious one, this is for you: In Rajasthan, India, there is a Temple of Rats dedicated to a Hindu warrior worshiped by her followers as the incarnation of the goddess Durga. Outside, a beautiful marble façade with solid silver doors. Inside, 25,000 black rats plus a few rare and especially “holy” white rats, all revered. Now, on a side note, it’s said that cleaning or throwing out garbage on the day of the Chinese New Year is a spring festival taboo — you don’t want to “sweep away” the good luck! Unless you’re inviting a certain zodiac animal to the party (ahem), you might want to turn a blind eye to it.
In the Garden
Bare branches against bright sky in every direction, and yet a closer look reveals flowering witch hazel, camellia and daphne, hellebores, apricot and winter jasmine. In the garden, now’s the time for preparation. Prune what’s asking to go. Fertilize beds with wood ash. And when the soil is dry enough, plant asparagus crowns for early spring harvest. Soon, a sea of spring vegetables will grace the garden. English peas, cabbage, carrots, radish, turnip, rutabaga. But now, patience. Patience and faith.
Nature has undoubtedly mastered the art of winter gardening and even the most experienced gardener can learn from the unrestrained beauty around them. — Vincent A. Simeone January 2020
O.Henry 73
B’nai Shalom Day School
Bishop McGuiness Catholic High School 1725 NC Highway 66 South Kernersville, NC 27284, (336) 564-1010, www.bmhs.us
2900 Horse Pen Creek Road Greensboro, NC 27410, (336) 665-1161, www.caldwellacademy.org
Focus: B’nai Shalom Day School is the Triad’s only infant – 8th grade Jewish independent school. We foster academic excellence, maximize individual student’s potential, and develop leadership skills in a dual curriculum (English and Hebrew). Aftercare and full day option available (7:30 am to 6:00 pm) as well as generous financial aid opportunities. Grades: 8 wks - 8th grade • Enrollment: 150 • Student/Faculty: 8/1 Admission Requirement: On a rolling basis. Meet with Director of Admissions, classroom visit, academic assessment (Pre-K and older), transcripts from current school. Tuition: $4,040-$12,000 (preschool), $2,388-$16,990 (K-8)
Focus: The largest private high school in the Triad. Outstanding high school experience with exceptional academics, extracurricular activities and athletic opportunities. Leadership Initiative partnership with the Center of Creative Leadership. Only school in the Triad awarded the College Board AP Honor Roll Distinction. Minutes from Greensboro and all faiths welcome. Grades: 9-12th • Enrollment: 405 • Student/Faculty: 8/1 Admission Requirement: Admission is on a rolling basis. Tuition: $11,000-$14,950
Focus: Educational excellence using time-tested Classical methods to make full use of students’ developmental stages. Classical themes of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty complement the Christian worldview presented in all instruction. Students learn how to think, not what to think, equipping them to be lifelong learners with a solid foundation in our rapidly changing world. Grades: Transitional Kindergarten – Grade 12 Enrollment: 670 • Student/Faculty: 9/1 Admission Requirement: Priority application deadline is February 1st. Applications received after this date will be processed and considered as they are received. Tuition: $5,802 - $12,061
804-A Winview Drive, Greensboro, NC 27410 (336) 855-5091, www.bnai-shalom.org
Canterbury School
Greensboro Day School
Caldwell Academy
Greensboro Montessori School
5400 Old Lake Jeanette Road, Greensboro, NC 27455 (336) 288-2007, www.canterburygso.org
5401 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro, NC 27455 (336) 288-8590, www.greensboroday.org
2856 Horse Pen Creek Road, Greensboro, NC 27410, (336) 668-0119, www.gms.org
Focus: Canterbury School empowers young leaders with curiosity, compassion, and creativity. A PreK-8 Episcopal school, we offer challenging academics, a diverse and inclusive student body, and a focus on service learning in every grade. Our indexed tuition program makes a Canterbury education affordable for everyone.
Focus: Engaged children • Passionate & Caring adults • Academic Excellence • Lower School garden • Global Online Academy • 40 athletic teams • 85% of students participate in athletics annually • 29 theatre and musical performances • Ecological learning at campus pond • 21 AP Courses • 89% score 3 or better on AP • MakerSpaces • 3 Counselors & Full-Time School Nurse • Social-Emotional curriculum in all grades • Learning Resources Specialists • College Counseling Team •After-School Enrichment programs • 34 art and music offerings • Student-led Honor Code • 37 clubs in grades 5-12 • Student Government in elementary, middle, & high • 5% of the Class of 2020 National Merit Recognized • 2800 Alumni changing the world Grades: Age 2- Grade 12 • Enrollment: 764 • Student/Faculty: 8/1 You are Welcome Here. Admission Requirement: Admission on a rolling basis. Tuition: $8,500 -$24,475
Focus: Greensboro’s only accredited Montessori school where toddlers to teens achieve academic excellence through project-based, experiential learning. Students organically develop real-world skills in creativity, leadership, problem solving, and social responsibility, so they’re empowered to positively impact the world.
Grades: PreK - 8th grade • Enrollment: 325 Student/Faculty: 8/1 Admission Requirement: Families are encouraged to visit and learn more. To apply, families must complete an application, teacher recommendation form, and schedule a child visit. Tuition: $6,000-$8,400 (PreK), $3,443 - $17,715 (K-8)
High Point Christian Academy
800 Phillips Avenue High Point, NC 27262 (336) 841-8702, www.hpcacougars.org Focus: HPCA provides an academically rigorous environment rooted in a Biblical worldview. We are committed to Christ-centered, quality education and academic excellence in partnership with family and church within a loving, caring atmosphere. Grades: Preschool - 12th grade • Enrollment: 670 Student/Faculty: 16/1 Admission Requirement: Admissions is on a rolling basis; inquiries, tours and interviews are on-going. For specific requirements please visit hpcacougars.org. Tuition: $6,550-$9,650
Our Lady of Grace Catholic School
New Garden Friends School
Preschool & Lower School: 1128 New Garden Rd. Middle & Upper School: 2015 Pleasant Ridge Rd. Greensboro, NC 27410 (336) 299-0964, www.ngfs.org
Focus: The Triad’s only independent preschool-12th grade offering a relevant, challenging curriculum and built upon the long-held standards of extraordinary Friends schools. Inclusion, respect, collaboration, and the peaceful resolution of conflict are modeled by teachers and experienced as fundamental pieces of an NGFS education. Grades: PK-12 • Enrollment: 270 • Student/Faculty: 8/1 Admission Requirement: Families are encouraged to visit. Rolling admissions. Application, report cards and/or transcripts, student visit, and essays for older students are required. For details please see www.ngfs.org/admissions Tuition: $7,400-$21,550
The Piedmont School /John Yowell Academy
Grades: Toddler (18 mo) - 9th grade • Enrollment: 237 Student/Faculty: Under 3 years, 6:1; 4 years and above, 12:1 Admission Requirement: Requirements vary per grade level but include meeting with the director of admission, completing an application, submitting teacher recommendation forms, and visiting a classroom. Tuition: $9,372-$18,108
Noble Academy
3310 Horse Pen Creek Road Greensboro, NC 27410 (336) 282-7044, www.nobleknights.org Focus: An independent school that specializes in empowering students with learning differences to pursue their highest potential within a comprehensive, supportive educational environment. Strong academics along with athletics, music, performance and visual arts, and IDEApath are offered. Grades: 2 - 12 • Enrollment: 150 Student/Faculty: 8/1 Admission Requirement: Students need to have an average to above average IQ score and a diagnosis of ADHD and/or learning difference (we recognize CAPD) and a current psych-ed evaluation. Admission on a rolling basis. Tuition: $21,300 - $22,100
Westchester Country Day School
201 S. Chapman Street Greensboro, NC 27403 (336) 275-1522, www.olgsch.org
815 Old Mill Road High Point, NC 27265 (336) 883-0992, www.thepiedmontschool.com
2045 N. Old Greensboro Road High Point, NC 27265, (336) 869-2128, www.westchestercds.org
Focus: Catholic education with on-level and accelerated academics and character development. Inclusive Special Education programs for students with AU and LD diagnoses. Educating the whole child to serve and to lead with love, respect, dignity, and integrity. Visit www.olgsch.org for more information.
Focus: A wonderful K-12 independent school dedicated to providing an outstanding educational environment for students with an ADHD/LD diagnosis. Strong academics enhanced by music, art, drama, and athletics. Grades: K - 12th grade • Enrollment: 100 Student/Faculty: 6:1 word study, language arts, math. 12:1 all other subjects. Admission Requirement: Enrollment is on a rolling basis. Requirements include an average to above average IQ, and either an ADHD diagnosis or another diagnosed learning disorder. Tuition: K-2 $18,025 • 3-8 $19,136 • 9-12 $19,754
Focus: Westchester Country Day is a college preparatory school teaching and guiding students in grades PK-12 to strive for excellence in moral and ethical conduct, academics, the arts, and athletics. Grades: PK - 12th grade • Enrollment: 420 Student/Faculty: 18:1 Admission Requirement: Admissions is on a rolling basis. Please visit www.westchestercds.org for more details or call the admissions office at (336) 822-4005 to schedule a tour. Tuition: $2,910 - $19,650
Grades: 3 years old - 8th grade • Enrollment: 245 • Student/Faculty: 12/1 Admission Requirement: Application form, school transcript, current preschool teacher assessment, immunization form and admissions screening test. Tuition: $3,840 - $12,324 (see website for special programs)
NC grants available.
January 2020 Up-scale Dining
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January 2–5 IT’S A RAP. Last chance to see Shahzia Sikander: Disruption as Rapture, fusing traditional Persian miniature painting and animation. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: weatherspoonart.org.
January 2–18 WE HEART ART. Especially the works of N.C. artists in Winter Show. Catch it before it leaves. GreenHill, 200 N. Davie St., Greensboro. Info: greenhillnc.org.
January 2– 26 CHEAP SKATES. Take to the ice and glide into the new year at Piedmont Winterfest. LeBauer Park, 208 N. Davie St., Greensboro. Info: piedmontwinterfest.com.
January 2–February 23 PRINT-CESS. The exhibition Mirror, Mirror: The Prints of Alison Saar reveals the printmaking talents of this L.A. sculptor whose works explore history, race, mythology, folklore and more. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: weatherspoonart.org.
January 2–17 HOMEGROWN TALENT. More than 100 N.C. artists showcase their wares at Winter Show. GreenHill, The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Snow Job
Mac-daddies
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200 N. Davie St., Greensboro. Info: greenhillnc.org.
January 2–March 29 WE THE PEOPLE. Catch the Smithsonian exhibit, American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith, interspersed with milestones of democracy in N.C. as a part of Project Democracy 20/20. Greensboro History Museum, 130 Summit Ave., Greensboro. Info: (336) 373-2043 or greensborohistory.org.
January 3 THE FIRST SUPPER. 5:30 p.m. Make that, “First Friday.” Dig in! Chez Genèse, 616 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Tickets: ticketmetriad.com.
January 8 PLAYDAY. 10 a.m. to noon. Let the kiddos (up to age 12) get their ya-yas out at Little Red Schoolhouse. High Point Museum, 1859 E. Lexington Ave., High Point. Info: (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.org. PAYSAN PLEASURES. 6 p.m. French onion soup, Croque Monsieurs and French lentils are on the menu for “French Countryside is Calling!” Reto’s Kitchen, 600 S. Elam Ave., Greensboro. Tickets: ticketmetriad.com.
January 9 LE DÎNER EST SERVI! 5 p.m. Learn to
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make chestnut soup, roasted cauliflower salad, salmon en papillote and more at a French dinner cooking workshop. Chez Genèse, 616 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Tickets: ticketmetriad.com.
January 10 BUZZWORTHY. 7 p.m. The Greensboro Swarm is back in town. The Fieldhouse, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 907-3600 or gsoswarm.com.
January 11 BUZZWORTHY. 7 p.m. The Greensboro Swarm is back in town. The Fieldhouse, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 907-3600 or gsoswarm.com.
January 11 & 12 MONSTER MASHUP. Thrills and spills are the order of the day at Monster Jam Triple Threat Series, featuring dirt daredevils on high-powered Monster Speedsters, ATVS and trucks. Times vary. Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.
January 11 & 25 SMITE SITE. 10 a.m. Forge, coals, hammer, tongs . . . and the man of he hour: The Blacksmith! High Point Museum, 1859 E. Lexington Ave. High Point. Info: January 2020
O.Henry 75
JANUARY
EVENTS 1/3
First Friday Dinner Dinner Chez Genese 5:30 pm
1/9
French Dinner Cooking Workshop Cooking class Chez Genese 5:00 pm
1/9
The French Countryside is Calling Cooking class Reto’s Kitchen 6:00 pm
1/14
Healthy Eating: Cooking with Fish!
1/21
TLF Open House Bagels and Bragging Networking event Triad Local First 8:00 am
1/21
TLF Open House: Who, What, Where and Why Information session Triad Local First 11:30 am
1/21
Drew Gehling accompanied by Pianist Justin Cowan Concert The Well Spring Theatre 7:30 pm
1/23
Pizza Making Workshop
Cooking class Reto’s Kitchen 6:00 pm
Cooking Class Chez Genese 5:00 pm
1/17
1/30
Macaron Workshop Cooking class Chez Genese 6:00 pm
1/17
MGS presents Gordon Turk, organ Concert Christ United Methodist Church 7:30 pm
Kiss Me in Northern Italy Cooking Class Reto’s Kitchen 6:00 pm
For more information on getting your event listed, call 336-907-2107
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LOCAL TICKETS
ONE PLACE
336.617.0090
Arts Calendar (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.org.
January 12 BUSTER GUT LAUGHING. 2 p.m. Buster Keaton stars in Sherlock, Jr., this month’s installment of the Silent Series. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com. AUTHORS, AUTHORS! 3 p.m. Make that, poets, poets! Kay Bosgraf, Maura Way and Janet Joyner share their verse. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
January 14 UP-SCALE DINING. 6 p.m. Honor those New Year’s resolutions at “Healthy Eating — Cooking with Fish!” Reto’s Kitchen, 600 S. Elam Ave., Greensboro. Tickets: ticketmetriad.com. KNIVES OUT! 6:30 p.m. Take a stab at “Adult Cooking: Knife Skills and Winter Soup,” in which you’ll slice, dice, julienne and chiffonade soup ingredients from the Edible Schoolyard. Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: gcmuseum.com. COSA NOSTRA. 7 p.m. Catch Francis Ford’s 1972 groundbreaking film, The Godfather, starring Marlon Brando. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
January 15
Chamberlain, author of Big Lies in a Small Town. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
January 16 & 17 IN THE FLESH. See playwright Pete Turner’s Bags of Skin, winner of the New Play Project, which launches the Greensboro Fringe Festival (through early February). Performance times vary. Stephen D. Hyers Studio Theatre, 200 N. Davie St., Greensboro. Info: greensborofringefestival.org.
January 17 CARNIVORE NO MORE. 5 p.m. Kids ages 11–14 go meatless at “Tween Cooking: Veggie Burgers,” using ingredients from the Edible Schoolyard. Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: gcmuseum.com. MAC-DADDIES. 6 p.m. Learn to make those lovely pastel pleasures, macarons. Chez Genèse, 616 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Tickets: ticketmetriad.com. TURK-ISH DELIGHT. 7:30 p.m. Organist
Gordon Turk performs works of Bach, Schumann, Mendelssohn, among others at Music for a Great Space. Christ United Methodist Church, 410 N. Holden Road, Greensboro. Tickets: ticketmetriad.com. GET A GRIP! 7:45 p.m. The stakes are high for Friday Night Smackdown, as WWE champs and superstars take to the wrestling mat. Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 7453000 or ticketmaster.com.
January 17 & 18 DOH! How to live an examined life in the Age of Kardashian? Find out at Roert Dubac’s one-man show, The Book of Moron. Performance times vary. Odeon Theatre, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.
January 17–19 & 23–26 SCI-FI THEATER. In Kaleidoscope astronauts grapple with their mortality, while a suit of clothes raises the hopes of the group of men who bought it in The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. Both plays comprise Little Theatre of Winston-Salem’s The Science Fiction Double
Your Greensboro Connection
LOOMING DISCUSSION. 10 a.m. The High Point Historical Guild Series presents a talk on the textile and hosiery industries. High Point Museum, 1859 E. Lexington Ave., High Point. Info: (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.org.
January 15 & 19 CRUISIN’ AND CRITTERS. 3 p.m. Specifically winter waterfowl as seen on a pontoon tour of Lake Townsend, courtesy of Greensboro Parks and Rec. Cost is $7 per person. Lake Townsend Marian, 6332 Lake Townsend Road, Browns Summit. To reserve: Call the Lake Brandt Marina at (336) 373-3741.
January 16 SNOW JOB. 10 a.m. Kids ages 12 and under learn to make snowflakes — and, one hopes, yearn never to become snowflakes. Little Red Schoolhouse, High Point Museum, 1859 E. Lexington Ave., High Point. Info: (336) 885-1359 or highpointmuseum.com.
Sherri Tuck 336.414.2656
Walt Maynard 336.215.9767
Steve Scott 336.772.7430
Scott Aldridge 252.531.7456
Kelli Young 336.337.4850
Bobbie Maynard, Broker, Realtor, CRS, GRI, CSP, Green
Bobbie Maynard
Phone: 336.215.8017/ bobbie.maynard@allentate.com
AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet Diane The Art & Soul of Greensboro
January 2020
O.Henry 77
Arts Calendar Feature: The Plays of Ray Bradbury. Performance times vary. Mountcastle Theatre, Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts, 251 N. Spruce St., Winston-Salem. Tickets: ltofws.org. STIR THE POT. 10 a.m. Literally! Costumed interpreters make soup, bread and handmade butter at Hoggatt House. High Point Museum, 1859 E. Lexington Ave., High Point. Info: (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.org.
January 18 ALTAR’D STATE. 11 a.m. Check out photographers, florists, caterers and more at Carolina Weddings Show. Special Events Center, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: 33bride.com. GRASSROOTS’ SHOOTS. 8 p.m. Siler City’s Nu-Blu cranks out some newgrass tunes. The Crown, Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com. AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet Holly George Warren, author of Janis: Her Life and Music. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
January 19 DEATH AND TAXES. 1:45 p.m. Murder We Write hosts “Writers Workshop: Tax Considerations Before and After Your Books are Published.” Just shoot us. Now. Hosted by Triad N.C. Chapter of Sisters in Crime. High Point Public Library, 501 N. Main St., High Point. Info: murderwewrite.org.
BLADERUNNERS. The ice men and women cometh for the 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Competition times vary. Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 7453000 or ticketmaster.com.
January 21
ROOTIN’ AND TOOTIN’. 7:30 p.m. Mipso brings its unique mashup of roots music to the stage. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
SHANGHAI SURPRISES. 6 p.m. Celebrate Lunar New Year early with potstickers and Chinese egg cake at “Celebrate Shanghai!” Reto’s Kitchen, 600 S. Elam Ave., Greensboro. Tickets: ticketmetriad.com.]
JANIS JAM. 8 p.m. Pearl & the Charlotte Holding Company pay homage to what would have been Janis Joplin’s 77th birthday. The Crown, Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 333-2605 or carolinatheatre.com.
WHERE’S THE BEEF? 6:30 p.m. In the Beef Kafta, of course! Learn to make this hearty dish topped with potato at “Adult Cooing: Middle Eastern Sheet Pan Dinner.” Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church, St., Greensboro. To register: gcmuseum.com.
January 20
AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet Lawrence Kelter, author of Encrypting Maya. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
BUZZWORTHY. 5 p.m. The Greensboro Swarm is back in town. The Fieldhouse, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 907-3600 or gsoswarm.com.
January 20–26
DREW VIEW. 7:30 p.m. Local talent and Broadway star Drew Gehling tunes up with accompanist Justin Cowan on piano. Well Spring Theatre, 4100 Wellspring Drive, Greensboro. Tickets:
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78 O.Henry
January 2020
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
January 2020
O.Henry 79
Arts Calendar ticketmetriad.com.
January 23 MAJOR DOUGHMOS. 5 p.m. Love will hit your eye when you make a pizza pie at a pizza-making workshop. Chez Genèse, 616 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Tickets: ticketmetriad.com. BUZZWORTHY. 7 p.m. The Greensboro Swarm is back in town. The Fieldhouse, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 907-3600 or gsoswarm.com.
January 24 TYKES ’N’ TACOS. 5 p.m. The kiddoes ages 8–11 make tortilla from scratch and then fill them with goodies from the Edible Schoolyard at “Kids Cooking: Tacos.” Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: gcmuseum.com. AUTHORS, AUTHORS. 7 p.m. Hear aspiring scribes read their works at a UNCG M.F.A. Reading. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
January 25 RATTUS RATTUS. 10 a.m. Tykes learn all about the Year of the Rat and Lunar New Year, while making their own Chinese lantern. Little Red Schoolhouse, High Point Museum, 1859 E. Lexington Ave., High Point. Info: (336) 885-1859 or highpointmuseum.org. BOOK TALK. 2 p.m. Join WFDD Book Club for a discussion of Eleanor Oliphant Is Missing. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 7631919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
January 26 AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 2 p.m. Meet Bryant Holsenbeck, author of The Last Straw. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 7631919 or scuppernongbooks.com.
January 27 POT LUCK. 6:30 p.m. As in Instant Pot, the star of “Adult Cooking: Instant Pot Essentials,” led by Terri Maultsby. Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: gcmuseum.com.
January 28 LOVE, ITALIAN STYLE. 6 p.m. Food is love at “Kiss Me in Northern Italy.” Reto’s Kitchen, 600 S. Elam Ave., Greensboro. Tickets: ticketmetriad.com.
80 O.Henry
January 2020
January 30 BUZZWORTHY. 7 p.m. The Greensboro Swarm is back in town. The Fieldhouse, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (336) 907-3600 or gsoswarm.com.
January 30–February 2 DINO-MIGHT! T-Rex, raptors, triceratops . . . catch some prehistoric thrills at Jurassic World Live Tour. Show times vary. Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Tickets: (800) 745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.
January 31 AUTHOR, AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Meet David Zucchino, author of Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy. Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 763-1919 or scuppernongbooks.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. To register: (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 CODIN’ KIDDIES. 3:45 p.m. Dot and Dash robots help kids ages 6–8 learn the basics of coding at “Techie Kids,” (1/8–3/11). Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: gcmuseum.com. 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. PICKIN’ AND GRINNIN’ 6 until 9 p.m. Y’all come for Songs from a Southern Kitchen, curated by O.Henry’s own Ogi Overman and featuring live
performances of roots and Americana music by Abigail Dowd & Jason Duff (1/7), Elliott Humphries & Freddie Alderman (1/14), Lyn Koonce & Kate Musselwhite Tobey (1/21), and Rob Massengale Trio (1/28). Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen, 1421 W. Westover Terrace, Greensboro. Info: (336) 370-0707 or lucky32. com/fried_chicken.htm.
Wednesdays LEGO LOGISTICS. 3:45 p.m. LEGO League Jr. encourages kids to use their imaginations to design and build structures that meet the needs of the community. Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: gcmuseum.com. 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.
Thursdays C’OMMM DOWN(WARD DOG)! 3:30 p.m. Kids ages 3–5 learn basic stretches and breathing techniques set to music at “Mini Yogis” (1/7 through 2/11). Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: gcmuseum.com. MAKE AND TAKE TEN . 3:45 p.m. Relieve your little ones from the day-to-day frenzy with “DIY Cook and Create” (through 2/20), in which they learn to slow down and make everyday useful objects from bread to stationery. Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. To register: gcmuseum.com ALL THAT JAZZ. 6 p.m. Hear live, local jazz with the O.Henry Trio and selected guests. All performances are at the O.Henry Hotel Social Lobby Bar. No cover. 624 Green Valley Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 854-2000 or www.ohenryhotel.com/jazz.htm. JAZZ NIGHT. 7 p.m. Fresh-ground, fresh-brewed coffee is served with a side of jazz at Tate Street Coffee House, 334 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 275-2754 or www.tatestreetcoffeehouse.com. OPEN MIC COMEDY. 8 p.m. Local pros and amateurs take the mic at the Idiot Box, 503 N. Greene St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 274-2699 or idiotboxers.com.
Fridays THE HALF OF IT. 5 p.m. Enjoy the hands-on exhibits and activities for half the cost of admission at $5 Fun Fridays ($3 on First Fridays). Greensboro Children’s Museum, 220 N. Church St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 574-2898 or gcmuseum.com. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
You won’t find them in ordinary kitchens. Or at ordinary stores.
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2201 Patterson Street, Greensboro, NC (2 Blocks from the Coliseum) Mon. - Fri.: 9:30am - 5:30 pm Sat. 10 am - 2 pm • Closed Sunday
It’s National Hobby Month! Practicing Commercial Real Estate by the Golden Rule Bill Strickland, CCIM Commercial Real Estate Broker/REALTOR 336.369.5974 | bstrickland@bipinc.com
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FREE Introductory Dance Lesson in JANUARY ONLY! Dance can help you slim down, tone up, reconnect, and it’s LOTS of fun! No Partner Required – Contact us to schedule a convenient time 1500 Mill Street, Suite 105 • Greensboro, NC 27408 (336) 379-9808 • fredastaire.com/greensboro
January 2020
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Upcoming
Business & Services
CLASSES
Comprehensive and Attentive Care
Classes taught by Jean Farish
Now Accepting New Patients
Gill Family Dentistry Serving the Triad Area
306 Muirs Chapel Rd., STE C | Greensboro, NC 27410
336.299.1379 | GillDentistryTriad.com
Let experience guide you through your next home purchase
Needlepoint, Bargello and more! Call the Stitch Point for more information. Feb 15 Feb 15 Feb 22 Feb 22 March 10 March 14 March 19 March 21 April 4
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yvonne.stockard@allentate.com www.allentate.com/YvonneStockard
336.509.6139 Mobile 336.217.8561 Fax allentate.com
717 Green Valley Road, Suite 300 • Greensboro NC • 27408
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 Across the street from the entrance to Guilford College
82 O.Henry
January 2020
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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 fresh and the cut fleurs belles — but in a different location for the month of January. Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, Revolution Mill, 1601 Yanceyville St., Greensboro. Info: gsofarmersmarket.org. 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. 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) 7631919 or scuppernongbooks.com. JAZZ ENCORE. 7 p.m. Hear contemporary jazz cats,
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
while noshing on seasonal tapas at O.Henry Jazz series for Select Saturdays. O.Henry Hotel, 624 Green Valley Road, Greensboro. Info: (336) 854-2000 or ohenryhotel.com. IMPROV COMEDY. 10 p.m. on Saturday, plus an 8 p.m. show appropriate for the whole family. The Idiot Boxers create scenes on the spot and build upon the ideas of others, creating shows that are one-of-a-kind — at the Idiot Box, 503 N. Greene St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 274-2699 or idiotboxers.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.
Sundays GROOVE AND GRUB. 11 a.m. Chow down on
Arts Calendar
mouth-watering Southern brunch fare (biscuits, anyone?), courtesy of Chef Irvin J. Williams, while students from the Miles Davis Jazz Program serenade you with smooth jazz. The Historic Magnolia House, 442 Gorrell St., Greensboro. Info: (336) 617-3382 or thehistoricmagnoliahouse.com.
HALF FOR HALF-PINTS. 1 p.m. And grown-ups, 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. MISSING YOUR GRANDMA? 3 p.m. until it’s gone: Tuck into the quintessential comfort food: skillet-fried chicken, and mop that cornbread in, your choice, giblet gravy or potlikker. Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen, 1421 W. Westover Terrace, Greensboro. Info: (336) 3700707 or lucky32.com/fried_chicken.htm.
To add an event, email us at
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by the first of the month
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January 2020
O.Henry 83
shops • service • food • farms
“W
support locally owned businesses
ter Meals” n i W m ar
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84 O.Henry
January 2020
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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January 2020
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O.Henry 85
EMMYLOU HARRIS
Arts & Culture
RETURNS TO HER A L M A M AT E R.
THE 14-TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER WILL PERFORM AT UNC GREENSBORO FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY. Jan. 24, 2020 I 8 p.m. I UNCG Auditorium Tickets available now vpa.uncg.edu/ucls/tickets
86 O.Henry
CAMILLE A. BROWN & DANCERS February 8, 2020
RENÉE FLEMING Soprano February 26, 2020
ANN HAMILTON Visual Artist March 19, 2020
DAVEED DIGGS Original Cast of Hamilton April 9, 2020
January 2020
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
GreenScene ZERO - The End of Prostate Cancer Run/Walk Alliance Urology
Saturday, November 16, 2019 Photographs by Lynn Donovan
Maddie & Ben Herrick
Marylou Denglere
Carrie Woodward, Wanda, Paul & Kayleigh Owen
Colton Strandberg - Race Winner
Ann Braud, Derek Coulter, Denise Fransica
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Regina Piper, Kamal Maragh
Sarah, Kim, Anna & Mike Lapeirre, Maddie & Ben Herrick
Idowu Shosoluwe, Carolyn Painley
Dennis Wilkins, Marlon Moore
Tim Sickles, Rhonda Craycraft, Ashley Steinson
Melanie Jackson, Matt Manning
David & Sarah Wilson, Journey, Buddy
January 2020
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MERIDITH MARTENS, artist Large Scale Paintings Custom Residential & Corporate Design
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Claim your spotlight To advertise here, call 336.617.0090 88 O.Henry
January 2020
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
GreenScene Creative Greensboro: Welcome Reception for Ryan Deal Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs
Wednesday, November 20, 2019 Photographs by Lynn Donovan
Jacquie Gilliam, Darlene McClinton
Jacquie Gilliam, Nancy Hoffmann, Marikay Abuzuaiter, Sharon Hightower
Bob Powell, Donna Bradby
Dabney & Walker Sanders
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Laura Way, Ryan Deal (honoree)
Chris Williams, Matt Brown, David Holley
Natalie Miller, Spencer Conover, Sarah Kathryn Sullivan
Beth Fischer, Ross Harris
Tom & Linda Sloan
Deborah Kintzing, Laura Way, Cecelia Thompson
Sharon Hightower, Nasha McCray
Peter Alexander, Victoria Milstein
January 2020
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Downtown Greensboro
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90 O.Henry
January 2020
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
GreenScene
Sierra Brown, Niya Commodore, Theo Farrar
28th Annual Feast of Caring Greensboro Urban Ministry
Thursday, November 21, 2019 Photographs by Lynn Donovan
Madison Cromartie, Ashley LeSane, Abril Mondragon, Anay Godinez Tyra Clymer, Anna & Myron Wilkins
Anna Wilkins, Gladys Way, Sandy Amos, Lynn Kirkman
Ruth Primm, Geneva Metzger
Cheryl Ledford, Deedee Stephens David Snare, Katie Kading
David Snare, Katie Kading
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Larry Putnam, Craig Siler, Carol Putnam, Jim Gale, Susan Phillips Anna Bray, Mary Ellen DiBello
Angela Deal, Alma McCarty Pat Davis, Ralice Gertz
Michael Pearson, Mark Sumerford
January 2020
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GreenScene Project Democracy 20/20
Preview Reception ~ Greensboro History Museum
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Photographs by Lynn Donovan
Julia Strandberg, Tyson Hammer Strandberg
Mary & Will Truslow
Julie & Brooks Copeland
George & Kitty Robison
Bill Moore, Carol Ghiorsi Hart
92 O.Henry
January 2020
Jim & Kate Schlosser
Shalane Griffin, Robert Harris
Bill & Sudie White
Catherine Magid, Tamika Bowers
Rolitta, Laila & Rodney Dawson
Betsy & Ernie Schiller
Ron & Victoria Milstein
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Opening Greensboro’s best doors for nearly 40 years
As some of the Triad’s top Real Estate Brokers, with hundreds of millions in sales, Kay Chesnutt and her team bring enthusiasm, knowledge, passion and directed energy to each and every sale. Working hard for their clients, whether buyers or sellers, their mission is to deliver excellence in service in every transaction, even long after the sale.
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©2019 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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January 2020
O.Henry 93
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94 O.Henry
January 2020
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The Accidental Astrologer
Feeling Your Goats
Everyone will experience the Capricorn Effect in 2020 By Astrid Stellanova
Eat your peas and collards, Star Children. Tradition will matter.
Soften your hearts and strengthen your minds. On January 3, Mercury joins the Sun, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, meaning none of the signs can escape the Capricorn Effect in 2020. Here’s what the sky says: The new year brings a new vision, and, er, caps off the past two years of tumult, transition, mergers and misfires, with calculation and transformations that will change our realities. As any astrologer will tell you: The Goat always triumphs.
Capricorn (December 22–January 19) You have to think about your professional image, Sugar, or feel like you do. You’ve worried yourself half sick over how you stack up, because you pit yourself against an old nemesis with big juju. Basically everyone from Here Comes Honey Boo Boo could outclass this old blow-hard rival. Stop worrying. Aquarius (January 20–February 18) Confidential matters and family secrets have kept you knotted up. Listen, if karma won’t slap you, ole Astrid has to, because it’s time you noticed you don’t have to be the standard-bearer for integrity and discretion. Pisces (February 19–March 20) There are changes to your inner circle, and close networks that have been shifting. The old dynamic is completely changed, in case you didn’t notice. Want to be the ringmaster of the s*@t show? Don’t think so, Honey Bun. Aries (March 21-April 19) I’m thinking you seized the wrong freakin’ day, Ram. As your mission and position have changed, did you notice exactly what condition your condition was in? Right — you were too busy seizing. Let it go. Not yours to wrestle with. Taurus (April 20–May 20) You, Brothers and Sistahs, are sweet but twisted. Some of that blunt force you used will get you over the fence to new places this year, but also forces you to take a kinder view of the differences. That makes the new places mean something. Gemini (May 21–June 20) One side of you strongly wants to do the right thing. The other side of you wrestles with giving others their fair share, due credit and fair play. You insist it ain’t your pasture, not your bull crap, but, sometimes, Sugar, it is. Cancer (June 21–July 22) Focus on close relationships, Sweet Pea, like your partners at work and at The Art & Soul of Greensboro
home. It is worth remembering that they are the ham in your ham sandwich. The jam in your PB&J. The clapper in your Liberty Bell. Leo (July 23-August 22) You aren’t a fan of fitness or workouts, but your life and lifestyle demand a reboot. It will also need to be interior — think volunteering or offering your services. Don’t rush when you’re waiting for the last dang minute. Virgo (August 23-September 22) The next generation, Sugar, is writ large in your sign. Think babies, teens, pregnancies and young adults populating your life. Things are coming full circle. What does this signify? Why don’t you overthink it? Libra (September 23–October 22) Home, family and land are all at the center of your world. Given how outdone you feel by those near and dear, realize everybody knows your give-adamn is busted all to pieces. But giving again, and communicating will be your redemption. Scorpio (October 23–November 21) You’re thinking, excuse me, Dante, but what circle of hell is this? Yet the things you excel at (even if you wish they would go away) include publishing, communicating and educating, and they keep offering opportunity. Take the stage, Sugar, and ascend. Sagittarius (November 22–December 21) Just show you the money. Everything you do concerning property, charity, and finance will work for you and benefit others. Keep your head up, Darlin’, or that crown will slide right off. 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.
January 2020
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O.Henry Ending
Please, Don’t go But Mama knew best
When a comedian once
quipped that his mother was a one-way travel agent for guilt trips, I laughed.
Hard. Too hard. And wiped helpless tears. Our Southern Mama was just such a travel agent. We never parted without her entreaty, “Do you have to go now?” It didn’t matter how long the visit — two hours or two weeks. It was her notion of expressing love. Although . . . evidence to the contrary suggested this was born of habit. Even the carpet cleaner and pest control man got the same plea. This refrain was a quirk, a true blind spot for our mother, much like the one in her trusted Lincoln Continental, which drove more like a Sherman tank after years of surviving Mama’s handling. You just didn’t know that utility post was about to catch you, then there it was, pinning you into the driver’s seat and smearing the side of the car with creosote. Hello light pole! She gave her own mother-in-law, Hallie, a tongue-lashing (behind her back of course — Mama was a Southern lady after all) for “hanging on hard just when you needed to go.” Poor Hallie was once accused of hanging onto the car door of Mom’s former land yacht, a Madea-worthy white sled with burgundy top and opera windows — just as Mama was heading home for her soap operas. (A grandchild long believed Mama was saying, “showstoppers.”) Mama never dragged our grandmother as she held to the Lincoln. Now that would have been a showstopper. For Mama, you see, was usually antsy, in a hurry, whenever it was time for her to make a departure. Until the end, that is.
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January 2020
Her own leave-taking took so long I began to view her as capable of staying as long as she damned well pleased. But the professionals knew otherwise. Mama had withered. And after 91 years and diminishing appetite, she was disappearing. She received hospice care in her final months. My younger sister, who can be intractable, never understood hospice. Bless her heart, (Southern code for myopic) she just couldn’t grasp Mama would eventually leave us. Could we blame her? Weeks ago, Mama celebrated a birthday. We gathered for lunch and performed, like
we had once done as children. I loved to make her laugh, so claiming I had discovered an ability to yodel, I cocked my arms like a baseball pitcher and operatically filled my lungs. Rivaling Florence Foster Jenkins, I unloosed a hideous yowl. Mama winced and grinned widely, so, I pretended this called for an encore. She shook her head, saying “You won’t do,” which is another Southernism loosely meaning, “outstanding foolishness.” I returned to Mama’s bedside with my hubby two days later, and we sat with her before her momentous departure. She gripped our hands with a surprising firmness. “Don’t go,” she asked. The next morning, Mama slipped away. Only a week afterward, I witnessed a lunar rainbow. It was a luminous, tremulous, indescribable vision. Earlier that day, my brother saw sun dogs — yet another beautiful celestial phenomenon. Despite myself, I found myself whispering to the night sky. “Please. Don’t go.” OH Cynthia Adams is a contributing editor to O.Henry. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
ILLUSTRATION BY HARRY BLAIR
By Cynthia Adams
GREENSBORO 225 South Elm Street • 336-272-5146 and Friendly Center • 336-294-4885 WINSTON-SALEM Stratford Village, 137 South Stratford Road • 336-725-1911 www.schiffmans.com