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January 2022 DEPARTMENTS 8 From the Editor
29 Home by Design
11 Simple Life
32 Weekend Away
14 Short Stories 17 Tea Leaf Astrologer
35 Birdwatch
By Mary Best
By Jim Dodson
By Zora Stellanova
18 Life’s Funny
By Maria Johnson
21 The Creators of N.C. By Wiley Cash
By Cynthia Adams
By Jason Oliver Nixon By Susan Campbell
37 Wandering Billy By Billy Eye
78 Events Calendar 88 O.Henry Ending By Lindsay Morris
25 The Omnivorous Reader By Stephen E. Smith
FEATURES 41 Against Desirelessness Poetry by Paul Jones
42 Head in the Clouds
By Billy Ingram A short oral history of Piedmont Airlines
50 Droll, Deft and Delightful
By Maria Johnson Marie Stone-van Vuuren colors her art with realism and wit
56 The New Bohemians
By Cynthia Adams Revitalizing a Tudor home with light and love
65 Almanac
By Ashley Walshe
Cover photograph by courtesy of the Piedmont Aviation Historical Society Photograph this page by Amy Freeman
4 O.Henry
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
M A G A Z I N E
Volume 12, No. 1 “I have a fancy that every city has a voice.” 336.617.0090 111 Bain Street, Suite 334, Greensboro, NC 27406
www.ohenrymag.com PUBLISHER
David Woronoff david@thepilot Mary Best, Editor mary@ohenrymag.com Jim Dodson, Stargazer-at-Large Andie Rose, Creative Director andie@thepilot.com Lauren M. Coffey, Art Director Alyssa Kennedy, Graphic Designer DIGITAL CONTENT
Cassie Bustamante, cassie@ohenrymag.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
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OWNERS Jack Andrews, Frank Daniels Jr., Frank Daniels III, Lee Dirks, David Woronoff © Copyright 2022. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. O.Henry Magazine is published by The Pilot LLC
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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From The Editor Mary Best Editor
mary@ohenrymag.com
Guilford entered my world unexpectedly. Unassumingly. The vulnerable, scraggly puppy needed a home as much as I did. Nine years ago, I lived in South Carolina, desperately wanting to return to Greensboro. A Guilford County native, I knew I needed to walk familiar ground, complain about the diabolical traffic on Battleground, rekindle friendships. The yearning consumed me. I vowed that if I ever moved back, I would never venture across the county line with more than, give or take, a 12-ounce bottle of water, a gallon of gas and $7 in change — all of which I probably already had in the bowels of my Honda. But a seemingly unsurmountable obstacle stood my way. No one wanted to buy my house, which had been on the market for months. Ants weren’t even interested. To worsen my homesickness, my sweet dog had just passed away. So, when someone mentioned that a tragic fate awaited a litter of orphaned pups, I adopted a tiny, sickly ball of fur that barely could open his eyes. His pedigree was undetermined, but I’m pretty sure his mom was a mutt and dad — MIA. I named him Guilford after the Guilford College area where the Friends had settled in the 1750s. I grew up in that neck of the woods. I wrecked my bicycle on New Garden Road, ate ice cream sundaes at Quaker Village and waded in Horse Pen Creek. I hoped naming him after the first Baron earl of Guilford would signal to the universe I needed to return home. Less than two weeks after Guilford’s adoption, I sold my house — and my new buddy and I headed north. But Guilford didn’t mature into the prince of peace I had anticipated. What began as a quest for the salvation of an innocent 5-weekold dog dissolved into an exercise in abnormal
8 O.Henry
psych. As his personality emerged, he grew more petulant than a 3-year-old determined to cross oncoming traffic. He frightened anyone within earshot with his bark. Acquaintances ranked him somewhere between Joseph Stalin and Al Capone. Minus their charming smiles. If Guilford were human, he would refuse to use turn signals as some act of civil disobedience and brandish a weapon. (Thankfully, the rascal isn’t equipped with opposable thumbs. But he does have a healthy set of canines. See below.) The innocent soul I once was able to cradle in my hand had matured into a delinquent, though one that people wanted to pet because of his disproportionally large, perky ears and his seemingly sunny demeanor. Because of his antisocial disposition, folks declared him a canine non grata — and justifiably. Months ago, a friend stopped by while I was pet-sitting my brother’s dog. Guilford wasn’t happy with either interloper so, he bit my friend. On the thumb. Stitches. Infection. Repeat. In Guilford’s defense . . . never mind. Under mandatory county quarantine and without a shred of remorse, Guilford was sentenced to doggie detention. However contrary this seems, though, that 18-pound cauldron of sweetness and venom is my best friend. His temperament has cooled as his redemptive qualities emerged, and his companionship has remained constant. Guilford and my friend brokered a peace, and the four-legged assailant now squeals with delight when he sees him. Guilford loves exploring Greensboro, pulling at the end of his leash in search of mischief and his next victim. As for me, I have begun my dream job as editor of O.Henry. Guilford sits contentedly in my lap as I’m typing this column, and we are both happy to be home. OH The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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Simple Life
A Gentle Nudge Mysteries of the golfing universe
By Jim Dodson
Not long ago, the host of a popular
ILLUSTRATION BY GERRY O'NEILL
golf radio show asked me who I most enjoy playing golf with these days. We were discussing the various golfers and assorted eccentrics I’ve met, interviewed and written about over a long and winding career.
“These days, I like to play golf with old guys,” I said without hesitation, “like my friend Harry.” “So, who is Harry?” he asked. Harry, I explained, is a gifted artist and nationally known cartoonist I’ve known for many years. He has a wry sense of humor, a beautiful tempo in his golf swing and a refreshing take on life. Harry is 76 years old, deaf in at least one ear, losing bits of his eyesight and battling a rogue sciatic nerve in his left leg that sometimes makes swinging a club difficult. He was once a splendid single-digit player who now aims for bogey golf, and never gets too rattled by whatever the game gives him. He accepts that bad breaks happen and are simply part of this maddening Presbyterian game, not worth fretting about. So are aging body parts that can’t propel the ball the way they once did. Instead, Harry plays for the occasional fine shot, the rare good
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
break, and the fellowship of his companions that includes a good bit of affectionate needling and laughter. He’s never had an ace, but holds out hope of someday shooting his age, the proverbial goal of every aging golfer. Though I’m almost a decade younger than Harry — he jokes that I am a pre-geezer in training — I love playing with him because he is a model of what I hope to be like in the rapidly shrinking years ahead: a man who has loved the game since he was a boy and loves it just as much, though differently, as an old man. He is living proof that the game can grow sweeter as the clock runs down. Golf has been part of his life since he was 10 or 11 years old and an uncle allowed him to pick a club from a barrel of used irons. He chose a battle-scarred 7-iron and the set that went with it. “It was a set of Dalton Hague clubs, really beautiful. I played with them for years bragging that I owned real Dalton Hague signature golf clubs.” He pauses and chuckles. “They turned out to be Walter Hagen clubs that had just been beaten to death. But oh, how I loved those clubs.” We often meet late in the afternoon for nine holes at a beautiful municipal course set on a wide lake well out of town, surrounded by mature hardwood forests with no houses, streets or power lines visible anywhere. We often pause to watch the action as shadows lengthen and nature reawakens — deer crossing fairways, waterfowl in flight. We rarely bother to keep a score. We just play, talk, be. Harry’s favorite hole is the short par-4 seventh that angles down O.Henry 11
Simple Life toward the lake, with an approach over a wooded cove to an elevated green backdropped by a breathtaking view of the water. He has sketched and painted it several times, aiming to get it just right. “Isn’t this something?” he’ll say with a note of quiet wonder, pausing before his approach shot that sometimes lands in the water of the cove, sometimes just feet from the pin. If nothing else, getting older also makes it easier to laugh in the face of Father Time. “That’s the easiest 69 I ever made,” Walter Hagen — aka Dalton Hague — playfully quipped upon turning 69. One afternoon not long ago, as we were watching a spectacular chevron of geese heading south for the winter over the lake from his favorite spot on the course, Harry told me a little golf story that speaks of wonder and mystery. After Harry’s mom passed away, her final wish was that Harry and his younger sister take her ashes and those of Harry’s father down to a lake in a park at Carolina Beach, where the couple first met and later married. Harry promised he would do that. His sister was a busy surgical nurse. Her unpredictable schedule repeatedly delayed their planned journey to the coast. It happened month after month. One afternoon he was playing golf with a partner who was particularly wild off the tee. “I was helping him look for his ball deep in the woods, when I stepped over a downed tree and saw a golf ball sitting on top of a rotting log — almost like someone had placed it there. I picked it up and tossed it over to my companion. But it wasn’t his ball so he tossed FIND ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA
it back. It was a very old ball. When I looked at it, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.” The ball’s colorful logo read Carolina Beach. One word was printed on the opposite side — Mom. “It sent chills down my spine. A day later, I drove my folks’ ashes down to Carolina Beach — four hours away — and spread them in the lake at a spot that meant so much to their life together. I felt real peace at that moment.” As he told me this, he pulled the ball out of his bag and handed it to me. “I’ve carried it with me ever since,” he explained with a very Harry-like smile. “This game, this life, is wonderfully unexplainable, isn’t it?” Simple coincidence or a gentle nudge from the golfing universe? Harry’s not sure. And neither am I. But that’s part of the wonder of this game. As we played on, hitting occasional nice shots and mishits that will never be recorded, it struck me that there was, as usual, a nice little message in Harry’s seventh-hole homily, perfectly timed for a couple “old” friends on a golden afternoon at the end of their golf season; yet another reason to be thankful for the game I aim to play just like Harry until I either shoot my age or simply fly away like geese in the autumn. OH Jim Dodson can be reached at jwdauthor@gmail.com.
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12 O.Henry
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Short Stories
Rise and ’Shine
Once nicknamed the “moonshine capital of the world,” Wilkes County is embracing — even celebrating — the ill-gotten gains of its past in North Wilkseboro Saturday, January 15, by hosting a free family-friendly event with food and beverages, local crafts, music — and of course — moonshine and stories. For more information visit www.facebook.com/WilkesSpiritDay/
Thinking about sprucing up your house? Hoping for a new look? Want to be way ahead of the curve for the spring High Point Furniture Market? The Pantone Color Institute can help. It recently created and introduced the Pantone Color of 2022, and — drum roll —it’s Veri Per (Pantone 17-3938), a dynamic periwinkle blue hue with a vivifying violet red undertone. The institute’s director, Leatrice Eiseman, explains its importance in an unsettled time: “As we move into a world of unprecedented change, the selection of Very Peri brings a novel perspective and vision of the trusted and beloved blue color family. … [It] displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expression.”
Star Power
This month, one of Broadway’s most celebrated actors kicks off this year’s UNCG Lecture and Concert Series. Kelli O’Hara takes the UNCG Auditorium stage Friday, January 14, to share her experiences on screen and stage. The seven-time Tony Award nominee won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Anna Leonowens in The King and I. Other Broadway highlights include Kiss Me Kate, The Bridges of Madison County, Nice Work If You Can Get It and South Pacific. Television credits range from Sex & The City 2 and The Good Fight to Blue Bloods and N3mbers, to name a few.
14 O.Henry
New at the Zoo
Ronan is not your average bear. The 740-pound male grizzly is the newest resident of the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. Recently relocated from the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson, Arizona, the 9-year-old fellow seems to be adapting well to his new habitat in the North America continent area. Since last summer, the grizzly bear habitat in Asheboro has remained empty, following the death of Tommo, a beloved, “amazing, goofy” dude that resided in the park for the 26 years. “We are so excited to welcome Ronan to the zoo,” says Jay Stutz, the zoo’s curator of mammals. “He is settling in well and already building meaningful relationships with his keepers. We all look forward to the experiences that he will share with our guests and staff.” Male grizzlies in the wild live about 22 years and weigh between 400 and 700 pounds. Welcome to North Carolina, Ronan. We promise it’s cooler here than Tucson. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
PHOTOGRAPH BY HANNAH TULLOCH/NORTH CAROLINA ZOO
Meet Veri Peri
PHOTOGRAPH BY EBRUYILDIZ
Return to Catfish Row
Grammy-winning songwriter and performer Rhiannon Giddens’ New Year’s gift to the Triad is bringing her musical talents home to the Greensboro Opera’s performance of Porgy and Bess. Composed by George Gershwin and his older brother, Ira, the opera revolves around Porgy, a poor, disabled Black man in Charleston, South Carolina, who desperately seeks to save Bess from a violent lover and a drug dealer. A love story, in other words, but the story is also about redemption and overcoming adversity. We can’t wait to hear Rhiannon and company’s take on such beloved songs as “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” “My Man’s Gone Now,” “Plenty o’ Nuttin’ ” and “Summertime.” A native of Greensboro and an alumna of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, plus and a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, Giddens is a founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a blues, country and old-time band in which she was lead singer and played the banjo and fiddle. In 2017, Giddens was awarded a MacArthur Fellow by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Take a Hike
What better way to observe the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday — and a Day of Service — than to help clean up the messes left by others. Greensboro Parks & Recreation is sponsoring a hike on Monday, January 17, to collect litter along a popular 6-mile route. Participants should meet at the Piedmont Trail parking lot on Lake Brandt Road near the Lake Brandt Marina. (If you need directions, call the marina at (336) 373-3741). The stroll takes about three hours, so be sure to dress in layers and bring water to drink.
Ogi Sez Ogi Overman
OK, 2020 was a total bust, and 2021 didn’t come back to some semblance of life as we once knew it until around August. So, let’s pray to the gods of music or the deity of your choice that 2022 brings a full return to vaccinated and maskless normalcy. And for me, that means full concert venues, clubs, bars, restaurants, street fairs and music festivals. January was always a bit slow for major touring acts in the Before Times, and that seems to be the case now, but there still are plenty of quality shows to go around. So, let ’er rip.
• January 7, Blind Tiger: Like so many others, the
pandemic wreaked havoc on the Camel City Yacht Club’s launch and touring plans. But they’ve set sail again hoping for smooth seas and sunny skies. Fronted by local legend Clay Howard, this is a cruise you don’t want to miss.
• January 21, Ramkat: Remember when country music stars actually dressed for gigs, wearing flamboyant, one-of-a-kind Nudie Rodeo suits and (thank you, Warren Zevon) perfect hair? Marty Stuart, bless his heart, is singlehandedly keeping those days alive, both with his Fabulous Superlatives (don’t you love that name?) and his Nashville museum. Authentic twang at its most excellentest. • January 22, Carolina Theatre: Bluegrass and Americana royalty right here, in the persons of Sam Bush, Mike Marshall and Edgar Meyer. They got together for one superb album, Short Trip Home, years ago and still occasionally tour together. And now they’ve turned the terrific trio into a quality quartet, adding Edgar’s son George on fiddle. The phrase “genre-bending” was invented to describe these guys. • January 22, High Point Theatre: You get three shows in one when you go see Ben Vereen. He broke in on Broadway, starring in Jesus Christ Superstar and Pippin, for which he won a Tony. He is an exceptional tap dancer, hence the title of his tour, Steppin’ Out. But his voice is what most folks come for. Expect some of his many show tunes, as well as nods to Sinatra and his old pal Sammy Davis Jr. • January 30, Carolina Theatre: As a sort of pseudo-
musicologist, I fell in love some years ago with the music that preceded my birth. Being a boomer, that meant, of course, the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Oh yes, there were dozens of wonderful bands, but the indisputable leader was Glenn Miller. Thankfully, this incarnation of top-shelf players is keeping that era alive. I know I’ll be in the mood.
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O.Henry 15
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GETAWAY Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)
If you agree to disagree with a Capricorn, you may never get the goat off your leg. But if you can learn to appreciate this stubborn Earth sign’s somewhat forceful nature — and, perhaps, let them think they’re right — then you quickly will discover that their hearts are usually in the right place. Driven by passion, Capricorns aren’t afraid to speak their minds. When life gets a little spicy in the wake of the full moon, don’t poke the fire-breathing goat.
Tea leaf “fortunes” for the rest of you: Aquarius (January 20 – February 18) Bowie said it best: Turn and face the strange. Pisces (February 19 – March 20) Sure, martyrdom works. For now. But they’re onto you. Aries (March 21 – April 19) Get your popcorn ready. Taurus (April 20 – May 20) Easy, skipper. Smooth sailing entails the whole crew. Gemini (May 21 – June 20) Ready for a miracle? Try listening. Cancer (June 21 – July 22) You’re the ringleader of your own spectacular. Dress the part. Leo (July 23 – August 22) Either road will take you there. Virgo (August 23 – September 22) My sources say no. Libra (September 23 – October 22) It’s OK to circle back. Not all journeys are linear. Scorpio (October 23 – November 21) Use your words. Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21) The stars are in your favor this month. Mostly. OH Zora Stellanova has been divining with tea leaves since Game of Thrones’ Starbucks cup mishap of 2019. While she’s not exactly a medium, she’s far from average. She lives in the N.C. foothills with her Sphynx cat, Lyla. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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O.Henry 17
Life's Funny
In the Cards
Silly, sappy and sometimes recycled birthday greetings
By Maria Johnson
I just returned from a
hunting trip.
I bagged some nice ones: A bear. A chicken. A dog. A couple of old ladies. A handful of little kids. Yep, if there’s anything more enjoyable than shopping for funny birthday cards, I’d like to know about it. I buy en masse, hitting several of my favorite racks in a single afternoon and stockpiling the cards in my desk drawer. I hope to avoid the dilemma I’ve faced too many times: Thinking I have the perfect card stashed away, then running to my office before heading out to a birthday celebration, only to find out that — oh, yeah — I gave that card to someone else. At that point, I have no choice but to bend the sentiments of whatever cards I happen to have, literally writing around the printed messages. “Thank You” for inviting me to your party. “Heartfelt Sympathy” for people who haven’t aged as well as you have. “There’s Nothing Like a Baby Girl,” which is what your parents must have thought on the day you were born. Even Christmas cards will do. “For God So Loved the World that He Gave His Only Begotten Son,” and much, much later — like, after electricity, but not too much after — you. Not every birthday requires a card, thank goodness. I usually call my faraway pals for a long chat or text them a GIF — a short, repeating video clip — of something meaningful, like the Seinfeld gang happy dancing or a hamster stuffing cake into its cheeks or Raven Simone chewing gum and shifting her eyes.
18 O.Henry
In-person gatherings, however, require a card. Especially among women. Showing up to a girlfriend’s birthday party without a card is worse than — showing up to a girlfriend’s birthday gathering without a card. We like to pass our cards around, so everyone can read them and say, “That’s cute.” Trust me, a sticky note doesn’t cut it, no matter how many exclamation points you put after Happy Birthday!!!!! So, shopping ahead for cards is smart hedge. If you go the humorous route, there are a few motifs to choose from: • Young children wearing adult clothing • Women drinking wine • Old women conversing in talk balloons about memory loss (see above) • Animals that appear to have eaten an entire pizza or cake • Animals wearing adult clothing • And the most popular theme in card-dom: Animals wearing sunglasses. Recently, I listened to a podcast interview with humorist David Sedaris. The host asked him if he thought any subject was not funny. He said dogs in sunglasses. Which is funny. Because they are. Every animal — except a human — is funnier with sunglasses on. If you don’t believe me, pose your pet with sunglasses on, take a picture and text it to someone in your family. They will text you right back. I use this tactic to stay in touch with our sons, especially if I know they’re not feeling well. I can text them — “Do you have The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Life's Funny
a fever?” “Should you go to a doctor?” “Hello?”— all-day long. Crickets. But let me send a picture of our long-eared hound in aviators. The response is immediate. Awww. Haha. Hearts. At least I know their thumbs are healthy. Cards with animals in sunglasses — reading glasses and goggles work, too — are safe for everyone, even mothers, and that’s saying a lot because your mom really doesn’t want a card that makes her laugh. She wants a card that says somewhere, under that mountain of unanswered texts, you love her. Ditto your spouse. Funny is OK. But sincere is better. My dad got this. He spent a lot of time picking out serious birthday cards. You know, the ones plastered with flowers or sunsets and written in curly script. “On the day you were born …” “I don’t say it often enough …” “Time has a way of . . .” It was pretty sappy stuff, which didn’t mean it wasn’t funny — because my dad insisted that you read his cards aloud. “That’s really good,” he’d say, beaming when you finished. Sometimes, after you’d read all of your cards, he’d shuffle through the pile, fish out the one he had given you and clear his throat. “Let’s hear this again,” he’d saying, pausing after each line to give it proper dramatic weight. One year, he gave my mom a card. She read it. He performed the encore. Something sounded familiar. “Wait,” I said. “Didn’t you give her that one last year?” He nodded yes. “You bought the same card again?” “No,” he said with a slight wag of the head. “You pocketed last year’s card and regifted it just now?” He nodded again, clearly pleased with himself. “I didn’t think I could find one that said it better.” He was grinning as he slid the card into his lap. OH Maria Johnson is a contributing editor of O.Henry. Send comments — or images of animals wearing sunglasses — to ohenrymaria@gmail.com. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
THREE-PART LECTURE SERIES
January 16, February 13, and March 13 • 2 pm North Carolina Freedom Park: The Inspiring Story of How a Monument to Freedom is Built while Confederate Statues are Coming Down Part 1: Speaker, Marsha Warren Part 2: Speaker, Reginald Hildebrand Part 3: Speaker, Reginald Hodges
$15 Supporters • $20 General $40 All Three Lectures
In 2001, the Paul Green Foundation initiated a tribute to the African American struggle for freedom in this state. In 2021, ground was broken in the center of Raleigh for North Carolina Freedom Park, after twenty years of planning and fundraising. Designed by the late Phil Freelon (lead architect of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington), this monument project is, in the words of Dr. John Hope Franklin, “ ... a continuing reminder of ... how much more we need to do to achieve equity and justice in our society.”
Series sponsored by Deirdre Newton
In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of our historic Boyd House, we are hosting 100 events in 2022
For more information and tickets,
visit weymouthcenter.org
WONDERFUL 100
Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities 555 E. Connecticut Ave. Southern Pines, NC A 501(c)(3) organization
O.Henry 19
We are so grateful to our clients, friends, fellow realtors and all the people that have helped us have our best year ever in 2021. This year we have supported many great organizations that have such a positive impact on our community. Wishing you all the best in 2022!
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The Creators of N.C.
Salt of the Earth Building a business together
By Wiley Cash • Photographs by Mallory Cash
The interior of the building is warm
and smells like the ocean. The walls and ceiling are constructed of white corrugated plastic sheets, all of them glowing beneath the bright noonday sun. Nets hang from the ceiling above tables that hold large wooden trays, their bottoms lined with thick, restaurant-grade plastic.
Jason Zombron looks down into one of the trays of white crystals that seem to have arranged themselves in haphazard patterns. If you stare long enough, it appears that the ocean is in each tray, dozens of tides frozen in time, doing their best to return to their previous form. After all, just a few days ago, this salt was floating The Art & Soul of Greensboro
somewhere in the Atlantic, but now it has made its way here to a piece of land in Burgaw, North Carolina, where Jason and his wife, Jeanette Philips, own and operate Sea Love Sea Salt. Jason picks up a small shovel and scoops up a load of crystals, which have hardened into countless geometric shapes, from squares to pyramids. Jeanette stands nearby. “I never get tired of this,” she says, her voice quiet as if she’s whispering a prayer. “Every time I witness it happen, it takes my breath away. It sits here with the sun and the heat until it’s ready to be harvested. We’re not doing anything to make this happen.” While heat and evaporation are the final steps in creating salt, Jeanette and Jason actually do a lot to make it happen before it gets to that point. The venture begins in Wrightsville Beach, where, in a process and at a location that Jason and Jeanette are wisely hesitant to disclose, water is extracted from the ocean and pumped into a 275-gallon tank on the back of a trailer. From there, the water is transported to rural Burgaw and the 3-acre farm that Jason O.Henry 21
The Creators of N.C. and Jeanette own. The water is then pumped from the trailer to a second tank, where gravity takes over and the real work begins. Jason and Jeanette fill tray after tray with water, kinking the hose to stop the flow while arranging the full trays on tables throughout the salt house. The trays will sit in the heat however long it takes for the water to evaporate, leaving nothing but the salt behind. The labor can be taxing, and that’s before the harvesting and the blending of salt with other ingredients even begins, but Jeanette and Jason delight in the work. After all, the chance to spend as much time together as possible is what led them to step into the business of making salt. “Whatever business we set out on, it had to get us together,” Jason says. “That was the most important thing.” “It feels great because we’re passionate about this,” Jeanette adds. “And it’s the first time we’ve gotten to do something creative together.” The two met on a blind date in Asheville. At the time, Jeanette worked in public health, and Jason was in sales for an outdoor provisions company. They both traveled a lot, and they wanted to spend more time together. Jeanette’s sister lived in Seattle, and so the young couple set their wagons west. They made a life in the Northwest, forging successful careers and raising two young children, and they soon realized that they were both interested in food, the growing of it, the preparing of it, and, of course, the eating of it. They also began experimenting with various ways of using different kinds of salts in their cooking. While they loved living in the Northwest, they began to feel hemmed in by their careers and schedules and missed the sense of community they’d felt in the South. Jeanette was born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, and Jason just outside of Washington, D.C. “We wanted to live close to the water,” Jason says. When they moved to Wilmington a couple of years ago, they began to look for a shared business opportunity they could devote themselves to. They learned that Amanda Jacobs, the founder of Sea Love Sea Salt, was looking to sell her growing business. When they met with Amanda, Jeanette brought along a salt recipe she had developed back in Seattle. While there were other suitors who wanted to purchase the business, “No one else brought Amanda a salt,” Jeanette says. Since purchasing the company, Jeanette and Jason have worked to develop new salts to add to a lineup that already includes citrus, Sriracha, rosemary, dill pickle and others. Two flavors they
22 O.Henry
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The Creators of N.C. brought with them from their experiences in Seattle are herb and fennel, and they regularly test various salts at local farmers markets in Wilmington, tracking the responses of their customers. They also have a thriving connection with numerous local restaurants and breweries, most of whom pride themselves on sourcing local products, as do Jason and Jeanette. Almost all their salts are flavored with North Carolina-grown produce. Aside from developing new salts, Jeanette and Jason are planning to develop the land where the business sits. While it contains the salt house and a warehouse, they are building a hoop house to double their capacity — important during the winter, when the time it takes for water to evaporate goes from 10 days in the summer to as long as three weeks in the colder months, when days are shorter. They are planning to host farm-to-table meals featuring local chefs and artists, and are thinking of other creative ways to invite the community to this wooded, quiet piece of land. Jason pours scoops of salt into fine mesh bags that he hangs from the ceiling, salt that could have begun on the other side of the world, now suspended from the rafters in rural North Carolina. “People come here for the ocean,” he says. “This is giving them the chance to taste it.” OH Wiley Cash is the Alumni Author-in-Residence at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. His new novel, When Ghosts Come Home, is available wherever books are sold.
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O.Henry 23
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Omnivorous Reader
Retracing Washington’s Footsteps Touring a nation divided, then and now
By Stephen E. Smith
When historian Nathaniel Phil-
brick decided upon the title Travels with George for his most recent book, he took on a hefty obligation. In three words he employed two significant allusions. First, “Travels with” references Travels with Charley, Steinbeck’s classic travelogue (Charley was Steinbeck’s pet poodle) in which the author of Grapes of Wrath takes a thoughtful look at a sedate 1960s America. Second, the name “George” alludes to the George in American history — George Washington.
Oh, no, you might groan, not another book about Washington. His diaries are available in a four-volume set, there are numerous explications of his writings, and we are inundated with scholarly biographies. Barring newly discovered facets of Washington’s life or a passing reassessment of his faults and virtues, what is there left to say about the man? But if new material were unearthed, Philbrick would likely write about it. He is the author of a dozen popular histories and has a following among middlebrow readers who thrive on fascinating facts about our country’s origins. His works are perceptive and relevant and always worth reading. Travels with George is no exception. The title immediately divides the book into two distinct narratives that Philbrick skillfully intertwines. The first is the “tour.” When Washington became president in 1789, he found America divided into two factions. There were no Republican or Democrat parties, but the country was split by two opposing views of how the government should function: citizens who favored the Constitution (Federalists) and those who didn’t (Anti-Federalists). If the country were to be united, there was one man who possessed the prestige to encourage a sense of unity. So, it was that Washington set out on a 1789-1791 journey that would take him from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in the North to Savannah, Georgia, in the South. He embarked on his tour
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
in a fancy horse-drawn coach (the chariot) and kept a sketchy commentary of his journey. Philbrick and his wife travel by car with their dog, Dora, a red, bushy-tailed Nova Scotia retriever. The physical America they encounter would, of course, be unrecognizable to Washington, but the divisions that trouble our politics would not be foreign to his understanding of democracy. Washington spurned undue adoration. He was not fond of crowds and military honor guards, and he avoided both whenever possible. But he was also sensitive to social and political slights. When Gov. John Hancock of Massachusetts avoided dining with Washington, the first president never forgot the snub. Moreover, the Washington most Americans think they know — Parson Weems’ godlike contrivance — has little in common with the Father of Our Country. “This is the Washington who was capable of punishing an enslaved worker who repeatedly attempted to escape by selling him to the sugar plantations in the Caribbean,” Philbrick writes. “This is the Washington who in the days before leaving for the Constitutional Convention had an enslaved house servant whipped for repeatedly walking across the freshly planted lawn in front of Mount Vernon.” A particularly ghastly example of Washington’s cruelty was his habit of having living teeth pulled from jaws of his slaves and implanted in his own toothless head. The new president completed his tour of the Middle Atlantic states and New England before turning his attention to the states south of Virginia, a part of the country with which he was unfamiliar. Once in North Carolina, he spent the night in Tarboro and left early the next morning to avoid the dust that would be kicked up by a company of local cavalry that planned to escort him to New Bern. When he reached “a trifling place called Greenville,” the riders — and the dust — caught up with him. “By that point Washington had entered a landscape that was new and utterly strange to him,” Philbrick writes, “the domain of the longO.Henry 25
Omnivorous Reader leaf pine — a species of tree most of us in the twenty-first century have never seen but that in the eighteenth century covered an estimated ninety million acres, all the way south from North Carolina to Florida and as far west as Texas.” Washington found the North Carolina landscape a bit unsettling. The longleaf forests were dense and shadowy, and he wrote that the landscape was “the most barren country I ever beheld,” but conceded that “the appearances of it are agreeable, resembling a lawn well covered with evergreens and a good verdure below from a broom of coarse grass which having sprung since the burning of the woods, had a neat and handsome look. . . .” Washington was feted at balls and celebrations. He endured flea-infested beds in dilapidated taverns and the adulation of the ever-present paramilitary escorts. He even inspired a little romantic speculation when he visited with Nathanael Greene’s widow at Mulberry Grove Plantation outside Savannah. From there he passed through Augusta, Camden, Salisbury and Old Salem before returning to Mount Vernon. The second component of Travels with George is not a comparison and contrast with Washington’s tours, but is more a mildly political semi-narrative supported by documents, maps and photographs. The Philbricks and their dog are agreeable company — their perceptions are folksy and laced with wit and intriguing observations — but inevitably, Philbrick must address the political divisions that trouble contemporary America.
After visiting Greene’s plantation, Philbrick wrote: “I was tempted to believe that a monster had been born in Mulberry Grove. But it was worse than that. A monster is singular and slayable. What haunts America is more pervasive, more stubborn, and often invisible. It is the legacy of slavery, and it is everywhere.” Reinforcing this point of view, Philbrick quotes from observations Washington made in his farewell address to the nation. What troubled Washington was what might happen if a president’s priority was to divide rather than unite the American people: “It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration,” Washington wrote. “It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions.” Washington might well have been writing about America at this moment, and readers who find themselves agreeing politically with Philbrick and Washington are likely to experience Travels with George as a pleasant and reassuring read. Those who disagree probably won’t make it beyond the preface. 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.
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O.Henry 27
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Home by Design
Sugar Babies and Fireballs A serendipitous discovery, misinterpreted as theft
By Cynthia Adams
I dove for the Atomic Fireball
where I spied it, lying on the grocery store floor beneath a Lance crackers’ display. My father was talking farm subsidies with Mr. Little, proprietor of the Red & White grocery store.
It was easy to shimmy beneath the wire display and snag reach the prize. The display didn’t topple. A minor miracle. Proof, too, that the fireball was meant for me. I might have escaped with my treasure, which was stuffed inside my jaw, had Mr. Little not offered me the usual free, quarter-sized sucker. I rolled the gob of burning hot candy aside with my tongue and muttered, “Thank you,” clutching the grape sucker with a clock face in bas relief. Not such a big prize in my opinion — suckers were what doctor’s offices dispensed. They occupied the bottom rung of candies in my mind. Briefly, I considered the fact that I had scored both a fireball and a sucker, which seemed a bit of a coup. My father seldom left the Red & White without a paper “sack” of Mary Janes or Tootsie Rolls, which he also loved. He somehow had grown distracted by the endless dissection of soybean crops and forgot about the penny candies. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Had I done something worth rewarding — say, not sassing back or doing my chores without complaint — I got a box of Sugar Babies. Not quite as wonderful as a candy bar but still a high value candy that lasted. Sugar Daddies, the king of all suckers, had a thrillingly destructive reputation. My best friend Judy cracked a front tooth from eating one, henceforth sporting an enviable gold rimmed tooth. Outside, Daddy wheeled on me. “Where did you get that, Cynthia Anne?” he growled, pointing to my bulging jaw. I said what every 5-year-old would have said. “I dunno.” My father placed the groceries inside his never-washed blue Chevy, with the kind of rusted patina that antique pickers now adore, and he gave me the hardest look I had ever gotten — at least since I had rifled through his pants one morning, taking change to play the jukebox at the cafe beside our house. “Chantilly Lace,” with a hit of Butterfingers or Sugar Babies was my heroin, and I would, as proven, even steal for them. I played the “Big Bopper” Richardson hit repeatedly that afternoon, spinning like a whirling dervish, and word got back to my dad. “Don’t you ever steal again,” he ordered. “Or I will tan your hide.” But now my eyes burned, not from the heat of the fireball. I was stung by the injustice. “I didn’t steal it, Daddy,” I whined. “It was on the floor.” “Deny it again and you will get a whipping.” “I didn’t steal it,” I muttered. O.Henry 29
Home by Design He furiously hoisted me onto the truck seat “To think you stole from Mr. Little, who always gives you a free sucker!” At this, I sobbed out, as the burning fireball swiftly became its own punishment. Nobody sucked on a virgin fireball without precautions. Usually, I would have spat the fireball out and run cold water over it until the scalding red coating wore off to get to the safer white sweetness beneath. But I could no more spit out the fireball than I could explain to my father how the ancient law of finders keepers/losers weepers applied to this very situation. Surely, he knew. “You will have to pay Mr. Little. And — ” he paused, swallowing back his anger — “apologize to that fine man. For being a thief.” I sobbed louder, strangling on the fireball, which was burning its way through my inner jaw. My father slammed the old truck into reverse, and we drove the short distance home. “You have really disappointed me,” Daddy muttered as we chugged into the driveway. He was not one to let a thing go. I went to my room, reeling. Now, fireballs represented nothing but trouble — like peppermints did after my sister slapped me on the back, lodging one in my throat. As much as I had hated pep-
permints, I now hated fireballs. I eavesdropped as my father told my mother about the thief in their midst. “She is spoiled, Warren. You did this, always giving her candy,” she replied. I felt the hot tears roll. Both of them! Something desperate and dark took root in my belly. The fireball still burned but lacked the shocking earlier heat. I sucked it until it was a tiny and innocuous orb, usually the best part, the part you suffered for. No finders, keepers, I thought bitterly. Loser/weeper. I later recounted to my sister why I never wanted to return to the Red & White. “I wish I’d never go-ed,” I blurted, swearing off Mr. Little’s free suckers for life. Go, go-ed, my sister would hurl at me long afterward whenever anything went sideways. I winced and resented each time she taunted me, but I nursed a deeper resentment for that roving fireball, which had marked me a bad citizen in the eyes of those who counted most in my world. OH Word to the wise: Don’t leave sweet morsels under displays on the floor when Cynthia Adams, a contributing editor to O.Henry, comes to visit.
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O.Henry 31
Weekend Away
Falling for Folly
The Madcap Cottage gents decamp for a winter escape
By Jason Oliver Nixon
There is something about a
beach town after the season winds down, and the endless streams of SUV-driving visitors pack up and head back to lands farther afield (aka, New Jersey). The air chills. Restaurants resume a sense of normalcy without those tiresome, we-aren’t-on-Open Table waits. The music tones down a notch, and the locals actually say hello.
For a decade I lived year-round in the Hamptons, and every Labor Day, the vibe would shift seismically. For the better. Granted, our coffers were full from the go-go summer season just behind us, so everyone was happy, flush, and ready to hibernate. And there would be no more of those all-too-frequent Range Rover road rage incidents in front of the must-have doughnuts joint until next Memorial Day. Folly Beach in South Carolina boasts that certain off-season magic, too. My partner, John Loecke, and I had visited this vest pocket-sized beach town briefly in the summer, and it bristles with energy. Think fun, funky and just a dash honkytonk. Rooftop terraces pack in the crowds. The groovy al fresco Mexican eatery Chico Feo hosts hipsters 6-deep at the bar ordering dinner (try
32 O.Henry
the mahi-mahi tacos and pozole if you brave the July hordes), and “Park Here!” placards are as ubiquitous as teens in bikinis with ice cream cones. But come fall, as we discovered, the pace slows, and by winter the place has largely cleared out. In November, John and I craved some time away — a long weekend to read books, sit by a fire, walk on the beach and cook — and, on a whim, we decided to try a wintertime Folly. We rented a 1920s-era cottage, Camp Huron, that we had spotted on Instagram, and the house lived up to its billing. Perfectly situated mere blocks from the action but plunked smack upon a postcard-perfect marsh and the Folly River, Camp Huron proved to be the ideal home base. Think an atmospheric white clapboard, one-story cottage with creaky painted-wood floors, two charming bedrooms, a perfect kitchen, clawfoot tubs, a record player, a firepit and barbecue grill, and a front porch kitted out with party lights. And Hollywood-worthy sunsets. Says John, “Imagine stepping into the past but with all of the mod-cons, heaps of thoughtful touches, and lightning-fast Wi-Fi. Fluffy towels. Stacks of wood for the marsh-facing firepit. Elvis on the record player. And wonderful rocking chairs on the front porch. Truly, a small slice of heaven.” The barrier island’s two-blocks-long main drag, Center Street, showcases relaxed, colorful eateries (take note of Taco Boy and Jack of Cups Saloon, in particular) and the usual assortment of beach gear shops and bars. It’s an ideal walking town. In the mornings, we grabbed a coffee at The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Weekend Away
nearby, always-open Bert’s Market with its endless assortment of fresh sandwiches, barbecue and sushi (and oh! the corn dogs). One evening, we stopped at a terrific seafood food truck near the bridge, Crosby’s Fish and Shrimp Co., and picked up fresh, fresh fish and sat on Camp Huron’s back deck bundled up with heaps of candles. Kicking up the camp experience, we paired our meal with a big bottle of Prosecco and Swiss chocolate s’mores. There was a full constellation of stars overhead, and the occasional trawler passed by in the distance with lights flickering. John and I walked the dark-sand beach. We read Nancy Mitford and Caleb Carr — and considered Death in Venice. With to-go sandwiches in tow from Bert’s, we plunked down on the long strands in scarves and sweaters for a lengthy picnic lunch. And we spent a stellar day in nearby, more buttoned-up The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Charleston and environs. We had biscuits at Callie’s. We shopped for vintage finds at the always-inspirational Antiques of South Windermere. Exploration of idyllic Mt. Pleasant was followed by cocktails at the wonderful Post House Inn. At sunset, we headed back to our restorative beachside retreat for another dinner under the stars paired with a superlative Sicilian white. Cold. Crisp. Herons bobbed about in the marsh. And we turned off — ready for a final, blissful morning of doing absolutely nothing. OH The Madcap gents, John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon, embrace the new reality of COVID-friendly travel — heaps of road trips. O.Henry 33
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Birdwatch
Winter Waterbirds Coming in out of the cold
By Susan Campbell
The arrival of cold weather in the
Sandhills and Piedmont also means the arrival of waterfowl. Our local ponds and lakes are the winter home to more than two dozen different species of ducks, geese and swans. Over the years, as water features both large and small have been added throughout the area, the diversity of waterfowl has increased significantly. Although we are all familiar with our local mallards and Canada geese, a variety of aquatic birds frequent our area from November through March.
Certainly, the most abundant and widespread species is the ring-necked duck, flocks of which can be seen diving for aquatic invertebrate prey in shallow ponds and coves. The males have iridescent blue heads, black sides and gray backs. They get their name from the indistinct rusty ring at the base of their necks. The females, as with all true duck species, are quite nondescript. They are light brown all over and, like the males, have a grayish-blue bill with a white band around it. However, the most noticeable of our wintering waterfowl would be the buffleheads. They form small groups that dive in deeper water, feeding on vegetation and invertebrates. The mature males have a bright white hood and body with iridescent dark green back, face and neck. Also, they sport bright orange legs and feet, which they will flash during confrontations. But the females (as well as the immature individuals of both sexes) of this species are drab, too — mainly brown with the only contrast being a small white cheek patch. Interestingly, bufflehead is the one species of The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Buffleheads
migratory duck that actually mates for life. This is generally a trait found only in the largest of waterfowl: swans and geese. There are several types of aquatic birds similar to ducks that can be identified if one can get a good look, which usually requires binoculars. In small numbers, common loons can be seen diving for fish on larger lakes in winter, and even more so during spring and fall migration. Their size and shape are quite distinctive (as is their yodeling song which, sadly, they do not tend to sing while they are here). We have another visitor that can be confused with loons: the double-crested cormorant. Along with its cousin the anhinga, it’s more closely related to seabirds, i.e., boobies and gannets. It is a very proficient diver with a sharply serrated bill adapted for catching fish. It is not uncommon to see cormorants in their “drying” pose. Their feathers are not as waterproof as those of diving ducks, so they only enter water to feed and bathe. Most of their time is spent sitting on a dock or some sort of perch to dry out. Two other species of waterbird can be found regularly at this time of year: pied-billed grebes and American coots. Pied-billed grebes are the smallest of the swimmers we see in winter with light brown plumage, short thick bills and bright white bottoms. Surprisingly, they are very active swimmers. They can chase down small fish in just about any depth of water. American coots — black, stocky birds with white bills — are scavengers, feeding mainly in aquatic vegetation. They can make short dives but are too buoyant to remain submerged for more than a few seconds. Given their long legs and well-developed toes, they are also adept at foraging on foot. You may see them feeding on grasses along the edge of larger bodies of water — or even on the edge of golf course water hazards. OH Susan Campbell would love to receive your wildlife sightings and photos. She can be contacted at susan@ncaves.com. O.Henry 35
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A Star Is Born
Wandering Billy
The rise and fall of State Street’s most beloved — and naughty — movie theater
couple. Kivett describes Mr. [Carl] Lashley as, “tall, kind of stout, both “I don’t take movies seriously and he and his wife dressed like they were anyone who does is in for a headache.” going to church. He always wore a Grimsley students in 1978 posing in front of the Star — Bette Davis sweater and a bow tie. Mrs. [Virgie] Lashley had the prettiest white silver hair, always perfect, a beautiful woman in word and action. Funny, we never knew the Lashleys’ first the Star Theatre is rememnames or thought to ask if they had children of their own.” bered, if it’s remembered at all, as what it became In 1963, 14-year-old Kivett was hired as an usher for the Star. “Mr. and not what it meant in the 1950s and ’60s when Lashley knew me well, knew my mom and dad so I did that for three or four years,” she says. If the crew was thirsty, Mrs. Lashley would it was the center of the entertainment universe pour them a concoction she dreamed up. “She would put a little bit of for kids residing in the Bears Den, Hamtown, orange soda in the cup, mix in some Coke, a little bit of cherry smash Koontz Town, O.Henry Oaks, Pomona, Proximand she called it ‘bourbon.’ We thought we were really drinking someity, Rankin, Revolution, Tenn Acres and White thing special,” Kivett recalls with a chuckle. “You didn’t have a lot of places to go back then,” says Billy Oak neighborhoods, known collectively today as Williamson, a frequent attendee in the early 1960s when the Star was McAdoo Heights. date night central for mill village teens. However, under Mr. Lashley’s Beginning in the 1920s, State Street emerged slowly as a shopping watchful eye, there was no hanky-panky going on in his joint. “You’d mecca for those aforementioned unincorporated enclaves. By the late be over in a corner with a girl and the next thing you know there’d 1940s, the avenue was anchored by North Side Grocery, Kindley’s be a flashlight shining on you,” Williamson recalls from first-hand Place Beer Hall, Marshburn’s Cafe, Moore’s 5 to $1.00 Store and experience. “Mr. Lashley or someone else would break you up,” he Lois Beauty Salon. These mom-and-pop ventures were replacing the says. Because the theater owner knew the kids individually, as well rapidly closing mill villages’ company stores. as most of their families, Williamson would occasionally be pressed After construction was completed in 1949, the Star Theatre into service as an usher. “Sounded like a good time to me. I’ll shine a became State Street’s main attraction — a second-run movie house proflashlight on someone.” jecting well-worn, repaired-with-a-tomahawk prints handed down after If filmgoers got too rowdy, they were directed back into the lobby to their run at more prestigious venues, saddled with multiple sprockets sit on “The Bench.” “Mr. Lashley would watch over them, even correct popping, truncated scenes. them,” Kivett says. “After he thought they had sat there long enough, Vivian Saunders Kivett was born the same year the Star opened. he’d let them back into the theater. If they were too unruly, he’d call “My mom took us there when we were real little. When I was 12 years their parents and tell them to come pick them up.” While the theater old, my parents would let us go there by ourselves,” she says. “It was closed at 11 p.m., “Mr. Lashley would not lock the doors until all the our thing; we’d get out of school on Friday and go over there Friday kids were picked up and gone,” Williamson says. “When I think about night and all day Saturday and Sunday.” it, they were mostly babysitters.” With a capacity of 300 fannies, the Star was owned and operIn 1968, my boujee Latham Park mother somehow discovered — ated by the Lashleys, by all accounts a warm and loving middle-aged just a few blocks away on the wrong side of Elm — what amounted to
By Billy Eye
It’s a shame
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
O.Henry 37
POP Clink
Wandering Billy Fizz
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a 50-cent-an-hour, four-hour-long babysitting service going on at the Star. From that weekend on, I, my brother and sister, along with the King girls who lived next door, ranging in age from 11 (that would be me) down to 6, were dropped off promptly at 11 a.m., with my mom returning at 3 to scoop us up. Movies I remember munching buttered popcorn over were, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Love Bug, Tarzan and the Jungle Boy, Don Knotts and Phyllis Diller comedies, as well as schlockfests like The Green Slime and Island of Terror. Seven-year-old Toot King found the latter so ghastly, she hasn’t watched a horror movie since. In 1969, the Lashleys decided to retire. “After he sold the theater, Mr. Lashley called us all personally,” Kivett recalls. “He said, ‘If I had known they were going to turn it into a porn theater, I never would have sold it to those people. We had no clue.’ He didn’t like it one bit but there was nothing he could do about it.” Literally overnight, the Star went from playing surrealistic Kurt Russell comedies and Beach Blanket Bingo fluff to running X-rated flicks with deceptively benign titles like Blast-Off Girls and Tropic of Sweden. That’s how five innocent children were left standing on the sidewalk at 11 Saturday morning in front of the latest sin-ema experience as the city’s most pernicious perverts paraded by. Heck, how would 12-year-old me know if Tropic of Sweden wasn’t where Godzilla bubbled up from a radioactive primordial ooze? The ticket lady was kind enough to call our house. Problem was, dad was on the golf course and mom was at Belk’s. No one home to answer the phone. We were never seen or heard from again. State Street began declining rapidly at that point. Sadly, the only photo I could find of the Star Theatre was from the 1978 Grimsley High yearbook — natty-looking teenagers brazenly posing in front of a location of ill repute. Asked if they ventured inside after that pic was snapped, one participant answered, “Yeah, probably.” In 1984, State Street underwent a major transformation to become the quaint fashion and food destination frequented by the Irving Park crowd today. Whatever happened to the theater itself? A third of the building houses Dan Boswell Spectrum Salon, the other two thirds is Cafe Pasta, serving exquisite Italian meals for almost four decades. This was a major undertaking. Theater floors slant downward toward the screen, so concrete was poured to elevate the floor. The ceiling was lowered 9 feet, and the projection room was remodeled for upstairs dining. Once again, this spot serves as an enticing, family-owned and oriented setting; although I’m fairly certain no one will shine a flashlight your way should you be canoodling over Ray Essa’s chicken picatta. In the 1980s, Vivian Kivett pulled her car over after spotting Mrs. Lashley walking her poodle outside a townhouse behind the Golden Gate Shopping Center. “She told me that Mr. Lashley had passed away and we got to talking about old times. Then she told me, ‘Ya’ll were our children. I’ve known you since you were a little bitty girl.’ I said, ‘Yes ma’am we were your children. And we always will be, Mrs. Lashley.’” OH Billy Eye is O.G. — Original Greensboro.
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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40 O.Henry
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
January 2022
Against Desirelessness The heart needs more than quiet, more than a home without desire. Sorry old masters, before I can let go, won’t I need to be holding on, refusing to let something loose? In my fist, I hold the aroma of spring, of roses, of mown grass. In my ear, I can still hear the creek and the wren’s song turned to scold, as the snake comes down the tree from her emptied nest. The touch of the breeze as I open my palm.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
— Paul Jones, author of Something Wonderful
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42 O.Henry
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
A short oral history of Piedmont Airlines By Billy Ingram
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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chase [the company] in 1939. He changed it to Piedmont Aviation in 1940, they trained pilots for World War II — both in Winston and in Greensboro. When the war was over, he had all these employees, so he started an airline because he didn’t want to lay off all these people. They started out with three DC-3s. The first flight was February 20th of 1948. They were known as the puddle-jumping airline. Capt. John Williams, Piedmont Airlines pilot from 19791989: Any time you’re a small-scale operation like that, they refer to [you] as a puddle jumper. In the beginning, Piedmont didn’t go too far away from North Carolina. The farthest they went on their first flights was Cincinnati. Richard Eller, author of Piedmont Airlines A Complete History, 1948-1989: In the ’60s, Winston-Salem expanded rapidly due to several large industries that were really much bigger than the city itself. But they made Winston-Salem so much more important. Think about R.J. Reynolds [Tobacco Co.], which had been there for a very long time; Krispy Kreme was there; TW The Art & Soul of Greensboro
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE PIEDMONT AVIATION HISTORICAL SOCIETY
et’s face it. Commercial flying has devolved into traveling in a cloud-bound cattle car. Not only is there no decent cud to chew on, but the onboard entertainment too often consists of free-for-alls up and down the fuselage, flight attendants overwhelmed by Karens and Kevins prone to engage in unrestrained, unctuous behavior. Blanket or last-minute cancellations, overbooked flights, intrusive security measures, soaring ticket prices, interminable terminal wait times, claustrophobic accommodations — all adding up to an overall unpleasant experience. That wasn’t always the case. There was once a homegrown airline with a can-do spirit, piloting truly friendly skies. A bygone era when flying was a genuine pleasure, when stepping through the airplane door made you feel as if you’d already arrived home. Piedmont Airlines was the vision of Winston-Salem entrepreneur Thomas Henry Davis (1918-1999), who transformed a ragtag collection of nearly obsolete aircraft into a world-class operation — and perhaps the most beloved air passenger carrier of all time. But don’t take my word for it. Chris Runge, curator for Piedmont Aviation Historical Society: Piedmont Airlines started out as Camel City Flying Service in Winston-Salem. Piedmont CEO Tom Davis was asked to pur-
Garner [the makers of Texas Pete]; Hanes. And Piedmont was one of those really big companies. Chris Runge: Piedmont made Winston-Salem the busiest airport in the state in 1963, based on departures. It had a huge impact on the city. There was the headquarters, a reservation center . . . They had a fabric center, a woodworking center, Piedmont Aerospace Institute. It was a really big deal. John Williams: First off, it was not a job. Practically everybody knew everybody. Practically everybody knew everybody’s family. Who was sick, who’s going on vacation. It wasn’t a busybody, put-your-nose-in-somebody-else’s-business thing. It’s just like you were working with your family. That term, family — that needs to be stressed because after having worked for USAir, US Airways . . . American and Delta, none of them even vaguely resembled Piedmont Airlines. They were overly businesslike, very cool and efficient. At Piedmont, you were pretty much on a first-name basis with everybody. Holley Greene Rogers, Piedmont Airlines flight attendant from 1983-1989: In the early ’80s, the job market was not that great. Every 23 year old in North Carolina was trying to get a job as a flight attendant with Piedmont. I thought I’d just do it for a few years and ended up staying for 22 years (with Piedmont and then US Airways). The Art & Soul of Greensboro
It’s not really a career choice; it’s a lifestyle. They still allowed smoking when I got hired in ’83. I had to keep my uniform in a separate closet — it stunk so bad from the smoke. Flight attendants work hard today, but they don’t serve meals like we used to. We used to sling out a hot meal between Greensboro and New York, give everybody a hot towel, give them two drinks, clean up that cart and land. We really worked but it was still so much fun. Sharon Carroll Williams, Piedmont Airlines flight attendant from 1984-1989: It was all about attractiveness when I started. Flight attendants had to be at least 5' 3" and you couldn’t wear glasses. They weighed us. You had to be a certain weight to get the job, and we never knew when we opened the door of an aircraft whether our supervisor would be standing there, which meant it was time to get weighed again. In the 1990s, airlines stopped doing weight checks because it was considered discrimination. The airlines found a way around this. During our yearly FAA [evacuation simulations], they made us exit through the smallest window, so that became the way they evaluated your weight. Before I started, you could not be married and be a flight attendant. That was a strict rule. If you got married as a flight attendant in the ’60s and ’70s, you had to quit your job. Holley Greene Rogers: The longer you stayed, the more seniorO.Henry 45
ity you accrued. You’re given a pay number the day you’re hired and that’s your number forever. That dictates whether you get on a flight or whether someone senior gets on ahead of you. The pilots never wanted to leave an employee at the gate. Something Piedmont would do, they’d say, “C’mon, you can ride jumpseat in the cockpit.” You would never see that with an airline today. Chris Runge: The 727 has what you call your rear air stairs — the stairs that come out of the back of the plane. If a passenger missed a flight and the plane was halfway down the tarmac, the agent would call out to the plane, they’d stop, the pilot would drop the air stairs. The passenger would run out on the tarmac, jump up the back of the plane and they’d lift it up and go. Their motto was “Don’t leave anybody behind. Ever.” And they didn’t. Richard Eller: The pilots were seemingly having the time of their lives. Because they flew to the same places a lot, that created a kind of family between the pilots and flight attendants and the people there. They stayed in the same places, they partied in the same hotels. There was a camaraderie. Holley Greene Rogers: Every pilot I ever flew with was a gentleman. I never had any Piedmont pilots harass me in any way whatsoever. But they would tell some off-color jokes. John Williams: Yes, we would share an off-color joke every once in a while — if you knew that nobody was going to get offended. But for the most part, we were encouraged to be southern gentlemen. We had a good time. There’s no question about it . . . but it was very businesslike in the cockpits and on the aircraft. Capt. Lori Cline, Piedmont Airlines pilot from 1984-1989: I was not just the youngest female captain ever. I was the youngest captain, period. You cannot command an aircraft as a captain until you’re 23. I was able to get my certification on my birthday
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and I flew that day with my fourth stripe. So, conceivably, there can be no one younger. That was when I was with Atlantis Airlines [Eastern Express]. I was about the 14th . . .16th woman pilot hired at Piedmont. So, there had been many trailblazers before me. Of course, there were always pilots that had never flown with a woman before. It’d be like, “Oh, another woman in my cockpit.” That was a difficult time. They wanted to not like women pilots, but then, when they saw that you were professional and you were a nice person it’s like, well OK, maybe this isn’t so bad. Holley Greene Rogers: Tom Davis understood that your employees are the greatest asset you have, and he treated us like gold. His son was a pilot and his daughter was a flight attendant for Piedmont. John Williams: I flew Tom Davis a lot. He had a home in Wilmington, and we would fly from Winston or Greensboro, fly him down there as a passenger all the time. The thing that amazed me about him was — and I’m sure he probably had help — but he would come through the cockpit and greet everybody by their first name. That impressed me, that he went to that detail. He was quite the gentleman and scholar, just a great guy. Chris Runge: Tom Davis made a point of knowing everybody’s name and that’s the one thing everyone will always tell you: that “he always called me by my name.” What they didn’t know was that, before he would enter a station on the system, whether it be Greensboro or Fayetteville or Richmond, he had a little black notebook and he would check it. Because the last time he was there, he would write down “tall red hair, David. Short black hair, Joe.” He would go over that list, refresh himself with their names. Lori Cline: Piedmont was very progressive, even for the ’80s. There’s a famous picture of myself in the right seat of a 727 with The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Bill Wilkerson, who is a captain of color, and a young flight engineer who couldn’t have been 21. We took [the photo below] in 1986. That was very progressive for an airline to have an AfricanAmerican as a captain and a female co-pilot on a 727. We didn’t take the photograph because it was anything we were trying to document. Captain Wilkerson had just gotten a new camera for his birthday and he said, “Let’s take a picture.” We re-created it for the 70th anniversary celebration of Piedmont Airlines in 2018 and presented it to the N.C. Transportation Museum. You look back at it now as airlines struggle for diversity today and, gosh, Piedmont was doing it back in the ’80s. I think that says a lot about Tom Davis’ vision for the future of what the airline flight deck components should look like. Chris Runge: One of the things that employees thought was most special at Christmas was that everyone got a crisp, brand-new $100 bill from Mr. Davis. He would deliver it to them personally. Eventually the airline grew into a major carrier with 24,000 employees, so he couldn’t hand deliver each one, but you do the math — 24,000 employees times a hundred bucks. Lori Cline: One year we got $100 for Christmas and a check to pay for the taxes. Turkeys at Thanksgiving. They took good care of their people. Holley Greene Rogers: I’m a baby at Christmas. I like to be home with my family. I only had to work my first two Christmases because they hired so many people after me. I usually had to work The Art & Soul of Greensboro
New Year’s Eve, but I didn’t care about that. It would be a little hard to be in a hotel with your crew, but the crew would always do something, somebody would bring some good food and cookies and we’d just make the best of it, you know? Sometimes you might be in New York or some lovely town with beautiful lights and you could walk around and see the sights. It was over before you knew it. Lori Cline: I loved to fly Christmas. I didn’t have children at the time, so I would purposely fly Christmas because I always thought people with kids should be able to get to stay at home. You brought gifts for your crew, you brought a little Christmas tree, decked out the galley and decorated as best you could. And everybody would be in such great spirits and have a great layover. If you couldn’t be with your at-home family, you were with your airline family on a really special day. John Williams: I only had one Christmas that I worked. That was just by pure happenstance. Lots and lots of New Year’s, but I volunteered to do those. A lot of people like to party on New Year’s. I never did, so I flew a lot of those flights. Got a good night’s sleep in a hotel room. Chris Runge: Piedmont was named “Airline of the Year” in 1984. They started service to Los Angeles on April 1st of that year. You would fly from Greensboro to Charlotte and have a brief layover. That’s when they would board all the passengers who purchased the nonstop flight to L.A. They needed what was called extended range aircraft, the 727-200. O.Henry 47
But they weren’t ready. They used the regular 727, which didn’t have the capacity to go all the way across the country without refueling. So they’d have to stop at places like Tulsa and, because they didn’t give the passengers nonstop service, at the end of the flight the pilot would come around and pass out $100 bills to first-class, $50 bills to coach. People would get off the plane and say, “You know, if you do this all the time, we don’t care about Tulsa. We’ll fly with you every time we come out here.” They were just so big on customer service. I mean, that was number one. Lori Cline: Without a doubt, my favorite airplane of all time was the Boeing 727 for Piedmont Airlines, which was a workhorse for the industry during the ’70s and ’80s before it was retired for being considered inefficient, fuel-wise, due to its third engine. And to this day, before I retire, if I could get to fly one airplane again, it would be that classic Cadillac one last time. John Williams: The 727 series was just a horse. It was a great flying airplane. I also liked the 767, both of them are Boeings. You can pretty much say any of the Boeings were tip-top, number one, but my absolute favorite was the 727. I’m lucky. I’ve never had an engine shut down on its own. Never had a fire while airborne. Our training, by the way — I need to say this out loud — our training department fully equipped each and every pilot with all the tools necessary to react to anything that happened. They taught you every nut and bolt on the airplane. Our 727 training was, if anything, overkill. Components you couldn’t touch,
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that you couldn’t access, but you knew what it was, where it was and how to treat it in case something went wrong. The training these days? The emphasis on detail has been detuned. Lori Cline: Piedmont’s flight training was known to be one of the more difficult schools. I remember watching an entire slide presentation on the windshield wiper assembly and the nuts and bolts that held the windshield wipers onto the windscreen and thought, “Oh, my God. It was like a 20-minute presentation on the windshield wipers. We haven’t even gotten to the engine yet!” Sharon Carroll Williams: I tell this story in my book [Life at 36,000 Feet: Where Faith and Fear Connect]. One close call happened in Roanoke where the Captain couldn’t determine whether the landing gear was fully locked into position before landing. When landing gear fails to hold and an aircraft needed to “belly in” for a landing, it meant an increased risk of fire. As the captain explained the situation over the intercom, the passengers got really quiet. So we had to ready the cabin for an emergency landing, which included instructing everyone in the brace position, then we went about securing everything. When I looked out the windows, I could see all the firetrucks ready with the foam. When the landing gear held tight, the passengers erupted into cheers and applause. Holley Greene Rogers: Piedmont was bought by USAir in ’89, but mostly everybody I flew with was hired by Piedmont. It was a completely different attitude. It wasn’t the same at all. We always hoped it would be Piedmont buying USAir, but stockholders wanted The Art & Soul of Greensboro
to cash in, so that’s how it turned out. Richard Eller: They always called it a merger, but it really wasn’t. The old adage that some people quoted to me was that, “We’re going to blend cool Northern efficiency with warm Southern hospitality,” and that didn’t work. In those last couple of years, after USAir bought Piedmont, they tried to run it as two separate airlines. That didn’t work. People used to refer to them as Useless Air. Chris Runge: August 4th of 1989 was the last flight. That’s when the real dismantling of Piedmont began. USAir started to institute their policies and their way of doing things. They ended service to the smaller cities. And gosh, they just . . . I mean . . . morale sunk, passenger complaints soared. They went from first to worst in so many categories like on-time performance, lost baggage . . . Richard Eller: Every person I interviewed for the book and the documentary [Speedbird: The History of Piedmont Airlines] truly regarded Piedmont as a family. One of the pilots said that he was asked one time, “What are you going to do for Christmas? You going home to your wife and kids? Or are you going to hang out with your family?” Meaning the airline.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
A couple of pilots said they told Mr. Davis that, if he wanted to start another airline someplace else, they would quit their jobs and follow him. It’s a testament to the kind of company that Tom Davis built with Piedmont, how loyal these folks were. Rick Amme, news anchor WXII, Aug. 4, 1989: I said it all week and I’ll say it again: The Piedmont will not be the same without Piedmont Airlines. OH Billy Ingram’s book Hamburger2, (mostly) about Greensboro, is available as a free PDF for your Kindle or other devices at tvparty.com/1hamburger.html
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Tiger Beetle, 15 x 12 inches, watercolor
Droll, Deft and Delightful
Marie Stone-van Vuuren colors her art with realism and wit By Maria Johnson
H
ow would a crow hold a cup of tea? Set aside, for a moment, the larger question of why a crow would hold a cup of tea. Right now, it’s enough to know that Greensboro artist Marie Stone-van Vuuren was determined to figure out how. She studied pictures of crows’ feet. Real crows’ feet, not the kind women are supposed to care about. She took modeling clay, rolled out four knobby bird toes — three in front, one aft — and wrapped them around the handle of an earthenware mug until she knew exactly how a crow would latch on. Which brings us back to the question of why a crow would do such a thing. Answer: Because Stone-van Vuuren wanted it to. Because she lives in a neighborhood full of crows, and they’re always in her visual field, pecking and cawing at her imagination. Because the idea struck her as funny and absurd — a lowly crow taking a spot of tea, just as a distinguished Brit might. When you look at it that way — and understand that one of Stone-van Vuuren’s favorite books is Young Years: Best Loved Stories and Poems for Little Children, an illustrated volume from 1960 — it seems inevitable that she would take up watercolor and ink to create three crows standing shoulder to shoulder, thinking crow-ish thoughts, while one pauses for refreshment. Crow Takes Tea is one of her most popular pieces, in terms of affection and sales.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Which is nice, but not necessary. What’s necessary is for Stone-van Vuuren to be delighted by her work. “I’m not the kind of artist who likes edgy, dark, crude subjects,” she says, brushing off the notion that heavyweight art rests on heavy subjects. “Maybe it’s academia that puts that idea out there. I don’t know. But it doesn’t leave room for the silly, the delightful, the fanciful,” she says. “I just want to be a lighter person.” Growing up in Detroit in the 1960s and 1970s, Stone-van Vuuren endured enough trauma to last a lifetime. Her home was burglarized. Two friends were shot. She lived with domestic violence and alcoholism. Her congenital hip dysplasia required five surgeries. “I was bullied and teased because I walked funny,” she says. Art was a refuge. In high school, she drew portraits of musician Frank Zappa and taped them inside her locker. She decorated the chalkware lamps and statuary that her parents fabricated in their shop in Hamtramck, a blue-collar appendage of the Motor City. Her father showed her how to create faux surfaces, a skill that shows up in her work today. “He taught me how to marble and do some weird effects,” she says. When Stone-van Vuuren was 19, her parents moved to High Point to be near the furniture industry. She followed later, typing and organizing her way through administrative jobs at United Guaranty, the Greensboro Jaycees and the Center for Creative Leadership. She crossed departmental lines at CCL. O.Henry 51
Cicada, 8 x 10 inches, watercolor and ink
Australian Velvet Worm, 13 x 11 inches, watercolor and ink
A is for Ant, 24 x 16 inches, watercolor and ink
“I went from administrative work to IT because I was really good with computers. I was on the help desk for a while, then I got into project management, and they were like, ‘Ooo, you can do graphic design,’ so I did more and more of that,” she says. When a career counselor suggested that she get a bachelor’s degree, Stone-van Vuuren became a contractor to CCL and enrolled at Guilford College, at age 35, to study music. But even with a degree — she taught classical guitar for a few years after graduating — music never came as easily as graphic design. “I realized I was good at it, and I loved it,” she says with a smile. “It was all CCL’s fault.” Visual art became her mainstay. She set two tracks for herself: a practical path for money and a whimsical path for joy. As a freelance designer and project manager, she took — and continues to take — jobs from a variety of clients. She draws business logos, devises fundraising campaigns, illustrates books, paints pet portraits and renders site plans and buildings for developers. “I married my love of art with my business savvy,” she says. “I found a way to join those two things. It’s like a Reese’s Cup, you know?” For pleasure, she picks up a brush and turns her imagination loose — a practice she considers vital to her growth. “When you get into the people-pleasing stuff, your art is on a slippery slope,” she says. Stone-van Vuuren spends many happy hours in her home studio, spilling watercolors, ink and mica onto paper to create dreamy backgrounds. She might add reactive agents, such as salt or alcohol. Sometimes, she prints her abstract broths with leaves, grasses or other textured material. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
To reveal pockets of chromatic energy, she snips the dried paper into card-size pieces. If a foreground figure suggests itself, she coaxes it out with ink or watercolor. Other times, starting with a subject in mind, she sketches an image on paper, paints the shape with a rubberized masking fluid then drizzles color over the resist. When the background dries, she peels off the coating and fills in the blanks with her characters. She favors outcasts — bugs, crows, squirrels, cats and the like. “I like to shine a light on things people don’t like. I will make you like them. They might not be pretty, but if you look deeply, the beauty is there. Maybe if I draw it big enough, I can help you see it,” she says. She can go textbook on her subjects, zooming in to reveal subtle patterns, hues and symmetry. Goliath beetles never looked so charming. She can go storybook, too, bestowing her critters with human behaviors and accessories. A wolf wears a red scarf. A goat mouths a pair of eyeglasses by one temple. A praying mantis answers a knock at its door. Three cats, dressed as the Magi, proceed bearing gifts. A cockroach known as Mr. Scuttles lies on his back, spiny arms linked behind his head as he meditates. Mr. Scuttles is a stock character in Stone-van Vuuren’s menagerie. She first drew him in the fall of 2019 as a part of Inktober, an online challenge that feeds artists daily prompts. For the prompt “ring,” she drew Mr. Scuttles tapping a desk bell for service. For “wild,” she put him astride a chopper-style motorcycle. O.Henry 53
Crow Takes Tea, 37 x 20 inches, watercolor and ink
For “ancient,” she wrapped him like a mummy in toilet paper. “Everybody loved Mr. Scuttles,” she says. “He’s funny. He’s a cockroach. It’s ironic.” She points to a February 2020 group exhibit at The Artery Gallery in Greensboro, her last show before COVID hit. The works depicting Mr. Scuttles scurried out of the shop quickly. The gallery asked her to bring whatever cockroach art she had left. “I think we sold almost all of it,” says Esia Ackley, co-owner of the gallery. “In fact, I purchased one. It’s Mr. Scuttles drinking tea. He’s in my kitchen. Other people might be like, ‘Why would you put that in your kitchen?’ but I like it. It looks like Mr. Scuttles could have a wonderful conversation with you. There’s a whole story you can imagine about it.” Clark Whittington is another fan of Stone-van Vuuren’s work. He owns Art-o-mat, a Winston-Salem–based company that converts old cigarette vending machines into art dispensers and leases them to high-traffic businesses. AOM stocks the machines with $5 works from an international pool of creators, most of whom view the pocket-size art as a calling card that could lead to bigger projects.
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“Marie always over-delivers,” Whittington says. “She doesn’t compromise her work just because of what’re selling.” Her works for AOM — she confirms they’ve sparked lots of commissions — include 50-piece runs of bugs, robots, big-screen monsters and famous film directors. Her love of cinema, especially costume and set design, extends to collaborations with her husband, filmmaker Stephen van Vuuren, whose best-known work is In Saturn’s Rings, a 2018 theater-released documentary narrated by LeVar Burton. (Read more in the June 2015 issue of O.Henry: https://issuu.com/ohenrymag/ docs/june_2015_oh_ad_list/42) Stephen van Vuuren also shoots and does postproduction work on commercials, music videos and indie films. The couple’s company, SV2 Studios, embraces the creative output of both. “We’re not following a conventional approach to life,” Marie Stone-van Vuuren says. “But any other way, and we would kind of be dead inside.” She has stayed busy since the pandemic began. She continues The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The Bat, 3 x 5 inches, watercolor and ink
to sell through fineartamerica.com and pixels.com, which reproduce her images on prints, pillows, tote bags, cards, yoga mats, and face masks among other items. At 62, Stone-van Vuuren will resume gallery shows when she feels safe asking people to assemble indoors. She’s tinkering with the idea of virtual shows. She’s also reflecting on the nature of her work “I kind of wanted to pause anyway, to take a step back and think about what I want to do in this next chapter. Moving forward, what does my art look like? I like to explore and do different things. We’re multifaceted people, and I think art should reflect that. I just want to see what else is in there and what will emerge if I give it room.” Recently, she finished an Art-o-mat series featuring a notch-eared, crookedtailed cat penned with a playful, mid-century flair. “Is it high art? Nah,” she says. “But is it fun? Yeah.” If the kitty tickles other people, that’s a bonus. “It’s good to know my art is making people laugh in a good way,” she says. “Finding delight is a righteous goal.” OH See more of Stone-van Vuuren’s work at mariestoneart.com. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Mr. Scuttle Finds His Inner Child, 6 x 9 inches, watercolor and ink
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The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The New
Bohemians Revitalizing a Tudor home with light and love
By Cynthia Adam • Photographs by Amy Freeman
new chapter in an historic Sunset Hills home is being written by renovation warriors Adrienne Johnston and Zach Haines, who are bringing light and youth to a venerable, old home. Seth, their beloved pet, may just be their design avatar, as he has already benefitted from their redesigns. For instance, Seth ambles past Johnston, silently crossing the sun-soaked kitchen to a new French door. Pausing nonchalantly to push it open, he heads outdoors. The owners considered all angles in making their redesign functional, and the new door, which opens to a side garden, was installed with him in mind. “And for the light and access,” Johnston says. As the French door silently opened then closed behind him, I squeaked, “How’d he do that?” “I installed a spring hinge on the door so Seth can let himself in,” she grinned. “I get that reaction a lot.” Seth may have been the inspiration for certain design decisions, but seems not to appreciate the smart herringbone pattern of the new kitchen floor. Nor did he notice the sparkling white quartz countertops that arrived to Johnston’s delight just that week — about snout high by his reckoning. He was immune to all the subtle details, The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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from ceiling to floors, that his owners spent months poring over and selecting. The neutral and large kitchen — the beating “heart of the house” — became the initial focus of the couple’s efforts. The kitchen, in fact, is where Johnston — a marketing director working in sales and product development for Culp Inc. in High Point — often works remotely, as pandemic norms called for new ways of using available space. “I also move to the sun porch. I don’t like working from only one space.” Then Johnston anticipates the next question as Seth remerges in the kitchen: “What is he?” she quips about their 70-pound dog. “Much larger than I expected.” As it happens, “DNA revealed that Seth’s a Bernese Mountain Dog mixed with Brussels Griffon and a little bit of poodle. I owned him a year before I met Zach.” And consider this: The couple married just last summer, midst a flurry of renovations and a stubbornly unending pandemic. Haines is the head soccer coach at High Point University. He walks into the kitchen, refilling a coffee mug, before heading out on a recruiting trip to South Carolina. “I really en-
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joy recruiting,” he says, encouraged by having completed a strong season. Following a five-year program at North Carolina State in design and textiles, Johnston went to work with Culp, a leading provider of upholstery and mattress fabrics. She also works on occasional fabric projects with designer friend Linda Lane. “I met Zach about a month after he moved here to become head soccer coach at HPU,” she says. Haines had just relocated to the Triad from Denver, and, while he grew up in Jamestown, most of his friends now live elsewhere. At that time, he was living in WinstonSalem and Johnston was living in Greensboro, yet both worked in High Point. They met April 7, 2019, for coffee at Krankies in WinstonSalem — and ended up staying for hours, but not for the java. The two shared mutual good friends, and their connection, Haines says, was instantaneous. Even soccer played a role in their relationship. “He had gone to Carolina and played soccer there. I grew up playing soccer,” she adds. “So, The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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we both love the [soccer] series Ted Lasso.” Johnston then lived in a bungalow on Wright Avenue nearby, one that was in the process of being remodeled. Haines moved in and liked the house despite its small size. Now the couple, with Seth firmly by their side, are joyfully restoring their first truly major reno, one spring hinge, refinished floor, relocated wall and aesthetic update, at a time. Room by lovely room. They have wasted no time in pulling the 1926 Tudor into the 2020s. The first floor is largely completed apart from one room off the kitchen. The second floor is still under renovation. The rustic third floor, Haines’ lair, is both home office and a sportsman’s retreat, just as he likes it. No matter the many hours logged as DIYers, the couple is as in love with the house as they were when they found it. Dauntless and dogged remodelers, they have earned their chops. “It made sense. I liked the financial aspect of buying this house,” Haines says. “Adrienne liked the design aspect.” She was no stranger to fixer-uppers, taking mental notes as her parents renovated at least five houses during her youth in Raleigh. “My parents would fix up the house while we lived in it and flip it,” Johnston says. “I grew up interested in the redoing craze … obsessed with (the television show) Trading Spaces when a kid.” Proof of her obsession?
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“I had a ‘Trading Spaces’ themed 10? 12? birthday party where my friend had to come help me paint my bedroom, sew curtains, paint furniture, etc.” At the time, she had a bedroom downstairs with an adjacent bathroom: “My parents let me paint the bathroom bright fuchsia, along with the ceiling in my bedroom. They were always very encouraging and supportive of all of my art endeavors,” she says. Handily, Johnston’s folks live in Sunset Hills on Madison Avenue, becoming avid pet sitters when renovation calls. “My love for houses came from my mom — one thing we’ve always bonded over, spending free time rearranging furniture (all the time), styling shelves, drawing a million dream floor plans of our houses just for fun.” Now in her early 30s, Johnston’s youthful obsession was about to be put to test. “Zach and I had started thinking seriously for first time about buying a fixer upper. We put an offer in on a house that didn’t work out. We looked at others.” Yet Johnston was conflicted. “I didn’t think I could love a house as much as my first house.” The pair resolved to stay put and renovate the bungalow’s small kitchen and back porch. Assisted by Lane, the kitchen redesign opened up and improved on an already charming home. Then they walked straight into their destiny. “We were two weeks into that kitchen renovation when we were out on our daily walk and came across the for-sale sign in the front yard of a Greenway Drive house,” Johnston says. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
An imposing, large Tudor was situated on a heavily shaded corner near a park. “It was big,” Johnston thought uncertainly. “But Zach was smitten.” They made an immediate appointment to see the house. “Zach was already 100 percent convinced before we showed up [to meet the Realtor]. I was hesitant because I’ve never really liked Tudors … and this house was very big. And we had just started a renovation!” Perhaps too big. The Tudor was triple the square footage of their bungalow, she says. Then, she smiles. “I have to say I was pretty sold the minute we walked in.” Again, blame the pandemic. Blame Johnston’s need for a project. But neither Johnston nor Haines wanted to rethink it. The Tudor had to be theirs, and the couple made an offer on the spot. They later rented the bungalow to a close friend. Johnston, formerly a sworn “maximalist,” found the “new” house comfortable and cozy, if a bit closed off and dark. It needed a bit of minimalizing. The couple celebrated with champagne in the empty house after the owner kindly offered a key. “We had the most fun afternoon, brought a cooler over and popped champagne in the house that hopefully was going to be ours,” she recalls. “We got to know the owner, Jenny [Forbis], during the buying process,” she says. They found her absolutely charming. What’s more, “she loved this house so incredibly much. She had raised her kids and grandkids here and wanted to sell it to someone who would love it as much as she loved it.” More excitement was afoot. “Zach and I got engaged three days before we closed on the house,” she adds. “I was completely shocked because I didn’t think he had a ring yet.” The couple took possession July 8, 2020, working on the house a month before moving in. They took down wallpaper, ripped up carpet, refinished floors and painted every surface. “The flow of the downstairs was strange and kind of tricky to figure out,” she says. They knew they wanted to do a big renovation but couldn’t resist living in the space before they started. “Zach put together the budget.” “Very practical,” she adds. “In typical Adrienne and Zach fashion we started renovating the (Tudor) kitchen two months before our wedding.” They got married in Manteo on July 24, 2021. There was a perfect full moon, they recall, and they pared the guest list down to 100 given COVID. After a trip to Ocracoke, the newlyweds returned to a massive project. “Linda had taught me quite a bit during the renovation at the bungalow, so she was an incredible resource,” Johnston says. “Also, we got lucky with great subcontractors. One is just incredible.” She coyly jokes about withholding his name given artisans are in high demand. “And having people you trust on the job is key,” she adds. Meanwhile both mothers, who are design and artistically savvy, were helping.” “I tell him he married his mother,” Johnston jokes, exploding with laughter. He is surrounded by designing women, she says. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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Her mother studied art history at UNC. Haines’ mother is an interior designer. The couple faced a sprawling project that would benefit by the input of both mothers and designer friend Lane. But Johnston, who “always underestimates herself,” according to Haines, had spent years of college inside design labs. She wanted the redesigned kitchen to be calm, sophisticated and a little bit dramatic — new classics with a light touch. She prepared an immediate punch list: 1. Move the back door to central location to help with flow. 2. Create sight lines between kitchen and den. (House always felt very disconnected between staircase.) 3. Add more windows to kitchen for more natural light. (very dark, and I can’t handle a dark kitchen.) 4. Add side yard access for our dog. 5. Have a kitchen area where people can hang out since they entertain a lot and both of them love to cook. Inspired “by an Amber Interiors kitchen I had seen on Instagram, I used that to help guide my decisions,” Johnston says. “I started taking [online] SketchUp courses for interiors because I don’t have a computer-aided design system,” she says. She also happened upon floorplanner.com, which, she says, is “not super advanced but got the
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job done. It also helped me be able to pitch different layouts to Zach because they have a 3D mode to visualize things beyond just a flat floor plan.” Using Photoshop to figure out proportions and fixtures, Johnston determined how tall the backsplash would be, the scale and placement of light fixtures, countertops, and even the configuration of cabinetry and hardware. The couple knocked out a wall, filling six garbage cans with rubble. “There were no sight lines, so we opened it up,” Johnston says. The previous owner’s design relied on a rainbow of colors, wallpapers, stained glass and faux painted surfaces. “The interior was wild,” Johnston says. Stained glass throughout the house was not original but part of a prior reno. One window “seemed ecclesiastical,” Lane notes. And light blocking. Tudors famously lack natural light. “And light,” Lane adds “is the key to these houses.” Fortuitously, a friend of the couple worked with Visual Comfort lighting and stayed with them during the High Point markets. She suggested classic pendant and other kitchen lights and made lighting suggestions elsewhere. One was brought straight from the showroom. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The emerging décor is an evolution of the couple’s style. Johnston mixed family pieces from both sides. An inherited vintage sofa in a luminous fabric from an aunt in Palm Beach is a focal point in the breakfast area. A vintage chair and console from Haines’ family are in the living room. Johnston layered organic finishes, neutral colors and a mix of vintage and new rugs. She spent time, mastering hand weaving, dyeing fabric and screen printing. A vivid weaving of her own hangs in the breakfast area, inspired by one from Ghana over the living room sofa. Influences from time spent in Ghana and Prague bring eclectic color to a neutral ground. The home’s new interiors are chic, lighter, more luminous. “I always thought I’d be a maximalist, but I’m surprised I wanted it calm and quiet,” she says. “I chose classic colors and finishes.” Viewing this as a long-term home made her avoid trends. It has, in her words, “influenced decisions.” In the living room, an art book about new bohemians is in a stack of art books, opposite a velvet mossy brown sofa upholstered with nail heads, snagged at a West Elm sale. Mid-century slipper chairs were found at High Point Antique’s Center. These are Johnston’s prized possession. By sheer luck, Johnston discovered the coffee table originally belonging with the chairs at Lindley Park Vintage. The third floor, Johnston says, is her husband’s domain, leading to a large, masculine space with a dart board and TV screens. “Zach has free rein in the attic room; he comes up here every single night,” she says. “As a college soccer coach, he watches a lot of film and can work here.” They have lots of plans to entertain, especially wanting to invite family members of the original builder over. Generations of families over a century have loved the home. “Jenny loved this house,” Johnston says. “We love this house.” Luckily, Johnston and Haines, who both love renovating, have found just the place to keep that love alive for years to come. As for now, Johnston cannot imagine trading spaces with anyone. OH Cynthia Adams is a contributing editor to O.Henry. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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Advertising with O.Henry has brought in many new clients who were not aware of our existence. Their designers and staff are so talented, creative, and easy to work with. They have done an excellent job designing ads that showcase our custom made desserts. We have worked hard to develop unique flavors and designs of desserts that look great and taste even better. Life can be hard… desserts and advertising them should be easy peasy.
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contact Larice White 336.944.1749, larice@ohenrymag.com
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
A L M A N A C
January By Ashley Walshe
J
anuary is a waltz between a warm den and the bleak and frigid landscape. Inside, movement is unhurried, ritualistic. The fire crackles. The gentle cadence of the cat lapping water is a dreamy incantation. You drift into the kitchen. Creaky floorboards spill their secrets in your wake. From the deep silence of this winter morning, each sound is its own poem. Even the coffee has a pulse, cascading from dripper to mug like a dark and fragrant river. The rhythmic clanking of sugar spoon against ceramic mimics rustic wind chimes. A plume of steam dances like a risen cobra. Outside, dawn slowly breaks. A lonely titmouse greets the day. No need to rush. Trust. You’ll know when it’s time to leave the den. Whether you’re walking to the car or the woodshed or a mile down the road, you are ready for a sacred pilgrimage. Days like today, when the air stings like nettle, invisible treasure is afoot: silence for deep listening; stillness for the same; nothingness to spark discovery. As your feet drum against the frozen earth, consider the world that sleeps below: the dormant roots and seeds, the creatures cozy in their burrows. And when the soft light kisses your windburned face, consider the sun, ceaselessly rising, ceaselessly giving of its warmth. Consider how you are both — the dreamer and the rising sun. January gives you what you need. The wind sweeps through what’s still here and the titmouse sings out. You hum a few shaky notes, unearth buried treasure on the long waltz home.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
All That Simmers
The new year calls for a fresh start. Or at least a fragrant simmer pot. Creating a stovetop potpourri can be a fun and soothing ritual. Start with a pot of water. Consider what you’d like to invoke: brightness (lemon slices), warmth (cinnamon sticks) or clarity (rosemary sprigs)? There are very few rules. Bring the water to a boil. Add your ingredients. Reduce the potion to a simmer. Enjoy. Allow this aromatic blend to work its healing magic on your space for up to several hours — but be sure to add more water as needed.
Winter should not be considered as only negation and destruction. It is a secret and inward working of powers, which in spring will burst into visible activity. —Henry James Slack, The Ministry of the Beautiful
New Year’s Dip
In the Netherlands, thousands plunge into the icy waters of the North Sea each year on New Year’s Day. Doesn’t a warm bath sound better? And on January 4 — in the dark, earliest hours — a celestial shower. This year, thanks to a sylph of a crescent moon, conditions look good for the annual Quadrantids, a spectacle known to light up the night sky with up to 40 brilliant meteors per hour. Bundle up. Bring hot tea. Make a wish.
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A R E A IND EPEN D EN T
SCHOOLS Our area has a wonderful selection of independent schools with a variety of educational models. Look at what these schools have to offer and see what’s right for your child.
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PREFERRED VENDOR SECTION
B’nai Shalom Day School: Rooted and Growing B’nai Shalom Day School is one of the oldest private day schools in Greensboro and the Triad’s only infant-8th-grade Jewish independent school. We foster academic excellence while maximizing each individual student’s potential. B’nai Shalom Day School helps develop students who are strong and confident, empathetic and compassionate. We offer dynamic programming for all students until 6:00 PM to support a widerange of childcare needs. Schedule a tour today to see why B’nai Shalom stands the test of time!
804-A Winview Dr. | Greensboro, NC 27410 | 336.422.3715 | bnai-shalom.org The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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Excel to Serve! Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School’s primary mission is to develop students holistically to serve in a world in need of peace, love and justice. We encourage students through academic and co-curricular opportunities to excel personally, academically, spiritually, and to build their own unique mission in life. Bishop McGuinness is fully accredited and a college preparatory high school that is widely recognized for high academic standards and the excellence of their graduates. Students are guided by an exceptional faculty and college counseling team, not only as they work towards college goals, but in all aspects of their experience at Bishop. We offer a full AP program, aviation STEM courses, and a thriving arts program with over 40 courses. We are minutes from Greensboro and have financial assistance and transportation available. Please call the Admissions Office for your private tour. 336.564.1011 or kknox@bmhs.us
1725 NC Hwy 66 | Kernersville, NC 27284 | 336.564.1010 | www.bmhs.us
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With so many good schools in the Triad, why send your child to Caldwell Academy? Ask our parents! “We were looking for a school that would provide a better education, a feeling of community, and where our family would feel a sense of joy. We wanted our child to enjoy getting an education, be challenged, to grow spiritually and socially.” Or, ask an alum! “Caldwell’s classical approach to education prepared me for each phase of learning and life. One of my favorite aspects of classical education is how different subjects are integrated and how it encourages students to make connections between their courses.” - Gabby Black ‘21 (UNC Chapel Hill ‘25) Since 1994, Caldwell Academy has partnered with families to provide a classical, Christian education to students in Transitional Kindergarten through 12th grade. Come experience the Caldwell difference for yourself!
2900 Horse Pen Creek Rd | Greensboro, NC 27410 | 336.665.1161 | www.caldwellacademy.org The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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PREFERRED VENDOR SECTION
When it comes to education, your child deserves every opportunity! Come see what’s possible at Greensboro Day School! THE GDS EXPERIENCE • Age 2 - Grade 12 • Commitment to student safety & well-being • Exceptional early childhood education program • Rigorous and exciting academic program • Multitude of opportunities in athletics & the arts • Beautiful 65-acre campus Learn more at greensboroday.org/visit Ranked #1 Private PreK-Grade 12 School in the Triad! Voted Best Private School and Best Summer Camp in Greensboro
5401 Lawndale Drive | Greensboro, NC 27455 | 336.288.8590 | greensboroday.org/visit | gdsadmission@greensboroday.org
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Whether toddler or teen, your child is our curriculum. Your child is like no one else, and their educational journey should be about unleashing their full potential ... about building integrity, independence, and initiative just as much as intellect. At Greensboro Montessori School, we authentically engage each aspect of our students’ development — cognitive, social, emotional — and provide them with the skills and courage to grow into the people they’re intended to be. Our teachers personally know their students and intentionally prepare their curricula, classrooms, and community to meet each individual’s needs. Our alumni are a testament to our approach: 97% of our graduates say they are successful adults because of their Montessori education. Visit gms.org to learn more and register for an upcoming Virtual Info Session.
2856 Horse Pen Creek Road | Greensboro, NC 27410 | 336.668.0119 | www.gms.org The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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Celebrating 50 years of Belonging Compassionate citizens who are curious, intellectually nimble, and engaged in their communities are needed to tackle the complex challenges of tomorrow. At New Garden Friends School, students are guided to appreciate the interdependence of community life and consider how their attitudes, words, and actions affect others. In a community that prioritizes belonging, we approach teaching and learning from a growth mindset, encouraging our students to take academic risks and experience the struggle that often accompanies difficult work. Their experience pursuing serious inquiry in a culture of kindness, equity, and respect makes them generous collaborators. We believe that students who learn the skills and discipline needed for productive discourse are our best hope for a thoughtful, engaged, and compassionate citizenry.
1128 New Garden Road | Greensboro, NC 27410 | 336.299.0964 | www.NGFS.org | Preschool – Grade 12
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Building Great Futures For Students With Learning Differences 2022-2023 school year application now open - deadline to apply is March 18th.
Since its founding in 1987, Noble Academy has empowered students in grades 2-12 with learning differences and attention difficulties to pursue their highest potential within a comprehensive, supportive educational environment. Their students are gifted, intelligent, artistic, athletic, and are simply seeking a place where their learning differences do not impede their academic and social growth. They serve students with a highly accredited full-day program where the five steps to Building Great Futures - the Noble Academy Way® - are interwoven throughout. But the real measure of difference is a faculty that works collaboratively with each student to develop an individualized and targeted plan to meet their specific learning needs. Noble has the experience, tools and, most of all, highly trained faculty to meet each student’s unique needs. To learn more, visit nobleknights.org.
3310 Horse Pen Creek Rd | Greensboro NC, 27410 | 336.282.7044 The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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Accepting Applications Grades PK - 8th for the 2022-2023 School Year For over 65 years, St. Pius X Catholic School has welcomed children of all faiths from across the Triad. Our mission is to educate and nurture students to develop children of faith, compassion, and intellect who are committed to independent thinking and service to others. We provide a joyful learning environment that allows each child to confidently grow in grace and individuality. At St. Pius X we believe in empowering children to reach both their educational and personal potential. • • • • •
Exceptional Academics/Nationally Accredited Outstanding Fine Arts, Athletics, and Extracurricular Opportunities Education in virtues and Christian values Global Language Lab and STEM Lab Offering Scholarships and Financial Aid
2200 N Elm St. | Greensboro, NC | 336.273.9865 | www.spxschool.com
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Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence Join Us for K-12 Preview Day | January 19, 2022 @ 9 a.m. As Wesleyan Christian Academy celebrates its 50th anniversary, we remain committed to providing a rigorous K-12 college preparatory experience coupled with a foundation rich in history, biblical truth, community, and servant leadership. Wesleyan’s programming is designed to engage our 1,200+ students at every academic level via our traditional, resource, and enrichment programs. At Wesleyan, our students enjoy award-winning athletics (33 teams), fine arts (12 groups), and state-of-the-art STEM program, in combination with robust dual-enrollment, advanced placement, and honors programs. Quick Facts
• 2021 Seniors (92) Awarded $4.7 MM in Merit Scholarships • 49 National AP Scholars (Classes of 2021/2022)
• 2021 Srs. Graduated with up to 30 College Course Credits
• 14 College Athlete Commits • • • •
(Class of 2021)
99-Acre Dual Campus 42 Dual Enrollment Courses 14 AP | 28 Honors Courses Local & Global Missions Opportunities
1917 North Centennial Street | High Point, NC 27262 | 336.884.3333 | www.wesed.org The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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PREFERRED VENDOR SECTION
Discover a School Where Your Child Loves Learning “WCDS students are great at including people, even new students. I felt like I was part of the community in three days.” -- Ryan, 8th grade Westchester Country Day School is an intentionally small, community-centered learning environment where experienced and enthusiastic faculty support each child, every day in growing toward excellence in moral character, academics, the arts and athletics. Our pre-K - 12 students gain the knowledge and skills needed to pursue higher education and future goals while developing an appreciation for learning as a lifetime joy. Arts, athletics, technology, character and service-learning are woven into the academic curriculum, created by faculty mentors who facilitate a challenging yet nurturing and dynamic classroom environment. The 53-acre scenic campus is tucked away but is in close proximity to many parts of the Triad. The best way to discover what Westchester has to offer your child is to see it for yourself. Visit our website and schedule a tour today.
2045 N. Old Greensboro Road | High Point, NC 27265 | 336.822.4005 | westchestercds.org
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PET OF THE MONTH: Moose Stanley
VIVID
We strive to provide complete care for our patients.
Preventive & Wellness Care • Hospitalization Medicine / Surgery • Dentistry Laser Therapy • And more ...
Dr. John Wehe 120 W. Smith Street • Greensboro NC | 336.338.1840
interior design · furniture · lighting · art · accessories 513 s elm st 336.265.8628 www.vivid-interiors.com
Handmade In House
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
121-A WEST MCGEE ST. O.Henry GREENSBORO, NC 27401 WWW.JACOBRAYMONDJEWELRY.COM | 336.763.9569
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January 2022
Lantern Fest
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1–9 Although conscientious effort is made to provide accurate and up-to-date information, all events are subject to change and errors can occur! Please call to verify times, costs, status and location before planning or attending an event.
January 1 NEW YEARS HIKE. 9 a.m. Join the first of the Winter Holiday Hike Series on Nat Greene Trail (5.6 miles). Participants should meet in the Lake Brandt Marina’s parking lot. Free; registration required. 5945 Lake Brandt Rd., Greensboro. Info: greensboro-nc. gov (click on “events”)
January 1–2 FAREWELL WONDERLIGHTS. See the festive sights and sounds of the season before they’re gone! Tickets: $16.50+. Member rates and combo tickets available. Greensboro Science Center, 4301 Lawndale Dr., Greensboro. Info: greensboroscience.org/ winterwonderlights.
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Shen Yun
4–5
COME FROM AWAY. Enjoy the final two evenings of the award-winning musical that tells the story of 7,000 stranded airline passengers and the town that welcomed them. Tickets: $25+. Steven Tanger Center, 300 N. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: tangercenter.com/ events.
January 1–9 LANTERN FEST. 6–9 p.m. Behold the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival, with more than 2,500 lanterns and 36 all-new displays showcasing the beauty and artistry of Chinese culture. Koka Booth Amphitheatre, 8003 Regency Pkwy., Cary. Info: boothamphitheatre.com.
January 2–February 16 WINTER ON THE HILL. GreenHill presents its 42nd annual WINTER SHOW, including paintings, sculpture, photography, ceramics, jewelry, wood and fiber works. Closed New Year’s Day. Free. 200 N. Davie St., Greensboro. Info: greenhillnc.org.
Hip Hop Festival
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January 3 MINDFULNESS WALK. 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Enjoy a reflective walk through Price Park while learning mindfulness practices. Complimentary journal provided. Free; registration required. Kathleen Clay Edwards Library, 1420 Price Park Rd., Greensboro. Info: greensboro-nc.gov (click on “events”)
January 4–5 SHEN YUN. 7:30 p.m. The world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company takes the stage. Tickets: $80+. Steven Tanger Center, 300 N. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: tangercenter.com/events.
January 5 READING THE WORLD. 7 p.m. Join in a virtual discussion of the English translation of Go, Went, Gone by German author Jenny Erpenbeck. Free; registration required. Info: scuppernongbooks.com/event.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Calendar
Texas Tenors
1/
Carolina Weddings Show
1/
15
22
Bryan Series
1/
25
January 8
January 9
January 15
NEW BOOK LOVERS’ CLUB. 1–3 p.m. Discuss new fiction with fellow members every month. Free. Vance Chavis Library, 900 S. Benbow Rd., Greensboro. Info: greensboro-nc.gov (click on “events”)
DOUG BAKER. 2 p.m. Greensboro songwriter Doug Baker joins Barry Gray, Mark Dillon and Zach Baker highlighting Navigating Life, Baker’s first solo album. Tickets: $15 advance ; $20 door. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Info: carolinatheatre.com/ events.
TEXAS TENORS. 8 p.m. Dust off your 10-gallon hat and boots as The Texas Tenors ride into town. Tickets: $35+. Steven Tanger Center, 300 N. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: tangercenter.com/events.
HIP HOP FESTIVAL. 8 p.m. Don’t miss Ludacris and Nelly alongside special guests CEELO Green and the Ying Yang Twins. Tickets: $60+. Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Info: greensborocoliseum.com/events.
January 8–April 30 BOTH/AND. On loan from the Brooklyn Museum, the first comprehensive overview of artist Lorraine O’Grady opens at WAM. Free. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: weatherspoonart.org.
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
January 14 PANTING. 7 p.m. Seasoned comedian Leanne Morgan’s Big Panty Tour stops in the ’Boro on her national tour. Tickets: $25+. Steven Tanger Center, 300 N. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: tangercenter.com/events. STARLET SPEAKS. 8 p.m. Broadway and screen star Kelli O’Hara shares her career experience in a UNCG Concert and Lecture. Tickets: $5+. UNCG Auditorium, 408 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: vpa.uncg.edu/ single-event/kelli-ohara/
HIP-HOP ORCHESTRA. 8 p.m. Combining classical music with hip-hop flair, join Thee Phantom and The Illharmonic for an energizing performance. Tickets: $20+. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Info: carolinatheatre.com/events.
January 15–16 MONSTER JAM. 7 p.m. (1/15) & 2 p.m. (1/16). Experience action-packed motorsports. Tickets: Pit Pass; $15+. Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Info: greensborocoliseum.com/events
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Calendar January 15, 22 & 27 WRITING WORKSHOPS. 10 a.m. Winston-Salem Writers hosts three back-toback Saturdays of Zoom workshops: “Turning Fact into Fiction” (1/15), “Mining Your Life Story for Memoir and Fiction” (1/22) and “Word Painting: The Fine Art of Writing Descriptively” (1/27). Cost: members; free, nonmembers; $25/session. Info: wswriters.org
January 15–April 2 PRESENTING PRESENCE. Artists’ work exhibited in Make My Presence Known challenges notions of identity via sculptures. Free. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: weatherspoonart.org
January 16 NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE. 1–5 p.m. The Volunteer Center shares resources and information on how community members get involved in various service projects. N.C.
A&T Student Center, 1403 John W. Mitchell Dr., Suite 368, Greensboro. Info: volunteercentertriad.org/program/mlkdayofservice
January 17 MLK JR. HIKE. 9 a.m. Hit the Piedmont Trail (6 miles) and clean it up on the second of the Winter Holiday Hike Series in observance of the National Day of Service. Meet at the trailhead parking lot on Lake Brandt Road. Free; registration required. Info: greensboronc.gov (click on “events”)
January 18 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE. 9–11 a.m. This online professional development workshop provides educators with resources and tips on how to teach the 1979 Greensboro Massacre, guiding them through a sample lesson plan. Free; registration required. Info: greensborohistory.org
LAWNDALE SHOPPING CENTER • IRVING PARK
January 19 POETRY CAFE. 6–8 p.m. Josephus Thompson III hosts an open mic for children ages 10–18 to share poetry, music and art as part of the Youth Cipher Series. Free; registration required. Xperience @ Caldcleugh, 1700 Orchard St., Greensboro. Info: greensboronc.gov (click on “events”)
January 20–22 THE CHINESE LADY. 7:30 p.m. Greensboro College Theatre presents Lloyd Suh’s dark and poetic story of 14-year-old Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman alleged to have set foot on U.S. soil. Free; tickets required. Greensboro College, Gail Brower Huggins Performance Center, 815 W. Market St., Greensboro. Info: greensboro.edu/theatre
January 21 & 23 PORGY & BESS. 7:30 p.m. (1/21) & 2 p.m. (1/23). The Greensboro Opera presents Porgy and Bess, featuring Grammy-award
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Salt & Soul
1819 Pembroke Road | Greensboro, NC 27408
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1738 Battleground Ave • Irving Park Plaza Shopping Center • Greensboro, NC • (336) 273-3566 The Art & Soul of Greensboro
LAWNDALE SHOPPING CENTER • IRVING PA RK
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A small batch bakery with fresh batches every day. From cake pops, brownies, cupcakes, and much more, we’re happy to satisfy your sweet tooth. 1616 Battleground Ave, Greensboro, NC (336)306-2827 Order by email! easypeasydnd@gmail.com
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O.Henry 81
shops • service • food • farms
support locally owned businesses
Check the Triad Local First website for your local fitness trainer and healthy living experts!
The best Piedmont lawns and gardens start at Guilford Garden Center www.guilfordgardencenter.com
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We specialize in unique, native, and specimen plants. 701 Milner Dr. Greensboro 336-299-1535 guilfordgardencenter.com
SMITHEY IRONWARE COMPANY CARBON STEEL 12” FARMHOUSE SKILLET The farmhouse collection is individually hand-forged and visually unique. Made in Charleston, SC USA
Come see our selections of quality cast iron and carbon steel from Smithey. Locally Owned at Friendly Center in Greensboro, NC M ̶ F 10 AM ̶ 9 PM | Sat 10 AM ̶ 6 PM | Sun 1 PM ̶ 6 PM Call (336) 299-9767 or email info@extraingredient.com | Curbside Service | Telephone Orders | www.extraingredient.com
82 O.Henry
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Join the effort. Visit www.triadlocalfirst.com.
Calendar winning musical artist and Greensboro native Rhiannon Giddens as Bess. Tickets: $40+. Steven Tanger Center, 300 N. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: tangercenter.com/events
required. Kathleen Clay Edwards Library, 1420 Price Park Rd., Greensboro. Info: greensboro-nc.gov (click on “events”)
January 21–30
BRYAN SERIES. 7:30 p.m. Live again, the Guilford College Bryan Series hosts former comedian and actor Steve Martin. Steven Tanger Center, 300 N. Elm St., Greensboro. Tickets and info: guilford.edu/life/ bryan-series
THE HOBBIT. Bilbo Baggins leaves his large, roomy home in the ground to recover an important treasure in Community Theatre of Greensboro’s adaptation of J.R.R Tolkien’s classic. Tickets: $10+. 520 South Elm St., Greensboro. Info: ctgso.org
January 22 HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW The Guild and Junior Guild of Family Service of Greensboro hosts Big Hair Ball, a cocktail reception and a runway fashion show featuring larger-than-life hairdos by local designers. Tickets: $115. Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Info: greensborocoliseum.com/events CAROLINA WEDDINGS. Noon–4 p.m. The Piedmont’s longest-running wedding show features numerous venues, caterers, cakes, photographers, planners and more including a fashion show hosted by David’s Bridal and Men’s Warehouse. Tickets: Advance; $10, $20. Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Info: greensborocoliseum.com/events RAID THE CROWN. 7:30 p.m. The Pinkerton Raid, Colin Allured and Migrant Birds come together for one night only. Tickets: $10; advance, $12. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Info: carolinatheatre.com/events SHORT TRIP HOME. 8 p.m. American music masters Sam Bush, Mike Marshall and Edgar Meyer join George Meyer for a special bluegrass collaboration. Tickets: $25+. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Info: carolinatheatre.com/events
January 25
January 27 TRIFLES. 6 p.m. Poet Ross White joins The Sum of Trifles author Julia Ridley Smith for a reading, signing and reception. Free. Weatherspoon Art Museum, 500 Tate St., Greensboro. Info: weatherspoonart.org
January 28 ILL INTENTIONS. The South Carolina punk rock band makes its debut in Greensboro; rock band Condado opens. 8 p.m. Tickets: $10 advance; $15 door. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Info: carolinatheatre.com/events
January 29–30 TRAMPOLINE & TUMBLING. The Atlantic Coast Trampoline and Tumbling Invitational bounces, bounds and flies into the ’Boro. Tickets: $15+. Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro. Info: greensborocoliseum.com/events
shops • service • food • farms
support locally owned businesses
shops • service • food • farms
support locally owned businesses
Sometimes it’s smarter to lease than to sell your home. Call us when you think you’re there! I will be pleased to discuss how Burkley Rental Homes can help you.
“I couldn’t be happier with my renters, or my rental income” Tom Arevian Burkely Rental Homes client
January 24 COLORFUL ADVENTURES. 7–8 p.m. Join in a Zoom discussion with writer Derick Lugo, author of The Unlikely Thru-Hiker: An Appalachian Trail Journey. Free; registration The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Join the effort. Visit www.triadlocalfirst.com.
Join the effort. Visit www.triadlocalfirst.com.
O.Henry 83
Arts & Culture
Calendar
January 29
FANTASTIQUE! 8 p.m. Brahms, Chopin, Berlioz and more in GSO’s Symphonie Fantastique. Tickets: $35+. Steven Tanger Center, 300 N. Elm St., Greensboro. Info: tangercenter.com/events
January 30 BIG BAND. 2 p.m. CT presents the Glenn Miller Orchestra, one of the most sought-after big bands in the world for concerts and swing dance. Tickets: $25+. Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene St., Greensboro. Info: carolinatheatre.com/events
WEEKLY HAPPENINGS SATURDAYS HIT THE PAVEMENT. 7:30 a.m. RunnerDude Fitness invites runners and walkers of all paces to join in a group run/walk in a different area of Greensboro each week. Free. Info: runnerdudesfitness.com/group-runs. TO MARKET, TO MARKET. 7:30–11:30. The foods are fresh and the cut flowers lovely. Greensboro Farmers Cub Market. 501 Yanceyville St., Greensboro. Info: gsofarmersmarket.org.
To add an event, email us at
ohenrymagcalendar@gmail.com
by the first of the month
ONE MONTH PRIOR TO THE EVENT.
84 O.Henry
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
Arts & Culture The Gerswins’
January 21 & 23, 2022
Featuring Rhiannon Giddens
greensboroopera.org
FIND YOUR SEAT FOR FIVE SPECIAL SPEAKERS
THE TRIAD’S LONGEST RUNNING SPEAKERS’ SERIES. NOW SELLING SINGLE EVENT TICKETS. BRYANSERIES.GUILFORD.EDU
STEVE MARTIN
Actor, writer and musician
JAN. 25,
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
2022
YUSEF SALAAM
ANNE LAMOTT
FEB. 15
MARCH 15
Prison reform activist
Bestselling author
JOSÉ ANDRÉS
Celebrated chef and humanitarian
APRIL 26
RITA MORENO
Star of stage and screen
MAY 17
JOIN US FOR OUR INAUGURAL SEASON IN THE TANGER CENTER O.Henry 85
Life & Home Together, looking forward to a
HAPPY NEW YEAR Safe At Home
1515 W Cornwallis Drive, Suite 100 Greensboro, NC 27408
Phone: 336.285.9107 Fax: 336.285.9109
email: info@1stChoiceHomeCareInc.com
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86 O.Henry
336-393-0023
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Business & Services
Resolve to Start the New Year Right with a New Needlepoint Project! Thank you to our customers for your support in 2021!
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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
The Art & Soul of Greensboro
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O.Henry Ending
Joyful Expectations Art, like life, is in the eye of the beholder
By Lindsay Moore “Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called. — A.A. Milne
Whether negative or positive, expecta-
tions are part of what makes us human.
In the United States, most people have positive expectations from mid-November to New Year’s Eve. Filled with excitement and anticipation, they fuel their minds and spirits with hope amid the sorrows and challenges of life. My Aunt Sallie, a native of Mayodan, lived every day with expectancy. In 1979, she moved to Greensboro. By age 36, she had opened an art gallery and had become a founding member of the Greensboro branch of the English-Speaking Union, serving in 1986 as a delegate to the World Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. These events were significant because when my aunt was 16, she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. At the time, the medical world estimated her life expectancy would be about 40. However, the medical world had grossly underestimated her expectations. While over time her disease diminished her quality of life — she slowly lost her sight and had kidney and pancreas transplants — it never lessened her expectant spirit. In her 62 years, my aunt served as president of the Greensboro Opera. She also worked for the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, where she implemented the annual orchestral program in Rockingham County’s public schools — the very school system that had educated us. Encouraging my own expectations was also a large part of her mission. One of my favorite memories was our trip in 2004 to the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh. My aunt had been invited by the direc-
88 O.Henry
tor to a private viewing of the Picasso-Matisse exhibit. She asked me to join her so I could visually describe the paintings to her. While I offered my observations, my aunt’s spirit grew with excitement. As she shared her own thoughts, she inspired in me an ability to see the familiar paintings in a way that I had never expected. Despite being blind, she saw the paintings, not with her sight, but by using sensory memory. She made the works of art come alive in a way that neither my textbooks nor my professors had anticipated. My aunt could see more because she employed her senses of taste, sound and smell to deepen her experience with the paintings. She remembered food she had tasted, music she had heard and texture she had felt during her travels and life experiences. She related these to each painting’s cultural heritage, enabling me to see it in a new light. Her senses enhanced the beauty she saw in the world through her soul and mind rather than her eyes. For many, the time following the holidays is difficult because the days are cold and often do not offer joyful expectations. However, when I reflect on my aunt’s expectant spirit, I am inspired to expect joy during seasons that might otherwise seem unbearably dark. Like her, some people live with dark, seemingly hopeless circumstances. However, when we live like my Aunt Sallie and share our lives and talents with joyful expectancy, we inspire others to experience and share the same joy. Expectations color our experience. They fill us with dread or excitement. They affect how we experience events. We often hear the phrase “choose joy,” but perhaps you might prefer to follow my Aunt Sallie’s life and expect joy. OH Though living alongside the Mayo River in Rockingham County, Lindsay Moore is connected to Greensboro through the spirit of Howard Coble and her love of the local arts scene. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF LINDSAY MOORE
Lindsay Moore (left) and her Aunt Sallie
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