46
What We Love About Living in Downtown Pittsboro
58
Legacy of Love at S&T’s Soda Shoppe
April/May 2021 vol. 4, no. 6
our 4th annual
5
WOMEN’S ISSUE
cheers!
join us in celebrating a dozen women who inspire us every day
starting on
page 26 Maria Parker-Lewis
at The Sycamore at Chatham Mills steakhouse she and her husband are opening this spring.
APRIL / MAY
CONTENTS
THE WOMEN’S ISSUE 28 Moya Hallstein, Danielle McComas, Angelina KoulizakisBattiste & Sarah Sligh of Robin Hood’s Kitchen 30 Jayden Sansom of Chatham School of Science & Engineering and Central Carolina Community College
46
32 Maria Parker-Lewis of The Sycamore at Chatham Mills 34 Melinda Fitzgerald of Country Farm & Home
DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS
36 Lindsay Shore-Wright & Jazmin Mendoza Sosa of Clover Creators 4-H Community Club
6 Letter from the Publisher
40 Valerie Paige Foushee of North Carolina General Assembly
16 Noted
8 Five Events Our top events for April and May
91 Dining Guide
42 Paula Brown Stafford of Novan Inc.
94 Engagement Kelty O’Brien & Drew Shannon
HOME & GARDEN 66 Empire State of Mind Antiquities adorn this couple’s Governors Club abode 78 Backyard Bliss Scott Galvin created an outdoor oasis for his family, friends and neighbors to enjoy
FEATURES 14 Chatham 250: Acknowledging the Past to Build a Better Future Mary Nettles shares the history of Chatham’s Black community and why it’s important
30 46 What We Love About Living in Downtown Pittsboro Three families share a few of their favorite things about their neighborhoods
58 A Legacy Lives On The late Gene Oldham’s memory is tied to the friendly community space he created in downtown Pittsboro 62 Medical Plans Learn more about Chatham County’s new health care services
95 Weddings Sienna Courie & Casey James Danny Maddox & Sara Self
PEOPLE & PLACES 10 Goldston church hosts drive-thru vaccination site for area residents 11 Chatham Arts Council launches two new children’s programs
SPONSORED CONTENT 24 The Big Give Our local nonprofits, how they support the community and how you can get involved.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON
26 Dana Iglesias of Chatham Hospital Maternity Care Center
APRIL / MAY 2021
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LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
LIGHT UP YOUR HOME OFFICE WITH
Welcome, Rhesa!
S
omeone once said that spring is a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be. I have enjoyed connecting with you, our readers, but I am not a writer. I owe it to you to have someone more qualified to pen the opening letter to our magazine. And so, with this spring issue of Chatham Magazine, we are making a change. We have hired a new managing editor, AnnaRhesa Versola, who is full of energy and enthusiasm for her community. It has been a privilege to connect with you all, but you will love getting to know Rhesa. Rhesa was born in the Philippines but grew up in Raleigh. She went to UNCChapel Hill for her undergraduate degree in journalism and Duke for graduate school. She and her husband, Eddie Kallam, moved to Chatham County in 2002 seeking a more pastoral setting to raise their daughters, CC Kallam and Leah Kallam. She knows and loves these towns. She wants to bring you the best of our communities. Reach out and welcome her with your thoughts and ideas. Her email is rhesa@chathammagazinenc.com. In this issue, we honor women in our community recognized for their outstanding achievements as they work to combat food insecurity, to improve access to maternal care, to shape young minds in our schools and more. Meet them and learn more about their stories beginning on page 26. We also explore all there is to love about living within walking distance of downtown Pittsboro (page 46), pay a visit to the Oldham family at S&T’s Soda Shoppe (page 58), and tour an ornate and lavish home in Governors Club (page 66). Now that grilling season is upon us, let the outdoor oasis featured on page 78 inspire your next cookout! This season of change is going to be a good one – I can feel it. CM
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THE COVER Photo by John Michael Simpson 6
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APRIL/MAY 2021
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CHATHAM MAGAZINE
7
PHOTO BY MASON GODWIN
Into the Fog headlines the Rise ’n Shine Festival at Shakori Hills in late May.
Founding Day Celebration
Author Event
First Sunday Artisan Fair
APRIL 10, 2 – 5 p.m.
APRIL 20, 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
MAY 2, 1 – 4 p.m.
hosts a free drive-thru celebration featuring birthday-themed stations throughout downtown Pittsboro. The route starts near St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, moves down West Salisbury Street and finishes at the parking lot across from Postal Fish Company. Community members can take home goodie bags, party hats, sweet treats and a paper copy of the Chatham 250 Passport, which is filled with activities to complete over the next few months. chatham250.org
Duke University professor and folklorist Tom Rankin and novelist Jill McCorkle discuss their acclaimed book “Goat Light” during this online event presented by Chatham Literacy. The book includes vivid photography and stories about their home and farm northwest of Hillsborough in rural Orange County. Each attendee’s name is entered into a raffle to win door prizes, including a stay at The Inn at Celebrity Dairy or a $50 gift certificate to The Sycamore at Chatham Mills. Registration closes on April 16. chathamliteracy.org
The Pittsboro Business Association hosts this family-friendly event on the first Sunday of each month from May through December. Community members can meet local artists, small business owners and representatives from nonprofit agencies while shopping at downtown businesses. Items for sale include handmade soaps, jewelry, home decor, gifts, woodwork and more. shoppittsboro.com
ClydeFEST in the Wild
MAY 28 – 30
Chatham 250
FIVE EVENTS YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS Compiled by Meredith Alling
APRIL 24, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. MAY 2, 1 – 5 p.m. The Chatham Arts Council tweaks the 20-year-old art festival that celebrates Bynum-based folk artist Clyde Jones; this year, events take place April 24 at Briar Chapel and May 2 at Southwest District Park. There will be live music, and kids can paint beloved critter cut-outs by making an appointment in a safe, outdoor space. chathamartscouncil.org
Rise ’n Shine Running Festival Runners compete in a Saturday morning 20K race (solo or relay) and Saturday afternoon 5K over Memorial Day weekend at the Shakori Hills Community Arts Center. Attendees can also listen to live bluegrass bands, visit the guest distiller tents and enjoy a Saturday barbecue dinner. Mountain bike races are held on Sunday morning. Tent and RV campsites are also available. risenshinefestival.com CM
EVENTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE; CHECK WITH ORGANIZERS PRIOR TO ATTENDING 8
CHATHAM MAGAZINE
APRIL / MAY 2021
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2
3
Goldston Church Helps Members Access Vaccines PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE CHATHAM COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT
and the Chatham County Public Health Department worked with other community agencies to set up a drive-thru vaccination clinic in Goldston in February. Medical professionals and volunteers administered shots to 210 eligible people from southwest Chatham who signed up through the online vaccine tool or by phone. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services began allocating additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this winter to providers and counties based on several factors to improve equity in vaccine distribution and ensure access among historically marginalized populations and areas with less access to health care. Roberts Chapel Missionary Baptist Church
1 Chatham County Public Health Department Nurse Jesenia AlvaradoRamos and CCPHD Medical Laboratory Technician Cynthia Lambert prepare a vaccine for administration during a mass vaccination event at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center in Pittsboro. 2 CCPHD Nurse Laura Parks and CCPHD Nurse Supervisor Bonnie Dukeman prepare a COVID-19 vaccine. 3 With the assistance of CCPHD Clinical & Community Health Services Director Zach Deaton, CCPHD Nurse Supervisor Julie Goodwin prepares to administer a vaccine.
Carolina Tiger Rescue thanks participants and sponsors for a fantastic virtual auction! Carolina Tiger Rescue hosted its first virtual auction, Beads & Bling… It’s a Mardi Gras Thing, on February 28th. Virtual guests from around the coutry joined together to celebrate the sanctuary’s animals and bid on fantastic items. In total, approximately $86,000 was raised for the animals, including more than $20,000 dedicated to enclosure upgrades and enhancements! Carolina Tiger Rescue extends its appreciation to all participants and sponsors for their generosity and hope all will join the sanctuary in July for their second annual Tiger Day Virtual 5k!
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CHATHAM MAGAZINE
BOBCAT CLUB
Artwork by Wes Flanary Carol & Dave Walker Clare & Michael Matti Debby Dunn Dexter & Shirley Horton Hopper Cummings Ivan & Melissa Lujan
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Jill & Jack Humphries Julia Perkinson & TK Beam Kamala Hughes & Leslie Lemley Kids 4 Critters The Maxwell Family Starrlight Mead The Vail Family Wendy & Michael Belikoff
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PEOPLE & PLACES
1
2
The Art of Giving Back The Chatham Arts Council recently launched two new programs to help children through art: Artists-OutsideSchools and ArtAssist for Kids. Artists-Outside-Schools is an updated version of Artists-in-Schools for this school year. The partnership with Chatham County Schools offers virtual and socially distanced arts-related projects, including artist-of-the-month videos and 37 virtual workshops – one for every fifth grade class in the county. The other program, ArtAssist for Kids, launched in January and raises funds to provide art supplies for local children. Chatham Arts Council distributed the first round of supply kits in late January to more than 1,300 elementary and middle school remote learners from low-income families. These kits included paper, pencils, erasers, markers, colored pencils and glue. About 50 high schoolers on an arts path received items like sketchbooks, paint pens and felt-tip pens. CM
3
1 Roger Saunders of the Pittsboro Rotary Club helps put ArtAssist kits together. 2 Chatham County Schools Visual Arts Teacher Joanna Bolding and Chatham Magazine’s Chris Elkins. 3 Pittsboro Rotary Club’s Ken Parson puts materials together for an ArtAssist kit.
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CHATHAM MAGAZINE
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ACKNOWLEDGING THE PAST TO BUILD
A BETTER FUTURE BY MARY NETTLES, CHATHAM COMMUNITY (EAST) BRANCH NAACP PRESIDENT
P
eople are often surprised to hear that there isn’t a written history of the Black community in Chatham County – at least, not a truthful one. There is a list of Black churches, graveyards and a resource for genealogical research at the library. Many of the African Americans in Chatham are blood related, and we share our family histories and pass them down to each new generation the African way. We know which of our ancestors were freed from bondage in 1865. The churches have their histories as well, guarded – for the most part – for protection and strength. A good deal, if not most, of our history has never been put on a printed page. Blacks had no outlets for the publishing of true histories during the period of Jim Crow white supremacy in Chatham County. Nothing published by a Black author that questioned white rule or white justice would be tolerated. Over the years, during which six Black citizens of Chatham 14
CHATHAM MAGAZINE
County – Harriet Finch, Jerry Finch, Lee Tyson, John Pattisall, Henry Jones and Eugene Daniel – were lynched, there were only white newspaper accounts of the events. No one was ever arrested, indicted or sentenced for those six murders. No Black witness would ever have been allowed to write the story from the viewpoint of the Black community. So much of this county’s history was the history of the white community, and my Black community safeguarded its history among us, the good and the bad. After freedom there was a flowering of stories, and there were excellent novels and accounts of national developments, but few of local developments. Here and there, and especially in recent years, stories have come out that throw light on the Black community’s history in the county. For Black North Carolinians, it has been a history hidden, now revealed and relevant to today’s racial challenges. In“Jim Crow in North Carolina: The Legislative Program from 1865 to 1920,” author Richard A. Paschal reminds us of the sad and often brutal history of that time
APRIL / MAY 2021
– roughly 100 years with consequences that are still with us today. “Jim Crow is still alive in North Carolina” is the subject of a column about the book by local journalist D.G. Martin, which ran in newspapers across the state. “A History of Chatham County, North Carolina, With Sketches of a Number of Its Prominent Citizens” by Walter D. Siler, written in 1931, reports the prevailing Jim Crow culture of the county in 1930s with no acknowledgement for African Americans except various references to slaves and slaveholders. The last victim of the six lynchings in Chatham County, Eugene Daniel, was kidnapped and murdered on Sept. 18, 1921, east of Pittsboro. Yet Mr. Siler quotes that North Carolina was settled by the “freest of the free; by men to whom the restraints of the other colonies were too severe.” The author pictures a white man’s world in Chatham County with no concern that the society ought to change. “Chatham County’s Inner Civil War” written by Jim Wiggins in November 2020 and published by the Chatham County Historical Association, is an excellent description of the conflict within the South
CHATHAM 250
and within the county from 1860 to 1865. Jim describes the history of Chatham to illustrate that opinions were divided from beginning to end over participation in the conflict. “Reconstruction and Black Rights after Slavery in Chatham County, NC: 1865-1900” also by Jim, is an account of Chatham County’s experience in the 35 years following the end of the Civil War. As in his study about the Civil War in Chatham County, Jim provides an objective account of events, personalities and the political life of the county during a period of enormous change. He includes an excellent description of the hopes and struggles of the African American community during this time. Five of the six lynchings of Black Americans occurred during this period, in 1885 and 1899. The work of the Equal Justice Initiative in Chatham, known as Community
Remembrance Coalition – Chatham, is
to put together the history of the Black community as far back as possible. What happened before the 1960s civil rights struggles damaged and constrained the lives of my African Americans ancestors in Chatham and all over America. The history of prejudicial actions, all of which denied Black people rights and opportunities to build wealth for ourselves and our families, is critical to understanding the consequences that come down to today. The Equal Justice Initiative brings this history to light for truth, for justice and for reconciliation. We want all our citizens to understand these past events, to remove the barriers to equal justice and to reconcile a future where all citizens are equally and fairly treated. The Community Remembrance Coalition – Chatham are in the process of working to memorialize the
lynching victims with historical markers for all to understand and appreciate the significance of the past in today’s realities. The Equal Justice Initiative has no interest in blaming anyone today for what their forefathers allowed to happen in the past. We are working together in telling the story of these lynchings, and we hope for a better relationship in Chatham among its Black, white and brown citizens. Our interest is to understand the truth of the present and in that, build a better relationship for tomorrow. The history of the Black community, never fully told before, makes that progress possible. The 250th anniversary of Chatham County gives us a way to share that history, which allows for acknowledgement of what happened bound to a common commitment to build a better community. CM
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APRIL / MAY 2021
CHATHAM MAGAZINE
15
NOTED.
WHAT WE’VE HEARD AROUND OUR TOWNS ...
PHOTO BY ADRIAN MORENO
ON THE MOVE Marcela Slade was named executive director of Abundance NC in January. She grew up in Bogotá, Colombia, before her family moved to Chapel Hill. Marcela graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and a master’s degree in illustration. Marcela began working with Abundance NC through her clothing line, sladesign, in 2018 before the organization hired her as an event coordinator. Marcela works with Smelt Art Gallery, Carrboro Town Hall and Carrboro Century Center as a curator. She also teaches fashion illustration at N.C. State University. Marcela lives in Carrboro with her husband and two sons, ages 17 and 10. She replaces former director Tami Schwerin.
On. Jan. 11, Judge Sherri Murrell swore in Randy L. Bridges as interim superintendent of Chatham County Schools. He takes over LET US KNOW WHAT YOU'VE HEARD! EMAIL NOTED@CHATHAMMAGAZINENC.COM 16
CHATHAM MAGAZINE
Compiled by Nicole Moorefield
for Derrick D. Jordan, who joined the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Randy will serve until the Chatham County Board of Education hires a permanent superintendent. Randy has filled several interim roles as superintendent since retiring from running school systems in Florence, South Carolina; Stafford, Virginia; Burlington, North Carolina; Rock Hill, South Carolina; and Hillsborough, North Carolina. Randy was recognized by the North Carolina Association of Educators and the North Carolina School Boards Association as the top superintendent in the state during his nine years as a superintendent of North Carolina districts including Orange County Schools.
Phil leads a horticulture class at N.C. State University on growing gardenias. His “Prince Charles” gardenia will soon be sold nationwide as “Steady As She Goes,” a variety that blooms from April through November.
The Chatham County Board of Education approved Tripp Crayton as the first principal of Seaforth High School, effective Feb. 15. The school will open in Pittsboro this fall. Tripp had been principal at Jordan-Matthews High School in Siler City since 2015 and was the 2020 Chatham County Schools principal of the year. Assistant principal Donna Barger is the interim principal at Jordan-Matthews.
Chatham County Deputy County Manager and Finance Director Vicki McConnell, who has worked for Chatham County since 1976, retired on Feb. 19. During Vicki’s tenure, the department received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association, which is the highest national honor for governmental accounting and financial reporting for 30 consecutive years. Vicki plans to finish home projects, spend more time at the lake and play her favorite sport – pickleball – in her retirement. Assistant Finance Officer Hope Tally, who has worked for the county for 19 years, was appointed interim finance director.
Phil Dark,
owner of
Oakmont Nursery
in Siler City, closed the garden center on March 4. In his newfound free time,
APRIL / MAY 2021
Perla Ayala
was named the next COO
of Communities in Schools of Chatham County in February. She will start in July. Perla graduated from Central Carolina Community College with an associate degree in accounting in 2010 and completed her bachelor’s degree in business administration through Strayer University in 2019. Perla replaces Pam Johnson, who has worked with the nonprofit since 1999.
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CHATHAM MAGAZINE
17
NOTED
GIVING BACK In the last year, Abundance NC has helped more than 420 North Carolina families through its Neighbor2Neighbor program, a mutual aid fund that matches people in need with volunteers and donors in the community. Created in April 2020 by Chatham News + Record Editor Bill Horner, the program focused on delivering groceries at first, but it has since expanded to include utility and shelter assistance. The program has both English and Spanish versions. Volunteers can sign up to buy and deliver groceries online or donate to the program directly at abundancenc.org.
Libraries.
Chatham Reads also refreshed its Little Free Libraries around Chatham neighborhoods and added free book bins to the Pittsboro-based Laundry Land and Siler City-based What-a-Wash Laundromat. Longtime Chatham resident Patricia L. Johnson donated $50,000 in January to refurbish Pittsboro’s Kiwanis Park on Credle Street with accessible features for kids with special needs. Chatham Reads,
a partnership led by Chatham County Schools and the Chatham Education Foundation, distributed around 3,000 books throughout the community during the holidays. Chatham Reads partners with organizations such as YMCA of the Triangle and Chatham County Public
WHAT AN HONOR The Central Carolina Community College accounting program was named one of the best accounting certificate degree programs in 2021 by Intelligent. com. CCCC was ranked No. 25 with an intelligent score of 80.27 and was
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TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH THE POWER OF CHINESE MEDICINE Stillpoint Acupuncture welcomes Tammy Knopf, L.Ac. to our Siler City office Now accepting new patients
T T
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STILLPOINT ACUPUNCTURE 229 E. Raleigh St., Siler City, NC 27344
919.663.1137 stillpointacupuncture.com
Serving Chatham County since 2006
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named Best for American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers Certification. a program created by the Chatham Chamber of Commerce, held a Zoom ceremony for its 2021 graduating class on Feb. 16. Program participants learned about the social, cultural, political and economic makeup of the county in order to support local businesses. The graduates were: Dan Camara, Jason Carter, Tony Cash, Elizabeth Colebrook, Greg Dawkins, Angela De Muinck, Scott Dunham, Fae Grace Goodman, Brent Levy, Melissa Mart, Liz Mauney, Alex Mayfield, Steve Maynor, Sue Merritt, Patricia Morales, Amanda Newton, Kasey Sanders, Lee Shanklin, Bonita Smith, Katie Stember, Melissa Tutwiler, Stacie Tyson, Mandy White and Jeanette Ragland.
Bold Construction was
named the “Best of Houzz” in the Service and Design categories for 2020. Houzz gives this award to the top 3% of more than 2.5 million home design and building professionals.
Leadership Chatham,
Dr. Chris Adigun,
board-certified dermatologist and founder of Dermatology & Laser Center of Chapel Hill,
and her family were featured in Coolibar’s spring catalog. They modeled the brand’s sun-protective clothing, which Chris, her husband and their four children wear year-round.
ASIAN BISTRO
NEW RELEASES Becky Moore released her newest novel, “Mine By Design,” on Feb. 3. The “political romantic suspense” follows Abby Markham, an innocent woman caught in the middle when a police officer is
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MainStreetPittsboro.org
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murdered and a corrupt politician is exposed. Becky Moore is the pseudonym of Dolly Sickles, who also writes book reviews, children’s books and a column for the Chatham News + Record and teaches at Wake Technical Community College and Central Carolina Community College. This is her first book in eight years after recovering from a brain injury. The Chatham County website, previously chathamnc.org, is now located at chathamcountync.gov. The .gov website domain corresponds with Chatham County employee emails, which transitioned to .gov in late 2020. The change adds security, transparency and reliability to the Chatham County government website. The site is also
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IN MEMORIAM Judy Pick (pictured far right) one of the founding members of the Chatham County Beekeepers’ Association, died on Feb. 6, 2021,
at age 79. Judy was passionate about bees and donated her time to the North Carolina Zoo honey bee exhibit, North Carolina 4-H Camps and Centers, the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association and Pittsboro’s Pollinator Days at Chatham Mills. To honor Judy, CCBA is installing a plaque with her name
undergoing a redesign process for the next several months. “The goal is to provide our online visitors with a more
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on its observation hive that’s used at festivals and other events and renaming it a “learning hive,” which Judy always insisted they should be called. She is survived by her husband, James R. Pick, and his daughter, Deborah Pick Conway.
pleasant user experience, which includes updating the overall look of the website, improving access to content and
Previously Appreciated Home Furnishings, Decor and Other Fine Treasures Photography by Peyton Sickles
Photography by Peyton Sickles
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online tools and enhancing navigation processes,” says Chatham County Manager Dan LaMontagne. “We hope that these aesthetic and functional improvements to our website will serve our growing community for years to come.”
NEW ON THE SCENE UNC’s Innovate Carolina and Launch Chapel Hill partnered in November 2020 to design an Innovation Hub at MOSAIC. The 22,000-square-foot site will feature innovative programming and flexible workspaces for remote employees, small businesses and startups, aiming to connect businesses with talent, tools and resources. It will start offering membership tiers based on amenities in late spring 2022 and is slated to open in summer 2022.
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The Second Bloom Thrift Shop held a reopening ceremony at its new location in Pittsboro’s Chatham Commons Shopping Center on Jan. 12. The store sources clothing and jewelry from members of the community with proceeds aiding survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Chatham County. Lysandra Weber’s
clothing boutique, geekchicfashion, relocated from her home studio just outside of Pittsboro to 53½ Hillsboro St. on Feb. 1. Lysandra makes all the garments by hand and is committed to ethical production, promoting body positivity (she sells sizes S to 3XL) and uplifting women in STEM. Chanel Hart D’Aprix
opened Hart & Olive Real Estate Group in affiliation with eXp Realty in February. The firm focuses on
NOTED
Pittsboro and Chapel Hill homes and is the listing firm for two developments – Winding Creek and Corbett Landing. Chanel sold more than $25 million in her field last year. IN OTHER NEWS Join the Chatham County Beekeepers' Association in its first-ever online course: Introduction to Beekeeping, a self-paced course available 24/7 until January 1, 2022. Students as far away as Costa Rica have enrolled, and those completing the course receive a 2021 CCBA membership, which includes participation in a private listserv, a monthly newsletter and open access to meetings via Zoom. To learn more, visit ccba-learning.thinkific.com.
payment service. Drivethru hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Property tax listings and appraisals remain at 12 East St. CM
D iscover your Sanc t uar y
The Chatham County Center of the N.C. Cooperative Extension started the Growing Chatham podcast in February to accompany its Growing Chatham newsletter. Both aim to inform Chatham residents about news in the community. Sign up for the newsletter and listen to the podcast at go.ncsu.edu/ growingchatham. The Chatham County Board of Commissioners pronounced February 2021 “We Love Seniors Month” at its Jan. 19 meeting as a way to show its appreciation for the efforts of local seniors. Commissioner Diana Hales hoped to acknowledge all the volunteer work done by Chatham seniors who make up a larger percentage of the community. Chatham County is accepting property tax payments, water connection applications and water payments at its new location at 192 West St. in Pittsboro as of Jan. 19. The new location offers a night deposit box and drive-thru
1, 2, and 3 bedroom open concept apartment home floor plans with kitchen islands, granite countertops and subway tile backsplashes Resort-style swimming pool with pool house and grilling pavillion State-of-the-art exercise facility with 24-hour access Pet friendly with a dog park and pet wash station for furry friends Prime location allows quick and easy access to Chapel Hill, Raleigh and the entire Triangle area
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Special Advertising Section Our local nonprofits, how they support the community and how you can get involved
Habitat family Shannon and Jeffrey Ambrister in the kitchen of their new home.
Our Mission Chatham Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with God and people to create self-help opportunities for families to own affordable homes, improve their lives, and strengthen their communities.
Upcoming Events • Chatham Habitat Book Club is a way to stay connected during Covid-19. Each month, we read a book about a topic related to affordable housing, and then discuss it via Zoom. We would love for members of the community to join! Visit our website for more information. • Women Build: Every year, Chatham Habitat hosts a series of events through the spring and summer as part of Women Build. We set aside special build days and social events for women to work together to build confidence and fluency in the world of construction. Visit our website for details on this year’s events! Habitat volunteer Tracy stocking shelves at the ReStore.
Background Since 1989, Chatham Habitat for Humanity has been working to achieve a vision of a Chatham County where everyone has a safe place to call home. With the help of generous donors and volunteers, Chatham Habitat builds safe, healthy homes that are then sold to Chatham County families with zero-percent interest affordable loans. Chatham Habitat has built more than 140 homes across the county in the last 31 years.
Brag Lines Chatham Habitat believes that affordable housing is an essential part of a vibrant community. The chance to own an affordable home can be a turning point in a family’s life that leaves an impact for generations, and Chatham Habitat is proud to have made the dream of homeownership a reality for so many families.
Wish List • Donations of gently used furniture, household goods, and construction materials to the ReStores (call 919-548-6910 for a free donation pick-up) • Financial donations which will be used to support the construction of safe, healthy, affordable homes in Chatham County • Hand sanitizer to be used in the ReStores and on the construction sites
Get in Touch! Mailing Address: PO Box 883 Pittsboro, NC 27312 467 West St. Pittsboro, NC 27312 919-542-0788 chathamhabitat.org
Special Advertising Section
PHOTO COURTESY OF EVH
GRAPHIC BY JON FULLER
Our local nonprofits, how they support the community and how you can get involved
El Vínculo Hispano, the Hispanic Liaison of Chatham County, delivered care packages to students in the Orgullo Latinx Pride Youth Program.
Our Mission
Women’s Theatre Festival “Occupy the Stage 2020,” a staged reading marathon of previously unproduced plays by marginalized genders.
Upcoming Events
The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation supports the arts and K-12 education in Chatham, Durham, Orange, and Wake Counties, as well as Duke University.
• 2021 Arts Grant Program: Application period: June 1-June 15, 2021 Pre-application conversations: May 1-May 31, 2021
Background
• 2022 K-12 Education Grant Program: Application period: March 1-March 15, 2022 Pre-application conversations: February 1-February 28, 2022
Mary Duke Biddle established the foundation in 1956, following the philanthropic example set by her family’s investments in Duke University, North Carolina Central University, and numerous other charitable organizations. Today, MDBF supports K-12 education nonprofits that promote student success and learning and offer high-quality arts instruction for underserved students. In addition, MDBF supports cultural organizations in recognition of the vital role of the arts in creating strong, vibrant communities. Duke University also receives support.
Brag Lines In 2021, MDBF anticipates awarding $800,000 in grants to support K-12 education, the arts, and COVID-19 relief. Go to mdbf.org for specific funding goals, eligibility criteria, grant amounts, and application guidelines. In 2020, the foundation responded to the COVID-19 crisis by awarding $225,000 to support K-12 students, artist relief funds and arts organizations, and community-based relief efforts, in addition to $575,000 in its regular grantmaking programs.
Get in Touch! 919-493-5591 info@mdbf.org mdbf.org
A Sampling of Recent Grants • Chatham Education Foundation, Pittsboro • El Vínculo Hispano/The Hispanic Liaison, Siler City • Student U, Durham • TheGifted Arts, Raleigh • Walltown Children’s Theatre, Durham • The ArtsCenter, Carrboro • Hayti Heritage Center, Durham • Hillsborough Arts Council, Hillsborough • NorthStar Church of the Arts, Durham • Women’s Theatre Festival, Raleigh
DR. DANA IGLESIAS
D
r. Dana Iglesias has
DIRECTOR, CHATHAM HOSPITAL MATERNITY CARE CENTER; ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE AT UNC-CHAPEL HILL SCHOOL OF MEDICINE Raised in Riverdale, Georgia, Dana lives in Briar Chapel close to her passions – family medicine, women’s care and maternity care. She completed her family medicine residency training in Chapel Hill in 2005, received a master’s in public health from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health in 2011 and has worked for UNC Family Medicine periodically for 12 years. When she’s not working or enjoying an espresso at The Chatham Rabbit, you can find her hiking or cozying up with a book.
practiced medicine around the world, but her internal compass drew her right back to Chatham. Dana’s personal mission to provide underserved populations with equitable medical care led her to places like Costa Rica, California and Nigeria as well as Chatham, where she achieved one of her proudest moments: She was named the director of Chatham Hospital Maternity Care Center in 2020. Dana works with Chatham Hospital – one of three hospitals in the country recognized as the 2020 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award honoree for its efforts toward health equity – to
change the way mothers in the Chatham community experience childbirth by providing patient-centered labor care. Eight rural maternity care units have closed in North Carolina in the last three years alone, says Katie Nash, a communications manager for UNC Health Foundation. The number of maternity care centers continues to decline across the county. When the maternity care center opened last September, it was “a big deal for women of color, for women who are poor and the women of Chatham County,” Dana says, adding that the center hopes to deliver at least 115 babies in the first year, and eventually 350 babies annually. “We’re the only high-income, developed country that actually has
OUR 4TH ANNUAL
WOMEN’S THESE 12 REMARKABLE WOMEN ARE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITIES PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON
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worsening maternal mortality … and when it comes to women of color, especially Black women, their mortality is three or four times as high as others,” Dana says. Born in one of the nation’s most diverse areas – Queens, New York City – and raised by bilingual parents from Panama, Dana understands the importance of breaking language and cultural barriers. She works to create a diverse medical staff of bilingual midwives and doctors who will help meet the needs of the Black and Spanishspeaking women in the community. “I very much believe in what I’m doing,” Dana says. “I believe in maternity care, that it can be equitable to patients, that it’s accessible and that we’re treating patients the way they should be.” Another reason Dana is attracted to this community is because Chatham and Chapel Hill allow doctors to have a full-spectrum practice and are able to take care of women
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in labor, adults and children, and people in need of end-of-life care. Dividing her time between UNC’s Department of Family Medicine and the maternity care center means that each day of the week looks different for Dana. It’s a balancing act to juggle meetings on Mondays, teach medical students on Tuesdays, organize staff and policies on Wednesdays and go back to practicing medicine by Thursday or Friday, but “the biggest thing that makes it worth it is to know that I’m making a difference in someone’s life by seeing them in a clinic,” Dana says. “But it’s even more rewarding to influence others, whether it’s teaching doctors or residents in training, being a role model to others or being able to influence the system [administratively] for important change.” Dana’s passion doesn’t come as a surprise to her close friends, especially Monika Trogdon, a nurse practitioner who says Dana is always looking for ways to help others. “She’s bighearted, compassionate and strong-willed,” says Monika, who met and befriended Dana at Refuge Home Church 13 years ago. “She exudes strength and has a center of calm and steadiness that I’m sure helps patients as well.” Dana knew in the first grade she wanted to be a doctor. Her advice to aspiring medical professionals is to “work hard at the things you do, do the things you love and remember those two things may not be the same.” – by Janet Alsas
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MOYA HALLSTEIN, DANIELLE MCCOMAS, ANGELINA KOULIZAKISBATTISTE & SARAH SLIGH
FOUNDERS OF ROBIN HOOD’S KITCHEN
M
oya Hallstein stared at an escarole
with one prevailing thought – “What is this?” She could tell from looking at Danielle McComas’ face that she wasn’t alone in her confusion. “I don’t even know how to eat this,” Moya remembers thinking. Moya sells produce for In Good Heart Farm and became good friends with
Danielle, who volunteers at Chatham Outreach Alliance (CORA), through the Pittsboro Farmers Market. They were unsure how to use the farm’s leafy greens, which typically ended up trashed or composted. Yet neither could shake the feeling that, in someone else’s hands, maybe something special could come from these garden-variety afterthoughts. The epiphany was simple – soup. “What do you do with weird vegetables … or ugly vegetables?” Moya
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Sarah Sligh, Angelina KoulizakisBattiste, Danielle McComas and Moya Hallstein outside of Angelina’s Kitchen in Pittsboro.
says, thinking back to their conversation in early November 2020. “I hate to call them ugly, because I feel like they’re not that ugly; they’re just not unblemished. And then Danielle and I looked at each other at the same time like, ‘Oh, my gosh, you make soup.’” They just needed someone – or multiple someones – to help transform
the uncooked vegetables into unexpected delights. Enter Angelina Koulizakis-Battiste and Sarah Sligh of Angelina’s Kitchen. The Pittsboro restaurant owner and her employee offered their commercial kitchen to legalize and legitimize the organization Moya and Danielle were calling Robin Hood’s Kitchen. That meant handling the cooking process, but also forging the steps to become a 501c3 nonprofit. “It was the perfect fit,” Moya says of Angelina’s Kitchen, which sources produce from more than 30 local farms. Once the women teamed up, their process fell into place organically. Some 35 to 40 people have since volunteered their time to contribute to the cause, which aims to close the gap between food insecurity in Chatham and a surplus of locally grown vegetables. Such a straightforward idea, and now months later, one that has grown from standard ol’ soup to salads, chili and quiche. As of late February, “The Hoods,” as they playfully call themselves, have cooked and delivered nearly 1,600 pounds of meals to nonprofits like CORA. The soon-to-be nonprofit became a weekly endeavor as the women received more produce than they knew what to do with. Local farms – including Granite Springs Farm and In Good Heart, which are currently the primary donors, as well as Chatham Marketplace and many others – all stepped up to contribute. News of the endeavor spread via word of mouth. It helps, of course, that Angelina’s doubles as an unofficial social hub for the town. “It’s been a series of fortunate events,” Danielle says. “I feel like when you’re trying to get something good done, the stars sometimes just align. People want to help, and they just don’t know how. And so it’s really just been a waterfall of
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events: Once people found out, the whole community of Pittsboro jumped in.” That’s been true beyond the volunteers. Camelback Brewing Company in Sanford also signed on in early March to make its kitchen available, with more distribution points to follow. Chatham is the state’s geographical center and is home to 68,778 residents, 7,480 of whom are food insecure, according to data reported by the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina in 2019. That’s roughly one in nine people. “What we’re doing is nothing new,” Danielle says. “We’re just jumping in on something that needs to happen. We’re trying to change the culture of food and eating back to something that’s more inclusive. “Farm-to-table has been such a buzzword for the past 10 years,” she adds. “It’s something that you pay extra money for when you go to eat places; it used to just be farm-to-table was how people ate. And as an organization, we’d like to see a shift in culture back to where it’s not just a good buzz phrase on a menu. [Instead], it’s an inclusive, communal effort.” – by Hannah Lee Robin Hood’s Kitchen currently accepts donations for shelf-stable goods including olive oil, rice, pasta (not spaghetti), canned tomatoes and beans, and spices at Angelina’s Kitchen. If you would like to provide other items or volunteer for a shift, email robinhoodskitchen@ gmail.com. To donate, visit venmo.com/u/robinhoodskitchen. 30
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JAYDEN SANSOM
DUAL-ENROLLED HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR AT CHATHAM SCHOOL OF SCIENCE & ENGINEERING AND CENTRAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE Jayden was born in Great Falls, Montana, and moved to Chatham in 2012 from Bristol, Virginia. She lives with her parents, Brian Sansom and Jaime Sansom, in Pittsboro near Chapel Ridge. Her sister, Jaycee Sansom, studies computer science at UNC-Chapel Hill, which Jayden will also study at N.C. State beginning this fall.
J
rushes to the library between classes at Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) just to feel the keyboard at her fingertips. The young coder clicks and clacks as numbers and letters form scripts, sets and sometimes even a program – though it may take days of work. Or months. Jayden loves getting lost in the “puzzle” of the virtual world. She didn’t start coding until her freshman year of high school, yet Jayden has already won more than 15 awards and honors in the discipline. That includes her latest (and most prestigious) honor: the 2021 award for Aspirations in Computing, which she won from the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) – selected from a field of nearly 4,300 candidates – in January. “To [be] chosen as one of the top 40 women was utter and complete joy and disbelief,” Jayden says. “I worked very hard to get to that moment.” Jayden was also previously recognized by the NCWIT as a 2019 Rising Star. In the time between those two honors, she developed an award-winning app, Starga, which tracks constellations, and created ayden Sansom
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a rock-paper-scissors game against a quantum computer during the MIT Artificial Intelligence Hackathon. It’s all part of a meteoric rise for the artist-turned-artificial-intelligence enthusiast. Jayden credits her success in part to her first computer science teacher, Charlotte Dungan, the artificial intelligence program architect at North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM). Jayden was part of the first cohort of students to complete the two-year STEM Scholars Program, a partnership created among state public schools and NCSSM. “I present the same opportunities to many of my students,” Charlotte says. “Jayden was just the only one who said yes to all of them.” Charlotte first encouraged Jayden to take NCSSM’s AI research projects course three years ago, then urged Jayden to submit projects for award considerations when she showed a natural aptitude. The honors keep coming. The title of her most recent project is formidable: “Artificial intelligence as the artist using adversarial networks to generate art indistinguishable from a human’s work.” The three-monthlong endeavor culminated in something that not only stood out scientifically, but also highlighted Jayden’s personal love for art and the humanity it reveals. The program she built essentially filters and adjusts any work of uploaded art until the piece resembles a new work. She tested its effectiveness by showing six of her program-adjusted pieces to art students at CCCC, asking them if they considered the works “art” and what emotions they elicited. When 90% of the students agreed her filtered works were “art,” Jayden
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considered the test a success, both for the program she’d built and for the potential of AI to contribute to the humanities moving forward. “I thought it would be really cool to do art and computer science together,” Jayden says. “And it turns out, a lot of research is currently being done on whether or not computers can actually be creative, and if people can get the same feelings and sense that they would if they were viewing a human’s piece of art.” Jayden’s success in that initial test prompted her to push the program through to the Chatham County Schools Science Fair, which she won, and then later to the Region 5 North Central Regional Science & Engineering Fair in late February. The recognition for her digital program represented a perfect melding of two passions for the budding young artist, who had already placed first in the state’s National Beta Club convention’s digital art division and eighth in the country’s National Beta Club convention. “One thing that makes Jayden stand out is she took the opportunity to take a research class,” Charlotte says, “and she developed an artificial intelligence research project and implemented that project in community college as a 16-year-old. She certainly is special in that way – to take that initiative and then to be so persistent at doing something that most people would never even start.” Jayden’s next step is to combine her fondness for computer science and art into a profession. She plans to attend N.C. State University, one of the few universities that has a minor specifically for video game design. She’ll tap into her creativity to dream up games … and then use her coding skills to create them. – by Hannah Lee 32
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MARIA PARKER-LEWIS
OWNER, THE SYCAMORE AT CHATHAM MILLS, FOREST HALL AT CHATHAM MILLS AND 39 WEST CATERING BOARD PRESIDENT, MAIN STREET PITTSBORO VICE PRESIDENT AND EVENTS COMMITTEE CHAIR, PITTSBORO BUSINESS ASSOCIATION Maria and her husband, Greg Lewis, opened the Pittsboro Roadhouse in 2012. The restaurant and music venue closed in 2020, but the pair remain active in their other ventures: The Sycamore at Chatham Mills, Forest Hall at Chatham Mills and 39 West Catering. She is originally from Pineville, Pennsylvania, and moved to Silk Hope in 2007, drawn to its rural charm. She and Greg have three daughters: Angelina, 17, who attends Chatham School of Science and Engineering; Adelena, 22, who recently graduated from Temple University; and Arianna, 25, who attends Wake Technical Community College.
To [be] chosen as one of the top 40 women was utter and complete joy and disbelief. I worked very hard to get to that moment.” – Jayden Sansom
A
global pandemic couldn’t stop Maria Parker-Lewis’ drive to share. In fact, it kicked her tenacity for community involvement into high gear. In March 2020, the first month of the statewide shutdown, Maria reached out to Panda Packs, a volunteer effort ensuring Pittsboro Elementary School students have enough to eat when they aren’t in school. Maria and her husband, Greg, suggested Panda Packs use the Pittsboro Roadhouse as a resource to prep and store meals. The couple eventually expanded their personal efforts to support other Chatham schools, Chatham Outreach Alliance (CORA) and Communities in Schools of Chatham County. A year later, the couple still donates up to 40 meals every week. Maria and Greg catered numerous fundraisers for community organizations including Main Street Pittsboro, Abundance NC and Chatham Literacy during the eight years the Roadhouse was open. They also
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worked with volunteers to deliver meals to seniors on Sundays, a day Chatham County Council on Aging doesn’t make its rounds. “Everyone has their thing that they can bring to the table,” Maria says. “Food is the thing we can bring to the literal table.” Providing meals isn’t the only way Maria gives back; she’s also heavily involved in supporting her community through her roles with Main Street Pittsboro and the Pittsboro Business Association. Some of her happiest memories are of Summerfest and Holly Days, two of the Pittsboro Business Association’s annual events. “You can see everybody truly being in the moment and enjoying themselves,” Maria says. Maria first got involved with the Pittsboro Business Association when she and Greg moved to Chatham. Both grew up in rural Pennsylvania and wanted to raise their daughters someplace similar. The county’s bucolic character drew them in, but the community they found in downtown Pittsboro was the finishing touch. “The center of town feels like home because we all know one another,” Maria says. Those relationships that Maria cultivates are what make her work so meaningful, she says. She is collaborating with Ashlie Campbell and Shana O’Leary of An Acquired Style to design the interior of the new gourmet steakhouse, The Sycamore at Chatham Mills. “We work with so many people who bring their gifts, their advice and their vision to [our projects],” Maria says. “There’s just an energy that comes about when you can all see the same thing … it just becomes fuller than if one person was seeing it and directing it themselves.” Whether she’s sharing her creativity or a meal, Maria is an enthusiastic, dedicated giver. “I don’t have to go through a thought process,” she says. “... There’s more than enough to go around.” – by Meredith Alling APRIL / MAY 2021
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MELINDA FITZGERALD OWNER AND OPERATOR OF COUNTRY FARM & HOME
Melinda purchased Country Farm & Home from her father, Dallas Hurley, in 2014. Melinda and her husband, Edward Fitzgerald, live in the northern part of Chatham County with their two kids, Summer, 8, and Aidan, 11, who both attend Perry Harrison Elementary School, and their dog, Rosie.
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runs her Pittsboro-based store like an educator in chief. After 13 years of teaching, Melinda traded her Smith Middle School science classroom in Chapel Hill for a different one at 101 S. Small St., where she owns and operates Country Farm & Home. “I feel like once you’re an educator, you’re always an educator,” Melinda says. “It’s just your audience might change.” Customers line up at her store’s counter for advice on gardening, beekeeping, raising chicks, irrigation systems and more. Melinda says it’s like a bar where people exchange stories and offer advice on agriculture and life. Those conversations often evolve into friendly relationships among the customers and a staff of environmental enthusiasts. “I love Chatham County,” Melinda says, “and I love the community of farmers we’ve reached beyond that. They’re all very real, compassionate people. We’ve built friendships together through [the pandemic]. I hear their struggles, and we try to help where we can.” The store first opened in the early 1950s as the Farmers Exchange, where farmers could mill grain and trade products. Melinda’s father, Dallas Hurley, and his wife, 34
elinda Fitzgerald
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THE WOMEN'S ISSUE
Carol Jean Hurley, moved their family from
Tampa, Florida, to the area and purchased the local feed store from Southern States in 1993. Melinda learned customer service and business management from her dad for four years before buying the business from him seven years ago. “Dad thought Country Farm & Home encapsulated what the store was about, so we all thought it was such a great idea at the time,” Melinda recalls, laughing over her family’s choice for the store’s name. “Now that I’m all these years in and wiser, I realize it was the worst possible name we could have chosen. Nobody remembers the name of the store, they just make up names like ‘Country Farm and Garden,’ ‘Chatham Farm and Garden,’ ‘Pittsboro Farm Store.’ It’s like ‘choose your own adventure.’” In the end, Melinda chose not to rename it, a decision partly based on fear of losing community trust. The transition of ownership from father to daughter within a male-dominated industry did not come without difficulties. “There were men who would call the store and ask to talk to Dallas for an answer, and they wouldn’t want to talk to me,” Melinda says. “I had to prove myself and make sure people knew what I was talking about. Part of it was that they trusted my dad, and they had a relationship with my dad. But I’m also convinced that part of it was my gender.” Yet Melinda made her own mark on the store with intentional interior design and inventory upgrades. The store’s layout, lighting and signage – from parking lot to checkout – is intended to make customers feel welcomed and empowered. She listens to customers’ needs; her rule of thumb is “the first time somebody asks for something, we try a special order for them, [and] by the time the third person asks for it, I’m going to try and put it on my shelf.”
I love Chatham County, and I love the community of farmers that we’ve reached beyond that. They’re all very real, compassionate people. We’ve built friendships together through [the pandemic]. I hear their struggles, and we try to help where we can.” – Melinda Fitzgerald
About a third of the store’s inventory came from authentic conversations with customers, including one of the most popular items: organic potatoes. Melinda ordered 6,000 pounds of the spuds after noticing a local need during her first year as store owner. She ordered 20,000 pounds of 30 different varieties this year and almost 4,000 extra pounds to have available to anyone who walked in the door. “More people are growing their own food, they’re concerned about food security, they’re concerned about what’s in their food, and they want to eat healthy,” Melinda says. “We positioned ourselves to have every single thing you could possibly need to do that, under one roof.” The store’s modern inventory and vintage charm attracts families and farmers from all corners of the state, from Hickory to Wilmington, North Carolina, as well as Virginia and South Carolina. Country Farm & Home saw single-digit revenue growth almost every year since Dallas purchased the store. But last year the store hit a record-breaking 30% revenue growth under Melinda’s leadership, and so far this month the store is seeing 59% revenue growth over last year. Melinda says some of the store’s recent success correlates with the pandemic and people spending more time at home in the garden and the kitchen. She predicts Country Farm & Home will continue its upward business trajectory with the rising global demand for healthy and organic food. It’s that success that drives Melinda to wake up every morning at 4 a.m. to answer emails and catch up on paperwork. At 7 a.m., she gets the kids up for school and takes them to her parents’ house in Pittsboro for a day of remote learning. By 8:30 a.m., Melinda walks into the store. “Some days I do it well, some days I don’t,” Melinda says. “I just have to take things one day at a time.” – by Marie Muir APRIL / MAY 2021
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THE WOMEN'S ISSUE
LINDSAY SHORE-WRIGHT & JAZMIN MENDOZA SOSA, CO-LEADERS OF CLOVER CREATORS 4-H COMMUNITY CLUB
Lindsay and Jazmin are colleagues at Virginia Cross Elementary School in Siler City where Lindsay is the school’s media specialist, and Jazmin works as the lead student support specialist for Communities in Schools of Chatham County. Jazmin was born in Mexico and moved to Siler City 18 years ago. Lindsay, who lives on a farm in Randolph County with her husband, two daughters and many pets, has worked in Chatham County Schools for 13 years.
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THE WOMEN'S ISSUE
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azmin Mendoza Sosa and Lindsay
Shore-Wright worked together over summer break in 2016, driving around Siler City’s neighborhoods in a bookmobile to pass out reading material, snacks and pencils to Virginia Cross students. Both were eager to provide extra support to local kids during the school year, so the pair decided to start the Clover Creators 4-H Club in 2017 with a common vision: create a bilingual and bicultural club where kids growing up in Siler City could form social bonds, feel appreciated and develop useful skills. Lindsay knew from her own experience – she’s been an active participant in 4-H since age 10 and was a member of the NC 4-H Honor Club – that the club could support kids in the community. The group has thrived for four years under Jazmin and Lindsay’s leadership. “We have really good attendance,” Jazmin says. “We have parents who really want their kids to build that social capital.” Clover Creators have participated in a variety of 4-H activities at the county, district and state level including activity days, a mock Board of Commissioners meeting and service projects. They’ve also painted benches at Bray Park and hosted a food drive benefiting the West Chatham Food Pantry. “We have picked up litter and helped at community events like Diá de los Libros,” Lindsay says. Five club members were invited to the statewide 4-H competition in 2019 after earning either gold
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or silver at the district level for their presentations on a subject they were passionate about. “They worked hard for months to perfect their presentations and advance through different levels of competition,” Lindsay recalls. “Watching them compete in Raleigh at the state level was a fabulous experience.” Lindsay schedules the club’s semimonthly meetups with Jazmin over email during their busy school days. “Each school day is stressful, exhausting and a lot of fun,” Lindsay says. She finds time among the seven media classes she teaches to connect with Jazmin to plan activities for the club. “Before [the pandemic], we met at First Baptist Church of Siler City,” Lindsay explains. “Their hospitality has been critical to us having a safe place to meet and grow our club.” These days, Jazmin and Lindsay lead a fun craft over Zoom each month for their members, providing any materials they might need. Though they have relaxed, age-appropriate activities for each meeting, Jazmin says they have bigger goals in mind. “This year, we are going to focus on budgeting,” she says. “... We hope to have speakers and hope to build some financial literacy.” Clover Creators is familyoriented, and parents are required to participate alongside their kids. 38
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Jazmin often facilitates communication with parents alongside her day job as the student support specialist for Communities in Schools of Chatham County. Any free time
[The Clover Creators] worked hard for months to perfect their presentations and advance through different levels of competition. Watching them compete in Raleigh at the state level was a fabulous experience.” – Lindsay Shore-Wright
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outside these roles is spent mentoring high schoolers who aspire to become firstgeneration college students, an undertaking close to her heart. Jazmin was the first person in her family to graduate from college when she earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Meredith College. Lindsay and Jazmin’s dedication to serving their students was recognized by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners in a meeting on April 20, 2020, and both women received the Chatham County Outstanding Volunteer Award as well as the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award certificate from the NC Commission on Volunteerism & Community Service. What makes their efforts truly rewarding, they say, is the difference they can see in students’ self-esteem. “It’s really worth it when [the students] believe that other adults care about them,” Jazmin says. Lindsay agrees. “I try to be present and stable for our young people,” she says, to “show them how loved and worthy they are with my actions.” – by Renee Ambroso
The 2021 Critical Issues Series presented by 97.9 The Hill & Chapelboro.com, Duke Energy, and Durham Technical Community College features forums throughout the year with influential guest speakers who address timely topics related to local and regional economic development, public policy, the economy and elections. Join The Chamber For a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro at its next Critical Issues Forum on April 22 at 8:30am for a timely update on regional economic development from Research Triangle Park and Chatham and Orange counties.
Register at CarolinaChamber.org/criticalissues Remaining Forums
May 27: Local Economic Development Forum (Towns & Downtowns) June 24: The University as an Economic Driver Forum July 22: Workforce Forum | Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Top Talent August 26: Candidates & Elected Officials Forum October 14: Commercial and Residential Real Estate Forum November 18: The State of Local Business Forum December 9: Federal & State Legislative Forum
THE WOMEN'S ISSUE
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VALERIE PAIGE FOUSHEE SENATOR, NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Valerie was born the eldest of six siblings in Chapel Hill. She and her high school sweetheart, Stanley Foushee, live in Hillsborough and will celebrate their 44th anniversary this year. The couple has two adult sons, Stanley II and Terrence – an English teacher at Northwood High School – and a 5-year-old grandson, Stanley III, who goes by Trey. Some of her favorite activities in the Chatham part of her district include the Chatham County Fair and Main Street Pittsboro’s First Sunday events. When not working or volunteering, Valerie enjoys traveling with Stan and spending time with her large extended family.
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he thing about public service is that it’s not about you,” Valerie Paige Foushee says. Wearing a mask and pearls, she pats her necklace as she speaks to the experiences that affirmed her commitment to helping others. “It’s about the people, and particularly people who don’t feel they have an advocate, or people who feel like they’re not being heard, or people who just don’t know how to navigate a system.” Valerie worked as an administrator for the Chapel Hill Police Department for two decades before she got into politics. She volunteered in her sons’ schools and took her involvement to the next level in 1997 when she was elected to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education. In 2004, she became the first African American woman elected to the Orange County Board of Commissioners, serving as its chair from 2008 to 2010. In 2012, she was elected to the state General Assembly representing Orange and Durham counties in District 50. This year marks her fifth term as a state legislator, now serving Orange and Chatham counties in District 23. “If there’s any lesson that has carried me throughout my life, it is the fact that everybody wants to be respected,” Valerie says. “I was taught that you treat people the way you want to be treated.”
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Valerie was born in 1956, a time when Chapel Hill’s neighborhoods, schools and churches were still segregated by race. She grew up in Pine Knolls, where her family lived for three generations. After two years at UNC, Valerie left to marry Stan, now a retired fire marshal for the Town of Carrboro. Years later, Valerie knew she had to model the importance of education and finish what she started at Carolina. Two months after retiring from the Chapel Hill Police Department in 2008, Valerie graduated with her bachelor’s. Valerie’s acumen for politics began at First Baptist Church in Chapel Hill. She honed skills she would need to work with people and for people. “You have to network, just like in politics,” Valerie says. “You have to have a message, just like in politics. You have to be able to identify a base for any position that you get in church. So I learned politics – the good, the bad and the ugly – in church.” Valerie is a relentless worker, and she often works 12-hour-plus days when the state legislature is in session, tackling issues surrounding education, the environment, the economy and equality. In Chatham County, specifically, Valerie hopes to avoid pitfalls of rapid development and attract investors to the 1,800-acre advanced manufacturing site near Siler City and another 2,500-acre megasite in Moncure. As a public servant, Valerie addresses a long checklist of policies and tasks for the greater good. Though when asked about her greatest accomplishment, the answer is familiar to most parents – her kids. “Bless their hearts, they’re so much like their Dad,” she says, then pauses before continuing, “and praise God, not so much.” With that, she pulls her hand away from her pearls, her smile widening behind her mask. – by Anna-Rhesa Versola
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THE WOMEN'S ISSUE
PAULA BROWN STAFFORD
CHAIR, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NOVAN INC. Paula was born at the old Rex Hospital when it was still on St. Mary’s Street in Raleigh. She has called Chatham County home since 1996, raising her kids, Cas, 25, and Jack, 22, here with her husband, Greg Stafford. They have an outdoor cat, Alex, who roams their Jordan Hills neighborhood off of Big Woods Road near Jordan Lake.
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aula Brown Stafford says she has the essentials of a happy life – faith, love, purpose and a field of dreams. She was born and raised in Raleigh and grew up in a modest home with her parents, two older sisters and a younger brother. She excelled in school and imagined becoming a pharmacist. “But I learned chemistry was not my thing,” she says. “It was math. I live in that intersection of math and the health sciences.” She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public health from UNC-Chapel Hill and returned to her alma mater for a master’s degree in biostatistics. Paula was a senior in undergrad when she landed an internship at a small startup pharmaceutical research company; she became its 23rd employee. Paula worked her way up the corporate ladder over the next 30 years to become president of clinical development at Quintiles Transnational (now known as IQVIA). One of her proudest accomplishments was helping to bring Metformin to market. She credits the drug’s benefits in helping improve the quality of life for her diabetic grandmother, who lived to be 99 years old. Paula developed a strong work ethic at age 10 when she helped wipe down tables at her grandfather’s restaurant.
APRIL / MAY 2021
She was earning wages waiting tables. She absorbed a lifetime of lessons in hard work, service and leadership from her father, Bert Brown, who was a president of the Raleigh Civitan Club and active in supporting people with disabilities. Paula supports various nonprofits and service organizations, but her heart belongs to TLC (founded as the Tammy Lynn Center). She’s most animated when describing her hopes that Chatham County will one day have services similar to those at TLC, which has a mission “to empower individuals of all abilities to live their fullest life.” “I want to bring something to Chatham County that we don’t already have,” Paula says about cradle-to-grave services for developmentally challenged individuals. “I want to bring something I believe in.” Paula’s purposeful passion is key in turning vision into reality, according to John Gay, chief financial officer at Novan Inc. “I think that passion comes through in the way she engages her team and all the employees,” says John, who has lived in Chatham County for 20 years. “She shares her vision in a way that broadcasts the mission statement of the company. She’s always moving. She’s rarely static. She’s been a great coach for me, a great mentor.” Paula and Greg, her husband of 30 years, recently purchased 140 acres close to where Pittsboro Goldston Road meets Yellow Brick Road. Yes, Yellow Brick Road. They have no active plans for developing the property, but the possibilities include creating a camp for children with disabilities, a pasture for cows, a barn for wedding receptions and quinceañeras, or clearing the fields for soccer games. “You will see a line of trees and some green pasture behind with low trees on each side and tall pines at back,” Paula says. It is a matter-of-fact description of the land, but what she really sees is a field of dreams. – by Anna-Rhesa Versola CM
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WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT LIVING IN
DOWNTOWN PITTSBORO
THREE FAMILIES SHARE A FEW OF THEIR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS BY ANNA-RHESA VERSOLA
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON
h, my goodness, how much time do you have?” asks Mary Beth Clark when given the chance to sing the praises of her town. “When I’m trying to give people a snapshot, an elevator pitch of how wonderful it is to live in downtown Pittsboro, I say that we can walk to
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a grocery store, several restaurants, a bar, and when there wasn’t a pandemic, live music, our dentists, our eye doctor, our general practitioner doctor, a used bookstore, a thrift shop – just everything. It’s so walkable and accessible.” That final aspect is essential for Mary Beth’s 25-year-old son, Sam Cahoon, who has cerebral palsy. Sam enjoys walking from their home on Midway Street to
Mary Beth Clark, her son, Sam Cahoon, and her husband, Sheldon Clark, in front of Circle City Books & Music in downtown Pittsboro.
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Davenport’s Café Diem and Circle City Books & Music.
Mary Beth says she and her family love to read and regularly visit Circle City Books & Music on Hillsboro Street.
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Mary Beth says he especially loved seeing all the different vendors along Hillsboro Street on First Sunday before COVID-19 put the whole world on pause. “He’s mobile, he can walk fine,” she says. “This is so much better for him socially. When we were out in Moncure, there was no sidewalk, and it was a very busy road. When you went out walking in the
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forest, that was delightful, but you’d come home covered with ticks if it was any time between March and November. Now he can go all around downtown, and people know him. It’s so good for him. It’s great. He volunteers at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church’s community lunch every week. So it’s wonderful for us.” Patrick O’Neil and Gina Difino landed new jobs in Fayetteville and Chapel Hill, respectively,
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Gina Difino, Patrick O’Neil and their son, Aidan, peruse the pastries at Davenport’s Café Diem.
and they weren’t sure which area they would choose to live until they walked into Chatham Marketplace and S&T’s Soda Shoppe. “Those felt like places where there was a community and that really sold us,” says Patrick, a history professor at Methodist University in Fayetteville. He and Gina, who is the director of global education and fellowships at UNC-Chapel Hill, are happiest when spending time with their 10-year-old son, Aidan, a student at Woods Charter School. Aidan likes doughnuts from The Phoenix Bakery and exploring new pieces on display at the Small Museum of Folk Art at Small B&B Cafe on East Street. 50
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Patrick and Gina say that Vino!! Wine Shop was the center of their social universe until the pandemic shutdown. “When Aidan was about 2, we asked him what he wanted to do when he grew up, and he said, ‘Drink wine,’” Patrick says, laughing with Gina and Aidan. “You know, that is funny. He saw us having fun and was part of it. I think that actually speaks to some of what we love about this town and how it’s community centered.” Patrick, a Nebraska native, says, “All the small towns in Nebraska are dying. Not all, maybe. That’s not true in every small town in [North] Carolina, but holy cow, is that true in a lot of places. In Pittsboro, it’s still alive. The shops are full, and people are eating out, hopefully safely in the pandemic. [Downtown Pittsboro is] a gathering place. In lots of the small towns, those gathering places disappeared. Here, we feel connected to the rural surrounding communities. We like that we know our farmers at the farmers market. I love that there’s
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Gina and Aidan check out the latest exhibit at the Small Museum of Folk Art adjacent to Small B&B Cafe on East Street in Pittsboro.
Living in downtown Pittsboro is “like being in a Norman Rockwell” painting. – Mary Beth Clark
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a mix of people from all walks of life. It really feels like a small town where everybody’s a part of it.” Rick Teta and Ronda Teta have that deep connection to living in downtown Pittsboro, too. Ronda co-founded Pittsboro Baptist Preschool on Salisbury Street and is a kindergarten teacher at Chatham Grove Elementary School. They are raising their four children in the same brick house with a red tin roof where Rick grew up on Lauris Street. Both Rick
APRIL / MAY 2021
and Ronda graduated from Northwood High School just as their daughter Sierra, now 22, and son Nicholas, 20, have done. Their two younger kids, Aaron, 14, and Shiloh, 10, run and bike along the same streets their parents knew at their ages. Rick, who works at Duke University Hospital as a medical gas maintenance specialist, is a lifelong runner and knows the pavement along his 6-mile route through the downtown area so well that he can run it in the dark. He and
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Emma Springfield pours a couple of coffees for Patrick and Gina at Davenport’s Café Diem.
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Ronda would like to see more trails downtown for running, walking and biking enthusiasts. The desire for more green space and connectivity to the outdoors within the downtown area was a theme among all three families. Patrick, Gina and Aidan say they would like to see more trails, too, especially one connecting the downtown area with other neighborhoods like Powell Place. The Teta family would appreciate a large “central park” similar to ones in Briar Chapel and Southern Village. Still, it’s the quaint downtown lifestyle that
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DOWNTOWN PITTSBORO
Rick and Ronda Teta in front of their house – also Rick’s childhood home – on Lauris Street where they raise their four kids, Nicholas (not pictured), Sierra, Shiloh and Aaron.
draws in these residents and many others. Mary Beth says hearing the courthouse clock chiming on the hour is part of the town’s charm, “like being in a Norman Rockwell” painting. She will welcome the day when life can return to “some normalcy.” “What we really loved doing pre-pandemic, we will do it again,” says Mary Beth, whose house is within earshot of The City Tap says, “On a warm summer night, if we sit out on our screened porch, we can hear the band playing. Delightful. I love to dance to live music, so it’s just perfect.” CM
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Vicky Oldham, and her sons, Steve and T.J., keep the memory of Gene alive at S&T’s Soda Shoppe.
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D O W N T O W N
P I T T S B O R O
A LEGACY
LIVES ON THE LATE GENE OLDHAM’S MEMORY IS TIED TO THE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY SPACE HE CREATED IN DOWNTOWN PITTSBORO BY MARIE MUIR
G
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON
ene Oldham’s dream – to
recreate an early 1900s-style soda shop in downtown Pittsboro where friends and family could gather to celebrate – was a lifetime labor of love. He opened S&T’s Soda Shoppe, named after sons Steve and T.J., in 1997 and invited families to sit down and share a story, a cream soda or both. Simplicity was essential for the first-time restaurant owner. The shop was originally only going to serve french fries, chicken salad,
pimento cheese sandwiches and ice cream. Today, the diner offers a whopping menu of American classics, Southern mainstays and over 32 flavors of ice cream. S&T’s gained local fame for its food and friendliness over the years, which is why Chathamites mourned Gene’s sudden passing in December 2020. Vicky Oldham, Gene’s wife of 43 years, fell in love with his “kind brown eyes” on their first date (at a diner, of course). The couple raised their two sons in Vicky’s hometown of Pittsboro while Gene set his heart on opening a diner. The perfect opportunity presented itself in 1996 in
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the form of a vacant building on Hillsboro Street that once housed a soda shop in the early 1900s. What followed was an earnest effort to restore the nostalgia of Gene’s fondest memories from the soda shops of his childhood through renovations and restoration.
Love whoever you’re with. Love them, and don’t take anything for granted.” – Vicky Oldham
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A cookies and cream sundae topped with hot fudge, whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles and a cherry.
Vicky had her doubts, but she matched Gene’s entrepreneurial spirit with her own determination and warm hospitality, and S&T’s became a success. But no one could have predicted the financial setbacks the pandemic would have on the entire service industry. The diner adapted to a takeout-only reality while loyal staff and customers kept the business afloat. It was a tearful and bittersweet day when Vicky, Steve and T.J. reopened S&T’s doors on Jan. 5, 2021, to dine-in customers. “When I first came back to work after Gene’s death, it was so sad and awful,” Vicky says. “But when people started celebrating and laughing again, I said, ‘Look, honey, they’re celebrating, and they’re happy!’ And that made me happy.” Steve and T.J., now S&T’s managers, remain dedicated to helping their mother carry on their father’s dream. S&T’s is more than a restaurant to its longtime customers. It’s a place where families and friends have shared countless meals and priceless memories. Tributes to those memories are written in permanent marker on a bench near the front of the store. The wooden bench was a gift from a customer, and it reminds Vicky of Gene’s legacy of love every day. “Love whoever you’re with,” she says. “Love them, and don’t take anything for granted.” CM
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H E A L T H
MEDICAL PLANS
LEARN MORE ABOUT CHATHAM COUNTY’S NEW HEALTH CARE SERVICES
J
BY ANNA-RHESA VERSOLA
eff Strickler can’t predict the future of health
care in Chatham County, but he’s confident our community is ready for it. “It all depends upon how clear your crystal ball is,” says Jeff, president of Chatham Hospital, a 25bed critical access hospital in Siler City that is part of the UNC Health system. Chatham County is predominantly rural but has become a bedroom community to Research Triangle Park and the surrounding area with more than 55% of residents commuting to jobs outside the county, according to a case study published in the Journal of Rural and Community Development. “We sort of have a foot in two worlds,” Jeff says. “It gives us a depth of resources that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to bring
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FOR THE
25th Anniversary
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HEALTH CARE Dr. Julie Monaco, Nurse Christy Garner and Nurse Mariana Foster care for mothers and newborns at Chatham Maternity Care Center in Siler City.
to the conversation in our majority programs.” Jeff listed additional services now available to Chatham residents, such as: Maternity care –
•
Chatham Maternity Care Center opened last
September in Siler City Diagnostics – upgraded CT scanners and improved technology for mammograms Rehabilitation – physical therapy, cardiopulmonary and inpatient rehab services in Siler City Surgical – added an orthopedic surgeon trained in sports medicine; a second ear, nose and throat surgeon; a surgeon for endoscopy and colonoscopy work; a gynecologic surgeon; a urologist; and two ophthalmologists who can perform cataract procedures Mental health – telemedicine links to psychiatrists at UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill The UNC Health system continues to invest in Chatham County by expanding services, upgrading equipment and building new facilities. An urgent care clinic opens in April in Chatham Park near Hwy. 15-501 at U.S. 64. Additionally, Chatham Hospital’s new maternity care center – the first in the county in 30 years – inspires renewed support for grant-funded projects like EMBRACe (Equity for Moms and Babies
•
PHOTO BY CC KALLAM
•
Current UNC Health Facilities in Chatham County • State Employees Credit Union (SECU) Jim and Betsy Bryan Hospice Home of UNC Health Care • Chatham Rehabilitation Services at Pittsboro • Chatham Imaging Services of Pittsboro • UNC Laboratory Services – UNC Hospitals Laboratory-UNC Chatham Park Medical Office • UNC Hospitals Therapeutic Infusion Center at Pittsboro • UNC Audiology • UNC Rheumatology at Pittsboro • UNC Chatham Park Medical Office • UNC Specialty Care Clinics in: • Cardiology • Ear, Nose and Throat • Gastroenterology • Ophthalmology • Orthopaedics • Urology
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Realized Across Chatham). According to UNC Health, opening the maternity care center last September stands in contrast to the closing of eight maternity care centers statewide in the last three years. “Even in this time of challenge for rural communities, we can bring this focus on prenatal, maternal and young child care to set that strong foundation and really show how Chatham is so important in our eyes,” says Lara Kehle, chair of Chatham Health Alliance and director of KidSCope, a program providing mental health and family support to newborns and children up to 5 years old and their families in Orange and Chatham counties. Lara says the future looks bright for health care services in Chatham County because there is a genuine commitment among alliance partners to work toward the greater good. “One of the things I find that sets them apart really is collaborative focus,” Lara says. “When there’s a need, we’re going to work together to meet that need.” Julie Wilkerson, coordinator for Chatham Health Alliance, says a future goal is to establish a permanent “one-stop shop” where health and social services and resources are conveniently co-located and accessible via public transportation. Alliance partners include UNC Family Medicine, Piedmont Health Services, Chatham County Public Health Department, Chatham County Department of Social Services and more.
Chatham Hospital and its satellite clinics are “an unrecognized and untapped treasure for the county and Pittsboro area,” Jeff says, hoping referrals to Chatham Hospital continue to rise. CM
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Blake WalkerMercure and Marc SanchezMercure get cozy on the white sectional in their airy living room.
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H O M E
&
G A R D E N
EMPIRE STATE
OF MIND ANTIQUITIES ADORN THIS COUPLE’S GOVERNORS CLUB ABODE BY ANNA-RHESA VERSOLA
B
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON
lake Walker-Mercure and
Marc Sanchez-Mercure take
pride in being different from the typical suburban couple. Their home celebrates their passion for Egyptian and Greco-Roman mythology popular during the Napoleonic era in early 19th century France, known as French Empire I. The couple’s love affair with this style began with their engagement APRIL / MAY 2021
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ABOVE Blake and Marc peek around the living room fireplace located across from the kitchen and breakfast nook. LEFT The ornate mirror in the living room reflects another perspective of the portraits of Willem van Vyve and Pope Gregory XIII’s son Giacomo Boncompagni.
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about 11 years ago. Each room of their 5-bedroom/4 ½ -bathroom Governors Club home is curated to create a vignette of Hellenistic themes with Egyptian references punctuated by a bold color palette. “One of the things we noticed as we got invited into many homes is that there’s always a deep similarity, even in the color,” Blake says. “A lot of interiors are yellow. And, when we bought our home, that’s one of the first things we started to rework. We use very shocking colors to some people. For example, I’m sitting right now in one of the front rooms, and it [has] a vaulted ceiling. It was chalk white when we moved in, but the walls were red. So, we said, ‘What’s up with that?’ We made the room white,
HOME & GARDEN
Bold colors are a signature element of the French Empire I style.
which says boring, but the ceiling is a punchy tangerine orange. When people come [over], they say, ‘I would’ve never thought to have done that, to put color on the ceiling versus the walls.’ “We just do very different things. We’ve definitely marched to our own beat, and we’re always getting ideas,” Blake says. “It could be a small idea, and we’ll scale it up into a whole room, or we might get a big idea and figure out a way to scale it down that will work for our space.” Before the pandemic forced a global quarantine, the pair would visit Paris about twice a year to explore local shopping districts filled with antiquities instead of tourists. “We’re always looking for objects of the past and trying to figure out a way to use [them] in a new way, or to use [them] in a way that won’t look so stodgy,” Blake says. “We strive to use objects of the past without being stuck in convention.” Blake’s flair for saving all the drama in a single point of focus is unmistakable. Step inside the entry hall of their immaculate 5,283-square-foot home, and no visitor can resist a closer look at a unique portrait of a temple priest for Serapis, a composite deity of Osiris, lord of the underworld, and Apis, god of fertility. Blake and Marc commissioned Molly B. Right, a Charleston, South
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Carolina-based artist, to create a 45-by60-inch mosaic of thousands of flattened bottle caps. “And she nailed it,” Blake says. “She did a wonderful job. It’s a monumental size because bottle caps kind of forced large scale.” Marc draws attention to the artist’s humor hidden amid the piece, like the 7UP bottle caps that form the sevenpointed star in the crown, and one special reference:“There’s just one pyramid in the whole piece,” he says, pointing to a single cap with the iconic shape. Marc, who is a federal regulatory attorney, grew up in Cubero, New Mexico, a remote desert patch off of old Route 66. He was 16 years old when he first traveled outside the U.S. with his high school class to another desert – in Egypt. Marc describes a surreal experience. “The scale of the monuments is immense,” he says. “Whether crawling inside the Great Pyramids or passing through towering pylons, the grand architecture left me in awe. To see amazing monuments and artifacts that had only
ABOVE The architecture and amount of natural light in the home was a selling point for the couple. RIGHT Marc points out details hidden among thousands of flattened bottle caps that comprise this mosaic of a temple priest in GrecoRoman times.
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The couple’s pristine kitchen features gold accents while decorative details in other rooms maintain references to Egyptian hieroglyphics and obelisks.
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been facts in books is a life-changing experience. It struck me then, and still today, what myths of progression modern society cloaks itself in. The ancient Egyptians were sophisticated and brilliant, and no amount of sand or age could hide that. Technology, religion and norms have changed – the bustling streets and alleys of Cairo made that clear – but so much stays the same.” Marc and Blake find inventive ways to interpret antiquities in modern times. One example is a pair of custom-made, oversized portraits that flank the family room fireplace. “The cropped perspective was intended to inject modernity into two classical portraits,” Blake says of the paintings of Willem van Vyve and Pope Gregory XIII’s son Giacomo Boncompagni. Blake says all the interior designs are their own but credit for the work belongs to a long list of North Carolina furniture makers and contractors, which include Lee Industries, Southern, Hickory Chair, Baker and Wesley Hall. Remodeled in 2019, the kitchen’s custom cabinetry was done by Woodmaster Custom Cabinets of Youngsville, North Carolina. The stone was all sourced, cut and installed by Urban Granite. Other recent renovations include a hospital-grade air filtration system with humidity control and installation of appliances by Thermador, Monogram and Bosch, with finishes by Waterstone. “While sheltering in place this summer, we have taken the time to create and execute some energetic designs in the home,” Blake says. “Marc is the green thumb, and I am the design maker. Together, we spend a lot of time breaking the suburban rules in the house and garden.” Marc has a large collection of potted plants – at least 100 of them – outside. When they moved from Portland, Oregon,
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in 2017, the couple installed 280 boxwoods and herbaceous borders along with 115 hydrangeas. To avoid using chemical fertilizers in their yard, Marc and Blake replaced the backyard grass with a European fountain as a focal point of their stone patio, where they take their meals and cocktails. They feel connected with nature when the afternoon sunlight filters through a 25-foot wall of windows and fills the open space of the main living room that flows directly into the kitchen, bar and breakfast area. “This house specifically had the architecture in terms of what we wanted – a lot of light and windows,” Blake says. “We wanted to really see as much nature as we could. There’s not one room
without windows. It really kind of looks like we’re in the mountains. We can always feel connected to the trees outside. That was really important for us.” Inside, reminders of the natural world are on the feet of furniture, (think lion paws), in bronze statues and among a collection of crystals. But it’s the numerous stone and glass obelisks that link Egyptian influences with Napoleonic stylings. In nearly every room of the threelevel home, there are references to Hermès, the Greek messenger god, who is also known by his Roman name, Mercury. Guests are treated with a collection of luxury brand Hermès soaps and fragrances in the half-bath on the main floor. A winged Mercury graces a marble-topped
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HOME & GARDEN
Marc and Blake with their dog, Campion, in front of the water fountain on the backyard patio.
circular table with gilded wings in a well-appointed office upstairs. A blue painting of Hermès anchors the corner where Marc usually works. The Greco-Roman deity unites Marc and Blake in another way – their chosen surname, Mercure. “Mercure chose us,” Marc says. “Its origin goes all the way back to the classical world when families had household patron gods. For us, the god Mercury/Hermès is the symbol of learning, scholarship, transformation, communication and commerce. Mercury also is a cultural crossroad shared by the people of Greece, Rome and Egypt. We see ourselves in that cultural intersection and feel that we are children of the world and a bigger fabric that is the human race.” CM
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When Scott Galvin and his family aren’t grilling out, they love walking around the nearby lakes and rivers and being outdoors together.
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H O M E
&
G A R D E N
BACKYARD
BLISS SCOTT GALVIN CREATED AN OUTDOOR OASIS FOR HIS FAMILY, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS TO ENJOY BY MORGAN CARTIER WESTON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON
“E
ach home we’ve lived in has had a version of an outdoor kitchen that I planned and built,” Scott Galvin says. An avid griller and cook, he’s put in close to four years of work on his current setup in The Woodlands at Westfall. The Galvin family has lived in three homes in Chatham County since
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moving to North Carolina from Long Island, New York. Scott initially thought of moving to Charleston, South Carolina, or Savannah, Georgia, as he and his family sought warmer weather and a better quality of life. But Scott wanted an engineering job, and he and his wife, Cecilia, both wanted to retire near good hospitals, so being close to a tech and medical regional hub was important. After a few trips to North Carolina, Scott, Cecilia and their daughters, Delaney and Danica, fell in love with the Chapel Hill area and moved to Governors Village in September 2004. “The whole Triangle is such a great place, but we love the more rural feel of Chatham County,” Scott explains. “We spent the first three months here just driving around and getting to know the area, going on day trips with the girls to farmers markets, fairs and parks.” After 11 happy years in Governors Village, the Galvin family moved to Westfall to be closer to nature. Sadly, “Cecilia became sick really quickly after that,” Scott shares. In 2017, Cecilia passed away. The Galvins loved their home and had
“No North Carolina home is complete without a screened porch,” Scott says.
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WE KNOW CHATHAM COUNTY! Locally, we are known as The Specialists on our community’s houses, neighborhoods, schools and cultural activities.
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call or drop by our office for the most varied newcomer packet and an interesting introduction to the Chatham County Area.
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Scott with his daughters, Delaney and Danica, Jack Russell terrier Evie and his partner, Jessica Wolfe.
built close relationships with their neighbors, but the memories made there with Cecilia made staying in the home difficult. “The girls and I just felt like we couldn’t stay in that house, but we had so many friends nearby,” Scott says. “So when this house opened up on the other side at Woodlands, we decided it was a good move.” They were able to keep their neighborhood relationships but still find a fresh start. “My girls and I moved in, but I needed a project to keep me busy,” he says. Scott channeled his attention toward the backyard, adding a screened porch, hot tub and grill island within the first year. Scott’s past experience was a major asset in creating this new outdoor cooking space. He’s spent his career in avionics and mechanical engineering, and learned to plumb for natural gas, work with sheet metal and use a wet saw for stonework during his previous kitchen builds. But Scott, who now works at ignition interlock device manufacturer Monitech in Morrisville, added more skills to his arsenal this time around. “My last grill had a stone facade, but that didn’t go with our current house, which is red brick,” he explains. Scott learned how to apply acrylic stucco by hand to achieve the look he wanted. “It was quite a learning process.” Scott has since added furnishings to the porch, planted greenery in the yard and hosted plenty of gatherings. “I’ve
HOME & GARDEN
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The screened porch is a cozy space for the family, but the backyard also allows for socially distanced gatherings with neighbors. “I’ll grill some skirt steaks, vegetables or corn on the cob and just serve a big, familystyle meal,” Scott says.
always dabbled in gardening, and my parents had one when I was a kid,” he says. Scott and his partner, Jessica Wolfe, a professor in UNC’s English department, planted tomatoes, peppers and rosemary last summer. “We do a lot of Mediterranean and Asian cooking, very veggie forward,” Scott says, “and Jessica definitely has more gardening experience than I do. Meat is usually more of a side item, but we still take it seriously.” He purchases most of his meat from local farmers at the Community of the Franciscan Way in Siler City. “Outdoor cooking gives you lots of options, and it's easy to clean up afterward,” Scott says. It also means Scott can experiment with cooking methods like hickory and applewood smoking, turkey frying and pressure cooking, which are much safer in a garden than in a kitchen. “I also love
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R E A L E STAT E G A L L E RY magazine
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from rural settings to traditional neighborhoods chicken on the rotisserie or grilling cedar plank salmon for Jessica and the girls,” Scott says. He and Jessica plan to add raised beds to grow even more vegetables and herbs this spring. Beyond its culinary aspects, the yard is an idyllic spot where his neighbors love to gather. “It's a great place to entertain family and friends,” he says. The Westfall neighborhood plays host to a casual, socially distanced cocktail club, and Scott’s fire pit serves as its tasting room. “Everyone brings their own chair, and we take turns bringing new wines or cocktail recipes to try,” Scott says. “It’s been so wonderful to be able to do things safely outdoors.” CM
Evie stays close to the fire on a chilly day in early spring.
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RESTAURANTS, DELIS AND BISTROS advertisers boxed in color
NORTH CHATHAM
NORTH CHATHAM VILLAGE/ COLE PARK PLAZA Captain John’s Dockside Fish & Crab House American seafood dishes. 11550 U.S. Hwy. 15-501 N.; 919-968-7955; docksidechapelhill.com
Breakaway Cafe A casual “cycling-inspired”
Guanajuato Mexican Restaurant Mexican dishes with vegetarian options. 11552 U.S. Hwy. 15-501 N., Ste. 205; 919-929-8012; guanajuatomexicanrestaurant.net
BRIAR CHAPEL 501 Pharmacy Scoops of Maple View Farm ice cream, malts and shakes. 98 Chapelton Ct., Ste. 300; 984-999-0501; 501rx.com cafe serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and small plates, along with Counter Culture coffee, beer, wine and Maple View Farm ice cream. The patio is now open; the inside dining area remains closed. Orders can be placed at the counter, online or over the phone. 58 Chapelton Ct., Ste. 100; 984-234-3010; breakawaync.co
Marco’s Pizza Traditional Italian dishes and pizzas. 141 Chatham Downs Dr., Ste. 201; 919-391-4090; marcos.com Moon Asian Bistro Asian fusion restaurant offering sushi, Chinese dishes like sweet-andsour chicken, Thai curry dishes, rice and noodles. 111 Knox Way, Ste. 100; 919-869-7894; moonasianbistroch.com
Capp’s Pizzeria & Trattoria Traditional Italian cuisine including homemade fresh pastas, salads, sandwiches and a trattoria menu. 79 Falling Springs Dr., Ste. 140; 919-240-4104; cappspizzeria.com O’YA Cantina Latin cuisine from all over the world. 72 Chapelton Ct.; 984-999-4129; oyacantina.com Town Hall Burger and Beer Gourmet burgers plus shared plates, tacos, wings and salads. Open for dine-in and curbside pickup. 58 Chapelton Ct., Ste. 140; 984-234-3504; townhallburgerandbeer.com GOVERNORS VILLAGE Flair Restaurant & Wine Bar High-quality French-influenced American food, coffee, wine, beer and brunch. 50100 Governors Dr.; 919-967-9990; flairfusionrestaurant.com Gov’s Burger & Tap Salads, sandwiches, burgers and hot dogs. 50050 Governors Dr.; 919-240-5050; govsburgerandtap.com Papa John’s Pizza Pizza crafted with quality. 50010 Governors Dr.; 919-968-7272; papajohns.com Tarantini Italian cuisine. 50160 Governors Dr.; 919-942-4240; tarantinirestaurant.com
Panda Garden Chinese dishes like chow mein and egg foo young. Takeout is available. 11312 U.S. Hwy. 15-501 S., Ste. 303; 919-960-8000; chapelhillpandagarden.com Village Pizza and Pasta A neighborhood pizza place serving up subs, calzones, pastas and salads. 11312 U.S. Hwy. 15-501 S., Ste. 300; 919-960-3232; villagepizzapasta.com
PITTSBORO
U.S. 15-501/FEARRINGTON VILLAGE Allen & Son BBQ Eastern N.C. barbecue. 5650 U.S. 15-501; 919-542-2294; stubbsandsonbbq.com The Belted Goat Casual dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Coffee and wine shop. Open for outdoor dining and takeout. Orders can be placed online or at the pickup window. Fearrington Village Center; 919545-5717; fearrington.com/the-belted-goat
Carolina Brewery Pub fare from local sources like Chapel Hill Creamery and Lilly Den Farm. Outdoor seating available. 120 Lowes Dr. Ste. 100; 919-545-2330; carolinabrewery.com/pittsboro-brewery Compadres Tequila Lounge Mexican restaurant with a variety of classic dishes. 193 Lowes Dr., Ste. 107; 919-704-8374; compadresnc.com The Fearrington House Restaurant Fine dining French cuisine offering a chef’s tasting menu. Reservations required. Fearrington Village Center; 919-542-2121; fearrington.com/house House of Hops Relaxed bar and bottle shop with a large craft beer selection on tap. Outdoor seating available. 112 Russet Run, Ste. 110; 919-542-3435; houseofhopsnc.com Mi Cancun Classic Mexican cuisine with a modern twist. Outdoor seating available. 114 Russet Run; 919-542-3858; micancunmx.com New Japan Hibachi-style Japanese cooking. 90 Lowes Dr.; 919-542-4380 Papa John’s Pizza Pizza crafted with quality. 120 Lowes Dr.; 919-545-7272; papajohns.com Roost Beer Garden Wood-fired pizza, local brews and live music. Open April through October. Fearrington Village Center; 919-542-2121; fearrington.com/roost The Root Cellar Sandwiches, prepared salads, desserts and more. Beer and wine only. Offering online ordering and pickup, weekly prepared meals, groceries to-go box and Friday night specials. 35 Suttles Rd.; 919-542-1062; 750 MLK Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill; 919-967-3663; rootcellarchapelhill.com EAST STREET China Inn Chinese dishes, dine in or carry out. 630 East St.; 919-545-0259 Copeland Springs Farm & Kitchen Farm-totable restaurant serving grains and greens bowls in addition to small plates/bar snacks. Orders can be placed online. 193B Lorax Ln.; 919-261-7211; copelandspringsfarm.com
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DINING GUIDE
Greek Kouzina Made-from-scratch hummus, gyros, kebabs and more available for dine in, curbside pickup and delivery. 964 East St.; 919-542-9950; greekkouzina.com
Davenport’s Café Diem Coffee and espresso, teas and alternative milk/sugarfree options. 439 Hillsboro St.; 919-704-4239; davenports-cafediem.com
Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries Burgers, cheesesteaks and frozen custard. 987 East St.; 919-542-1312; hwy55.com/locations/pittsboro
Elizabeth’s Pizza Pizzas, calzones, sandwiches, salads and pasta. Offering curbside service. 160 Hillsboro St.; 919-545-9292; elizabethspizza pittsboro.com
Michoacán Mexican Grill Traditional Mexican dishes including arroz con pollo and burrito texano. 440 East St.; 919-704-8751 San Felipe Mexican dishes including fajitas, burritos and combo plates. 630 East St., Ste. 4; 919-542-1008; sanfelipenc.com Small B&B Cafe Farm-to-table breakfast and lunch. Offering outdoor dining with online ordering. 219 East St.; 919-537-1909; smallbandbcafe.com
John’s Pizza Restaurant Pizzas, pastas, wraps, calzones and strombolis. 122 Sanford Rd.; 919-542-5027; johnspizzarestaurant.com
Starrlight Mead Tastings of honey wines and honey. 130 Lorax Ln.; 919-533-6314; starrlightmead.com
The Mod Wood-fired pizza, salads, small plates and a full bar. Outdoor seating available. 46 Sanford Rd.; 919-533-6883; themodernlifedeli.com
WEST STREET Al’s Diner Traditional American classics for breakfast, lunch and supper. 535 West St.; 919-542-5800; alsdiner.net Angelina’s Kitchen Seasonal dishes of the Greek and Southwestern variety including gyros, rice bowls and family dinners for pickup. 23 Rectory St.; 919-545-5505; angelinaskitchenonline.com Goodness Gracious Juice Co. Burritos, sandwiches, soups, salads and wraps as well as smoothies and juices. 517 West St.; 919-726-2033; goodnessgraciousnc.com ODDCO Art and design store and music venue featuring regional craft beers. 684 West St.; 919-704-8832; realoddstuff.com The Phoenix Bakery Small-batch, seasonal baked goods like apple pie doughnuts, caramel pecan rolls, scones, cookies and specialty cakes. Dine-in area closed. 664 West St.; 919-542-4452; thephoenixbakerync.com HILLSBORO STREET/DOWNTOWN Aromatic Roasters Small-batch coffee shop specializing in espresso shots, Aztec mochas, raspberry lemonade, chai lattes and Thai teas. Orders can be placed online for in-store pickup. 697 Hillsboro St., Ste. 101; 919-228-8345; aromaticroasters.com
Postal Fish Company Fresh seafood from North Carolina’s coast prepared thoughtfully by chef Bill Hartley. Serving dinner only. 75 W. Salisbury St.; 919-704-8612; postalfishcompany.com S&T’s Soda Shoppe Soda fountain, American fare. 85 Hillsboro St.; 919-545-0007; sandtsodashoppe.com Small B&B Cafe Locally sourced homecooked meals and breakdast fare. 219 East St.; 919-537-1909; smallbandbcafe.com Sweet Bee Caffé Temporarily closed.
Bestfood Cafeteria Southern comfort food. 220 E. 11th St.; 919-742-2475 (cafeteria), 919-742-6033 (steakhouse); bestfoodsilercity.com Brownie Lu’s Restaurant Southern comfort food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 919 N. Second Ave.; 919-799-7250 Compadres Mexican Restaurant A variety of classic dishes. 115 Siler Crossing; 919-663-5600; compadresnc.com Courtyard Coffee & Soda Cafe Coffee, Italian sodas, smoothies and bakery items. Outdoor seating available. 138 N. Chatham Ave.; 919-663-2152 Crossroads Grill Burgers, biscuits and basics. Drive-thru. Outdoor seating available. 324 E 11th St, Siler City.; 919-742-4819 Elizabeth’s Restaurant Pizzas, calzones, sandwiches, salads and pasta. Offering curbside service. 119 Siler Crossing; 919-663-5555; elizabethspizzasilercity.com Lam Buffet Chinese dishes. Drive-thru and delivery available. Buffet inside closed temporarily. 1608 E. 11th St.; 919-663-3133 Nericcio’s Family Restaurant Temporarily closed. New China Inn Chinese dishes. Dine in or carry out. 203 Chatham Sq.; 919-663-0889 Panadería y Pastelería Melanie Mexican pastries, tres leches and breads. 224 N. Chatham Ave.; 910-428-2320 San Felipe Mexican dishes including fajitas, burritos and combo plates. 102 Walmart Supercenter; 919-663-7333; sanfelipenc.com Sir Pizza of Siler City Mexican dishes including fajitas, burritos and combo plates. 1403 E 11th St.; 919-742-6000
Virlie’s Grill Breakfast, lunch and supper options like biscuits, salads, subs and barbecue. 58 Hillsboro St.; 919-542-0376; virliesgrill.com
Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q Plates, sandwiches, hushpuppies, coleslaw and potato salad. 375 Walmart Supercenter; 919-663-7333; scnbnc.com
Willy’s Cinnamon Rolls Etc. Bakery selling cinnamon rolls, scones, muffins, cookies and bread with ’40s and ’50s flair. 35 W. Chatham St.; 252-305-9227; willysrolls.com
The Whiskey Barrel Cafe Temporarily closed.
The City Tap Hoagies, grilled sandwiches and classic bar snacks. 89 Hillsboro St.; 919-545-0562; thecitytap.com
CHATHAM MAGAZINE
Antojito's Mexicanos La Jarocha Small plates and comfort food. 920 N. Second Ave.; 919-742-4484; antojitos-mexicanos-la-jarocha.business.site
Tienda Hispana El Rayo Hispanic goods including Mexican pastries and packaged foods and drinks. 119 Hillsboro St.
Buzz Cafe at Chatham Marketplace Sandwiches, daily changing hot bar, sushi, salads and baked goods. 480 Hillsboro St.; 919-542-2643; chathammarketplace.coop
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SANFORD
La Dolce Vita Pizzeria Salads, specialty pizza, focaccia sandwiches and dessert, with an outdoor patio. 226 Carthage St.; 919-777-5277; ldvpizzeria.com
DINING GUIDE
recipes + local events + foodie news
CHAPEL HILL
NEWS BITES
Copeland Springs Farm was selected by Our State magazine as one of 14 vegan and vegetarian restaurants featured in its January issue. Mrs. Ruth Jams’ savory apple jam and Fiddlehead Farm’s black garlic rooster sauce won in the preserves and pantry categories, respectively, at the 2021 Good Food Awards. There were only 11 winners selected from North Carolina. The former Grill-N-Go at 40 Beaver Creek Rd. was refurbished and replaced by a drive-thru and walkup-only Hardee’s. The downtown Hardee’s location remains open. Anyone looking to apply should go to bnecareers.com.
Hungry yet?
SOUTHERN VILLAGE Al’s Burger Shack Gourmet burgers and fries made with local ingredients. 708 Market St.; 919-914-6694; 516 W. Franklin St.; 919-904-7659; alsburgershack.com La Vita Dolce Espresso & Gelato Café Pastries, sorbet and gelato. Patio seating available. 610 Market St., Ste. 101-C; 919-968-1635; lavitadolcecafe.com Market and Moss New American cuisine made with fresh, local ingredients. 700 Market St.; 919-929-8226; marketandmoss.com Rasa Malaysia Authentic Malaysian dishes. 410 Market St.; 984-234-0256; rasamalaysiach.com
eat& drink newsletter
Town Hall Grill Temporarily closed. Weaver Street Market Hot bar and salad bar for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 716 Market St.; 919-929-2009; weaverstreetmarket.coop
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APRIL / MAY 2021
CHATHAM MAGAZINE
93
ENGAGEMENT
O’Brien & Shannon
it was time to propose this past summer. He planned a late dinner with friends and took Kelty on a detour to the Presidio – a favorite spot for the couple – that overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge. That’s where he popped the question, and the couple celebrated their engagement at dinner. Drew and Kelty will tie the knot on Fishers Island, New York, on Oct. 2, 2021. Kelty is the daughter of James O’Brien of Westport, Connecticut, and Kip O’Brien of West Palm Beach, Florida. Drew is the son of Dan and Ellen Shannon, who live in Briar Chapel. CM
BY GRACE BEASLEY
D
and Kelty attended the same elementary school in Westport, Connecticut, but they wouldn’t meet until years later. Mutual friends made the introduction while the pair was in college. Drew graduated from Chapman University and Kelty graduated from Wake Forest University. They moved to San Francisco in 2017 and work at Facebook. The couple had dated for 4 ½ years when Drew decided rew Shannon O’Brien
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WEDDING
Courie & James
BY NICOLE MOOREFIELD PHOTOGRAPHY BY WHITNEY DUGGINS PHOTOGRAPHY
S
ienna Courie and Casey James grew
up in Bear Creek and Goldston, respectively, and attended Chatham Central High School, but first met years later through mutual friends. “I was always the girl who said I was never going to get married,” Sienna says, “then I met Casey, and everything changed.” They started looking at wedding rings after a year of dating. “He just came in one day and said, ‘Let’s get married,’” Sienna says, “and I said, ‘What took you so long?’” The couple tied the knot on Jan. 11, 2020, at 305 Trackside in Southern Pines, North Carolina, with the help of event planner Marguerite Moore and Sienna’s mother, Sherry Elmore, of Beeutiful Events. Nearly 90 close friends and family members, including Sherry and Craig Elmore, Sienna’s stepfather; Sienna’s father and stepmother, Mike Courie and Diane Courie; and Casey’s mother, Billie Jo James, gathered to celebrate. The couple was especially grateful to have Casey’s 95-year-old grandmother, Mabel James, in attendance. “It was really important for us to be able to have her attend,” Sienna says. Chris Hart, the couple’s former high school agriculture teacher, provided the flowers.
Ashley Hensley of Illusions hair salon and Courtney Goines of Blushed Beauty did the bride’s hair and makeup, respectively, and videographers Ryan Mashburn and Robin Mashburn of Film Craft Productions
helped capture the big day. In lieu of a traditional reception, they had dinner and a toast catered by Fat Juniors Grill followed by cake from The Old Place Cafe and Catering. The evening concluded with bar hopping around downtown Southern Pines. It was an unusually warm winter day with the temperature in the 70s, but the couple did get the snow they hoped for thanks to a snow machine during their send-off. Casey is the owner of Siler City Builders Supply, and Sienna is an interior designer at Frye Build + Design in Greensboro. The couple lives in Goldston and are expecting their first child, a son, in May 2021. CM APRIL / MAY 2021
CHATHAM MAGAZINE
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WEDDINGS
Maddox & Self
BY MEREDITH ALLING PHOTOGRAPHY BY WHITNEY DUGGINS PHOTOGRAPHY
S
ara Self and Danny Maddox
first met at 7 Dance Center where their daughters, Erin Maddox, 17, Taryn Self, 14, and Jenna Self, 11, took classes. “It feels a bit like a Hallmark story,” Sara says, “that two people who had experienced the loss of a spouse and spent years raising daughters alone would find each other and fall in love.” Although they were initially “not interested” in each other, Sara and Danny realized over time how much they had in common. The couple quietly started dating in fall 2018 and told their daughters in December 2018 when things became serious. “Let’s get engaged,” Sara joked when Danny asked her what they should do during a weekend in June 2019. He replied, “OK, let’s do it.” Sara initially laughed it off, but noticed Danny was acting strange and impatient a couple of days later during her online class with Western Carolina University that was taking longer than usual. “She is finally done!” he shouted when it ended and promptly proposed with a ring that Erin helped him pick. The couple married on Oct. 3, 2020, at their friends’ Taylor Kennedy and Beth Kennedy’s home in Pittsboro. The couple’s daughters were bridesmaids,
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and Sara’s father, Joe Belskie Jr., and father-in-law Martyne Self walked her down the aisle. Sherry Elmore and Marguerite Moore of Bee-utiful Events helped plan the big day, and videographer Film Craft Productions recorded the event. Guests enjoyed sweet treats from both Phoenix Bakery and Carolina Cravings. “Exchanging vows with our daughters was beautiful, and feeling the love and support for our second chance meant everything to us,” Sara says. “The weather was perfect, the decor was perfect, the food and desserts were perfect. It was amazing.” The couple lives in Siler City. Sara works for Chatham County Schools’ exceptional children's program while Danny works in information technology at UNC-Chapel Hill. CM
Honored to help Chapel Hill find its way home since 2005.
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