Chris G. Adigun, MD is a board certified dermatologist and a recognized leader in dermatology. She is known for her expertise in laser and aesthetic dermatology as well as her warm, compassionate and down-to-earth personality. Dr. Adigun’s team is comprised of top notch, dermatology-trained professionals, offering the latest technology and treatments.
There is a reason DLC has been voted Best of Chapel Hill and Best of Chatham every year since we opened the doors. It’s simple, DLC treats everyone like family!
APRIL/MAY 2023 CHATHAMMAGAZINENC.COM
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Consider who makes the most impact in your life. Take stock of the people you spend time with on a daily basis. It’s likely many are women. And these women often juggle work with family obligations and still manage to listen – I mean really listen – and affirm your own strength and capability. They are the ones who believe in you and what you can do.
This is the sixth annual issue where we highlight women in our communities who rise like the tide to lift up everyone else. The 10 women we’ve featured this year, whose stories begin on page 34, includes Stephanie Basima Terry and her work to close the racial wealth gap with the help of local economic leaders. You’ll also read about Kerri Snipes, a first-year head basketball coach at Northwood High School who in 2022 guided the varsity girls team to their first state championship in the school’s 50-year history. We received many nominations this year with too few pages to feature them all, but we’ll continue to share their stories in our pages this year, next year and beyond.
We’re honored to have the opportunity to celebrate these women who achieve so much in the face of adversity and disadvantage. Their efforts inspire us all to strive to be our best.
Elsewhere in this issue, we talk to retired Army platoon sergeant Michael Daniels, a veterans services officer in Chatham County; Jeff Baldwin, who’s grown the orchid business he started 30 years ago with his artist mother, Rita Baldwin; and Debbi Barrett of Goldston, who teaches container gardening classes at For Garden’s Sake.
For now, I leave you with this thought. Maya Angelou once said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” It’s my hope that, after reading through this issue, you’ll discover the inspiration to do better, too. CM
Vote for your favorite local businesses in our Best of Chatham poll. Voting starts May 1.
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STARTING APRIL 21
The NC Arts Incubator presents live performances every third Friday through October in the courtyard adjacent to 223 N. Chatham Ave. in Siler City. The outdoor concerts will feature performances by The Radio, Impulse Machine, Whoop, The Magnolia Klezmer Band and more. chathamartscouncil.org
APRIL 22-23, 2-6 p.m.
The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association partners with Weaver Street Market to host self-guided tours of 30 farms in the Piedmont region, including Little Way Farm, Copeland Springs Farm and Granite Springs Farm. Come ready to eat local dishes, cuddle farm animals and take home farm-fresh products. A farm tour button serves as a car pass, good for an entire car of family and friends for both days. carolinafarmstewards.org
You won’t want to miss
EVENTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE; CHECK WITH ORGANIZERS PRIOR TO ATTENDING.
APRIL 22, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The 21st annual event honors Bynum artist Clyde Jones, a former mill worker known around the community for his colorful wooden “critters.”
The day will be filled with live performances, carnival games, arts and crafts, a parade and more at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center. Admission is free. chathamartscouncil.org
MAY 4-7
Shakori Hills Community Arts Center hosts its 19th annual event full of live music, activities for kids, dance workshops, food and craft vendors, plus advocacy workshops and booths. Performers include Donna the Buffalo, Marty Stewart and His Fabulous Superlatives, Vieux Farka Touré and more. Buy tickets for just one day or all four days. You can even camp on-site. shakorihillsgrassroots.org
MAY 6,
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The fifth annual Spring Chicken Festival will take place in downtown Siler City on North Chatham Avenue. On East Second Street, you’ll find a variety of attractions and vendors like Fragments and Grow Local Realty. Over on East Raleigh Street, enjoy fare from local food trucks and vendors, and at the intersection of South Chatham Avenue and Beaver Street, listen to performances by Gipsy Danger and The Embers (featuring Craig Woolard). silercity.org CM
About 120 civic and business leaders stood for the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center in Pittsboro on Feb. 3 during “The State of Black Entrepreneurship in Rural NC.” The assembly listened to Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, a former president of the League of Women Voters, present compiled data describing the
1 Africa Mason and Ally DeJong.
2 Robert Logan and Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins.
3 O’Neill D’Cruz and Irene D’Cruz.
4 Karinda Roebuck and Rachel Winters.
5 Chantal Stevens.
NO MORE EXCRUCIATING KNEE PAIN!
“My name is Tonya. I came to Ignite Wellness because I had excruciating knee pain! I have been seeing Dr. Avery for a couple of weeks now and my pain is really lessened! My back pain has also improved. I have seen many other doctors for my knee pain, but these are the best results I have experienced. Thank you Ignite Wellness!”
“Iwas experiencing low back pain which resulted from a compressed bulging disc. I tried treatment from another facility that was not a chiropractor and received no relief, so I decided to come to Ignite to see if they could offer any help. I began decompression therapy, cold laser, and chiropractic adjustments. I started to feel relief after only five treatments. Four months later, I have 100% improvement and can walk and stand without pain.
—Jim“I
started coming to Ignite Wellness for foot pain. After 2 months, I walked into the office with ZERO pain for the first time! I am so happy! When I started care with Ignite, I literally could not put any essure my right heel due to a pretty bad bone spur. With the laser treatments and foot program at Ignite, I have gotten to the point that I feel normal again. I walked on the beach with my grandchildren this weekend with no shoes and played golf without heel pain.
racial wealth gap, particularly in rural communities. Sources included a needs assessment of Chatham County minority entrepreneurs and small businesses, a case study of WEBB Squared for developing an entrepreneurial mindset for Black and brown business owners, and reports from the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and McKinsey & Company. Panelists discussed ways business and community leaders can create opportunities for economic growth among the selfemployed and small entrepreneurships. CM 7 8
BY KATIE MACKINNON
Musicians sang about everything from chicken potpie to gospel in the Feb. 8 Singer-Songwriter Series at The Plant. Beginning with a rousing song, “You Are Welcome Here,” audience members were invited to be a part of an evening of foot stomping, storytelling and community building with Jonathan Byrd, Eric Bannan and Laurelyn Dossett. Typically on the first Wednesday of every month, singer-songwriter and poet Jonathan is joined by two rotating artists at the 17-acre eco-industrial park located on the east side of Pittsboro. Attendees can grab a drink from Fair Game Beverage Co. and gather in the newly heated building No. 2. CM
On Feb. 26, attendees filled the walkway at The Plant for an oyster roast and pulled pork kickback hosted by Lilly Den Farm and Postal Fish Company. The first Pigs & Pearls feast included 4,700 oysters alongside collards from Granite Springs Farm and Lilly Den Farm’s cornbread and baked beans with bacon. Guests enjoyed craft cocktails and beverages from Fair Game Beverage Co., an oyster stout brewed by bmc brewing and banana cream rellenitos from Carolina Cravings Co. A mix of rockabilly, country and jazz from Pittsboro-based trio The Radio swept through The Plant all afternoon.
Postal Fish Company owner Bill Hartley and Mackenzie Withington from Lilly Den Farm emphasized the importance of bringing community together, tying the central town to the countryside. The event also marked the farm’s soft opening for its retail store at The Plant, offering an assortment of sauces, beverages and merchandise. CM
1 Hailey Ostenfeld and Jay Grala.
2 Rye Withington, 7, and Mackenzie Withington.
3 Meagan Restuccia and Matt Restuccia.
4 Yeraldyn Martinez.
5 Matthew Brisbee and Bill Hartley.
6 Greg McNeely and Robin McNeely.
7 John Rice.
About 2,000 guests visited The Fearrington Barn Feb. 17-19 to enjoy works from 31 self-taught artists who are deeply influenced by the spirit of folk art, raw vision, naïve art, primitivism and outsider art. The three Chatham-based artists were metal sculptor Hamidou Sissoko, ceramicist Lara O’Keefe and Mike Fowle, who is relocating to the county.
Director of weddings and special events Gilda McDaniel was instrumental in establishing the folk art show and said the 20th annual event returned to its pre-COVID-19 numbers. Art pieces included whimsical paintings, sculptures, pottery
(CONTINUED)
and jewelry. Attendees visited from local communities as well as other states, like New York, Connecticut, Florida and South Dakota. Some pieces sold at four-figure prices. “All of the artists said they had great sales and were very happy,” Gilda says. “Many also reported getting lots of commissions for additional work.” CM
SENIOR LIVING, IN CHATHAM COUNTY
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Dr. Sue Ellen Cox is a board-certified dermatologic surgeon, founder and medical director of Aesthetic Solutions in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dr. Cox runs an active clinical research center, and has performed clinical trials and pivotal studies on most neuromodulators and fillers on the market today. An author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, she serves on committees and boards for the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, the American Academy of Dermatology and various pharmaceutical and device manufacturers. Dr. Cox teaches cosmetic dermatology clinic to residents at the UNC School of Medicine and Duke University Medical Center.
Prejuvenation is a newer term in the aesthetic industry. In short, it means taking advantage of non-invasive treatments to prevent common concerns before they develop, rather than trying to reverse damage later. It’s an interesting concept, and in the long run can often be more cost effective for patients. Prevention is getting a lot more attention in the aesthetic community. Techniques for dramatic patient transformations are still the most popular of my lectures, but tips on reducing the likelihood of these concerns forming in the first place is gaining traction.
Many treatments that address damage can be used to prevent damage. Botox, Fillers, Lasers, Peels, and medical grade skincare all play a role. The goal is to maintain skin quality, skin tone and texture.
The Clear + Brilliant Touch is a gentle resurfacing laser that treats sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles and overall skin radiance. It has virtually no downtime – and is fairly quick. This is among my go-to’s for patients who want to improve their skin without disrupting their lifestyle, and is
perfect to help prevent the need for more aggressive lasers in the future. RF Microneedling combined with CoolPeel is another great option for patients. Combining these two treatments allows us to treat two different depths in the skin for impressive results with minimal downtime”.
Probably the most overlooked form of prejuvenation is skincare. I recommend patients buy medical-grade topicals. Whether it’s from my office, or their local dermatologist, the higher percentage of active ingredients really makes a difference compared to over-the-counter products. If you aren’t using a Vitamin A and Vitamin C – then start!
Why not wait until you see more visible damage to do treatments?
You absolutely can. As a cosmetic dermatologist, I work non-invasively to renew and restore without a scalpel. Noninvasive medicine is wonderful, but it isn’t surgery and it can only do so much. Waiting too
long to evaluate whether non-invasive treatments are appropriate often means a surgical solution will be a better option.
With so many non-surgical options out there, I often meet patients suffering from information overload. I think the most important thing for new patients is to have an initial consultation that focuses on concerns rather than treatments. You don’t need a chemical peel - you need options for treating sun damage and solutions to prevent it from coming back. We want to understand what a patient is looking to correct, then explain options from there. 2D and 3D facial imaging play a big role in my consultations. I’m able to look under the surface of the skin at things like redness, pigmentation and volume loss, and craft a treatment plan that is specific to the patient, their skin and their concerns.
Chatham County government recognized 23 graduates of its 2022 Leadership Academy at a ceremony in December. “I have no doubt these graduates will take the valuable skills they’ve honed back to their various departments within Chatham County, municipalities and nonprofits to do great things,” says County Manager Dan LaMontagne, pictured above with the 2022 outstanding student, Mallory Peterson, a Parks & Recreation department employee.
The Plant received a Sustainable Business of the Year award from the North Carolina Business Council in January. The eco-industrial business park is home to various food, beverage and clothing businesses and offers a venue for outdoor
events and concerts while maintaining a focus on sustainable energy practices. “I was stunned,” said co-founder Tami Schwerin, pictured right. “We’ve been redeveloping The Plant since 2005, but this is the first award we have received for our endeavor.”
Mrs. Ruth’s Jams was honored as a 2023 Good Food Awards finalist for both its Chatham House Blueberry Mustard and Mrs. Ruth’s Blueberry Lemon Basil. The business uses North Carolina produce for small batches of handmade jams with unique flavor combinations.
Nationwide contest winners will be announced April 21.
relationship between food, health and well-being, the environment and the economy.
In February, jewelry artist Alexander Percy received Durham Arts Council’s Emerging Artists Grant, which supports Trianglebased artists who are transitioning to new projects or stages in their careers. Alexander also received United Arts Council of Compiled by Lena
MianoThe State Library of North Carolina awarded a $17,800 Food Literacy Center grant to Chatham County Public Libraries for a partnership with the Chatham County Public Health Department and the Chatham County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension. The grant will be used to purchase a mobile teaching kitchen and curriculum at all branches. The educational program is about the
Seventeen graduates of the Basic Law Enforcement Training program at Central Carolina Community College were honored at a ceremony on Jan. 10. Guest speaker and retiree John “Brad” Johnson and Mjr. Tammy Kirkman of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office were in attendance. Several graduates were recognized for various achievements, including highest exam scores, fastest officers and a Top Gun award.
Raleigh and Wake County’s Artist Support Grant, which is designed to engage larger audiences with new and established local artists.
Dream Walker, a senior at Northwood High School, won first place in her division at the 2023 North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Women’s Wrestling Invitational in February. In 2020, she became the school’s first female wrestler to attend the invitational.
On Feb. 9, Sheriff Mike Roberson honored members of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office at the annual award ceremony. Marcus Hart, pictured below, was recognized as deputy of the year, Casey Kitzman as detention officer of the year and Allison Armstrong as civilian of the year. Rookie deputy of the year was given to Tyler Painter, rookie detention officer of the year to Chris Marcum and rookie civilian of the year to Dawn Stallings. The ceremony recognized many others for their dedication and hard work in the department.
In December, Green Beagle Lodge opened a second location in Pittsboro The 13acre facility welcomes pet dogs and cats to enjoy a splash pad, indoor and outdoor play areas and services including boarding, grooming, day care and a pet training program. A second phase of construction will add a pool and larger yard by summer.
Pittsboro Youth Theater co-founders
In February, Bold Construction welcomed Chris Bugge to the team as their newest construction manager. Chris has more than 25 years of experience in construction and renovation for commercial and residential spaces.
Giftability, a nonprofit committed to raising funds for adaptive sports and recreation equipment for people with disabilities, held its first Stroll, Walk and Roll event in November. Attendees traveled a distance of 15 laps around Great Meadow Park and raised $10,500 that will go toward the purchase of adaptive sports equipment for the nonprofit.
Thirty-three middle and high schoolers from George Moses Horton Middle School, Margaret B. Pollard Middle School, Chatham Central High School, Northwood
Tammy Matthews and Craig Witter canceled all spring 2023 shows and sold the business in February. “We are very sorry that our decision to close Pittsboro Youth Theater will cause sadness for a great many kids, parents and other supporters,” Tammy and Craig said. “We love you very much.”
SHARE YOUR NEWS! Submit noteworthy items from award and scholarship winners to new book and album releases.
The School of Athens held its first class, “Ekphrastic Poetry,” at Old Lystra Inn over four sessions in March. The school is an adult academy designed to provide a space for intellectual discourse, social activities and exploration of artistic ideas.
Marigold is a new shop in downtown Pittsboro offering vintage clothing, vinyl
High School and Seaforth High School were chosen for the 2023 All District Band. In February, the students participated in two-day clinics in Durham.
JordanMatthews High School senior Brady Andrew was chosen as a UNC MoreheadCain Scholar. The program includes a fully funded fouryear education and summer enrichment programs at the university. Brady was previously recognized as a 2020 JMArts Scholar by the Jordan-Matthews Arts Foundation and was selected as College Board National Recognition Program awardee.
records, antique furniture and art from local vendors. Owners
Tracey Johnson, pictured above, and Mark Lovvorn decided to expand their existing Raleigh businesses into the 1930s cottage at 157 West St. and, at press time, planned to open its doors in early April.
Last fall, Carolina Sunshine Alpaca Farm celebrated its grand opening in Pittsboro. When Em Stecker and Danette Boezio stumbled upon the for-sale sign at the M&M Alpaca Farm, they fell in love with the idea of becoming alpaca farmers and purchased the farm in December 2021. Visitors can enjoy visits and
tours with the alpacas, host small events on the farm and purchase hand-delivered orchard grass hay. The alpaca haven was awarded the Alpaca Owners Association, Inc.’s Classic Fleece Cup Suri for small farms last July.
Herbal apothecary and boutique Oakmoss Attic moved from its location above Screaming for Vintage into a vignette at Little Boho Valley in March.
Cackalacky, the Pittsborobased brand known for its barbecue, pepper and hot sauces, opened a retail space in the Alpha Center at 697 Hillsboro St., Suite 600
French Connections, a home decor and gift shop offering French and African fabrics and merchandise, finished its addition plus a new roof, sidewalk and paint. Owner Jacques Dufour hopes the new space allows people to better view and shop for fabrics.
In December, Pittsboro FoodMart announced it would serve Indian food daily from open to close. The shop posts its menu on Facebook.
Mosaic at Chatham Park added two new food and
drink options to its mixeduse community. People’s Coffee and O’Ya Cantina set up shop in early March, and a Zaxby’s is expected to join the community’s Northwood Landing.
Dillingers Diner began offering breakfast Monday through Saturday until 11 a.m.
Pittsboro resident Regina Richardson, a self-proclaimed super fan, won the 2022 HGTV Urban Oasis sweepstakes after entering the home giveaway contests for 17 years. The package includes a $1.3 million, 2,500-squarefoot home near Nashville, Tennessee, a Mercedes-Benz and $50,000. Regina was randomly selected from more than 77 million entries.
In February, a new horror film called “The Devil’s Stomping Ground” debuted in theaters across North Carolina and South Carolina. Based on the Devil’s Tramping Ground – an area of sterile soil and barren ground just outside of Siler City that has puzzled historians, ghost hunters and locals since the 1700s – the movie follows a group of high schoolers who visit the spot to film a senior project, only to go missing.
teamed up with Jeff Christian of Kingfisher Designs to create a Chatham-themed design to commemorate the rabbit and its historic prevalence in the county. Leather patch hats and T-shirts featuring the logo are available.
Author Marjorie Hudson kicked off the book tour for “Indigo Field,” on March 18 at McIntyre’s Books. The book is a fictional commentary on the rural South.
Chatham Literacy will host Lee Smith, New York Times bestselling author and Hillsborough resident, at its annual Spring for Literacy author event at Governors Club on May 17. Lee will discuss her new novel, “Silver Alert,” out in May.
The Chatham County Board of Commissioners adopted the 2023 Year of the Trail Proclamation, joining counties across the state in celebrating North Carolina’s trails. Chatham County Parks & Recreation will host events and encourage the community to come out and appreciate local trails throughout the year. CM
BY ANNA-RHESA VERSOLA | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON
Michael Daniels traveled the world during his 21 years of military service as a platoon sergeant. After retiring from the Army, he worked as a web developer at a sports marketing company in Virginia, as a supervisor at Siemens in Wendell and then in human resources at the Veterans Health Administration in Durham. Michael, who grew up outside of Charlotte, has a bachelor’s degree in business from North Carolina Wesleyan University and an MBA from Capella University. He and his wife, Ellen Daniels, moved to Chatham in 2017. Their adult son, Marcel Daniels, also lives in Pittsboro
What is your role in county government?
I’m the Chatham County veterans services officer and have been in this position about 16 months. The position serves veterans, spouses and dependents. We serve all branches of the military, including the commissioned officers of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Office of the Surgeon General.
How many veterans are in the county? Chatham has about 4,470 veterans. Only 18% of those are actually receiving benefits; it was 11% in 2020.
What do you love about what you do?
I love the fact that I help veterans and their dependents demystify what they consider a complex and cumbersome system of rules and laws, which is [the] VA. I love it when veterans and/or their dependents leave a meeting with me and inform me how much better they understand how the system works and their place within the process.
Michael Daniels proudly served in the Army and finds honor in helping other military veterans today.
What are some of the veterans services in Chatham?
We offer an array of services from federal to state services for veterans. There are three pillars – the Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits Administration, and then you have the National Cemetery Administration. … North Carolina has a couple of [additional] benefits for veterans, such as veterans license plates, a $45,000 [homestead] tax exemption for [100% disabled] veterans, as well as a hunting and fishing license [discount] for veterans [who] are 50% disabled or more. Lastly, we have the North Carolina Division of Military and Veterans Affairs scholarships for dependents [of wartime veterans].
What impact have you had on the community in this job?
One of the most visible veteran issues is homelessness. [A] veteran may not be completely homeless, but is at risk of experiencing some level of homelessness.
There are veterans who may struggle to pay their rent or mortgage. I have been the bridge between those veterans and NCServes and/or Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing to get those veterans assistance. Health care to include medication is expensive, and getting veterans enrolled in the VHA helps reduce costs of medical services and prescriptions.
Successful enrollment in VHA not only impacts health but also has a tremendous impact on veterans’ financial health. According to VA, Chatham County has increased participation in veterans benefit services over the past few years. Hearing loss is common, in particular [among] veterans who have served in combat. Hearing devices are expensive and out of reach for some veterans. I have been able to get those veterans into VA Audiology for hearing devices. I have also provided CapTel phones to other hearing-impaired veterans.
Our office is a major participant in a program managed by the Chatham
I have led and advocated for soldiers most of my adult life, and I consider the role of the veteran services officer to be an extension of that advocacy.
Where are some of your favorite places to go in Chatham?
My wife and I both enjoy French Connections because it’s very eclectic as well as worldly. You know you see the world there when you go in. And we enjoy just walking in the parks.
Where are your favorite places to dine out?
I like to go to Elizabeth’s Pizza and the new place here, Dillingers Diner
Being a country boy, I still like a good hot dog all the way.
What are some of your favorite things to do when you’re not working?
I do enjoy reading. Jazz. And I enjoy shooting pool. That’s kind of my outlet.
I just kind of close myself off and play a little. And I try to do something active three or four days a week [where] I’m doing something physical, and that helps me feel better.
Favorite quote regarding service: “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.”
– Muhammad Ali
County Council on Aging – Helping Homebound Heroes – where I identify veterans who would benefit from the program and assist them in completing their application. This program assists our more vulnerable veterans in staying in their homes by renovating areas within their homes so they can maneuver into the shower or use a ramp to enter their home. Our office has been a tremendous asset to surviving spouses in helping them navigate a system that
is foreign to them and in some cases helping those who qualify to receive their benefits.
Do you think that the visibility of the veterans office will change at all?
I do think it will change as the county grows. Need is the mother of invention. So the need is going to be there. Right now, I’m a part-time employee. I work Tuesdays, Wednesdays and half-day Thursdays. CM
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.
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.
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.
• Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities: We need all sorts of volunteers, and not everything requires a hammer! Visit our website to learn more about volunteering on the job site or in the ReStores - we would love for you to join us.
• 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!
• 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
Mailing Address: PO Box 883 Pittsboro, NC 27312
467 West St. Pittsboro, NC 27312 919-542-0788
chathamhabitat.org
Our local nonprofits, how they support the community and how you can get involved
The Chatham Arts Council nurtures creative thinkers in Chatham County by investing in artists and educating kids through the arts.
After two years of internal work and community outreach to learn what artists and the community needed and wanted, the Chatham Arts Council launched a new identity in 2014. They decided to focus on doing two things and doing them well to serve the county: (1) educating kids through the arts with their Arts for Resilient Kids programming, and (2) by investing in artists through grants and promotions.
Three programs make up Arts for Resilient Kids. Artists-in-Schools sends professional teaching artists into every Chatham elementary and K-8 school throughout the year. Truck-and-Trailer Roving Performances brings art to kids and families where they live, with musicians, dancers and artists all performing in a mini arts parade through Chatham neighborhoods. The third program is ClydeFEST, the old-fashioned kids’ arts carnival. In its 21st year, ClydeFEST is moving to the Chatham County Agricultural & Conference Center for 2023.
• Coleman Oasis Shade Canopy - Green/Blue
• Yamaha Portable PA System with Bluetooth Stagepas 400BT
• Samson MK-10 Microphone Boom Stand
• Rockville Pair RVES1 Adjustable Tripod DJ PA Speaker Stands + Carry Bag/Universal
Find more items on our Amazon Wishlist: https://bit.ly/CACAmazonWishlist
Sponsored Content
• ClydeFEST
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• Artists-in-Schools
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Diali Cissokho at Chatham Charter
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Black Box Dance Theatre at Virtual Academy
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118 West St. Pittsboro, NC 27312
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hello@chathamartscouncil.org
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Emmy Award-winning teaching artist Willa Brigham in a CAC Artists-in-Schools residency Kids from Love’s Creek neighborhood delight in giant bubbles during CAC’s Truck-and-Trailer Roving Performance PHOTO BY ANDREA AKIN PHOTO BY ANDREA AKINWE HONOR 10 OUTSTANDING WOMEN WHO INSPIRE US AND WORK TO IMPROVE OUR QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGH THEIR LEADERSHIP
First things first, requests Stephanie Basima Terry. “I did not get here by myself, no way,” she exclaims. “You see one woman, but there are so many people whose shoulders I stand on, who paved roads for me, who informed everything about who I am. I just want to do my part to transform our world, to build a more vibrant and interdependent and unified community.”
The 54-year-old native of Brooklyn, New York, shares her journey as executive director of WEBB Squared, short for “Wealth through Entrepreneurship for Black and Brown Businesses Squared.”
Stephanie co-founded the Pittsboro-based nonprofit with associate director Rinnie Orr as an incubator and accelerator hub to help reduce wealth inequalities among Black and brown entrepreneurs in North Carolina’s rural counties like Chatham.
Stephanie, who has five children and seven grandchildren, counts her own mother as her first mentor and role model. After Stephanie left DeSales University as a sophomore to become a wife and mother, she credits her palate for vegan soul food and a penchant for community organizing to the decade she spent in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, surrounded by fellow African American, stay-at-home, home-schooling moms. Divorce prompted a career change that steered her to Chapel Hill. Remarriage, she says, awakened her soul and energized her own entrepreneurial spirit, leading her to open Sweeties Southern and Vegan Catering business in Durham in 2017 with her second husband, Michael Terry of Siler City. They were forced to close during the pandemic in 2021.
Through it all, she is guided by her Baha’i faith and its spiritual principle of the oneness of humanity. And, what motivates her still, Stephanie says, is the inspiration she carries from people she’s met along the way, the empowerment extended by those she’s helped and those who have helped her in return.
“The experience helps me understand the needs of the entrepreneurs we work with and understand how to build a nonprofit [from the] grassroots up,” Stephanie says. “As an organizer, I learned the value of starting, building and deepening relationships. It’s the glue to everything that I do.”
After years of activism in her community and with churches, Stephanie joined Chatham-based CORE – Community Organizing for Racial Equity – and began to see the world through a different lens. “My worldview was shaken,” she says about learning to recognize intentional systemic practices and legislation that tilts social and economic advantages by race. “But that was the education I needed to make the journey to my life’s work.”
We reach people who are unaware of resources and information, and we activate those who are aware but disconnected by the culture of distrust in a raceconstructed society.
In 2021, WEBB Squared launched through an online group of entrepreneurs as a result of a similar void in recognizing and resolving issues common among entrepreneurs of color.
“We reach people who are unaware of resources and information, and we activate those who are aware but disconnected by the culture of distrust in a race-constructed society,” Stephanie says. “We can break through to the entrepreneur who feels powerless and build bridges across the divides.”
For the next three to five years, WEBB Squared will focus its efforts locally to connect entrepreneurs to resources and networks. The organization offers workshops that explain how and why to build business infrastructure. “We take them from informal to formal to formalized [planning],” Stephanie says. WEBB Squared also provides public and private stakeholders with diversity, equity and inclusion training, “so stakeholders recognize why a growing wealth gap is everyone’s problem,” she says.
Abbie Lee Roehm knew at 8 years old what would make her happy when she grew up. Her mother, a geometry teacher, dabbled in design, and the hobby inspired Abbie Lee. “I loved reading through design magazines and Architectural Digest,” she says. “[During] my first trip to Europe, I was amazed by the architecture and the buildings around me.”
Today, Abbie Lee amazes others as owner and master designer for Paces and Roehm Architecture, a firm she launched in 2015 to bring her brand of custom residential design to Chatham County. Her firm, which is located near the main entrance to Governors Club, has designed 28 custom homes in Chatham County, and Abbie Lee works directly with clients and custom home builders across the state. Abbie Lee and her husband, Tom Roehm, have 12-year-old twins – John Beckham Roehm and Virginia Paces Roehm, who shares a name with the architectural firm. (Paces is the name of a street in Atlanta where Abbie Lee was first introduced to residential and home design.)
Her architectural aesthetic and style is both eclectic and fluid, modern provincial yet contemporary and edgy. The Alabama native is drawn to light, glass and nature. “Bringing the outdoors in,” she says. “I love all styles. If it’s done right, anything can be beautiful.”
Working in Chatham offers fresh opportunities for Abbie Lee. “This was the spot to do my own thing,” she says. “I love how fast it’s growing, the creativity [and] closeness to nature. I like the people [who] are already here and the people who are moving here. It has good creative energy.”
Abbie Lee gained experience working on the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City as an architectural intern for Davis Brody Bond. The firm’s projects also included designs of U.S. embassies and luxury apartments, and her work experience took her places from Key West, Florida, to Geneva, Switzerland. She also was an intern for the Nashville Civic Design Center and part of the Atlanta team of Niles Bolton Associates for Navy housing projects. No matter the place, the process is the same. “It’s about combining my creative skills and the client’s vision of their dream home,” Abbie Lee says. “People come to me with these ideas, and I translate their ideas into reality, make them come to life … and it truly starts with a sketch. And it’s amazing to design someone’s dream home.”
Her talent has drawn recognition like the Best in American Living Award Gold Medal, National Award with Home Builders of America, Parade of Homes Gold Medal Award (for a Chatham County home she designed) and one of Chatham Magazine readers’ favorite architects the last two years. Additionally, Abbie Lee is a Governors Club architectural review board member.
She paves the way for other women in the predominantly male field of architecture. When she completed her bachelor’s degree in architecture at the University of Tennessee, 10 percent of architects were women. Today, a reported 23 percent of architects are women. “It’s changing,” says Abbie Lee, who is part of a mentorship program at NC State University for women in architecture, and at Lakewood Elementary School and West Lake Elementary School in Cary. “I try to inspire females to get into the profession.”
Like her own mother, Abbie Lee sees firsthand the impact she has on her children. “I’m most proud of being an inspiration to my own children and being a good role model and inspiration to my daughter, who says she wants to be an architect,” she says. “Yes, I’m most proud of my children.”
Ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up, and a common response would be a singer, pop star or rock star. It’s less common, though, that those childhood dreams manifest. And rarer still are kids like Dawn Landes, who grew up to have a career highlighted by five album and EP releases, multiple U.S. and international tours, a musical soundtrack and so much more.
“Ever since I was young, I think from the time I could talk, I was singing,” Dawn says of her Louisville, Kentucky, upbringing. “I was always asking my parents to turn up the radio in the car and leafing through their record collections and memorizing all the liner notes. I was always just really interested in [music].”
She recalls hearing her high school choir teacher talk about a friend who made music for film and TV as the first time she realized she could turn her passion into a profession. After graduation in 1999, Dawn moved straight to New York City to learn the skills that would enable her to bring her ideas to life.
“When I was in high school and making demos, I had to rely largely on men who had the equipment or access to a studio,” she says. “I just found that process a little stifling. It was frustrating to me that I didn’t have the language or know-how to make changes in my own music. So, I just decided to study it and to learn how to do it.”
After nearly two decades as a New York-based musician, Dawn and her
composer husband, Creighton Irons, decided they wanted to raise a family closer to his native Chapel Hill. The couple moved into their home off of Manns Chapel Road on Valentine’s Day in 2020, where they live with their daughter, Callan, 5, and son, Wright, 1.
Dawn is now focused on producing a revue, “Dawn Landes and Friends
Reimagine The Liberated Woman’s Songbook,” which will debut on April 14 in Raleigh. She was inspired by the 20th-century songbook and current state of women’s rights to put together a show that is both educational and uplifts other local female artists. The show will feature guest singers Rissi Palmer, Alice Gerrard, Emily Frantz of Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange) and more. She also plans to personally record and release songs from “The Liberated Woman’s Songbook” as an album sometime next year.
“As a traveling musician, when I go to a city, I like to find good coffee, a good vintage clothing store and a good bookstore,”
Dawn says. “Those are the things that I always seek out.”
In Chatham, those favorites are Aromatic Roasters, Screaming for Vintage and McIntyre’s Bookstore.
“As I get older, and especially [after] becoming a mother, I’ve embraced my connection with my female friends and peers and colleagues much more,” she says. “I did so many tours where I was the only woman on the tour, and that was just the way it was. I didn’t get a chance to be around a lot of women in the past, and now I do, and I feel grateful for it.”
Dawn isn’t slowing her roll anytime soon. She says she’s motivated by restlessness, knowing there’s always a new story to be told. This summer, she’ll rerelease one of her most popular albums, “Bluebird,” and embark on a brief tour to celebrate its 10th anniversary. You can also catch her performing at Durham’s Enofest in July.
“I don’t think there’s ever been a time when I’m not thinking about something or dreaming up something,” she says. “Presenting songs is just another way of connecting with other people. When you hear a story, you want to retell it or reframe it because it mattered to you, and you want it to matter to other people.”
Melissa Driver Beard says the goal of every nonprofit is to put themselves out of business. “I mean, that’s the long-term, pie-in-the-sky goal,” says the executive director of the Chatham Outreach Alliance, better known as CORA food pantry. “The job is important because feeding people is important. This position was and still is interesting to me because it’s the first time in a 29-year career that I’ve worked to address an issue I think could potentially be solved in my lifetime. If not my lifetime, perhaps my son’s.”
Armed with experience gained at American Cancer Society, Prevent Blindness North Carolina and American Heart Association, Melissa began her Pittsboro-based role in July 2018 and steered the organization through the pandemic. Under her leadership, CORA doubled its annual budget, as well as increased staff and its physical space to accommodate more storage, offices and community rooms. Additionally, CORA expanded its services by opening a satellite pantry and offering mobile markets in Siler City, providing delivery to older adults and food packs for children facing hunger during the school year.
In 2022, CORA distributed 1.1 million meals countywide. “So many people [who] never ever thought they would need to come to a food pantry,
• 1,100,000 meals distributed
• 9,600 people served
• 900 new families served
• 268 volunteers worked 9,242 volunteer hours
• 755,721 pounds of food donated
• 316,026 pounds of fresh produce served
• 1,323,152 pounds of food provided
have suddenly had to come to a food pantry for the first time,” she says.
“We’ve had more first-timers in the past three years than ever before in an average year.”
Melissa, who holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and international studies from UNC and a master’s degree in community health administration from East Carolina University, says that in Chatham, about 10 percent of residents face food insecurity. She
explains that this is not knowing when or from where their next meal is going to come. “So, that boils down to at least about 8,000 people,” she says.
“The need is really huge; it’s bigger than people realize. There are a lot of people out there who either don’t know about us or won’t come to us because of pride issues, stigma issues, things like that.”
She says the county’s anticipated growth will bring new challenges in addressing more demand to meet basic human needs. “Food is going to be top of mind because you feel hunger pretty quickly. I’m glad I’m in a county where I can say, here are all the other places you can go,” she says. “Off the top of my head, I know of at least seven or eight places where people can go and get food if they need it. Now, it’s not every day or even every week. But there are two decent-sized food pantries. There are church-based food pantries that serve once a week [or] once every other week. There’s the Chatham Community Church, lunch at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church and Chatham Chuckwagon. The Quiltmaker Cafe, [a pay-what-you-can restaurant,] was trying to open up, so [hunger] has gotten a heavy focus in Chatham County, and I’m happy about that.”
In the past, her work for international nonprofits, such as Sustainable Health Enterprises, has taken her to Rwanda, Tanzania, Honduras, Nicaragua and Cambodia. Her love for travel extends to her 22-year-old son, Walker Beard, a senior at Appalachian State University; the mother and son have been to 28 countries together. No matter where she goes, Melissa is reminded of the needs of people in her own community.
“Hunger is something that everyone understands, even if they haven’t experienced it,” Melissa says. “And, I think everybody shares the same thought process that in this country of all countries, and in this age of all ages, nobody should go hungry.”
Tonnika Haynes believes her success is not a fluke. She is the second-generation owner of Chatham-based Brown’s Automotive, which was voted one of Chatham Magazine’s best automotive service and repair shops in 2022.
“Women flourish in the automotive industry,” she says. “There are so many
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areas in this industry where we are needed … behind the desk, under the hood and at the drawing table.”
As a Black business owner of an independent auto repair company, Tonnika knows she is resilient and resourceful in an industry historically dominated by men.
Tonnika grew up in Charlotte with her mother but spent every summer with her father, William Brown, who settled in Carrboro after leaving the Marines and opened his first auto repair shop in 1980. Business was good, and 20 years later he expanded its services from a collision center to a general automotive repair center.
Tonnika, who described herself as a painfully shy kid, remembers when her father wanted to boost her selfconfidence. One day when she was 16, he left her in charge of the shop. “That first summer was sink or swim,” she says with good humor. “And I’m too bossy to sink.”
It wasn’t until college when Tonnika was at the Bryan School of Business and Economics at UNC-Greensboro that she decided to formally work with her dad. “As a teenager, I thought I would work a corporate job and wear a power suit,” she says. But Tonnika fell in love with the service industry and knew family was the foundation. After college, she came on board to manage the business, and when her father retired in 2016, she took over as president. “I’m no mechanic,” Tonnika says, “but I know what’s supposed to be done.” Last
year, they serviced 4,343 vehicles, and business continues to grow along with Chatham County.
Today, this busy single mother of two sons lives in south Durham. Her older son, Santana Deonta Haynes-Goodman, 18, is a freshman majoring in business at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Her younger son, Jordan C. Brooks, 17, is a junior at Durham School of Technology.
Brown’s Automotive has a loyal customer base, and Tonnika rarely encounters sexism or racism, but when it occurs, she nips it in the bud. “I stop them before they become problems. I state facts, get the elephant out of the room and continue,” she says. “Anyone who takes issue with my femininity, I make sure it remains their issue and carry on.”
Women flourish in the automotive industry. There are so many areas in this industry where we are needed … behind the desk, under the hood and at the drawing table.
Tonnika expands her approach of inclusion to everyone in the community, particularly women. “We try our best to make the process of getting car repairs as stress-free as possible,” she says. “Use your voice and ask questions when the explanation might be too technical. We speak human, not car. I would not want my physician speaking ‘doctor’ to me, so I really try to make sure everyone understands ‘what and why’ when it comes to repairs.”
Tonnika is a people person whose love languages are acts of service and words of affirmation. “Helping people and problem-solving are my things,” she says. “Making my dad proud is very important to me. He built an awesome foundation for me and my kids, and I just want him to know his work was not in vain. I have the torch now.”
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Food has been Sera Cuni’s bread and butter from an early age. Raised in a family of selftaught Italian and Czech cooks, she soaked up all she could while elbow-toelbow with her grandfather in the kitchen and watching Julia Child on PBS with her father.
“Everything we ever did always revolved around a kitchen,” Sera says of her childhood.
Sera always aspired to be a chef, but a college career-ending soccer injury in 1996 officially set her on the path to culinary school. Since opening Cafe Root Cellar in Pittsboro
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The two-time “Guy’s Grocery Games” vet will make another Food Network appearance this summer!
in 2018 with her wife, Susan White, (and operating sister eatery, The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering, in Chapel Hill since 2013), she has cemented herself in the community’s network of restaurant owners, farmers and chefs. Whether she’s out gathering ingredients at the Pittsboro Farmers Market, picking up loaves of bread from Carolina Cravings Co. or just lending a helping hand, Sera feels these relationships are one of the most rewarding aspects of owning a restaurant in Chatham. She also highlights friendships with the folks at Heartsong Farm, Postal Fish Company and The Sycamore at Chatham Mills
Just two years into operating her Chatham eatery, the pandemic forced Sera and her team to totally reimagine the cafe’s menu. They closed their doors and added excitement to the takeout-only experience with “popup menus” that featured a different international cuisine each week. When it came time to welcome dine-in guests again, Sera decided to continue the popular weekly menu model to offer more variety, seasonality and creative freedom with the dishes she serves.
“COVID-19 made me realize I don’t need to do everything,” she says. “Like, we don’t have to do pizza. It made us realize, ‘Let’s condense. Let’s do what we do, let’s do it well and really take pride in that.’”
Sera wears many hats, but a passion for community shines through in all that she does. She’s vice president of the
Everybody loves food. Food is nourishing and comforting, and it just brings people together naturally. Food brings [people] together but it’s the conversations you have during a meal that are the important part.
North Carolina chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a philanthropic society for women in the food, beverage and hospitality industry. She sits on the Pittsboro Welcome Center’s board and regularly works with organizations like CORA, TABLE and SaySo to provide meals to those in need. Sera is even planning to open community fridges in the area this summer. And when she’s not focused on food, she’s training in the gym for her next strongman competition.
“I love what I do,” she says. “I love to see people’s faces when they eat something we’ve made that’s great. I love when people are like, ‘Oh, you did that? That was so nice of you. Thank you so much.’ It just makes me feel good.”
Her current passion project is The Quiltmaker Cafe, a pay-what-youcan restaurant concept started by the Knowlton family in 2021. At press time, Sera and the other Quiltmaker board members hoped to secure a location in Pittsboro and open the cafe in 2023.
“In Chatham, 1 in 8 is hungry,” Sera says. “We’re all one step from this, right? It could be me next week in the line at CORA. … I don’t need lots of things, but I need to work on this little community that I have.”
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Despite intense pressure amid competition, head coach Kerri Snipes keeps her cool along the sidelines. Last year, the Northwood High School varsity girls basketball team trailed Terry Sanford High School late in the fourth quarter of the 3A North Carolina High School Athletic Association Regional Championship. A trip to the state championship was on the line. Some coaches might lose their composure, but Northwood athletic director Cameron Vernon remembers Kerri was “just being completely calm and cool.”
That’s just what the Chargers needed in their high-stakes regional thriller against the Bulldogs. “I think our girls looked at her on the sideline, saw she
was calm, so in return, their demeanor and their behavior on the court was like, ‘We got this,’” Cameron says. “I think her demonstrating that in that playoff game helped us overcome that deficit and win.”
Kerri’s level head in her first season as head coach, coupled with her experience wearing the Northwood uniform, guided the team to a onepoint win in the regional championship and then the school’s first-ever state championship victory, a 70-42 rout of Enka High School.
But her understanding of how her demeanor influenced the team wasn’t evident to her early on, and Kerri says that “trying to figure out how to keep them working together” was difficult at first. Her familiarity with the team after serving as an assistant coach for four years prior to taking the helm helped
her quickly realize her own behavior would play an important role in Northwood’s success.
“It’s seeing where they’re at and trying to see how to tap into their potential,” Kerri says. “If I’m giving out negative energy and complaining about calls or yelling at the referees or yelling at them, at least with the players that we have, that’s going to make them not want to perform.”
A coach who’s simply collected in stressful times can only take a team so far in the playoffs, but as four-year veteran and senior Te’Keyah Bland says, “she’s kind of like the brains behind everything.”
Kerri played basketball growing up and was an all-conference performer at Northwood. In college, she played one year at St. Andrews University before transferring to Belmont Abbey for her remaining three years of eligibility. Her cumulative experience helped her develop an extensive knowledge of basketball, something Cameron says he saw in her as a high school player when he coached the team.
“She played a lot for me because I felt that she was the coach on the court,” he says. “She could see things that not necessarily other girls would see.”
Kerri uses that knowledge now, and it played an instrumental role during the Chargers’ championship run. But as a self-described servant leader, Kerri neither wanted nor took the credit for Northwood’s success in her first season. Rather, she gives the players all the credit. Te’Keyah disagrees.
“As a coach, she doesn’t want to take recognition, but she deserves all of it just because she’s a great coach and a great person at that,” Te’Keyah says. “She didn’t want me to talk about her today, but I got to give her all the credit.”
Amid Chatham’s rolling fields dotted with bales of hay and lush meadows where Belted Galloway cows roam, Edna Rodriguez found her calling in an unexpected place and industry. After moving from the Dominican Republic to attend college in the U.S. and working
in the nonprofit sector for most of her career, she wasn’t convinced that farming and agriculture were a good fit for her when she applied to the Rural Advancement Foundation International (known as RAFI-USA) as a grant writer in 2011.
“But I realized pretty quickly that agriculture is a combination of many of the different issues I’m passionate about,” Edna says. “You can really get at some of the social justice and systemic problems with policies through this work.”
The Pittsboro-based nonprofit supports farmers and agricultural communities by providing resources and advocating for equitable federal policies. The organization has grown since 1990 and now serves communities across the Southeast and beyond.
“Agriculture is a very white- and male-dominated sector, and the way that I’ve made it work for me, where I feel like I can put my passion in the work, is by leaning into communities where I see myself and where I see my kids,” Edna says.
She has her hands on many of the various programs the foundation offers. RAFI-USA works with Congress to provide support to farmers on the federal level, and in February, Edna made two trips to Washington to advocate for a fair 2023 Farm Bill. Additionally, she focuses heavily on RAFI-USA’s Farmers of Color Network,
I want to do meaningful work. If I’m going to show up and put in so much time and effort, I want it to mean something.
which she helped create in 2017 to provide grants and other resources to underserved farmers.
Though the organization’s impact has grown to this level, Edna is still committed to serving the farmers right here in the community. The pandemic interrupted many of the events and programs specific to Chatham, but the team plans to ramp up their local presence in the coming months.
“Over the years, we’ve enjoyed tremendous support from Chatham County folks,” Edna says. “That support has always been vital for RAFI-USA because local people understand firsthand many of the issues [we] work to make better. We still count on Chatham County’s support and look forward to engaging more actively this year.”
With all of the growth in the area, Edna’s hope is that the small farms and businesses that have made Chatham what it is are able to continue into the future. And in her role, she’s passionate about lifting up those who haven’t yet gotten those opportunities for success.
“I want to do meaningful work,” she says. “If I’m going to show up and put in so much time and effort, I want it to mean something.”
And after a few intense years, Edna’s team has finally convinced her to take some time off. She’ll spend this summer on sabbatical, returning to a few neglected hobbies, like baking and painting, and spending time with her three children and her husband, Hameed Sanders.
Elisabeth Lewis
Corley is a modern Renaissance woman. She’s a poet, playwright, actor, director, producer, screenwriter, editor and lecturer. Her father, Col. Robert Joseph Corley, was in the Army, so Elizabeth was born in Landstuhl, West Germany. She lived in Greece until she was 9 when the family – including her mother, Eleanor “Kit” Beard Lewis Corley, and her two siblings – relocated to Chatham County so her father could work on his master’s degree at UNC in the 1970s. He fell in love with the 40 acres he found along Highway 64 and Harland’s Creek
“I ended up going to school at UNC and then when I later moved to New York, I would come back down to my parents’ little log cabin in the woods to write,” Elisabeth says. “It was a kind of refuge during that time.” Twenty years and many
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apartments later, she took her father up on his offer to move back to North Carolina and finally put down roots. “This is the longest I’ve ever lived in one spot.”
When her parents died, the land was divided between Elisabeth and her two siblings, who live in Asheville and Ohio, respectively. Elisabeth makes her home on a precise and peaceful 14.91 acres with her husband and business partner of the last 27 years, Joseph Megel, an artist in residence and professor at UNC’s Department of Communication and artistic director of StreetSigns Center for Literature and Performance
Elisabeth’s mother often recited and read literature to the Corley children when they were young. Later, Elisabeth attributes her work in the tradition of English romantic poetry through modernism to her undergraduate mentor at UNC, Robert Kirkpatrick. She continues to draw influence from poets like Wallace Stevens and Emily Dickinson.
Elisabeth embodies a life unhurried. She feels deeply, thinks profoundly and bears witness to the world around her. And despite her introverted tendencies, she wears her heart and her observations on her sleeve because, for her, fundamentally everything comes out of poetry.
“I continue to work in poetry because it demands and rewards attention,” she says. “It gives the mind an opportunity to practice a different kind of inquiry. When I’m writing poetry, it’s because I’m trying to build a bridge to something I can’t quite see, not because I want to deliver something.” In 2018, Elisabeth was awarded a North Carolina Arts Council fellowship in poetry and her poems have appeared in Southern Poetry Review, The Carolina Quarterly, Cold Mountain Review and many other publications.
Fans and friends of Elisabeth meet her coming and going, because her work
Is it there, always, when we close our eyes, that miniscule wave, light going out laser? No goodbyes?
The hound panting at our feet would bound again wild in the damp woods – the light like that, renewable, astounding. If we could see through, gigantic in the flash, would we see the other world, the dashing one where everything is as near as the devoted dog? There the matter spins a singular thought from one head to another – or an electron. In that world we are close. I cannot lose you.
in the arts community is endless. She was the founding artistic director of the Atlanta Shakespeare Company. She’s been on the board of the Chatham Arts Council for the last five years and is entrenched as an arts producer and avid supporter, both of which depend on artists, audiences and funding. “There are people producing art in this community that is world class, even though everything you see is not at that level,” she says. “It’s crucially important that we have local arts scenes. It’s in these smaller, local areas that people have the opportunity to take big risks and do new things, and I think that every community needs access to the arts.”
Through Harland’s Creek Productions, she works closely with Joseph through collaborations like the Piedmont Performance Factory, StreetSigns New Works Initiative Project and The Process Series, to bring new work to the public. “A lot of the work we do is challenging,” she says. “A lot of it focuses on issues of major pressing, urgent concern, like our most recent production, Jim Grimsley’s “Cascade,” which is on climate change.” Another project, “The Talk” by Sonny Kelly, is about the conversation a Black father has with his son explaining what to do if he encounters police. We’ve taken on issues we believe are important for artists to contend with and for audiences to take in.”
Some say the true value of art is in the eye of its beholder. Elisabeth thinks “it doesn’t matter so much whether you like the same art I like. What matters is that you engage with it, that you wrestle with it, that you allow it to do its work. If pushed to it, most people can find something they love.”
‘TINY UNIVERSE’
The Haw River runs through the heart of environmentalist Elaine Chiosso. She fell in love with the landscape in 1971 when she transferred from the University of California, Berkeley to UNC. “I have always just loved water,” she says, remembering the creek where she played near her grandmother’s house south
of San Francisco. “When I first came to North Carolina, I was just amazed at the amount of rivers and trees and streams.”
After earning a bachelor’s degree in science education, Elaine settled in Hadley township, close to the banks of the Haw River in 1974. In 1982, she attended the first meeting called by the Haw River Assembly and became a member. That was before her adopted daughters were born – Katie Chiosso Kenlan in 1985 and Tess Chiosso Kenlan in 1990.
She joined the board of directors the year her youngest was born and became executive director in 1997 after landing a grant to fund the position. “HRA gave me some needed flexibility, especially once I became a single mom,” Elaine says, adding that she spent a lot of time with her children playing and swimming in the creek and the river near their home.
She also served as the first Haw river keeper from 2008 to 2017. She is a former member of the NC Sedimentation Control Commission and the NC Water Infrastructure Council. Currently, Elaine serves on the Chatham County Environmental Review Advisory Committee and continues to work on pollution issues as senior policy advisor at HRA.
“It takes a certain kind of person [who] likes doing this work,” Elaine says, looking out toward the water from the porch of her office in Bynum. “You find policy work really interesting. You have a passion for justice. And I love nature. I mean, all three of those things come together. I know other people like me. Some of them are river keepers. Other people work in nonprofits that do it for a long, long time. You have to be able to see and celebrate the small successes. Like Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ I still believe in that.”
The Haw River travels 110 miles from its headwaters around the Forsyth-
Guilford county line through eight Piedmont counties until it merges with the Deep River in Chatham to form the Cape Fear River. More than a million people depend on the 1,700 square miles of the Haw River watershed, which includes Jordan Lake. All along the way, there are about 11 major wastewater treatment plants, numerous industrial plants, sludge fields, farmlands and developments. All the runoff is pouring into the creeks and streams feeding the river.
“Pittsboro is the only town using the Haw River as a [drinking] water source,” Elaine says. “Everybody else built reservoirs on creeks that they could protect a little more, not to say that they’re pristine, but more protected.”
In August 2022, Pittsboro installed a granular activated carbon advanced filtration system to remove between 95 and 99.9 percent of chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, from the Haw River.
Even in my younger days, I was always an activist, not just environmental work. I was very much involved in some civil rights kinds of things.
The HRA has a tiny lab where they test for pathogens like E. coli bacteria in water samples collected from the Haw. Safety levels are published online and in an app called The Swim Guide. “If that’s high, then you’re worried about other kinds of bacteria and things that could also be in that water,” she says.
“Drinking water is different from playing in the water. I do tell people if you’re with the kids, you’ve got to try and tell them; you got to make them understand to keep their mouths closed. Don’t be gulping the water down. The amount of exposure through skin –assuming you’re not like swimming long hours every day – I don’t think it’s terribly worrisome.”
Other HRA projects include an annual river cleanup in March, stream monitoring by citizen scientists and outdoor education programs for school children. “From the beginning, we always saw the work of the Haw River Assembly as both getting people to love
a river or take care of a river, but also advocacy work, to make sure that laws were being followed and that the laws were strong enough. And to go after polluters if it didn’t look like the actual enforcement people, whether they were state or county or federal, were doing what they needed to do.”
Elaine says improvements require elected officials who are willing to push boundaries. “Because it is the state that’s supposed to be doing these things. When the state’s not doing them, then very typically in this country, it is the work of nonprofits to push that.”
Whether Elaine kayaks across whitewater rapids to collect litter in the river or she wades into the details of a legal case, her tenacity will be felt for generations. One
example came in 2014 after 3.5 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Haw River. Elaine and the HRA brought its first 60-day notice of intent to sue the City of Burlington under the Clean Water Act, compelling major repairs and cleanup efforts. Today, the work goes on for the watchdogs.
“I’m getting toward retirement age, but I still love what I’m doing,” Elaine says. She continues to encourage and lead HRA to become a more inclusive and diverse organization and to include environmental justice as a key focus. “I know my limitations. Retirement [is about] looking at transition and succession. … But when I do, I think it’ll be in good hands. We’re really doing all the things way in advance to make sure that it’ll keep going strong.” CM
here we
COMPILED BY ANNA-RHESA VERSOLA
Pittsboro will soon welcome two new businesses to its historical downtown district. Doherty’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, located at 56 Sanford Rd., is slated to be ready by October. Havoc Brewing Company will be located inside the old Justice Motor Co. building at 39 West St
• A single-story, 4,200-square-foot Briar Chapel dental office is planned at 202 Ballantrae Ct
• A 25-acre subdivision called Goldston Fields is proposed to have 41 lots along Pittsboro Goldston Road at Vernie Phillips Road near Highway 421
• About 500 acres of farmland along Highway 64 near Alston Chapel Road are under new ownership by area developers Edward Holmes (CEO of Holmes Oil Company in Chapel Hill), Carter Keller and Buddy Keller (both of Carolina Commercial Contractors in Sanford). The property may become a mixeduse development.
• Plans have been submitted for approval to rezone approximately 37 acres along Roberts Chapel Road in Goldston to allow landowner Kiran Addepalli of Cary to build six cricket fields, pitching practice areas and a clubhouse for open-air games and competitions.
• About 52 acres that include a half-acre park and 19 acres of open space will be developed by Fitch Creations within Fearrington Village for a new subdivision of 43 homes.
• A new EMS station is planned for a 3-acre lot off of Highway 15-501 at Jack Bennett Road
We feel that Pittsboro is perfectly poised for a huge explosion in growth, both in businesses and housing.
– Holly Benton
“Things are really coming along, and we’re just waiting on the permitting to come through so we can begin brewing,” says Holly Benton, Havoc’s marketing director. “We feel that Pittsboro is perfectly poised for a huge explosion in growth, for both businesses and housing. Our group of investors all live in New Hill or Pittsboro and love the small-town feel with the very desirable proximity to amenities.”
Meanwhile, Thirsty Skull Brewing has been serving customers since December at their second location at 684 West St. Eric Stevens, coowner and head brewmaster, says there are plans to open an outdoor event space behind the building. CM
"YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY THE MOST PROFESSIONAL AND COMPASSIONATE GROUP I HAVE EVER BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH."
- CONNIE S.
“ YOU ALWAYS HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK! SO PROFESSIONAL AND EXACTING BUT SO CARING AND SO FRIENDLY. WE FEEL LIKE YOU ARE FAMILY AS WELL. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.”
- DAVID D.“THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO LISTEN TO CONCERNS AND EXPLAIN INFORMATION AND FOR BEING SO KIND AND PATIENT WITH MY BABY!”
- ASHLEY A.“ALWAYS AN EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE. I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU WORK TIRELESSLY TO MAKE SURE MY PUP GETS THE RIGHT CARE FOR THEIR NEEDS. SPECIAL NEEDS DOGS ARE HARD, AND YOU ALWAYS FIND A PATH. - AMY P.
BY MORGAN CARTIER WESTON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON
The homes at Vineyards are among the first to be completed in the Chatham Park development. The master plan for the community calls for over 7,100 acres, thousands of homes and 22 million square feet of retail, office and medical space. Three homeowners share about their lives in the Vineyards at Chatham Park.
Hayley Alvarez and Bernardo Alvarez bought their home in Pittsboro more than four years ago and have since purchased two homes in Chatham Park as investment properties. “Our lifestyle requires a little more space, with a workshop, boat storage and access to nature,” Hayley says, but they saw potential in Chatham Park right away. “We only live about eight minutes away, and we’re always here,” Hayley says.
“The neighborhood and amenities are so thoughtfully laid out, and the park for all the kids to hang out and play and relax is so nice.”
Though their son, Remy, 14 months, is not quite old enough for school, his parents are eagerly awaiting the opening of Amazing Explorers Academy, a STEAM-focused day care and preschool. “We’re really looking forward to Thales Academy and the
YMCA they are planning on building, too,” says Hayley, a real estate agent with Society Real Estate in Raleigh. “I think it’ll be a great addition for all of the community, and with all the people coming here, it will make a big difference.” Hayley is quick to recommend Pittsboro to her clients. “Anyone I meet who is looking for something outside Raleigh, I always say, ‘Hey, come and be my neighbor.’” With multiple price points in the development and the connection to Mosaic, where outdoor concerts, health care and dining are all within reach, she believes the future of Chatham Park is bright. “It’s just far enough from downtown that it feels like its own thing, and downtown gets to maintain its quirkiness and charm while still being close enough for residents to enjoy.”
Norma Enciso and Corbin Lynch purchased their Vineyards home in August 2022. “What drew us to the neighborhood was the live-workplay element,” Norma says. “We work remotely, so the on-site amenities, like the dog park for our dogs, Riley and Liam, are so nice to have just steps away.”
A sense of community was also important to the couple. “We were living in the Brier Creek area in Raleigh, but life really felt like it slowed down after COVID-19, so we wanted a more community-focused feel for our next home,” Norma says. She and Corbin
Enciso and Corbin Lynch appreciate all the on-site amenities like the trails and dog park where they walk Riley and Liam (not pictured).
are North Carolina natives and have enjoyed meeting their Vineyards neighbors. “It’s been cool to meet all different kinds of people, of differing ages and backgrounds, who all moved here for a variety of reasons,” Norma says. “We interact more with our neighbors than we have in any other place we’ve lived.” The couple also appreciates living a quick drive or bike ride from
restaurants and shopping, both downtown and at Mosaic. “One of our favorite spots is Cafe Root Cellar [at Mosaic] – it’s great for dinner or brunch,” Norma says. “Everything is so fresh and you can really tell.” Downtown, she and Corbin like to grab sweet treats at Carolina Cravings bakery or pop into Vino!! Wine Shop for one of their weekend tasting events. “We also love going out to The Plant to spend the day,” Norma says. “They have different
events throughout the month, like craft markets and live music to enjoy with their great food and drinks.”
Their home is at the heart of their appreciation of the neighborhood. “We love our open floor plan,” Norma says. “We love to host, so we have a lot of friends and family that come to visit, and they all fall in love with the neighborhood, too.” In addition to its sustainable, natural surroundings, many Vineyards homes are equipped with electric vehicle charging stations and smart appliances that conserve energy. And, when they are ready to expand their family, Norma feels confident it will be an ideal place for children to grow up. “We feel so safe here, and everyone’s really friendly,” she says. “Once you’re here and walk around, it’s just beautiful. We’re so happy with our decision to move here.”
Tracy Carbone and Gregory Carbone couldn’t be happier with their decision to transition to a smaller home in the neighborhood. “We’ve been in Chatham for 16 years, and with our oldest son, [Nicholas Carbone, 19,] out of the house and our other son, [Colin Carbone, 16,]
finishing high school soon, we were ready to downsize,” Tracy says. The family enjoyed growing together in their last home at The Preserve at Jordan Lake, but Tracy and Gregory knew they wouldn’t need such a large house for this next phase of life. “We have fallen in
Tracy and Gregory are happy they downsized as they anticipate the next phase of life when their youngest son graduates high school in a couple of years.
love with this beautiful county and the people here and are glad to be part of the excitement coming with the Mosaic development,” she adds.
In fact, Tracy loves talking about the incredible energy in Pittsboro with anyone she meets. “I feel like an unofficial spokesperson for Chatham Park, but it’s because I really do love it here. We have a beautiful public park and greenways, but I can also ride my bike to Food Lion [on East Street],” Tracy says. “I feel like the developers truly paid attention to how naturally beautiful this area is, keeping lots of trees and planning very intentionally. Small businesses and the landscape are clearly at the forefront of the long-term plans for the community.”
Tracy and her family take full advantage of the many restaurants within walking or biking distance of their home.
“We utilize everything from Jersey Mike’s right around the corner to Thirsty Skull Brewery,”
Gregory and Tracy have lived in Chatham for 16 years and still enjoy exploring Pittsboro.
Tracy says. They are also big fans of 580 Craft Beer, The Mod, Virlie’s Grill and The City Tap. “And we are at Phoenix Bakery every weekend,” she says. “I think Pittsboro – and what Mosaic is becoming – is maintaining this balance between growth and the feeling of history in the town itself. It just keeps evolving into these little pockets, and that makes it such an exciting time for us to be here.” CM
Meet Chris G. Adigun, MD, boardcertified dermatologist and the owner of the Dermatology & Laser Center of Chapel Hill. Dr. Adigun and her team provide comprehensive medical and cosmetic dermatological services in a warm and welcoming environment. Using cutting-edge technology and treatment options, she and her providers help address concerns from acne to wrinkles to that extra belly fat that won’t go away.
For Dr. Adigun and the DLC team, building a trusting relationship and providing individualized care is the main focus. Treating patients respectfully, expressing genuine concern, and talking with them are hallmarks of the practice. Working together, Dr. Adigun helps patients identify and achieve their personal skincare goals because DLC believes everyone can have the skin they love.
THREE GARDENERS SHARE THEIR ENTHUSIASM FOR POTTED PLANTS
BY SINCLAIR HOLIANHorticultural hobbies have their benefits, but size and scale matter. For these three greenscapers, container gardening offers beauty and serenity with smallscale flexibility and convenience fit for busy routines.
Potted plantings have the power to reenergize a space, according to Kim Richlin, who moved to Chapel Hill last August from Massachusetts. In New England, window boxes of cheerful floral displays were commonplace, and they planted a seed of interest in her own
potted plantings. Eventually the passion blossomed into a professional career in designing containers for commercial buildings and residential homes.
“[Plants] can really transform any entryway, corner or window to come alive in a vibrant and eye-catching way,” Kim says. “With containers, they will always be changing and fresh with the season. They never really get old.”
For beginners, Kim recommends starting small and experimenting at home. “Play around with flowers you like, see what is hardy and what is not,” she says. Kim is still settling in after her move to North Carolina and is following her own advice in her new space. “I would love to start working with a handful of clients in my area,” she says. “[For now] I’m taking my time and will start with my own home.”
Kim also suggests turning to online and community resources for tips and tricks, like Digging in Gathering, a community of professional container garden designers. You can admire Kim’s handiwork on her Instagram, @curbsidekarma, where her past containers are on display.
Growing up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Debbi Barrett’s early love of the natural world earned her the nickname “Mother Nature.” She began gardening at just 8 years old, spending her summers planting mums for the fall season.
Decades later, and now based in Goldston, Debbi’s passion for gardening has only continued to grow. March marked Debbi’s 10-year anniversary at For Garden’s Sake, a full-service garden center along the Chatham-Durham county line. There, she teaches a variety of classes, including container gardening workshops, to help attendees build their knowledge and confidence.
Debbi says container gardening has many advantages, especially for those with small living spaces or busy schedules. “More people live in townhomes and apartments but still have a desire to grow flowers, vegetables, trees and shrubs,” she says. “We all enjoy living things that will benefit our surroundings and give a sense of peace and serenity.”
If you’re ready to start growing in containers of your own, Debbi recommends:
Assessing your potential plant locations. “Observe the light situation,” she says. “Light is essential food for plants, and different plants require different levels of light.”
Determining how much time you are willing to dedicate to maintenance and care – some containers require daily watering in hotter months.
Narrowing down your goals for your plantings. “Want to grow veggies? Herbs? Tropical trees and annual flowers?” she asks. “Fragrance and flowers are often goals when choosing plants for seating areas.”
Gardening has always been a part of home for Dawn Stong. As a child, she recalls watching her parents tend their bountiful yard in the Chicago suburbs.
“We had a pretty extensive garden that included raspberries, blueberries, apple trees, tomatoes, herbs and more,” Dawn says.
While bigger aspects of the garden are rewarding, Dawn says containers offer the benefit of flexibility. “I do love small containers, as you can move them around or bring them in if there’s a late frost,” she says.
With spring in full swing, Dawn says those looking to get started with their own plantings can turn to Instagram and YouTube for ideas and inspiration. She also recommends shopping locally. “I don’t mind grabbing plants from the local hardware store,” she says, “but we have some pretty great nurseries in the area, such as Big Bloomers in Sanford, North Carolina.”
“With this beautiful North Carolina weather, I can’t wait to get into the dirt in the next few weeks,” Dawn says. CM
Located on the Chatham County line off Jones Ferry Road, Get Rooted Nursery offers container gardeners a unique selection to explore on its expansive 15-acre property. According to owner Chad Van Deusen, the tree farm and nursery grows a multitude of oneof-a-kind plants and trees that will thrive in containers. “We specialize in Japanese maples, and they do great in containers,” he says. With a wide range of foliage colors to choose from, the tree is a striking option. Get Rooted has more than 50 Japanese maples planted on the farm and can offer gardeners more than 200 varieties. For another hardy option, Chad also recommends dwarf pines. “They could live in pots for years,” he says, making the plant a low-maintenance and long-lasting option.
Twice a year we fire a huge, wood-burning kiln full of 1500+ beautiful and utilitarian pottery pieces by master potter Mark Hewitt, followed by an Open Studio event in our large barn showroom.
We invite you to come enjoy a day in the country. See Mark’s workshop, massive kilns and shop for unique handcrafted pottery for yourself or a special gift.
good times and
HOMEOWNERS SHARE THEIR JOY OF OUTDOOR COOKING
BY ANNA-RHESA VERSOLA | PHOTOGRAPHY BY HILLARY GRAVES
Outdoor kitchens offer advantages to homeowners by expanding livable space, adding appeal for family gatherings or entertainment and increasing a home’s resale value. Paul Kindem, owner of Original Grills in Durham, says building a space for alfresco dining is becoming more popular
in North Carolina. Paul estimates a typical outdoor kitchen can cost between $10,000 - $50,000 and an outdoor living space between $20,000 - $150,000. The added value can net between 100 to 200 percent return on investment.
Tim Mann grew up in Lewiston, New York, a town north of Niagara Falls along Lake Ontario. “Well, this is gonna sound unusual, but we cooked outside year-round,” Tim says. “There could be
ABOVE
3 feet of snow, and we would grill, so it just seemed natural to me.”
Tim, who has lived in North Carolina for nearly 30 years, first moved to Chatham County in 1994 and now lives in Governors Club. Outside of his work as chief operating officer of NC Subway Group, Tim spent about a year envisioning what he wanted and worked with Paul to finalize designs for the covered, walk-out patio measuring roughly 33 feet by 28 feet.
A stone wall encloses the area with rocking chairs surrounding a gas fire
The low stone wall defines the space and provides additional seating.
RIGHT All the flooring is blue stone, and the wood furniture is eucalyptus.
Well, this is gonna sound unusual, but we cooked outside yearround. There could be 3 feet of snow, and we would grill, so it just seemed natural to me.
– Tim Mann
pit. All of the flooring is bluestone, and the island’s concrete veneer is made to look like rough cedar to mimic the style of the house. “It’s indestructible,” Tim says. “You don’t have to treat it. I power-wash it and leave it alone.”
The dining table seats 10 while the bar seats up to 15 people. The stone countertop is twice as deep as normal bar tops so it can double as a serving space. Commercial-grade kitchen appliances include a sink, two Perlick refrigerators (one for beverages and one for food), a Twin Eagles grill, a gas-fired Ooni pizza oven and Twin Eagles stovetop burners with warming drawers. “All the furniture outside is eucalyptus,” Tim says. “I prefer eucalyptus over teak because all you do is hit it with linseed oil once a year and it maintains its beauty.”
Tim says he and his wife, Kerry Mann, entertain anywhere from several times a month to several times a week, especially when their three adult children come over to visit or when the neighbors gather for a fun time.
“So imagine, the women are around the fire,” he says. “The men are grilling and watching a ballgame, and then dinner is served. … I came up with what I thought would work, and we were happy with the way it came out.”
Anissa Hager says she and her husband, Chris Hager, built their Polks Landing home in 2018 and added their 20-by30 patio two years later during the pandemic. “We immediately realized it wasn’t big enough,” she says. So she worked with Amy Strunk Designs because “we just knew we needed more of everything,” Anissa says, adding that a typical gathering in their backyard involves 30 to 60 people.
Today, their backyard oasis has 1,700 square feet of pavers and turf to accommodate guests who can play cornhole in a dedicated green space, find shade beneath the pavilion or help Chris at any of his six different grills – one is just for bacon. There’s also an Alfa pizza oven and a fire pit. “My husband absolutely loves grilling,” Anissa says. “You can tell that feeding people is definitely his love language.”
The original patio was not big enough for the Hager family, so they created an outdoor living space.
Anissa, who is an information technology project manager at Truist, has three adult children from a previous marriage and four grandkids and between her and Chris, so they have a lot of extended family. “So Christmas is usually like 17 to 20 of us, and everybody stays at the house.”
Chris is a project manager with Verizon and a part-time offensive football coach at a new charter school in Johnston County. “He watches a ton of football,” Anissa says. “He watches a ton of grill videos. He’s a whiskey, bourbon and cigar connoisseur, too. The only thing missing right now is a TV out here.”
Subcontractors spent seven weeks installing the new outdoor space and finished on Oct. 31 – Chris’ birthday. The outdoor lighting sets the mood, reminding Anissa of resorts she’s visited in the Caribbean. “It’s just
Donna has helped hundreds of people buy and sell homes and land in Chatham and the surrounding areas. In 2022 alone, she was involved in over $6 million in sales. Donna is dedicated and hardworking and is thrilled to serve her clients, our neighbors and the community every day. She was born and raised on a farm in Chatham, then graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and moved to Washington DC, Puerto Rico, Winston-Salem and Augusta Georgia. Now being “back home” she is eager to help you with your real estate needs.
“Let me help you find your perfect spot in Chatham!”
super serene,” she says. “That’s the vibe at night. It’s so beautiful. I’m so excited that we did this.”
Both Chris and Anissa grew up on farms in the Midwest and feel connected to memories when they sit outside.
“The Halloween party was our first night using the space. And the first night we were like: ‘This is exactly what we wanted. It was like perfection for what we had envisioned, for what we wanted for an entertainment space. It was absolute perfection. This is exactly what we wanted.’” She adds. “This summer will be amazing.” CM
all the pretty
A SON GROWS THE BUSINESS HE AND HIS MOTHER ROOTED 30 YEARS AGO
BY JAMES DUPREE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSONJeff Baldwin, co-founder and sole operator of the Orchid Gallery, gathers a customer’s plants for pickup while Waffles, his rescue dog, curls up on her bed under the counter. Within the dense vegetation that fills the greenhouse are spots of red, yellow, orange and purple blossoms marking the beginning of the orchid’s blooming season. Behind Jeff is a table covered in an impressive arrangement of
pink and white orchids rented for an event at Carolina Tiger Rescue.
“Orchids are the second largest group of flowering plants in the world,” Jeff says. “There’s [more than] 20,000 species. Some would argue there are 40,000 species.” Many of those species, including hybrids, can be found in the nursery. “We have a Dendrobium that’s 140 years old,” he says. Another customer brought Jeff 20 ghost orchids from an orchid show in Miami. “All she wanted was for me to call her so she could see them bloom.”
In 1992, Jeff’s mother, Rita Baldwin, retired from a career teaching middle school English in Durham and bought an old horse farm off Hanks Chapel Road. The next year, Rita built a small greenhouse and began filling it with various plants, including 100 orchids from a widow of a collector in Florida. Meanwhile, Jeff was finishing his bachelor’s degree in natural resources at NC State University. “By the time I graduated [in 1997], I was into orchids so I joined the Triangle Orchid Society,” Jeff says. Together, they built
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Phalaenopsis is one of the most common species of orchid. It’s the easiest variety to grow with blooms lasting between four to six months.
up the business and expanded their vast collection of species, now totaling 20,000 individual plants.
Soon after opening, customers took notice of the Baldwins’ beautiful collection of epiphytes. Desiring that same beauty, minus the diligent care required, customers asked if the Baldwins would babysit their orchids until blooming season. “We came up with a little fee and haven’t [increased] it since then,” Jeff says.
Thirty years later, orchid boarding has become Orchid Gallery’s most popular
service. “The customers really helped form what the business was,” Jeff says. To keep up with the increasing number of plants boarded over the years, the duo expanded their growing site to cover a total of 10,000 square feet between two greenhouses. Once the orchids have completed their blooming season, clients bring their plants back to Jeff, where he cares for them through the early summer to late winter months, pruning, watering and repotting as needed. Customers are contacted between February and May to pick up their plants once blooms reemerge. “We try to keep it low maintenance [for the customer],” Jeff says. “They might have to water [the orchids] once or twice per month.”
In the last few years, Rita has gradually moved away from the day-to-day activities allowing Jeff to take full responsibility. “She helped out for over 20 years here. Ever since her painting career started to blossom, she spends more of her time down in her studio,” Jeff says. Rita converted
a horse barn on the property into her art studio. She enjoys using oil paints to capture impressionist landscapes and is regularly featured on the Chatham Artists Guild Studio Tour. Some of her work is available at Orchid Gallery and through the Pittsboro Gallery of Arts
While Jeff inherited Rita’s artistic talent for oil painting, he has had to focus his creativity on plant care, with pruning and styling of flower arrangements for customers. “While I would like to take a day off, there’s so much at stake. If we lose power or one of the heaters or generators goes out, or [we have significant] weather changes. There’s just a lot involved.”
In March 2020, the pandemic brought new challenges at Jeff’s busiest time of the year. “We were a three- to five-employee business for about 20 years, and then everyone left,” Jeff says. “It was weird how the whole world shut
LEFT “Recently, we’ve been renting orchids to a lot of homes,” Jeff says. “Some people always want to have a certain arrangement in their home, and we change those out every eight weeks.”
down, but here it didn’t. It was hard. So many plants were coming into bloom.” With restaurants closing their doors and doctor’s offices limiting in-person visits, the orchid rental part of the business dropped to almost nothing within three weeks. “That’s when things were kind of scary,” Jeff says. But as people were hesitant to travel and continued to stay home during summer months, Jeff saw renewed business. “I’ve learned over the last few years how to do it all myself. I have one part-time employee now, and then it’s me and Waffles,” he says.
For the foreseeable future, Jeff plans to continue managing Orchid Gallery. “I’ve been doing this for over half of my life. I have two boys, Otto Pablo-Baldwin [16] and Lucas Pablo-Baldwin [11], so I’m slowly trying to ask them if this is something they want to do,” he says. “If they don’t, then there might be an end date. Or I’ll find someone like myself and relieve myself of the work aspect. Nothing is set in stone.” CM
Chatham County native and Northwood High School graduate Vanessa Moreland met Michael Fox in 2015 while standing in line at a Starbucks in Cary. Vanessa recalls how natural the conversation felt, which led to the couple exchanging numbers. “Michael strikes up a conversation with just about anyone, and that day it happened to be me,” she says.
In June 2022, the couple took a trip to Ohio to celebrate his son’s 18th birthday.
Michael took Vanessa by surprise when he popped the question at their quaint bedand-breakfast.
The couple will tie the knot on Aug. 6, 2023, at The Barn at Woodlake Meadows in Bear Creek. They say the event will be “quite the family reunion” with guests traveling from up and down the East Coast, as well as from abroad. CM
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Emery Moore and Caleb Staley’s romance is deeply rooted in Chatham County. Emery grew up on a farm in Silk Hope while Caleb lived on one in Pittsboro. Though they went to different high schools (with Emery at Jordan-Matthews and Caleb attending Chatham Central), the couple began dating during ninth grade.
After nearly six years of dating, Caleb popped the question on his family’s farm in November 2021. The couple rang in 2023 with a New Year’s Eve wedding, complete with sparklers and a firework show, cake from Lizzie’s Grill-N-Chill and a snowy exit from the reception at Oakland Farm. Local members of the wedding party included Hayley Sessoms, Caden Fields and Sarah Morse.
During the ceremony, officiated by the Rev. Bruce MacInnes, they shared communion as an act of unity. Caleb’s favorite part of the day was seeing Emery walk down the aisle of his childhood church, Meroney Methodist, where his family has been part of the congregation since its beginning in 1808. “The church and the people have been such a big part of my life, and it only made sense to get married there,” Caleb says.
Emery is a special education teacher at Bonlee Elementary and Silk Hope Elementary, and Caleb teaches marketing at Jordan-Matthews. The couple lives in Bear Creek and serves in Goldston Baptist Church’s youth ministry, where Caleb works as the youth pastor. CM
At UNC Health Chatham, our team of orthopaedic experts will help you get back in the game, no matter your age or skill level. We offer safe, effective treatments and therapies to reduce pain, improve flexibility and strength, and maximize performance. Our goal is to keep you healthy and active, so you can enjoy your favorite activities for years to come.
Learn more: ortho.chathamhospital.org
