Evince Magazine June 2023

Art Requires Us to Live Life and Respond Accordingly

by Josh Lucia

by Emily Wilkerson

by Dave Slayton

Presented by Showcase Magazine

CEO / Publisher / Andrew Scott Brooks Editorial Director / Paul Seiple editor@evincemagazine.com

by Mack Williams

Contributing Writers

Barry Koplen, Linda Lemery, Josh Lucia, Paul Seiple, Dave Slayton, Mack Williams, Emily Wilkerson

Art & Production Director Demont Design (Kim Demont)

Finance Manager Cindy Yeatts (1.434.709.7349) cindy@showcasemagazine.com

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Deadline for this and all other stories, articles, and calendar items is Thursday, June 15 at 5:00pm for the July issue. Please send calendar info to demontdesign@verizon.net.

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Evince is a free monthly magazine about Arts and Culture in Danville and the surrounding area. We reserve the right to accept, reject and edit all submissions and advertisements.

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On the Cover: Perrin Marie. Photo by Laura Mae Photography.

Vantage Art Flats has a new resident artist. Perrin Marie recently took on the role. She said, “When applying for the artist residency with Vantage Art, I was concerned it was too good to be true. But, the founder, Rick Barker, is the real deal. I am fortunate he selected me for the interview process and, ultimately, the residency position.”

Marie, an internationally published multi-disciplinary artist, was born in North Carolina about an hour away from Danville. “I appreciate the familiarity of Danville, and the sweet smells of honeysuckle along the river remind me of childhood.”

She began her artistic career as an art model. “I’ve had the great privilege of traveling the world as a muse for other artists.” During this time, she experimented with self-portraiture and “stumbled into art activism with a series of selfportraits with fashion from trash

Art Requires Us to Live Life

and Respond Accordingly

by Paul Seiple

that recently debuted in London.”

Marie had a mental health crisis in 2019. She survived suicide and was in rehabilitation for nearly two months. “I was forced to confront my situation. I realized most of my happy memories took place when I was creating something—anything. So, the way I figure it, I make art o survive.” Her focus is on art activism. “My work unites my social responsibility as an artist, environmentalist, and woman,” she added.

For Marie, the creative process is continuous. She finds artistry in daily walks and conversations with strangers. “I believe art requires us to live life and respond accordingly, so I’m constantly observing and frequently inspired by the unlikeliest things; a plastic bag in the wind or a little girl twirling in a floofy skirt,” she added.

“Individuals who serve their communities through their skill sets” influence Marie and give her hope. “Whether you’re an organizer of a weekly walking group, the founder of an arts center, or a food truck vendor, you have a platform available to inspire.”

During her residency, Marie plans to expand on the “fashion from trash” concept by using recycled materials and fashion history to “combat current events.” An article on the political significance of hoop skirts is inspiring the project. “Basically, the bigger the hoop skirt, the more influential the woman. As an art activist and woman witnessing world events, the concept of taking up space really resonated. I want to empower women worldwide to take up space, so I’m creating a series of hoop skirts with recycled materials that make sound with

movement so self-identifying women can march down the street, take up space and make HOOPLA.”

She hopes the recycled materials used will “provoke viewers to reconsider, reuse, and recycle. It’s amazing what you can make with a soda can or water bottle.”

As Marie’s art has evolved, her “voice has gotten louder and more apparent in my work over time.” She found a craving for ownership of her work while experimenting with self-portraiture that she enjoys exploring. “I’ve had people tell me they knew an image was mine before looking at the watermark, and that makes me really excited.”

For those interested in watching Marie work, her studio at Vantage is open on Saturdays from 10am to 4pm. The public is encouraged to come out, ask questions, and view the art process. Marie added, “I have really enjoyed these open studios thus far and will be here until the end of June, so please stop by.”

In the short time, Marie has been in Danville, she has loved getting to know the community. “I often keep my studio door open, and some of the coolest people (and dogs) have wandered in.”

For more information about Perrin Marie, visit her at www.theperrinmarie.com.

photo by Laura Mae Photography

IChances are you’ve known a writer who you appreciate, a writer who, if you could, you’d like to ask about their writing. Fortunately, I have a friend who is a published poet, a fine writer who teaches doctoral students in creative writing at the Union Institute and University. For too brief a time, Dr. Carol Barrett was my mentor.

What follows are my questions and her answers.

Barry Koplen: When did you know you wanted to be or happened to be a writer?

Dr. Carol Barrett: I was in my early thirties, looking for a way to encourage widowed women in their grief, and went to see a writer on the campus where I was teaching in Kansas to see if she would work with me on an anthology of poetry.

BK: Was there a story you wanted to tell?

CB: My first public reading was at the funeral for my grandmother, who lived to be 100 years and eight days. She knew about goals!

BK: Did anyone inspire you to be a writer?

CB: My first mentor introduced me to many contemporary poets; each one influenced me as I tried to emulate their work.

BK: When did you know whether you wanted to write prose or poetry?

CB: I fell in love with poetry; only later did I realize that, if I wrote true stories, they could be considered creative nonfiction, even if they began as poems.

BK: Were you inspired by another

Questions I’ve Asked Writers To Answer

by Barry Koplen

writer, perhaps a famous writer?

CB: Poet Anita Skeen mentored me for three years.

BK: Did you take classes or did someone train you?

CB: I took a class with Anita Skeen, and she continued to read and comment on my work.

BK: Once you began to write, what were some of the difficulties you had to overcome?

CB: Having a sharp pencil handy was a constant challenge. I didn’t want to write in ink; it was too permanent. As I wrote about family members, I learned to disguise their relationship in the poetry when it seemed appropriate to protect their identity. But most poems honored the relationship. I once wrote a poem in which I killed my father off, then shared it with him, decades before he died. I knew how important he was to me and figured I had better get used to not having him around.

BK: Which famous writers are your favorites?

CB: Mary Oliver is my all-time favorite.

BK: Have you published any of your writing? If so, please provide the titles and a brief description. If they are still in print, where can they be purchased?

CB: Yes – about 300 poems, including work in over fifty anthologies, and three books: Calling in the Bones, Drawing Lessons, and Pansies. They can be purchased from me directly through an email inquiry (carol. barrett@myunion.edu) or through Amazon, or one of the presses

– Ashland Poetry Press in Ohio, Finishing Line Press in Kentucky,

and Sonder Press in New York. Calling in the Bones is a collection of poems about the human family – all of us, including the particular one I was blessed with. Drawing Lessons is about drawing things, which come to take on metaphoric significance. Pansies is a book about the Apostolic Lutheran community, who forbid birth control. I hired a young woman as a babysitter for my

toddler and was privileged to get to know the group in a way few people do. She was terrific.

BK: Finally, do you have any advice for writers who are just getting started?

CB: Have fun with your writing. Play with it. Save every draft. It’s precious work, even if it doesn’t go anywhere public.

June Calendar of Evince

Ongoing

Danville Science Center Exhibits

Science Unplugged - Back to basics with hands-on elements demonstrating scientific concepts.

Go! - Highlights the intersection between the physics of machines and biology of the human body.

Water - Discover history trapped in ice, experience clouds first hand, uncover life found in a droplet, plunge to the depths of the ocean, learn about water usage from a towering wall of 2,000+ water bottles, enter a room of rain and don’t get wet, and more.

Crescent Crossing - Train-themed exhibit introduces families to important science, technology, engineering, and math fundamentals, such as creativity, problem solving, and cause and effect. Butterfly Station & Garden – Find out which type of caterpillar certain plants attract, learn the best methods to attract butterflies, and get inspired to create your own butterfly garden. www.dsc.smv.org

Ruby B. Archie Public Library Programs

- Don’t miss the programs offered at the Library. Mad Scientists - Mission to the Moon, Whodunit Book Club, Storytellers, Walking with The Write Stuff, Puzzlers Club, Book Lovers Club, Interstellar Summer Reading Party, Tween & Teen Book Club, Cosmic Crafts, Family Storytime, Unrequired Reading – Classics Book Club, Guardians of the Library, Teen Advisory Board, Teen Takeover, Youth Dungeons and Dragons, FandomInspired Art, LEGO Brick Engineers, Little Explorers Storytime, Little Learning Lab - Outer Space Edition, Book Babies, Classic Movie Club.

Museum Attic Sale Donation Drop Off. Accepting donations of household items, furniture, books and media, decorative items. No clothes, TVs, or computers. Tuesday-Friday 10am-4pm. DMFAH 434.793.5644.

Farmers Market. F 4-6:30pm, Sat 7:30am-12pm. Olde Dominion Ag Complex. 434.432.8026.

Summer Camps

June 5-9, 19-23, 26-30

Owen Farm Camp. 5+. 434.728.3410.

June 5, 6 & 7

Little Wildcat Volleyball Camp. 3rd-7th graders. 5:30-8:30pm. DRHS Gym.

June 5 (thru 16)

Aerial Circus Camp. Ages 7-15. Blue Ridge Gymnastics & Aerial Dance. blueridgeaerialdance@gmail.com

June 7-9, 14-16

Blake Bivens Pitching Clinic. Ages 13-18. Hargrave Military Academy. blakebivensbaseball@gmail.com.

June 12 (thru 17)

Theatre Explorers Camp. Learn theatre basics through activities, games, and crafts. Campers perform for parents at pickup on Friday. Camp times 9-11am OR 1-3pm. 6th-12th grade. Smokestack Theatre Co. 434.549.5445.

June 12 (thru 29)

Averett Camps. Youth Basketball Camps I & II. Soccer Camps I & II. Football Prospect Camp II & III. North Campus. averettcougars.com.

June 12 (thru 30)

Coates Rec. Center Camps. 6/12-16 Gardening Week. 6/20-23 Safari Week. 6/26-30 STEAM Week. 1st-6th grade. 434.799.5150.

Institute for Advanced Learning & Research Camps. 6/12-16 Redstone, Robots, and Racing. 9th & 10th grade. 6/19-23 Would You Survive/ Building Budies. 6/26-30 Makerspace/ Inventor’s League. 3rd-8th grade. IALR. 434.766.6700.

YMCA Summer Camps. 6/12-16

Basketball Camp. Ages 9-13. 6/1923 Teen Camp. 6/26-30 Youth Fitness Camp. ymcadanville.org.

June 12-16, 26-30

Adventure Camp I & II. Day-camp consisting of hiking, kayaking, zip lining, high ropes adventures and climbing wall challenges. Ages 8-11. 7:30am5:30pm. 434.799.5150.

June 12 (thru August 4)

YMCA Summer Camp. Activities and field trips. Ages 5-12. YMCA. cord. cothren@ymcedanville.org.

DUCK Mentoring Summer Camp. Focus on academics, STEM, personal/social development and more. Grades K-5. 8am-3pm. GLH Johnson Elementary. 434.770.3131.

June 13 (thru 30)

Danville Science Center Camps 6/13-16 Just Add Water. 6/20-23 Watershed Warriors. 6/27-30 Kitchen Science. www.dsc.smv.org

June 19 (thru 22)

Kids Golf Camp. Fun and engaging golf instruction. Lunch provided. Ages 6-12. River District Golf & Social. riverdistrictgolf.com.

June 21 (thru 24)

Chatham Hall Camps. 6/21-24

Advanced Practices in Equitation. Ages 12-18. 6/25-30 Summer Riding. Ages 10-16. 6/25-30 Girls Make it Happen. Ages 10-14. summerprograms@chathamhall.org.

June 26 (thru 29)

Healthcare. 8th-10th grade. 512 Bridge St. 434.766.6700.

June 29

Olympic Acro Camp. Ages 6-9. jodiecarrolldanceco.com.

June 1

Lip Sync Battle. Prizes awarded. $10 Cover Charge. 5:30pm. 2 Witches. 434.793.8255.

June 2

Wicked Karaoke. 7-10pm. 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Co. Night of the Firefly. Luminaria walk, Bee Movie on the big screen, glow in the dark activities, outdoor games, and food trucks. Bring chairs, blankets. Movie begins 8:30pm. Dan Daniel Memorial Park. 434.857.3384.

Main Street Art Collective Events. 6/2 Game Night, 6-8pm. 6/3 Hydrangea Painting, 11 am. 6/7 Puzzle Swap, 11am. 6/15 Kids Paint Class, Ages 8+, 2pm. 6/17 Ring Making, ages 16+, 11am. 6/20 Kids Door Hanger Painting, Age 5-7 w/parent, & age 8+, 2 pm. 6/24 Basket Weaving, 11am. 6/28 Kids

Jewelry Making, Age 5-7 w/parent, & 8+, 2 pm. mainstreetartcollective.com.

June 3

Cruzin for Humanity Car & Bike Show

Bring your cars, trucks, motorcycles, classic or just eye catching. Trophy’s awarded. 9am-4pm. Danville Habitat For Humanity Restore. 434.793.3630.

Touch A Truck. 10am-5pm. Chatham Middle School.

Classic Car Show. 11am-2pm. Christian Fellowship Church of God.

Food Truck Rodeo. 12-6pm. Downtown, Bridge Street. FB.

RNB Explosion Music Festival. Featuring talented R&B artists from around the country. 3-7pm. Carrington Pavilion. Eventbrite.

Barn Yard Cruise-In. Live music with Matt Boswell & HBB Band (7pm). Food, desserts & beverages. Silent auction, 50/50, games for the kids. 20 donation for meal & band. 3pm. Sutherlin Barn. FB.

50’s Shake, Rattle, & Roll. Dress in your best “Sock Hop” outfits and be ready to rock-n-roll to live music all night long to The Funky Truth. 7-11pm. The Golden Leaf Bistro.

June 3 (thru 23)

Live Music. 6/3-This Forsaken Epoch. 6/9-Slaughter Ave. 6/10-Norm & Sarah.

6/17 Between Three. 6/23 The LoOG.

7-10pm. 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Co.

June 3 (thru July 28)

Expressions 2023 Exhibit. Work which howcases regional talent featuring an eclectic mix of work such as watercolor, oil and acrylic, mixed media, drawing, photography and sculpture. Piedmont Arts. 276.632.3221.

June 4 (thru 25)

Live Music. Hosted by Stuart Jennings. Sundays 2-6pm. 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Co.

June 6

An Evening with Clifton Taulbert. Learn about “The Entrepreneurial Mindset.” Registration Required. 5:30-8pm. IALR. 434.836.6990.

June 6 (thru 30)

Danville Otterbots. 6/6, 7 & 27 vs Burlington Sock Puppets. 6/10 & 11 vs Bluefield Ridge Runners. 6/15 & 16 vs Bristol State Liners. 6/17 & 18 vs Greeneville Flyboys. 6/29 & 30 vs. Johnson City Doughboys. 7pm. Legion Field, Dan Daniel Park. 434.554.4487.

June 8

Music at the Market Concert SeriesEmanuel Wynter Music. Bring a chair or blanket for a relaxing evening of music. 7-9pm. Community Market-Outdoor Stage. 434.857.3384. Tossing at the Crossing - Cornhole Tournaments. Registration required. 7-9:30pm. Community Market. 434.857.3384.

June 8 & 22

Thursday Paddle. Catch glimpses of river otters, blue herons, and turtles. Registration required. Ages 8+. 434.799.5150.

June 9

Flip Flop Friday. Bring your lawn chairs and friends to settle in for a fun, relaxing

evening. Enjoy music from Matt Boswell, food, & wine. 6-10pm. Homeplace Vineyard. 434.432.9463

June 10

Run for Justice. 9:00-11am. Anglers Park & River Walk Trail.

Main Street To Anglers Kayaking Navigate rapids and paddle around islands in a picturesque portion of the river. Ages 12+. 9-11am. Ballou Beach Bash. The Castaways performer a mix of beach, soul, and rock-n-roll. Food trucks and dancing. Free. Bring your own chair. 7- 8:30pm. Ballou Rec. Center. 434.799.5216. Let’s Get Groovy. Live music, good vibes, & 60’s themed outfits. 7-11pm. The Golden Leaf Bistro.

June 16

Juneteenth: Unity in the Community. Celebrate through a slave narrative performed by Dr. Fred Motley. Enjoy an African fashion show, Kuumba dancing, music, face painting, crafts. Bring a chair or blanket. 5- 8pm. Ballou Rec. Center. 434.799.5216.

Dance & Dine. Dinner and swing dancing with Good Shot Judy. 7pm. Prizery. www.prizery.com.

June 16 (thru 18)

SRO GT World Challenge. Leading manufacturers compete through their continental customer racing programs. Virginia International Raceway. 434.822.7700 x117.

June 17

Children’s Festival. Activities include inflatables, toddler play zone, sensory tent, caricatures, vendors and concessionaires. 10am- 3pm. Carrington Pavilion. 434.857.3384.

Homeplace Music Festival. Fun, relaxing afternoon of music and wine, food trucks on site. Music LineupDalton Bagbey, League of Ordinary Gentlemen, Michelle Motley & Hatcreek, McFadden & Friends. 12-8pm. Homeplace Vineyard. 434.432.9463.

June 18

Summer Solstice Silent Disco. 8:3011:30pm. 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Co.

June 20

RDA “Start-Up Slam.” Fun event where people share a meal, creative business ideas, make new friends, and network. 6-8pm. The River District Association. 434.791.0210.

June 23

God’s Storehouse Golf Tournament. 10am. Goodyear Golf Club. 434.822.6919.

Smokestack Improv. Live music, stand-up comedy, improv sketch comedy. 7pm. Smokestack Theatre Co. 434.549.5445.

June 23, 24 & 25

Danville Kennel Club Agility Trials 9am. Olde Dominion Ag Complex. 434.432.8026.

June 24

Frozen Food Giveaway. First come, first served. 8am. Danville Police Department.

Summerstack Youth Production Auditions. Channeling Grimm. 6th12th grade. Smokestack Theatre Co. 434.549.5445.

Sippin’ Saturdays. Enjoy music, wine and rockin’ on the porch. 12-5pm. Homeplace Vineyard. 434.432.9463. Live Professional Boxing. Drew Correll headlines the event. 6pm. Danville Otterbots Baseball Field.

Graduating in 1990 from Blackburn College with a degree in chemistry, Steven Harders may be a chemist by day, but is an actor by night. Harders has performed in over 30 shows between his home state of Illinois and here in Virginia. Though he acted throughout childhood and college, Harders had taken a long hiatus from the stage as an adult to focus on his family. That changed when his oldest daughter asked to audition for their local theatre’s production of To Kill A Mockingbird. Whilst accompanying his daughter to the audition, he was asked if he would also like to read for a role, and the rest was history. He was hooked.

Harders has come a long way since his first class play in the first grade, where he had the

Action!

Inside the Method of Acting Steven Harders

by Emily Wilkerson photo courtesy of Smokestack Theatre Co

role of a little girl’s cat and his only line was “meow.” His most memorable production was Little Shop of Horrors, primarily because he got to do this show not once, but twice. While the first time he played Orin Scrivello, DDS, the second time he got to be a puppeteer for the plant, Audrey II, and designed the special effects for the show. He states that this experience “really expanded my theatrical creative and engineering skills and was immensely fun bringing the stage to life.”

Though he is certainly a veteran of the stage, no actor is immune to stage fright. Harders says he sometimes experiences this phenomenon when he is not confident in the material he is presenting- what he refers to as “the age old ‘actor’s nightmare.’” He claims that he also gets

stage fright when he focuses his attention on how the audience perceives him, instead of focusing on his role. According to Harders, the best way to combat these dilemmas is to review your lines as much as possible, and to stay in your character’s head and just focus on the story you are telling.

Harders believes that “the absolute most important quality (of an actor) is to be empathetic.” Actors should be able to fully understand and resonate with everything the script calls for their character to say and do. He says to “understand there is always a reason behind every word and deed. Every word has an opportunity to create new levels in the character.” Once that is achieved, the actor can translate those emotions into their body movements to show to the

audience what the character is feeling, without even having to speak.

For those considering trying their hand at acting, Harders recommends you learn as much as possible, and not to be discouraged if you do not get cast. “You can be disappointed, but don’t get discouragedthere is a difference.” He also encourages those who are not cast to get involved in other ways. “There are so many facets to a show. Don’t be afraid of the saw, hammer, paint brush, sewing needle, light board, sound board, ushering, ticket taking, etc.. It is all important, needed, and respectable work.” It truly takes a village to put on a show, and there is a role in the theatre for everyone.

Scene: Scene: Linda is hauling Plant, swaddled in blankets in a child’s red wagon, on a scenic tour around the block.

Linda: Plant, you’re heavy enough that hauling you up this hill in this wagon is running me subterranean.

Plant (leaves quivering like a dog leg vibrating ecstatically): Oh, joy; so warm is the sunshine.

L (sweating): Why are you so heavy?

P: Bushing out from consistent sunlight, water, plant food, plus you moved me to a bigger pot. Ceramic. I am rising up in the world.

L: I regret my decision to water you so liberally.

P: You parent me well.

L (puffing): I never expected to parent a plant. At least I’m getting credit for the increased stepcount.

P: Then step lively, Parent. It’s important to have healthy parents who are not out of breath just because they’re on an incline …

L: … I’m inclined to let go of this wagon because it feels like I’m climbing Mount Rushmore… breathing like a freight train…

P: In two-parent human families,

Plant VIII:

Father

by Linda Lemery

both parents should share the parenting load, but in the animal kingdom, some animal fathers interact (seahorses, beavers, emperor penguins) and some do not (bears, dogs, lions).

L: I wish your father were hauling your wagon up this hill.

P: Who is my father?

L (wiping sweat from her forehead): …That would be my husband, Steve.

P: Which of you do I favor?

L: …Neither of us... you’re a plant.

P: Nevertheless, adopted children develop similarities with their adoptive parents. How am I similar to my adoptive father?

L: Have you had conversations with Steve? Maybe when he’s watering you?

P: Not yet. He seems more logical, less likely to accept plant speech as non-delusional.

L: What do you mean, more logical? I’m the one who does most of the checkbook subtraction.

P: Arithmetic is a tiny subset of mathematics.

L: I am wounded speechless…. do you identify more with a male or female parent?

P (skirting the issue): I have been silently observing this male parent. He exhibits love for his plants by watering them and for you, his wife, by paying attention. He has intriguing, curious, patient conversations with you while you try to keep up. When your adult children visit, he engages them with bad dad jokes. For example, “What do you call a fish in a bowtie?”

L: …Wha-at…?

P: “So-fish-ticated.”

L: That’s so bad, it’s good. Dads are famous for cracking bad jokes, like, “When does a joke become a dad joke?”

P: …I do not know…??

L: “When it becomes apparent.”

P: …Moving on... He shows love and respect for life and environment by treating others well and seems like a good human being and father.

L: A significant portion of the world celebrates Father’s Day on the third Sunday in June. This started when Sonora Smart Dodd, one of 6 children being raised by a single dad, was inspired by a sermon to advocate starting a day of father recognition. Fathers increasingly help with childcare.

P: Besides your plants, you have raised two human children. Is Steve happy about his children?

L: He loves his boys but also loves that the boys and their wives are now self-supporting. We visit one set probably more frequently than they might choose and the other set not frequently enough to exhaust our welcome. They all visit us.

P: Proximity likely influences visitation rate.

L: According to literature, two-parent families can be a stabilizing force in children’s lives…

P: …Or the life of a plant, by providing bigger ceramic pots for growing, by keeping the soil coming, the water flowing, and the sun shining in…

L: …Assuming that either parent remembers to open the blinds.

P: Should I open a dialogue with my father figure?

L: Try speaking a dad joke like, “I’m afraid for the calendar. Its days are numbered.” Steve’s journey toward acceptance will be somewhat turbulent and may take some time. However, once he arrives, we could both haul your heavy wagon around the block.

P: Together.

About the author: Plant and Linda Lemery llemery@gmail.com wish Evince readers Happy Father’s Day.

28 Days Later (7/10 Rating)

Released June 27, 2003 (US)

For rent on Amazon

Genre: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi

R: Strong Violence and Gore, Language, and Nudity

1h 53m

Movies You Missed from 20 years ago

by Josh Lucia

28 Days Later…20 years later… holds up really well. This film is one of the first responsible for bringing back public interest in zombies since the late 1970s. Along with the popularity of undead video games Resident

Evil and House of the Dead as well as their film counterparts, 28 Days Later would be followed by a sequel, 28 Weeks Later, along with other films like Shaun of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead (2004 Remake), Warm Bodies, World War Z, Zombieland, and more. We also got the recordsetting The Walking Dead television series. 28 Days Later brought a fresh take on the genre with a future Oscar winner at the helm. Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, The Beach, Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) took a more realistic approach to the zombie outbreak, pulling inspiration from real-world pandemics and epidemics. Here, the undead are FAST and simply full of rage, and this makes for an intense horror film. Boyle also leans into the drama, dealing with many of the emotions and outlying factors that might come from a catastrophic event like this. Cillian Murphy (Nolan’s Batman Trilogy & Peaky Blinders) got his break as the lead in this film, playing Jim, a man who wakes up in an empty hospital to find London void of life. He is eventually introduced to the zombies, the result of a laboratory outbreak

which causes human beings to be filled with unstoppable rage when they are exposed to infected blood. Eventually, he finds other survivors, and the film follows them as they journey to some form of safety. However, zombies are not the only horror that exists in this broken society. The gore is intense, and the jump-scares come silently, but the dramatic storytelling sets this movie apart from others in the zombie genre. If you don’t do zombies or gore, skip this one. If you enjoy an intense, well-made zombie movie, this should be at the top of your watchlist. Check out the sequel and keep an eye out for a third, 28 Months Later, currently in pre-production. Also, be sure to get to the theater next month and catch Cillian Murphy as the lead in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, releasing July 21, 2023.

Also released in June of 2003: Hulk (6/10), The Room, Charlie’s Angels Full Throttle, Rugrats Go Wild, Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, 2 Fast 2 Furious (4/10), From Justin to Kelly, Hollywood Homicide (follow @ jlucia85 for these reviews and more)

Yes, it can, when paired with the right wine. Choosing the right wine depends on the type of cheddar cheese. For example, mild Cheddar is aged from 1 to 3 months. This style of Cheddar is creamy, slightly sweet, and mellow with subtle hints of butter and salt, according to www.darkcheese.com. They say, “The idea is to pick a wine that won’t overpower the delicate flavors of mild cheddar,” such as light-bodied white wines like Riesling, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. I’ve found that a slightly oak barrel-aged Chardonnay works well, or a sparkling wine made for the Chardonnay grape makes for a delicious match.

Medium cheddar cheese is aged a little longer and is more flavorful than mild cheddar cheese. Medium cheddar pairs well with full-bodied whites such as Viognier or fruity reds like Pinot Noir. These wines are bold enough to stand up to the more pronounced rich, nutty flavors of medium Cheddar.

Sharp Cheddar is usually aged from 6 to 12 months. This style becomes drier and crumblier, yielding a robust and intense flavor. According to Dark

Can Cheddar be Even Better?

Cheese, sharp cheddars are best paired with bold red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah/Shiraz. These wines have enough flavor to stand up to the sharpness of this flavorful cheese without overpowering it. They say you’re likely to find deeper notes of caramel, nuts, and smoke that come through in sharp Cheddar.

Marissa Mullen, writing for Food52, states, “Cheddar was first crafted in the 12th century, hailing from Cheddar Village in Somerset, England.” But let us not forget Irish Cheddar. Dark Cheese states, “Irish Cheddar is typically less sharp and intense in flavor than English cheddar, somewhat in between sharp Cheddar and Parmesan. The mildness, earthier and richer flavor of the Irish variety allows for some interesting pairings with French-style wines such as Chablis (Chardonnay), Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc), and Beaujolais (the fruity, light red wine from the French Beaujolais region). These light-to-mediumbodied dry whites are delicate enough to allow the cheese flavors to shine through while still offering a bit of complexity.”

For many of us, when told to say cheese, we say Cheddar, and to that, I say Cheers!

by Dave Slayton

photo by Dave Slayton

Dine In

by Mack Williams

Irecently went straight from one grocery store to another one in order to complete my shopping. This, of course, is not unusual; as many shoppers include the food “bargains” available at the “dollar” stores in order to save some money.

But in this case, it was the sight of only one item which made me complete the checking off my grocery list elsewhere.

Blackberries! (I’m glad it wasn’t “strawberries; “ but perhaps not many people remember or know about Captain Queeg of The Caine Mutiny (1954) nowadays).

The blackberries weren’t moldy or rotten. And it wasn’t because of the advisory, printed on their container: “Wash before consuming,” as some companies tend to spoil us with “steam bags” and other containers with messages to the effect: “No need to wash. We already did.”

An aside before continuing: (as a child, when consuming blackberries straight from roadside “volunteer vines,” instead of washing, some “thumping” might be needed to dislodge a chigger or two).

The reason for my alternate grocery trip was that a shopper in front of me at the first store was picking up each plastic blackberry container, opening the lid and gently “pinching” each blackberry within.

Since the container was clear plastic, there was no worry about this shopper buying the blackberries “sight unseen,” but I guess, to him, the idea of “purchased unsqueezed” was anathema.

I started to wait him out; but then the thought occurred to me that maybe he was just “finishing up,” and had possibly “tweaked” every blackberry in every container within the bin.

When I arrived at the other store, I told the cashier about how surprised I was at what I’d seen. He said on prior occasions he had witnessed some members of the public not only individually squeezing a variety of packaged, fresh berries, but picking the berries up and popping them into their mouths.

The only thing I’d done similar to that was years ago in a late summer while my late wife, Diane, and I were helping my late father-in-law, Hoyt, in his garden. In the midst of picking corn, I pulled back the shuck on one ear and took a bite. Perhaps I was temporarily overcome, as the hot summer day and smell of rows of raw, aromatic corn must have engendered a sort of “delirium” (just now, Van Gogh’s Crows over Wheatfield comes to mind).

But that was in the garden, not the “green grocer” section of a grocery store!

The cashier told me that apple cores and banana peels have been found not far from the fruit

bens (but so far, no avocado skins and pits).

He also told me that occasionally, people have been known to take a chicken wing out of the “hot deli” and walk through the store, eating it “on the fly” (“on the wing” seems more appropriate here); and then, behind a roll of paper towels or a canned good, they deposit the bones (a “sort of” burial).

I then recalled a story from another store where bags of inthe-shell peanuts had been found open, minus goodly portions of their contents. The culprit had left a zig-zag trail of shells throughout the store, making it difficult for store personnel to follow (or, for that matter, Hansel and Gretel).

This caused me to remember the Joe Namath movie, C.C. Ryder and Company (1970), where Joe Namath nonchalantly pushes a grocery basket through the store, taking two slices of bread from a sliced loaf, one slice of ham from a pack of sliced ham, one slice of cheese from a pack of sliced cheese, one leaf of lettuce from a head of lettuce, and the necessary “squirts” of one “off-theshelf” mustard bottle to assemble a ham sandwich, which he eats and then politely asks a store employee: “Excuse me. Where are the cupcakes?”

Still mulling this over, I went to my car with my container of blackberries, of which I felt and hoped had been sorted and packed by anonymous, sans fingerprint, robotic hands.

I looked up at the restaurant sign across the street, which proudly states, in “screaming” letters: “DINE-IN.”

And I pondered the multiple and hypothetical meanings of words and phrases.