Western Tidewater Living Winter 2013

Western Tidewater

Living

Doing for others

Stan Rich views dressing up as Santa every year as his way of giving back to the community

Hometown Histories: Carrsville

The series movies over into Isle of Wight County to one of the small communities that makes Western Tidewater great

Catching up with ...

Wendy Smith-BrunĂŠ

WINTER 2013 • vol. 4, no. 4

MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME. {While we take care of the cleaning.} When you live at The Village, you’ll enjoy all the comforts of home—and a lot more. While you relax and visit with good friends in our newly redecorated community spaces, our housekeeping service can make sure your cottage or apartment is spotless. You won’t have to lift a finger.

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4 western tidewater living

Western Tidewater

Living

letter from the publisher

Christmastime is a season all about giving. Christians worldwide celebrate the gift of the Christ child.

Family and friends gather to give gifts to each other, while some look for extraordinary ways to give back to their community. Our cover story this issue is about that type of giving, as we profile one of Santa’s biggest helpers in Western Tidewater, Stan Rich.

Stan, as he has for several years now, spends much of the Christmas season in a red suit, black boots and white gloves, giving back to his community and honoring the memory of

his son. Those who have met Stan know that while his resemblance to the jolly old elf is certainly uncanny, it is his heart and spirit of giving that make him a natural in the role.

There are many in our community who also give of themselves at this and other times of the year, often in far less visible ways. To each of you who give back, thank you for what you do to make Western Tidewater a special place to work and live. And to all of you, I wish for you a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

Tony Clark Publisher Tidewater Publications

JAMEER WOODLEY READING FOUNDATION’S

3rd Annual Fundraiser

CASINO NIGHT March 1, 2013, 7 - 11 p.m.

PDCCC Workforce Development Center For ticket information: Hattie Francis: 757-377-7138 • Sara Crowder: 757-647-8337 • Teri Joyner: 757-636-2737 Sponsored by Tidewater Publications • Blythe Auctioneers • Southampton Outfitters • Sandy Point Farms • Farm Bureau, Jim Jervey

western tidewater living

5

contents winter 2013

Cover photograph

by Cain Madden ON THE COVER: Stan Rich as Santa Claus

Western Tidewater

Living

Tony Clark Publisher

INSIDE THIS EDITION

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28 western tidewater living

where am I?

PARTY PIX

Western tidewater residents got together for a festival of pumpkin, trick or treating, amongst other activities this seasonl

photo by Cain Madden

In each edition, our magazine staff provides a challenge of sorts for readers, testing how much of Western Tidewater you really know. We photograph a scene in Western Tidewater that is visible to motorists or pedestrians.

Whoever can identify the location pictured above will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to any one of our partner advertisers.

For the fall edition, the photo was taken of the fence at R.J. Camp Park in downtown Franklin. The park sits on the corner of N. Hight St. and Clay St.

So, if you know where this issue’s photo was taken, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner. E-mail your answers to magazine@tidewaternews.com

28

Tell us where our photographer took this photo and get a chance to win a gift certificate.

Go out and enjoy Western Tidewater!

Cain Madden Managing Editor Stephen Cowles Contributing Writer Merle Monahan Contributing Writer Sidney Moore Contributing Writer Leah Lewis Columnist Ryan Outlaw Designer Loretta Lomax Editorial Assistant Mitzi Lusk Advertising Director

A SERVANT OF SANTA CLAUS

Stan Rich views dressing up as Santa every year as his way of giving back to the community.

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western tidewater living 29

Catching up with Wendy Smith-Bruné

story by Stephen H. Cowles photos submitted

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29

Wendy Smith-Bruné

THE VIEWFINDER

Adam Embree of Carrsville started taking pictures in 8th grade, and now his work has appeared in art shows around the country.

T

he late Ray Charles is someone that Wendy Smith-Bruné still speaks warmly of.

Her voice distinctly softens and there’s a glint in her eye as the Franklin native recalls her audition with the renowned singer and pianist.

Several years back – never mind the exact number – Smith-Bruné got the opportunity to work for him as one of the Raelettes, back-up singers in his shows.

“What’s the word? Serendipitous? I was on a film set and heard that Ray Charles was looking for a new back-up singer. A contact gave me a number,” said SmithBruné, who added that the next thing she remembers, “I’m shaking Ray Charles’ hand!”

Seated at the piano, he played a bit and then she did her audition.

Afterward, “I was certain he did not like me. Then the manager called later

and said, ‘You got the job.’ I’m pretty sure I shrieked,” Smith-Bruné said with laughter.

“Ray Charles made me stronger as a singer,” she said, explaining that she sang harmony in the trio of women. “I learned to be strong vocally.”

She described the three years singing as a Raelette as “a good gig, but tough.” After all, Ray Charles was in demand from coast to coast and beyond.

“He took me all over the world,” said Smith-Bruné. “He worked up all the way to the end.”

Her work certainly didn’t stop with him. Since then, Smith-Bruné has traveled again and again. Last year, for example, she performed Down Under to notable effect as a guest singer with The Glenn Miller Orchestra.

A reviewer for “Australian Stage” wrote in November 2012, “Wendy Smith-

Bruné’s vocals are sublime, caramel-like and rich and raw in her lower register. She is dazzling in sassier numbers that befit her personality, such as ‘Yes My Darling Daughter’, and infuses a maturity and melancholic wistfulness into ‘I Know Why.’ While note placement occasionally blends into the strength of the orchestra behind her, her execution of the pieces she’s been assigned is to be aspired towards.”

Smith-Bruné has also gotten to work with other distinguished performers, such as Aaron Neville, Chaka Khan, Gloria Estefan, Michael Bolton, Sheena Easton and the late Barry White, another favorite.

Her busy schedule allows for a few vacations a year, and this past September she was back home visiting family and

Kate Archer Marketing Consultant Michelle Gray Office Manager Western Tidewater Living is published four times a year by Tidewater Publications, LLC P.O. Box 497, Franklin, VA 23851 757-562-3187 Advertising rates and information available upon request to ads@tidewaternews.com. Subscriptions are $20 annually in-state, $24 annually out of state and $30 annually overseas.

LITTLE TOWN BIG HISTORY

The series movies over into Isle of Wight County to one of the small communities that makes Western Tidewater great.

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A Call to Hibernate L

et us consider the bear: a shaggyhaired carnivore with small ears and large feet. He gathers and wanders, eats and eats more, all the while roaming and discovering. The Grizzly spends hours hunting, and the Sun Bear building “tree-nests.” Even in water, where the Polar Bear swims several miles a day, the quest and activity of these creatures continues. But come the cold, when it is still and sometimes white, and your breath is in the air, the bear finds his abode. Hunkering down, he nestles in his den, his burrow, his cave, and rests. With preparation complete in bellies and shelters, winter has come; hibernation has begun.

Warm-blooded animals everywhere follow suit: the chipmunk, nighthawk and hedgehog take cover, carefully protecting their energy and bodies. The season

demands that they stop, rest and wait.

Cold-blooded creatures are the true hibernators. Adopting a minimalist existence, they hide away with the first signs of winter and are only aroused when the warmth of spring returns.

The turtle sojourns with the frog deep underwater. Above, the snake is quiet within her haven, and the lizard calm. Again, winter signals and prompts a response.

The same season has fallen on you and I. Bringing its crisp landscape and wintry precipitation, it comes in full festivity, calling us to react. It implores us to remember that a year of life, of living, is al-

column and photo

by Leah Lewis

most complete. We have built and roamed during spring, discovered through summer, and gathered in fall. Perhaps it is now time to imitate those creatures around, and find our den, our burrow, our hearth or home. To feast and rejuvenate, to be revived and restored among good company.

To rest like the bear and be still like the lizard. Perhaps it is now time to reflect on seasons passed, and renew energy for those to come. Spring is on the move and will arrive in fullness, awakening us with its warmth. We will thaw and move with fresh ambition and purpose, doing life as much as we can. But not yet. Not now.

Now we unearth our retreat, our cottage, the homestead or cabin. Now we stop, rest and wait in the moment.

It is now that I say to you: Winter is here, let hibernation begin.

Columnist Leah Lewis suggests we find a cozy place to sleep for the winter

party pix

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Business Expo Top left, Ada Butler, Bobby Varmette and Lynne Rabil at their Franklin Chamber of Commerce Business Expo booth representing Hubs; middle left, Ellen Couch, Betsey Kello and Jennifer Cary at the Smart Beginnings booth; middle right, Lois Darden and Nancy Brock at the Peanut Patch booth; bottom left, Christina Geary, Ashley Geary, John Geary and Mary Barraclough from Mary’z Cafe were serving up food to business expo visitors; bottom right, Mary Ann and Brad Turner are the co-owners of the Southern Charm Garden Center in Franklin.

PHOTOS BY CAIN MADDEN

western tidewater living

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party pix

8 western tidewater living

Military Appreciation Day Top left, Bernadette Whitley and granddaughter, Whitley Brittle, celebrating Military Appreciate Day in Sedley; top right, Alex Whitley, Whitley Brittle, Faith Brantley and Ellen Davis with dog, Hoss; bottom left, Jenine Pettaway, left and Nancy Sheridan; bottom right, David and Staia Hayes of Franklin.

PHOTOS BY MERLE MONAHAN

western tidewater living

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party pix

10 western tidewater living

Southampton Academy Class of 1978 Front row, Nancy Colwell, Kimberly Vick Finch, Gayle Porter Lowdermilk, Larry Bryant and Lynn Hundley Burgess. Second Row, Kathy Beale Gray, Lisa Carpenito, Tommy Drake, Billy Smith, Jeff Saunders, Paula Cobb Day, Frank Daughtrey, Jane Best Bryant, Dennis Spruill; last row, Jeff Fox, Bill Turner, Scott Camp, Mac Birdsong, Drew Edwards, Clark Fox, Stephen Harup, and Charles Munford. These members of the class of 1978 were in attendance at the Southampton Academy homecoming game.

PHOTO BY CAIN MADDEN

western tidewater living

You’ll Get Hooked On Us!

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party pix

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Boykins Pumpkin Fest Top left, David Klinedinst of Chesapeake with his 5-year-old dog Wendy at the Boykins Pumpkin Fest on October 19; top right, Zayquawn Mason, 18, Jackie Cole and Phantasia Mason, 15, came down from Richmond with their inflatable toys; bottom left, Peter Vick, of Newsoms, with Sarah and Dick Grizzard of Boykins; bottom right, Zikia Wyche, 9, and Zinasia Wyche, 6, of Courtland PHOTOS BY CAIN MADDEN

western tidewater living

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14 western tidewater living

party pix

Boykins Pumpkin Fest continued Top left, Back row: Joyce Brown, Joseph Harris, 11, and Janice Brown; Front row: Jala Harris, 10, Jaden Harris, 6, and Ashley Brown; top right, Kayle Shifflett, 3, of Boykins, rides a pony; bottom left, Bob Dawson and his daughter Lynn Dawson of Suffolk pose with their Yorkies; Bob Dawson is holding Samantha, 6, while Lynn Dawson is holding Roxanne, 7, and Jacko, 12 weeks old; bottom right, Amy Moseley of Brodnax, and her daughter Cassie Modlin of Franklin. Cassie is holding her son Carter, 8 months old.

PHOTOS BY CAIN MADDEN

western tidewater living

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party pix

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Candy Crush Right, Amesheia and Morris Warden, with son, Gradon at the Candy Crush; below, Red Hatters, from left to right, Mary Britt, Walter Hobbs, Irene Britt, Gertrude Watson, Debra Fault and Darlene Kelly PHOTOS BY FRANK A. DAVIS

western tidewater living

Real Estate Listings

Beautiful two story traditional with lots of yard for recreation and great neighborhood. 5BR, 3 BA, formal LR and DR. Huge gas log FP and upstairs Recreation room with wet bar. Huge Master with large bath which has a sunken tub. Priced to sell!!

Beautiful Federal style home in move-in condition on at 1038 Clay St. Offered at $275,000. It has a very large landscaped lot with detached office or workshop.

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Vera Barnes - 757.275.4462 Williams Real Estate

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Call Kate Archer at 757-562-3187 and get yours in the next edition of Western Tidewater Living magazine!

BEACH RENTAL Lovely 3 BR beach home at the 8 mile post in Kill Devil Hills, NC. Many new upgrades from floors to appliances! Beach access across street. Now reserve for 2014 vacation. No pets!

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Western Tidewater

Living

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Downtown Trick or Treat Right, Luresa Tyler, Michelle Gray, and John, 3, dressed as Woody; below, hundreds of people lined the streets of Downtown Franklin for the annual Trick or Treat event.

PHOTOS BY DON BRIDGERS

party pix

western tidewater living

Downtown Trick or Treat continued Left, Issac Hains, 9, Samuel Hains, 10, Conner Karmilovich, 9; top right, Isabelle Melbye, 5, Natasha, 6, Madelyn, 2; bottom right, Jordon Wattford, 2, as Spiderman PHOTOS BY DON BRIDGERS

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Downtown Trick or Treat Top right, Ameera Hauter, 6, Mhomed, 2, and Shade, 7. They are the children of Mr. and Mrs. Ashruf Hauter; bottom left, Pam Ellis and Beverly Myers; bottom right, John Ludwick, the Ostrich Cowboy PHOTOS BY DON BRIDGERS

western tidewater living

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22 western tidewater living

what to do CALENDAR OF EVENTS MONDAY, DEC. 16

Wine and paint class There will be a wine and paint class from 6 to 9 p.m. with artist Sarah Hair.

Everything is provided and no experience is necessary. Price includes all materials, the paint, the canvas and everything else. The cost is $45 per member ($65 for non-members). Call 357-7707 to register with the Arts Center at 319 in Smithfield. You must be 21 years of age or older.

FRIDAY, DEC. 20

TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY PACC is holding its annual Tree of Lights Ceremony at Fred’s Restaurant at 6:30 p.m. Lights can be purchased for $5 or

$25 in honor or memory of a special animal/person that has touched your life. All proceeds benefit animal rescue! Details at www.pacconline.org

SATURDAY, DEC. 22

Kids Paint, Parents Shop Children will learn about color theory, how to see like an artist, how to express themselves visually, and how to control their materials all while creating their own painting. Everyone goes home with a finished painting. Price includes everything. Do a little last minute shopping in the Historic District. Register with the Arts Center at 319 in Smithfield by calling 357-7707. $35 per member, $55 non-members.

TUESDAY, DEC. 31

New Year’s Eve celebration The Cover 3 Foundation will host a New Year’s Eve celebration Tuesday, Dec.

31 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront at 100 E. Constance Rd., Suffolk. For tickets or more information visit www.cover3foundation.org.

New Year’s Gala The Airfield 4-H Conference Center is hosting the New Year’s Gala at 6 p.m.

Live music by The Rhondels. Dinner buffet, casino tables, lodging accommodations and package deals available. Call 757-899-4901 or visit www. airfieldconference.com for more information.

FRIDAY, JAN. 3

Breakfast forum The Isle of Wight-Smithfield-Windsor Chamber of Commerce will host the Richard J. Holland Pre-session Legislative Breakfast at 8 a.m.. The forum will be held at The Smithfield Center at 220 North Church Street in downtown Smithfield.

Senators Louise Lucas and Thomas Norment, along with Delegates Rick Morris and Roslyn Tyler have been asked to speak to the attendees on issues facing the Commonwealth and Isle of Wight County. A question and answer session will follow their presentations.

For more information to sponsor a student or to make reservations, please go to www.theisle.org or call the chamber of commerce at 357-3502.

SATURDAY, FEB. 8

Rawls Museum Annual Gala From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Rawls Museum Arts in Courtland. Call 653-0754 for more info.

SATURDAY, MAR. 22

Harlem Ambassadors Game Harlem Ambassadors Basketball Game vs United Way Heroes. United Way Heroes will be local athletes and celebrities. The game is a little serious, but mostly fun, comical basketball show –more a show than a basketball game.

Sponsored by the United Way, the game will take place at Southampton High School at 7 p.m. Cost for students is $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Adult tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Call 569-8929 for more information.

western tidewater living

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Warner talks jobs, economy, IP

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner visited Franklin on Tuesday to give community and business leaders a pep talk in the wake of the closure of the International Paper Co. mill. READ STORY

Fuel costs may hold electricity rates down

Even after a proposed rate increase is implemented, Franklin Power & Light customers will likely still see lower monthly bills than they did a year ago, thanks to reduced fuel costs, according to the consulting firm that developed the proposed rate schedule. READ STORY

Tony Smith (5) lays up a shot against Mike Ricks (44).

Hoops stars shine again

Basketball fans in Franklin will have the opportunity this winter to watch four former professional players on the same team in the Franklin Parks and Recreation Men’s Winter Basketball League. READ STORY

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A Servant of Santa Claus story by Stephen Cowles photos by Cain Madden

One look at Stan Rich of Franklin and you understand immediately why children gravitate toward him. The white beard and flowing hair and the belly that shakes like jelly when he laughs – he looks just like Santa Claus!

“Every summertime when I walk into a grocery or department store, kids will come up to me and tell me about Christmas,” said Rich, who gladly serves as the city’s St. Nicholas for holiday events, such as the annual downtown Christmas parade.

“The kids, that’s where the fun part is,” said Rich about his role as the city’s ole’ St. Nicholas. “Little children, they’re so innocent and sweet. It’s a lot of fun for me.”

His experiences in the holiday role have ranged from bust-out laughing to heartbreak.

“It’s one end of the spectrum to another,” he said.

Rich first remembered one little girl who approached him at a grocery store, and he asked how she was doing.

“I’m fine,” she replied, “But you forgot all the things I wanted last Christmas.”

Thinking quick on his feet, Rich said with believable disbelief, “You mean…my elves made a mistake?”

Another little girl asked not for games, but for school supplies. Rich made sure his helpers got her address so that he could arrange for her to get them.

western tidewater living

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26 western tidewater living “Things like that really touch the heartstrings,” he said.

In contrast, a third little girl climbed up on his knee and when Santa asked what she’d like for Christmas, the girl said, “I know you can’t give me what I want, but my momma died and I want her back.”

He confirmed that wasn’t in his power, but “Santa knows what a special little girl you are, and he’ll do all he can to make it a special Christmas for you.”

That memory brought Rich to explain his unique ambassadorship.

“I lost my son [Casy]. That’s the reason for my being Santa Claus,” he said.

Casy was 27 when died of complications from back surgery in 2008, said Rich.

Naturally, life immediately thereafter was especially difficult for he and his wife, Mary, and their daughter, Morgan, of Kill Devil Hills, N.C. Rich and Mary own and operate Southampton Antiques in downtown Franklin.

Their son, he said, was one of the youngest licensed antique dealers in Virginia. At an early age, Casy had taken an interest in antiques, most especially glassware. Rich said that Casy even made contributions to books about objects, and was recognized in the country and around the world for his expertise. There’s even a dedication to him in a book about the subject of antique glassware, that’s how well known Casy was.

“We’re extremely proud of him,” he added.

But in that same year of the family tragedy, a group from the Downtown Franklin Association recognized Rich’s potential as Santa Claus, and asked him if he’d play the part for the holiday parade. He agreed, and to accompany him as Mrs. Claus was the DFA’s own Jeri Lankford, who died earlier this year.

“I really didn’t think about doing it before, and might never have done it. It’s really helped me and Mary,” said Rich, who’s

western tidewater living

gladly filled the boots and suit since then.

And all at no charge.

“I’ve never charged a penny,” he said and stressed that playing Santa Claus is “most rewarding.”

While people might compliment Rich on what he does for the city, he sees the responsibility as returning a favor, so to speak.

For example, when the Blackwater River was threatening to flood downtown in 2006, he and Mary were at the hospital while Morgan was being treated. When Rich came to the store, there were 35 to 40 people waiting for him to unlock the doors. Then they moved the contents into 10 trucks, and within six hours the place was empty before the waters caused ruin.

The valuables were put in a donated space for free by one of the men who helped.

Such cooperation from fellow merchants and residents, said Rich, might not be found in a big city. Further, growing up here in Franklin as a little boy has created strong ties to the city and its residents.

He added that his being Santa is “just a small part” in returning what’s been done for him.

Rich and Mary don’t limit their contributions just for the holidays. In memory of their son, friends Michelle and Scott Sutton created St. Baldrick’s Night the next spring. People volunteer to have their heads shaved at Fred’s Restaurant and raise money to help children battling cancer. Two years ago, over $9,000 was made for the cause.

“We do things to raise money through the year,” said Rich, “and to better the city and its citizens.”

Dressing as Santa Claus takes time – about 1-1/2 hours with his wife’s help. But he relishes the effect and becomes the part.

“To me – being Santa – in my eyes, a person’s religion, race or income level are not barriers,” said Rich. “Everyone is equal.

“It’s all about the children.” ◀

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where am I?

photo by Cain Madden

In each edition, our magazine staff provides a challenge of sorts for readers, testing how much of Western Tidewater you really know. We photograph a scene in Western Tidewater that is visible to motorists or pedestrians.

Whoever can identify the location pictured above will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to any one of our partner advertisers.

For the fall edition, the photo was taken of the fence at R.J. Camp Park in downtown Franklin. The park sits on the corner of N. Hight St. and Clay St.

So, if you know where this issue’s photo was taken, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner. E-mail your answers to magazine@tidewaternews.com Go out and enjoy Western Tidewater!

western tidewater living

story by Stephen H. Cowles photos submitted

Wendy Smith-Bruné

T

he late Ray Charles is someone that Wendy Smith-Bruné still speaks warmly of.

Her voice distinctly softens and there’s a glint in her eye as the Franklin native recalls her audition with the renowned singer and pianist.

Several years back – never mind the exact number – Smith-Bruné got the opportunity to work for him as one of the Raelettes, back-up singers in his shows.

“What’s the word? Serendipitous? I was on a film set and heard that Ray Charles was looking for a new back-up singer. A contact gave me a number,” said SmithBruné, who added that the next thing she remembers, “I’m shaking Ray Charles’ hand!”

Seated at the piano, he played a bit and then she did her audition.

Afterward, “I was certain he did not like me. Then the manager called later

and said, ‘You got the job.’ I’m pretty sure I shrieked,” Smith-Bruné said with laughter.

“Ray Charles made me stronger as a singer,” she said, explaining that she sang harmony in the trio of women. “I learned to be strong vocally.”

She described the three years singing as a Raelette as “a good gig, but tough.” After all, Ray Charles was in demand from coast to coast and beyond.

“He took me all over the world,” said Smith-Bruné. “He worked up all the way to the end.”

Her work certainly didn’t stop with him. Since then, Smith-Bruné has traveled again and again. Last year, for example, she performed Down Under to notable effect as a guest singer with The Glenn Miller Orchestra.

A reviewer for “Australian Stage” wrote in November 2012, “Wendy Smith-

Bruné’s vocals are sublime, caramel-like and rich and raw in her lower register. She is dazzling in sassier numbers that befit her personality, such as ‘Yes My Darling Daughter’, and infuses a maturity and melancholic wistfulness into ‘I Know Why.’ While note placement occasionally blends into the strength of the orchestra behind her, her execution of the pieces she’s been assigned is to be aspired towards.”

Smith-Bruné has also gotten to work with other distinguished performers, such as Aaron Neville, Chaka Khan, Gloria Estefan, Michael Bolton, Sheena Easton and the late Barry White, another favorite.

Her busy schedule allows for a few vacations a year, and this past September she was back home visiting family and

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friends, who better know her as “Gwen.”

Her father, Leroy Smith, lives on Forks of the River Bridge Road. Evelyn Norfleet Griggs, her mother, lives in Virginia Beach. Her sister, Sandra Perry, lives in Chesapeake, and other cousins also reside in Western Tidewater.

The roots of Smith-Bruné’s musical talent are found in her background. She said her mother played piano when she was younger, and a grandmother, Lonnie Hunter Smith, played guitar. Even her sister tried the clarinet

for a while.

“In seventh grade I wanted to study music. I played violin, but it sounded horrible to me. The clarinet needs reeds and they kept breaking,” said SmithBruné, who next tried the flute and not only found it to be low maintenance, but also something at which she excelled in playing. Smith-Bruné earned a chair in the band at Lake Taylor High School, and continued to perform during her studies at Norfolk State University, where she majored in music.

Seeking to perform classical flute in an orchestra, Smith-Bruné went to Los Angeles. ◀

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THE sto

W FI N D E

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tos b

y C ain Mad den

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“...I’d always have an eye for something else.” an artist. She draws, paints and w does photogso .” ff raphy too. But or th o ep D now he’d found it. ho use o to t eh h at “I feel like I’ve got an m ok start ed it all, “ Th e S “ There eye for art, but I’m not blessed are a bunch of with a hand for it,” he said. “But with photography, I felt like I had finally found artists in the program, and not everyone something artistic I could do. Photogra- made it in the magazine,” he said. phy lit my fire for the arts.”

A few years ago, the Suffolk Art Show That was back in eighth grade. At the was the next stop. Though he didn’t place, time, the Carrsville native was going to he learned a valuable lesson.

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, but he’d “Everyone really wins,” he said. “We’re transfer to Windsor High School in tenth all together as a group, and people are grade and graduate there. looking at things we created. Everyone is “I took photography 1 and 2 at Suffolk. a winner.”

Windsor didn’t have that class,” he said.

That day, Embree said that a lot of peo“The teacher had tried to get it, but I did ple told him they loved his work. Winit on my own, and was allowed to use the ning an award, like he had done a few years earlier, seemed less important. Bedark room.”

In 2007 he went to Tidewater Commu- ing included amongst the best artists in nity College in Portsmouth and majored the area was winning enough. in art.

As far as placing, he said it comes down “I never got a degree in photography,” to one juror, and that person’s tastes, he said. “There aren’t a lot of job options. which may be abstract rather than phoThe money is in portraits and weddings, tography. Getting his work out there was the important part. and I just couldn’t see myself doing that.

The next step was to look out of state “I wanted to do the kind of things I found interesting. I figured I’d work a reg- for more art shows to have his work visular job, and do photography as a hobby ible. and put it in art shows on the side.”

Digging around online, he found a In college, his work was in a few shows, show in Chicago called The Machine. The and some of his work was also featured in theme of the show was pretty straight forward, and Embree knew of an old farm the student art magazine, 340.

Ad

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o

t was January 20, 2004. Adam Embree, then a teenager, with his 35mm in hand, was working on a project for a photography 101 class. While walking around, he saw something that he thought would look good in a frame.

You see, in art 101 classes, the focus is often on just capturing shapes — circles, squares, triangles.

“That could get boring, you know,” he said. “Of course, I’d take the pictures that I was asked to take, but I’d always have an eye for something else.”

So with a few slots left on his roll of film, Embree went walking around his grandmother’s house.

“She has a smokehouse, and from the view from where I was walking, the door looked cool,” he said. “So I snapped it and didn’t think much of that. But in the dark room, after I had processed it, just the way it came out, it looked good.

“Now, I didn’t know how to judge pictures, but when my teacher saw it, she said I had a knack for taking good images.”

The teacher, Kim Mason, gave him the idea to enter his photo, “The Smokehouse Door,” in an art competition. He entered the Rawls Museum Art competition, and won the young artist achievement award.

“When I won, it meant a lot to me,” he said. “I’d put something in a real art show with real jurors. I never thought that would happen. I never thought I’d win. I thought it was a good picture, but I thought that would be all it was.”

He’d grown up around art. His grandmother, Carole Harrell, had always been

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Old House 1

The Cemetery Tree with machinery still out on it. So he went there and shot pictures for a few hours.

Those were not to be his winners. That was more random.

He was working a job on a farm in Smithfield, cleaning a grain bin, when he looked up.

“I was like, that looks neat, but I didn’t have my camera,” he said. “So I snapped the picture with my iPhone.

“It was kind of funny, I did all of that hard work on the farm, and the one I took on my iPhone made it in the show.”

That’s not to say he wasn’t thrilled to have a picture in the show, even though it

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was taken on his camera phone.

“It was surreal. I honestly did not think I was going to make it in,” Embree said. “It was just something to do.”

When he looked at the juror’s resume, he said it really made him feel like the underdog getting in.

“The juror had gone to SCAD,” he said of the Savanna College of Arts and Design, one of the best art schools in the world. “Here I am, little Adam from Carrsville with no degree, and my stuff is hanging in Chicago next to someone like that. I was just happy to be there.”

He’s also done some commission work, including a series of 14 black and white posters for the Portsmouth YMCA. Today, he works a regular job and is constantly looking around for shows to enter his work in. When he has a chance, he also will sit behind a stall and sell some of his photography.

“I just really started selling my prints,” he said. “I sort of fell into it. There was an arts and crafts show at my mother’s church, and I figured I’d get a booth. It was my first time really selling, and I liked it.”

At the end of the day, despite some success, he’s still pretty modest about photography.

“I know there is a heck of a lot more that I still have to learn,” he said. “I know I have an eye for it, but I’m always trying to learn more.”

Once upon a time, he wanted to be a big-time

artist, but now, his goals aren’t quite that lofty.

“I’d be happy to just get a career doing something,” he said.

“Working at the mill would be good, or working in a shipyard.

“I love to do photography, but doing it for a living; I don’t know, I feel like that would take some of the fun out of it. I’ll always do it, but I want it to be the kind of stuff I enjoy doing.”

Money not being a concern when he takes pictures makes it pure, and that makes it more enjoyable, like it was when he was in the

Old House 2 eighth grade, walking around with his 35mm film camera. The 24-year-old has a more advanced digital camera now, but as far as his thought process, it’s not too different.

“When I’m walking around, I see art in everything,” he said. “I’m always thinking that something will look good in a frame.” ◀

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Cooking for the Holidays story and photos

by Merle Monahan

N

ancy Brock loves to cook and what better time to show off her culinary skills than at Christmas when her family and friends are around?

In fact, Brock is so fond of the holiday that even before Thanksgiving rolls around, she already has her home deco-

rated for the December holiday with such things as candles, garlands, gingerbread men and, at last count, three Christmas trees, with one in the living room, another in the den and the last in her dining room.

“I’ve always loved the season,” she said

with a smile. “I like for my house to look pretty and festive, and I do a lot of baking. I think the aroma of freshly baked gingerbread and cookies just adds to the festivities.

“I do wait until closer to Christmas to start baking the sweets that make the

western tidewater living

BROCK’S HOLIDAY DESSERT RECIPES:

with graham crackers and spread with chocolate icing.

COCONUT CAKE Ingredients: 1 box yellow cake mix 1 can Lopery cream of coconut 1 can Eagle Brand milk 8 oz of cool whip 8 oz bag of coconut

Icing ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/8 tsp. salt 1/3 cup cocoa ¼ cup milk ¼ cup butter 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions: Grease and flour a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Prepare cake mix according to directions on box. Mix together cream of coconut and Eagle Brand milk.

Punch holes in cake and pour milk mixture over hot cake. Cool completely. Mix together ½ bag of coconut and all of cool whip and spread over top of cake.

Sprinkle rest of coconut over cool whip mixture. Refrigerate. Best if made the day before serving.

Cook sugar, salt, cocoa and milk over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil and cook one minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla, stirring until mixed.

After icing has been added to last layer of crackers, refrigerate.

CHOCOLATE ÉCLAIR CAKE Cake ingredients: 1 (6 oz) pkg of French vanilla instant pudding mix 3 cups milk 9 oz cool whip 1 box graham crackers Mix pudding and milk with cool whip. Line buttered 9x13in casserole dish with graham crackers. Pour ½ of pudding mix over crackers. Add another layer of crackers. Pour rest of pudding over crackers. Top

house smell so good, though,” she added.

Brock, 58, grew up in Southampton County. One of three children, she says now that her parents have passed away, her brother, sister and she – with their families – take turns hosting the family holiday dinner.

HOLIDAY AMBROSIA Ingredients: 1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks, drained 1 cup tangerine sections 1 ½ cups seedless grapes ½ cup chopped pecans 1 cup flaked coconut 1 cup miniature marshmallows ¾ cup sour cream 1 Tbls sugar.

Directions: Mix all ingredients together except sour cream and sugar. Mix sour cream and sugar in bowl. Stir into mixture. Chill until serving time.

APPLE DUMPLINGS Ingredients: 2 lg. Granny Smith apples,

She said sometimes her siblings will rent a building to accommodate the large number of people expected for the meal, but she prefers to have it in her home.

“We get to visit more, and I think it’s easier,” Brock added. “I’m also used to working in my own kitchen.”

peeled, cored and quartered.

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls 1 cup orange juice 1 stick butter ½ pkg. Crown Mulling Spices Directions: Separate rolls into 8 triangles and roll, one around each piece of apple. Place in baking dish.

Combine orange juice, butter and spices in a saucepan and heat until spices are dissolved and butter is melted. Pour mixture over apples and bake uncovered at 350 degrees about 30 minutes or until dumplings are brown.

Note: Crown Mulling Spices may be purchased at the Peanut Patch.

OLD-FASHIONED COCONUT PIE Ingredients: 3 eggs 1 cup sugar ½ cup milk 6 Tbls melted margarine 1/8 tsp. salt 1 tsp. all-purpose flour 1 cup coconut 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 (9-in) uncooked pie shell Directions: Combine eggs, sugar, milk, melted margarine, salt, flour, coconut and vanilla in large bowl.

Beat well with wire whisk. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until set.

The talented chef began cooking when she was very young, she said. She learned the basics from her mother, but began experimenting with her own ideas as she grew older.

“I also took four years of home economics in high school, which further

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38 western tidewater living piqued my interest in cooking.”

Brock said she seemed to acquire somewhat of a reputation after school.

People asked her to make and decorate cakes for weddings and anniversaries, as well as other occasion cakes and to help with party-planning.

“I really loved it,” she admitted with a smile. “It gives me great pleasure to create something that is both pretty and good to eat.”

In 1977, Brock married Edward Brock, her husband of 36 years. They have two sons, Kendall, 30, and Jason, 28, who with his wife, Hillary, has a 4-month-old son, Drake.

Brock was working at Futrell’s Pharmacy in Courtland when she married, she added, and continued until her children were born, a total of eight years.

“I was a stay-at-home mom,” she continued. “I didn’t work outside of my home but was involved in their school activities, and I can’t tell you how many treats I’ve made for school events.”

During this time, Brock also joined her friend, caterer Judy Hatfield, to help with some of her catering events.

It was not until she went to work for the Peanut Patch in 2000 that her talents began to really show, however.

“I like to decorate almost as much as I like to cook,” she added with a grin, “and I had a chance to do some of that here.”

In fact, her Christmas trees at home are just a “drop in the bucket” compared to some of the tasks she helps with now.

She is assistant manager of the shop she has worked at for 13 years and said she loves her five-day-per week job.

“I like to stay busy and this is the place for that. My co-workers are great to work with and sometimes ask me to make a cake for an event they’re having.

“I like that,” Brock said. ◀

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Hometown Histories story by Sidney Moore photos by Cain Madden and Sidney Moore

western tidewater living

Carrsville T

he village of Carrsville is located along the Carrsville Highway in the southwestern tip of Isle of Wight County. This area was formerly known as Warrosquoyacke. According to the latest U.S. Census, Carrsville has a population of roughly 400 people. Its trail of history runs back to the 1800s.

As for the origin of the name Carrsville, there is a lot of speculation behind that. There is a running debate between whether it was named for Nathan Carr or Jesse Carr, no relation. It is a known fact

that Nathan Carr was appointed as the village’s first post master in 1836. Some say the name came from him, which makes a lot of sense being that post offices were sometimes named for the first post master or the most important person in the area. Others say that the area was named for Jesse Carr, who fathered 21 children. The Carr families, three separate ones that were not related, were the most populous of all family names in the Carrsville area.

The sources of income for Carrsville

in the early days were in farming. Peanut and cotton farms were the primary ones, but there were ventures into tobacco.

That didn’t do very well, due to the soil in the area. There were a few potatoes farms in the area, as well. The main type of farm that saw a great flow of revenue was the dairy farms because they churned out more than one product on a regular basis. These items were not only sold in Carrsville and other areas in Isle of Wight County. They were loaded onto the train and transported to the east and

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42 western tidewater living west of Carrsville. People would also ride the train to Carrsville to purchase these goods.

The Portsmouth and Weldon Railroad, organized in 1833 and later renamed the Portsmouth and Roanoke, was the lifeline of Carrsville. It connected Carrsville and Franklin to all the outlying areas to the east and west of it. Not only did the rails bring an influx of people, but also money came along with the trains. It opened a world of trade and networking for all the local businesses and farms in Carrsville.

The dairy farms thrived. Local businesses flourished. Cotton growers saw a surge in profits. Most importantly though, the people of Carrsville could receive the services they needed without having to travel far for them.

Yet, these rail lines not only carried freight trains, which turned the train station into a very popular meeting point in Isle of Wight, but also passenger trains.

This continually brought in new and more accustomed shoppers to Carrsville to purchase goods.

“I’d get on the train in Franklin and before I had the chance to sit down, we’d be in Carrsville already,” said Helen Howell, a long-time resident of Carrsville, recalling her early days of riding the train.

western tidewater living

At the location where those trains ran along Old Carrsville Road and Old Myrtle Road, used to stand rows and rows of warehouses, dairy farms and farmer markets. All of these were in walking distance of the train station, when it was still standing. Now that the train station has disappeared, so have the farmer markets and multiple dairy farms except one. The big Victorian houses around the train station are mostly gone as well.

“On both sides of the railroad tracks, just imagine, there were these huge threestory houses all the way down here. One of the houses was an inn by the name of ‘The Dew Drop’ Inn that was ran by Dr. Claude Bradshaw’s wife,” recalled Philip Bradshaw. “You used to be able to catch that train to Norfolk or go all the way to Petersburg. We’re down to the last dairy farm now, and that one’s family-run.”

There was always something good about the schools in the Carrsville village, and that still holds true to this day. The first and only school for black residents was the old Grant School on Grant’s Lane, which received its named from Amy Grant, who headed the school during its years of operation. In an effort to improve the quality of education for blacks in the South, Grant School was funded by Julius

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Rosenwald, who was one of the directors of Sears & Roebuck during the early 1900s.

The school was nicknamed “The Rosenwald School,” and Carmen Porter Walden was the teacher of the school before it was consolidated with Carrsville School, which later became Carrsville Elementary School.

“Entire families and generations passed through that building,” said Bertha “Mama Bertha” Knight. “That was my sister Amy who ran the school house.”

You also had Carrsville School, which became Carrsville Elementary later on, that was located on Carrsville Highway.

A teacher named Gertrude Criser, who was new to the area, headed it. She was later married and stayed with the school her entire career, eventually serving as the

principal of the school. The school itself has always been a beacon of light in the name of education for the area. Those same high standards for learning are still in effect, and are noticeable in Carrsville Elementary School, which was named a Blue Ribbon School in the fall. That’s a nationwide designation of being one of the top schools in the nation.

“I remember on Fridays, Ms. Criser wouldn’t let us leave the school at the end of the day,” recounted Helen Howell. “She made us walk around the school and pick up all the paper off the ground before we were free to go.”

Some of the pastimes of the area have always united the residents as one. There were the baseball games, which were played on the field behind Carrsville Elementary School. Other games were

played on the field of the Negro League team, the Carrsville Woodpeckers. Today the Woodpeckers field, located behind Knight’s old store at the most northeastern tip of the village bordering Suffolk, is the prime location of pickup games that showcase a whole spectrum of skin tones on the diamond.

There used to be a drive-in that was located along side Carrsville Highway. It was a major place to watch the latest feature films with your friends and family.

“I remember how all the children would go there as I was growing up,” said Knight. “I didn’t go like I wanted, because I had to take care of my family.”

Another major pastime of the area is hunting, which the various hunt clubs such as the Carrsville Hunt Club, the MMK Hunt Club and the Community Hunt Club are a living testament. It’s not uncommon to see a person emerging from the woods in the early morning on his or her way to Bradshaw’s Country Store for breakfast. This store is actually the meeting grounds and prime social point for the hunt clubs, as well as the average resident of Carrsville, and seems to have been for some time.

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A Call to Hibernate L

et us consider the bear: a shaggyhaired carnivore with small ears and large feet. He gathers and wanders, eats and eats more, all the while roaming and discovering. The Grizzly spends hours hunting, and the Sun Bear building “tree-nests.� Even in water, where the Polar Bear swims several miles a day, the quest and activity of these creatures continues. But come the cold, when it is still and sometimes white, and your breath is in the air, the bear finds his abode. Hunkering down, he nestles in his den, his burrow, his cave, and rests. With preparation complete in bellies and shelters, winter has come; hibernation has begun.

Warm-blooded animals everywhere follow suit: the chipmunk, nighthawk and hedgehog take cover, carefully protecting their energy and bodies. The season

demands that they stop, rest and wait.

Cold-blooded creatures are the true hibernators. Adopting a minimalist existence, they hide away with the first signs of winter and are only aroused when the warmth of spring returns.

The turtle sojourns with the frog deep underwater. Above, the snake is quiet within her haven, and the lizard calm. Again, winter signals and prompts a response.

The same season has fallen on you and I. Bringing its crisp landscape and wintry precipitation, it comes in full festivity, calling us to react. It implores us to remember that a year of life, of living, is al-

column and photo

by Leah Lewis

most complete. We have built and roamed during spring, discovered through summer, and gathered in fall. Perhaps it is now time to imitate those creatures around, and find our den, our burrow, our hearth or home. To feast and rejuvenate, to be revived and restored among good company.

To rest like the bear and be still like the lizard. Perhaps it is now time to reflect on seasons passed, and renew energy for those to come. Spring is on the move and will arrive in fullness, awakening us with its warmth. We will thaw and move with fresh ambition and purpose, doing life as much as we can. But not yet. Not now.

Now we unearth our retreat, our cottage, the homestead or cabin. Now we stop, rest and wait in the moment.

It is now that I say to you: Winter is here, let hibernation begin.

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