WALTER Magazine - November 2023

The Art & Soul of Raleigh

A Well-Seasoned Thanksgiving

LEO HART & WES CHESSON NC SYMPHONY’S CARLOS MIGUEL PRIETO + 25 LOCAL NONPROFITS TO SUPPORT THIS YEAR

ROOM SERVICE

As cooler weather begins to settle in, it’s time to blanket your home in festive tones and holiday hues. Plush mohair, worsted wool, and feisty faux fur add a touch of warmth, while a savory palette of plum, vanilla, berry, and basil rest blissfully alone yet nestle nicely together creating a bold yet tasteful blend. No matter your personal style, desire, or destination, this season be sure to check-in at Green Front in Raleigh. We’ve got you covered!

Visit us today to experience more than 30,000 square feet of unique furniture, accessories, hand-knotted rugs, and luxurious upholstery.

Furniture by Lillian August, Sherrill Furniture, Theodore Alexander, Hickory White, Uultis and Wesley Hall

MIDDLE C JAZZ

cover: Preeti Waas. Photograph by Eamon Queeney.

Mallory Cash

(BOOKS); courtesy

Randy Jones (JONES)

53 Elsewhere by Cortland Gilliam illustration by Dare Coulter

54 Well Seasoned Thanksgiving at home with Preeti Waas, who infuses her menu with Indian spices by Ayn-Monique Klahre photography by Eamon Queeney

64 Full-Circle Style

A dramatic, luxe home inspired by the design community by Ayn-Monique Klahre photography by Catherine Nguyen styled by Lauren Burns

72 Give Local 25 nonprofits making an impact on Raleigh and beyond by Susanna Klingenberg

Sonya Yruel (NGUYEN); courtesy Miracle League

of the Triad (BASEBALL)

HOMES

EDITOR’S

Come to our $4,000,000 Retail Store Closing Sale

Starts Friday, September 15 and lasts until inventory is gone.

Every item in our inventory will be marked down for immediate sale. After the sale is completed, our retail store will be closed permanently –It’s Now or Never!

Open M, Th, F, S, Sun 10am to 6pm Closed T and W

5634 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd. Corner of I-40 and 15-501 (Exit 270) www.persiancarpet.com

ILeft: My holiday table setting. Right: Some of the WALTER team — Addie, Karlie (our new events guru!) me, Cristina and Julie — at WINnovation.

may have been the only one of my friends to register for wedding china. My generation seems to be shifting towards more casual entertaining, around-thekitchen-island stuff, and doesn’t seem to be as interested in fussy dinners.

But I couldn’t wait to pick out our patterns. Maybe it’s because the first magazine I worked at was InStyle Weddings (which is, sadly, no longer in print). I spent almost a year before Josh and I got engaged completely saturated in the wedding industry: monitoring invitation trends, logging in engagement rings (before locking them in a safe until a photo shoot), interviewing event planners to learn the right order of operations for a party this important. My very first writing assignment, in fact, was a short piece about how to choose a wedding veil.

So when it came time to make our registry, I couldn’t wait to pick out our wedding china. We were living in New York City at the time, and we made an appointment at *the* store on Fifth Avenue for this sort of thing, Michael C. Fina (which is also, sadly, no longer in business). The salesperson tasked with our wedding was easily 50 years our senior, an industry veteran who seemed to have shrunk inside his gray suit. He spent an hour with us as we discussed our tastes, trying to project the sort of hosts we’d be in the decades to come. He had a little ladder he’d climb to lift plates or glassware off the highest shelves. Each time he started to ascend, we’d offer to go up for him, worried that he might fall, but he refused (and never fumbled). We ended up assembling place settings from a number of brands, beautiful pieces in a scheme of white and blue and gold. Enough guests opted to buy them as gifts that we ended up with a full set.

More than a decade later, I’m always excited to break out our wedding china to host — and we are, sometimes, the hosts we’d hoped to become. Our wedding china is on the table for the big meals, like Thanksgiving or Easter, but also for smaller-scale ones, like family birthdays or anniversaries at home. We even broke it out once this summer to serve up toasted tomato sandwiches when all the kids were at sleepaway camp. (Our friends seemed pleased that our casual dinner was worthy of “the good china,” but at this stage in our lives, I feel like any time we can coordinate enough childcare for an adult dinner, it’s worthy of celebration!)

This month, I hope you have a chance to fancy up your dinner table — whether you’re hosting or just making up an excuse to do it.

Ayn-Monique Klahre Editor

Holidays with the Symphony

MEYMANDI CONCERT HALL, RALEIGH

EDITORIAL

Editor

2023/24 SEASON

A Candlelight Christmas

FRI, DEC 22 | 8PM SAT, DEC 23 | 3PM

Michelle Di Russo, conductor

Raleigh Youth Choir

Immerse yourself in the magic of the season with music performed in the glow of candlelight by your North Carolina Symphony.

your season

NOVEMBER 2023

AYN-MONIQUE KLAHRE ayn-monique@waltermagazine.com

Creative Director LAURA PETRIDES WALL laura@waltermagazine.com

Associate Editor

ADDIE LADNER addie@waltermagazine.com

Contributing Writers

A.J. Carr, Wiley Cash, Jim Dodson, Mike Dunn, Cortland Gilliam, Susanna Klingenberg, David Menconi, Liza Roberts, Lori D. R. Wiggins

Contributing Poetry Editor Jaki Shelton Green

Contributing Copy Editor Finn Cohen

Contributing Photographers

Mallory Cash, Eamon Queeney, Bob Karp, Ben McKeown, Catherine Nguyen, Matt Ramey

Contributing Illustrators Dare Coulter, Gerry O’Neill

PUBLISHING

Publisher

DAVID WORONOFF

Advertising Sales Manager

JULIE NICKENS julie@waltermagazine.com

Senior Account Executive & Operations

CRISTINA HURLEY cristina@waltermagazine.com

Events Coordinator KARLIE MARLOWE events@waltermagazine.com

Finance STEVE ANDERSON 910-693-2497

Distribution JACK BURTON Inquiries? WALTER OFFICE 984-286-0928

Address all correspondence to: WALTER magazine, 421 Fayetteville Street, Suite 104 Raleigh, N.C. 27601

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WALTER does not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

Please contact Ayn-Monique Klahre at ayn-monique@waltermagazine.com for freelance guidelines.

Owners

JACK ANDREWS, FRANK DANIELS III, LEE DIRKS, DAVID WORONOFF In memoriam FRANK DANIELS JR.

© WALTER magazine. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of the copyright owner. Published 12 times a year by The Pilot LLC.

CARLOS MIGUEL PRIETO, MUSIC DIRECTOR

Friday, November 17th

5:30 – 8:30 PM

CONTRIBUTORS

CELEBRATE THE START OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON WITH US

Join the retailers and restaurants for a special Holiday Open House from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Guests can stroll through Waverly Place to enjoy special tastings, sales, promotions and in-store events. A full list of participating locations will be available soon! 302 Colonades Way Cary, NC 27518 (919) 859-5818 Visit WaverlyCary.com for more information

JIM DODSON / WRITER

James “Jim” Dodson is the author of 17 books and the founding editor of O.Henry Magazine in Greensboro. Over his 40-year career he has won dozens of major writing awards, including four Books of the Year in the world of golf. His latest book project is on the Great Wagon Road, the 18th century Colonial highway that brought thousands of European immigrants to the American South, due to be completed this year. Learn more at JamesDodsonAuthor.com

SUSANNA KLINGENBERG / WRITER

Susanna Klingenberg is a writer, editor and Raleigh enthusiast. When she’s not helping researchers polish their prose, she’s rambling the Triangle’s green spaces with family and friends. Covering local nonprofits for this year’s “Give Local” list was an opportunity to lean into her favorite part of writing: connecting with people who are passionate about what they do. “The leaders and volunteers at these organizations are bursting with compassion and creativity. What a joy to witness!”

DARE COULTER / ILLUSTRATOR

Dare Coulter is an award-winning artist, muralist and sculptor. Her mission for her artwork is to create positive imagery that reflects the fullness and vibrancy of the Black cultural experience. She has illustrated nine children’s books, including Kwame Alexander’s An American Story, and is focusing on creating monumental sculptures and murals all over the world.

“This piece is my first editorial illustration! Cortland perfectly highlights how the ideas of Black creatives are accepted as valid but their personhood is not — what a statement for a first work!” Coulter is online at DareCoulter.com and on social media @DareCoulter.

EAMON QUEENEY / PHOTOGRAPHER

A Raleigh-based photojournalist, Queeney is usually exploring the state for clients like The New York Times and The Washington Post after cutting his teeth at the Columbus Dispatch in Ohio for a number of years. These days he can usually be found working with a camera or cycling around Raleigh while smiling a lot. Wave if you see him, he’ll wave back! “Thanksgiving at the Waas house was the holiday you hope for — one where a stranger can show up for a meal and leave feeling like a family member. It didn’t hurt that the food was as comforting as it was delicious.”

Dare

Halloween costume model Emilia was excited to see herself in print!

“You featured HOST in the magazine last November and it led to a dedicated host who is having a great experience with our students! What a great boost for us!”

— Mary Haskett

We got lots of nice feedback on our Halloween costumes in the October issue...

“That is so cute!”

— Sara Abernethy

“This is incredible!“ — Steph Lee

Correction: Our September article, “Marking History,” incorrectly stated that Broughton High School integrated in 1971. In fact, integration began in 1961, when students Myrtle L. Capehart, Dorothy J. Howard and Cynthia E. Williams started at the school.

OUR TOWN

This month invites cozy twilight garden walks, festive performing arts shows and craft fairs for early holiday gifting.

by ADDIE LADNER

MOONLIGHT IN THE GARDEN

Nov. 9 - 11, 16 - 18 | 5:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Experience the JC Raulston Arboretum at twilight, illuminated by artful light displays. Meander through the garden’s 7 acres, including an interactive exhibit in the Japanese Garden and bold, moving colors in the Xeric and Scree Gardens. “It’s a chance for us to share what a magical place the Arboretum can be at night,” says director Mark Weathington. Enjoy music from bands like blues-jazz group Tea Cup Gin or soulful trio Peridot Sun. Kids and grownups alike will enjoy roasting marshmallows and drinking apple cider by the fire pits (included in ticket price), and a host of food trucks including Gussy’s Greek Street Food, Belgian Waffle Crafters and Hollywood Taco Shop will be on-site. Proceeds from the event benefit this free, public sanctuary with one of the largest and most diverse varieties of native botanicals in the South. From $20; 4415 Beryl Road; jcra.ncsu.edu

MISERY

Nov. 2 - 5 | Various times

Reality becomes alarming when romance novelist Paul Sheldon wakes up in an unfamiliar home. Diehard fan Annie Wilkes has rescued him from a car accident — but things take a frightening turn when Sheldon realizes he’s being held captive. Based on the gripping novel by Stephen King, this production by Raleigh Little Theatre will have you at the edge of your seat. From $29; 301 Pogue Street; raleighlittletheatre.org

DJ MOESKIENO

Fridays | 9 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Round up your best pals for a fun Friday night of dancing at The Haymaker for R&B Fridays with guest DJ Moeskieno, who will be spinning 1990s-inspired house tunes, R&B tracks and Afrobeat. Loosen up before hitting the dance floor with one of their original and inventive craft cocktails, like the Dirty Chai Martini (made with brandy, rum, amaretto and espresso) or the Smoke Show (which combines bourbon, sherry, pineapple, lime and cardamom). Free to dance; 555 Fayetteville Street, #115; thehaymakerraleigh.com

SCHENCK FOREST TRAIL RACE

Nov. 4 | 8 - 11:30 a.m.

The Carl Alwin Schenck Memorial Forest is known for its quiet, scenic trails among the 245-acre pine forest managed by NC State University. The Schenck Forest Trail Race journeys through the woods on a mostly singletrack 6.2-mile trail parallel to the shore of Richland Creek, up grassy hills and over bridges. Proceeds from this race will go towards the Raleigh chapter of Haven House Services, which offers support to youth on issues from bullying to poverty to mental health. $55; Reedy Creek Road; search “Schenck Forest” on runsignup.com

All information is accurate as of press time, but please check waltermagazine.com and the event websites for the latest updates.

Dazzling light displays and holiday happenings with family and friends visiting this winter? Yeah, let’s make that happen—from towering, glowing displays at the N.C. Chinese Lantern Festival to ice skating to gift shopping at its finest and lots of yuletide cheer in between, the holidays shine bright in the Raleigh area. AND THE BRIGHTEST NIGHTS YOU LET’S GO BEST OF

DATEBOOK

DAWN LANDES

Nov. 4 | 6:30 - 7 p.m.

Tar Heel Troubadours, a music series hosted by the North Carolina Museum of History, is hosting Dawn Landes this month. Landes, who now lives in Chapel Hill, will be celebrating the upcoming 10-year anniversary of her record Bluebird. The indie-folk singer-songwriter has all sorts of music collaborations on her resumé, from hits on shows like Gossip Girl and The Good Wife to working with music icons like Norah Jones and Sufjan Stevens. Tar Heel Troubadours was launched this year to celebrate the many music genres with roots in North Carolina, from bluegrass to Americana. From $12; 5 E. Edenton Street; ncmuseumofhistory.org

FALL ARTS FAIR

Nov. 4 | 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Hosted by the Raleigh Parks & Recreation department, this autumn craft and culture festival at Fred Fletcher Park is an opportunity to knock out some of your holiday shopping while entertaining the kids. Enjoy art demonstrations, poems-on-demand from The Poetry Fox and folk tunes by Wayne Schindler, along with fare from Chirba Chirba Dumpling Truck and Paris Delight Bakery & Creperie Food Truck. Creative duo Little Red Birds, made up of Dave Devlin and artist Amanda Wilson, will be there with their simultaneous music and painting show in the afternoon. Find work for sale from artisans including Melissa Hill, who paints still-life watercolors; Steve Karloski, who makes ceramic vessels and wildlife figures; and Denise Mosco, who crafts her Humble Hands Jewelry from beads and metal. Free admission; 820 Clay Street; raleighnc.gov/arts

FUNNY GIRL

Nov. 7 - 12 | Various times

The musical that launched Barbra Streisand’s award-winning career is coming to the Durham Performing Arts Center. Funny Girl is the true story of comedian, actress and singer Fanny Brice’s rise to stardom — a love letter to theater and a

DUTCH CHEF’S TABLE

Nov. 2 | 6 p.m.

Art and cuisine merge at the North Carolina Museum of Art inspired by the exhibition Dutch Art in a Global Age: Masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Hosted in the East Café, the evening begins with a cocktail hour, followed by a private tour of the exhibition by associate curator of European art Michele Frederick. Then it’s time for a Dutch-inspired wine dinner, curated by chef Rich Carter. “Having these culinary opportunities is what I love most about my career,” he says. “The food will honor the development of haute cuisine during that time.” On the menu: Dutch recipes with a contemporary twist, including poffertjes (tiny pancakes from the region) and hutspot (a root vegetable mash) with smoked sausage. $150; 2110 Blue Ridge Road; ncartmuseum.org

reminder that beauty lives within. From $30; 123 Vivian Street, Durham; dpac.com

EAGLES

Nov. 9 | 7:30 p.m

Since 1971, the Eagles have been one of the most iconic rock bands in the world, with multiple Grammys and countless classic hits like “Hotel California,” “Desperado” and “Already Gone.” This month brings the band to PNC arena for its farewell tour with Steely Dan, another iconic American rock band. From $365; 1400 Edwards Mill Road; pncarena.com

CRISTIAN MASSARO

Nov. 10 | 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Enjoy an authentic Italian experience with Hillsborough-based homewares brand VIETRI and retailer Quintessentials at a stop on VIETRI’s Artisan Event tour. Italian painter and sculptor Cristian Massaro will be on hand painting pieces, demonstrating molding practices and discussing holiday traditions. It’s an opportunity to get to know one of the makers behind the popular dishware line. Light refreshments included. Free; 4209 Lassiter Mill Road #119; shopquintessentials.com

MOON TAXI WITH THE STEWS

Nov. 11 | 6 - 10 p.m.

Nashville-based rock band Moon Taxi will be performing with The Stews, an Auburn-based rock band. Both bands have new albums — Moon Taxi’s sixth one, Set Yourself Free, and The Stews’ debut, What Was. Catch them at Lincoln Theatre’s Outdoor Stage. From $35; 126 E. Cabarrus Street; lincolntheatre.com

TURKEY BALL

Nov. 16 | 6 - 9 p.m.

Help provide a Thanksgiving meal to a family in need at Mulino’s annual Turkey Ball. Proceeds from the event are used to purchase turkeys that

get delivered to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. Enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres like arancini bites, carved meats, fresh pasta, live music, dancing and a cocktail with your ticket. There will also be opportunities to donate additional funds or sponsor a family for the holiday. From $45; 309 N. Dawson Street; mulinoraleigh.com

THE DESSERTERY

Nov. 17 - Dec. 23 |

Mon. - Fri. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Have your pick of endless confections, including a hot cocoa bar (with more than 100 toppings available!), chocolates, pastries and ice cream, in the seasonal dessert café at the Martin Marietta Center for Performing Arts’ Kennedy Theatre. Make a plan for your sweets-filled field trip to coincide with a holiday show or check the calendar for live entertainment on select nights. From $28; 2 E. South Street; martinmariettacenter.com

CHINESE LANTERN FESTIVAL

Nov. 17 - Jan. 14 | Various times

More than 40 artisan-made light sculptures of dragons, birds and stars, plus interactive tunnels and displays, will be at Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre during the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival. Take advantage of the Twilight Experience, a chance to tour the displays before the festival opens, or

opt for a VIP experience to learn about the history of Chinese lanterns and the process of making them. Flexible-date tickets and sensory-friendly options are all available. From $30; 8003 Regency Parkway Cary; boothamphitheatre.com

CORN GRINDING

Nov. 18 & 19 | Various times

Step back in time during a 30-minute tour of Historic Yates Mill County Park’s 18th-century grist mill, the last operating one in the county. Hear the splash of water on the waterwheel and watch the millstones at work grinding corn into meal. Tickets are available in the mill yard on the day of the tour or online, and bags of fresh ground corn will be available to purchase. Take advantage of the trails surrounding Yates Millpond before or after the demonstration to stretch your legs and take in the fall foliage. From $5; 4620 Lake Wheeler Road; wake.gov

Make a Statement

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GOING, GOING, GONE TO POTS GALA & AUCTION

Nov. 12 | 2 - 5 p.m.

It’s a clash of the clay titans! Ben Owen III and Mark Hewitt will be throwing pots, not punches, at the state’s first-ever Pottery Throwdown at The Umstead Hotel & Spa at the 25th anniversary of the North Carolina Pottery Center’s fundraiser, which will also feature live and silent auctions. The Center is a cornerstone of NC’s pottery community. With a gallery of contemporary works and exhibits that detail the craft’s history, it’s dedicated to “sharing North Carolina’s clay stories, past and present.” That work has historically been supported with grants and charitable gifts raised annually. Now, the Center aims to build an endowment. With a funder promising to match every dollar raised up to $400,000 a year for the next five years, the Center hopes to kick off the effort on Nov. 12, with the goal of an endowment of $4,000,000 or more. — Liza Roberts. From $125; 100 Woodland Pond Drive, Cary; ncpcgala.org

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DATEBOOK

HOLIDAYS AT HOGWARTS

Nov. 22 - 25 | Various times

You will want to use your time-turner to relive this two-hour concert by the North Carolina Symphony at Meymandi Concert Hall, featuring scores from the iconic Harry Potter films by composer John Williams. Concert goers of all ages are encouraged to don their best wizard wear and enter the costume contest to win points for their house. From $30; 2 E. South Street; ncsymphony.org

UNC VS. NC STATE

Nov. 25 | Time TBA

It’ll be a sea of blue and red as rivals University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University battle it out at Carter-Finley stadium. Whether you’re team Tar Heel or Wolfpack, take advantage of one of the last football games of the season. Reserve a tailgate spot to make a day of it. From $106; 4600 Trinity Road; gopack.com

ART BASH

Nov. 18 | 6 - 11 p.m.

Calling all art collectors and supporters! Iconic art from all over the state will converge at this fundraiser at Artspace. The evening will be broken into three parts: an art show with work available for purchase, a live art auction, and music while guests enjoy beverages and dessert. Notable creatives like painter Beverly McIver and installation artist Maya Freelon will have work in the auction. Arts advocate and author Liza Roberts and Linda Shropshire Eudy, founder of Ella West Gallery, will be co-chairing the evening. “Our annual fall fundraiser is back by popular demand, with new twists that reflect Artspace’s recent growth and transition into a bold, bright future. Join us for this reimagined celebration of NC artists and the art that shapes our state’s rich cultural fabric.” says Artspace president Carly Jones. $150; 201 E. Davie Street; artspacenc.org

Photo Credit: Julian Charles

The North Carolina Symphony’s new musical director, Carlos Miguel Prieto, began his initial four-year term to open the 2023-24 season in September. A native of Mexico City, Prieto, 57, studied engineering at Princeton University, and lived in New Orleans as the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra’s music director from 2005 until starting with our symphony.

A regular guest conductor with the NC Symphony since 2011, Prieto also served as its artistic advisor before serving as music director designate last season. He also is music director of the Orquesta

STAY TUNED!

The new conductor of the NC Symphony plans a season that celebrates musicians, music and community

by LORI D. R. WIGGINS

photography by EAMON QUEENEY

Sinfónica Nacional de México and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería, as well as principal conductor and music director of the Orchestra of the Americas, formerly Youth Orchestra of the Americas.

In 2010, Prieto won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra). He also won a 2016 Latin Grammy Award for Best Classical Album, with Gabriela Montero and the YOA Orchestra of the Americas, and the Music America 2019 Conductor of the Year. American cellist Yo-Yo Ma once described Prieto as “a conductor for our 21st century.”

Prieto grew up in a musical family that

made education and social justice priorities. His father is a cellist who still plays at 86, and his grandfather served on the board of their country’s National Symphony Orchestra, the second-oldest on the American continent. Prieto and his wife Isabel Mariscal, a former ballerina with the Mexican National Ballet, have three teenage children.

The weekend of Sept. 22, Prieto made his official musical debut in Raleigh, conducting Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. He shared the Woolner Stage with Venezuelan trumpet virtuoso Pacho Flores and Venezuelan composer Hector Molina on cuatro, a classical guitar-like

Latin American string instrument. It was the North Carolina Symphony debut for both musicians. The music was festive and upbeat, and quickly inspired a contagious energy of celebration within the audience.

We sat down with Prieto to learn more about what he envisions for the state’s premier orchestra and its audience.

I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE LONGTIME TIES TO NORTH CAROLINA! CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THEM?

I went to Camp Sea Gull, a YMCA of the Triangle camp outside of New Bern, for several summers when I was growing up. My parents wanted to make sure their kids learned English in a place that was not a school that doesn’t use the language, and they looked for a place that had no Mexicans. At the time, that was New Bern. I remember being barefoot all day, so I would come back from camp with these strong feet. I remember Taco Night — but the tacos did not look or taste anything like tacos. American camps do a good job with kids. They teach values and have a strong achievement program with goals. At these camps, if you work for it, you earn your right.

YOU GREW UP IN A MUSICAL FAMILY — WAS THERE AN EXPECTATION YOU’D TURN MUSIC INTO A PROFESSION?

My family mostly played for the love of playing music. I was good at math, so I studied engineering. My Dad was the first professional, so my family all looked at me like I lost my mind when I went back to music after studying engineering. The world of music is a very tough, competitive world. It was luck that I was able to enter the game and still make a difference.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT MUSIC EDUCATION?

I think it is essential. A child will sing before a child speaks, and react to you singing better than to you reciting words. Music resonates immediately. There were kids in New Orleans who learned to play

There are people there who may have had a difficult day, or life, and maybe this is the concert that will help them or make them think about something good.

an instrument before they learned their A, B, C’s so music has always been a part of their life. There’s imagination, the search for beauty through harmony, dedication; all these values that are universal. On every level you can look at, music is positive. An orchestra is the strongest vehicle of communication of these values: generosity, collaboration — you can produce beauty for others. Orchestras have to play a role in education in music, because they have a different kind of awareness.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO WIN A GRAMMY AWARD, TWICE?

To me, I’m proud of what I do, but I always look at other people — my friend Jon Batiste won 14 Grammys one year!

WHAT’S YOUR VISION FOR THE NC SYMPHONY?

I would like for the audience of this orchestra to be a lot more diverse and include people of all kinds and all ages. I’m not saying it isn’t, but there is potential for a lot more. Hopefully the audience will be more what the city is like in reality, the same people coming into the city should be coming into the concert hall, so the orchestra starts reflecting the community more.

WHAT ARE BARRIERS FOR FOLKS COMING TO THE SYMPHONY?

What we do is perceived as elitist. Financially elitist, socially elitist and intellectually and culturally exclusive. People say, Your tickets are expensive! But you see

courtesy

North Carolina Symphony

what people pay for sports and other concerts — one ticket to a Taylor Swift concert is a third of the subscription for one whole season with the symphony! People say, “I don’t have anything to wear,” or “I don’t want to be dressy.” I say, you don’t have to look a certain way. Just put on something and come! People say, “This is not for me. I won’t understand the music.” But to go to a hockey game, you don’t need to know how to skate on ice. Just go and experience it! Liking it is fine and hating it is fine, but not giving yourself the chance to experience it is the only thing I would question.

YOUR REPERTOIRE IS KNOWN TO HIGHLIGHT LATIN MUSIC, NEW MUSIC, AND MUSIC OF AMERICA. HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE MUSIC?

Classical music did not end 200 years ago! Shaping a season is a process of meeting and deciding on a repertoire. It’s knowing what’s available and not available, and knowing what things have worked for me. It’s a question of whether it has been done before, or not. You learn from the individuals around you and take it from there. Already, this season is shaping in a way I like: varied geographically and culturally, filled with things the orchestra hasn’t done before, and vice versa. Little by little, you shape seasons.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

It’s the music itself. I get most of the inspiration from the musicians and seeing people play well and devote their energy and emotion to performance. And the audience inspires me; like, it’s seeing a little girl in the audience who has dressed up for the concert. But, mostly, it’s the music. There are people there who may have had a difficult day, or life, and maybe this is the concert that will help them or make them think about something good. You always have a message you want to communicate. We work with music that is so good, you don’t have to look for too much outside of it to motivate you.

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STRANGE beauty

Wild turkeys have a special place in our traditions — and some singular features, too

words and photographs by MIKE DUNN

Walking through our wooded property, I occasionally see areas of leaves that appear to have been scratched or raked. Squirrels tend to rustle leaves in a small spot and deer scratching is usually a relatively narrow patch, so these broader scratch zones usually mean there’s been a special visitor to our woods: a wild turkey.

The first turkey I saw here was over a decade ago, early one morning. The turkey was huge! It ran down the road, quickly weaving from side to side, before it disappeared into the brush. Since then, I haven’t had any sightings, but my trail cameras have picked them up on a couple of occasions. A turkey once stood right in front of one of the cameras for 15 minutes, preening and looking around the forest, before shaking its body and walking off. It’s good to know they are here, even if I don’t lay eyes on them myself.

Today, turkeys are fairly common in many places in North Carolina, but it wasn’t always that way. Wild turkeys were abundant when Europeans first arrived in our area. In his acclaimed description of his travels through our region in the early 1700s, A New Voyage to Carolina, explorer John Lawson described “meeting great Gangs of Turkies.” He and his fellow travelers killed and ate so many turkeys that they “began to be loathsome to us.” But unregulated market hunting and habitat loss caused a steep decline in turkey numbers by the early 1900s.

Beginning in the 1950s, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission initiated a reintroduction program that has proven to be extremely successful. Eastern Wild Turkey populations in our state have increased from an estimated 2,000 birds in 1970 to over 270,000 today. They also rebounded in most other areas of the Eastern United States due to similar restoration efforts.

Turkeys have had many admirers over the years, perhaps the most famous being Benjamin Franklin. After the Bald Eagle was chosen as our national symbol,

NATURE

he wrote that it was “a Bird of bad moral Character” — in contrast to the turkey: “though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage.” Of course, many of us celebrate turkey as the traditional meal at Thanksgiving, but from what I’ve read, they were not on the menu on the fabled first Thanksgiving in 1621. But due to their abundance in the wild, large size, successful domestication and good taste, they became a favorite holiday entrée in the United States by the mid-1800s. Today, wild turkeys are a popular game animal, second only to deer in terms of the number of hunters that pursue them. Wild turkeys are considered a difficult game bird because of their excellent eyesight, hearing and wariness. Wild turkeys are both bizarre and beautiful birds. The beauty largely comes from their feathers. From a distance, male turkeys (gobblers or Toms) appear dark, while females (hens) are browner and duller. A Tom’s body feathers have black tips and are highly iridescent. When seen up close in sunlight, they can have hues of bronze, copper, red, green and gold. During their spring mating season, gobblers can put on quite a display to impress the ladies: puffing their body feathers, raising the tail feathers into a vertical fan and strutting with wingtips dragging the

ground. And there is the gobble, that wellknown descending guttural call made by males. Turkeys strut and gobble not only to get the girls, but also warn other males to stay away from their turf.

A Tom’s body feathers… are highly iridescent. When seen up close in sunlight, they can have hues of bronze, copper, red, green and gold.

Several years ago, we visited Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in May. It is renowned for its concentration of wildlife, especially bears, deer and turkeys. Being the mating season, we saw several Toms out in a field strutting their stuff. A few hens stood around and watched or kept on feeding while the males put on their best show. It really was an amazing display.

But as we watched, we soon noticed some of the things that make wild turkeys, especially the Toms, seem somewhat bizarre. A turkey’s head is featherless and sports some rather odd-looking (and

strange-sounding) features. Sitting atop their head is a fleshy protuberance called a snood. While both sexes have snoods, it is much longer (up to 5 or 6 inches) on a mature male, hanging down over its bill like a colorful, wrinkled wet noodle. The snood can range in color from a pale white or gray to a rich blue, pink or red depending on the bird’s mood (this also applies to the bare skin on top of the head). During mating displays or aggressive interactions with other males, the skin colors are at their brightest.

Dangling underneath the chin is a loose flap of warty skin called a wattle. Birds can’t sweat like we do, so on a hot summer day, the bare skin of the head and neck and the wattle help release heat. But when it comes time to show off for the hens, extra blood moves in and turns the wattle a bright red. Adding to the Tom’s “appeal” are fleshy bumps along the head and throat called caruncles. These warty features also change color, especially during mating displays.

A turkey’s head isn’t the only place with unusual bird body parts. Look at a strutting turkey and you will see what looks like a short black horse’s tail sprouting from its breast. This is the turkey’s beard, a tuft of coarse feathers that lengthens with age. Finally, a glance at the somewhat reptilian-looking legs of a Tom shows a bony spike on the back of the leg called a spur. Though hens can have most of these features as well, they tend to be much less prominent.

On a frosty morning in the mountains several years ago, I sat at the edge of a field hoping for a photograph of a bear or buck. Instead, as the sun crept over the ridgeline, two wild turkeys walked out behind me, pecking at the grasses for seeds or frozen bugs. For the next 30 minutes, they stayed close, often just a few feet away. It was a rare front-row seat to the behavior and strange beauty of these magnificent birds. I can’t think of a better way to spend a November morning than admiring a bird that has played such an important role in our history and is now a symbol of a conservation success story.

A close-up of a wild turkey; another turkey walks through the edge of a clearing.

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f football &

FRIENDSHIP

Two ACC legends on a productive partnership and the years after

by A.J. CARR photography by BEN MCKEOWN

Since Saint Louis University’s Bradbury Robinson completed the first legal forward pass in 1906, a galaxy of quarterback-receiver duos have lit up football stadiums with sparkling performances.

Duke University’s Leo Hart and Wes Chesson were stars in that galaxy.

Be tween 1968 and 1970, with Hart throwing and Chesson catching, they produced a scintillating Blue Devils aerial show, breaking a bundle of records and the hearts of opposing defensive coordinators.

Wh ile they remain quietly humble, their stats shout loudly. Tall, talented and strong-armed, Hart’s numerous Duke and

ACC records included most career completions (487), attempts (877) and yardage (6,116). Three seasons he led the conference in passing yards, three times made first-team

All-ACC all of his varsity-eligible years, and twice won team

Most Valuable Player plaques.

Chesson, a lithe, 6-foot-2-inch all-around athlete with sprinter’s speed, set 24 school records and three conference records and posted career totals of 164 catches and 2,399 yards. His 74 receptions in an All-Conference senior year ranked fourth nationally and were a Duke season standard that stood for 42 years.

Tho se neon numbers, plus additional accomplishments,

Wes Chesson and Leo Hart at a recent Duke game

earned both players ACC “Legends Status” and enshrinement in the Duke Athletics and North Carolina Sports Halls of Fame. Imagine what they might earn today in NIL (name, likeness, image) deals.

“L eo and Wes, number one, were great kids with great character and a great work ethic,” says former Duke coach Tom Harp, now 94 years old and living in the Pinehurst area. “When asked to do something they did it, and more.”

Du ring an era when many players went home for the summer, Harp remembered Hart and Chesson staying on campus, taking classes and working out together. As a result, they had their act together on game day.

“L eo was a smart quarterback, had a great, quick release and threw a soft ball, easy to catch,’’ says Chesson, whose agility, speed and precision route running kept defensive backs in a dither.

“Wes and I were on the same wavelength and he knew how to adjust his route when covered,” Hart agrees. “We hit it off from the start.”

Both grew up in Eastern North Carolina with similar affable, engaging personalities, a passion for sports and drive to succeed. Chesson was an ace among Edenton Aces high school athletes, starring in football, basketball, baseball and track. Hart excelled in football, basketball and baseball and drew attention from college scouts in all three sports, but had his heart set on Duke at an early age.

It wa s two All-America basketball players who inspired him to become a Blue Devil. “I went to Duke basketball camp when I was 12 years old and Jeff Mullins and Art Heyman took my bag to the dorm,’’ Hart says. “They were around that

week and Heyman told me I was pretty good. I said, TH is is the place for me.”

Du ke also was the “the place” for Chesson, whose Edenton High football coach was the late Jerry McGee, a former Blue Devil player that was influential in his decision.

Chesson and Hart were recruited as quarterbacks by Hal McElhaney, a decorated Duke football and wrestling standout in the 1950s. However, a shoulder injury triggered Chesson’s switch to offensive end, which he had never played.

That turned out to be a magical move after Blue Devil assistant Stan Crisson, who Chesson calls a “fantastic receiver coach,” taught him how to master the position.

As a sophomore, Hart had an auspicious debut at quarterback, leading the Blue Devils to a road victory over South

Clockwise from top: A Duke team picture with Hart and Chesson standing beside each other (jersey numbers 10 and 41); Chesson scores after using the “Shoestring” play; Hart wearing the Philadelphia Eagles uniform.

You’re gonna need a bigger bag

SPORTS

Carolina. For the next three years he was the Man at QB, a durable, accurate passer who could take a licking from menacing linemen and keep on ticking.

“L eo was a tough kid,’’ Harp says. “I know he was hurting a lot of the time.”

There were many highlights and big plays, perhaps none more reviewed and ballyhooed than when Duke bedeviled rival North Carolina at Wallace Wade Stadium on the “Shoestring” play.

Rewind to 1969 at Wallace Wade Stadium. Hart ran a keeper toward the right sideline, got tackled, then kneeled down pretending to tie his shoe. While the Tar Heels’ defensive unit huddled, Duke quickly lined up and Marcel Courtillet tossed the ball to Chesson, who dashed 53 yards for a touchdown to spark the Blue Devils’ 17-13 victory.

It was a clever, game-changing call by Coach Harp, perfectly executed, and Hart deserved an Emmy for his “Shoestring” act.

“It was the easiest touchdown I ever scored and the only one anybody remembers,” says Chesson, who was end-zone bound before the stunned Tar Heel tacklers spotted him.

Life wasn’t all touchdowns, triumphs and trickery. A lot of sunny Saturdays were dimmed by defeat. As productive as Hart and Chesson were, they enjoyed just one winning season in three years — a 6-5 mark in 1970 that might have been better if the defense hadn’t been riddled with injuries.

From Duke, Hart went on to play in the NFL, one season for the Atlanta Falcons and one year with the heralded O.J. Simpson in Buffalo. Chesson also went to Atlanta, made the league All-Rookie team and started at wide receiver for two and a half years. He finished his career in Philadelphia, playing a year and a half on the Eagles’ Special Team.

When football was over, Hart and Chesson moved in dif-

Leo Hart, former Duke Coach Tom Harp and Wes Chesson.

ferent directions yet have stayed closely connected the last 56 years.

Chesson settled in Raleigh with college sweetheart and wife, Janet, started the Chesson Company — a thriving insurance business — and helped raise son Mark and daughter Meredith. Ever a loyal alumnus, Chesson has stayed involved with Duke and worked as analyst for the Football Network 36 years. Articulate and knowledgeable, he astutely provided insight expected of a former player who still looks like he could catch passes at age 74.

In addition to insurance and radio work, Chesson has long been an active member at Hayes Barton United Methodist Church, served on various community boards and supported many causes. In 2013, he and Janet made a major donation to help start the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at WakeMed Children’s Hospital that’s named in honor of Dr. Jerry Berstein. And though he’s lived in Raleigh since the 1970s, Chesson has never forgotten his hometown. He maximizes the National Football League Foundation Matching Gift Grant to support Edenton High’s football program.

“Wes and I were on the same wavelength and he knew how to adjust his route when covered. We hit it off from the start.” — Leo Hart

Like Chesson, Hart has been tightly tethered to his alma m ater throughout the years. After leaving Buffalo, he returned to Durham as a Blue Devils freshman coach/recruiter for a brief time, then helped raise $8 million of the $22 million needed to build the Yoh Football Center. For 12 years he chaired the Athletics Advisory Committee. He now resides in Atlanta with wife Glenda, but he’s been a man on the move: he’s flown more than some airline pilots — an estimated 7 million miles — and been around the world three times. His business resumé includes manning high executive positions at Swiss Army Knives and in the hotel industry with Hyatt Regency, Fairmont and Ritz-Carlton, often receiving recognition for widely expanding the companies.

Though whirlwind busy, Hart has also carved out time to help with multiple philanthropic organizations, including St. Vincent Services Corporation, and Cystic Fibrosis, Andre Agassi and Dan Jansen Foundations.

That’s Hart and Chesson, a memorable quarterback-receiver duo, and longtime friends who share an altruistic spirit.

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The enduring appeal of Village People’s Randy Jones

by DAVID MENCONI

“Y.M.C.A.,” the Village People’s disco-era signature song, has been in the air pretty much constantly since 1978, played at countless weddings, parties and baseball parks. It is also a favorite of former President Donald Trump, who had it played at enough of his rallies that Village People lead singer Victor Willis demanded he stop.

But at least one of Willis’ bandmates — Raleigh native Randy Jones, the cowboy in the Village People — has a different attitude. He gets asked about Trump and “Y.M.C.A.” all the time, and his attitude remains that in music, there is détente.

“Our goal was always to make pop music,” Jones says, “the very definition of which is ‘popular.’ We wanted to be seen and heard and enjoyed by as broad an audience as possible. Our music is appreciated by right and left and all points in between. All part of this wonderful legacy and career that has gone on for God knows how much longer than anybody ever said it would.”

Jones laughs loudly at that last part, which is something he does often — and it’s easy to see why. Even with the disco trappings, Jones’ story is a classic American tale. He grew up in the Lions Park neighborhood in Raleigh and founded the

drama club at Enloe High School, serving as its president and also starring as King Arthur in a student production of Camelot (opposite future Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell).

After studying theater at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina School of the Arts in WinstonSalem, Jones headed for New York City in the mid-1970s to break into show business. Being part of proto-disco singer Grace Jones’ stage act got him in front of a producer, who asked if he could sing, dance and act.

“Of course I said yes,” Jones remembers. “Always say yes to whatever they ask.”

Having already played a rodeo cowboy in a Big Red chewing gum commercial, Jones had some experience exuding a “Marlboro Man” look. So he was cast as the cowboy in Village People, a disco-styled pop band that was integrated in terms of both race and sexual orientation. Frontman Willis dressed as a cop and others in the ensemble played sailor, construction worker, biker and Native American.

Success quickly followed, with “Y.M.C.A.” and “In the Navy” tracking high on the pop charts in 1979. But for all their popularity, Village People were never taken seriously.

cracking Billboard’s dance-music chart with the 2017 solo hit “Hard Times” (his first chart appearance since the late 1970s). Now 71 years old, Jones spends most of his time in Florida with longtime partner Will Grega, his husband since 2004. He still acts, mostly in lowbudget horror films like 2020’s TH e Ca nnibal Killer: TH e Real Story of Jeffrey Dahmer. He’ll also appear as himself in My Friend Oscar, an upcoming time-traveling fantasy about the 19th-century playwright Oscar Wilde.

“If something comes along and it sounds fun, especially something I’ve not done before, I’m in,” he says.

Critic Peter Shapiro’s 2005 disco history Turn the Beat Around called them the “nadir” of the style, writing that they “represented everything uncool about disco.”

Jones has heard it all before.

“Not many people gave us much chance of longevity in 1978,” he says. “But the more the music is played, enjoyed and appreciated, it proves the point of what we did 45 years ago. We made music that makes you feel good. People still listen to it, and we’ve been proven right. Not a bad way to feel about one’s career and legacy.”

Willis is the sole original member in the current version of Village People, who still perform to this day. Jones left in the early 1990s and has returned to music periodically, even

Still, it’s the stuff he’s done before that makes Jones in demand for appearances at fan conventions. He was on the bill for this past July’s GalaxyCon at the Raleigh Convention Center. Of course, there was a “Y.M.C.A.” flash-mob tribute right by the building’s Sir Walter Raleigh statue.

“If Randy’s ever had a depressing day in his life, I’ve never seen it,” says Raleigh theater legend Ira David Wood III, his friend for many years. “I’ve never seen him without a smile. He’s also got pictures of himself with everybody on the planet. Name anybody, and he’ll pull up a picture of them with an arm around him, having a grand time.”

You could say that Jones has exactly the right attitude for life as a celebrity who is most famous for a single, universally known song.

“There are a lot of pop songs, but ‘Y.M.C.A.’ has got to be one of the most famous ever,” he says. “Like it’s in the water and everybody’s DNA — everyone seems to have some awareness of it. You can’t buy that. Every time a flash mob happens or someone comes up to tell me how much it meant to them at their wedding or birthday or a ballgame, it’s amazing.”

A 2019 album of hits; a 1979 magazine cover.

courtesy Randy Jones

Character Portrait

Writer Etaf Rum forges her own path

by WILEY CASH photography by MALLORY CASH

Rocky Mount-based writer Etaf Rum’s new novel

Evil Eye is the story of a Palestinian American woman named Yara Murad who’s struggling to reconcile her identities of wife, mother, artist, professor, native Brooklynite and transplanted Southerner. From the outside, it looks like Yara has it all: a husband who supports her work at a local university; two sweet, young daughters; a career teaching the art she loves. But as the novel opens, the reader watches Yara careen through her days in a silent, stifling panic, something unspoken and unfulfilled bubbling beneath the surface of her life.

Ya ra’s angst finds an outlet when she responds to a colleague’s shocking display of bigotry, but she isn’t prepared for the repercussions that follow. Her mother explains that Yara’s struggles are the result of an old family curse, and she dismisses Yara’s frustration by saying that she should be happy that

her husband has given Yara more freedoms than Yara’s father gave her.

Ma ny writers would lean into the trope of the age-old curse to carry their plots, but Rum never relies on gimmicks or stereotypes. Instead, this character-driven novel investigates the ways in which we curse ourselves by settling for jobs and relationships that don’t fulfill us. Evil Eye is a book about the monotony of unfulfilled days (and nights), yet Rum has crafted this finely drawn portrait of domestic life into a page-turner. “Actually, I felt like my first novel was a real page-turner, but one that I intentionally crafted to be so,” she says. “With Evil Eye, I did not want to write another page-turner. But as a writer you want to keep the story interesting and you want the readers turning the pages. And I think for me, I had to challenge myself to write a character portrait.”

She is sitting at the counter at Books and Beans, a coffee

CREATORS

shop and bookstore she owns with her husband Brandon in Rocky Mount. Light streams through the windows, making the white walls appear even brighter and the terra cotta tile floors richer and more resonant.

“I wa s really interested in exploring the internal life of this character in an authentic way, and I hoped and I prayed that doing so would lend a readability that is relatable, authentic and helps you get into the story,” she says. “My intention was that it would be her personality and her character and all the things that we don't know about her past that would motivate the reader to keep going.”

a character we haven’t seen before, a Palestinian American woman, but someone who has these universal anxieties that are so common for everyone, regardless of race, religion or ethnicity,” Rum says.

It was her hope that in seeing themselves in Yara’s story readers might see someone like Yara for the first time.

“The coffee shop was literally a manifestation of a dream that I’d had on social media, and we turned it into a physical building.” — Etaf Rum

This reader kept going. I finished the novel in a couple of days.

But reading Evil Eye wasn’t always a comfortable experience. While we are firmly grounded in Yara’s point of view and privy to her difficult childhood, we also have front-row seats to the many anxieties she confronts in her everyday life. These anxieties are manifested in the workplace (in this case higher education), on social media, in her role as a mother and wife, and in her struggles to pursue her passion as an artist.

“I wa nted to write about these issues in the perspective of

“Most readers can’t possibly connect with having an arranged marriage, but maybe they can connect with being a young mother or feeling like their dreams are unfulfilled or feeling like they’re living their lives and doing all the right things, only to wake up one day feeling so unsettled, thinking, Wait, is this actually what I want? ”

In one particularly affecting scene, Yara opens Instagram, poised to post a photo in the hopes of proving that her life is more fulfilling than it actually is, but then she pauses, pondering the ways in which social media is often an aspirational portrayal of the lives we want instead of the ones we’re willing to pursue. For Yara, the question in Evil Eye is whether or not she will ever reach for what she wants and deserves, or will she spend the rest of her life simmering and settling for

the life she has?

“W hy do we settle for what’s comfortable?” Rum asks. “Because we want to avoid the pain of growth.”

For Rum, Instagram surprisingly became a place for her to manifest her aspirations. Long before her debut novel A Woman Is No Man became a New York Times bestseller and a book club selection by TODAY’s Jenna Bush Hager, Rum was teaching English at Nash Community College. Before each class began, she regularly shared two of her greatest loves with her students.

“I would bring my students coffee and book recommendations,” she says. “And eventually they would ask, What are you reading now? And so I created an Instagram account called Books and Beans, and it was like a joke between all of us. That was the year I started writing A Woman Is No Man.”

The Instagram page quickly garnered notice well beyond the walls of the college, and Rum soon found herself as an ambassador of the Book of the Month Club, helping them promote their selections through her Instagram account. Later, when her first novel was published in 2019, it actually included a coffee shop called Books and Beans. Writers call this foreshadowing.

This was around the time a development group was renovating Rocky Mount Mills into an 82-acre campus combining retail, dining and residences. There was a particular part of the campus Rum had her eye on.

“They had a stand-alone old canteen building they wanted to open up as a coffee shop,” she says. “And so a bunch of people went to them and said, Hey, we can open a coffee shop, and I was one of them. My husband Brandon worked in restaurants his whole life, so I said, alright, you can help me with the business side of things.”

They pitched their vision to the developers, and Books and Beans was born.

“It was my way of creating space for myself with things that I loved, and it was also my way of saying; hey, you can do whatever you want to do. THere’s nothing out of reach for you. Just believe in it. The coffee shop was literally a manifestation of a dream that I’d had on social media, and we turned it into a physical building.”

A few years later, the shock still hasn’t worn off. Rum continually finds herself mesmerized by the fact that a Palestinian American woman born and raised in Brooklyn could create a community foothold in a small Southern town like Rocky Mount.

“Every time I walk past it, I remind myself that there are girls like me who think they have no business running a shop. All it takes is believing that you could become part of something, right? If you don’t see that vision for yourself, if you don’t believe in it, then it will never happen.”

Cu rsed or charmed, coffee or beans, it all comes down to hard work and dreams.

There’s

A Cure for the Blues

And a homecoming for a flat-coated retriever

by JIM DODSON illustration by GERRY O’NEILL

November is one of my favorite months, when I pause to take inventory of the year, count my blessings and thank the Lord for unexpected gifts.

This year I’m starting early with a dog named Blue. He was the one great thing about summer’s end.

Up until the moment my wife, Wendy, found him, I was feeling intense lingering grief over the loss of my beloved dog Mulligan at the end of August last year.

Mully was 17 and had been my faithful traveling pal since October 2005, when I found her running wild and free on the shoulder of a busy highway near the South Carolina line. She was a filthy,

joyful black pup that raced into my arms as if she knew I was there to save her — though I’m convinced it was the other way around. Whichever it was, we found each other and shared an uncommonly powerful bond to the very end.

One of the saddest moments of my life was watching her soulful brown eyes close for the last time as she lay at my feet in the garden. Or it felt like it at the time.

Grief is such untidy business. It squeezes your heart at unexpected moments. Every time I saw a dog that looked like Mully — a flat-hairedcoated retriever and border collie mix — I found myself almost aching with returning sadness.

Even our aging and sweet old pit bull, Gracie (whom I call Piggie for the way she snorts when eating and sleeping) seemed to keenly feel Mully’s absence, despite the fact that pits are not known for displaying much emotion.

One day last fall, I decided to open an adoption app called Red Dog Farm Animal Rescue Network and there was a black-and-white female puppy looking for a forever home. I was sure Mully was sending her to us. So, on a lark, I filled out the paperwork and supplied proper references. A week or so later, we drove to a farm down in Asheboro to pick her up.

We named her Winnie — either after Winnie-the-Pooh or my late friend Win-

nie Palmer, Arnold’s wonderful wife — I’m still not still not sure which.

It wasn’t long before I started calling her Wild Winnie. She is an exceptionally smart and happy mix of Labrador retriever, English springer spaniel and something her DNA results termed as “Super Mutt.” She is every bit that and more.

In truth, however, I wasn’t sure life in an old suburban city neighborhood would be sufficient for our beautiful Super Mutt’s needs.

But I was wrong. Winnie quickly attached herself to Gracie and Wendy, who took her to training classes and soon had her obediently performing an impressive repertoire of commands. Wendy also began taking Winnie to the dog park, where she fell in with a band of roughand-tumble regulars named Roger, Jack and Ellie that run, wrestle and chase each other until they drop from exhaustion.

Winnie, in short, has been a joy. Without fail, she jumps into my lap

every morning to give me a soppy lick of gratitude for finding her.

But she’s clearly one of the girls. Wendy is her sun and moon. I’m just Wild Winnie’s playmate.

I was OK with that until the end of August, when the first anniversary of losing Mully approached.

My intuitive wife seemed to divine that my normal “summer blues” were worse than ever this year. One afternoon as we shared a cool drink beneath the shade trees, she handed me her iPhone and said, smiling, “So what do you think?”

It was a photo of a beautiful, black flat-coated retriever that looked exactly like Mully.

“He’s over in Tennessee, a rescued young male who belonged to a lady who had to give him up. They say he’s sweet as can be, loves other dogs and even cats. They’re taking a load of rescued dogs to New England and will be passing

through western Virginia this Friday evening. If you’re interested. I’ve already cleared our references.”

For several seconds I said nothing, just stared at the photo.

“You need your dog,” my wise wife quietly said.

So we drove to western Virginia and picked him up. On the two-hour drive home, he climbed up front and placed his head in my lap and fell asleep.

We named him Blue, my forever cure for the summer blues. After a bath, he was so black he was blue. My daughter, Maggie, suggested the name.

Blue follows me everywhere, lies at my feet and already answers to his name. Gracie and Winnie adore him. Ditto Boo Radley, the cat.

And when I arrive home from a trip, Blue is the first one to greet me at the door, hopping up to give me a lick on the chin. It’s good to be home.

For both of us.

Ben Lindemann

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Elsewhere

by CORTLAND GILLIAM

illustration by DARE COULTER

For George Moses Horton, an enslaved poet and the first Black American man to publish a book in the American South. The book, printed by J. Gales & Son of Raleigh, was an attempt to raise funds for his emancipation on the condition that he move to Liberia upon receiving freedom.

They want you free, ju st not here

This is the meaning of their liberty — a freedom of condition a freedom they own a belonging displaced, and a dream deferred

For they think your beauty shock and thrill alien anomaly you, a reflection

For they take pride in your poetics

They make profit of your profits

Your prophet

Free to be elsewhere, they say

But you dream to be elsewhere free

For freedom unfurled and fugitive lifted beyond liberty and broken chain, somewhere past oppression fa lling forever

On the wings of wind

Cortland Gilliam is a poet, educator, cultural organizer and Ph.D. candidate in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Cortland’s poetry has been published in Gulfstream Magazine and the Triangle Poetry Twenty-Twenty-One anthology. Most recently, Cortland has been appointed as Chapel Hill’s Poet Laureate for 2023 and 2024.

SEASONED well

Preeti Waas makes a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, infused with the spices of her Indian heritage

by AYN-MONIQUE KLAHRE

photography by EAMON QUEENEY

The front door of Preeti Waas’ North Raleigh home is a sunny yellow, bedecked with a harvestleaf wreath and the word Welcome. Inside, the kitchen takes up half the house, which should come as no surprise from the chef and baker behind Cheeni Indian Food Emporium.

Preeti and her husband, John, took out the wall between the original kitchen and former dining room to create this giant prep space, where a 16-foot island is the star. They did much of the work

themselves, cobbling together cabinets from the Habitat ReStore, all painted a dusty blue and topped with a giant slab of butcher block. Above it, antique copper pots hang, and nearby there are chickens on the wallpaper, hooks for measuring cups and spoons (each labeled with Sharpie) and shelves filled with glass jars. But the labels on the jars offer a clue that this might be more than your typical American country kitchen: alongside the flour and sugar, there’s also black daal, sushi rice, orange lentils, orecchiette and rice noodles.

Similarly, the aromas coming out the

kitchen are familiar, but offer a hint of something more. “It’s not that our Thanksgiving is that different, it’s just well seasoned,” Preeti says. She brines and roasts her turkey, but brushes it with ghee instead of butter. “It has a nuttier flavor and a higher smoke point, so it crisps up the skin perfectly,” she says. She roasts root vegetables, but tosses them with lemon and chaat masala at the end, for a tangier flavor with just a hint of spice. She uses saffron-infused milk to blend her mashed potatoes; she adds jaggery, a kind of unrefined sugar common in India, instead of molasses to her pecan

Preeti serves pav, an Indian bread, with her Thanksgiving meal.

“It’s just a little hardier than an American yeast roll. It’s used for all sorts of street foods, so it needs to hold up,” Preeti says. Opposite page: Their Thanksgiving table includes a tablecloth that her husband John’s grandmother made, batik-print napkins and dishware collected over the years.

pie. The most Indian dish on the table is a cranberry chutney: “I use a whole orange and sometimes pineapple, plus all the warm Indian spices, like cardamom and fresh ginger,” she says. “I have to make vats of it.” (Her daughter, Amy, remembers: “As a kid, I thought it was the weirdest thing ever; it took me until being a teenager to appreciate it.”)

Preeti moved to the United States from India in 1996 to help her sister, who lived in Los Angeles, through a divorce. She met her sister’s coworker John, a network and data engineer originally from California, when he came over to help them fix a broken water heater. “John was so sweet, I was like, the least we can do is feed the man!” says Preeti. The two ended up talking until 3 a.m., and they were married that same year, two weeks after their first date.

In the early days of their marriage, “I remember cheerfully broaching the idea of a tandoori turkey, and the horrified looks I got from the family,” says Preeti. “John’s

mom thinks black pepper is spicy!” So when John’s family came for Thanksgiving, she made a top-to-bottom traditional meal with a little bit of her own influence: a hint of cardamom in the pie, a green bean casserole made completely from scratch instead of with a can of soup. “I made what they expected, I just seasoned it well. Even that seemed kind of radical,” she says. “I felt like I’d pulled one over on them. They noticed that it was tasty, but didn’t know why.” John’s favorite dish is her mashed potatoes. “They’re always perfect, especially with that little hint of saffron,” John says. Amy agrees: “She had to please a family of potato lovers, so she gets them perfectly rich and creamy.”

A few years after the two added daughters Amy and Ellie to the family, they moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, an area with good schools and a large Indian community. “In L.A., John had an hour and a half commute, each way, and he never saw the kids. Finally, we decided, we’re just going to

move somewhere so we can actually have a life instead of just surviving,” says Preeti. They lived there for seven years, then moved to Raleigh in 2012. “Tulsa was starting to feel too small in terms of higher education,” Preeti says. “We moved here with a Penske Truck and a Ford Expedition and our three dogs.” Especially as they established themselves in a new place, tradition was important. “My mom was always super big on celebrating holidays. She would go all-out,” says Amy. “And I think she particularly loved Thanksgiving because she loves feeding people so much.”

Everywhere they lived, Preeti worked in food service, including co-owning a cafe in Tulsa and as a caterer here. In 2019, she got her home kitchen certified as a commercial kitchen and started Sugar and Spice Kitchen, a bakery that sold its offerings online and at farmers markets. She also taught continuing education culinary classes through Wake Tech. There, she caught the eye of the YMCA. They offered

Amy Waas pulled the cheese plate together with selections from her favorite source, Trader Joe’s. She serves dried oranges and several chutneys alongside the cheese, including Preeti’s cranberry chutney. Opposite page: Family and friends gather on the patio outside.

Preeti brines her turkey ahead of time, then brushes it with ghee and sprinkles it with salt and pepper. She puts it in the oven for 15 minutes, then lowers the temperature to 350 for 2 hours, without opening the door. Just before it’s ready, she brushes the turkey with ghee again. When she has a lot of people over, she’ll cook two or three turkeys. “It gives me better control over roasting, versus trying to roast a turkey for five hours,” says Preeti. The key to her mashed potatoes is saffron. She gently boils the herb in milk until the color and aroma release, then strains out the pieces and mixes the milk in with her potatoes. The only other seasoning she uses in them is white pepper.

from top:

roasts her Brussels sprouts up to a day ahead of time. Right before serving them, she tosses them in a tamarind chutney and black garlic and broils them. After they’re cooked, she garnishes them with pomegranate seeds. The cornbread and jasmine rice dressing includes whole roasted garlic and curry leaves. Preeti makes a classic green bean casserole, just “the way I think it was originally made,” she says, with a béchamel sauce, earthy wild mushrooms, haricots verts and pan-fried onions. Preeti chops a mix of root vegetables including sweet potatoes, beets and carrots of different colors. She tosses them in olive oil and roasts them ahead of time, until they’re almost all the way cooked. Then right before serving, she’ll toss them in a little bit more oil and broil them. Afterwards, she squeezes lemon juice over them and sprinkles them with chaat masala, a savory Indian finishing spice.

Clockwise

Preeti

Preeti’s “very proud” of her pies, thanks to her baking background. She makes pumpkin maple pie, pecan pie and a spiced walnut pie with nutmeg in the crust (not shown), each served with a soft cardamom whipped cream. “Cardamom is such a beautiful floral note that comes through,” she says. She often uses jaggery, an unprocessed sugar common in India, to add sweetness. “It’s similar to molasses and has some salinity to it,” she says. Bottom image: John serves up at the buffet. Opposite page: Preeti and Amy carve the turkey.

her a chance to take over the kiosk at the Poyner YMCA on Fayetteville Street. Business grew steadily until the pandemic hit four months later. In February of 2021, she reopened in the Alexander YMCA, and when that lease ended, she started working toward a space of her own.

She opened Cheeni Indian Food Emporium, a cafe and market, off Durant Road in May 2022. It’s an unexpected jewel in an innocuous strip mall. Outside, cheerfully painted picnic and bistro tables offer seating; inside, there are cane-backed chairs, elephant-print upholstery on the booths and tropical plants in the corners. The menu offers items like idli-sambar (rice-lentil patties in a lentil stew), keema pav (ground beef and peas with a yeast roll), and bhel puri (a crunchy, savory

puffed-rice snack), along with a lamb vindaloo and a vegetable kurma. A deli fridge shows off her signature baked goods, including jeera cookies, chai masala rolls and an orange saffron crumb cake.

“The neighborhood was so enthusiastic, we got a good reception,” she says. “People have accepted us as part of the community, we feel welcomed and beloved.” Last year, Cheeni was named Restaurant of the Year by Eater Carolinas, and Preeti was nominated for a James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast. “I still can’t believe that happened, it was such a surprise,” she says. She recently announced a second location coming soon in Durham.

These days, Thanksgiving in the Waas household often includes more than two dozen people, and more Indian spices

within the menu. “As time went on, I started asserting my influences,” she says. Their dining table is topped with a lace tablecloth that John’s grandmother made as a wedding gift, but also batik-print napkins and dishware collected over the years. “The table is my jam,” says Amy. “My mother and I used to do it together, and I always loved going through the closet and picking out the linens, and making place cards for everyone.” Over the entry to the dining room, they hang a pretty beaded toran. It’s a traditional Indian decoration often used for Diwali, a Hindu festival of light that happens just a few weeks before Thanksgiving. “It seems fitting for this gathering, too,” says Preeti. “We’re celebrating family and abundance and tradition.”

full-circle STYLE

LUXURIOUS WELCOME

Catherine Nguyen and Jeremy Parish’s formal living room opens onto a balcony. “I was skeptical of making the living area dark, but we have a lot of natural light and high ceilings, so it feels luxurious,” says Parish. Michael Strauss helped them find much of the furniture, including the cream-upholstered chair with metal framing.

A photographer’s home combines luxe finishes and gutsy design choices

by AYN-MONIQUE KLAHRE

NGUYEN

photography by CATHERINE

styled by LAUREN BURNS

From the charcoal-gray trim and expertly styled accent tables in the front room to the oversize pendants and hand-painted walls in the bedroom, Catherine Nguyen’s townhouse is a symphony of moody colors, luxe finishes and gutsy design decisions. It’s a style she’s refined by working as an interiors photographer, inspired and emboldened by her clients.

Nguyen and her husband Jeremy Parish, who works in marketing for a video-game company, moved to Raleigh from San Francisco in 2013 to be closer to family. After renting for a few months, they bought a corner lot being developed in North Hills. They worked with builder Ashton Woods to make selections like trim, hardware, countertops and tile.

At the same time that they were starting to make the home their own, Nguyen, whose work has been in magazines like Architectural Digest and Elle Decor, was building her network here in Raleigh. Early on, she met with WALTER’s founding creative director, Jesma Reynolds, who booked her for her first local editorial job. “Through that connection, I started meeting so many designers,” says Nguyen.

Soon, many of the designers whose work she photographed became friends — and decorating consultants. “My

home is really influenced by so many people, I love all of their work,” says Nguyen. “When I show up for a shoot with Tula Summerford, for example, who’s known for her use of pattern and color, I come out thinking of new ways to be more bold in my own home.” Michael Strauss, now of Design Haus in Clayton, helped Nguyen and Parish select much of the furniture. “We’d always lived in apartments, so he helped us figure out what we needed and the right scale,” says Nguyen. Interior designer Linda Boylan steered Nguyen to reupholster two “very brown” accent chairs in a striking diamond pattern. “Now they’re living a new life, and I love them!” says Nguyen.

Another interior designer, Lauren Burns, designed a scheme for a nook in the dining room that incorporates vintage shelving, woven wallpaper and a custom bar. “I love the way the bar area evolved, it feels very sophisticated but also very functional, and pulls together the kitchen and dining spaces,” Parish says. When Nguyen struggled with installing a gallery wall in the dining room, Martha Schneider of La Maison offered to help. “She just came over with her pencil and a level and figured it out for me,” says Nguyen.

The home also displays pieces from many area makers that Nguyen has been introduced to through work. There’s a textural piece by artist Jennifer Flannigan in the front hallway

COMFORTABLY CHIC

Nguyen and Parish turned the area by the kitchen into a TV room with a sectional suggested by Strauss. “It’s a small space but with high usability,” says Parish. Designer Lauren Burns created the gallery wall. “She just started grabbing things and putting them together,” says Nguyen. The cocktail table is from Paysage and accessories are from La Maison. Opposite page: They painted the kitchen cabinets a dark gray and added hardware found on Etsy.

and alcohol ink pieces by artist and advocate Susie Silver. There are abstracts by Emily Anne Farrell, a gold Raleigh skyline by Susan Gasperini O’Hara, and a fashion photograph of a woman with a parrot by Christopher Wilson.

The home also reflects finds that Nguyen and Parish have gathered over the years, like the chandelier above the dining table, which they found at an estate sale in Berkeley, California. “We bought it from a man whose wife had passed away. He said she’d loved that chandelier and he was happy to see it in good hands,” says Nguyen. Around here, Nguyen spends weekends browsing antiques and vintage stores; two favorites are Pigfish Lane and Hunt & Gather. (“They’re such troves of treasures!” says Nguyen.) Many of her finds — unique barware, candlesticks, bowls and other objets d’art — are displayed on top of Nguyen’s vast collection of coffeetable books. “I can’t resist those big monographs!” she says.

For Nguyen, showing off her home in the magazine that introduced her to the Raleigh design world feels like “a full-circle moment.” “Everything in the house has been so strongly informed by the community I’ve been welcomed into,” says Nguyen. “My business has flourished here because the kinds of relationships you build are different.”

IN THE DETAILS

Lauren Burns suggested the silver leaf on the ceiling. Opposite page: The cocktail tables are not a set — Nguyen found the gold one at Nest and the zebra wood one at ModLoft. “I like the mix,” Nguyen says. (On top: candlesticks from La Maison, bowl from Miretta Interiors and orchids from Trellis.) Burns also designed the bar, with a custom cabinet by Jay Koger. “My husband loves collecting and displaying gins,” says Nguyen.

COZY SPACES

San Francisco-based decorative artist (and friend) Caroline Lizarraga created the wall treatment. “She has an incredible color memory,” says Nguyen. The mirrors and stool are from vanCollier. Opposite page: The couple shares an office on the ground floor. A swivel chair in the bedroom was a score from The Green Chair Project’s Chairity auction, designed by Laura Kosehl of LK Design. Michelle Murphy of Demi Ryan gave Nguyen the VIETRI vase.

give local

It’s the season for gratitude — here are 25 nonprofits that are making an impact on Raleigh and the Triangle.

by SUSANNA KLINGENBERG

November brings with it a host of predictable delights: gathering, feasting and, at last, savoring the crisp air of autumn.

It’s also a time set aside from the hustle — a moment to slow down, notice what we’ve been given and offer up thanks.

If the spirit of the season nudges your gratitude into action, consider supporting one of these 25 high-impact local nonprofits. They represent just a few of the many worthy organizations in our area whose important work deserves our recognition.

From caretaking to conservation, advocacy to athletics, your financial contributions are critical to their continued work helping our neighbors who need it most.

BROWN BAG MINISTRY

Brown Bag Ministry provides people with food, water, clothing and friendship. Their volunteers gather at one of five sites in the Triangle on Saturday mornings to prepare over 3,500 brownbag lunches for anyone who is homeless or hungry during the holidays. brownbagministry.org

CAROLINA FOR THE KIDS FOUNDATION

Since 1997, Carolina for the Kids has raised over $7 million for the patients and families of the UNC Children’s hospital through its epic (and beloved) UNC dance marathon, Kilometers for the Kids, and more. For families facing a scary diagnosis, the emotional, medical and financial support is priceless. carolinaftk.org

THE CARYING PLACE

Every year, 6,500 Wake County children face homelessness, often despite having a fully employed parent. For these families, The Carying Place offers life skills, financial literacy training, 16 weeks of transitional housing and support services to fit each family’s individual needs, extending to 12 months after program graduation. thecaryingplace.org

CONSERVATION CORPS

NORTH CAROLINA

Conservation Corps NC engages youth and young adults in diverse conservation projects on public land, like trail construction and habitat improvement. You’ve likely benefited from their work at Dix Park, which includes building two permanent structures at the sunflower field, repairing trails, removing invasive plants and prepping for the large-scale Dix events we all love. corpsnc.org

DIAMANTE ARTS & CULTURAL CENTER

The oldest Latino/Hispanic arts and culture center in the state, Diamante preserves, develops and promotes Latino and Hispanic culture. “Diamante is a gem in the Triangle,” says Patrizia Ferreira, a fiber artist and educator who

participated in its artist-in-residence program. “DACC provides an unparalleled opportunity for Latino artists like me to gain visibility and grow.” They also have year-round galleries featuring North Carolina Latino artists, summer camps and leadership development programs that unite local communities and engage the greater Triangle. diamanteartsculturalcenter.org

DEMENTIA ALLIANCE OF NORTH CAROLINA

Dementia Alliance of NC provides individualized support to thousands of individuals and families across the state living with the effects of dementia. Among its wealth of services are the Music & Memory at Home kits: a personalized digital playlist, plus headphones, a Bluetooth speaker and written guides for connecting with a loved one through music. dementianc.org

EMMAUS HOUSE OF RALEIGH

Emmaus House helps men bridge the gap between addiction and independent living. With safe, affordable housing and a robust support system, residents grow their sober networks and address big-picture issues to move toward long-

term stability. In March, they responded to the national increase in overdose-related deaths by opening Wake County’s only medical-assisted recovery housing. “There is a bias around Medical Assisted Treatment, but for some, it’s the only way out of addiction,” says executive director Joe Demuro. “What really matters is that it is keeping people alive.” emmaushouseofraleigh.org

ENGAGENC

For people with autism or IDD (intellectual or developmental disabilities), finding secure employment can be discouraging. EngageNC works to increase the number of Triangle jobs for this deserving population. One way they do this is through their HandMeUps thrift store, which employs 18 adults with a variety of developmental disabilities. Says Engage NC president Bruce Kirschenbaum: “Employees learn job and social skills that they can use to increase their responsibilities in the store or move on to other jobs in the community.” engage-nc.org

GIRLS ROCK NC

With music as the medium, Girls Rock NC empowers girls, transgender youth and gender-expansive youth to become

Girls Rock NC

confident and engaged members of our community. Through summer camps and year-round programs like Rock Roulette, they create safe spaces for young people (and adults!) to learn instruments, collaborate with bandmates and perform original music. “We learned how to rock with our band, but we also learned about being ourselves,” says camp participant Lilly Lykes. “I can’t wait to go back next summer!” girlsrocknc.org

GIVE PLAY

Nature is for everyone, but not everyone has the means to explore it. Give Play, a program organized through the City of Oaks Foundation, provides financial assistance to families for outdoor-based summer camps and nature programs run by the city. These memorable experiences then instill a love of outdoor spaces in the next generation of Triangle dwellers. cityofoaksfoundation.org

MATCH (MOTHERS AND THEIR CHILDREN)

MATCH seeks to nurture the relationship between incarcerated mothers and their children. Women at the NC Correctional Institution for Women who participate in an eight-week parenting class get extended visits with their children in an on-site apartment. Says one participant, “It feels good that my son knows me and looks forward to our visits.” These memories encourage strong parent-child bonds, fostering long-term stability and confidence. mothersandtheirchildren.org

MIRACLE LEAGUE OF THE TRIANGLE

The Miracle League of the Triangle extends the fun and camaraderie of playing baseball to individuals with special needs, ages 5 to 85. Players, families and volunteers work together to create a positive, inclusive, joy-filled environment. “Seeing tangible progress in the players over the season, connecting with the

families and witnessing the support of the community — it puts a smile on my face every time,” says parent and coach Landy Townsend. mltriangle.com

NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL HEALTH, WAKE COUNTY

NAMI Wake offers free mental health support, online groups, resources and education to Wake County residents. Led by the philosophy of recovery — rather than symptom relief only — NAMI focuses on restoring meaning and identity to individuals while also advocating for research and policy change. nami-wake.org

NORTH RALEIGH MINISTRIES

“Our belief is that God wants all people to thrive,” says North Raleigh Ministries executive director Donna Pygott. “That fuels our mission, as does a deep understanding of how poverty impacts families and communities.” Through food

assistance, transformative programs, thrift stores and supportive community partnerships, they help neighbors navigate the temporary path of financial crisis and emerge ready to thrive. northraleighministries.com

THE NO WOMAN, NO GIRL INITIATIVE

Women in crisis often lack supplies for body, teeth, hair and menstrual health; No Woman, No Girl provides these essentials, as well as education and hope. “Everyone in our local community deserves to have access to basic hygiene items to feel good each day, regardless of the crises they are facing,” says the organization’s founder and executive director, Shirnetta Harrell. nowomannogirl.org

REFUGEE HOPE PARTNERS

North Carolina is a top-10 state for refugee resettlement, and ongoing conflicts worldwide have increased the number of refugees arriving in the Tri-

angle over the past few years. Refugee Hope Partners welcomes these families and helps them find stable footing by addressing cultural, practical and emotional hurdles. “RHP’s holistic and relational approach allows us to listen to family members and evaluate strengths and connections already in place,” says executive director Michele Suffridge. “Through listening, learning and respecting the dignity of those we serve, we focus on equipping families toward an independent life.”

refugeehopepartners.org

SEASONS VILLAGE

Seasons Village empowers single mothers and their children by connecting mothers with secondary education opportunities. This schooling opens pathways for higher-paying jobs, economic security and family stability. Seasons Village further supports thriving families with a 2-Gen program focused on resiliency, family wellness, life skills,

social capital and leadership. seasonsvillage.org

SECOND CHANCE PET ADOPTIONS

Second Chance Pet Adoptions is the oldest no-kill rescue organization in Wake County. “We take a three-pronged approach to ending animal homelessness,” says senior director of operations Lisa Imhof. “That’s finding forever homes for adoptable animals, spaying/ neutering community pets and feral cats and providing support for low-income pet owners to care for their pets instead of surrendering them.” Second Chance has saved and changed the lives of over 18,000 cats and dogs since its inception in 1987.

secondchancenc.org

STONEWALL SPORTS RALEIGH

The Raleigh chapter of the national LGBTQIA+ community-based sports league has three goals: have fun, support each player for who they are and

all images courtesy of the organizations

Miracle League of the Triangle

give back to local nonprofits. “Stonewall Sports has built a strong community on and off the field,” says chapter founder and Raleigh City councilman Jonathan Melton. Members gather for activities from distance running to tennis to billiards, all in the spirit of good-natured competition and big-hearted philanthropy. stonewallraleigh.org

SOUND RIVERS

Sound Rivers monitors and protects the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds to preserve the health and beauty of the river basins — and our drinking water. Their full-time Riverkeepers act as scientific experts, political advocates and engaging teachers to safeguard the future of these critical and beloved waterways. In Raleigh they’ve focused specifically on trash and plastic pollution, installing a trash trap in Little Rock Creek at Walnut Creek Wetland Center and keeping it clean with the help of local partnerships. “Our rivers should be fishable, swimmable and drinkable, and we can’t achieve that without addressing our litter pollution problem,” says executive director Heather Deck. soundrivers.org

THERAFRIENDS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

Many families who need pediatric speech and occupational therapy cannot pay for health care and don’t quite meet Medicaid requirements. TheraFriends removes financial and logistical barriers to these critical therapy services and collaborates with community partners to provide education and fun, including outdoor therapeutic playgroups and low-sensory holiday events. therafriendscommunity.org

WAKE UP AND READ

Literacy is a human right; research shows it’s also key to interrupting cycles of poverty. WAKE Up and Read aims to meet two goals for Wake County kids: on-track development by the end of kindergarten and grade-level reading by the end of third grade. To join its mission, shop directly from wish lists, volunteer

to sort or distribute books in schools or follow on social media and spread the word about the importance of childhood literacy. wakeupandread.org

WOMEN VETERAN SUPPORT SERVICES

When female veterans face homelessness or domestic violence, Women Veteran Support Services offers discrete, secure, compassionate help. They meet immediate needs such as food, shelter and clothing, then connect female veterans with long-term help: access to the benefits they and their children are entitled to and crisis counseling for all involved. wvssinc.wildapricot.org

YOUCANVOTE

You Can Vote (YCV) is a nonpartisan effort to increase voter registration and voter turnout. “Voting rules change every year in North Carolina, which feeds persistent confusion about who can vote,” says founder and executive director Kate Fellman. “We aim for every eligible citizen to be registered to vote and have all the information they need to feel confident when they go to the polls.” youcanvote.org

YOUTH VOLUNTEER CORP OF THE GREATER TRIANGLE

Organized through Activate Good, the local chapter of YVC engages a diverse crew of tweens and teens to do meaningful work helping their communities while developing practical, transferable life skills. “Coming together with people who want to help others just like me is awesome,” says participant Taniya Jones. “It’s educated me on things going on in the world.” Service projects range from outdoor cleanup efforts to volunteering at food banks to helping in schools. activategood.org/yvc

Second Chance Pet Adoptions

We proudly invest in women

Women make up 50% of our workforce at Bank of America. We proudly continue to recruit and invest in helping women succeed within our organization. Outside, we support the economic empowerment of women in our communities and all around the world.

We believe that achieving strong operating results — the right way — starts with our teammates, and we know we must reflect the diversity of the clients and communities we serve. We offer a range of development programs for female leaders who show potential as future business and C-level executives, including our Women’s Executive Development Program, to engage, develop, retain and support the career advancement of high potential talent.

Our ongoing work to invest in women means supporting women business owners and putting into action the belief that female entrepreneurs are fundamental to driving strong, healthy economies.

Through our partnerships with Vital Voices, the Tory Burch Foundation, the Cherie Blair Foundation, Cornell University and Kiva, we’ve helped 75,000 women from more than 85 countries grow their businesses.

To learn more, visit our Empowering Women page at bankofamerica.com/women.

THE WHIRL THE WHIRL

Ayn-Monique Klahre, Debra Austin, Kathryn Shah, Janet Cowell and Preeti Waas at WINnovation.

WINnovation 2023

On Sept. 15, WALTER hosted the ninth annual WINnovation at The Umstead Hotel & Spa to celebrate female leadership through storytelling.

The evening kicked off with workshops on professional development led by Danielle Galmore of Touchpoint Wines, Chasta Hamilton, and Melissa Carrier and Elizabeth Benefield of Radiate Works. During cocktail hour, guests were able to take head shots with photographer Terrence Jones or have their resume reviewed by representatives from Duke Fuqua School of Business.

The WINnovation speakers delivered their talks during a three-course dinner in the ballroom. Dix Park Conservancy president and CEO Janet Cowell talked about a career where she was often the only

woman in the room. James Beard Award nomintated chef Preeti Waas, owner of Cheeni Indian Food Emporium, discussed building her business. Debra Austin, ballet master at Carolina Ballet, spoke about being the first African American dancer for the New York City Ballet. Kathryn Shah explained how a cancer diagnosis shifted her off a high-test career track and led to founding Spring & Mulberry.

Thank you to our partner Bank of America, sponsor Diamonds Direct and workshop sponsors Wegmans and Duke Fuqua School of Business, as well as table sponsors Women Business Owners Network of the Triangle, North State Bank, Blue Water Spa, City of Raleigh, Great Outdoor Provision Company, Closets by Design, Dix Park Conservancy and Hutchison Law.

Matt

Ramey

Tamara Bullock, Virginia Parker, Liz Pechiney, Tanya Mitchell-Allen, Wendy Artis, Alex Moore, India Miles Prather, Jenna Johnson, Kari Stoltz, Leigh Kempf, Liz Cantino, Sarah Williams, Faye Hilpert, Rebecca Weiss, Susan Batchelor, Kecia Atkins, Lee Whitener

Guests enjoy the terrace

Kari Stoltz, Ayn-Monique Klahre

Ayn-Monique Klahre, Janet Cowell, Preeti Waas, Debra Austin, Kathryn Shah

Sarah Bell, Brooks Bell, Marin Boieru

Jenny Bonchak, Michelle Egger

Nakya Carter

Susan Murphy

ISSUES PER YEAR

1 YEAR

$36

2 YEARS $60

3 YEARS $80

“What more could they ask for?”

- Sir Walter Raleigh

Bryan Regan

Rachel McGinnis, Bryn Nicholson

Donna Sylver, Janet Cowell, Sepi Saidi

June Sadaowski, Sabrina Sells, Tara Lau

Kay Taylor, Debbie Robbins

THE WHIRL

BOTTOMS

Judy LeGrand, Chip Anderson, Whit Lee, Ann Tillery

Will Barrett, Taylor Vaughn, Sarah Vaughn

Emily Ballard Photography

Joy Batchelor King, Jimmy King Cushing Donelan, Caroline Donelan

EVENING OF GIVING

Designed for Joy hosted its Evening of Giving on Sept. 14 at CAM Raleigh. More than 225 people attended, and the organization raised $95,000 to help provide living wages and work experience to women in crisis.

Sheila McDonald, Colleen Schmidt, Angela Padgett, Cary Heise

Morgan Kelly, Leah Catherine Seaton, April Blanks, Angela Padgett

Mali B., Kyndall Owens, Tiffany Wilson, Cass Martin

Christi Burnett

Velvet pumpkins in vibrant hues from Plush Pumpkins.

Weymouth Wonderland

Holiday Festival

November 30December 3

Four Days of Something Wonderful for Everyone!

Candlelight, Carols & Cocktails is for Grown Ups to Light up the season with a casual and comfortable evening get-together.

Thursday Nov. 30, 5:30 pm. $50 per person

Outdoor Wonderfest & Market

is for the Whole Family to go Walkin’ in a Weymouth Wonderland. Our grounds will be a holiday family funderland featuring: local vendors and artisans; Weymouth’s own Holiday Shoppe; crafts and face painting, food from some of our area’s popular food trucks; wandering minstrels and choristers. Wonder (as you wander) at all the magic of the season! Take a tour of our Boyd House decked out in its holiday best; say “Hey!” to the horses in our stable; and sit a spell with Santa in his magical toy shop!

Friday, Dec. 1 and Saturday, Dec. 2, 10-4 pm. Sunday, Dec. 3, Noon-4 pm. Entry fee of any $ donation

For tickets visit: weymouthcenter.org

Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines, NC

A 501(c)(3) organization

THE WHIRL

ALLIANCE MEDICAL GARDEN PARTY

Alliance Medical Ministry celebrated 20 years of providing compassionate, whole-person primary care for working, uninsured residents of Wake County. About 125 founders, supporters, providers and partners gathered by the Alliance garden to celebrate the growth of Alliance, which now serves over 2,000 of our neighbors.

Ethan

Hyman

Brian Klausner

Edwin Burkett, Karen Burke-Haynes

Prentiss Baker, Mike Atkinson

BUILDING COMMUNITY TOGETHER

On Sept. 20, Southeast Raleigh Promise partnered with Rebuilding Together of the Triangle, Wells Fargo and the American Red Cross - Triangle Area Chapter for the 2nd Annual Southeast Raleigh Home Preservation Volunteer Event. More than 80 volunteers worked in the Apollo Heights and Stratford Park neighborhoods.

PEACE, LOVE & JOY

Otherwise known as Gingerbread, Hot Cocoa, & Peppermint Cookies! Give the gift of happiness this holiday season. Ella’s Popcorn Holiday Trio Gift Box includes three comfort flavors. Hot Cocoa is brimming with homemade Dutch Cocoa and toasted marshmallow caramel then studded with nuggets of joy; teeny-tiny marshmallows. Gingerbread proudly boasts of the classic holiday flavors, with a snappy crunch and a warm ginger finish. Peppermint Cookie-O takes your taste buds on a magical sleigh ride through snowy pepper minty mountaintops.

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John Ward, Phil Armand

Ben Young

Colin Hilbert, David Koehler

THE WHIRL

BELIEVE BASH

On Sept. 14, BELIEVE – Stroke Recovery Foundation hosted its inaugural BELIEVE BASH at Whitaker & Atlantic, raising more than $117,000 to provide financial assistance to help stroke and brain injury survivors get the additional rehabilitation therapy, equipment and care that they need to recover. Guests bid on silent auction items and feasted on delicious treats from PoshNosh Catering.

NC MUSEUM OF NATURAL

SCIENCES

is one of the most striking event venues in downtown Raleigh. With unique indoor spaces perfect for meetings, receptions and corporate parties with up to 2,200 guests, this remarkable venue suits all of your business event needs.

Sylvia Coleman, David Coleman, Anna Bess Brown, Terri Moore

Mitch Filip, Kathy Clark, Regina Heroux, John Heroux, Florence Whatley, Bobby Montegue, Rosemary Dalberg, Kim Dalberg

Wendy Jade Photography

Howard Elgart, Rebecca Elgart, Haley Day, Wilson Day

Michael Erwin, Jennifer Erwin

Beth Ladd, Dough Ladd, Lori Britt

Alisha Kumas, Josh Bracy, Lucas Fornes

Amy Ray, Traiza Amin, Harim Amin

THE WHIRL

NC SYMPHONY OPENING WEEKEND

Music director Carlos Miguel Prieto led the North Carolina Symphony’s Opening Weekend concerts in Meymandi Concert Hall at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts. The Sept. 22-23 performances featured Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4; the symphony was also joined by trumpeter Pacho Flores as guest soloist on works by Haydn and Paquito D’Rivera.

Courtesy NC Symphony

Sterling Perkinson, Ashley Matlock Perkinson

Sarah Lutz, Joel Davis, Annette Accarrino, Britnee Negley, Heather Gray, Jon Accarrino, Rick Gall, Pam Gall

Ella Ann Holding, Carson Brice, Minta Brice

CHAIRITY

Chairity is The Green Chair Project’s signature event, where the design and home industry community come together to celebrate home. The Green Chair Project provides essential furnishings to families transitioning from homelessness, crisis or disaster. The Green Chair Project’s Sweeter Dreams program provides children in Wake County with a bed of their own.

PART OF THE FABRIC OF RALEIGH SINCE 1899

PART OF THE FABRIC OF RALEIGH SINCE 1899

Our patients receive state-of-the-art care in a warm, professional, safe and friendly environment. We welcome new patients!

Our patients receive state-of-the-art care in a warm, professional, safe and friendly environment. We welcome new patients!

SIGNATURE SERVICES INCLUDE:

SIGNATURE SERVICES INCLUDE:

& Cosmetic Dental Care

Same-Day CEREC Crowns

& Cosmetic Dental Care

Same-Day CEREC Crowns

Suresmile Clear Aligner Orthodontics

Invisalign Orthodontics

Dental Implants

Dental Implants

Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea

TMJ Therapy

TMJ Therapy

919-782-0801

www.drgregweaver.com

New location: 3201 Glenwood Ave. Suite 301 Raleigh, NC 27612 • 919-782-0801 www.drgregweaver.com

Mujteba Haidri, Kathryn West, Astra Ball, Kim Glenn

Rob Franz, Beal Franz, Gabie Franz, Jackie Craig, Lee Craig, Elle Stewart, Joe Stewart, Bo Stewart

Ashley Seamster, Lisa-Marie Ferrell Cassidy Bayliff, Carole Hollowell, Emily Sumner, Gina Santore

THE WHIRL

LA MAISON GRAND OPENING

On Sept. 28, La Maison celebrated the grand opening its flagship design store in North Hills. The event included a ribbon cutting ceremony, welcome tour, raffle drawings, bouquets from its flower truck, sips and snacks.

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIP HOP

On Aug. 12, the City of Raleigh Museum honored the 50th anniversary of hip hop with a Hip Hop Symposium, Black Party Street Festival and Sneaker Ball at Raleigh Union Station. The event celebrated, honored and documented hip hop culture in Raleigh from 1973-2023 with scholars, influencers, DJs, performers, graffiti artists and more.

Kevin Lord

(BUSSEY & WHITE); Beth

Lowery

Photography

(SYMPOSIUM); Catherine Nguyen (LA MAISON)

Tracy Finnegan, James Cappola, Audrianna Lipe, Maggie Adams, Kevin Schneider, Martha Schneider, Gaye Keck, Eliza Meadows, Stephanie Poole, Martha Hice, Becky Evans, Beatrice Holdstock

Grady Bussey, Pretty Kitty Ronald White

DY Nasty, DJ SKILLZ, Crystal Bodie Smith, Miriam Tolbery (MIR.I.AM), Eternal The M.C., Dasan Ahanu

BALENTINE OFFICE OPENING CELEBRATION

On Sept. 21, Balentine held a cocktail reception to celebrate its new office. More than 150 friends of the firm gathered to enjoy beautiful views of Raleigh’s skyline, music, hors d’oeuvres, drinks and each other’s company.

Rob Ragsdale, Robert Balentine, John Maddison, Adrian Cronje

Reid Brannock, Sara Rydman, Rob Ragsdale, Maria Core, Chris Mizelle, Danielle Maurice, Jennifer Pcholinsky, Meredith Fenwick, Will Revels, Katie Farley, Katie Kellogg, Matt Raines, John Maddison

Freddie Kim, Ellis Boyle, Will Revels

Marjorie

Mark Giordano, Jenn Giordano, Bill Kibbe, Catherine Kibbe

7 QUESTIONS WITH… LIBBY RODENBOUGH

The Mipso frontwoman talks the indie folk band’s new album, musical influences and other Triangle performers to check out.

By Addie Ladner

| photograph by Calli

Westra

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off food total (up to $500) for events 1/6/24 thru 3/2/24

At Under the Oak Catering, we are a full-service caterer providing true farm to table cuisine and five-star service for your wedding, corporate or special event, luncheon, family celebration and anything in between. Available to service the Triangle area, Johnston County, and beyond. We offer a variety of food and bar options, including upscale southern, contemporary American, global cuisine, culturally themed menus, custom creations, dietary restricted menus, beer and wine, full bars, specialty cocktails, mocktails and more.

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The new North Carolina Freedom Park honors the Black experience through words & sculpture. @steadyfilm ��

Winter Wedding Promo

A Day in the Life

What does Rameses do in his role as a mascot?

by AYN-MONIQUE KLAHRE photography by BOB KARP

The Hogan family has been taking care of Rameses, the mascot for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, on their family farm for 99 years. Known as Otis, this Dorset Horn sheep ascended to the role of Rameses XXII in 2020 and is nearly 4 years old. “He’s settled in quite well,” says Daniel Hogan, one of several fourthgeneration caretakers for the mascot. Caring for Rameses is a shared responsibility across the entire family. “He’s got a lot going on, so no one person can do all of it!” says Hogan. He shared what a typical game day looks like for Rameses.

MORNING

Otis is “up with the sun,” says Hogan. The ram shares a barn and a field with cows, goats and a few female sheep. Morning activities generally include grazing and interacting with the other animals and humans. “He’s a farm animal, but he’s pretty much treated like a pet, so he gets plenty of attention,” says Hogan.

NOONISH

Around three hours before game time, a team will meet at the house to get Otis ready. “He’s got to get cleaned up, brushed and painted,” says Hogan. Depending on the weather and how dirty Otis is, it can take one or two hours. Sometimes Otis gets a special treat, like grain or carrots.

PRE-GAME

Once Otis is all ready, they’ll put on his wool blanket and get him into his Tar Heel blue-and-white trailer. “He’s usually pretty excited when it’s time to go,” says Hogan. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes, driving through downtown Chapel Hill, to get to the stadium. Often folks take pictures or honk as he passes by. “He is absolutely a celebrity,” says Hogan. “He likes the attention!”

GAME TIME

Before the game starts, Otis visits the UNC Alumni center or other important gatherings. Then, Otis is “on”

for the game, sitting on the sidelines supporting the team. At halftime and after the game, he’ll make the rounds, posing for photos and letting people pet him. By the end, he’s usually pretty tired, says Hogan: “He just wants to be left alone and not hassled.”

POST-GAME

“Otis gets excited when we get close to home; he starts sticking his nose in the air and sniffing around because he can smell the farm,” Hogan says. Once they get home, he bolts off the trailer. “He likes to make the rounds and show the other animals he’s been out in the world,” laughs Hogan.

SUNSET

Generally, Otis goes to bed at sunset. “That being said, there are times we get home from a football game and it’s well after dark,” says Hogan. So after game days, “he kind of crashes.” Overnight, the barn is quiet, and, unless there’s a bowl game coming up, Otis can look forward to a full day of grazing ahead.

Your children. Your family. Your health. Your well-being. Your place.

From pregnancy and childbirth to mammograms, menopause and more, the care is as compassionate as it is comprehensive. Covering everything and anything female from outpatient and inpatient surgery to specialty and subspecialty care, and the most advanced technology. After all, when it comes to you, your health and your family, you’re the decision maker. And the decision is clearly WakeMed Women’s.

WakeMed Women’s