Multinational corporations often win lawsuits against small businesses, but such rulings rarely fare well in the court of public opinion.
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4 “There will be an ultimate influencer competition going on. We have seven models that have partnered with our in-house NMTG STYLIST Sasha Woods,” said Agency Director Cryshaunda Rorie. “They are each creating their own piece of clothing or jewelry, whichever they choose, by using 300 safety pins.
5 CHICAGO, celebrating 25 razzle dazzle years, playing at Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts September 19-24, will go on sale this Friday. CHICAGO, the opening show of the First Bank Broadway, 2023-24 “Simply the Best Season,” is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one show stopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen.
6 Trafalgar Releasing has joined forces with Concord Originals and The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization to present the international cinema release of the National Theatre’s award-winning,
blockbuster 1998 production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s OKLAHOMA! on more than 800 cinemas around the world.
8 “ACCIDENTS HAPPEN” is an oftenused phrase to describe unexpected or unpleasant occurrences that sometimes befall us as we make our way through life.
9 ASTEROID CITY contains familiar elements of the summer movie season, including aliens, spaceships, laser beams, special effects, police chases, hi-tech shenanigans, and scientific mumbo-jumbo.
14 Winston-Salem’s Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) continues to surprise with continuously thought-provoking exhibits that could not be more relevant to our current nation. This past spring, the museum welcomed Mexican artist EMILIO ROJAS’ EXHIBIT tracing a wound through my body...
16 “Final Four” takes on a new meaning as the NC Folk Festival announces the top contenders in the 2023 Not Your Average FOLK CONTEST.
Marketing ANGELA COX angela@yesweekly.com
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Organizers over at Noelle Model and Talent Group, located at 807 W. Ward Ave. in High Point, are working on developing the whole child through modeling, acting, talent development, and awareness.
The agency will host its Deeper Than Fashion program this upcoming weekend, July 13-16, throughout the Triad. On Thursday, there will be a Fashion Museum at Rhen.Ovations Studio, located at 106 W. MLK Jr. Drive in High Point, with live models, music, fashion networking opportunities, and more.
“There will be an ultimate influencer competition going on. We have seven models that have partnered with our inhouse NMTG Stylist Sasha Woods,” said Agency Director Cryshaunda Rorie. “They are each creating their own piece of clothing or jewelry, whichever they choose, by using 300 safety pins. They will be there modeling their pieces during the networking event. The audience will have to opportunity to vote on which look is the winner, who will receive a scholarship with NMTG to help o set the cost parents pay to attend.”
This event is free and open to the public.
On Friday, the Child Mental Health Fashion Gala will be held at NMTG’s headquarters on Ward Avenue and includes a plated dinner and keynote address by Professional counselor and therapist Shenae Whitehead. The Gala will act as a fundraiser to raise funds for children that work with the agency.
The cultural fashion show will be held on Sunday at the Van Dyke Performance Arts Center, located at 200 N. Davie St. in downtown Greensboro. There will be six designers participating including some from Los Angeles, Texas, and New York. There will be roughly 45 kids participating in the show.
Rorie said that residents can look forward to a theme for the agency’s show every year, but this year is designed to focus on child mental health.
“Every year, from this point on, there will be a di erent focus that we will shine a light on dealing with the youth in our community. We chose child mental health for this first year because of the kids that we work with on a daily basis with NMTG. We see, and we hear from their parents as well, the mental health challenges that they deal with in their homes, in school, with their friends, in their neighborhood, etc.,” Rorie said. “We wanted to figure out a way to still stay true to ourselves by modeling, doing the acting pieces, doing our monologue, which are all things that we help them develop at NMTG, but make sure there’s a purpose behind it. We came
up with Deeper Than Fashion because it’s truly deeper than just putting on clothes.”
Rorie said that it’s important for her to highlight children’s mental health as a director working with children.
“As an agency director, it’s important for me to shine a light on child mental health. We work one on one with these kids, and we have to make sure that we are recognizing signs of help when we are speaking to them. We make sure that we do a rmations before and after every practice, and that we pray before and after every encounter we have with them because we do not know what is going on in their homes and when they aren’t in front of us,” Rorie said. “One thing that we are particular about is while they’re in our care, we make sure that we speak life into them and teach them how to speak life within themselves, as well. The Pandemic and the stressors of being a child altogether have shown how prevalent depression and suicide is in our black and brown communities. If we can open up our doors and make it a safe space for them, that is what we do. Yes, we’re here to work. We’re here to help you
be a better model, a better actor, a better pageant contestant. Yes, that’s all fine and dandy, but before all of that, we need you healthy mentally.”
She also said that it’s important to recognize as a parent.
“Kids are sometimes not comfortable talking to parents or whomever. If my child ever isn’t comfortable I would love to know that she was comfortable with speaking with her coach or she was comfortable going to NMTG.”
Rorie said the event has garnered feedback from the community and she’s excited for the upcoming week.
“We’ve gotten pretty good feedback from anyone that we’ve been able to talk to one on one. We have reached out to some media outlets and things to try to get the word out even more. We have been doing the footwork and laying the foundation since last year on getting this information out and getting the word out so that people know that we are here,” Rorie said. ‘We want to make sure that people know that we’re here and what we’re trying to do for kids.”
For more information about Noelle Model and Talent group, visit www.nmtg. org. !
Broadway history — and it still shows no sign of ever slowing down!
PHOTOS BY JEREMY DANIELCHICAGO, celebrating 25 razzle dazzle years, playing at Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts September 19-24, will go on sale this Friday. CHICAGO, the opening show of the First Bank Broadway, 2023-24 “Simply the Best Season,” is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one show stopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen.
Tickets start at $29 and go on sale Friday, July 14 at 10 a.m. via TangerCenter. com and Ticketmaster.
Produced by Apex Touring, CHICAGO is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards® including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award® for Best Musical Cast Recording.
Re-creation of the Original Production Direction by Tânia Nardini. Re-creation of the Original Production Choreography by Gary Chryst. Original Direction by Tony Award® winner Walter Bobbie and original choreography in the style of Bob Fosse by Tony Award® winner Ann Reinking.
CHICAGO features set design by Tony Award® winner John Lee Beatty, costume design by Tony Award® winner William Ivey Long, lighting design by Tony Award® winner Ken Billington, sound design by Scott Lehrer. Supervising Music Director Robert Billig with Orchestrations by Ralph Burns and Music Direction by Cameron Blake Kinnear. Casting by Stewart/Whitley.
With a legendary book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, CHICAGO is the #1 longest-running American musical in
There’s never been a better time to experience CHICAGO, Broadway’s razzledazzle smash. This triumphant hit musical is the recipient of 6 Tony Awards®, 2 Olivier Awards, a Grammy®, and thousands of standing ovations. As we celebrate the 25th anniversary — you’ve got to come see why the name on everyone’s lips is still… CHICAGO.
Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, CHICAGO is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who maliciously murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids.
It’s no surprise that CHICAGO has wowed audiences from Mexico City to Moscow, from Sao Paulo to South Africa. Over the last 25 years, the show has been seen in 36 di erent countries and seen by 33 million people worldwide and now it’s coming to your town!
Whether you’re looking for your first Broadway musical, whether you’ve seen the Academy Award®-winning film and want to experience the show live on stage or whether you’ve seen it before and want to recapture the magic, CHICAGO always delivers!
CHICAGO is a production not to be missed. And all the reviewers agree. Time Magazine calls it “A Triumph,”
Newsweek raves “Smashing” and Entertainment Weekly sums it up by calling CHICAGO “Broadway’s Most Electrifying Show.”
Come on, babe! Head to CHICAGO! We’re hotter than ever. !
CHICAGO will play at Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts September 19-24. Tickets go on sale on Friday, July 14 at 10 a.m. on TangerCenter. com and Ticketmaster.
Trafalgar Releasing has joined forces with Concord Originals and The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization to present the international cinema release of the National Theatre’s award-winning, blockbuster 1998 production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! on more than 800 cinemas around the world. The production, which won four Olivier Awards including Outstanding Musical Production, served as a launching pad for the career of its young leading man, Hugh Jackman, who portrayed the dashing cowboy hero Curly. It was during the run of the show that Jackman won the big-screen role that would become his signature role —
the savage but sympathetic superhero Wolverine in Marvel’s X-Men franchise. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! will be screened at 1 p.m. July 16th and 7 p.m. July 19th at The Grand 18, 5601 University Parkway, Winston-
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Salem. Tickets are $19.27 each. It will also be screened at 3 p.m. June 16th and 7 pm July 19th at the Regal Greensboro Grande RPX, 3205 Northline Ave., Greensboro. Tickets are $16.01 each. Tickets are available at https:// oklahomaincinemas.com/. To view the trailer for this special presentation, see https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=UjEZyjQolTQ.
The critics were unanimous in their praise for the production and its upand-coming leading man. “It’s hard to imagine a more immediately charming Curly than Jackman,” wrote Variety 25 years ago. “He’s as pliable, the staging suggests, as Jud is rigidly doomed, and Jackman makes an appealing (and
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beautifully sung) case for a man who won’t be left behind by the winds of change in ‘this here crazy country.”
This also marks the 80th anniversary of the venerable, oft-revived Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, which ran for over 2,200 performances and was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize in 1944, and a special Tony Award in 1993 to mark its 50th anniversary. Based on the 1931 play Green Grow the Lilacs , it was the first musical conceived by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II — but hardly their last. Fred Zinnemann directed the hit 1955 screen version of Oklahoma! , which starred Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones (in her feature debut), James Whitmore, Eddie Albert, and Rod Steiger.
The National Theatre’s 1998 revival was directed by the legendary threetime Tony Award winner Trevor Nunn with new choreography by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman. In addition to Jackman, the production starred Josefina Gabrielle as Laurie, Maureen Lipman as Aunt Eller, Shuler Hensley as Jud Fry, Vicki Simon as Ado Annie, Jimmy Johnston as Will Parker, and Peter Polycarpou as Ali Hakim.
In addition to Outstanding Musical Production, Oklahoma! also won Olivier Awards for Hensley as Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, Best Theatre Choreographer for Stroman, and Best Set Designer for Anthony Ward, with nominations for Jackman as Best Actor in a Musical, Gabrielle for Best Actress in a Musical, Nunn for Best Director, and David Hersey for Best Lighting Designer.
“The 80th anniversary of Rodgers
& Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! allows us to share this quintessential slice of Americana with global fans,” said Kymberli Frueh, senior vice president of content and programming acquisitions at Trafalgar Releasing. “This particular production is acknowledged as one of the best through the eight decades of performances in theaters around the world. All the talent in this classic version of Oklahoma! hit their marks brilliantly and musical theater fans can experience for themselves why it is credited with launching Hugh Jackman’s stage career. We’re proud to be a part of this momentous anniversary.”
“This musical is the living, breathing proof that important works will find and impact multiple generations in meaningful ways,” added Sophia Dilley, senior vice president of Concord Originals. “We
couldn’t be more proud to champion this anniversary re-release of Sir Trevor Nunn’s stunning 1998 revival with Trafalgar Releasing.”
“Eighty years after first premiering on Broadway, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! is recognized as a theatrical landmark,” said Imogen Lloyd, senior vice president at Concord Theatricals on behalf of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. “It was the first successful, truly unified musical — a seamless integration of song, story, and dance. This 1998 production masterfully combined those three elements, and the resulting film is a treasure trove for musical theater fans of all ages.”
Throughout his career, Jackman has returned to the stage periodically, earning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for The Boy from Oz (2004) and a second Tony nomination in the same category for the 2021 revival of The Music Man . He has also hosted the Tony Awards four times, winning an Emmy for the 2005 ceremony. On the big screen, he displayed his virtuoso musical skills in Les Misérables (2012), for which he won a Golden Globe award and an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, and again in The Greatest Showman (2017), in which he played legendary showman and circus impresario P.T. Barnum, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. The film earned a Grammy Award for its soundtrack. !
See MARK BURGER ’s reviews of current movies. © 2023, Mark Burger.
For more information, visit https://oklahomaincinemas.com/ or https://rodgersandhammerstein.com/song/oklahoma/oklahoma/.
BY THE ARTS COUNCIL OF WINSTON-SALEM & FORSTH COUNTY
Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County will host “It Was All A Dream”, a 40th Anniversary Exhibition of The Enrichment Center. The exhibition will be on view in the Main Gallery at Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts July 14 – August 26. In a world where physical and mental disabilities often become limitations, there exists a group of exceptional artists who challenge the norm, redefine possibilities, and inspire us with their unyielding pursuit of dreams.
“It Was All A Dream” celebrates these individuals who, despite their unique challenges, fearlessly embark on artistic journeys to express their innermost emotions, perspectives, and visions. These artists illuminate the innate human capacity to triumph over adversity. They use their talents as conduits to communicate their experiences, thoughts, and dreams, thereby inviting viewers to engage in a profound dialogue about disability, resilience, and the limitless potential of the human spirit.
Through this exhibition, we celebrate the courage, resilience, and unwavering
determination of artists who refuse to be defined by their disabilities. We invite you to immerse yourself in their art, allowing their stories to touch your soul and inspire you to embrace your own dreams, regardless of the barriers that lie ahead. It is our hope at The Enrichment Center of Winston-Salem that “It Was All A Dream” inspires a shift in perspective, fostering a world that not only recognizes the artistic achievements of individuals with disabilities but also values their contributions as integral parts of our shared human experience. The Enrichment Center’s mission is to enable, empower and enrich adults living with an intellectual or developmental disability, so they can grow as individuals, live with dignity, and have choices in how they fulfill their lives.
ARTS COUNCIL of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County is the chief advocate of the arts and cultural sector in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Arts Council’s goal is to serve as a leader in lifting up, creating awareness and providing support to grow and sustain the arts and cultural o erings throughout our region, ultimately bringing our community together and making it a great place to live, work and play.
Accidents happen” is an oftenused phrase to describe unexpected or unpleasant occurrences that sometimes befall us as we make our way through life. Generally, it also refers to things that are not our fault, are out of our control, and could not have been prevented. For example, if you’re a careful driver and obey all the rules, you still cannot prevent a reckless driver from smashing into you as he runs a stop sign at high speeds. And if you lead a healthy lifestyle and have never smoked, you still can’t prevent developing lung disease due to second-hand smoke from your parents’ two-pack-a-day habit when
you were a child. There are, however, many things that we can predict and prevent simply by using common sense and not taking dangerous risks. Ironically though, careful people are seldom recognized for their good judgment, unlike risk-takers whose irresponsible behavior is popularized by the media and emulated by impressionable youth. Unfortunately, there is often a price to pay for risk-taking, sometimes in the form of serious injury, and sometimes even death. But there’s also a financial price to pay when searching for and rescuing those extreme risk-takers when things go wrong, and that burden falls on us, the careful, responsible taxpayers. Last month, four extremely wealthy individuals paid a quarter of a million dollars apiece to board an Ocean Gate submersible, just to get a glimpse of the Titanic, whose wreckage rests about 13,000 feet below the surface of the North Atlantic. They were joined by an Ocean Gate executive who served as pilot. Each passenger had to sign waiv-
ers saying that they were aware of the risk of death during what was supposed to have been an eight-hour journey. But less than an hour into their descent, the vessel imploded, killing all five passengers. Later we would learn that Ocean Gate had ignored repeated warnings to upgrade and certify their submersible or else face the very real prospect of a catastrophic event.
Before we knew of the implosion, a multi-nation, multi-agency search and rescue mission was undertaken involving, among others, the United States Navy and Coast Guard. The search continued for over 100 hours until it was called off when the implosion was finally confirmed. Soon afterward, the media’s attention turned to the matter of who should foot the bill for the costs incurred during search and rescue. And that brings me back to how we celebrate and popularize risk-takers, and how ordinary citizens are left holding the bag when the activities of daredevils don’t go well.
To that point, Insider.com asked retired Coast Guard officer Peter Boynton if his former outfit would send Ocean Gate a bill for a search and rescue mission that will no doubt end up costing millions of dollars. “The Coast Guard does not charge people who are in distress for the search and rescue costs. It’s part of the DNA. That’s why you go into the Coast Guard,” said Boynton. It’s an admirable mission, but mission statements don’t pay the bills. In 2021,
for example, the Coast Guard had to rescue a kayaker who was attempting to paddle 2,400 nautical miles from California to Hawaii. The cost to rescue that idiot exceeded $42,000 of taxpayers’ money.
And incidents involving risk-takers are widespread. According to the Department of Commerce, over 100,000 search and rescue operations were mounted by government agencies last year alone. Over 3,000 of those were conducted by the National Park Service, including last week when, ignoring an excessive heat warning, a 57-year-old woman hiked a remote area of the Grand Canyon, then had to send out a distress signal. Park Rangers responded, searched, and found her dead. The cause of death was stupidity. The National Park Service, like its cohorts in the Coast Guard, refuses to charge for SAR efforts.
Thrill-seekers come in all sizes, ages, and genders, and they are involved in a variety of risky activities. Many of those who went missing or got into trouble last year did so while mountain climbing, hiking, deep sea diving, parasailing, white water rafting, kayaking, and rock climbing just to mention a few. Seventeen people have died while attempting to climb Mt. Everest, and last year, five people died while heliskiing. There’s just no end to the risks these folks will take, but hey, why not go for the gusto so long as you know the rest of us will come looking for you, and that you (or your estate) won’t have to reimburse us for our efforts.
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Fortunately, some states are now sending these risk-takers a bill when they engage in reckless activities. Among them are Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Vermont. And while North Carolina may not yet have the volume of expensive search and rescue operations that befall other states, we would be well-served to go ahead and pass legislation that will hold reckless individuals responsible for the cost of saving them. Sure “accidents happen,” but some folks are just accidents waiting to happen, and those are the people who should have to pay for being rescued. !
“JIM LONGWORTH is the host of Triad Today, airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WMYV (cable channel 15) and streaming on WFMY+.
steroid City contains familiar elements of the summer movie season, including aliens, spaceships, laser beams, special effects, police chases, hi-tech shenanigans, and scientific mumbo-jumbo. It also boasts the sort of star-studded cast that could fill an entire Marvel movie franchise — and, indeed, some have participated in those: Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, Steve Carell, Tilda Swinton, Jeffrey Wright, Liev Schreiber, Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston, Hope Davis, Maya Hawke, Matt Dillon, Hong Chou, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Margot Robbie, Steve Park, Rupert Friend, Bob Balaban, and others.
But these conventional elements have fallen into the hands — and purview — of the never-conventional Wes Anderson, who has once again conjured up a deliciously deadpan confection as sure to appeal to his aficionados as it will likely befuddle those unfamiliar with his oeuvre. Nevertheless, one thing is certain: There’s absolutely nothing like Asteroid City playing in theaters right now. Or, perhaps, will there ever be?
The film is structured as a threeact play, replete with chapter breaks, presented in the style of a 1950s-era TV anthology series along the lines of Playhouse 90 or, more specifically The Twilight Zone , with Cranston effectively channeling Rod Serling as the eponymous host.
The setting is the titular Southwestern town in 1955 as it hosts the annual three-day “Junior Stargazer” competition that pays tribute to youngsters who have developed scientific innovations. While atomic bomb tests are conducted nearby (replete with CGI mushroom clouds), the eclectic and eccentric group of parents and kids congregate, each dealing with their own individual emotional issues.
If there’s a main character, it’s Schwartzman’s Augie Steenbeck, a combat photographer (replete with
Ashrapnel in his head) who has recently lost his wife — but waited three weeks before telling the children. Whether traumatic or comedic, everything is played completely straight, with the actors playing it in a measured, deadpan fashion — an Anderson trademark. With the exception of Carell’s avuncular motel manager, almost no one ever cracks a smile. Yet it’s that droll, dry handling of the material that makes Asteroid City stand out. It’s not necessarily a knee-slapper, but there are plenty of laughs here.
In typical Anderson fashion, Asteroid City moves at its own pace and to its own beat. The actors, some unofficial members of Anderson’s “repertory company” (Schwartzman, Brody, Dafoe, Norton, Swinton, Goldblum) and others new to the fold, all perform on the same wavelength. Some have major roles, others mere walk-ons, but everyone’s in good form. It’s particularly nice to see Wright, as the tight-lipped Army colonel hosting the event, enjoy a chance to display his comedic abilities, and it’s hardly a leap to suggest that Norton (as the playwright of Asteroid City ) is channeling Tennessee Williams while Brody (as a disillusioned theater director) is channeling Elia Kazan and Dafoe (as a legendary acting teacher) channeling Lee Strasberg.
Asteroid City defies convention but it’s not defiant. It’s never mean-spirited or nasty, and oftentimes it’s upbeat, albeit in a quirkily roundabout fashion. Ander-
son’s approach to filmmaking occasionally recalls Robert Altman and the Coen Brothers yet it’s his own voice. The film echoes Lars von Trier’s Dogville (2003) — although it’s considerably more light-hearted — and prefigures Christopher Nolan’s upcoming Oppenheimer in its setting. Robert Yeoman’s virtuoso cinematography is magnificent and very likely an Oscar contender, and Anderson’s screenplay, based on a story he concocted with longtime collaborator Roman Coppola, is jam-packed with little observations and witticisms that enhance its overall impact.
For those audiences looking for an alternative to the big-bang, big-buck, big-screen blow-outs currently unspooling in cinemas, Asteroid City is certainly a refreshing alternative. It’s different, it’s distinctive, and it’s great fun. !
But it wasn’t his job. Still, Beirut Report journalist Habib Battah got his hands dirty on a recent flight from Paris to Toronto, Canoe reported. “An hour into the transatlantic flight ... I kept smelling something gross and couldn’t figure it out,” Battah wrote on Twitter. While investigating, he discovered a large, “wet to touch” stain on the floor around his seat. The strap of his backpack, which was under the seat, was soaked in it, and a flight attendant only gave him some wipes to clean it up before “casually (noting) a passenger had hemorrhaged on a flight before ours,” Battah said. He said the Air France sta were shocked because a crew had removed the seats after the previous flight’s incident, but apparently hadn’t cleaned the bloody carpet. “This is not a customer service issue — it’s a BIOHAZARD,” Battah wrote. “There is fresh human blood on your aircraft.”
The Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Croydon, Australia, a private girls’ school, recently had egg on its face after drone footage captured the suggestive shape of a new garden bed on the campus, The Sydney Morning Herald reported on July 5. The garden was designed by an architectural firm; a school sta member said that as they considered chairs for the garden, they “sent a drone up to take pictures. At a certain angle from up high, the garden ... took on a phallic shape which was unintended and unexpected. As a result, the architects made some alterations which were completed within 72 hours of the drone pictures.” One unidentified former student said, “The immediate response was laughter ... Photos have been circulating among the school as memes, saying ‘oh good morning’ and various kinds of jokes.”
On July 2, as an American Airlines flight prepared to depart Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, one passenger had a massive change of heart about her trip, The Dallas Morning News reported. The woman rose from her seat and headed to the front of the plane, yelling and pointing toward the back, “I’m telling you, I’m getting (expletive) o , and there’s a reason why I’m getting (expletive) o , and everyone can either believe it or they can not believe it. ... That (expletive) back there is NOT real. And you can sit on this plane and you can die with him or not. I’m not
going to.” The TikTok user who posted a video said the outburst delayed the flight by three hours, as passengers were forced to deplane and reboard; the woman was not arrested and, in fact, got back through security. American said the passenger was “met at the gate by law enforcement and removed from the flight.”
Alef Aeronautics has announced that the Federal Aviation Administration has cleared the startup’s flying car, the Model A, to fly for purposes including research, development and exhibition, United Press International reported. The California company calls its invention a vehicle takeo and landing aircraft, or VTOL, which can drive and park like a normal car. While it is not certified (yet) for public road travel, the company says the FAA’s OK will place it closer to “bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute ... This is one small step for planes, one giant step for cars,” said CEO Jim Dukhovny.
Chandler, Arizona, taxidermist Rachel Lewis, 38, has found her niche in the world of preserving dead animals: She makes piggy banks out of stillborn piglets. Metro News reported that Lewis, a former hairdresser, took a taxidermy class four years ago and just came up with the piggy bank idea in May. “Most of my specimens I get from local farms around me,” Lewis said. “I feel like they get to live a second life ... it’s kinda cool.” She called her process “labor-intensive,” involving hollowing out the insides and adding a pork ... er, cork plug. “I have a larger pig that I plan on doing as a piggy bank, too,” she said. She also hopes to make objects with jewelry boxes and “secret stash” compartments.
The Greater Muscatine (Iowa) Chamber of Commerce and Industry is apologizing after a controversial Fourth of July parade entry drew heated responses, KCRG-TV reported. The entry consisted of a man on horseback, leading a woman on foot dressed in Native American attire. The woman had a rope tied around her hands. “The group (submitting the entry) stated that their intention was to pay homage to the Cherokee Nation on how unjustly they were treated,” read a statement from the GMCCI, but “the entry does not represent our community.” !
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ultinational corporations often win lawsuits against small businesses, but such rulings rarely fare well in the court of public opinion. One example of this locally, is the social media backlash over litigation that has temporarily closed the Winston Cup Museum and threatens its future.
On January 20, ITG Brands LLC filed suit in Guilford District Court against the museum, its founder Will Spencer, and JKS Enterprises, the marketing company Spencer co-owns with his wife Christy Cox Spencer. While ITG has headquarters and regulatory compliance facilities in Greensboro, it is a subsidiary of the British multinational Imperial Brands PLC.
Spencer opened the Winston Cup Museum in 2005 to commemorate the Winston Cup racing series that lasted from 1972 until 2003, three decades that many consider the peak years of NASCAR.
After Congress banned cigarette commercials in 1971, the tobacco giant R. J. Reynolds (RJR) shifted most of its massive TV marketing budget to sponsoring NASCAR, a revenue increase that caused the then-faltering racing association to rename its premiere tour after Winston cigarettes,
Mthen RJR’s most popular brand.
The Winston Cup Series ended in 2003, five years after the largest civil litigation settlement in U.S. history not only forced the major tobacco companies to pay billions of dollars to 46 states, four U.S. territories, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia; but further restricted cigarette advertising and sponsorships. Coupled with Dale Earnhardt’s death in a 2001 Daytona crash, this began a massive downturn in NASCAR’s fortunes.
In 2015, Reynolds sold Winston, along with Salem and Kool, to the UK-based Imperial Tobacco Group, as the FTC required Reynolds to divest itself of those brands as a condition of the corporation’s $7.1 billion merger with Lorillard. In 2016, Imperial changed its name to “Imperial Brands” to distance itself from tobacco, while retaining the acronym ITG for the Greensboro-based subsidiary it formed to market blu eCigs and the brands acquired from RJR.
Until this month, the Winston Cup name was been kept alive by the small museum at 1355 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Winston-Salem, which celebrated its memory with show cars, uniforms, trophies, insignia, and souvenirs. But now the multinational corporation that bought the brand claims to also own the three decades of NASCAR history associated with the name “Winston.”
“I opened the Winston Cup Museum back in 2005 as a way to say ‘Thank You’ to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company for their 33-year sponsorship of the Winston Cup Series and as a ‘gift’ to the City of Winston-
Salem,” wrote Will Spencer in a July 3 post on Instagram. “I have fully supported the museum myself. It has never had any a liation with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Sports Marketing Enterprises (SME), or NASCAR. But I have personally had their moral support and that has meant a great deal to me.”
Spencer stated on Instagram that he is “incredibly proud” to have “helped keep the Winston Cup era alive for many racing fans,” but that “the time has come to close the museum’s doors,” at least for now.
“ITG has filed numerous lawsuits against me, my wife, our primary businesses, and the museum saying that ITG’s purchase of Winston Cigarettes from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 2015 somehow gave it ownership of Winston Cup history. They claim we are infringing on their ability to market their cigarettes to racing fans. We
have put up a good battle over the past four years against multiple lawsuits. Two of which have been completely dismissed. The third lawsuit is exhaustingly ongoing. After much contemplation, I have come to the realization that fighting with ITG is not worth the resources that it will take and the toll it has taken on me and my family.”
On July 3, Spencer told YES! Weekly that “the easiest thing to do is stop operating until we can get this resolved.”
He said he hopes that will be sooner rather than later. “We go to mediation for the third time on the 25th of July, so hopefully there will be some kind of resolution. They have strategically attacked me in every manner that’s legal and has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars with [the law firm] Brooks Pierce in Greensboro trying to get this from me. But I got my response to their amended complaint filed the day
before the holiday, and it’s my own declaration of independence.”
Both NASCAR fans and the press have been expressing their outrage over ITG’s litigation on social media. “Ugh,” tweeted senior ESPN writer Ryan McGee, who collaborated with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the bestselling Racing to the Finish: My Story “Trying to ruin a family for creating a truly amazing — and harmless — shrine to the only awesome thing a corporation did during the same era they knowingly lied to and killed countless people is the most Big Tobacco thing ever.”
Leigh Torbin, an independent contractor who provides publicity for ESPN and RAYCOM Sports, responded to McGee’s tweet by asking if Spencer could “just operate as ‘Vintage Stock Car Racing Museum’ or something like that to dodge copyright law and yet keep its doors open?”
But Spencer says taking the words “Winston Cup” o his museum wouldn’t stop ITG. “The battle isn’t over the name,” he told YES! Weekly, “but my assets.”
On July 6, ITG’s attorneys issued a statement saying, “We share Mr. Spencer’s enthusiasm for the heritage of the Winston Cup, which is why we have repeatedly attempted to reach an agreement that would allow him to continue operating his permanent museum. However, as the owner of the Winston trademark, ITG Brands has a responsibility to ensure that any use of this trademark complies with the law and is an appropriate marketing practice.”
Plainti attorneys have asked the Business Court to rule that ITG’s control over the Winston traditional cigarette brand also covers the Winston Cup items at the museum, so that ITG can use the collection in marketing initiatives, such as ITG’s “Speakeasy” presentation at North Wilkesboro Speedway. They allege that the defendants are denying their client access to Winston Cup artifacts that ITG claims to own and wants to reproduce for market-
ing purposes and that the defendants are “advertising themselves in a manner that falsely suggesting an a liation with ITG’s Winston Brand and Winston Marks.” This, allege plainti attorneys, is an abuse of ITG’s intellectual property rights.
For 18 years, the Winston Cup Museum has displayed physical copies and reproductions of Winston Cup promotional images, along with show cars, racing gear, and artifacts such as outsized winner’s checks and signage, as well as photos of such Hall of Fame drivers as Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Sr, Je Gordon, and Darrell Waltrip. Most of these were collected by Spencer during the 33 years that RJR was the title sponsor of the Winston Cup championship.
The lawsuit disputes Spencer’s claim that RJR gifted him absolute title to the Winston Cup artifacts. In response, Spencer’s attorney cited a 2005 agreement in which Reynolds agreed to loan Winston Cup artifacts to the museum.
Then in 2017, alleges the defense response, “RJR’s legal counsel Guy Blynn contacted Spencer and asked the Museum to purchase all items on loan for $300. The Museum agreed to do so, and it paid $300 to RJR by the following check.” A copy of what is purported to be the check is provided with the response.
“RJR accepted and cashed this check. The museum thereby became the permanent and lawful owner of all items that had previously been loaned [to Spencer] by RJR.”
The response denies that RJR “ever expressed any concerns, much less ‘significant concerns,’ about the Museum somehow violating RJR’s personal property and intellectual property rights.” It states “this is RJR’s history; it is not ITG’s” and that “any trademarks covering the Winston Cup as an entertainment event or auto racing event (or anything connected to racing) were intentionally and expressly canceled or otherwise abandoned by RJR.”
It also alleges that any Winston Cup
Copy of the check from the defendant response captioned, “RJR accepted and cashed this check. The Museum thereby became the permanent and lawful owner of all items that had been previously loaned by RJR to the Answering Parties.”
merchandise sold by the museum consists of “old items that were created prior to RJR’s termination of its title sponsorship (and in most cases were items such as the ashtrays/change holders that were included in goody bag giveaways)” and that the defendants “deny that ITG has any right to make copies of items and artifacts.”
Spencer described himself to YES! Weekly as not just an archivist and guardian of Winston Cup history, but someone who was part of that history for decades.
“I raced in NASCAR with [second generation NASCAR driver] Ed Berrier. We ran 299 races together. I was very involved in all aspects of the sport, both in promoting the brand and in being a competitor within
the brand I promoted. And that part of the history, and there’s a lot that’s never been written about, is something ITG will never know from me. And that’s a shame, because they could have done something really good and helped the museum, and we could have had a viable partnership that would have helped preserve that 33-year history. But they didn’t want to do that. They just want to take it and do it their way. They don’t want to work with me, they want to loot me.” !
IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.
Winston-Salem’s Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) continues to surprise with continuously thought-provoking exhibits that could not be more relevant to our current nation. This past spring, the museum welcomed Mexican artist Emilio Rojas’ exhibit tracing a wound through my body, displaying documented live performances, photography, sculpture, installations, and even poetry. An encounter of Rojas’ art and activism, the show leads us through a series of potentially healing experiences navigating themes such as immigration, LGBTQIA+, literal and figurative scars, and the AIDS crisis.
A common experience among prospective artists, Rojas always knew what his true passion was, but due to family expectations initially studied three years of medicine. Following the loss of the uncle who was like a father to him, and a terrifying survival experience from an express kidnapping, Rojas chose to find a way to leave his Mexican home country. “My uncle died of cancer and he made me promise that I was going to do what I loved and not what my family wanted,” said Rojas. So the artist, who had been
doing photography since the age of 13, applied to art schools throughout Canada and the United States.
Rojas ended up in Vancouver at the Emily Carr University, and while his intent was always to continue pursuing photography, while in Canada he discovered performance. Realizing that was the area he wanted to go into, the artist earned his B.F.A. in Film followed by a M.F.A. in Performance from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. And while the artist was able to count on scholarships and some help from his mother, he still had to work jobs on the side.
“I worked in restaurants, kitchens, and things like that,” Rojas said. “And this is where I started thinking a lot about immigration, working with undocumented folk.”
The artist had always
been an activist of sorts but tended to maintain it separate from his art. Beginning to face the loss of friends to deportation in both Canada and the United States, the closeness of these experiences stirred Rojas not only to become more active but to actually bring this activism into his art. Never actually having been undocumented himself, he knows well what it’s like to live with what seems like a hovering expiration date over him. Unable to leave the United States nor work for the two years he waited on his green card, Rojas lived in a state of precarity that inevitably affected even his ability to create.
Realizing the impact an encounter of his activism and creativity could have, Rojas began focusing on using this state of precarity in the development of images potentially transformative for people. Additionally, he was deeply inspired by Chicana cultural theorist Gloria E. Anzaldúa’s work “Borderlands/ La Frontera: The New Mestiza,” gifted to him in his early 20s by a close Argentinean friend who stated the book would change his life. “It did change my life,” Rojas confirmed, “and it sort of became like my Bible. It got me thinking about belonging as a migrant and the so many different ways this can be like.”
While it is not uncommon in the art world for politics to be kept separate from the creative process, much of Rojas’ motivation to reconsider was due to his mentors, many of whom are of indigenous background. However, Cuban artist Tania Bruguera seems to be the one that encouraged him to fully take the step forward. “She has this whole thing about art having a purpose,” said Rojas. “About how it should be useful.” Realizing his privilege grew slowly as he patiently waited for his path to fall into place, Rojas looked for
ways this privilege, no matter how small, could support others and act in solidarity with those less fortunate than him.
When Rojas moved to the United States in 2015, the artist experienced a degree of culture shock upon arriving from Canada where at least on a surface level, the country seems to be more accepting of diversity and more of a melting pot. While in Chicago, the artist realized just how segregated the American population still is and experienced firsthand a woman on the public transit demanding of him that he return to where he came from. On the upside, Rojas considered another piece of wisdom from Bruguera, the impact his work could have by taking a political angle since political art is actually time sensitive.
“It’s important to make work that is relevant to the time that you’re living in and responding to the crises that we are facing, so that’s what I’m trying to do,” said Rojas. “I know my work is not the easiest to digest because it requires a lot of thought.” Not only is his work an active voice for the marginalized, but he has also managed to bring his practice into his pedagogy as an art professor. Fortunate to teach at institutions that allow him to keep his creative process and teaching close to each other, themes he addresses in the classroom run anywhere from performance and protest, to decolonizing performance art, to even daddy issues. During the pandemic, Rojas did question his art career. But it was also during this time that tracing a wound through my body was first organized, and upon reflecting on it, he realized how many lives had touched the exhibit and how healing this had been for him. “Listening to other stories made me realize how focused we can be in our own pain,” said the artist.
“Healing is something you’re having to do every day, cleaning your spirit. And it’s not like you take the trauma away and then it’s always gone. It makes you who you are, you learn to cope with it, heal yourself, and hopefully extend those tools to others.”
Through his many interactions with migrant dancers, undocumented mothers, and others also abandoned by their fathers, agricultural workers, and even immigration attorneys, Rojas understood he was not alone in his process. While it is no secret that referring to therapy or psychiatry is a rather taboo subject in Latin American families, in honor of both acknowledging and healing his own wounds, Rojas had a tattoo artist tattoo an outline of the Mexican-American border on his back running directly over his spine. This particular experience can be viewed on display at the exhibit as, “Open Wounds (a Gloria).”
Fascinated with scars, Rojas showcases a fair number of them on human skin, on architectural surfaces, and even in original poetry written by himself. “We have this idea that a wound is a sort of marker of
some form of trauma in the body,” said Rojas. “But it is also a marker that we have survived and that the body can heal itself. It’s the evidence that we are capable of healing, that our bodies are healing machines, and that we are constantly regenerating.” So why is then, that we can’t accomplish that with emotional wounds? Colonial wounds? Family wounds?
Art has been Rojas’ medicine. And taking the time to immerse in his work is undoubtedly medicinal for those finding some of their life experiences reflected in the exhibit. And even if there’s nothing necessarily relatable for all viewers, we can still walk away with a new understanding of why scars are among the most beautiful things found on our bodies. Without our human resilience and our abilities to heal, we would not still be here, charging forward during one of the most uncertain chapters of our North American history.
tracing a wound through my body is on view at SECCA through August 20. !
Final Four” takes on a new meaning as the NC Folk Festival announces the top contenders in the 2023 Not Your Average Folk Contest. Following an application period in the spring, Folk Fest organizers have put forth Queen Bees, Madison Dawn, the Onyx Club Boys, and the Shoaldiggers as the supreme challengers — with the official winning order to be chosen through votes from the online audience.
Folks are invited to vote once a day, every day, through July 26 via the NC Folk Festival’s website. Those chosen in the top three will snag performer slots at the NC Folk Festival, plus a round of studio recording time with Black Rabbit Audio. All four will get a nod in
“the “Artist Spotlight” newsletter, and fourth place gets a $500 E-Gift Card to Sweetwater.com.
For 2023, two contenders are based in the Triad, two are from around the Triangle — though all four have homecourt advantage with Greensboro connections.
From Greensboro proper, Queen Bees offer a new breed of royalty — paying homage and pushing support for Drag culture in both their name and submission — through an official formation blossoming from Quilla, Kate M. Tobey, and Molly McGinn.
Telling “some good musical stories” ala an “uplifting blend of acoustic and electronic,” Queen Bees look to embody the emerging sounds and technologies in folk music while continuing to harvest the honey of lifting voices through story and song. “Folk is anything that brings people together, preserves culture and musical traditions—whether it’s a fiddle or a Roland 808,” said McGinn, pointing to their debut track’s disco leanings.
“Each person brings a different dimen-
sion to the music,” Quilla said, musing her electrified contributions. “I get to play my drum machine and vocal looper for this project, so I’m thrilled.”
“We’re collectively buzzing with excitement,” she continued, relaying the natural progression of the trio’s collaborative history. Tobey agreed. “While you might not expect all these sounds together, it all feels like a natural fit,” she said. “We all love telling stories in our special ways — and it shows in the things we create together.”
Using music as a driving force for unity and means to serve the community, “the songs we produce dance to the rhythm of social change,” they noted in unison, turning to the source of their submission: an anthem “Let the Queen Be,” born as a response to recent attacks on the drag community.
“The anti-drag/anti-trans legislation right now feels particularly harsh,” McGinn explained. “We just want our trans and drag communities to know how much we need them. We need their humor, their art, and their radical pursuit of authenticity.”
“It’s all about showing support,” Quilla echoed. “They’ve been under fire lately from all sides. Our song shows our solidarity and appreciation for the art form, and as allies, we hope to shine a positive light on the issue.”
Within that effort, should the Queen Bees win a slot, they intend to “build a diverse community choir” including drag artists and other performers onstage during their set. “We want drag artists (and everyone for that matter) to feel safe and supported just doing their thing,” Tobey noted. “That’s not too much to ask.”
Adding the disco elements, the track also features Chris Micca on “disco bass” and the video includes footage shot by Cliff Greeson, both of whom are McGinn’s cohorts in the Joy Band — who’ll be at the Flat Iron on July 12.
The Flat Iron is also a hub for Not Your Average contender Madison Dawn — her submission “Dirty Socks” features guitar work from Grey Hyatt (whose group, When We’re Sober, has a show at the Flat with Matty Sheets on July 16).
“I wrote this song for everyone in my life who has ever shown me what love truly is,” Dawn explained. “It’s about the enlivening experience it’s been to grow and feel the importance of togetherness.”
While traditionally considering herself a solo artist, the pianist and vocalist has been reveling in the open mic and singer-songwriter community. “I’m finding vibrancy in collaboration with wonderful people,” Dawn said, pointing to her experiences hosting the Tuesday open mics at Summerfield Farms (the site of her upcoming show on July 14). That vibrancy extends to the competition. “I’m thrilled,” she said. “To be a finalist among such uniquely brilliant groups of artists, I’m incredibly grateful.”
“And I hope folks will vote for me if they enjoy leaning in deep to the roots of the heart in a way that makes them want to dance in the arms of everyone they love,” she continued. “This song has become what it is because of the blessing of community.”
Sharing blessings and traditions from communities near and far, the Onyx Club Boys offer up the stylings of Django Reinhardt from the heart of the Triangle, where they founded the Carrboro Django Reinhardt Festival and have been promoting Reinhardt’s work — and the sounds of Gypsy Jazz for more than 10 years.
“It started as an outlet for my growing interest in Gypsy Jazz, the folk music of the Sinti and Manouche Gypsies of France, Holland, and Germany,” explained violinist Gabriel Pelli. “It’s a relatively recent folk music that originated with Django Reinhardt in the 1930s, and was adopted by the Gypsy community and beyond, starting in the 1970s.”
“The term Gypsy Jazz is used in the Gypsy community and beyond,” he continued, breaking down the nomenclature. “‘Jazz Manouche’ in France, ‘Sinti Jazz’ in Holland. And Eastern European Gypsies tend to prefer the term ‘Roma;’ and don’t traditionally play Gypsy Jazz.”
Turning to their origins, “We all grew up in NC, surrounded by our own rich Jazz traditions, which is our core identity as musicians,” Pelli said, pointing to bandmates Ben Lassiter and Aaron Gross. Despite their Triangle home base, Pelli is actually a graduate of Grimsley High School; meanwhile Lassiter and Gross are alumni of UNC-Greensboro.
For their submission, the trio used an iPhone to film their acoustic arrangement of “Dark Eyes,” right in Pelli’s front yard. “The video is a little off-center because I was so excited to get the blooming purple Iris flower in the shot,” Pelli noted, reinforcing his appreciation
for capturing natural details. “We love to bring this music to anyone who might enjoy it,” he added, dropping their next show at the Kraken in Chapel Hill.
From the jazz of Django Reinhardt to the swamp grass of hippies and Hillsboroughians, the Shoaldiggers also hope to dig out a spot in the top three. “We’re the embodiment of NOT Your Average Folk,” said upright bassist Daryl White, “our music is both completely unique yet comfortingly familiar.”
“While we incorporate a lot of folk instruments,” he continued, “we also draw on a wide array of influences from around the state and world.” Eschewing descriptors of their own, the Shoaldiggers often mine the audience. “Some of our favorite responses have been folk-bangers and acid jug bands,” White noted.
With configurations that span full-tilt nine-piece ensembles to the strippeddown three-piece string band basics, the Shoaldiggers expand genre and influence, weaving storytelling as paramount throughout their catalog. “We’re very proud of our musical bendings and the imagery of our lyrics,” White said, “which we print on every release.”
Going down the line, Greensboro folks may recall White from his mid-90s stint as a local known as “Honus” and playing the Dead Beat Orchestra. “I have a lot of love for Tate Street and Somewhere Else Tavern — RIP,” he said. Shoaldigger banjo and guitarist Gary Larson grew up on the eastern end of Greensboro, near Doodad Farm.
But for their submission, the group chose their current hometown of Hillsborough, offering a snippet from a live show at Yonder Southern Cocktails to feature their track “12 Kings,” complete with the sort of freeform improv jam and audience repertoire they hope to bring to the Festival.
They’ll celebrate their latest fulllength release “Wind, Wires, and Ways to Wander” with a show at Cat’s Cradle Backroom on July 15; and are looking forward to getting back in the studio should they win. “We don’t have a record label and put out all of our music, so please vote for us and join the Shoaldigger family!” !
KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who enjoys spotlighting artists and events.
Voting for the Not Your Average Folk Contest runs through July 26. Cast yours at: http://ncfolkfestival.com/vote/.
Four SaintS BrEwing
218 South Fayetteville St. | 336.610.3722
www.foursaintsbrewing.com
thursdays: taproom trivia
Fridays: Music Bingo
aug 12: Lg Hoover
aug 19: william nesmith
Cat’S CradLE
300 E Main St | 919.967.9053
www.catscradle.com
Jul 14: Son Volt
Jul 14: the weight Band
Jul 15: Shoaldiggers, Mystery ranch, Country Cruel
Jul 16: Harbour
Jul 19: Motherfolk
Jul 20: Less than Jake
Jul 21: Hank, Pattie & the Current
Jul 22: george Shingleton
Jul 22: olive dares the darkness
Jul 23: Honey Magpie, annie Stokes, Colin Cutler and Sam Foster
Jul 25: Sir woman
Jul 25: the Mountain grass unit
Jul 27: School of rock allStars
Jul 27: altin gun
Jul 27: the drums
Jul 28: Jesse Fox
Jul 30: wish Queen, Megabitch, Holly overton
aug 1: Julia Jacklin
aug 2: late night drive home
aug 3: nikki Lane
aug 5: alexa rose
aug 6: Shakey graves
aug 7: tessa Violet
aug 10: alesana
aug 11: rod abernethy, rebekah todd
aug 13: the Clientele
BoJangLES CoLiSEuM
2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600
www.boplex.com
Jul 16: 85 South Show Live
aug 5: indian idol
aug 11: Phil wickham & Brandon
Lake
aug 12: Marca MP
aug 20: Matute
aug 27: Bronco
tHE FiLLMorE
1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970
www.livenation.com
Jul 14: Yung Pinch
Jul 15: Killer Mike and the Midnight revival
Jul 19: ann Marie
Jul 28: BixXthaPlug
Jul 28: a Flock of Seagulls & Strangelove
Jul 30: Joeyy
aug 5: Kari Faux
aug 10: Parliament Funkadelic ft. george Clinton
PnC MuSiC PaViLion
707 Pavilion Blvd | 704.549.1292
www.livenation.com
Jul 19: Boy george, Culture Club & Berlin
Jul 21: Fall out Boy, Bring Me the Horizon, royal and the Serpent & Carr
Jul 22: Sam Hunt, Brett Young & Lily rose
Jul 23: Mudvayne
Jul 28: Jodeci, SwV & dru Hill
Jul 29: Post Malone
Jul 30: Lil durk, Kodak Black & nLE Choppa
Jul 31: disturbed, Breaking Benjamin & Jinjer
aug 6: Bret Michaels
aug 8: Snoop dogg, wiz Khalifa & too Short
aug 9: Foreigner & Loverboy
SPECtruM CEntEr
333 E Trade St | 704.688.9000
www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com
Jul 14: blink-182
Jul 16: Erykah Badu
Jul 22-23: Monster Jam
aug 6: Moneybagg Yo
ClEmmOnS
ViLLagE SQuarE
taP HouSE
6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330
www.facebook.com/vstaphouse
Jul 13: James Vincent Carroll
Jul 14: Kids in america
Jul 15: Hampton drive
Jul 20: Michael giambelluca
Jul 21: SmasHat
Jul 22: Muddy Creek revival
duRHAm
CaroLina tHEatrE
309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030
www.carolinatheatre.org
Jul 12: andy grammer
Jul 16: Melissa Etheridge
dPaC
123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787
www.dpacnc.com
Jul 22: russell Peters
Jul 29: Ladies r&B Kickback Concert
aug 4: the rocket Man Show
aug 5: Johnny Mathis
aug 9: Lyle Lovett and his Large Band
ElKIn
rEEVES tHEatEr
129 W Main St | 336.258.8240
www.reevestheater.com
wednesdays: reeves open Mic
Fourth thursdays: old-time Jam
Jul 14: Paul thorn
Jul 22: Blue ridge opry
Jul 28: town Mountain
aug 4: Cristina Vane
aug 5: the waybacks
aug 11: Clay Melton
aug 12: Blue dogs
aug 19: abigail dowd and Bill west
by Shane h art
Barn dinnEr tHEatrE
120 Stage Coach Tr. | 336.292.2211
www.barndinner.com
Jun 3- Jul 15: Legends diner: a Musical tribute
Jul 29- Sep 9: Peace Like a river
CaroLina tHEatrE
310 S. Greene Street | 336.333.2605
www.carolinatheatre.com
Jul 22: Honey Magpie
Jul 29: the SongBird raven
aug 10: Mary Chapin Carpenter
aug 19: Elijah rosario
CoMEdY ZonE
1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034
www.thecomedyzone.com
Jul 14-15: rodney Perry
Jul 21-22: red grant
Jul 28-29: dominique
aug 1: Jason Cherry
aug 8: Kevin James thornton
aug 11-12: Jess Hilarious
aug 18-20: gary owen
JULY 12: Jimmy Murray & The Walnut Circle
JULY 13: Liz Hopkins & Azula Zapata
JULY 14: Skylar Gudasz w/ Riggins
JULY 15: Sunqueen Kelcey
w/ Royal Jelly
JULY 16: P.T. Burnem’s Duskkat Dream Drum Machine: An Immersive Interactive Installation of Light + Sound
JULY 18: Into The Fog: Fog Tuesday Series
JULY 19: Open Mic Night
JULY 20: Dance From Above
JULY 21: Urban Soil HOURS:
5211 A West Market St | 336.763.2020
www.facebook.com/GarageTavernGreens-
boro
Jul 7: Second Glance Band
Jul 15: Stereo Doll
GREENSBORO COLISEUM
1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400
www.greensborocoliseum.com
Jul 20: Thomas Rhett
Jul 24: NF
Jul 30: The Chicks
Aug 19: Gerardo Ortiz + El Yaki
HANGAR 1819
1819 Spring Garden St | 336.579.6480
www.hangar1819.com
Jul 14: Hardwired
Jul 15: Studs of Steel
Jul 18: Skold
Jul 20: Lylvc
Jul 22: Live, Laugh, Local
Jul 25: Crobot
Jul 26: Montana of 300
Jul 27: Hail The Sun
Jul 28: Emo Night Brooklyn
Jul 30: Havoc & Toxic Holocaust
Aug 5: Arrows In Action
STEVEN TANGER CENTER
300 N Elm Street | 336.333.6500
www.tangercenter.com
Aug 4: Riders in the Sky
Aug 5: Fortune Feimster
Aug 12: Brit Foyd
THE IDIOT BOX
COMEDY CLUB
503 N. Greene St | 336.274.2699
www.idiotboxers.com
Thursdays: Open Mic
Aug 18: Ali Clayton
AMPITHEATRE
1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400
www.greensborocoliseum.com
Jul 30: Summer Block Party SWV & Dru Hill
Aug 2: Goo Goo Dolls with O.A.R.
HIGH POINT
1614 DMB
1614 N Main St | 336.883.4113
https://www.1614drinksmusicbilliards.com/
Jul 15: Banger
Jul 21: Elder Bug
Jul 22: Pathway + Regence + Iroh + No Scope
HIGH POINT THEATRE
220 E Commerce Ave | 336.883.3401
www.highpointtheatre.com
Jul 29: Comedian Henry Cho
THE DECK
118
E Main St | 336.207.1999
Jul 13: Kelsey Hurley
Jul 14: Hampton Drive
Jul 15: Brother Pearl
Jul 20: Bradley Steele
Jul 21: Huckleberry Shyne
Jul 22: Brandon Davis
Jul 27: Dan Miller
Jul 28: no strings attatched
Jul 29: Stone Parker Band
Aug 3: Kelsey Hurley
Aug 4: Retro VInyl
Aug 5: Brother Pearl
Aug 10: Ethan Smith
Aug 11: Unhinged
LIBERTY
THE LIBERTY
SHOWCASE THEATER
101 S. Fayetteville St | 336.622.3844
www.TheLibertyShowcase.com
Jul 15: Doug Stone
Jul 20: Tracy Byrd
Jun 21: Twitty & Lynn
Aug 5: Deana Carter
Aug 12: T.G. Sheppard
Aug 18-19: Gene Watson
Aug 26: The Isaacs
BISTRO 150
2205 Oak Ridge Rd | 336.643.6359
www.bistro150.com
Jul 15: WIlde: Chris & Amanda Barrens
Jul 22: Elena M
Jul 29: Limited Engagement
CCU MUSIC PARK AT WALNUT CREEK
3801 Rock Quarry Rd | 919.821.4111
www.livenation.com
Jul 12: Matchbox Twenty
Jul 20: Godsmack and Staind
Aug 4: Eric Church
FIDDLIN’ FISH BREWING COMPANY
772 Trade St | 336.999.8945
www.fiddlinfish.com
Tuesdays: Trivia
Jul 14: Creatio
Jul 21: Holler Choir
Jul 28: Relay Relay
FOOTHILLS BREWING
638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348
www.foothillsbrewing.com
Sundays: Sunday Jazz
Thursdays: Trivia
Jul 12: Grizzly Panda
Jul 14: Eddie Clayton and Josh McBride
Jul 15: Rain Check
Jul 16: Evan Blackerby
Jul 19: Jim Mayberry
Jul 21: Anne and the Moonlighters
Jul 22: County Broadcast Service
Jul 23: Jon Montgomery and Friends
Jul 28: Andrew Wakefield
Jul 29: Dustin York
Jul 30: Taylor Mason
THE RAMKAT
170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714
Jul 20: The Rumble ft. Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr.
Jul 28: Daniel Justin Smith
Jul 31: Between The Buried And Me: The Parallax II Tour
WISE MAN BREWING
826 Angelo Bros Ave | 336.725.0008
www.wisemanbrewing.com
Thursdays: Music Bingo
Jul 29: Summertime Live: Parking Lot Parties
Inside the gates of Victory Junction, many best life.
That’s because we provide a medically-safe environment where children with serious illnesses and chronic medical conditions can all they can be, to their families. Through our adaptive, intentional programming, campers can ride a horse, shoot a bullseye at archery, soar down a zipline, and so much more!
Victory Junction gives children with complex medical conditions the chance to experience adventure, find belonging, and build resilience, all while having a lot of fun and
Check out videos on our Facebook!
NAME: Asher Robinson
BAR: H.P. Trousers
AGE: 24
WHERE ARE YOU FROM? High Point, NC
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BARTENDING?
One year
HOW DID YOU BECOME A BARTENDER?
My sister, Holland, told me that Trousers needed another bartender. I spoke to Ryan and Austin (the owners) and started working the next day.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT BARTENDING?
I enjoy the people that come in because there is never a dull moment when I’m behind the bar. Everybody always has something funny or informational that is worth hearing.
WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF BARTENDING?
Just making sure the bar is stocked up with mixers, beer, limes, etc. Gotta do the heavy lifting beforehand to make sure you are good to go through the night.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO MAKE?
I love it when someone just wants me to crack open a cold beer for them. But if we’re talking cocktails, our Strawberry Smash is fun to make and everyone enjoys it.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO DRINK?
I call it “Ole Reliable…”
A shot of Fireball and a cold Busch Light.
WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND AS AN AFTER-DINNER DRINK?
After a filling meal I enjoy having an Irish co ee. Hot co ee (sugar optional) and a shot of Jameson.
WHAT’S THE STRANGEST DRINK REQUEST YOU’VE HAD?
A Johnny Bootlegger on the rocks with a shot of vodka added to the mix.
WHAT’S THE CRAZIEST THING YOU’VE SEEN WHILE BARTENDING?
The phenomenal crowd that shows up and shows out on the social district. The whole street is alive, and as a High Point native, it’s awesome to witness on a Friday or Saturday night.
WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST THING YOU’VE FOUND IN A BAR BATHROOM?
Four shots of Fireball in a line on the bathroom counter top. Who doesn’t enjoy four free shots?
WHAT’S THE BEST/BIGGEST TIP YOU’VE EVER GOTTEN?
To open a Roth IRA so your money grows tax-free allowing you to live comfortably when you retire.
[
Week of July 17, 2023
[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) You enter a more positive period, both personally and professionally, but trouble spots can appear. Avoid them by keeping lines of communication open.
[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Don’t fret about the competition. Since Taurus rules the throat, you could have the advantage of conveying your ideas in tones that are sure to please your listeners.
[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Of course, as a Gemini, you love to talk. But watch your words very carefully this week. What you say could come back to cause you some unpleasant moments.
[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) The Grabby-Crabby side of you dominates. You want it all. But try to temper that urge to splurge so that you can take advantage of an upcoming investment opportunity.
[LEO (July 23 to August 22) Spread that natural sunshine all you loving Leos and Leonas radiate, and brighten up those gloomy hearts around you. Also, expect a visit from someone from your past.
[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) You like things neat and tidy. That’s fine for your closets and desktops, but you need to be more flexible in your relationships. Give a little, and you’ll get a lot back.
[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Your financial aspects continue to dominate. There still might be problems to work out from past business decisions before you can make plans for the future.
[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Travel plans might be up in the air — literally — now that your spouse or partner would rather fly than drive. A thorny workplace issue is close to being resolved.
[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Use your natural leadership qualities to guide a troublesome workplace project through to completion. Meanwhile, a personal relationship is smooth sailing.
[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Aspects for moving to a new location appear to be increasingly favorable. Meanwhile, your loyalty to a friend soon pays o in ways you never expected.
[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Your ability to be flexible helps get you through changes you hadn’t expected, either on the job or at home. Remember to take things one step at a time.
[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Your creative talents are put to the test, as you attempt to deal with a suddenly changed situation. It will be up to you to devise a way to work it out successfully.
[BORN THIS WEEK: You have a gift for bringing people together. While you love to travel, you also love being at home, especially if you can be surrounded by your family.
© 2023 by King Features Syndicate
crossword on page 11 [WEEKLY
sudoku on page 11
by Fifi Rodriguez1. FOOD & DRINK: What kind of nut is used in a satay?
[
[2. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who is the first president to have a telephone in the White House?
[3. MOVIES: Which actress won an Oscar for her role in “Mary Poppins”?
[4. ASTRONOMY: How many planets in our solar system have rings?
[5. LITERATURE: The novels “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn” are set in which U.S. state?
[6. TELEVISION: How many seasons of “Star Trek” were produced for television?
[7. GEOGRAPHY: What is the name of the highest mountain in Greece?
[8. SCIENCE: Which plant produces the world’s hottest pepper?
[9. ANATOMY: Which hormone regulates blood sugar?
[10. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a piebald? answer
10. An animal with irregular patches of two colors, usually black and white.
9. Insulin.
8. Carolina Reaper.
7. Mount Olympus.
6. Three.
5. Missouri.
4. Four: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
© 2023 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
