YES! Weekly - August 14, 2024 by YES! Weekly

A SIMPLE GESTURE

A local nonproﬁt has made it their mission to end hunger in the Triad, one simple gesture at a time. A Simple Gesture, locally headquartered in Greensboro, serves cities in Guilford County and helps cities throughout the country set up their own programs.

dents,

Last month, the self-explanatory magazine MovieMaker (again) selected the School of Filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) as one of the 30 BEST FILM SCHOOLS in the United States and Canada for 2024,

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Publisher CHARLES A. WOMACK III publisher@yesweekly.com

EDITORIAL

Editor CHANEL R. DAVIS chanel@yesweekly.com

YES! Writers IAN MCDOWELL

MARK BURGER

KATEI CRANFORD

JIM LONGWORTH

DALIA RAZO

LYNN FELDER JOHN BATCHELOR

PRODUCTION

Senior Designer ALEX FARMER designer@yesweekly.com

5 12

While Tropical Storm Debby may have brought rain to the Triad and its resiTIFF’S TREATS delivered a nice, warm surprise to the YES! Weekly offices on Thursday.

I know this isn’t a profound thought, but athletic events should be about ATHLETICS NOT SOCIAL ISSUES, scandal, or controversy. The Olympics should be a competitive celebration of individual achievement, and for the most part, it is.

It may not have been either the best-known or most successful film Gene

Designer SHANE HART artdirector@yesweekly.com

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Marketing ANGELA COX angela@yesweekly.com

TRAVIS WAGEMAN travis@yesweekly.com

Hackman or Francis Ford Coppola made, but THE CONVERSATION has been cited by both as their favorite film in numerous interviews over the years.

12 Last year, Rocco “Rocky” Scarfone filed his second lawsuit against the City of Greensboro over the February One Parking Deck at 110 S. Davie Street, alleging the controversial much-delayed construction project had “destroyed” his CONE DENIM Entertainment Center...

13 August afternoons resonate with summer’s sweet swan song, and there’s certainly music in the air around WinstonSalem as SECCA — excuse me: NCMA W-S — launches its new Lakeside Concert Series with Greensboro’s QUEEN BEES OPENING FOR FLOCK OF DIMES on August 24.

Promotion NATALIE GARCIA

DISTRIBUTION JANICE GANTT ANDREW WOMACK

UNCSA School of Filmmaking adds another accolade

Contributor

Last month, the self-explanatory magazine

MovieMaker (again) selected the School of Filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) as one of the 30 best film schools in the United States and Canada for 2024, alongside such educational institutions as the American Film Industry (AFI) Conservatory, the Columbia University School of the Arts, Emerson College, New York University, and even Temple University, where yours truly graduated (although with a degree in journalism).

As the 2024 fall semester approaches, big things are in store at the School of Filmmaking, which celebrates its 30th birthday this year, according to School of Filmmaking Dean Deborah Lavine, who is entering her fourth year as dean. “It feels like I just began,” she said. “I remain very excited by the adventure. Each year brings new challenges, and our school continues to evolve to meet the needs of an ever-changing industry. Those challenges keep all of us on our toes and make for a fascinating journey.”

To be included among the 30 top film schools is an honor that LaVine doesn’t take lightly or for granted, and she believes “there are a number of factors” that have repeatedly earned the UNCSA School of Filmmaking such esteem from MovieMaker and other industry publications year after year.

“One is the intersection of art and commerce,” she said. “We are able, thanks to the breadth of the faculty and staff, to provide many different points of view on how to be a filmmaker — but we will always provide practical fundamentals along with tools to develop the student’s artistic voice. Another key quality about the school is our ability to provide resources, both financial and other, for our students to make work every year of their residency. While the budgets may not be enormous, they are often more than other schools can provide. Also, the distinction of being located in the midAtlantic region means that our student population has experiences and hears stories not twice told. This is a unique environment that sparks inspiration different from other filmmaking hubs such as New York and Los Angeles.”

Of course, the main components are the faculty and students. “The school’s founding principle is based on a conservatory model,” she explained.

“At UNCSA, the School of Filmmaking defines that as close mentorship. The

DOWNTOWN JAZZ

AUGUST 16

CORPENING PLAZA

ALTHEA RENE SUMMER ON FOURTH AUGUST 17

faculty represents filmmaking models that range from Hollywood industrial filmmaking, art cinema, micro-filmmaking, series and streaming, live-action and animation, digital filmmaking, fiction, and non-fiction. That breadth of practice offers students great inspiration for making their own work.

“Our students represent the broad landscape of cinematic storytelling styles that are playing out on large and small screens. My hope is that although they each have individual ideas and goals, the common UNCSA experience includes creative freedom, a deep appreciation for collaboration, and a sense of self-confidence. The film industry needs their youthful exuberance and new ideas!”

As for the future, “I would like to

continue growing the areas of emerging technologies in filmmaking,” LaVine said. “There’s a whole new world of cinematic arts being developed that can aid and enhance creativity. We have faculty and staff who can explore and implement those technologies, and we have a great number of students who would like to make work with these tools.”

The list of UNCSA School of Filmmaking graduates is an illustrious one, including David Gordon Green (the last Halloween trilogy), Brett Haley ( The Hero ), Jody Hill ( Observe & Report ), Aaron Katz ( Cold Weather ), Danny McBride (HBO’s Eastbound & Down ), Jeff Nichols ( The Bikeriders ), actors Chris Parnell and Paul Schneider, and Craig Zobel ( Great World of Sound ), to name a few. Many have returned to their old UNCSA stomping (and studying) grounds to discuss their experiences with current students.

“I’ve been thrilled to meet many alumni over the past three years,” said LaVine. “Some are very successful in the film industry and others are enjoying other careers, but still use the tools of communication learned during their residency in the School of Filmmaking. We are going to celebrate 30 years of UNCSA School of Filmmaking accomplishments with a celebratory weekend in October. This will include several days of panels, screenings, and other events highlighting the first decade of the school and its founding dean, Sam Grogg.”

The official UNCSA website is https:// www.uncsa.edu/. !

Mark Burger

Deborah Lavine

YES! Review’s Ti ’s Treats

BY CHANEL R. DAVIS

While Tropical Storm Debby may have brought rain to the Triad and its residents, Ti ’s Treats delivered a nice, warm surprise to the YES! Weekly o ces on Thursday.

That surprise led to this week’s YES! Review on some sweet cookies that are being delivered across the Triad area. Ti ’s Treats has o cially launched a new delivery-only outpost in Greensboro, marking the eighth location in the state and the ﬁrst in the Triad. The cookies are baked to order and delivered on demand.

The company was founded by Ti any and Leon Chen when they were sophomores at The University of Texas at Austin, the brand has earned its fan base with its unique straight-from-the-oven delivery model and has grown to more than 130 locations and counting. The Greensboro opening is the latest step for Ti ’s Treats, which recently opened two new deliveryonly locations in the Raleigh area. “We’re ecstatic to expand the reach of Ti ’s Treats in the Tar Heel State,” said Ti any Chen, co-founder and chief creative o cer of Ti ’s Treats, in a press release. “Our fans have been asking for us to come to Greensboro for years, and we’re so glad that dream is now a reality. We hope that the community will embrace the idea of cookie kindness and share a bit of love with their friends and family with gifts of warm cookie deliveries for all of life’s special occasions.”

Greensboro residents will be able to have treats baked-to-order and delivered warm to their doorstep Monday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9:15 p.m. Cookie ﬂavors include all of Ti ’s Treats’ classic favorites, as well as a rotating Flavor of the Month. Flavors include Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, Sugar Cookie with M&Ms, Double Chocolate Chip, Sugar, Peanut Butter, Pecan Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, White Chip Almond, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip. Catering trays, milk and select specialty packaging will be available for special occasions like birthdays and thank you’s. The new locations will also boast a new ﬂavor in honor of Ti ’s Treats’ 25th anniversary, Birthday Confetti

with white chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles.

On that rainy Thursday, there were only three sta members in the o ce. Below are our ratings, from 1 to 5 with 5 being absolutely amazing, on the cookies we received.

Shane

Chocolate Chip 5/5

Snickerdoodle 2/5

Double Chocolate Chip 4.5/5

Oatmeal Raisin 4/5

Sugar Cookie with M&M’s 4/5

FAVE: Chocolate Chip

Chanel

Chocolate Chip 5/5

Snickerdoodle 1/5

Double Chocolate Chip 4/5

Oatmeal Raisin 4/5

Sugar Cookie with M&M’s 4.5/5 FAVE: Chocolate Chip

Charles

Chocolate Chip 4/5

Snickerdoodle 2/5

Double Chocolate Chip 4.5/5

Oatmeal Raisin 5/5

Sugar Cookie with M&M’s 3/5 FAVE: Oatmeal Raisin

Orders can be placed throughcookiedelivery.com, the Ti ’s Treats mobile app, DoorDash, and Uber Eats. !

Carolina Classic Fair entries accepted

until September 1 for a share of $225,000 in prize money

PRESS RELEASE

The Carolina Classic Fair — North Carolina’s second-largest agricultural fair — is accepting entries for a wide variety of competitive exhibits including apple decorating, cookie and cake baking, collections, Legos and much more. All entries must be submitted by September 1 for this year’s fair, which will take place in Winston-Salem from October 4 through October 13.

The Carolina Classic Fair has added several new competitive categories for prizes this year, including pillowcase dress, embroidery, sleeping eye mask, no-bake cookies, diamond art, decorated cookies, youth gardening, senior class essays and poems, dog/cat clothing, and professional canning. The fair also is introducing a new category for decorative pepper baskets in memory of Edward “Eddie” Hernandez, a longtime exhibitor who died unexpectedly in September 2023.

New for 2024, the Carolina Classic Fair will award prize money for pumpkins and watermelons by the pound. For example, a winning 1,000 pound pumpkin could earn $2,000 in prize money.

In addition, the fair will o er a new contest called “Caps for Cancer.” Caps entered should be made of soft, stretchy fabric such as ﬂeece to be more comfortable. All caps will be donated to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center following the Fair for distribution to cancer patients.

“There’s a competition for everyone at the Carolina Classic Fair, and I encourage anyone to enter who has an interest or hobby related to our competitive exhibits. We’re particularly excited about our new Caps for Cancer contest to assist those in need,” Carolina Classic Fair Director Cheryle Hartley said. “Participating in the Carolina Classic Fair competitions and seeing the results are always among our annual highlights. The competitions are right at the top of my list of personal favorites at the Carolina Classic Fair.

type of political messaging or a liation will be immediately disqualiﬁed.

“The great thing is that you don’t have to be a professional to enter our competitions. People at all di erent experience levels participate in all our categories,” Hartley said. “It is not surprising to have a novice win a prize. Best of all, those who enter could win a share of the more than $225,000 in prize money that we’re o ering this year.”

In addition to ﬁne art, crafts, ﬂoriculture, culinary, wine, decorated holiday tree, and essay competitions — to name just some of the many categories — the Carolina Classic Fair o ers a wide range of livestock competitions, including beef, dairy, sheep, lamb, and poultry categories. Most of the livestock awards also are given in youth categories. There are no entry fees except for the livestock and wine competitions.

For more information and to access entry forms, please visit carolinaclassicfair.com/competitive-entries.

WANT TO BE REVIEWED?

YES! Reviews is a biweekly column to place a spotlight on di erent books, goods, and items that are from around the Triad and the state. You can mail items to YES! Reviews, 5500 Adams Farm Lane, Suite 204, Greensboro, NC 27407.

“Our overall competition theme this year is ‘America,’ and we’re looking forward to seeing plenty of red, white and blue included in entries such as wreaths, Christmas trees and even essays and poems,” she added. “Please note that any

Celebrating its 142nd year in 2024, the Carolina Classic Fair is owned and operated by the City of Winston-Salem after being donated to the City by the Winston-Salem Foundation in 1969. The 10-day annual Fair features nationally renowned musical entertainment, delicious food, and beverages, exhibits for livestock, poultry, ﬁne arts and crafts, a world-class carnival with numerous rides and games, and many more activities. The Carolina Classic Fair at the time of opening day will follow all state and local health and safety protocols. For more information on the Carolina Classic Fair, please visit CarolinaClassicFair.com. !

Olympics a Mix of Skills and Distractions

Iknow this isn’t a profound thought, but athletic events should be about athletics not social issues, scandal, or controversy. The Olympics should be a competitive celebration of individual achievement, and for the most part, it is. Simone Biles, for example, was fun to watch as she displayed individual excellence, and the athleticism of America’s synchronized divers was jaw dropping. But this year’s Olympic games have also been marred by distractions of one kind or another.

Before the athletes even suited up, billions of viewers had to ﬁrst endure a parade of drag queens who went on to recreate a perceived living version of

The Lord’s Last Supper. Later came the Canadian drone scandal, the controversy over the gender of an Algerian boxer, and a misogynist announcer who implied that female athletes are best suited to housework. Also tainting the fun was pollution of the Seine River, terrorist threats, bomb threats, a COVID outbreak in aquatics, the possibility of bedbug infestation, a rise in the number of tiger mosquitos, a Japanese gymnast sent home for smoking, Caitlin Clarke omitted from the women’s basketball team, raw meat being served at the Olympic village, Chinese women swimmers allowed to compete after having been found taking PEDs only weeks before, and the discovery that an Australian surﬁng judge was friendly with one of that country’s surfers. Bottom line: controversy is not fun, and it distracts from the games.

So, what’s the solution? Twenty years ago, late-night icon David Letterman o ered a way to improve the Olympics. He invited 10 medal winners from the 2004 Olympics to help him present his Top 10

list. The category was: “Top Ten Ways to Make the Olympics More Fun.”

#10 (from Cara Kirk, silver medalist in the 400-meter swimming relay): “Gymnasts allowed to smoke during ﬂoor exercises.”

#9 (from Lindsay Benko, gold and silver medalist in swimming): “Require Dutch track and ﬁeld team to wear wooden shoes.”

#8 (Rulan Gardner, bronze medal weight lifter): “Replace pummel horse with a real horse.”

#7 (Ally Cox, silver medal winner in women’s rowing):

“Long jump, followed by high jump, followed by wide jump.”

#6 (Patricia Miranda, bronze medalist in free-stye wrestling): “Try to make every event a little more like Yahtzee.”

#5 (Pete Cippoloni, gold medal winner for men’s Rowing):

“High dive tank full of sharks.”

#4 (Susan William, bronze medalist for women’s triathlon): “Loser slots at the Olympic village.”

I don’t know about nude fencing, but the IOC actually has enacted changes over the years to make the Olympics more fun. The problem is that in doing so, the committee has created controversy of its own by diluting and disparaging the true spirit of the ancient games. Sure, beach volleyball is a fun activity. So is ping pong, ﬂag football, break dancing, and badminton. But those so-called “sports” don’t belong in the Olympics, and neither do men’s and women’s basketball for that matter. After all, the Olympics should test individual achievement by amateur athletes. What we have now are professional teams competing against each other. Don’t get me wrong, it’s exciting to watch Lebron and his teammates demolish foreign roundball squads, but those games belong in a world basketball tournament not in the Olympics.

#3 (Maurice Green, bronze medal winner in the 100-yard dash): “Instead of the National Anthem, play something by Usher.”

#2 (Sarah McMahon, silver medalist in women’s free-style wrestling): “We got badminton. What could be more fun than that?”

Today it seems that just about anything can become an Olympic sport. Comedian Tracy Morgan recently told Jimmy Fallon that he was, “Competing in a knish and roast beef contest.” Don’t laugh, it might come to pass. At any rate, I hope that when the next summer Olympics rolls around it will be devoid of controversial distractions and inappropriate “sports,” so that we can just focus on more traditional events, like nude fencing. !

#1 (Gary Hall, gold and bronze medal winner in swimming): “Two words — Nude Fencing.”

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+.

AUGUST 10

Lee Greenwood: 40 Years of God Bless the USA

SEPTEMBER 20 Killer Beaz

OCTOBER 12

Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone

NOVEMBER 30

Christmas Stories & Songs with John Berry

SEPTEMBER 26 The Tannahill Weavers

OCTOBER 19

Kelly Swanson: Pride’s Hollow

DECEMBER 15-17

High Point Ballet’s The Nutcracker and Land of the Sweets

SEPTEMBER 27 Scythian: From Ukraine to Appalachia

NOVEMBER 2 Will Downing in Concert

JANUARY 17 The Karens (Comedy Show)

OCTOBER 5

Alexander Star: The Impact Artist

NOVEMBER 8 William Lee Martin

MARCH 13

BANFF Mountain Film Festival World Tour

Coppola’s classic Conversation marks milestone with re-release

It may not have been either the best-known or most successful film Gene Hackman or Francis Ford Coppola made, but The Conversation has been cited by both as their favorite film in numerous interviews over the years. Widely considered one of the seminal films of the 1970s and now being re-released theatrically on its 50th anniversary, it has lost none of its resonance or power.

Unlike some of his other ﬁlms (Apocalypse Now, The Cotton Club), Coppola — who provides an on-camera introduction — has not added or deleted any footage from The Conversation. He has simply upgraded the picture and sound quality with the latest digital technology, which is somehow appropriate given the techheavy theme of the ﬁlm.

Hackman plays Harry Caul, a mildmannered surveillance expert considered “the best in the business.” He inconspicuously and ingeniously records those he is hired to keep tabs on, turns over his tapes to whoever hired him — their identity is

intentionally left vague — and waits for his next assignment.

Yet his latest assignment, when he records a young couple (Frederic Forrest and Cindy Williams) apparently planning a murder, plunges him into a moral quandary. A neurotic and paranoid man, Harry is riddled with remorse over an earlier assignment in which three people were killed and su ers what might best be described as a colossal case of Catholic guilt. Goaded on by an innate sense of

decency, Harry decides to investigate further, unaware that his mounting obsession will ultimately consume him.

Those more familiar with Coppola’s expansive and grandiose films may be surprised by the tightly controlled, self-contained narrative of The Conversation. On the surface, it’s a cold and impersonal film, but there are fascinating ideas percolating just underneath. It’s also a deeply personal film. Coppola was inspired by Michelangelo Antonioni’s influential Blowup (1966), to say nothing of the works of Alfred Hitchcock. That the film is set in San Francisco was likely due to that city being headquarters for his Zoetrope Studios, but it also carries unmistakable echoes of Vertigo (1958).

Coppola essentially bested himself as The Godfather Part II (which he ﬁlmed immediately after The Conversation) swept the awards.

As the tormented Harry Caul, Hackman gives an astonishing, bravura performance, unlike anything he’s ever done. He doesn’t so much play Harry Caul as become him, the character almost fading into the background despite being the protagonist. That Hackman was overlooked at the Oscars seems in retrospect a major snub. It’s almost as if his performance was too good and too believable.

The current controversy regarding AI technology could easily be applied to The Conversation. It’s about perception and deception, and how reality can be altered and/or misinterpreted. It’s a heady work that continues to dazzle with its insight, intelligence, and intensity.

The release of the ﬁlm, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and earned three Academy Award nominations (Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Sound), couldn’t have been timelier, coming on the heels of the Watergate scandal that led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon.

The film was actually playing in theaters when Nixon resigned. Yet it struggled to find an audience and was considered a financial disappointment. At the Oscars,

Hackman is surrounded by a top-flight cast: Allen Garfield, Teri Garr, Harrison Ford, Michael Higgins, Elizabeth MacRae, and an unbilled Robert Duvall. Best of all is John Cazale as Harry’s faithful assistant Stan. Cazale, who died in 1978, only made five films and has the distinction that all five were nominated for Best Picture, with three of them (The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, and The Deer Hunter) winning. In the end, however, it’s Gene Hackman who makes the most indelible impression, and his climactic breakdown is a prime example of acting at its finest — much as The Conversation represents American filmmaking at its best.

— The 50th-anniversary restored version of The Conversation opens Friday at a/perture cinema. !

Mark Burger

Contributor

STILL COURTESY OF RIALTO PICTURES / AMERICAN ZOETROPE

Gene Hackman in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation (1974).

ARTWORK BY LAURENT DURIEUX © NAUTILUS ART PRINTS

e.g.

A Simple Gesture: Local agency ﬁghts hunger in the Triad

Alocal nonproﬁt has made it their mission to end hunger in the Triad, one simple gesture at a time.

A Simple Gesture, locally headquartered in Greensboro, serves cities in Guilford County and helps cities throughout the country set up their own programs.

The nonproﬁt hunger relief organization collects food from donors, including neighbors, businesses and faith communities, and then distributes that food to food pantry partners via volunteers. The program has three main goals: to provide a regular supply of food to hungry neighbors; to create new neighborhood connections and strengthen the community; and to serve as a model for other communities.

“Our goal is to really engage the community to end hunger. We got started back in 2015 when Greensboro and High Point were one of the hungriest metropolitan areas in the country. We felt like there were so many pantries that were doing amazing things. We didn’t need another pantry but we really wanted a way to get the entire community involved in ending hunger,” said Leslie Loyd, president and chief operating o cer at A Simple Gesture. “For me, my background is in public health and with the World Food Program. I know that having a really good diet is one of the best things we can do to set kids’ families up to live an active and healthy lifestyle. It’s just really important to me that people are able to eat. I also think it’s important as a community that we do that. I don’t think I’ve ever lived in a community as giving as this one. I think people were shocked and ready to help in 2015. So, the timing was right. The need was there. The

people who wanted to help were there. They just needed someone to organize it. That’s what we’ve done.”

The agency’s Green Bag Food Donor Program is pretty popular. Donors keep a green, reusable grocery bag in their homes and fill the bag with the needed food items attached to it. They can choose to add a few items every week or fill it in one shopping trip. At least once a month, they leave the filled bag outside of their front door, and the agency’s volunteer drivers pick up the filled bag and leave an empty one. The collected food is then delivered the same day to the food bank for distribution to the homes in need.

“The food goes directly to the food pantries where they can sort it and get to our neighbors as quickly as possible,” Loyd explained.

With A Simple Gesture’s Food Recovery Program, the nonproﬁt works with food industry businesses in Greensboro and High Point, like grocery stores, restaurants, caterers, and farms, to get surplus food to nonproﬁts that can be used to feed the community. Their vision is to decrease food disparities while creating a more sustainable world, by donating food that would be otherwise discarded and delivering them to their partner pantries.

“In 2020, we added a food recovery program,” she said. “We collect things that are getting near their expiration dates and then take them to places that are feeding people that day. So we partner with homeless shelters and churches and all kinds of places that are providing community meals with that program.”

Loyd also said it’s a way to combat climate change.

“One thing that we’re thinking about is that food waste is one reason for climate change. All of us can reduce how much we’re wasting. But that’s also why we are spending so much of our time picking up food close to expiration, while we’re collecting that food from the schools to be redistributed because we truly think that not only does it

make a di erence in feeding people, but it also makes the di erence in climate change.”

The agency’s SHARE program is a food recovery program with Guilford County Schools. In the summer of 2023, the program placed SHARE refrigerators in all 126 GCS schools. Students with unopened food items can leave these items from School Nutrition Services in the SHARE fridge and other students are free to take them throughout the day. The unopened, prepackaged, and individually wrapped food includes produce, milk, and juice that can not be returned to the school food nutrition services department. These items are made available to any student within the school at any time during the day. According to the agency, some of the beneﬁts of the program include maximizing food resources, it being easy for students and sta to implement and utilize, the food

Chanel R. Davis

Editor

being available to any student therefore eliminating stigma, and extra nourishment for students in need. According to the program’s data, it saves about 50 pounds of leftover food items per day, per school.

“We put a refrigerator in schools, and kids who don’t open things on their cafeteria plate, for example, a bag of carrots, or an apple, or milk,” she said. “If they don’t open it, they can put it into the SHARE fridge, and then any other child can come and get what they would like out of the fridge and have a snack or take it home for dinner.”

What started as a passion project has turned into a full-scale operation. One that, according to Loyd, others are hoping to implement across the state and nation.

“People are calling us at a state and federal level to ask if we can expand our SHARE program across the country. North Carolina just adopted our standard operating procedures as the state’s operating procedures for all food recovery. So we started small and are trying to ﬁgure out the best way to do these things. But I think we’re ﬁguring out all these lessons that people in the rest of the country are starting to copy and adopt just because they work,” she said laughing.

When asked if she ever thought that this “passion project” would magnify to this level, she laughed harder followed by, “I had no idea.”

“It seems like this community just loved it and hopped on. We collect from about 5,500 houses at this point. They’re our biggest cheerleaders, where we have a little tiny budget and a little tiny sta , and it takes hundreds of volunteers and thousands of supporters, and they’re making a huge di erence,” she said. “We really want to make sure everyone has access to food.

Because that’s how you end hunger, to make food a ordable and accessible. We can do that, we can end hunger here.”

When asked what the agency’s next steps and future plans were, Loyd said that the ultimate goal would be “to put ourselves out of business.”

“It’s really a failure of our society that there’s hunger in the wealthiest country in the world. I think we’re lacking the political will right now to decide we don’t want this here. Otherwise, it could be gone tomorrow,” she said “But until that happens, I think our goal is to continue to be a model for the country of how a community cares for each other and how a whole lot of people just doing little tiny things can make a massive di erence for the entire community.”

Loyd said that the agency is always in need of volunteers and those interested can sign up on their website.

“We use about 300 volunteers a month. We always need people who are willing to donate food, and we always need monetary donations. We have a really small budget, but it’s nice to keep the lights on,” she said. “If they can’t do those things, I think just being more mindful about how they’re using their food and what they’re doing with it. I think we can all be less wasteful around food.”

A Simple Gesture will be celebrating its 9th Birthday Celebration on Thursday, August 15th from 5 to 8 p.m. at its headquarters, located at 3503 Redington Dr. To RSVP or learn more about the agency or how to get involved, email asimplegesturegso@gmail.com. !

Scarfone selling downtown Greensboro music venue

Last year, Rocco “Rocky” Scarfone ﬁled his second lawsuit against the City of Greensboro over the February One Parking Deck at 110 S. Davie Street, alleging the controversial much-delayed construction project had “destroyed” his Cone Denim Entertainment Center music venue at 117 S. Elm by blocking access to the venue’s back door and loading deck.

Now that litigation is on hold and Scarfone is putting the venue up for auction.

The listing for “Cone Denim Theatre” at www.bizbuysell. com describes the property as a “Live Music Venue w/ FF&E,” meaning furniture, ﬁxtures, and equipment, and states the online auction begins on September 8 and concludes three days later, with the starting bid set at $400,000.

The two-story structure, built in 1949 and renovated in 2014, is listed as a 11,206 square foot storefront building on a .15-acre lot, “with exceptional value-add potential & a highly accessible, highly traveled location” o ering “potential tax incentives.”

It also states the “Asset is equipped with tour bus & trailer parking w/ access to a lift, a shared easement for venue use the day of shows, and 900+ person capacity.” Greater Greensboro Entertainment Group LLC v. City of Greensboro, the lawsuit ﬁled Jan. 6, 2023, by Scarfone’s attorney Drew Brown, described that easement thusly; “The City readily agreed to give the full easement knowing that every inch of it mattered,” but then, alleged the Complaint, violated that agreement by “building the parking garage literally and directly in the easement,” causing “signiﬁcant damage and loss of good will among concert goers and Agents, National Recording Artists, Comedians, and other touring shows [and] destroying the business.”

It also stated that the “City has repeatedly given assurances that the project would be completed promptly, and yet 4 years and 8 months after the settlement was executed, it has not been completed and the City has missed deadline after deadline with no regard for the

terms of the settlement agreement and the adverse e ects their actions would have.”

In December 2017, Greensboro City Council approved spending $30 million on the February One-Westin Hotel parking deck on Davie Street. That construction was initially held up by Scarfone’s 2018 lawsuit over construction blocking back-alley access to the music venue. After Scarfone refused the city’s o er to buy the easement for $55,000, city council voted to take possession via eminent domain, but later settled for $650,000 plus $85,000 in legal fees. That settlement also granted Scarfone an easement from the back of Cone Denim via Market Street, and granted him space behind Cone Denim for a performer’s lounge.

But it denied him the right to build stairs to it. However, former City Attorney Tom Carruthers reportedly closed the deal without getting Scarfone’s signature on necessary supporting documents. A statement made to YES! Weekly last year by City Attorney Chuck Watts acknowledged that this oversight resulted in his predecessor’s dismissal. After months of negotiations, the city sold Scarfone air rights over the alley, denying him the ﬁrst 15 feet of height over its pavement, but allowing him to build above that.

In 2017, the city announced that the planned $300 million deck was expected to be completed in two years, but due to the litigation and re-negotiation, construction

did not begin until 2019. Five years later, the parking deck opened in June of this year at a ﬁnal cost of $43 million.

Along with customers and employees of other downtown businesses, the new parking deck is intended to serve the long-planned and also much-delayed 180-room Westin Hotel that will be built beside and partially over it.

In June, District 3 Representative Zack Matheny told the News & Record that “it’s about time” the parking deck was ﬁnished. Matheny also stated that representatives of Elm Street Hotel LLC, the development company behind the Westin project, have told him they intend to begin construction by December of this year. In 2021, those developers told Triad Business Journal that construction was expected to begin in 2023.

Managers of Elm Street Hotel LLC include Maryland developers Greg Dillon and Jack Cash, Daniel Robinson of Durham, and Greensboro businessman Randall Kaplan.

As for the second lawsuit that Scarfone ﬁled in January 2023, Guilford Superior Court records show that on Feb. 2 of this year, Case # 23CVS002115-400 was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice.

In North Carolina, voluntary dismissal without prejudice allows a plainti to temporarily halt a lawsuit against a local government for up to two years, during which time the plainti can amend their claim or move the case to another court before reﬁling it. This means that, theoretically, Scarfone can reﬁle his lawsuit any time between now and February of 2026.

On Sunday, Scarfone attorney Drew Brown told YES! Weekly, “There is no activity currently in that litigation; what happens with the sale is a big factor in that.”

Asked if the sale meant his client was leaving downtown Greensboro, Brown laughed.

“Rocky will be around, he’s not going anywhere. The building is up for sale, and like any person selling a building, he wants to get as much money as possible. I’ll be happy to talk to you once it sells, but for right now, all I can say is it’s up for auction and we’ll see what happens. Hopefully, somebody will buy it, and I have no idea what they will use it for. There’s all kind of uses for it in downtown Greensboro.” !

IAN MCDOWELL is an award-winning author and journalist whose book I Ain’t Resisting: the City of Greensboro and the Killing of Marcus Smith was published in September of 2023 by Scuppernong Editions.

Ian McDowell

Contributor

Parking deck under construction in 2023

Easement alley in 2023

Developer rendering of planned hotel atop parking deck

Rocco “Rocky” Scarfone

Cone Denim on Sunday

Flock of Dimes and Queen Bees go Lakeside at NCMA W-S

August afternoons resonate with summer’s sweet swan song, and there’s certainly music in the air around WinstonSalem as SECCA — excuse me: NCMA W-S — launches its new Lakeside Concert Series with Greensboro’s Queen Bees opening for Flock of Dimes on August 24.

For the folks at the newly crested North Carolina Museum of Art Winston-Salem (formerly known as the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art), it’s all about emphasizing ways the space retains its charm; while also ushering in arrays of new programming, in addition to an expanded concert calendar.

“I’m so pleased that our hometown is right there in the name,” Executive Director William Carpenter said in a recent newsletter. ”For more than 65 years, Winston-Salem has supported our e orts to raise the proﬁles of contemporary artists, to bring high-quality art education to our schools and communities, and to make the very best of contemporary culture accessible to all.”

Highlighting the fruits of the museum’s 17-year relationship with the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, “this name celebrates our [connection to], one of the nation’s oldest and most successful public art museums,” Carpenter explained. “And we’re scheduling more concerts across a spectrum of genres. The Hanes House, lake stage, and auditorium serve as wonderful venues for experiencing new sounds from emerging artists.”

Marketing Director Philip Pledger agreed.

“We’re excited to build on the momentum of some fantastic concerts here over the past year, and utilize the lake stage in new ways,” Pledger said. “The back lawn’s natural landscape and wooded setting create a really unique concert environment. We’re really looking forward to hosting Jenn Wasner as she kicks o the Lakeside series with her Flock of Dimes project.”

With Flock of Dimes, Wasner has time and again spread her wings beyond be-

ing one-half of the critically acclaimed Baltimore art-indie-rock duo, Wye Oak. Experimenting with sounds and synthesizers enswirling atmospheric pop rock, Flock of Dimes has evolved into an array of sonic tapestries — grounded by Wasner’s unyielding guitar work and passion for pushing toward ear-spiritual experience of visceral songwriting — evidenced by the wiles of sophomore record, “Head of Roses,” released on the venerable Sub Pop Records.

Embracing unique experiences, the current incarnation pairs Wasner with pedal steel, with the fresh but familiar duo format touring solely in nontraditional spaces — living rooms, lofts and come August, NCMA W-S’s Lakeside.

“I’m so grateful to be a part of their Lakeside concert series,” Wasner said. “Lately I’ve adopted a more minimal approach to touring and performing, and have gravitated towards smaller, more intimate shows in non-traditional spaces. I’ll be doing more house shows this fall, so keep your eyes peeled if that sounds like your idea of a good time. Meanwhile, I’m excited to play my songs in such a beautiful place tonight — thank you for choosing to share your evening with me.”

The gratitude is echoed by Queen Bees: the electro-folk trio featuring musician and journalist Molly McGinn on guitar and vocals; creative producer and musician Kate M. Tobey on violin, vocals, and drum; and electronic music producer and anthropologist Quilla on keys, beats, and vocals.

First formed as a call to action in support of Drag Queens across the world–and formally united as a top-winner in the N.C. Folk Festival’s 2023 “Not Your Average Folk” contest — Queen Bees, are frankly bussin…and are buzzing with excitement to perform.

“I’m a fan of Flock of Dimes,” Quilla

said, adamantly. “I saw her perform at Hopscotch years ago — and then got her early vinyl releases — I’ll be out there fangirling.”

She won’t be alone.

“Jenn is part of that Triangle group of musicians we’re a little awestruck by,” McGinn explained. “That cool crew that goes back to the Megafaun days: Mountain Men, the OG Hiss Golden Messenger. She seems to be both in the middle of that movement and yet totally doing her own thing.”

“Very inspiring,” McGinn continued, expanding her fangirl lens to encompass NCMA W-S as a prime concert destination. “I saw one of my favorite concerts ever there: Gillian Welch and David Rawlings a few years back on my birthday. I probably quietly set a goal to play there someday, but didn’t think it would actually happen.”

Eight years later — 24 hours shy of being to the very day — McGinn will make good on her quiet goal–and celebrate a pretty audacious milestone: “I’m turning 50!,” she said. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate it than by playing music with my friends. Good thing I’ve been training up to do a lot of Sally O’Malley kicks this year.”

“I love this museum,” McGinn continued. ”Especially lately. Museums can feel like a church sometimes. NCMA W-S feels more like a creative studio, or a community center. So to be invited in, when they’re working so hard to make art feel more like a Saturday night than a Sunday morning, makes me feel like we’re a part of that momentum. You can really feel it in Winston. The arts vibe is strong there, and it’s no accident. They’ve been working hard at it.”

Tobey agreed. “I love being a small part of activating spaces in the Triad with art,” she said. “It’s what makes this area so creative.”

For Quilla, the creative resonance in the area and in her hive of Bees can’t be ignored. “This band has been like a sisterhood,” she explained. “It’s helped us face the challenges that life brings, and express them through song and community.” As she looks forward to further engaging and expressing the Triad arts community, she’s also preparing for a move back to Montreal.

“It’s not a secret that I’ve been homesick for my hometown, Montreal, for years,” she said. “I miss my family in Canada terribly. After being in the US for 14 years and not seeing them very much — it’s time for me to reconnect with my roots, my language and culture.”

But just because Quilla’s moving, it doesn’t mean she’s buzzing o . “I also want The Queen Bees to be a big part of this new chapter,” she insisted. “I’m a traveler at heart — that’s how I ended up here in Greensboro — and I see this transition as an opportunity for us to broaden our horizons. Plus, I have family here in Greensboro too, so I’ll be back often. It’ll always be a home to me too, and I’m grateful for the time I’ve spent here.”

“It’s deﬁnitely not the end of anythingmore like our next evolution,” Tobey added, as McGinn all but started making plans.

“We can’t wait to play our ﬁrst show in Montreal,” McGinn beamed, turning toward the buzz around their next bookings. These next few shows will be super special. It’ll mark the end of this sweet beginning we’ve had as a band. And it marks the start of the new chapter as we start thinking about how to collaborate together and play music outside of Greensboro.”

As new seasons loom, new phases unfold, and a new series launch — there’s a magic in late-August air — and a concert at NCMA W-S as Flock of Dimes and Queen Bees go Lakeside, August 24.

Folks looking for more NCMA W-S Concerts can look forward to the next Lakeside session with The Messthetics on October 11; Maia Kamil will kick o the fall 2024 Southern Idiom Series on September 20; and Sunny War will light up the Crossroads Series on November 16; plus a very special soon-to-be-announced Southern Idiom concert will go down December 6, be on the lookout for artist drops in early September. !

KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who enjoys spotlighting artists and events.

Katei Cranford

Contributor

Queen Bees

Flock of Dimes

PHOTO BY CAROLYN DE BERRY

PHOTO BY GRAHAM TOLBERT

last call [SALOME’S STARS]

Week of August 19, 2024

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) A previous misunderstanding continues to taint the atmosphere to some extent during the early part of the week. But cooler heads prevail, and the situation eases by the week’s end.

Big Cat’s energy levels should be rather high these days, and you might do well to tackle any tasks that still need doing. This will clear the way for any upcoming projects.

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) While the artistic aspect of the Divine Bovine is well-served this week, your practical side is also getting the sort of recognition that could lead to a new and well-deserved opportunity.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) With home-related matters taking on more importance this week, now could be the time to make some long-deferred purchases. But shop carefully for the best quality at the best price.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Congratulations! While a family problem might still rankle, it should be easing, thanks to your e orts to calm the waters. Also, a workplace situation seems to be moving in your favor.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22) The

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Someone’s criticism might not be as negative as you perceive. Actually, it could be helpful. Discuss the matter with your critic, and you both could learn something valuable.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) A business matter could cause some friction among your colleagues. But once again, that logical mind of yours comes to the rescue. And the sooner it does, the better!

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) There still might be some heated temper ﬂare-ups out there. But your sensible self should advise you to stay out of these situations until things cool down and calm is restored.

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Changing your mind could

by Fifi Rodriguez

[1. LANGUAGE: What does the Latin preﬁx “audio-” mean in English?

[2. TELEVISION: Gladys Kravitz is the annoying neighbor in which TV comedy?

[3. ANATOMY: About how many taste buds does the average human tongue have?

[4. GEOGRAPHY: The Brandenburg Gate is in which European capital city?

[5. HISTORY: Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during WWII?

[6. MOVIES: Which movie features the line “I’m the king of the world!”?

[7. MYTHOLOGY: What is the name of the Egyptian sun god?

[8. LITERATURE: “The Great Gatsby” is set in which U.S. city?

[9. MONEY: What is the basic currency of Poland?

[10. FOOD & DRINK: Which country is associated with the side dish kimchi?

Bewitched.

“Sound” or “hearing” (e.g. “audiophile”).

be the right thing to do if you can’t resolve your doubts. You might want to discuss the matter with someone whose advice you trust.

[cAPrIcorN (December 22 to January 19) The Sea Goat’s merrier side dominates this week, and this means that despite your usual busy schedule, you’ll be able to squeeze in parties and all sorts of fabulously fun times.

[AQuArIus (January 20 to February 18) An educational opportunity could offer a lead to something other than what you had planned. But keep an open mind, and before you decide to turn it down, check it out.

[PIsces (February 19 to March 20) The Piscean wit and wisdom you have helps you work through a situation that might have been accidentally, or even deliberately, obscured. What you unravel could prove to be very revealing.

[BorN THIs week: Loyalty is important to you. You demand it, but you also give it generously and lovingly.