YES! Weekly - May 19, 2021

STORY SLAM

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May 19-25, 2021 YES! WEEKLY

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MAY 19-25, 2021 VOLUME 17, NUMBER 20

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RETURN TO ITS ROOTS With history as deep as the roots of its front-yard namesake, the green and white late 40s style home on the corner of Gorrell Street and Murrow Boulevard that has bloomed into the HISTORIC MAGNOLIA HOUSE will return to its roots. On Friday and Saturday, the Magnolia House Foundation, Inc. held its Jazz Up the Magnolia event. The event was designed to give attendees an opportunity to view and donate to the Historic Magnolia House Restoration project of returning the home to its former function as an inn for overnight guests, as well as continuing to utilize the space as a community and education hub.

Greensboro, NC 27407 Office 336-316-1231 Fax 336-316-1930 Publisher CHARLES A. WOMACK III publisher@yesweekly.com EDITORIAL Editor CHANEL DAVIS chanel@yesweekly.com YES! Writers IAN MCDOWELL MARK BURGER KATEI CRANFORD

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JIM LONGWORTH NAIMA SAID PRODUCTION Graphic Designers ALEX FARMER designer@yesweekly.com AUSTIN KINDLEY artdirector@yesweekly.com

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The Willingham STORY SLAM @ MUSE Winston-Salem is a partnership between the Willingham Theater in the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center and MUSE Winston-Salem. Guests are invited to tell their best stories...

4 The 35th annual 2021 CAROLINA BLUES FESTIVAL was held Saturday evening with live performances in Downtown Greensboro.

5 According to the CDC, the percentage of high school students who drink and drive has DECREASED by 54 percent since 1991.

That’s the good news.

6 While I have advocated for and wholeheartedly agree that REGULATORY OVERSIGHT OF CBD and CBD products is needed for the long-term success of the hemp industry, I will respectfully disagree with lawyer Bob Crumley’s conclusion that the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shoulders the blame for the closure of his business.

6 When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we were all thrown out of our concept of “NORMAL.” However, we did our best to rise to the challenge.

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Spiral is subtitled “From the Book of Saw,” which can mean only one thing: It’s another “chapter” of grisly big-screen mayhem, the only fresh twist being that the victims are all police officers.

12 An independent bookstore is doing its part to drive the discussion of race for all ages in Winston-Salem. Bookmarks, located at 634 W 4th St. in Downtown Winston-Salem, launched its “BOOK WITH A PURPOSE” program recently, intending to use books as a tool to start change...

13 The GREENSBORO SCIENCE CENTER has announced their new addition to the zoological park - Revolution Ridge.

This 15.5 million dollar expansion project will open to the public on June 4, 2021, with a members-only preview on June 3.

14 THE MARTHA BASSETT SHOW is swinging into its fourth season, streaming twice a month, live from the Reeves Theater, through November. Led by Martha Bassett and her house band, TMBS spotlights regional and touring artists, harkening oldtime radio hours and music numbers from 1970s variety-TV.

ADVERTISING Marketing TRAVIS WAGEMAN travis@yesweekly.com Promotion NATALIE GARCIA

DISTRIBUTION JANICE GANTT KYLE MUNRO SHANE MERRIMAN ANDREW WOMACK We at YES! Weekly realize that the interest of our readers goes well beyond the boundaries of the Piedmont Triad. Therefore we are dedicated to informing and entertaining with thought-provoking, debate-spurring, in-depth investigative news stories and features of local, national and international scope, and opinion grounded in reason, as well as providing the most comprehensive entertainment and arts coverage in the Triad. YES! Weekly welcomes submissions of all kinds. Efforts will be made to return those with a self-addressed stamped envelope; however YES! Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. YES! Weekly is published every Wednesday by Womack Newspapers, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. First copy is free, all additional copies are $1.00. Copyright 2021 Womack Newspapers, Inc.

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[SPOTLIGHT]

MOJI COFFEE - COFFEE, LIFE LESSONS, AND SWEET COMPASSION

BY NAIMA SAID

When you first walk into Moji Coffee, you’re greeted by brightly colored decor and upbeat music. It’s indicative of the coffee shop’s mission and its definition of moji - “the jolt of joy you get when you make others happy.”

“We have such a positive, upbeat atmosphere every day we come into work,” said David Cole, a barista at Moji Coffee, who has been with the coffee shop since its opening in May 2019.

Moji Coffee is a non-profit, local coffee shop located in the heart of downtown, at 690 Trade Street in Winston-Salem, whose aim is to employ individuals of different abilities to work together and build a stronger community presence and involvement in Winston-Salem.

Jade Deaver, store manager at Moji Coffee and More, said she wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.

“To me, coffee and pastries are wonderful, but the most rewarding aspect is seeing the creative abilities of my baristas or as we call them here, Mojista’s,” she said. “Even if you don’t work at the coffee shop, you still receive a commission check and some income as an artist, just like any artist should. It’s a way to support our community. I love our community. Besides being as gracious as they are, they turned us into a family, and I’m thankful for that.”

An example of this when Moji partnered with Canvas Cake Studio and Cafe to supply quiches, loaves of bread, coffee, and pastries to be delivered or picked up by families in celebration of Mother’s Day. “The sweetest moments were when we surprised the mothers. Sometimes their children weren’t able to see them, so they sent them a gift. It was truly heartwarming,” Deaver said.

For Cole, working at Moji Coffee is about enjoying others and sharing that joy with the customers, which aligns him perfectly with the company’s goals.

“My favorite thing about working here is the people that surround me, both my workmates and customers,” he said. “I want to bring joy to everyone that walks in and know that they leave with a smile on their face.”

That love extends to the products Cole serves, as well. He readily admits that the cafe’s most popular drinks are the Moji cold brews, but he prefers the strawberry smoothies or vanilla bean frappes since they don’t contain caffeine.

They’ve teamed up with local businesses to expand their wares, such as getting WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

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Suitable for bagels from Bagel Station and cookies and pastries from Canvas Cake Studio and Cafe.

“The shadow cake is delicious, even our most recent carrot cake has been a hit among customers, but our chocolate scones will always be a classic.”

Moji is constantly updating its brand to reach new levels of joy.

They’ve updated their pastry and drink selection, recently adding two Matcha drinks to the menu, the traditional Matcha and a dragon fruit flavored Matcha.

They now have a second location at the Central Library on West Fifth Street and have their interior set up as an art gallery, displaying employees’ artwork and local artists with different abilities in the area.

Another perk of the job, according to Cole.

“Different organizations open their doors for art classes that we take every month or so. The majority of us draw and paint, then we display our work in the shop for others to purchase them.”

A glimpse at a future made possible for Cole by Moji. While he currently runs the blog for Moji Coffee, he answers excitedly with big, passionate eyes when asked what he’d like to do in the future.

“I’d love to work at a gallery or a music organization.” !

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MUSE Winston-Salem to host a free virtual story slam Thursday

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The Willingham Story Slam @ MUSE Winston-Salem” will host a virtual storytelling event on Thursday, May 20, 2021, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., with the theme “The Mamas and the Papas.”

The Willingham Story Slam @ MUSE Winston-Salem is a partnership between the Willingham Theater in the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center and MUSE WinstonSalem.

Guests are invited to tell their best stories about family joy, hilarity, love, loss, you name it. This month’s featured storyteller is Donovan Livingston, an awardwinning educator, hip-hop artist, spoken word poet, and public speaker—and a new father with lots to share on this month’s theme!

In 2016, Livingston’s Harvard Graduate School of Education convocation address, Lift Off, went viral, reaching over thirteen million views. It was published as a book in 2017. He’s earned degrees

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from UNC-Chapel Hill, Teachers College at Columbia University, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He recently earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Cultural Foundations at UNC-Greensboro. His research explores the ways in which college students use hip-hop—more specifically, its lyrical and poetic aesthetics—to construct meaning, negotiate (often contested) identities, navigate campus life, create community, and develop a sense of critical consciousness. He continues his work at Wake Forest University as the Assistant Dean in the Office of University Collaborations, Lecturer in the Department of Education, and Staff Affiliate of the Program for Leadership and Character.

The evening will be emceed by Larry Barron, aka LB the Poet, award-winning poet, host, and author.

We welcome local storytellers, novice or experienced, to join our special guests and interpret the prompt “The Mamas and the

Papas.” Storytellers have five minutes, and stories must be true to the teller’s best recollection. We will choose eight to 10 individuals to share their true, relatable stories with our audience as they root for each storyteller. Advanced registration for this free community event will be

required for storytellers and observers.

Donations are welcome.

Further details are available at: www. eventbrite.com/e/willingham-story-slammuse-winston-salem-the-mamas-andthepapas-tickets-152021742123. !

35th annual 2021 Carolina Blues Festival The 35th annual 2021 Carolina Blues Festival was held Saturday evening with live performances in Downtown Greensboro.

This year’s festival, themed Carolina Soul, featured performances from blues legend Johnny Rawls, Roy Roberts, The Phoebes and Darryl Johnson.

The Piedmont Blues Preservation Society also presented the Mike Carr Junior Bluesman Award and the KBA Lifetime Achievement Award. The Mike Carr Junior Bluesman Award recognizes emerging adolescent talents that are keeping the blues alive while the KBA Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to blues culture through their work, volunteerism or investment.

For more information about the event, visit piedmontblues.org !

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MAY 19-25, 2021

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voices Keeping kids safe and sober

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ccording to the CDC, the percentage of high school students who drink and drive has decreased by 54 percent since 1991.

That’s the good Jim Longworth news. The bad news is that one in 10 teenagers still Longworth drinks and drives, at Large and according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 2,500 of them die in alcohol-related crashes each year.

Fortunately, one Triad company is working to reduce those numbers.

David Daggett, an attorney with Daggett Shuler, created the “Safe Sober Prom Night” program 31 years ago, and since then, he, his partner Griff Shuler and their army of volunteers have reached out to area teens with a message of responsible behavior. The SSPN program simply requires high school students to sign a pledge that they will not drink and drive, and thus far, over 600,000 teens have taken that pledge.

David and Griff appeared on a recent episode of “Triad Today” to talk about how “Safe Sober Prom Night” came about and where it’s headed.

David: We started the program with an awareness of the dangers of alcohol and drugs for young people, then based it on the most positive force there is, which is positive peer pressure. Then we also got the community involved in the program.

In the early days, students were resistant.

Nowadays, we tell the volunteers to stand back because there’s an avalanche of students just waiting to sign the pledge.

And every teen that takes the pledge receives a custom-designed t-shirt, which they wear as a badge of honor.

David: The t-shirts are a tangible reminder of the program, and that’s been

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sort of a hallmark of positive peer pressure.

Obviously, the program has been a big hit with t-shirt-wearing teens, but it is also recognized and appreciated by school officials.

Griff: Some of the feedback we get is from school administrators and principals who say the program has made a difference in their schools, and that’s what we love to see, which is students making the decision to sign the pledge to be safe and sober.

Until now, Daggett Shuler’s efforts have been focused on keeping kids safe and sober during prom season, but the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a different approach, which has now resulted in new branding, and an expansion of the program.

David: There were no proms last year and very few this year, so we’re modifying and expanding the program from “Safe Sober Prom Night” to “SafeSober. com.” Now, in addition to spreading a message of sobriety during prom season, we can address graduations, back-toschool events, freshman orientation, and other activities. We can be much more versatile year-round and connect with the students where they are.

Of course, Daggett Shuler will continue to give out t-shirts to participating teens, and that means holding an annual competition for the best t-shirt design.

But “SafeSober.com” is about much more than just t-shirts. It’s about saving lives.

David: In what Griff and I do professionally, we’ve seen lives shattered due to drinking and driving issues. “SafeSober. com” will help a generation of kids, and that makes our community better today and into the future. We now have grandkids of our first Safe Sober Prom Night students who are taking the pledge, and that’s pretty gratifying.

For more information, visit www.safesober.com. !

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).

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Letter to the Editor: NCDA&CS has been active in regulation battle

BY STEVE TROXLER, N.C. COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE Dear Editor, I am writing in response to the April 21 article titled, “CBD manufacturer says lack of government regulation put him out of business.” While I have advocated for and wholeheartedly agree that regulatory oversight of CBD and CBD products is needed for the longterm success of the hemp industry, I will respectfully disagree with lawyer Bob Crumley’s conclusion that the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shoulders the blame for the closure of his business. We at NCDA&CS have urged FDA to provide guidance on CBD regulation and sought regulatory authority at the state level in the absence of such federal guidance.

We have been very active on this issue.

Building a business around an emerging crop and an unregulated product should be recognized as highly speculative and bearing inherent risks to begin with. The rewards for taking on such risks so early can lead to great returns for investors or great disappointment. This is by no means a new business concept, but it most assuredly does deserve some acknowledgment as a contributing factor. And, I appreciate that the article did note that production far exceeded the need, pointing out a price drop from $40 to $50 per pound to $3 to $5 a pound for

hemp. As I have said many times, when agriculture is presented with an opportunity to take advantage of a profitable market, we will overproduce ourselves right out of a profit. The hemp industry in general remains in its infancy. In North Carolina, specifically, hemp production exists under a pilot program intended for further research to see if it is a viable crop for North Carolina growers. Viable meaning, can it be grown for-profit, and are there markets for the crop being grown? As a farmer for over 30 years, I am not sure I have ever seen higher expectations placed on a still-developing crop. And, those expectations and promises of high prices for hemp hinged mainly on a burgeoning CBD market.

Even with a largely unproven market, we saw explosive growth in applications to grow hemp and registration of processors. Wanting this industry to have the best shot at succeeding, we first sought guidance and rules from FDA, recognizing that national regulations and standards were preferable to a patchwork of state regulations that would differ from state to state.

Assistant Commissioner Joe Reardon, who oversees regulatory programs for the department and who has over 30 years of leadership and experience with the Food and Drug Protection Division and food safety, testified before FDA in May of 2019 about the need for regulations and guidance. In his testimony and

in department comments submitted to Docket Number: FDA-2019-N-1482 regarding the regulation of CBD products, the following was plainly stated: “A uniform and consistent approach is critical to ensure consumer safety and long-term viability of this emerging industry. Consumers and industry alike benefit from a strong regulatory framework with standards for the identity, purity, strength and composition of cannabinoid-related compounds. … Without FDA’s guidance and leadership, individual states are already carving out their own regulatory exceptions for CBD, creating a patchwork approach that hinders the nationwide growth of this industry and potentially endangers consumer safety. We urge FDA to resolve the statutory issues and promptly establish a legal pathway for the safe production of CBD and cannabinoid related compounds derived from industrial hemp.” But our efforts did not stop there. We sent over 400 advisory letters to the industry, educating them on the legal status of CBD in food, dietary supplements, and the prohibition on health claims. We conducted 100 inspections of retail stores. 85% of the stores sold CBD food products -half of which are products traditionally marketed to children; 53% of the stores sold CBD dietary supplements; and 15% of the stores sold CBD products that made some form of a health

claim. Armed with this information, we sought authority from the N.C. General Assembly through the 2019-2020 Farm Act to write regulations governing the processing, production, and packaging of cannabinoid related compounds from industrial hemp modeled after the 21 CFR Part 111. Unfortunately, legislation regarding CBD regulation was not approved. At the end of the day, we cannot inspect or regulate an industry without the authority to do so. We want hemp to be a viable crop for farmers and processors. We know it can be grown here, and it has many uses. CBD holds promise, but more work is needed to ensure consumer confidence in these products. We will be back at the legislature asking for the authority to establish a voluntary regulatory program to inspect these facilities.

Consumers and industry alike benefit from a strong regulatory program that establishes standards for the identity, purity, strength and composition of CBDrelated compounds. We will continue to work, as we so fervently have to this point, to reach this outcome. While I understand Mr. Crumley’s frustration, his placing of blame on the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is just not rooted in fact.

Steve Troxler N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture !

House Representatives on Student Success Program

BY REP. JON HARDISTER AND REP. CECIL BROCKMAN When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we were all thrown out of our concept of “normal.” However, we did our best to rise to the challenge. We stayed at home. We canceled plans. We socially distanced. We baked bread. We masked.

We Zoomed. We lost. We mourned.

For students, parents, and educators, the pandemic was monumentally disruptive to the school year. Teachers made the most of virtual learning and hybrid models, but even with their great work, students struggled and fell behind. On three of four End-ofCourse subjects, a higher percentage of YES! WEEKLY

MAY 19-25, 2021

students were not proficient compared to last school year. At the start of the most recent school year, three-quarters of third-graders were not proficient in reading. And in a notably troubling development, enrollment this year is down 4.4 percent—or roughly 63,000 students—compared to last year. As policymakers, it is imperative that we do not allow these students to be left behind permanently.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that every family can use a little relief when tough times hit. The CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan both put money in the pockets of American families to make sure they could weather the storm. Now we

seek to do something similar with our Student Success Program—with an eye specifically toward education.

Under the Student Success Program, families with a student eligible to attend a North Carolina public school would receive $1,000 grants to help mitigate the negative effects on learning caused by the pandemic. These grants, administered by the state Department of Public Instruction, could be used on a variety of educational expenses such as: before or after school programs, summer enrichment programs, tutoring, textbooks, testing fees, or therapy for students with disabilities.

Further, $100 million would be set aside in matching funds for public

schools that participate in this program.

This would bring relief to our public schools that are working with students in need to address the adverse effects of the pandemic. By putting money in the pockets of both families and schools, we can begin to bridge the gap in education that COVID-19 opened.

As vaccines get distributed, and case numbers fall, there is an end in sight to this horrible pandemic. But to get there, our state’s families might need one more helping hand. The Student Success Program looks to be that support for North Carolinians, bringing our brighter tomorrow ever closer. !

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Rock stalks through cop schlock in Spiral

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piral is subtitled “From the Book of Saw,” which can mean only one thing: It’s another “chapter” of grisly big-screen mayMark Burger hem, the only fresh twist being that the victims are all police Contributor officers.

Perhaps it was the intent of screenwriters Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger to graft some sort of social or political statement into the mix, like the Purge films.

If so, they have failed miserably.

Spiral plays like a very bad, very bloody episode of the old NBC anthology series Police Story.

For those keeping score (or scare), and undoubtedly some are, Spiral is the ninth in the Saw franchise, the fourth directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, and the first since 2017’s Jigsaw, which Stolberg and Goldfinger also wrote. The film stars Chris Rock in what might be called a change-of-pace role, as Zeke Banks, a hard-bitten homicide detective on the trail of the sadistic serial killer, whom he correctly determines is a Jigsaw copycat.

Rock, who is also an executive producer and reportedly had a hand in the story, storms through the proceedings with a giant chip on his shoulder, ostensibly because years before he turned in his partner for killing an innocent witness and has since been labeled a rat by his colleagues.

The actor seems to be channeling the world-weary cynicism of Morgan Freeman’s William Somerset in the 1995 hit Se7en, as well as the tough-guy posturing of Clint Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” Callahan.

Yes, Zeke is tough and cynical, but he doesn’t have a lot of common sense.

Then again, none of the characters do.

Even more damaging, not one character in Spiral is likable, which is perhaps the deadliest thing in the film, never mind the killer’s elaborate, grinding gadgets of torture.

To his initial dismay, the maverick Zeke WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

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is paired with eager rookie detective William Schenk (Max Minghella). So far, cliché – and those cop-movie/horror-movie clichés pile up higher than the film’s body count. In the film’s most egregious waste of talent, Samuel L. Jackson plays Zeke’s father, Marcus, a highly respected police officer whose shadow looms large over the resentful Zeke.

Figuring out whodunit should be obvious even to the most inattentive viewer and figuring out why isn’t too hard, either. But by the time the killer’s intentions are stated, audiences probably won’t even care. The effectively gruesome special effects aside, Spiral is not only a bad movie, with bad dialogue, repetitious flashbacks, and stock characters, but also a depressing one. It’s a waste of time and talent, a gloomy and boring bloodbath.

The ending of the film doesn’t so much hint at as threaten a further continuation, which is the scariest thing of all. Quite simply, it’s high time to close the book on Saw once and for all. !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2021, Mark Burger.

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[NEWS OF THE WEIRD] FAMILY VALUES

Chuck Shepherd

You let your grown son, his girlfriend and their child move into your house, and what thanks do you get in return?

For a 43-year-old Lone Rock, Wisconsin, woman, “Happy Mother’s Day” was expressed

with a shock to the neck from a Taser wielded by her 22-year-old son, Andrew Peterson. According to The Smoking Gun, Peterson became upset on May 9 because he couldn’t find his phone, so he stunned his mother, then left her home with 20-year-old Colleen Parker and their child. Peterson was arrested for the shocking assault; Parker also was arrested for allegedly punching Peterson’s mom in the face earlier in the week.

AWESOME!

Four-year-old Noah of Brooklyn, New York, knows nautical nonsense when he sees it, so he went all-in on SpongeBob SquarePants Popsicles, ordering 918 of them from Amazon in April without his mom knowing. When 51 cases arrived at his aunt’s home, his mom panicked: Jennifer Bryant is a social work graduate student at NYU and has two other boys, The Washington Post reported.

She couldn’t pay the $2,618.85 bill, and Amazon wouldn’t take the frozen confections back. A family friend set up a GoFundMe page, raising more than $11,000, which Noah’s mom said will go toward his education. Noah is on the autism spectrum, and his mom hopes to send him to a special school. Amazon is working with the family to donate to a private charity of their choice, and as for the treats? They’ve mostly melted.

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION

Since 1989, Mauro Morandi, now 81, has been the caretaker of Budelli, an otherwise uninhabited island in the Mediterranean Sea off Sardinia. He stumbled into the job when his catamaran broke down near the island and he learned that its caretaker was getting ready to retire, The Guardian reported.

Now known as Italy’s Robinson Crusoe, Morandi lives in a former World War II shelter and keeps things tidy on the island, clearing paths and keeping beaches clean for day-trippers who visit.

But ownership of the island has passed to La Maddalena national park authorities, who are evicting Morandi and turning the small isle into an environmental education destination. “I have given up

the fight,” Morandi said. “I’ll be living in the outskirts of the main town (on neighboring island La Maddalena), so will just go there for shopping and the rest of the time keep myself to myself. ...

I’ll still see the sea.”

WEIRD SCIENCE

Angie Yen, 27, of Brisbane, Australia, had her tonsils removed on April 19, a simple surgery that went smoothly, News.com reported. But on April 28, as she got ready for work, she started singing in the shower and noticed something unusual about her voice. “I was singing in a different sound and also talking words in a funny accent,” Yen said. She called a friend, who agreed that her accent suddenly sounded Irish and told her about FAS, foreign accent syndrome. Yen went to the hospital, but doctors told her to go home and see if the new accent would disappear in a few days. Nearly two weeks later, the brogue remains, and Yen is scheduled for an MRI and a visit with a neurologist. “I’m very lucky to have very supportive friends and family,” she said. “If they find something hopefully there is a cure or treatment for it.”

LOST AND FOUND

Parker Hanson, a pitcher at Augustana College in Illinois,] was born without a left hand, but he adapted over the years so that he could still play his favorite game. On May 3, Hanson realized that the backpack he had left in his car, which contained his prosthetic arm and some of its attachments, had been stolen.

Hanson told the Argus Leader that he had lost hope of finding the expensive prosthetic and had started to focus on fundraising for a new one when he received a text on May 11. Nate Riddle and Tim Kachel, who work at Millennium Recycling Inc. in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, found the arm as they sorted recycling materials. “I recognized it instantly,” said Kachel, who had heard about the theft on the news. “I was jumping up and down screaming ‘Stop!’” While Hanson is happy to have it back, he said the arm is “pretty banged up” and unusable. Shriners Children’s Twin Cities has stepped up to provide Hanson with a new arm free of charge, and his fundraising money will be donated to help other amputees get their own prosthetics. “If I can help impact some kid’s life for a positive, then that’s what I’ll take out of this whole experience,” Hanson said. !

© 2021 Chuck Shepherd. Universal Press Syndicate.

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

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MAY 19-25, 2021

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Return to its Roots: The Historic Magnolia adds inn back to its name

W

ith history as deep as the roots of its frontyard namesake, the green and white late 40s style home on the corner of Gorrell Street and Murrow Boulevard that has Chanel Davis bloomed into the Historic Magnolia House will return to Editor its roots.

On Friday, May 14 and Saturday, May 15, the Magnolia House Foundation, Inc. held its Jazz Up the Magnolia event. The event was designed to give attendees an opportunity to view and donate to the Historic Magnolia House Restoration project of returning the home to its former function as an inn for overnight guests, as well as continuing to utilize the space as a community and education hub.

“What we are in the business of doing is not only saving these sites from being demolished and forgotten about and not shared with the community and future generations, but we also replicate their exact structure and function,” said Natalie Pass Miller, owner, and CEO of The Historic Magnolia House. “We are fundraising tonight to open up the next leg of its existence which is the hotel. Once we have the hotel open, we will have the restaurant open, the private event space open, and we will be a 100 percent replica of the 1949 Green Book site.”

According to organizers, the two-day event’s $100,000 fundraising goal covers the costs of repairs, restorations, and furnishings needed to launch the replicated 1949 Green Book Hotel. The event offered a vision of The Magnolia House Boutique Hotel with color and pattern swatches and design renderings for the rooms by local designers Gina Hicks and Laura Mensch of Vivid Interiors.

Pass-Miller said that renovating the rooms upstairs is “really keeping alive the soul of the house.”

“When you think about what happened within the walls of the historic Magnolia House, you’re thinking about James Brown and him continuing to be as great as he was and building on that. You’re talking about Carter G. Woodson and James Baldwin and all the stories that lived within those walls and all the history that was created there. When you think about the downstairs, you think about the NAACP hosting meetings there,” she said.

While downstairs will stay true to its neutral cream and variety of green colors, the second floor will get a splash of personality. Kind of an “if these walls could talk” deal, according to Hicks, though the client did suggest she watch a film to help her achieve the vision created.

“Throughout the house, you’ll notice, Natalie asked us to incorporate some mid-century pieces in every space because that’s from the time period that people did stay here,” she said. “She actually had us watch a movie called Sylvie’s Love. An amazing movie with beautiful cinematography and a beautiful set design. So that’s

PHOTOS BY ASHLEIGH CRAWLEY OF STILL SHOTS PHOTGRAPHY

where the deep, bold colors came from in all of the spaces.”

Each of the five rooms has a theme surrounding the previous personalities or professions of the home’s previous patrons. There’s a sunroom that gives you the perfect view of the magnolia tree in the front yard, the Queens of Rhythm and Rock as an ode to Tina Turner and Ruth Brown, a Writers and Legends themed room, and the Kind of Blue room, an ode to Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong.

For Hicks, coming up with a design wasn’t hard, especially with furniture being donated by companies associated with High Point’s Furniture Market.

“There’s so much history and inspira-

tion to pull from that it was already here.

We just had to do a little digging to find it. What we’re trying to do is tie the age of the house, which was from the early 1900s, to when it was used as a Green Book hotel, so the 50s and 60s, to now.

So it’s almost like a living museum. That’s what we’re going for,” Hicks said.

With at least four different sponsorship levels, companies have already begun to come to the rescue. Those interested could become a Friend of the House with a sponsorship of $1,500, a Historian with a sponsorship of $2,500, a Preservationist with a sponsorship of $5,000, or an Architect at the sponsorship level of $10,000.

“We’ve worked hard in terms of building

Guests mingle at the reception on May 14.

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a relationship with the community, which was important because a lot of people didn’t know that we existed. They didn’t know the history,” Pass-Miller said. “It’s important to share and educate them about our goals because that gives the community an opportunity to make a decision of whether they want to engage and be a part of that movement.”

The Magnolia House, formerly known as the Daniel D. Debutts House, is located at 442 Gorrell Street and was one of the original 300-plus Green Book site listings for African American travelers between 1955 and 1961. During a time when African American travelers weren’t allowed to share the same accommodations as white people, the home opened in 1949 as one of the only hotels between Atlanta and Richmond that allowed African American travelers to stay overnight due to lodging restrictions under Jim Crow. A dangerous undertaking for the Gist family at the time.

“Let’s take a minute and talk about the Gist family and how they were really pivotal in the Civil Rights era and black history in the Triad. It was very bold of them, but they were one of many that took that risk to create what I call the “little things.”

Creating a safe place for you to be able to lay your head as you’re traveling through town,” Pass-Miller said, shaking her head for emphasis. “If you think about it, you’re saying it’s not safe back then for us to get in the car and just drive down the road?

Heaven forbid you’re in a sundown town or don’t have a safe place to eat. I think it was very bold. I think it spoke to their character, and based on the research and WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

based on what I’m learning, I wouldn’t have expected anything less.”

The home offered a safe haven to black performers, star athletes, and intellectuals, including Louis Armstrong, James Brown, Ray Charles, Gladys Knight, Ruth Brown, Carter G. Woodson, Satchel Paige, Ike and Tina Turner, Jackie Robinson and James Baldwin.

Beyond the famous, the home was also where many families of college students attending Bennett College and North Carolina A&T State University stayed.

A blessing for many, according to PassMiller.

“When you have black families coming to see their kids off to college - knowing that the parents have a safe place to stay while they’re seeing their kids off in an already stressful time is a wonderful thing.”

Currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in the South Greensboro National Register Historic District, the home has remained a place for wedding celebrations and other formal gatherings and events. They also offer a smooth jazz brunch and lunch Thursday thru Saturday.

Reaching in its past to develop its future, the Magnolia house kicked off its Shoebox Lunch during the COVID season, offering lunches to patrons with a side of history.

According to its website, during the time of Jim Crow, African American travelers frequently carried shoebox lunches as a means of staying safe when a Green Book site was not readily available or few and far between. To keep their families safe, African American women prepared

shoebox meals - meals frequently packaged in shoeboxes that held foods that were less likely to spoil or require utensils.

Traditionally those meals would include fried chicken, boiled or deviled eggs, fruit, vegetables, and pound cake.

Fast-forward and Magnolia has offered an updated version symbolizing the ingenuity and creativity used during a time of segregation and black resistance. Each lunch purchased from the Magnolia House through takeout or delivery will come packaged in a signature shoebox filled with historical information.

The ultimate goal is to reopen The Magnolia House Boutique Hotel in the fall of this year. A goal that Pass-Miller’s father,

Samuel Pass, who restored the home, and herself have been waiting on for quite some time.

“When my dad restored it, he restored it from the 1949 Green Book Hotel. He was very intentional in terms of his vision for what this work was to be,” she said.

It is a vision rooted in love and blossoming from the hard work and dedication of a father, daughter, and community.

For more information, visit www.thehistoricmagnoliahouse.org. !

CHANEL DAVIS is the current editor of YES! Weekly and graduated from N.C. A&T S.U. in 2011 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s worked at daily and weekly newspapers in the Triad region.

PHOTOS BY ASHLEIGH CRAWLEY OF STILL SHOTS PHOTGRAPHY

MAY 19-25, 2021

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Purposely Stamped: Bookmarks kicks off its “Books with a Purpose” initiative An independent bookstore is doing its part to drive the discussion of race for all ages in WinstonSalem.

Bookmarks, located at 634 W 4th St. in Downtown Winston-Salem, Naima Said launched its “Book With a Purpose” program recently, inIntern tending to use books as a tool to start change, noting that the “first step to change is discussion,” aligning with the agency’s goal to spread the love of reading among the community of Winston Salem, while educate and motivate.

The program, which was initially going to be launched back in February 2020, will be focusing on the Stamped collection by authors Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds.

“I was thrilled to begin this project until the world decided to end in March, so I have been anticipating the moment, and now is a more relevant time than ever,” said Jamie Southern, the executive director of Bookmarks.

Their program will tackle the concept of antiracism by inviting others to participate, whether it’s by spreading awareness of the program, donating to keep the program running, or joining as a presenter.

A total of 3,500 copies will be donated throughout the community, including Forsyth County schools.

“We wanted to branch out past just a kids summer reading program and YES! WEEKLY

MAY 19-25, 2021

pushed to include young adults, adults, and senior adults,” Southern said. “We want to touch on how to rid of a racial environment and create a safe space for all, whether that is work or home.”

The summer program plans to have film screenings, bilingual story times, and author talks.

“The young adult version of Stamped from the Beginning came out last year during the pandemic. The team and I all read it, and we fell in love with it, so we thought that would be an amazing book to read.”

The children’s version recently came to Bookmarks on May 11th, 2021. Once they learned there was a children’s version, it was the leading sign to proceed with these books since it is rare that an adult book is adapted to additions for all ages.

“It was a great jumping point, especially coming out of a very difficult year that touches so heavily on this unfortunate topic. Its message is something we are very committed to, after hearing one of Kendi’s speech on addressing racism and proceeding to read a lot of his work,” Southern said. “Saying you are not a racist is one step, but being anti-racist is a commitment, and it’s a personal commitment you have to do every day. It’s a walk; it’s a journey. We appreciate that message.”

Southern is hoping people will certainly read one of the books. The first book, made for adults, is very academic and more research-based. Reynolds has adapted Kendi’s adult version and made it more digestible for younger audiences.

It’s recommended for younger readers and encouraged for adult book clubs to start with because it is not as research-

heavy. The kid’s version is an even simpler version of the young adult version.

“We hope families, book clubs, friend groups will read one of the books, think about it, discuss it, and we are hoping people will take it one step further,” Southern explained. “That’s why we have invited lots of community partners to participate in this. We have around 26 different non-profits and community groups who are taking part in the “Book with a Purpose” program, doing different lectures and panel discussions that fit with their mission for their non-profit but fall under the “Books with a Purpose” umbrella.”

More than two dozen community organizations have signed on as partners in this project, including: Action4Equity, a/perture cinema, The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, Family Services, Forsyth County Public Library, Forsyth Prison & Jail Ministries, Hispanic League, Imprints Cares, Knollwood Baptist Church, LEAD Girls of NC, The Links Incorporated Winston-Salem Chapter, MUSE Winston-Salem, Piedmont Environmental Alliance, Read Write Spell, Reynolda, RiverRun International Film Festival, Salem Academy & College, Salemtowne, Spatial Justice Studio at Winston-Salem State University, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Triad Cultural Arts, Triad Restorative Justice, WinstonSalem Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, and Winston-Salem Symphony.

It’s a program that Southern hopes will continue for years to come with dialogue that can be useful for everyone.

“We are hoping to continue this program every summer and pick a new book.

We want everybody to participate no matter where you’re coming to this topic from,” Southern said. “Hopefully, with all the different offerings, it’s going to be approachable from wherever you are in your own walk and your own journey.”

Online participation for the conference and other events that will occur can be found on Bookmarks Instagram or Facebook page: bookmarksnc. For more information, visit http://www.bookmarksnc.org/BookwithPurpose !

NAIMA SAID is a 22 year old UNCG theatre graduate and host of Heeere’sNeeNee Horror Movie Podcast.

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Revolution Ridge: Greensboro Science Center Expands The Greensboro Science Center has announced their new addition to the zoological park - Revolution Ridge. This 15.5 million dollar expansion project will open to the public on June 4, 2021, with Naima Said a members-only preview on June 3.

Intern Glenn Dobrogosz, the chief executive officer for GSC, addressed the unexpected two-week delay in opening in a press release sent out recently.

“The GSC Board of Directors and staff are in full agreement that a two-week delay in opening will ensure the greatest wow-factor and bang-for-your-buck for our guests — as well as the best experience for animal acclimation, which is critical to the welfare of these individuals,” he said.

Vice President of Animal Care and Welfare for GCS, Jessica Hoffman, provided some insight on the thought behind the

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new exhibit structures.

“We wanted to utilize the history of this land since we are right near a national battlefield park that took part in the revolutionary war where people fought for rights and freedom,” Hoffman said.

“Many of these species today are fighting their own battle with survival and living in a growing earth where land spaces are disappearing.”

Hoffman said that it is important to preserve the animal’s history and inform others about the species visitors will see at the park.

“That is what we want to do, tell their stories. A lot of our new species are part of our species survival plan, along with a robust reading program to contribute to diversity among the ACA accreditation institutions,” she said.

Across from the current exhibit is the latest boardwalk that introduces new animals, including two Cassowaries named Dodo and Moana. The five-foot birds are known for being colorful and having casts on the top of their heads.

“They look like modern-day dinosaurs,” Huffman exclaimed as she explains the new enclosure and its habitats. “Further

Jessica Hoffman and Erica Brown

down, you will meet Bakari, our Okapi, who has the sweetest personality that guests will just fall in love with. If you have never seen an Okapi, they have a distinct black and white striped rear end that looks like a zebra and a really tall neck that makes them look like a giraffe.”

Erica Brown, GSC’s marketing manager, is excited to see the project come to fruition.

“Dobrogosz and I came in around the same time, and he was a breath of fresh air. Dobrogosz had a vision to not only make the GSC what is it today, but to

give back to the Greensboro community in order to boost our economic development, draw in tourism, and create jobs for the entire community,” Brown said.

When asked what her favorite animal was in the center’s new enclosure, she said, “It would have to be the pygmy hippos. A lot of people are familiar with the river hippo, and they look similar but on a smaller scale. They will have both an indoor and outdoor viewing area. The atmosphere and design of their exhibit home is structured to resemble a gold mine since the region they are from has problems related to gold mining threats.

This is a way for people to understand their story.”

Brown said that this is an exciting for the center, as they wrap up their former master plan, which began in 2006, and start to plan for the next decade.

“Our job is to bring enjoyment, awareness, and education to not only the people of Greensboro but to start a trend for something much bigger, much more influential.” !

NAIMA SAID is a 22 year old UNCG theatre graduate and host of Heeere’sNeeNee Horror Movie Podcast.

MAY 19-25, 2021

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HEAR IT!

The Martha Bassett Show in full swing

T

he Martha Bassett Show is swinging into its fourth season, streaming twice a month, live from the Reeves Theater, through November.

Led by Martha Katei Cranford Bassett and her house band, TMBS spotlights regional Contributor and touring artists, harkening old-time radio hours and music numbers from 1970s variety-TV. Austin City Limits meets Prairie Home Companion, filmed at a restored theater in Elkin, N.C. As an artist, Bassett has released 11 records, performed across the country and at major festivals, including Merlefest, the Eastern Music Festival, and Shakori Hills.

As a host, she’s committed to uplifting area artists and showcasing the diverse wealth of talent in our neck of the woods.

“I’ve been in the NC-music scene since

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the mid-90s, and there are so many great artists who deserve a bigger platform,” Bassett explained of her motivation. “I’d like to bring more awareness to North Carolinians of our own homegrown musicians and for listeners around the world to see NC as a destination for live music.”

When operators at the Reeves approached Bassett for programming, she and her producer (and partner) Pat Lawrence seized the opportunity.

And while they hadn’t intended on developing a regular broadcast show, they continue relishing their roles—four seasons in—adding a podcast and radio show along the way. “We’ve been learning as we go,” Bassett said. “Pat has really come into his own as a producer. It’s a huge undertaking to create a weekly radio show, and to perform, and be the announcer for the live shows.”

Sarah Howell-Miller, Russell Kelly, Fiona Burdette, Alex McKinney, and Jessie Burdette join Lawrence as part of the house band, with Rex McGee becoming a regular player this season.

Praising her band, Bassett also ac-

knowledged the team effort that brings TMBS to life—the core of which includes her son Nick as stage manager, Ben Singer (of Modern Robot) and artist Erik Dahlager running video, Jeff Irving serving the front of house, Anna Hawrulyk slinging merch, and Doug Williams running sound.

While the show took a pandemic pause shortly into season three, it returned with an accompanying radio show on WFDD Saturdays at 7 p.m. and broadcasts, in partnership with the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, as part of ArtsCenterLive, every third Saturday at 7 p.m. “Radio was always our goal, but sometimes I still pinch myself,” Bassett said of the show’s foray into syndication. She’s also hopeful live audiences will return sometime during the season.

While a solid band, and a steady team, have helped the show’s success, the artists—supported through Bassett’s curation—remain the cornerstone. “I keep my eyes open for good music all the time,” she said. “I’m trying to cultivate a show the audience can trust will bring them something good, whether they’ve heard the artists or not.”

The lineup features plenty of acclaimed artists and Grammy award winners—the show on May 20 will feature two 16 year-olds who’ve both already been on the Grand Ole Opry—but, as Bassett explained, “the show isn’t necessarily built around people with name recognition. It’s built around people we respect.”

And in that regard, inclusivity is salient.

“It’s my goal to have gender, generational, racial, and genre diversity as much as possible,” she added of her booking process.

“Jim White was one of the first people I booked, and he has sent several other artists my way, like Elizabeth Cook, Sam Baker, Minton Sparks, and (upcoming) Ben de la Cour.”

The roster sometimes features returning artists, like Presley Barker (who’ll appear on May 20) and Charlie Hunter (as part of the Sam Fribush Organ Trio on June 17), and Chance McCoy (of Old Crow Medicine Show).

McCoy’s last appearance was with Matty Sheets in season three. Sheets is but one of many Triad notables who’ve played the show, including: Laurelyn Dossett, Abigail Dowd, and Casey Noel. Along with Caleb Caudle, Snüzz, Andy Mabe, and Jeffrey Dean Foster, who’ve also graced TMBS—which serves to highlight North Carolina music, thus far mostly sampling artists from Triangle and across the Tennessee border.

PHOTO BY MARTIN W. KANE

Season three closed with Violet Bell and Chatham Rabbits, and Appalachian artist Sarah Kate Morgan is scheduled for June 3, along with Dom Flemons (of the Carolina Chocolate Drops).

With a venue nestled in the Foothills, TMBS hosts plenty of flatpickers and bluegrass while also building bridges to national acts like Jill Andrews (of the Everybodyfields), Heather Maloney, Molly O’Brien, and NPR Music’s Tiny Desk winner Gaelynn Lea. For Bassett, “the real fun” comes from “putting different kinds of artists together on the same show, and seeing how they complement each other.”

That outlook has created lineups that sandwich Bruce Piephoff between an accordionist (Sam Reider) and the Dan River Girls (a string band of teenage sisters). One show paired alt-country blues from Amythyst Kiah with Riley Baugus’s old-time banjo. And an episode in season three had honkey-tonker John Howie, Jr. and hip-hop artist Sonny Miles.

“Variety is the spice of life!,” said Bassett, who’s known to cast a wide net of styles herself. She’s into bossa nova these days, a samba from 1950s Brazil, which she explores in Duo Brasil, her latest project with Russell Kelly. The two play bossa novas on guitars, with vocals in Portuguese. Their recent debut at the Gas Hill Drinking Room harkened Bassett’s pre-pandemic “Moodswing Mondays” jazz residency, which Bassett expects will eventually return.

But for now, season four of the Martha Bassett show is in full swing. Presley Barker returns with EmiSunshine on May 20, followed by Dom Flemons and Sarah Kate Morgan on June 3 and Martha Spencer and the Sam Fribush Organ Trio are on June 17. !

KATEI CRANFORD Is a Triad music nerd who hosts the Thursday Tour Report, a radio show that runs like a mixtape of bands touring NC the following week, 5:307pm on WUAG 103.1fm.

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last call

[THE ADVICE GODDESS] love • sex • dating • marriage • questions

DEAR IN HEADLIGHTS

I’m a girl in my 20s. I recently started dating a guy I’m falling in love with. He invited me to a party to meet his friends, and I’m nervous. He’s Amy Alkon “objectively” more attractive than I am Advice (6-foot-2, brawny, Goddess and incredibly handsome) and very successful. I’m attractive, but I see the looks women give him, and I can’t help but feel his friends will question why he’s interested in me.

I’m thinking of backing out of the party, but maybe I should back out of dating him entirely, given the pressure. —Freaking The other guests are going to a party; as you see it, you’re on trial, and they’re the jury. The invite: “Drinks, tunes, and executing the borderline attractive girl at dawn.”

Tell somebody you might end it with this guy because you’re afraid his friends will be all “Eew, why’s he with her?” and they’re sure to scold you that you shouldn’t care what other people think of you. They mean well, but this is ridiculous advice — akin to telling you not to get hungry. We evolved to be people who care what other people think. That’s built into our psychology, same as the urge that drives us to nab a burrito, which keeps us from passing out, dying, and being eaten by raccoons.

Successfully handling other people’s appraisals of you starts with throwing out everything most of us believe about self-esteem. I explain in “Unf*ckology” that this “I like me!” state we’ve been told to strive for “makes little functional sense. Psychology researchers and therapists far and wide failed to ask the ‘why?’ question that evolutionary psychology demands: Why would it be evolutionarily advantageous for you to like yourself — for you to sit around saying, ‘I’m fabulous!

Kiss the royal hand!’?”

What would’ve helped our ancestors survive and mate is other people liking them: respecting them, wanting to get it on with them, and sneaking them seconds on the bison frittatas. Accordingly, psychologist Mark Leary explains that we developed an internal monitoring system that tracks “the degree to which other people accept versus reject” us. Our resulting feelgood or feelbad (erroneously called “self-esteem”) is actually part of a three-part process: 1. Our perception of what other people think of us, which leads to 2. Feelings in us (from happy to fearful), which motivate us to 3. Maintain our social position or try to repair it.

So, “self-esteem” is really “what other people think of us”-esteem — a measurement of our social standing — triggering emotions that drive us to preserve or fix it. In light of that, advice to “raise” your self-esteem makes no sense, because how you feel about yourself isn’t the problem, and changing that fixes nothing. (It’s like trying to feel better about your overheating car instead of putting water in the radiator.)

While being popular has many benefits,

answers [CROSSWORD] crossword on page 9

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ing heart of excitement. Say to yourself repeatedly, “I’m so excited to go to this party and meet his friends!”

It should also help to approach the evening with a relaxed set of goals: 1.

Having fun. 2. Getting to know his friends.

Because you’re with him, they’ll probably assume you’re special — which is surely why he’s with you. (A handsome, high-status guy doesn’t get involved with a woman he finds physically and otherwise meh.) At the party, instead of trying really hard to be liked — a surefire way to be instantly unlikeable — ask people about themselves, and listen with genuine interest. They’ll warm to you, probably without knowing why. Sure, some hearts might remain hardened, but it’s the rare person who’ll cut themselves off, mid-”me, me, me!” to pelt you with canapes and chase you out of the party with a broom. !

panicking at potentially being rejected made more sense when our survival in a harsh ancestral environment depended on our maintaining our social cred with a small, consistent band of people. We now live in vast cities teeming with strangers.

If somebody in our social circle decides we’ve got adult cooties, we can pretty easily slide into a whole new social circle simply by hanging out at different bars.

So, your terror about meeting his friends — “LIFE OR DEATH, GIRLIE!” — is driven by psychology that’s seriously outdated: mismatched with our modern environment. Recognizing this can help you put your yearning to be liked into a more modern perspective: Great when it happens but merely a major bummer, not a death sentence, if it doesn’t.

Lowering the stakes like this should be helpful because pressure to excel could cause you to overfocus on your performance. This can lead to clutching anxiety that impairs your ability to perform (“choking under pressure”). Amazingly, research by Harvard Business School’s Alison Wood Brooks suggests a way to prevent choking is “reappraising” the pounding heart of anxiety as the pound-

GOT A PROBLEM? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave., #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or email AdviceAmy@ aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com). Follow her on Twitter @amyalkon. Order her latest “science-help” book, Unf*ckology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence. ©2021 Amy Alkon. Distributed by Creators.Com.

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NOW get unlimited hours of Cloud DVR recordings for $10/mo.1

Data connection req’d. Recordings expire after 90 days. In a series recording, max 30 episodes stored (oldest deleted first which may be in less than 90 days). Restr’s apply. 2AT&T recommends a minimum Internet speed of 8Mbps per stream for optimal viewing. All 20 AT&T streams must be on the same home network and a compatible router is required. Certain channels are excluded. Limit 3 concurrent out-of-home AT&T streams.

Restrictions apply. See att.com/20streams for details.

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Get HBO Max™ included for one year with CHOICE™ or above.

Subject to change. With CHOICE or ULTIMATE Package (min. $84.99/mo.). HBO Max auto-renews after 12 months at then prevailing rate (currently $14.99/mo.), unless you change or cancel. Req’s you to select offer.

Access HBO Max only through HBO Max app or hbomax.com. HBO Max also includes HBO channels and HBO On Demand on AT&T TV. Data rates may apply for app download/usage. New approved residential customers only, excluding DIRECTV and U-verse TV customers. Add’l fees and restr’s apply.

Call your AT&T Dealer today!

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(336) 962-2615 AT&T TV requires high-speed Internet. AT&T recommends a minimum Internet speed of 8Mbps per stream for optimal viewing.

AT&T TV: Compatible device req’d. Residential U.S. customers only (excludes Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands). Your AT&T TV service renews monthly at the prevailing rate, charged to your payment method on file unless you cancel. Once you’ve canceled, you can access AT&T TV through the remaining monthly period. New customers who cancel service in the first 14 days will receive a full refund. Otherwise, no refunds or credits for any partial-month periods or unwatched content. AT&T TV Device: AT&T TV device for well-qualified customers $5/mo. each for 24 mos. on 0% APR installment agreement; otherwise $120 each. Non-qualified customers must purchase devices up front. Purchased devices may be returned within 14 days for a full refund. Devices purchased on installment agreement subject to additional terms and conditions. See cancellation policy at att.com/help/cancellation-policy-att-tv.html for more details. Limits: Offers may not be available through all channels and in select areas. Programming subject to blackout restrictions. Subject to AT&T TV terms and conditions (see att.com/legal/att-tv.html). Pricing, channels, features, and terms are subject to change & may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice.

See att.com/tv for details.

HBO Max: Access HBO Max through HBO Max app or hbomax.com with your AT&T log-in credentials. Compatible device or browser required. Use of HBO Max is subject to its own terms and conditions, see hbomax.com/terms-of-use for details. Programming and content subj. to change. Upon cancellation of your video service you may lose access to HBO Max. Limits: Access to one HBO Max account per AT&T account holder. May not be stackable w/other offers, credits or discounts. To learn more, visit att.com/hbomax. HBO Max is only accessible in the U.S. and certain U.S. territories where a high-speed broadband connection is available. Minimum 3G connection is required for viewing on mobile devices. HBO MAX is used under license. ©2021 AT&T Intellectual Property. All Rights Reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other AT&T marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. 086739