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8 B MARINA STREET WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH $1,875,000 Elegantly appointed condominium featuring 3155 sq ft of waterfront luxury overlooking the ICWW with 3/4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, updated gourmet kitchen, expanded master suite with grand spa bathroom, epe decks throughout, outdoor kitchen and entertainment area complete with TV, gas grill and cook top.
6 CLAMDIGGER POINT ROAD FIGURE EIGHT ISLAND $2,750,000 Enjoy all the private island has to offer from this spectacular 4 bedroom, 4 1/2 bath coastal classic just a short stroll to the miles of sugar white, pristine beaches available only to Figure Eight residents.
2 SUNSET AVENUE B WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH $1,895,000 Enjoy the top two floors of this 2500 square foot over/under duplex condominium just a short walk to the beach and the Oceanic with 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, private elevator, deep covered porch, walk-out balcony and 50 foot boatslip.
4 DUNES POINT ROAD FIGURE EIGHT ISLAND $2,395,000 Located on nearly an acre in the center of the area’s most sought after beach, Figure 8 Island. The house features a reverse floor plan with stunning views of the ocean and sound. The 4 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath bath design has been updated with a beautiful granite/stainless kitchen with a huge breakfast bar overlooking the expansive living area with vaulted ceiling and dining area, also vaulted.
2032 SCRIMSHAW PLACE LANDFALL $1,395,000 Exquisite brick and stone custom home overlooking the first hole of the Pines golf course and just a short stroll to the newly expanded Landfall Clubhouse with 6400+ square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4 baths and 3 1/2 baths and too many amenities to name including 3 fireplaces and 3 car garage.
1012 DEEPWOOD PLACE LANDFALL $1,495,000 A timeless design built by Master Craftsman Fred Murray with 4 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths located on a quiet cul-de-sac and accessed by a private, gated land bridge over a freshwater pond with distant views of the ICWW and on the Ocean #2 golf course with no detail left unfinished.
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9 1 0 . 2 5 6 . 4 5 0 3 | I N T R A C O A S T A L R E A L T Y. C O M
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Cindy Southerland: 910.233.8868 | List price: $2,800,000
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9 1 0 . 2 5 6 . 4 5 0 3 | I N T R A C O A S T A L R E A L T Y. C O M
M A G A Z I N E Volume 8, No. 2 5725 Oleander Dr., Unit B-4 Wilmington, NC 28403
David Woronoff, Publisher Jim Dodson, Editor jim@thepilot.com William Irvine, Senior Editor 910.833.7159 bill@saltmagazinenc.com Andie Stuart Rose, Art Director andie@thepilot.com Alyssa Rocherolle, Associate Art Director alyssamagazines@gmail.com Lauren Coffey, Graphic Designer CONTRIBUTORS Ash Alder, Harry Blair, Susan Campbell, Wiley Cash, Clyde Edgerton, Jason Frye, Nan Graham, Virginia Holman, Mark Holmberg, Sara King, D. G. Martin, Kevin Maurer, Mary Novitsky, Dana Sachs, Stephen E. Smith, Annie Gray Sprunt, Astrid Stellanova, Bill Thompson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Mallory Cash, Rick Ricozzi, Bill Ritenour, Andrew Sherman, Mark Steelman
b ADVERTISING SALES Ginny Trigg, Advertising Director 910.693.2481 • ginny@saltmagazinenc.com Elise Mullaney, Advertising Manager 910.409.5502 • elise@saltmagazinenc.com Courtney Barden, Advertising Representative 910.262.1882 • courtney@saltmagazinenc.com Brad Beard, Graphic Designer bradatthepilot@gmail.com
b Darlene Stark, Circulation Director 910.693.2488 Steve Anderson, Finance Director 910.693.2497 OWNERS
Jack Andrews, Frank Daniels Jr., Frank Daniels III, Lee Dirks, David Woronoff ©Copyright 2020. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Salt Magazine is published by The Pilot LLC
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THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
THE ETHAN ALLEN COMMITMENT E XC E P TI O N A L SAV I N GS ON E V ERY S T Y L E, E V ERY DAY * CO M PLI M E NTA RY WOR L D CL A SS IN T ER IOR DE SIGN SER V ICE S PEC I A L FIN A NCING † PR E M I E R IN - HOM E DEL I V ERY We invite you to visit our Design Center and explore ethanallen.com.
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design nc The Language of Design: Translating Tradition March 26th & 27th, 2020 Peter Pennoyer
Spend a day luxuriating in high-end design at Design NC, an event benefiting the Cameron Art Museum. Design NC’s keynote speakers are celebrated architect Peter Pennoyer, and designer, Katie Ridder. Their talks will be followed by Foster Reeve, the founder of Foster Reeve & Associates, Inc., a manufacturing company specializing in architectural and ornamental plaster products. A luncheon will provide the opportunity for mingling and refreshment with recipes inspired by the final speaker of the day, Frances Schultz: writer, television personality, taste-maker and enthusiast on decoration and design. WWAY evening news anchor Randy Aldridge serves as master of ceremonies throughout the day. www.designnc.org PRESENTING SPONSOR:
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March 2020
Features
49 Awoken
Poetry by Ry Southard
50 Spy vs. Spy
By Kevin Maurer In 1970s Moscow, Martha Peterson led a double life — embassy worker by day, CIA agent by night
54 Never Out and Never Over By Kimberly B. Sherman Good Times at the Bijou
58 Winterspring Fog
Story & Photograph By Virginia Holman As spring approaches, the curtain lifts
60 Home Grown
By William Irvine In Porters Neck, a young family finds a perfect site for their new coastal contemporary house — at the tip of a peninsula overlooking Futch Creek
69 Almanac
By Ash Alder
Departments 13 Simple Life By Jim Dodson
16 SaltWorks 26 Omnivorous Reader By Stephen E. Smith
28 The Creators By Wiley Cash
33 The Conversation By Dana Sachs
37 Food for Thought By Jane Lear
41 Salty Words
By Bill Thompson
45 Birdwatch
By Susan Campbell
47 Annie Gray’s Diary By Annie Gray Sprunt
70 Calendar 75 Port City People 79 Accidental Astrologer By Astrid Stellanova
80 Papadaddy’s Mindfield By Clyde Edgerton
On the cover: Courtesy of the New H anover P ublic Library, Dr . Robert M. Fales Collection Photograph this page: Mallory Cash
THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
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The Stuffed Potato The fullness of life with friends who are full of it
By Jim Dodson
Two or three times a month, we meet for lunch at a quiet bar of a local restaurant.
We catch up on news and work, talk about books we are reading and swap tales about the adventurous lives of our wives, grown children and grandbabies. Sometimes it’s history and politics that dominate the conversation. More often than not we share thoughts on life, love and matters philosophical. In a nutshell, we attempt to solve most of the world’s problems in the span of time it approximately takes to consume a couple of stuffed baked potatoes. That seems about right since the three of us always order the same items off the bar menu. Joe and I routinely order fully loaded stuffed baked potatoes while our worldly friend Pat —who prefers to be called Patrick — gets a fancy club sandwich. There’s always one in every crowd. Some time ago, I began calling our gathering The Stuffed Potatoes Lunch and Philosophy Club. Spud Buds for short. You see, we’ve known each other for more than half a century. Pat (as I call him) is my oldest pal; we grew up a block from each other and have spent years chasing golf balls and trout in each other’s company. Pat and Joe grew up attending the same Catholic church. But I got to know and like Joe in high school. To look at us, you might think we’re just three old geezers telling war stories in a booth. Technically speaking, I suppose we are “old” guys, though none of us thinks of ourselves that way in the slightest. We were born weeks apart in 1953 — Joe in January, me in February, Pat in March. What a banner year it was: Dwight Eisenhower became president and the Korean War ended. Hillary — the mountaineer — reached the summit of Everest. Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of England. Gas cost 20 cents per gallon. The first Corvette went on sale. Albert Schweitzer won the Nobel Prize. From Here to Eternity was the top Hollywood movie. Ian Fleming published his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale. Mickey Spillane was the king of crime fiction. Our mothers, bless their hearts — suburban housewives of the 1950s — knew what they were doing giving us simple 1950s names like Joe, Pat and Jimmy, names that fit us like a pair of Buster Brown shoes, names from a Mickey Spillane novel or a Burt Lancaster movie. I’m guessing nobody these days names their kid Joe, Pat or Jimmy. Not when you’ve got so many exotic choices like Brendan, Rupert or Hamish floating around in the Millennial baby pool. Just to be sure THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
what I’m talking about, I looked up the most popular male names for millennial babies in 2020. Michael, Christopher, Matthew and Joshua are actually the top Millennial male names for 2020. Daniel comes in fifth. That’s four Biblical names shy of a Christian baseball team. With a starting lineup like that, you could almost write your own New Testament — if Millennials bothered to go to church anymore. Joe’s the only one of us who has achieved exalted granddad stature. He and wife Liz have two, in fact. One’s in Durham, the other, Asheville. They go see them all the time and who can blame them for that? If I had grandbabies somewhere within shouting distance I’d burn up the highway just to make a proud and happy fool of myself every dang weekend. As of this month, we’ve all turned 67 years old. No applause necessary. Truthfully, it’s rather amazing how quickly this happened. Once upon a time, 67 sounded positively ancient to our youthful ears — one bus stop shy of the boneyard, as Mickey Spillane might say. The funny thing is, none of us feels at all ancient or even looks terribly old, according to our thoughtful wives and daughters. Then again, they might need new glasses. With age, however, comes a number of often unadvertised benefits. We’ve each buried family and friends, suffered setbacks and experienced comebacks, seen enough of life and sudden death — not to mention the drama of our own aging bodies — to know that bittersweet impermanence is what makes living fully so important and precious. To laugh is to gain a taste of immortality. Failed projects and busted business deals have taught us that there’s really no failure in this life — only reasons to get up, dust off our britches and try a different path. A new summit always awaits. Our faith has been tested and found to be alive and kicking, after all these years. We’ve learned that joy and optimism are spiritual rocket fuel, that divine mystery is real and the unseen world holds much more intriguing possibilities than anything we read about in the news, or watch on MARCH 2020 •
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L I F E
Netflix, Hulu or Amazon. Ditto the natural world of woods and fields and streams. It’s no coincidence that we share a profound love of nature, drawing comfort and wisdom from its many lessons. Joe, a forester by training, spends his days helping clients find and set aside wild lands for future generations to enjoy. He and Liz are dedicated wilderness hikers, walking encyclopedias of botany and flora, forever in search of new trails and unspoiled vistas when they’re not slipping off to see those beautiful grandbabies of theirs. Pat is a top businessman whose real love is the spiritual solitude of remote trout streams and the joy of chasing a golf ball around the highlands of Scotland with his oldest pal. He’s also a skilled bird-hunter but these days shoots only clays with Joe some Wednesday afternoons. Several years ago, Pat and Joe built a cabin on Pat’s land up in the Meadows of Dan. They set up cameras just to film any wildlife that happened by, cleared roads and got to know the locals. Since both are still working and have no plans to retire, that cabin became a way, as Joe puts it, “to reset our clocks — inside and out.” We take from nature, said Theodore Roethke, what we cannot see. As for me — a veteran journalist and writer who is busier than ever and shares their view of the dreaded R-word — I’m an “old” Eagle Scout, fly-fishing nut, birdwatcher and gardener who once spent six glorious weeks in the remote bush of South Africa with a trio of crazed plant hunters dodging black mambas and spitting cobras just to see the world’s smallest hyacinth and other exotic plants in the ancestral birthplace of the world’s flowers. The baboons, birds, springboks and elephants weren’t bad, either. I felt like a kid in a Rudyard Kipling tale. At that time, I also lived in a house I built with my own hands, on a forested hill near the coast of Maine. I also rebuilt the stone walls of a long abandoned 18th-century farmstead and created a vast English garden in the woods that nobody but family, friends, the FedEx guy and local wildlife ever saw. My late Scottish mother-in-law, cheeky women, suggested I name my woodland retreat “Slightly Off in the Woods.” THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
S I M P L E
L I F E
I called it my Holy Hill, my little piece of Heaven. My two children grew up there watching the seasons come and go, learning to look and listen to the quiet voices of nature. Today, one is a documentary journalist living and working in the Middle East, the other a top copywriter and screenwriter in New York City. Both claim they carry the peace of that Holy Hill with them in their hearts, and I believe them. I do, too. Maybe that’s what I love most about lunches with the Stuffed Potatoes. At a time of life when a lot of men our age lose their curiosity and zest for living, spending their days grumbling about sports, politics or the weather, we take genuine pleasure in each other’s company, swapping tales of life’s natural ups and downs while sharing wisdom for the road ahead. Joe has stories galore and the most infectious laugh you’ve ever heard. He was the fifth of nine kids, has 53 cousins and an uncle who became the voice of the American environmental movement. He’s always coming out with pearls of wisdom that I promptly write down. We call them “Joeisms.” Everybody has to be somewhere, he once observed about an a certain disagreeable fellow. I just don’t have to be there with him. Patrick is gifted with what the Irish call the craic — an ancient Irish word that means he can talk to anyone and entertain them royally while he’s doing it. He’s a master at solving complex problems and has quietly done more things that help teenagers and homeless folks than anyone I know. He’s also the only guy I know who’s probably read more books than me, which is really saying something. At least he hasn’t started writing them — yet. So we are three for lunch — the forester, the fisherman and the gardener. A fictional Forrest Gump got famous for saying that his mother once said that life is like a box of chocolates because you never know what you’ll get. I beg to disagree, believing a happy life is actually more like a gloriously stuffed baked potato because, the more you put in, the better it tastes. My Spud Buds, I suspect, would agree — even if one of them prefers the club sandwich. There’s always one in every crowd. b Contact Editor Jim Dodson at jim@thepilot.com.
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THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
2/6/20 1:31 PM
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Poetry and Song
One of the jewels of the Castle Street District, Ronald Sachs Violins is a place where you can rent or buy magnificent string instruments, whether violin, viola, cello or bass. On March 1 the shop hosts the Wilmington-based Brierwood Ensemble for an afternoon concert, “Poetry and Song,” featuring a new work by Jenni Brandon, Ahead of All Parting, accompanied by mezzosoprano Cera Finney, who appeared in Opera Wilmington’s 2018 production of Die Fledermaus. Admission: $10-$20. March 1, 3-4 p.m. Ronald Sachs Violins, 616B Castle St., Wilmington. For info and tickets: brierwoodensemble.com.
Design NC’s annual forum to benefit the Cameron Art Museum returns on March 26 and 27. This year’s events include an ornamental plasterwork demonstration and workshop with Emily Bedard of Foster Reeve and Associates; a VIP cocktail party and luncheon; and a full day of keynote talks with New York architect Peter Pennoyer, designer Katie Ridder, artisan Foster Reeve, and writer and tastemaker Frances Schultz. March 26 and 27. Cameron Art Museum, 3201 S. 17th St., Wilmington. For more info and tickets: designnc.org. PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETER OLSON
SaltWorks
Designs for Living
Fat Bikes on the Beach Battleship BBQ
Since 2004, Step Up for Soldiers has provided funding to veterans in need of financial assistance, home modification, and other support. On March 7, the group hosts its ninth annual Backyard BBQ Cook-Off at the Battleship North Carolina, where local teams will compete for the prize-winning ’cue. Live music, local vendors, arts and crafts, and activities for kids round out this daylong event. Admission: $10. March 7, 10 a.m.5 p.m. Battleship North Carolina, 1 Battleship Road NE, Wilmington. For info and tickets: stepupforsoldiers.org.
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Fat bikes — those off-road bicycles with tires wider than 4 inches — are all the rage these days, and Wrightsville Beach is hosting the sixth annual U.S. Open Fat Bike Beach Championship on March 28. Choose from three races on a challenging all-sand course: the Fat (12 miles), the Super Fat (24+ miles), and the Super Fat Relay (24+ miles). All bicyclists
are welcome at this event, but tires of 4 inches or wider are recommended. Admission: $65-$200. Spectators are free. March 28, 2- 5:30 p.m. Blockade Runner Beach Resort, 275 Waynick Blvd., Wilmington. For info and registration: (910) 256-3545 or fatcross.com. THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
Early-Blooming Azaleas
The North Carolina Azalea Festival hosts several March events this year. Among them:
Paws on Parade, co-sponsored by paws4people, is a celebration of all things canine, including a Canine Court Pageant, puppy-kissing booth and dog portraits. Admission: $8. March 14, 3- 7:30 p.m. Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1941 Amphitheater Drive, Wilmington. 38th Annual Juried Spring Show and Sale Hosted by the Wilmington Art Association, this exhibition features the works of more than 100 North Carolina and regional artists. Admission: Free. March 28-April 5. Community Arts Center, 120 S. 2nd St., Wilmington.
Ships, Ahoy!
Come celebrate the craft of boat building at the 20th annual CFF Riverfront Boat Show. Held on the banks of the Cape Fear River, this year’s event will feature numerous wooden and fiberglass vessels, among them kayaks, skiffs and boats from the Simmons Sea-Skiff Club. In addition to the exhibitors (boat builders and boating supply companies), there will be boatbuilding demonstrations, a tour of CFCC’s boat-building shops, and a knot-tying challenge, as well as opportunities to talk shop with local boat builders. Proceeds raise scholarship funds for students in CFCC’s boat-building programs. Admission: Free for spectators. March 28, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. North Water Street next to Coastline Convention Center, Wilmington. For info: (910) 362-7151 or cfcc.edu/boatshow.
Azalea Festival Pops. This first-time collaboration between the North Carolina Azalea Festival and the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra will feature film scores, light classics, and the premiere of Azalea Suite, a commissioned work by the orchestra’s conductor Dr. Steven Errante. Tickets: $25-$85. March 29, 5 p.m. Wilson Center, 703 N. Third Street, Wilmington. For more information on all events, see links at ncazaleafestival.org.
Dance of Mexico
The Ballet Folclorico Nacional de Mexico de Silvia Lozano has been devoted to the preservation of authentic Mexican culture and folklore for more than 50 years. Expect an evening of brilliant pageantry and costumes from this virtuoso troupe, which comes to UNCW on March 24. Tickets: $25-$50. March 24, 7:30 p.m. Kenan Auditorium, 515 Wagoner Drive, Wilmington. For info: (910) 962-3500.
Going For Baroque
The Wilmington Symphony Orchestra’s Masterworks Concert, “Banquet of Baroque,” presents an audible feast, beginning with Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6. Other selections in this evening’s concert include Handel’s Concerto A Due Cori no. 1 in B flat and “Entrée” from Les Boreades by French composer JeanPhilippe Rameau. Tickets: $17-$47. March 14, 7:30 p.m. Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 362-7999 or wilsoncentertickets.com. THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
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The Only Bread I Knead
A
By Jason Frye t Love, Lydia, the South Front bakery and café from Lydia Clopton, there exists a bread so good that I’d marry it if North Carolina law permitted the union of man and loaf. It’s the ideal focaccia, the focaccia that other focaccias hope to one day become. A thin, crispy bottom touched with just the right amount of olive oil. A tender crumb that’s lightly springy and well aerated. A top that’s alive with texture, with bubbles risen tall and a smattering of divots to catch a brush of oil. And a flavor that’s discernibly but not overwhelmingly yeasty, made more complex by the caramelized bottom and the nutty flavor of the benne seeds dusting the top. To borrow a phrase from Mary Berry, former host of The Great British Baking Show, it’s sheer perfection. It’s also my kitchen foil, the Dr. No to my culinary James Bond. Except that’s not exactly right as baking eludes me, so there’s no kiss-the-girl-and-deliver-a-witty-line ending, which makes me more of a Maxwell Smart and all those bread recipes my own personal KAOS. On New Year’s Eve my wife and I, not being ones for resolutions, made a handshake deal to learn to bake bread in 2020. Actually, we agreed to become better bakers in 2020, but seeing how we exercise no control when a cake, cookie, pie or tart is present in our house and we manage to demonstrate a modicum of restraint when a loaf, boule, round or baguette is concerned, we amended that to “bread.” Our experiments in bread making have, to borrow a baking pun, fallen flat, and not in a delicious Dutch Baby sort of way. We’ve made dough
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that didn’t rise, dough that rose too much, dough that was too sticky or shaggy or soggy or dry, and dough that was absolutely and totally devoid of flavor; once we even made a loaf that wouldn’t toast, and I’m not sure how that’s possible. Seeing how we can’t produce an edible, much less braggable, loaf, boule or baguette of simple white bread, we’ve steered clear of the focaccia. Why bother when the one focaccia that rules them all is available 5 miles from my house? Because baking, despite the failures, is fun. On The Great British Baking Show (a television show so soothing I think it’s like watching a valium), the amateur baker-contestants made focaccia, and it seemed simple. Flour, salt, yeast and water stirred together in a bowl, kneaded for a long time, left sitting to rise and then prove, and then it’s bake, eat, perfecto. Except I know that when I try this, using a real recipe, not the loose and rambling guidelines of a frustrated (and hungry) wannabe baker, I’ll end up with a sticky, goopy mess that won’t come off my hands. I’ll over-knead or under-knead. I won’t let it rise for long enough. I’ll bake something that’s the lead-paint-eating third cousin to focaccia, then I’ll get in the car, drive to Love, Lydia, and buy the loaf of my dreams. b Love, Lydia Bakery and Cafe, 1502 S. Third St., Wilmington; (910) 769-9179. Jason Frye is a regular Salt contributor. You can keep track of what and where he eats by following him on Instagram: @beardedwriter. THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREW SHERMAN
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S A L T W O R K S
COURTESY OF NEW HANOVER COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, NORTH CAROLINA ROOM
A Backward Glance
A
visitor to Wrightsville Beach in 1908 would have taken the Wilmington Seacoast Railway Company’s electric trolley — known as the Beach Car — from downtown Wilmington and enjoyed the fine hospitality of the Hotel Tarrymore or the Seashore Hotel, and perhaps an evening of dancing at Lumina. Now, they are all gone with the wind (or up in smoke): The Seashore Hotel (1897; 180 rooms, 150 with fireplaces) was destroyed by fire in 1919 and rebuilt in 1922, eventually becoming the Ocean Terrace Hotel until it was destroyed by the twin terrors of Hurricane Hazel in 1954 and a fire the following year. The Blockade
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Runner Beach Resort (1964) now occupies the site. The Tarrymore Hotel (1905), with 125 furnished rooms (with electric lights), later became the Oceanic Hotel before the Great Fire of 1934, which destroyed more than 103 buildings on the island in a matter of hours. The Lumina Pavilion (1905), known as the Showplace of the Atlantic, had a scientifically designed bandshell, an enormous ballroom, and hosted every Big Band of the era — everyone from Benny Goodman to Cab Calloway. After life as a music venue and roller rink in the 1960s, the Lumina was sold to a real estate developer and demolished in 1973. — W.I.
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S A L T W O R K S
Nightcap
F
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREW SHERMAN
red Flynn has been the spirits director and head barman at the acclaimed Wilmington restaurant manna since early 2019. A seasoned professional in the hospitality industry for more than 20 years, he considers himself an autodidact, immersing himself in the fine art of mixology through experimentation, book learning, seminars, and that most basic of training — observing other bartenders. This month, Fred has created the Garden Sink, a special cocktail for the Ides of March: “I love this drink this time of year because of its aromatics. The flavors are reminiscent of standing in a bountiful garden and soaking it all in. This cocktail takes you there . . . every time.”
Garden Sink
1 egg white 1 1/2 oz The Botanist Gin 1/2 oz St. Germain 1/2 oz Domain de Canton 1/2 oz Dolin Blanc vermouth 1/2 oz fresh lime juice Mint Dry-shake the egg white for 20-30 seconds. Then place all remaining ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake them all, bruising the mint. Double-strain into a coupe and garnish with a mint sprig. b THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
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S A L T W O R K S
March
This month’s five essential dates
3/6 - 9
Now in its fourth year, Cinema Sisters International Film Fest is a celebration of narrative films and documentary works from women around the world. Tickets are $10-$35. csiff.org.
3/7
Craft beer-geek alert: No need to wait till October anymore — now there’s Marchtoberfest at the Wilmington Convention Center, with German-style beer, food, music and games. Oktoberfest dress encouraged. Presented by ILMBeer. Tickets: $42-$58. marchtoberfestilm.com.
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3/12
Cape Fear Museum is the venue for Experience STEMILM 2.0, a technology and networking event focusing on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in the Wilmington Community. Food, drinks, and live jazz round out the evening. Tickets: $20-$25. capefearmuseum.org.
3/19
A lively combination of aerobatics, dance and theater, all set within the confines of an Art Deco hotel and its visitors, Cirque Eloize: Hotel is a unique theatrical experience. Presented by Cape Fear Stage. Tickets: $29-$54. wilsoncentertickets.com.
3/24 - 25
The national tour of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s record-breaking musical spectacular Cats, which won seven Tony awards, including best musical, comes to the Wilson Center. Tickets: $46-$96. wilsoncentertickets.com.
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Mystery of the Hunley What killed the Confederacy’s submariners?
By Stephen E. Smith
With an estimated 60,000 to
100,000 Civil War-related titles published in the last 155 years, you might wonder if there’s anything left to write about. But science and technology have offered new methods of verifying the previously unverifiable, no matter how esoteric or insignificant the subject might be. An April entry into the Civil War marketplace is Rachel Lance’s In the Waves: My Quest to Solve the Mystery of a Civil War Submarine. This 315-page semi-technical analysis of a single black-powder detonation that changed naval warfare forever should be of interest to anyone living in the Carolinas, taking place, by and large, at Duke University, and concerning an artifact that has, in recent years, attracted thousands of tourists to the city of Charleston. Lance is a biomedical engineer and blast-injury researcher at Duke. She spent several years as an engineer developing specialized underwater equipment for the Navy and was working toward her Ph.D. when she took on, at the insistence of her dissertation advisor, the mysterious demise of the H.L. Hunley’s crew.
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Any Civil War enthusiast (let’s dispense with the pejorative term “buff”; many Civil War readers are serious historians) will be happy to tell you that the Hunley was an experimental submarine developed by the Confederacy in hopes that it would break the Union blockade, and that it might have succeeded except that it disappeared along with the USS Housatonic, the first warship sunk by a submersible craft, and remained cloaked in mystery until 1995, when it was located 4 miles offshore in 30 feet of water. The sub was raised from the bottom in 2000 and has since become Charleston’s most popular attraction. For those unfamiliar with the details of the Hunley’s story, Lance supplies a history of early submersibles and details the little sub’s short life, including the circumstances surrounding the first two Hunley crews, who perished when mechanical problems arose during testing. Even H.L. Hunley, the sub’s inventor, died when he accidently depressed the bow planes when surfacing following a test dive. After each sinking, the sub was raised and put back into service, even when it required that the bloated bodies of the dead be dismembered to facilitate removal, a decidedly unpleasant task relegated to slave labor. For many years, it was assumed the Hunley had survived its attack on the Housatonic — it was reported that the crew signaled success by flashing a blue light — but there was no satisfactory explanation as to why the boat did not return to fight another day. Survivors of the Housatonic testified to seeing the Hunley shortly after the explosion, but no further evidence as to the fate of the sub and its crew was offered at the time. THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
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Lance’s study focuses on the crew’s cause of death. Archaeologists found all eight men slumped at their stations in the submarine. Seven men were seated at the propeller crank, and the remains of the boat’s captain, Lt. George Dixon, were discovered in the forward conning tower. None showed signs of skeletal trauma, and there was no indication that the crew had attempted to escape the sinking craft. A careful examination of the boat’s skin revealed that the explosion had not breached its hull. Since Lance is a blast-injury expert, readers might assume that she was seeking confirmation that the crew was killed by the shock wave from detonation of the Hunley’s torpedo, and not from suffocation or drowning. In fact, Southern newspapers speculated shortly after the sub’s disappearance that such a wave had sunk the little boat, and knowledgeable observers at the time of the sub’s testing warned that the Hunley would likely fall victim to its own torpedo, which was suspended on the end of a spar extending from the bow of the boat. Lance’s objective was to prove beyond all doubt that a blast wave killed the Hunley’s crew, and In the Waves is a narrative history of her quest to gather evidence to that effect and to procure, in the process, her Ph.D. To do this she constructed a miniature Hunley-like craft (the CSS Tiny), procured black powder of the sort available during the Civil War, constructed a miniature facsimile of the torpedo, and conducted extensive testing in an appropriate body of water. Instruments to measure the true force of the blast had to be obtained from the Navy and made to function correctly under circumstances that were anything but ideal. The development of testing criteria consumes most of Lance’s book, at times growing a trifle tedious and dauntingly technical. Failed test follows failed test, subjecting the reader to the same level of frustration suffered by Lance and her team of researchers. But she wisely couches much of the technical information in understandable terms and refers more punctilious readers to the open-access journal PLOs One. “This is a descriptive version of the math and physics,” she writes in a footnote, “and was written to be understandable for the general reader. It does not, therefore, go into all the complex details necessary to justify and complete the scientific analysis.” While working to replicate the explosive force of the Hunley’s torpedo, Lance reveals the intriguing story of George Washington Rains. Born in Craven County, North Carolina, Rains almost singlehandedly supplied the Confederacy with black powder and torpedo technology. Southern soldiers may have run short of food and clothing, but they were never without powder and shot, a fact that no doubt prolonged the slaughter and destruction occasioned by the war. In the Waves’ entertainment value is mostly a matter of scientific revelation. As a narrative it is made less successful by the inclusion of unnecessary details regarding the author’s personal life, and the occasional irrelevant sidebar and annoying digression. Is it worth reading? Certainly. If you have an abiding interest in Civil War history, you’ll no doubt find a place for In the Waves in your already overburdened bookshelves b Stephen E. Smith is a retired professor and the author of seven books of poetry and prose. He’s the recipient of the Poetry Northwest Young Poet’s Prize, the Zoe Kincaid Brockman Prize for poetry and four North Carolina Press awards. THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
Take advantage of our special off-season rates Weekend getaway packages are perfect for any season or occasion. Enjoy dinner one evening and breakfast each morning in beautiful Wrightsville Beach, NC.
blockade-runner.com 844-289-7675 MARCH 2020 •
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Man of Iron
How Raleigh’s bold investment in sculptor Jim Gallucci’s art led to a revitalization of the city’s urban center
By Wiley Cash • Photographs by Mallory Cash
In 2007, just as the world was spiraling
toward financial ruin, Greensboro sculptor Jim Gallucci received the largest commission of his career. The city of Raleigh selected him to construct four light towers to sit on either corner of downtown’s City Plaza in an attempt to redefine the empty space in front of the old Civic Center.
“It started out as a $65,000 project,” Gallucci says. “We kept saying, ‘You know, guys, we can do more with this,’ and they said, ‘Really? You got any ideas?’ These towers were going to be 65 feet tall. The next thing you knew it turned into a $2.5 million project.” However, as the reality of the global financial crisis set in, Gallucci was certain the project would be pulled; but leaders in Raleigh decided to move ahead. In the fall of 2009, City Plaza, complete 28
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with Gallucci’s four 65-foot light towers bedecked in steel oak leaves, opened to the public. City officials hoped the plaza would serve as a “public living room” that would host concerts and events while attracting organizations from around the country that were searching for event and reception space. The plaza project was part of the now completely revitalized area of Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street, and towering above all the new businesses, concertgoers and tourists are Jim Gallucci’s glowing behemoths. Raleigh proved that an investment in the arts could lead an economic revitalization. Gallucci was not surprised that the city’s bet paid off. “The arts are always the catalyst,” he says. “We’re the stick in the stream. Next thing you know there’s a leaf that’s caught by the stick, and before long the stick has gathered an entire island around it.” Jim Gallucci’s enormous studio — which he admits to thinking of less as a studio and more as a tool that assists in his art — sits just south of downtown Greensboro. Going off Gallucci’s own metaphor, his studio could be described as an island that has gathered things over the years: sculptures of dizzying heights and varying colors; scraps of metal from local salvage yards; beams from the World Trade Center; and people from around the state interested in anything from THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
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sculpture to metalworking to glassblowing to having a cup of coffee and chatting. This is exactly what Gallucci hoped this space would become after opening the studio in 2006, not only for him but for the collective community of local and statewide artists of which he is part.
***
Gallucci’s collective approach is quickly made apparent when you spend time discussing art with him; you will discover that he consistently speaks in the collective first person we. “We’d been in the old Civil War rifle factory on East Washington in downtown Greensboro for 21 years,” he says. “There were holes in the ceiling. The floors weren’t strong enough to hold the sculptures we were making.” He smiles, takes a sip of his coffee. “We knew we needed four things from a studio: We needed plenty of space. We needed heat. We needed an office. And we needed a bridge crane.” That checklist — especially plenty of space and the bridge crane — came in handy as the full lengths of the six-story Raleigh towers were being fabricated inside the studio. Gallucci had plenty of hands on deck as the towers were lifted by the bridge crane and prepared for transport. You would not know it now, but there were times when Jim Gallucci felt more like that single stick in the stream than the island that would gather around it. As a working artist, he had spent years teaching at the college level, but that came to a halt in 1986, when the University of North Carolina Greensboro did not renew his teaching contract after nine years in the classroom. He had a decision to make: Should he and his family leave Greensboro in search of another teaching job, or should they stay in the community, where they had forged relationships for nearly a decade? He and his wife made the conscious decision to stay. “We’d made a lot of friends,” he says. “We had a community. We knew a lot of people in the fabrication business, and we’d trade sculptures for steel. You THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
don’t buy those relationships; you assemble them during your life.” After leaving the classroom, Gallucci decided to put his faith in his local community, and he decided to keep his faith in his art. “I took unemployment for six months, and I called it my arts grant. I went in my studio every day like a worker at 8 a.m., and I’d work until 4 p.m. I worked every day in that studio, and we were able to trade for steel, and we made three good sculptures during that six months and tried to get into shows. “Those three pieces we made? All of them were sold, and two of them ended up in Brisbane, Australia. I suddenly went from an unemployed art teacher to an international sculptor.”
***
Gallucci’s sculptures began to pop up around Greensboro, then around the state, then around the country. He is perhaps best known for his gates and arches, especially the Millennium Gate in Greensboro’s Government Plaza, a project that found 17 artisans creating 106 icons that represent major figures, moments and movements from American history. The icons are affixed to the enormous arch and comprise the gate at its center. Viewers are able to both witness history and pass through it, and that interaction is vital to Gallucci’s vision. “With gates, it’s easy to get into the art,” he says, “literally and figuratively. I try to get people to enter the work, to engage with it.” Gallucci also gives people the opportunity to engage with their own artwork several times a year when he opens his studio to host a public iron pour. Hundreds of people show up in the early afternoon, many of them with small sand casts on which they will use any number of tools to etch a symbol or a name or an image that will then be cast in iron later in the day. People come not only to pour iron, but to work with blacksmithing tools or to try their hand at glassblowing. Others come for the MARCH 2020 •
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110 Dungannon Blvd., Suite 100 Wilmington, NC 28403 www.katiemooreteam.com M 910.297.3093
THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
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C R E A T O R S live music or the hot food that is served. The noise of the conversations and music and hammers rises into a pleasing din that fills the enormous studio space and pours outside, where men and women in masks and leather gloves and aprons are stoking the foundry and melting metal into what looks like bright orange lava. Jim Gallucci is there, talking to old friends, making new ones, offering words of encouragement to someone who is trying their hand at metal casting for the first time. As the sky tips toward dusk, the scene is otherworldly. Sparks fly. Flames reach into the air. Metal is turned into liquid. The vague notions of creativity that people arrived with are slowly hardening into shape. “Creativity happens when you experience something you’ve never experienced before,” Gallucci says. “The elements: the sand, the dirt, the heat; it’s almost primordial. People may not become iron casters after this, but that’s not the point. It’s igniting other things, inviting other ways to look at the world. That’s what art inspires.”
***
What does Jim Gallucci hope his art inspires? He thinks for a moment, the light from sparks and flames glinting in his safety glasses, which he wears casually, the way other people wear sunglasses or bifocals. “I hope I’m perpetuating ideas, goodwill, community, sense of purpose, reflection. If you’re doing that with a piece of art, you’re doing OK.” No man is an island, right? Well, perhaps Jim Gallucci is. b Wiley Cash lives in Wilmington with his wife and their two daughters. His latest novel, The Last Ballad, is available wherever books are sold.
America’s Lager Brewery... Red Oak, home of Fresh Real Beer, invites you to visit their Charming Lager Haus with its Old World Ambience. Relax under the trees in the Biergarten, sit by the Stream, admire the Sculpture… Great Place to Unwind after a long day!
Come Celebrate Heller Bock March 27-29th, 2020
1516 Fest
Other March Happenings Wednesdays Music Bingo Thursdays Wine Specials Fridays Brewery Tour Sunday, March 8th Yoga - 2:00pm
I 40/85 Exit 138 east of Greensboro 6905 Konica Dr., Whitsett, NC Wednesday - Friday - 4 - 10pm Friday Brewery Tour 4:30pm Saturday 1 - 10pm Sunday 1 - 7pm
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910.509.1949 | cell: 910.233.7225 800.533.1840 | www.alexanderkoonce.com
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Keeping It Real – And Beautiful The art of turning recycled cigarette butts into picnic tables
By Dana Sachs
Dick Brightman: Executive Director, Keep New Hanover Beautiful
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK STEELMAN
Our readers may remember the Keep America Beautiful campaign from decades ago, especially the famous TV ad of the Native American observing all the pollution in this country, but they might not know that the organization still exists today. Has it been around all this time? Did it disappear and then start up again? The organization has been around all this time. Keep New Hanover Beautiful is a certified affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. I took over the helm in 2016. We joined forces with Cape Fear River Watch and decided we would rebuild the organization from the ground up. We found and nurtured a bunch of young, energetic, environmentally conscious individuals. We’re one of the few affiliates of Keep America Beautiful in the country that is all volunteer and receives zero funding. The organization receives no money from the government? Government, corporate, you name it. You scrape around for dollars. Any funding we get we have to grovel for. If nobody knows who you are or what you do, it’s almost impossible to get people to donate to your cause. I had committed to our board that we were going to make this thing work as an all-volunteer organization, and we were struggling to figure out what our mission was going to be. That’s when we stumbled on cigarette litter. The City of Wilmington had purchased about 120 cigarette litter canisters and installed them downtown. The city solid-waste folks collected this trash. We started asking questions: “What do you do with it?” They said they throw it in the trash. It therefore ends up in our landfill. It emits toxins and really bad stuff into our landfill. THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
How did you know that cigarette butts were so toxic? I knew that the cellulose acetate — whatever’s in the filter — is really the toxic part. So, the filter, the part that’s supposed to protect people, is toxic? It’s very toxic. It takes between 10 and 15 years to break down in a landfill. So we started doing some research to find out if there was anybody around who recycled these disgusting things. A New Jersey company called TerraCycle was the only one we found in the country that actually collected and recycled these filters. We went to the city and said, “If you turn over the discards to us, we will be responsible for recycling.” So they collected everything in 5-gallon buckets and then turned the buckets over to us, and we started with TerraCycle. What does it mean to “recycle” cigarette butts? The cigarette contains tobacco, paper and the filter, which is basically plastic. What TerraCycle does is “field strip” it. They take the tobacco and the paper, which goes in the compost, and then the filters are broken down with an eight-step chemical process, so it doesn’t emit anything into the environment. The output resembles little plastic pellets. What makes it financially feasible is that TerraCycle then turns around and sells this recycled plastic to the industry. They make picnic tables, decking, building materials — stuff that normally would be a wood product, but you infuse these plastic pellets and it extends the life of the product. It’s amazing to think that they can make enough money with these tiny cigarette butts. It’s got to be financially feasible. TerraCycle is a publicly traded company. How does the collection process work? We’ve sold these canisters, and some have been provided gratis from MARCH 2020 •
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Noel concentrates her practice in Estate Administration, Fiduciary Litigation, and Municipal Law
Keep America Beautiful. We’ve got them now at many bars, breweries, restaurants. The county has several. And we are embarking on installing 14 on UNCW’s campus. We have seven volunteers, mostly students. We’ve installed canisters at every beach access point at Wrightsville Beach. We service and empty those. We have one student who is responsible for collecting at Carolina Beach. We have five canisters down at the aquarium as well. There’s a lot of concern these days about climate change. How do you get people to focus on cigarette litter? It seems small in comparison to fires or hurricanes that could destroy our communities. Cigarette butt litter is and has been the most littered item in the world. In the world. Anytime you go to a beach or a park, anywhere. Go to a stop sign and look down at the street. Keeping the toxins out of our waterways is, in my mind, the number one issue. If a cigarette is lying by the side of the street, animals pick them up. Kids pick them up. In the waterways, animals eat them. We know what plastics do to fish and turtles. So it really has a direct effect on our ecosystem locally. No question. I think the thing that is most painful to us down here is that we live in 34
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T H E C O N V E R S A T I O N a little slice of land between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean. Anything that gets discarded on our streets is going to end up in one of those two areas. How much have you collected? We started this in early 2017. As of last week, we are at 780 pounds, which is the equivalent of over three quarters of a million cigarettes that we’ve kept out of the waterways, streets, and our landfill. Do you think that local concern about our coastal environment is part of the reason for your success? Yes, but I think the biggest thing we have going for us is UNCW, with the phenomenal professors and students over there in the Environmental Sciences Department and Plastic Ocean Project. It’s hard to meet somebody there who doesn’t know about keeping our planet clean and doing something about it. So we get these young student volunteers who are not yet 25 years old, and they’ll go around and collect disgusting cigarette butts and pack them up and send them off and get them recycled. And, believe me, there’s nothing worse than wet cigarette butts that have sat around for a while. You’re retired yourself. There are a lot of things you could do with your time. What compels you to volunteer for the environment? The environment has always been a natural thing to me because nobody else is going to take care of it. I hate the fact that my generation has created such a mess that we’re passing along. I’ve got grandchildren now. We’re passing it along to our children and grandchildren. To me, that’s depressing. But you have to be an optimist to keep picking up cigarette butts. What keeps you going? You know what keeps me going? We have a source — TerraCycle — that will do anything to keep our environment clean. And, more than that, it’s working with these young kids. They inspire the hell out of me. b Dana Sachs’ latest novel, The Secret of the Nightingale Palace, is available at bookstores, online and throughout Wilmington. THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
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www.lsginteriors.com 910-399-4917 info@lsginteriors.com
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A Springtime Soup
Yes, the sun is stronger and the days are longer. But when the breeze picks up, it’s easy to remember that the chill of winter is still behind it — which is why we crave food that is light yet sustaining. By Jane Lear
Some soups require a lengthy
list of ingredients and plenty of time on the back burner; they are worth preparing in a big batch so you can freeze a couple of quarts for another day. Leek and potato soup, however, does not need this sort of commitment. It’s an uncomplicated, almost austere, old farmhouse soup that brings out the best in two vegetables, and it’s easily cobbled together on the fly.
I made it the other day when a trip down the grocery store’s produce aisle yielded leeks with very fresh, relatively crisp leaves and long, stout snowy white stems. (Note: The longer the stems, the greater the amount of chopped leeks will be.) As soon as I got home, I prepped those beautiful leeks, along with some burly russet potatoes, straightaway. Then, as the soup simmered, I stowed the rest of my haul and set the kitchen to rights. Filling and fresh-tasting, the soup was going to be exactly what we wanted after a brisk walk on the beach. In terms of flavor, the leek is the most nuanced and refined member of the onion-garlic clan — a real treat on the palate after months of winter’s storage onions. It’s sturdy, too: Left whole, with roots untrimmed, leeks will easily last a couple of weeks in the refrigerator if you wrap them in a slightly dampened kitchen towel, then put them in a plastic bag. As for the potatoes, they have varying starch and moisture con-
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tents depending on their type. Russets, the standard baking potato, are high in starch and low in moisture. So-called “boiling” potatoes are low in starch and, you got it, high in moisture. Yukon Golds, with their yellow-tinged flesh, strike a happy medium in both categories. Each kind of spud will make a delicious soup in its own way, but typically, if using boiling potatoes, you’ll need to add more salt, because low starch means a higher proportion of natural sugars. I buy organic potatoes when I can find them, and often leave on the skins unless very thick; it seems a shame to waste them, and they add to the rough-hewn character of the soup. (At the other end of the spectrum is crème vichyssoise, in which the leek and potato mixture is puréed with cream and served cold. This soup, which has great finesse and timeless appeal, was created by the French chef Louis Diat, who became chef de cuisine at the New York Ritz-Carlton in 1910. In 1947, he joined Gourmet magazine as the in-house chef.) Although some leek and potato soup recipes say to simmer the vegetables in chicken stock and/or milk, I stick with plain old water. It’s cleaner tasting, and if you like, you can thin as well as enrich the finished soup with some milk or cream. Leek and potato soup hits the spot for lunch — feel free to add slices of cheese toast, made with a good cheddar — but it can be extremely satisfying for supper, too. Try embellishing it with a handful of greens — spinach or lemony-tart sorrel, for instance, or finely shredded kale — and serve it with a plate of thinly sliced brown bread, unsalted butter, and smoked or kippered salmon. I first had this combination long ago in Scotland, in a gray stone cottage framed by neat rows of blue-green leeks, and to this day the meal conjures long twilights, a crackling fire in the hearth, and the distant boom of the surf. In case you find yourself wishing for dessert, a rhubarb oatmeal crisp is as good as it gets. MARCH 2020 •
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www.warmraisetheroof.org THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
F O O D F O R T H O U G H T
Leek and Potato Soup Serves 4
In the recipe below, the method for cleaning the leeks may sound finicky, but it’s not a place to cut corners. Leeks always have a certain amount of soil embedded in their multitude of layers because of how they grow. Rain splashes the dirt onto the leaves, then washes it down to where the stem (which is actually lots of tightly bound leaves) begins. The particles of soil work their way deeper into the plants as they mature. So take your time! Put on some music and embrace the process. About 4 large leeks About 1 1/2 pounds potatoes 3 tablespoons unsalted butter About 6 cups water Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper Milk or cream to thin soup (optional) Chopped fresh thyme, chives, chervil or tarragon for serving (optional) 1. Trim off the roots and dark green part of the leeks. Discard the tough outer leaf layer. Cut leeks in half lengthwise and thinly slice. Swish them around well in a bowl of cold water, then let them sit so that any soil or sand settles to the bottom of the bowl. 2. Scrub the potatoes and peel if desired. Quarter them lengthwise and cut into 1/2inch pieces. Gently lift the leeks out of their bath with your hands and drain. 3. Melt the butter in a pot, add the leeks, and cook over low heat until the leeks are softened but not browned. Add the potatoes and water; season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are very soft, 30 to 40 minutes. They should be almost, but not quite, falling apart. 4. Smash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot to give the soup a thicker, smoother consistency, or, if you’re feeling ambitious, pulse a few ladles of soup in a blender, then return to the pot. Taste and think about adding some milk or cream. Or not. Tinker with the seasoning, adding a bit more salt and a few grinds of pepper. Ladle into bowls and scatter with chopped herbs if desired. b
Jane Lear, formerly of Gourmet magazine and Martha Stewart Living, is the editor of Feed Me, a quarterly magazine for Long Island food lovers. THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
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THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
S A L T Y
W O R D S
The Quest
Excerpt from Tuxedos and Pickup Trucks: Forever Riding on the South Wind
By Bill Thompson
It may sound too sentimental, but
horses have probably had as much influence on my life as any human. I’ve bred and raised them, trained them, taken them in the show ring and on trail rides, and worked cattle with them. In looking back on my life, I have searched for those defining moments that tell me about the things I value most. Every once in a while, one of those defining moments comes along and you don’t realize its significance until it’s gone.
* * * * Up until a few years ago, I kept some horses in a pasture next to my house. One of those horses was Mayflower. During the almost 30 years we were together, she had been a constant through job changes, births, deaths, marriages, divorce, and everything else. When Mayflower was here at the house, we would often go on rides through the woods that extended for some miles behind my home. It would usually be late afternoon when I got home from work. As I’d walk to the barn, Mayflower would run up to me and nicker (kind of a cross between a snort and sneeze). THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
I would brush her down good and she would almost go to sleep. (I respond the same way to similar activity.) The smell of saddle leather and hay combined with the vision of slanted sunrays slipping through the walls of the old barn created a calmness — a tranquility that comes from familiarity, a contentment that comes from silence. Back then, Mayflower and I shared a friendship with a dog named Chip. Chip was a product of impeccable breeding — the result of lust between a registered Labrador retriever and a dashing hound of unknown origin. Chip, Mayflower and I would leave the confines of the barn and pasture on those afternoons on a quest to find…? Adventure has no defined course or destination. That road that led through the woods was a two-rutted lane lined on both sides by a mixture of pine trees and sweetgum. Some seedlings clung to the edge of the little ditch that ran along the side of the road, as a trickle of water slipped slowly and silently past. The trees were fairly young saplings, having taken seed after the field had last been harvested nearly 30 years ago. Pine needles covered the ground under the trees, and a sprinkling of spiky gum balls created a cover like an auburn-colored chenille bedspread. The three of us proceeded through the woods one afternoon on an undetermined quest. We in no way looked like a triumvirate from a medieval story. While Mayflower was nothing like a prancing charger, she was much more elegant than Don Quixote’s Rocinante. And I was MARCH 2020 •
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W O R D S
certainly no knight in shining armor. Unlike the Spanish nobleman, I was clad in a flannel shirt, jeans, and boots. Still, our quest was noble nonetheless. As we proceeded through the woods, Chip (the Sancho Panza of this trio) would occasionally run off by himself in search of unknown quarry. In a short time, he would reappear, panting from the effort and pleased to rejoin us. At some point, I decided to take the path less traveled, turned off the wooded road, and began to wind among the trees. I brushed the hanging pine boughs away as we proceeded through the older forest. Many of the trees in this part of the woods had been here for half a century or more, having survived somehow the saws and axes of the timber crews that had been so much a part of the lumber industry in this area. The limbs spread out and created a canopy that generated a shadowy filigree of light as the sun began to go down. Mayflower stepped adroitly over fallen branches, occasionally snapping small twigs. In a few minutes, we came out into an open area, a dormant field. The late afternoon sun lit the old field with rays of sunshine that burst through the trees. There stood a large oak tree, oddly placed among all the pines. I dismounted and went over to that tree, then sat down beside it with my back against its trunk. I let Mayflower’s reins drop as she stood with her head down beside me. Chip came over and put his big head in my lap. I heard a bird skipping through the leaves and became swept up in peacefulness. Then I heard the sound of traffic, of trucks and cars as they passed down the four-lane highway only a couple of hundred yards away. The sound did not diminish the moment. Instead, the sudden contrast enhanced the sense of peace I had found. But it was more than a sense, more than a feeling. The reaction was visceral: My body relaxed as the breeze blew and the sun dimmed behind the trees. At that moment, the sound of the modern world was excluded from my mind, erased by the reality of what I had discovered. b Longtime Salt contributor Bill Thompson’s latest book is Tuxedos and Pickup Trucks: Forever Riding on the South Wind (PipeVine Press), from which this is excerpted. He lives in his hometown of Hallsboro, North Carolina. THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
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THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
B I R D W A T C H
Pied-Billed Grebe A charismatic swimmer
By Susan Campbell
Here in North Carolina,
winter is the season for waterfowl. On the coast we have multiple species of loons and geese, as well as more than two dozen kinds of dabbling ducks and divers. If you are looking closely, you may notice a very small swimmer as well one, that is often solitary in its habits. This would be the charismatic pied-billed grebe.
The pied-billed has the largest range of the five found across North America. However, they are not the strongest fliers, having relatively small, rounded wings. It is amazing that they are actually migrants. Our wintering birds may come from the upper Midwest or even central Canada. The pied-billed grebe is a compact waterbird in a completely different family of birds that are expert swimmers and divers. In fact, you will never see a grebe on land. Their legs are placed so far back on their bodies that walking is very difficult. Not surprisingly, the word “grebe” literally means “feet at the buttocks.” But these birds can readily dive to great depths to forage for aquatic invertebrates such as crayfish as well as chase down small fish. The pied-billed grebe is smaller than a football with shades of gray and a white underside. As its name implies, it has a silvery gray bill with a black band that is very stout. The jaws of these birds are very strong, however, and certainly more than compensate for what they
THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
lack in bill length. Cracking the exoskeletons of insects, shrimp and clams is no trouble, as is hanging onto slippery minnows. Another interesting detail of this bird’s anatomy is that it has an extremely short tail. It is the bright white undertail coverts that are noticeable at a distance. These little birds have a couple of very interesting behavioral adaptations that one might notice after watching them for a while. One is that they have the capability to sink below the surface if the situation warrants. They use their unique ability to control the buoyancy of their plumage, and so can readily absorb water to increase their weight and quickly disappear from sight. Likewise they can swim with their heads just below the surface so as not to be seen. And they can even employ a “crash dive” to evade predators, pushing themselves downward with their wings and kicking hard with their feet. One other well-known fact about pied-billeds is that they eat large quantities of their own feathers. It is thought that they create a large but porous plug in the gut that traps dangerous fragments of certain food items from entering the intestine. They even feed feathers to their young. You can look for pied-billed grebes on any body of still or slowmoving water. Larger creeks, marshy ponds or even the sounds may host these little birds from October through March. However, individuals may give themselves away by the long, loud series of variable chatters, bleats or coos that they are making at this time of the year, when advertising their territory to the occasional interloper. Either way, these birds deserve a good look any time, even though they are not that large — or very colorful. b Susan would love to receive your wildlife sightings and photos. She can be contacted at susan@ncaves.com. MARCH 2020 •
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A N N I E
G R A Y ’ S
D I A R Y
Make Mine a Double With a splash of Geritol
By Annie Gray Sprunt
“Call Dickie Andrews! Call
ILLUSTRATION BY LAUREL HOLDEN
Dickie Andrews!” was the early-morning mantra of my grandfather for the last several years of his life. Every day he thought it was going to be his last day among the living. As soon as he realized he was, in fact, going to survive, he would get up, get dressed and head to his workshop, where he would putter around with a few Saltine crackers and an O’Doul’s near beer. He lived for 95 years. For those of you who may not know, Dickie Andrews was his friend and the owner of Andrews Mortuary.
Both sides of my family live long, long lives, and our survival tool is humor. (We are long livers but I doubt anyone would want our livers, just saying.) We will spin anything that happens into an opportunity to laugh because the alternative is not much fun. Years ago, my maternal grandmother had to have her leg amputated due to complications from diabetes. She was 90. She was so proud of that stump that she would randomly and spontaneously whip that thing out as if she were in a Mardi Gras parade flashing mammaries to score some purple and green beads. New version of tooting your own horn — flashing your own stump! At the time, my daughter was 5 years old and my grandmother explained that since she only had one leg, she wasn’t able to walk, and my daughter said, “Well, at least you can hop!” That’s my girl, always seeing the bright side. My paternal grandmother, for whom I was named, lived for 91 delightful years. Her greatest summertime joy was to sit on the edge of the ocean with the waves lapping onto her legs. Sporting powder blue cat-eye sunglasses (she called them her “smokes”), well-worn straw hat with pink faux flowers atop her lovely gray hair and a long swim dress, she enjoyed the simple pleasures of summer, making drip drip castles in the sand and digging for sand fiddlers. Along comes a 5-year-old whippersnapper. He noticed that she had well-earned wrinkles and her skin was soft and for lack of a better word, saggy . . . essentially that she was no spring chicken. After curious and innocent observation, this little fella said. “Hey lady, your skin don’t fit.” I’m sure his mother wanted to dig a hole to China and jump right in, but my grandmother howled in hysterics, embraced the hilarity and retold that story many times.
THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
Years ago, my cousin Hardy received a phone call that a great-uncle had passed away. He asked the customary question: “Was it expected?” His mother said, “Yes, it’s been expected for the last 97 years.” Even when we reach the stage of life when the proverbial horizon is approaching, we pre-emptively strike with a pithy nugget or sarcasm of self-deprecating sass. My father lived an extraordinarily long life and could find humor at every opportunity. The time came when we had to call in hospice, which is always a difficult and sobering experience. Sensing the weight of the situation and realizing the imminent doom we were all feeling, Daddy summoned his well-honed humor and asked the lovely hospice nurse, “What is your success rate?” Crickets. The poor lady didn’t know what to say until we all fell over laughing, and we knew then that everything was going to be OK. Humor is the best medicine, although that morphine really does work. My mother is in assisted living. Primarily because if she lived with me, one of us would not survive. On one occasion, she had to transfer from one room to another, which meant that someone had to be there so that the cable man could switch the account. I arrived to meet the technician for the 10-12:00 service window which, of course, meant that I was still there at 3p.m. Then, a nurse walked in, clearly a nurse, in a nurse uniform, name tag which declared that he was a nurse, nurse bag and standard-issue stethoscope around his nurse neck. He introduced himself to my mother, identifying himself as a nurse, asked my mother if he could perform traditional nurse duties, taking her temperature, blood pressure, blood oxygen cuff on her finger. He asked if he could check her feet to ensure that indeed her circulation was circulating. She obediently did what she was told, answered his medical question and complied with his requests. He then said that he needed to inspect her backside to make sure she wasn’t exhibiting signs of bedsores. She did as she was told and provided a vision of her backside, whereupon she turns to me and asks (drumroll, please),”When is he going to turn on the cable?” Oh, yes she did! b Annie Gray Sprunt’s (eventual) life goal is to emulate Chrysippus of Soli, the Greek Stoic philosopher who died from laughing at his own jokes. MARCH 2020 •
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March 2020 Awoken The moon awoke me howling for attention the stars were distant, aloof a few gregarious, Gregorian twinkles made celesta accompaniment lunar fugue a chorus of seas echo of my cathedrals trumpets and choirs the organist’s foot pedals faster than tap Did the moon not wake you? No tom toms, no Tchaikovsky cannons? Oh your serene dreams of a more melodious siren That is why I love you listening to the moon in your eyes — Ry Southard
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Spy vs. Spy
In 1970s Moscow, Martha Peterson led a double life — embassy worker by day, CIA agent by night By Kevin Maurer
Martha Peterson at the Spy Museum 50
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M
artha Peterson let the hollowed-out log fall to the base of a lamppost outside a Moscow park. Inside the log were code books and a poison-filled pen. The pen was for a Soviet spy — code-named Trigon — who was coming for his scheduled meeting with Peterson. She set the package in its hiding place and walked into the maze of apartment buildings nearby. An hour later, she returned to the spot and found a crushed milk carton with what looked like vomit — really mustard plaster — smeared on top of it. The log was gone. It was 1975, the American and Soviet governments were locked in an ideological cold war, and Peterson — the first woman to get posted to CIA’s Moscow Station, a premier posting for the CIA’s best clandestine personnel — was on the front lines. “Service in Moscow is equivalent to a foxhole,” said a foreign service officer in a 1978 Washington Post story about Peterson. “There were so few places you could speak openly. Offices? Bedrooms? All are bugged. You resorted to writing on paper.” When Peterson arrived in Moscow, the KGB thought she was a low-level secretary who had slept her way to her post and ignored her. To Peterson’s credit, she played the part. She hung out with the Marine guards and the other secretaries, and drank a lot of Carlsberg beer. She earned the nickname “Party Marti,” she told NPR in an interview. But at night and on weekends, she spied, carrying out dead drops and going on excursions to take pictures. Once, she and a girlfriend went to Latvia and took pictures of Soviet Navy ships moored at the dock. No one paid them any mind because they were women, Peterson said. “One of the great exercises while in Moscow was to try to find out who were CIA among the nine foreign service officers),” an American living in Moscow told the Washington Post in 1978. “I can’t recall anyone who ever even imagined Marti, which makes me think now, ‘Boy, she must have been a good one.’” One of her main missions was to handle a Foreign Ministry official who had access to incoming messages from Soviet embassies around the world, giving the U.S. government insight into what the Soviets were talking about and planning. Alexandr Ogorodnik, code named Trigon, passed the pictures of the messages he shot with a miniature pen camera to Peterson at night in a Moscow park. They used fake logs, trash, rusty cans and even a rat’s carcass to hide the film and messages. Four decades later, Peterson still tells the story of outfoxing the KGB as if it happened yesterday. Now retired, she moved to Wilmington in 2003. People often ask how she was recruited into America’s clandestine service because at a glance, she doesn’t look the part. That’s the point, Peterson said. “When you look at me, I look like someone’s grandmother,” she says. “That’s the key to CIA’s success, looking like everybody else. Underneath is a person who understands spying and tradecraft.” But old habits die hard. She recently met a woman in a class at her retirement community. The woman made a point of seeking her out and talking with her for a minute before leaving the class early. THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
Peterson’s first thought was the meeting was a bump — finding a reason to get your target talking. “Was she trying to find out about me?” Peterson says with a slight grin. “I went into the whole counter-intel.”
P
eterson grew up in Connecticut and went to Drew University to become a teacher. But that plan fell by the wayside after meeting John Peterson, a former Green Beret with a Fu Manchu mustache who had enlisted as a paramilitary officer with the CIA. The couple went to Laos in 1971. John Peterson was there to train Laotian troops attacking North Vietnamese supply lines. Peterson took a job as a clerk with the CIA station. More than a year after arriving, John Peterson was killed when his helicopter was shot down. Now a widow, Peterson returned to Florida — where her mother lived — and eventually applied for the CIA’s clandestine service. She started with the CIA on July 3, 1973 — her late husband’s birthday — and was trained as a case officer. But after training, she had problems finding an assignment. She turned down MARCH 2020 •
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Martha Peterson, 1972 jobs at the United Nations and Burma. “They were girl jobs,” she says. “I wanted to do real work. I wanted to be like the male officers.” Peterson got her wish when she got a call to meet the CIA’s chief of station, a man named Bob, who recruited her to his team. “Why?” she says. “Female. Young. No history overseas. I could blend. Women don’t work for the CIA on the street.” During the day, she worked in the U.S. Embassy, where she interviewed potential Soviet immigrants and helped American visitors with passport issues. “I really was that, but at night and weekends I was doing other things on the street,” she says. Ogorodnik, a Soviet diplomat, was the station’s main effort. He was recruited in Bogota, Columbia, after the CIA learned he was having an affair with his boss’s wife. Ogorodnik lived alone, taking pictures with his pen camera and leaving them for Peterson to collect. Soon after arriving, Peterson started making regular drops to Ogorodnik. The two never met, but they shared a connection. “I knew when I put that package in the cold and snow I had it under my coat and kept it warm, and it was my warmth that I was giving to him,” she says. “It was hard, though. Never meeting him.”
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John Peterson, 1972
P
eterson had a scheduled drop at a pillar on the bridge over the Moscow River on July 15, 1977. She worked her day job and then changed clothes, picked up a package with money, emerald jewelry and a new camera, and headed for the bridge. After spending hours walking around to make sure she wasn’t being tailed, Peterson approached the pillar. On her way there, three men passed her. Peterson had an SRR-100, an electronic monitoring radio, Velcroed under her bra. The CIA knew the frequency KGB surveillance teams used and the radio allowed them to listen in. Peterson didn’t hear any radio chatter. “Nobody was following me,” she says. “If they were, they were silent.” She walked down the bridge, entered the pillar and shoved the package into its hiding place. But Peterson didn’t know Ogorodnik had been betrayed by a CIA employed translator three weeks before. During his interrogation, he offered to write a full confession. He asked for his pen with the poison. When the KGB interrogator gave it to him, he bit down on the poison cartridge and died. As Peterson left the bridge, the three men she spotted earlier snatched her. They tore at her blouse, pulling the radio receiver from her bra. Peterson remembers her anger. She lashed out and kicked at least one of the KGB men, sending him to the hospital. The scene was captured on film and was displayed for a while in the Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
Alexandr Ogorodnik (Trigon)
Bridge where Peterson was arrested, 1977
A van pulled up and more KGB arrived. They recovered the package and took Peterson to Lubyanka, KGB headquarters and prison, in central Moscow. “They didn’t abuse me,” she says, never fearing for her life. “It’s professional. Why didn’t they beat me up? Because it was tit for tat. The FBI here would pick one of theirs up and beat them up.” As the KGB interrogator was taking the things out of the package, he paused when he took out a black pen and placed it far from him. “Nobody touch,” he said. At that point, Peterson knew Trigon was dead. “It was in an identical pen,” she says. “I know right then Trigon had used the poison.” Peterson was arrested around 10:30 p.m. The KGB released her at 2 a.m. She went back to the CIA station for a debrief and then boarded the first flight out of Moscow the next day. Peterson had diplomatic immunity, but her career in Moscow Station was over. She was quickly declared persona non grata, but continued her careers for another 26 years before retiring. The day she left, the KGB followed her to the airport and watched her leave. “They had respect for me,” she says. “I had fooled them.” b Kevin Maurer is the author of nine books, including No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden. He lives in Wilmington. Ogorodnik’s grave THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
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Never Out and
Never Over Good Times at the Bijou By Kimberly B. Sherman
Bijou Theater 1912
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COURTESY OF THE NEW HANOVER PUBLIC LIBRARY, DR. ROBERT M. FALES COLLECTION
W
ith only three days left until the 1906 Christmas holiday, Wilmington’s Front Street was a bustle of shoppers. Men and women navigated the brick-paved streets and avoided streetcar lines as they juggled paper-wrapped parcels. Shouts of “Never out and never over!” drifted over the crowds of customers as they entered nearby shops. A new attraction had risen on the east side of the thoroughfare: a massive tent evocative of circuses and carnivals. “The Bijou” embellished the wooden façade in large letters. Wilmington’s first movie theater was open for business and would keep the city entertained from 1906-1953. In 1906, two retired circus performers, Percy Wells, an aerialist and tight-rope walker known as “The Great Percino,” and James “Foxy” Howard, a circus and carnival barker, hatched a plan to open the city’s first cinema venue. Howard had recently leased a former menswear store at 122 Market St. for the location, but was unable to acquire the appropriate permits to convert the old shop. As the holiTHE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
day season approached and fears of losing patrons loomed, Howard and Wells approached Joel W. Murchison, proprietor of a downtown hardware store, acquiring the lease of some 40 feet of prime streetfacing property on Front Street between Grace and Chestnut streets. Business owners had quickly snapped up properties throughout this busy district, and the two entrepreneurs were lucky to get their hands on this undeveloped lot. With no time to erect a more permanent structure, and inspired by their former careers, Howard and Wells erected a large canvas tent in which to show the latest films. To make the site look less temporary and to blend in with neighboring businesses, they built a wooden façade on which they painted the name of their theater — The Bijou, or “little jewel” — and advertised the cheap ticket price of only 5 cents. One of the first films to be screened was Edmund S. Porter’s The Great Train Robbery (1903). During one early screening of the film conducted at Thalian Hall, the audience ducked in fear as the train seemed to emerge from the screen. On a typical day, Howard would stand on the sidewalk outside MARCH 2020 •
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the Bijou advertising amusements with a megaphone and wind-up phonograph designed to attract Wilmington patrons, while Wells operated the projector inside the tent. Theatergoers could see the latest films, which the proprietors changed over quickly in order to attract a steady stream of return customers. In the first few months of business, the Bijou showed one single-reel film back-to-back for two days until it could be exchanged for a new film freshly arrived in town. Singlereel silent films like these were shown at a rate of 16 to 18 frames per second and lasted a mere 12 minutes. By April 1907, the team had acquired the ability to show two films per day — up to six per week. Film showings were interspersed with live local entertainment as well, particularly from Percy’s wife, Alice Fisher Wells, whose “full, rich and flexible” baritone voice melded with her husband’s piano accompaniments, and photographic slideshows to create “illustrated songs,” which audiences often sang along to. The Howard-Wells Amusement Company designed their nickelodeon “to give people a little more than they paid for.” Even during the First World War, they balked at adding the penny tax for the war effort. Booklets of 12 tickets could be purchased for 50 cents — a favorite Christmas or birthday present for many Wilmington residents. It wasn’t until film producers threatened not to send new reels if prices weren’t raised that the proprietors relented, and prices rose to 20 cents in the 1920s. The Bijou even ran a promotion to encourage every theater-goer to save up his or her tickets to be exchanged for a complete set of Worcester china. The Bijou’s owners specifically marketed their shows to women and children, who sought an inexpensive diversion on their days in the city. This “children’s haven” allowed mothers to bring their little ones to “remain all day and still only pay five cents — very cheap, even then, for a babysitter.” Just as many clerks, paper boys and businessmen frequented the establishment in between shifts or on their lunch hours. By the summer of 1907, a small structure had been added to the tent as a confectionery, from which popcorn and peanuts were hawked by boys up and down the aisles. Patrons looked back on the early days of the Bijou with nostalgia, noting the “commodious” theater space where “one’s foot (sank) into at least six inches of sawdust” upon entering and choosing a seat among the wooden benches or, later, camp chairs that were tied together in rows. In the center of the tent, a massive incandescent bulb swung from the central tent pole, providing light between reels and “snuffed when the picture went on, leaving the audience in complete darkness.” Howard’s massive Great Dane, Caesar, often wandered up and down the aisles in those early years, and on chilly days a pot-bellied stove provided warmth for patrons. In the autumn of 1910, Howard and Wells purchased the Front Street lot for a princely sum in the ballpark of $20,000 and began ad56
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vertising their intention to construct a purpose-built theater structure the following year. With the help of architectural designer Burrett H. Stephens, the Bijou’s construction began. Stephens’ career had seen better days. A varied portfolio of projects had taken him around the United States, from railroad offices and county jails, to meatpacking facilities. The Bijou was his last attempt to resuscitate a failing career. Films continued to be shown in the tent as construction went on, but an unexpected snowstorm on Feb. 11, 1912, accelerated the need to complete the permanent structure. Stephens’ success put his career back on track; he went on to design the Victoria Theater and Royal Movie Theater for Howard and Wells in 1915. On May 30, 1912, the new and improved Bijou — complete with mirrored doors, tiled floors and an electric player piano in the lobby — opened to the public. The new Bijou boasted a two-story façade with recessed ticket office, retail space, and a confectionery shop. Seating for 600 patrons occupied the ground floor inside, but this was reserved for white customers only. The Jim Crow era influenced many Wilmington businesses, creating segregated spaces designated for white or black customers. The Bijou was no different. In the tent years, a rear section on the left of the audience was roped off and reserved for black theatergoers. The company later added balcony seating reserved for 200 black patrons with reduced admission and offered “Midnight Shows” with special admission for black Wilmingtonians after hours. In the 1940s, the town’s black residents mostly frequented the Ritz theater on North Fourth Street. The name of Howard-Wells Amusement Company dominated theater-going in Wilmington for the first few decades of the 20th century. The team operated and owned the Carolina, Grand, Victoria, and Royal theaters in the coming years. Charlie Chaplin films regularly graced the screen, while “comedy screams” and “big two reel westerns” were also enjoyed. In the spring of 1929, Howard and Wells installed new sound equipment and a silver screen for the introduction of new talking pictures. On April 17, 1929, the Wilmington Star reported that “Percy Wells, local movie pioneer, grinned around noon today” when film reels arrived for the theater’s first talkie screening. The film reels had gone missing on their way from Dallas, leaving the theater “dark and silent” for the first time in years. The Younger Generation, a Frank Capra film featuring Ricardo Cortez and Lina Basquette, told the story of a young Jewish immigrant seeking to rise through the ranks of New York society. It was the first partial dialogue film produced by Columbia Pictures and Frank Capra’s first talkie. At the Bijou, theatergoers experienced everything from “a 12-piece orchestra strumming a popular waltz,” to baskets of roses tied up in THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
satin ribbon adorning the hall while “the soft drone of an electric fan spill(ed) its cool air over an audience of diversified appearances.” Not everything was spotless, however. Since the earliest days, patrons consumed their popcorn and peanuts much to the delight of the local rodent population. “Moviegoers munched peanuts throughout each reel, leaving the Bijou littered with hulls,” Dr. Robert Fales recollected. “No show was complete without a few hungry rats moseying along the floor, scavenging for peanuts.” In hopes of fixing the problem, Howard and Wells employed “feline exterminators” to rid them of hungry wharf rats that had come scurrying up from the river. “Moviegoers grew accustomed to the eerie sensation of something fuzzy brushing by on the dark floor. One never knew if he’d been touched by rat or cat.” In 1932 the theater discontinued the sale of peanuts, but the rats were a regular presence even in the coming decades. The Bijou underwent a number of renovations over the years, including the introduction of a monumental Seeburg pipe organ in 1916 with a price tag of more than $4,000. The new technology was able to create “every imaginable drum trap, train whistle, exhaust, baby cry, and a multitude of other effects.” When the influenza epidemic reigned in 1918, the theater closed for heating system repairs, while the balcony was raised and enlarged in 1922. During the holidays, “The Bijou . . . dressed up for Christmas . . . wearing her interior decorations with the charm and grace of a metropolitan picture palace.” The building was virtually gutted again in the 1930s and outfitted with new interiors. The Bijou hosted numerous special events for local charitable societies and fraternal organizations. YMCA lectures, Mickey Mouse Club meetings, and traveling minstrel shows occupied the space at times, and Liberty Bond films were a regular feature during both world wars. When local residents felt the pinch of the Great Depression, the Bijou held a “Collard Movie Show” sponsored by the Wilmington City Garden Program and its director, Carl B. Rehder. Patrons gained admission through the donation of a head of collards, which were later sold to benefit the Wilmington Red Cross fund. THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
Howard-Wells Amusement Co. was synonymous with cinemagoing in Wilmington for nearly three decades, but over-expansion in their enterprises and the oncoming storm of the Great Depression led to their demise. Failure to meet mortgage payments to Wilmington Savings and Trust resulted in the loss of all their theaters. Percy Wells chose to the leave the business, but James Howard stayed to manage the Bijou for one more year. Business rival J. M. Solky bought the Howard-Wells Amusement enterprise at auction in 1933. When James Howard died in 1938, the Bijou closed for the day out of respect for its co-founder’s funeral. Future proprietors continued to keep the Bijou up and running as a premier entertainment venue for the city. When the Howard Hughes film Scarface premiered at the Bijou in 1935, Al Capone’s personal $20,000 sedan was parked out in front of the venue to attract patrons. “The present Bijou is a far cry from the original tent, but the barricade of boys’ bicycles shows that the latest episodes of thrilling serials are just as enthralling now as they were years ago,” wrote Anita Anderson in 1953. “Talking pictures, technicolor, and 3-D have replaced the old, silent films, but the motion picture house is still at the same old stand — ‘Never out and never over.’” Three years later, however, the Bijou closed its doors one last time, in 1956. The city’s longest-running movie theater stood dark until the building was demolished in 1963 and later replaced by Bijou Park. Today, all that remains of the Bijou is part of its tiled entryway. In 2019, city leaders revealed plans to give Bijou Park a face-lift and a newfound purpose as the gateway to the new River Place community’s shopping, dining and residential spaces, as well as the Riverwalk. Perhaps this “little jewel” will shine again. b Kimberly B. Sherman is a historian, writer, and educator. She received her Ph.D. in history from the University of St. Andrews and is currently a lecturer in history at Cape Fear Community College. Her forthcoming book project is titled Intimate Worlds: Scottish Families in Early North Carolina and the Atlantic World. MARCH 2020 •
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Winterspring Fog As spring approaches, the curtain lifts
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Story & Photograph By Virginia Holman
hen my family moved to Carolina Beach over a decade ago, I noticed something a bit odd: The weather on the island was different from the weather just over the bridge. Say it was raining torrents in Wilmington when I left work: ditches aswirl with grass clippings and Styrofoam debris, thunder and lightning cracking, car wipers tick-ticking at top speed. As soon as I reached Snow’s Cut Bridge, the roar of rain on the roof silenced abruptly. Those days, I felt as if I’d moved to a balmy paradise made of blue skies and sun. Then winter arrived. Not our current unseasonably warm winter, but the real deal: You know, school-closed-for-snowflurries, scrape-the-windshield-with-a-library-card Southern winter.
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Our first few winters on the island were tough, and not just because the tourists were gone and seasonal businesses shuttered. A brisk winter’s day inland feels much colder and sharper at the coast. Cold fronts on the island bring eave-rattling north winds. Even my closed windows shudder and hum; once my neighbor’s unlatched storm door was pulled open so violently that the hinges bent and the glass shattered. Simple pleasures like a beach walk are bone-chilling, sand-stinging adventures when the winter wind is howling. Even so, my neighbors and I joke about it: “Rather have a sunny day that’s 40 degrees than a cloudy one that’s 60.” “If it doesn’t get cold, the skeeters don’t die.” “It’s the price of living in paradise.”
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am always antsy and ready for spring by mid-February. Though there are often early signs — the appearance of a black and white warbler, irises and daffodils in yards with a sheltered southern exposure, the occasional goosebumped skateboarding kid clad only in swimsuit and ski cap — spring’s approach brings a strange season. The temperatures warm slightly; the ground softens; the world goes gray. Sometimes it rains, but mostly what we get is clouds. It only lasts two or three weeks, this strange winterspring season, but it seems so much longer. Those gray days leach the color of life out of the landscape. Winter’s bright sun becomes a filmy blur, and as the temperature warms, the dim, low-slung sky looms overhead like a lid on a terrarium. The windows blur with mist. Even the birdsong quiets. Our island skies also tend to gray with the approach of spring. The water, the sand, the trees, the mist, the quaking foam along the shore seem blanched. It’s enough to make you want to call in sick, crawl under the blankets with a good book, and hide away until spring. But though the winterspring world is gray and muffled, it’s worth venturing out in the gloom. In the forest, fog collects on the longleaf seedlings and the turkey oak leaves, and the world silvers. Felled trees left by the trail from this storm or that bloom with fungus: beauti-
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ful scalloped turkey tails, occasionally, if you know where to look, a white lion’s mane. In the fog, sights and sounds seem extraordinary. A red-tailed hawk perched on a branch in a clouded swamp, or a mullet leaping from the misty river feel like encounters with spirits. There’s something about this micro-season that forces you to slow down and focus on what’s in front of you. What better walking meditation could there be than a beach walk when the fog moves in? If you time it right, you can watch the mist reach across the island from the sea and make its way through the streets. Soon, the world goes gray, and you can only see a short distance ahead. There’s no horizon. No sky. No shadow. Occasionally, clusters of people emerge from the mist, shapes that sharpen then recede. Over time, I’ve come to look forward to these strange days. I like the way the world stills and softens. My gaze shifts; nothing is ahead of me. Nothing is behind me. My dog Gracie sticks to my side; my husband, usually charging full speed ahead, slows his pace, and the three of us walk in unison, quietly, and the seasons change around us once again. b Author and creative writing instructor Virginia Holman lives and writes in Carolina Beach.
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Home Grown
In Porters Neck, a young family finds a perfect site for their new coastal contemporary house — at the tip of a peninsula overlooking Futch Creek By William Irvine • Photographs By R ick R icozzi 60
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llison and Ryan Luckadoo had found their dream spot. Residents of Wilmington for 15 years, they had reached a crucial stage in life. As their family grew bigger and the list of renovations grew longer, Allison and her husband, Ryan, a construction project manager, realized it would be cheaper to start anew than to stay put. They had often noticed a beautiful lot for sale down the road, one that the neighborhood used as a green place to walk their dogs and an informal bird sanctuary — 1.8 acres at the tip of a peninsula
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overlooking Futch Creek, with picturesque views across to the wetlands beyond. The creek originates right at the foot of the property. “The boys and I can paddleboard out to the Intracoastal Waterway and beyond to Figure 8,” says Allison, who with her sister Tracee Meyer hosts the podcast Welcome to the Fam. “We offer a lot of unsolicited sisterly advice,” she adds with a laugh. (And they have plenty to offer, coming as they do from a family of five sisters). It was a fateful meeting at the Junior League of Wilmington that brought Allison and Lindsey Gregg,
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the principal of LSG Interiors, together. Both women were serving on the board of the organization, and Lindsey had recently redesigned the offices. Says Allison: “I had seen the work of other decorators in Wilmington, but I saw that office and thought, ‘This is the one. We share exactly the same design sensibility.’” They soon became fast friends. The new house was designed by Ryan with the help of architect Matt Williard, and the result of their collaboration is a style that could best be described as Coastal Contemporary. “I am more of a fan of old Charleston, and my husband is all about clean lines, so this design was a perfect compromise,” says Allison. “We call it our creek retreat.” The layout contains spacious rooms on two floors. Downstairs is a large living room, dining area and kitchen with attendant bedrooms, one a guest room and bath, the other a master bedroom
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suite. Upstairs are bedrooms and baths for the couple’s two sons — Grady, 10, and Asher, 8 — a playroom, and Allison’s office, where she and Tracee produce their podcast. Upon entering the house, you are struck by a sense of calm. It’s a large, open space with a soothing palette and large windows that take advantage of the spectacular views of the wetlands. The decorating has been a three-year collaboration with Lindsey Gregg, and she was intimately involved at every stage. “Everything from light fixtures to lightbulbs,” says Allison. In the dining room, Gregg has combined dining chairs, tables and a sideboard by Stanley. “The style is influenced by Chinese Chippendale taste, but it has a more clean, modern feel at the same time,” says Gregg. “The hexagonal dining table is great. It’s not as formal as a traditional dining table and works for a large group — Ryan 64
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and Allison have lots of friends and family in and out all the time.” And holding pride of place over the table is a large chandelier by Ro Sham Beaux in Charleston. “After Lindsey showed me some pictures I had a dream about it — then I woke up and realized I had to have it!” says Allison. The adjacent living room features a coastal palette of icy blues and seaglass colors with casual takes on formal furniture pieces from the MT Company, all upholstered in Sunbrella fabrics, which are both UV and water-resistant. “Family-friendly and durable is the name of the game these days, particularly at the beach,” says Gregg. An architectural fireplace features a white-tile surround by Tidewater Flooring, which also installed all the wooden floors in the house. It’s a peaceful space, with very little on the walls except a Jean Rosenberg painting over the sofa. A large Stanley coffee table at center is THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
accessible from both sides of the room. In the kitchen, designed for entertaining, everything is shipshape. The countertops are of Berwyn quartz, “which I love because it reminds me of oyster shells,” says Allison — with a bit of glitter mixed in for good measure. Tailored globe lights from Ro Sham Beaux wrapped in raffia hang above the kitchen island. Sleek white wooden cabinets and enclosure by Wall to Wall Cabinetry in Wilmington surround a deep Belfast sink from Kohler, with a well-placed window above it. “It makes it a lot easier to do the dishes when you have this incredible view,” says Gregg. Down the hall in the master bedroom suite, the bathroom features a Victorian-style soaking tub with a view of the woods and a walk-in shower with a hotelgrade rainfall showerhead. Gray-streaked marble his-andhers vanities flank the doorway. The bedroom itself is quite spare, with luxurious Matouk linens and custom THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
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pillows. The rug and nightstands are vintage finds. Giclee prints from Protocol flank the master bed, which has a stunning view of Futch Creek from its adjoining porch — a great spot for morning coffee. The overall feel of this elegant house is one of cool, calm perfection — a great antidote to the frenetic lives of its occupants. And while the creation of the design has always included three different aesthetic opinions, more often than not, Lindsey Gregg has prevailed. “That’s the thing I realized about Lindsey,” says Allison with a broad smile. “She’s always right.” b William Irvine is the senior editor of Salt. His latest book, Do Geese See God? A Palindrome Anthology, is available on Amazon. 68
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A L M A N A C
March
By Ash Alder
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arch is the blushing maiden, brighteyed and smiling, her wild locks softly brushing your skin as she frolics past. You knew she was coming. The birds have been singing her name for weeks. And yet her arrival has taken you by surprise. You, too, are blushing. March is the blossoming redbud, soft light, a tapestry of pine needles, bark and grasses. The nuthatch has crafted her nest, and like the pregnant doe, belly swollen with late winter pansies, a new energy is alive inside of you — a new innocence. Pale pink blossoms adorn the saucer magnolia, but a tiny yellow flower has caught your eye. Dandelion. Simple, immaculate, glorious dandelion. You see it as if through the eyes of a child, pluck it from the tender earth, tuck it snug behind your ear. The birds are singing louder now. Ballads of clover, crocus, daffodil. And in the garden, each tiny blossom smiles back. March has arrived and, with it, spring — as much in your heart as the outside world.
Destination Dandelion
Sometimes, especially on dreamy March mornings, the gentle pull of adventure arrives. On such mornings, you will wander for the sake of wandering, nectar-drunk as a hummingbird as the fragrance of spring blossoms swirls around you. You might follow the warmth of the sun, or a sweet aroma, or the distant rapping of a woodpecker, any of which will guide you someplace new. Then maybe, on some quiet woodland trail, you will discover a fluffy young dog. He won’t look hungry. Or lost. And from the way he is looking at you, he seems to be inviting you farther down the path. You’ll walk together, for a mile or so, before the path reveals a rolling field. This is when you’ll realize that, across the field, inside the cottage with the smoking chimney, someone might be
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Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer. — Geoffrey B. Charlesworth
wondering where their dog went. And so you’ll walk him home. Inside the cottage, which smells of rich and exotic spices, an elderly woman is cooking dal on the stovetop. Her husband thanks you for returning Houdini (he slipped the gate again), and invites you to stay for lunch. “I’ve just gathered greens for the dandelion salad,” he tells you. You can’t say no to that.
Dandelion Salad
All you need: dandelion greens, wild and tender. Wash thoroughly, then toss with whatever you’d like. Lemon juice, fresh dill, olive oil and pepper.
Glory of Spring
Goddess of Fertility Day is observed on Wednesday, March 18 — the day before official spring. Among the goddesses celebrated on this day, Aphrodite is by far the most widely known. Born from the foam of the sea, it’s fitting that this goddess of love and blinding beauty be remembered at a time when tender green shoots and brilliant flowers seemingly appear out of nowhere. Historically, those seeking to conceive would make offerings to Aphrodite on this day — flowers, greenery, dessert wine, and triangle-shaped honey cakes. Or, grow a garden in her honor.
Laugh in Flowers
The earth has softened. In the garden, sow seeds for spinach, radish, turnip and kale. Plant a Flower Day is celebrated on Thursday, March 12 — but why stop at just one? March is a good month for planting lilies, tulips and roses. And don’t forget landscaping beauties, like rock cress, sweet pea or — in celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day on March 17 — clover. MARCH 2020 •
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Arts Calendar
March 2020
An Evening with Engelbert Humperdinck
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To add a calendar event, please contact calendar@ saltmagazinenc.com. Events must be submitted by the first of the month, one month prior to the event.
3/1 Brierwood Ensemble: Poetry and Song
3 p.m. - 4 p.m. This afternoon’s concert includes Jenni Brandon’s “Against All Parting” for mezzo-soprano, harp, and bassoon. Mezzo-soprano Cera Finney will perform. Admission: $20. Ronald Sachs Violins, 616B Castle St., Wilmington. Info: (262) 227-5421 or brierwoodensemble.com.
3/1 An Evening With Engelbert Humperdinck
7:30 p.m. Engelbert Humperdinck’s career spans 50 years—and he has sold more than 140 million albums worldwide. Come hear his unique voice tonight. Tickets: $39-$108. Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 362-7999 or cfcc.edu.
3/3-5 The Color Purple
7:30 p.m. Winner of the 2016 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, The Color Purple offers an exhilarating look at a woman’s journey to love and triumph in the American South. Tickets: $40-$96. Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 362-7999 or cfcc.edu.
3/5 Jazz at the CAM
6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Tonight’s concert features a performance by vocalist and composer Lenora Zenzalai Helm. Admission: $12-$25. Cameron Art Museum, 3201 S. 17th St., Wilmington. Info: cameronartmuseum.org.
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Theaterworks USA: Charlotte’s Web
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3/7 Step up for Soldiers Back Yard BBQ Cook-Off
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Come sample barbecue from competing teams and listen to live music at this eighth annual event, which also features local vendors, arts and crafts, activities for kids and more. Proceeds benefit Step Up for Soldiers. Tickets: $10. Battleship North Carolina, 1 Battleship Road, Wilmington. For info: stepupforsoldiers.org/bbq.
3/7 N.C. Azalea Festival Scholarship Pageant
7:30-9:30 p.m. Local junior high school students will compete for the Beverly Anne Jurgensen Scholarship Award based on an evening gown competition, interview, and an on-stage presentation. Tickets: $20. Kenan Auditorium, UNCW, 515 Wagoner Drive, Wilmington. For info: (910) 794-4650 or ncazaleafestival.org.
3/11 9th Annual Wilmington Theater Awards
A salute to the best local actors with performances from the best shows of 2019. Hosted by Cas Hyman. Tickets: $20. Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 632-2285 or thalianhall.org.
3/12 Experience STEM-ILM 2.0
5:30-8 p.m. This technology and networking event focuses on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in the Wilmington community. Food and drinks and live jazz provided. Tickets: $20-$25. Cape Fear Museum, 814 Market St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 7984362 or capefearmuseum.com.
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3/13 Introduction to iNaturalist
5:30-6:30 p.m. In this hourlong workshop, learn how the science app iNaturalist can help you discover local plants and wildlife. Admission: Free. Preregistration required. Halyburton Park, 4099 South 17th St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 341-0075 or halyburtonpark.com.
3/14 Banquet of Baroque
7:30 p.m. The Wilmington Symphony Orchestra presents “Banquet of Baroque,” featuring an evening of the music of Baroque masters Handel, Bach and Rameau. Tickets: $17-$47. Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 362-7999 or cfcc.edu.
3/14 Theaterworks USA: Charlotte’s Web
2 p.m. Theaterworks USA’s production of Charlotte’s Web, based on the classic children’s book by E.B. White. Tickets: $5-$20. Kenan Auditorium, UNCW, 515 Wagoner Drive, Wilmington. For info: (910) 962-3500 or uncw.edu/arts/presents/2019-2020/ charlottes-web.html.
3/14 Metropolitan Opera Live in HD
1 p.m.-3:45 p.m. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNCW presents Wagner’s Der Fliegende Hollander, with Sir Bryn Terfel and Anja Kempe. Tickets: $20$24. Lumina Theater, UNCW, 615 Hamilton Drive, Wilmington. For info: (910) 962-3195 or uncw.edu/olli/ metopera.html.
3/14 St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival
11 a.m.- 6 p.m. This year’s parade starts at North Front Street at Hanover and continues down Front to Dock Street. The festival follows the parade
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C A L E N D A R at Market and 2nd Street, with food and drink and live Irish music. Admission: Free. Front St., Downtown Wilmington. For info: (216) 374-8884 or wilmingtonstpatricksdayfestival.com.
3/14 16th Annual Steve Haydu St. Patrick’s Lo Tide Run
7 a.m. - 12 p.m. This event features 5K and 10K races, beginning at the Carolina Beach Boardwalk. Other highlights: live music, a raffle, food and drinks. Tickets: $30. Proceeds provide financial assistance to New Hanover County residents battling cancer. Carolina Beach Boardwalk, Cape Fear Blvd., Carolina Beach. For info: lotiderun.org.
3/14 Paws Place Dog Rescue Casino Night
7 p.m. An evening of blackjack, roulette, craps and poker to benefit the cost of veterinary care and kennel expenses for dogs at Paws Place. Gamblers are given $2,000 in fun money to start. Admission: $75. Coastline Convention and Event Center, 503 Nutt St., Wilmington. For info: (910) 512-4837 or pawsplace.org.
3/14 North Brunswick Business Expo
10 a.m - 3 p.m. More than 50 booths of local businesses including health care, recreation, home and garden, computer and tech services. Admission: Free. Leland Cultural Arts Center, 1212 Magnolia Village Way, Leland. Info: (910) 383-0553 or nbchamberofcommerce.com.
3/14 Paws on Parade
3 p.m.- 7 p.m. Dogs rule at this rain-or-shine event,
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featuring a Canine Court Pageant, puppy kissing booth, and dog portraits. There is also a 5K run and 1-mile fun walk. Co-sponsored by the North Carolina Azalea Festival and paws4people. Admission: $8. Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1941 Amphitheater Drive, Wilmington. For info: (910) 794-4650 or ncazaleafestival.org/event/paws-on-parade.
3/20 UNCW Jazzfest: 9 Horses
3/18 Cirque Eloize: Hotel
5:30-8 p.m. This event, for elementary-school-age children, features crafts, sports, and other activities. Refreshments will be served. Admission: Free. Maides Park, 1101 Manly Ave., Wilmington. For info: (910) 341-7867.
7:30 p.m. A lively combination of acrobatics, dance and theater, all set within the confines of an Art Deco hotel and its visitors. Presented by Cape Fear Stage. Tickets: $29-$54. Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 362-7999 or cfcc.edu/capefearstage.
3/18 WilmingtonBiz Conference and Expo
11:30-7 p.m. Today’s keynote lunch speaker is Dave McGillivray, race director for the Boston Marathon. Other events include the Expo Hall, with more than 100 exhibitors, strategy seminars, and an after-hours party. Tickets: $45. Wilmington Convention Center, 515 Nutt St., Wilmington. For info: (910) 343-8600 or wilmingtonbiz.com.
3/19 North Carolina Birding Trail Hike
8 a.m.-12 p.m. This month’s hike will explore the NC Birding Trail in Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson. Transportation provided from Halyburton Park. Ages 16 and up. Preregistration required. Admission: $10. Halyburton Park, 4099 South 17th St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 341-0075 or halyburtonpark.com.
7:30 p.m. UNCW JazzFest presents the improvisational chamber ensemble 9 Horses. Tickets: $15-$40. Kenan Auditorium, UNCW, 515 Wagoner Drive, Wilmington. For info: (910) 962-3500 or uncw.edu/arts/ presents/2019-2020/9-horses.html.
3/20 Kids Night Out
3/20-21 11th Annual Wilmington Marathon Madness
New Hanover Regional Medical Center presents the 11th running of Wilmington Marathon Madness, with a course that begins at Wrightsville Beach and runs straight to downtown Wilmington. Tickets range from $20-$115. For information and registration: (910) 2974973 or wilmingtonncmarathon.com.
3/21 Chris Fonvielle lecture, “The Sugar Loaf Line”
2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Join noted historian and Salt contributor Dr. Chris Fonvielle for a walk across Pleasure Island to see the remnants of the Civil War’s Sugar Loaf Line of Defense. Admission: Free. Federal Point History Center, 1121 N. Lake Park Blvd., Carolina Beach. Info: (910) 458-0502 or federal-point-history.org.
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910.512.4567 THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
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C A L E N D A R 3/21 2nd Annual Rock the Beach
UNCW, 515 Wagoner Drive, Wilmington. For info: (910) 962-3500 or wilmingtonsymphony.org.
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Come for a day of live music and fun at the 2nd Annual Rock the Beach. Today’s three live bands: Da Howlies, the Phantom Playboys, and Bluffett and the Son of a Sailor Band. Admission: $25. Carolina Beach Boardwalk, Cape Fear Blvd., Carolina Beach. For info: (910) 458-8434 or pleasureislandnc.org.
3/22 Piano and Cello Recital
A concert of works by Beethoven, Gershwin and others will be performed by pianist Barry Salwen and cellist Ellie Wee. Admission: $10. Leland Cultural Arts Center, 1212 Magnolia Village Way, Leland. Info: (910) 385-9891 or lcac@townofleland.com.
3/21 An American in Paris
8 p.m. Winner of four Tony Awards and inspired by the Academy Award-winning film, An American in Paris follows the story of World War II veteran Jerry Mulligan, who goes to Paris to become a painter and falls in love. The classic Gershwin score includes “I Got Rhythm,” S’Wonderful,” and “Stairway to Paradise,” among other classics. Tickets: $46-$96. Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 362-7999 or cfcc.edu.
3/26-29 Titanic
8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m. The UNCW Department of Theater presents this revival of the off-Broadway comedy of 1976, a classic farce that has little to do with the Titanic’s final voyage. Admission: $6-$15. UNCW Cultural Arts Bldg., 5270 Randall Drive, Wilmington. For info: (910) 962-3500 or uncw.edu/theatre/productions/titanic.html.
3/21 Made in NC
Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Made in NC brings together crafts from more than 50 vendors throughout the state. Admission is good for both days and kids under 13 are admitted free. Tickets: $5. Brooklyn Arts Center, 516 N. 4th St., Wilmington. For info: (910) 538-2939 or brooklynartsnc.com.
3/27 StriperFest Auction and Banquet.
2nd Annual Rock the Beach:
5:30 p.m.- 9 p.m. Cape Fear River Watch hosts this benefit for Cape Fear Fisheries. Union Station, 411 N. Front St., Wilmington. For info: capefearriverwatch.org.
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9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. The 20th annual Riverfront Boat Show takes place on the banks of the riverfront near the Convention Center this weekend, offering a variety of wooden boats, kayaks, skiffs and fiberglass boats for sale. There will be boat-building demonstrations, a
Bluffett and the Son of a Sailor Band
3/22 Wilmington Symphony Youth Orchestra
4 p.m. Steven Errante and Lisa Guttuso conduct the Wilmington Symphony Youth Orchestra and Junior Strings Concert. Admission: $6. Kenan Auditorium,
LIFE & HOME
3/
3/28 20th Annual CFCC Riverfront Boat Show
BRING IT DOWNTOWN
Gabe and George balanced and Happy! Adjustments do Their bodies GOOD!
For PETS and People TOO!
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C A L E N D A R 3/28-29 28th Annual Herb Garden and Fair
knot-tying contest, and local boatbuilders. 700 N. Front St., Wilmington. For info: (910) 362-7151 or cfcc.edu/ boatshow.
Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday 10 am.-4 p.m. Poplar Grove Plantation’s 28th Annual Herb and Garden Fair takes place this weekend, offering perennials, annuals and shrubs, as well as vegetables, house plants and garden accessories. Food trucks, artisans and live music will be plentiful. Admission: $5. Kids under 13 are admitted free. Poplar Grove Plantation, 10200 U.S. 17 North, Wilmington. Info: (910) 686-9518 or poplargrove.org.
3/28 Cape Fear Craft and Cuisine
6 p.m.-9 p.m. The Cape Fear Craft Beer Alliance presents Cape Fear Craft and Cuisine, a culinary evening that pairs celebrated local chefs and local breweries. Tickets: $80-$87. Airlie Gardens, 300 Airlie Road, Wilmington. Info: (910) 679-6586 or capefearcraftandcuisine.com.
3/28 Bellamy Mansion Museum Neighborhood Yard Sale
3/28 US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship
2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. All bicyclists are welcome to compete in this event (tires of 4 inches or wider recommended), which includes three races on an all-sand course: The Fat (12 miles), the Super Fat (24+miles), and the Super Fat Relay (24+miles). Admission: $65-$200. Spectators are admitted free. Blockade Runner Beach Resort, 275 Waynick Blvd., Wilmington. For info and registration: (910) 256-2545 or fatcross.com.
This North Carolina Azalea Festival art event will remain on view through April 5. Admission: Free. Community Arts Center, 120 S. Second St., Wilmington. For info: (910) 685-1949 or megtadlock@ncazaleafestival.org.
Tuesday Wine Tasting
6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Free wine tasting hosted by a wine professional plus small plate specials all night. Admission: Free. The Fortunate Glass, 29 South Front St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 399-4292 or www.fortunateglass.com.
7 a.m.-12:00 p.m. The Bellamy hosts its annual yard sale this morning. Come check out the bargains or reserve a space and sell your unwanted treasures. $20 to reserve a space and table. Bellamy Mansion Museum, 503 Market St., Wilmington. For info and reservations: (910) 251-3700, ext. 304 or block@bellamymansion.org.
Cape Fear Blues Jam
3/29 WSO POPS — Azalea Festival Pops
Wednesday Free Wine Tasting at Sweet n Savory Cafe
5 p.m. This Wilmington Symphony Orchestra Pops concert will feature a new work by Dr. Steven Errante, commissioned by the North Carolina Azalea Festival. Tickets: $25-$85. Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 362-7999 or cfcc.edu.
3/28 38th Annual Juried Spring Show and Sale
a variety of fresh, locally grown produce, baked goods, plants and unique arts and crafts. Seawater Lane, Wrightsville Beach. Info: (910) 256-7925 or www.townofwrightsvillebeach.com.
WEEKLY HAPPENINGS Monday Wrightsville Farmers Market
8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Curbside beach market offering
BRING IT DOWNTOWN
SHOP AND EXPLORE
DINE OR HAVE A DRINK
DOWNTOWN WILMINGTON
over 150 unique shops, galleries, boutiques and salons promotinglocal and regional specialties.
at over 100 restaurants and pubs, many with outdoor terraces or sidewalk café seating.
showcases the history of the town and promotes the vibrancy of the Cape Fear River.
8 p.m. A night of live music performed by the area’s best Blues musicians. Bring your instrument and join in the fun. Admission: Free. The Rusty Nail, 1310 South Fifth Ave., Wilmington. Info: (910) 251-1888 or www.capefearblues.org.
5 p.m. – 8 p.m. Sample delicious wines for free. Pair them with a meal, dessert, or appetizer and learn more about the wines of the world. Live music starts at 7. Admission: Free. Sweet n Savory Cafe, 1611 Pavilion Place, Wilmington. Info: (910) 256-0115 or www.swetnsavorycafe.com.
Weekly Exhibition Tours
1:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. A weekly tour of the iconic
A R T S & C U LT U R E
PARK FREE FOR THE FIRST 90 MINUTES IN CITY DECKS AND CATCH A RIDE ON OUR FREE TROLLEY!
bringitdowntown.com THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
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C A L E N D A R Cameron Arts Museum, featuring presentations about the various exhibits and the selection and installation process. Cameron Arts Museum, 3201 South Seventeenth St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 395-5999 or www.cameronartsmuseum.org.
Ogden Farmers Market
8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Local farmers, producers and artisans sell fresh fruits, veggies, plants, eggs, cheese, meat, honey, baked goods, wine, bath products and more. Ogden Park, 615 Ogden Park Drive, Wilmington. Info: (910) 538-6223 or www.wilmingtonandbeaches.com/ events-calendar/ogden-farmers-market.
Poplar Grove Farmers Market
8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Open-air market held on the front lawn of historic Poplar Grove Plantation offering fresh produce, plants, herbs, baked goods and handmade artisan crafts. Poplar Grove Plantation, 10200 Us Highway 17 North, Wilmington. Info: (910) 395-5999 or www.poplargrove.org/farmers-market.
Thursday Wrightsville Beach Brewery Farmers Market
2 p.m. – 6 p.m. Come support local farmers and artisans every Thursday afternoon in the beer garden at the Wrightsville Beach Brewery. Shop for eggs, veggies, meat, honey, and handmade crafts while enjoying one of the Brewery’s tasty beers. Stay for live music afterwards. Admission: Free. Wrightsville Beach Brewery, 6201
Oleander Dr., Wilmington. Info: (910) 256-4938 or www.wbbeer.com.
Yoga at the CAM
12–1 p.m. Join in a soothing retreat sure to charge you up while you relax in a beautiful, comfortable setting. Sessions are ongoing and are open to both beginners and experienced participants. Admission: $5–8. Cameron Art Museum, 3201 South Seventeenth St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 395-5999 or www.cameronartmuseum.org.
Friday and Saturday Cape Fear Museum Little Explorers
10 a.m. Meet your friends in Museum Park for fun, hands-on activities! Enjoy interactive circle time, conduct exciting experiments, and play games related to a weekly theme. Perfect for children ages 3 to 6 and their adult helpers. Admission: Free. Cape Fear Museum, 814 Market St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 798-4370 or www. capefearmuseum.com.
Blackwater Adventure Tours
Join in an educational guided boat tour from downtown Wilmington to River Bluffs, exploring the mysterious beauty of the Northeast Cape Fear River. See website for schedule. River Bluffs, 1100 Chair Road, Castle Hayne. Info: (910) 623-5015 or www.riverbluffsliving.com.
Saturday Carolina Beach Farmers Market
8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Outdoor “island-style” market featuring live music and local growers, producers and artisans selling fresh local produce, wines meats, baked goods, herbal products and handmade crafts. Carolina Beach Lake Park, Highway 421 & Atlanta Ave., Carolina Beach. Info: (910) 458-2977 or www. carolinabeachfarmersmarket.com.
Wilmington Farmers Market at Tidal Creek
8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Weekly gathering of vetted vendors with fresh produce straight from the farm. Sign up for the weekly newsletter for advanced news of the coming weekend’s harvest. 5329 Oleander Drive, Wilmington. For info: thewilmingtonfarmersmarket.com.
Riverfront Farmers Market
8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Curbside market featuring local farmers, producers, artisans, crafters and live music along the banks of the Cape Fear River. Riverfront Park, North Water St., Wilmington. Info: (910) 538-6223 or www. wilmingtondowntown.com/events/farmers-market.
Taste of Downtown Wilmington
2:15 p.m., 2:45 p.m., & 3:15 p.m. A weekly gourmet food tour by Taste Carolina, featuring some of downtown Wilmington’s best restaurants. Each time slot showcases different food. See website for details. Admission: $55–75. Riverwalk at Market St., 0 Market St., Wilmington. Info: (919) 237-2254 or www.tastecarolina.net/wilmington/.
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THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
Port City People
Priscilla Chittum, Lisa Weeks, Cheryl Nabell
GLOW Academy Breakfast & “Food Truck Throw Down” Featuring Chef Tyler Florence Friday, January 24, 2020 Photographs by Bill Ritenour
Laura Hunter, Kate Groat
Margee Herring, Sandy Spiers, Sharon Laney
Tyler Florence, Michelle Rock, Molly Curnyn
Laura Paul, Tyler Florence, Jackie Whitaker
Zoe Bracey, Zy’Aria, Tyler Florence
Judy Girard, Tyler Florence
Tyler Florence, Keith Rhodes
Sarah Tanny, Raquel Silva
3502 Wrightsville Avenue Wilmington, NC 910.520.6481 artistefineartgallery.com
THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
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Port City People
Jacob Rivera
Yvonne Johnson
Syriah Pridgen
Port City “Rip the Runway 2020”
Presented by Better is Possible CDC, Inc. Saturday, January 11, 2020 Photographs by Bill Ritenour
Casey Scott
Delilah Baker, Isaiah “Big Ike” McFadden
Carmen Munguia Castro
Annie Thi
Emma Baltezore
Anasia La’Shay
Suprena Hickmam, Corey Wrisborne, Brandon Hickman
Calmeese Howard
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Port City People 27th Annual Robert Burns Supper & Celebration
Hosted by the Scottish Society of Wilmington Saturday, February 1, 2020 Photographs by Bill Ritenour
Keena & Ken Newland, Otis White
Paula Williams, Leon & Ann Hicks
Le Ann & Tom Stoddard
Hanna & Jacob McNamara
Port City Pipes & Drums Stephen & “Ro” Kupiewski, Robert Kirkpatrick
James & Donna Young
Rob & Michele Zapple, Lloyd Macaskill, Lan Nichols Toni & Tom McMillan, Frances & Bill McMilan
THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
Brendan Collins, Chris Hillier, Marsha Collins Margie & Mark Lindsey
Summer & Matthew Garten
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Chris & Courtney Rickert
Port City People
Josh & Karen Kneeland
The Care Project 10th Anniversary Gala “The Roaring 20’s” at the Cape Fear Country Club Saturday, February 8, 2020 Photographs by Bill Ritenour
Wylene McDonald, Kendall Fuqua, Cyndi McNeill, Rhonda Haskins
Laraisha Dionne, Ava Eller, Katie Mahn Bob Gray, Curt Hursey, Joan Gray
Leslie & Drew Rhodes
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Mona & Shane Jones, Adrian Jones, Kristin Porcelli, Dail Ballard
Sandra Ray, Tony Rivenbark, Ranjeet Jha
Elissa Hall, Mathis Turner, Sydney Short, Devon Jones
Ashley Robbins, Linda Brown, Anne Sorhagen
Coo & Dr. Shawn B. Hocker
Tom Getz
THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
T H E
A C C I D E N T A L
A S T R O L O G E R
Moonstruck
Keep an eye on La Luna’s transits this spring By Astrid Stellanova
Star children, consider the moon.
All things lunar delight me: moonlight, moon bathing, Moon Pies, moon races — and swooning beneath the moon with Beau. Without the glorious moon, we would be stuck with he paler light of Venus in the night sky. And the sea tides would be punier. Days would be much shorter but our years much longer. The axis of the Earth would be wonky. Seasons would no longer exist. The brightest moon this month, a “worm” moon, will light things up on March 9th. Another super moon, a “pink” moon, falls on April 8th. Watch lunar lovers, in wonder. Pisces (February 19–March 20)
Somebody has to bring the chaos, and somebody else has to be the designated chaos coordinator. Pull up your boots and just deal with it, Darlin’. You’ve had many skills that are being tested; but there is no one better to handle what is in front of you. The good news is your trials are soon resolved and the Magic 8-Ball agrees: The future looks bright.
Aries (March 21–April 19)
You ain’t a flower, but if you stand in the sunlight you might get straightened out. The past dark months bent you out of shape, and your focus was the view from a dark corner of your mind. The days are longer, and you grow stronger and more resilient with each cycle.
Taurus (April 20–May 20)
Paddle your own canoe. Stay in your own lane. Mind your own beeswax. Write this on your hand and read it, Sugar. The temptation to meddle is mighty, but the payoff to resist is profound.
Gemini (May 21–June 20)
Can’t everybody be the monarch, or who would bow down and kiss your patootie? That’s right, Honey Bun. Have you realized how much you need to make others subservient? Watch The Crown, but don’t wear one.
Cancer (June 21–July 22)
Lordamercy, Child! Seems like you’ve got too many tabs open in that brain of yours. Consolidate your energy and focus upon things in an orderly way. Being too scattered hurts your peace of mind.
Leo (July 23–August 22)
Don’t let life become a spaghetti Western. You know the player, Honey, who enters the room and immediately turns everything into a Survivor episode. This drama is costly. Two steps back will save your sanity.
THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
Virgo (August 23–September 22)
Those who love and know you say this: You’ve been like a mother or father figure, but cooler. A reputation for being kind and nurturing can be useful in mentoring. This will be important to your legacy.
Libra (September 23–October 22)
Running out for beer, coffee or doughnuts is not exercise. Love Bug, you have neglected your own well-being but developed your social life. Now to combine both for the sake of a longer, healthier, loving life.
Scorpio (October 23–November 21
If you’ve grown up around boys, nothing can scare you. You already know that. Your sense of mystery is so deep; sometimes shyness is at the root. Saying you’re scared isn’t your way; but Honey, just say it.
Sagittarius (November 22–December 21)
Your cat may think you’re cool as beans . . . but outside the house you baffled your human friends. What is in play has confused others but you do have an end game. Talk about it. Gain support for your actions.
Capricorn (December 22–January 19)
Those crazy relatives helped build character. Now you are one — a real-life Southern character. A fun time in your sun cycle, and unexpectedly, you air some whole new eccentricities. Sugar, fly your freak flag!
Aquarius (January 20–February 18)
Your face is saying what your mouth just can’t, but being an open book type, you had no idea. Wearing a game face is absolutely impossible. No Vegas cards for you; maybe Tarot? Consult the charts; stay calm. b
For years, Astrid Stellanova owned and operated Curl Up and Dye Beauty Salon in the boondocks of North Carolina until arthritic fingers and her popular astrological readings provoked a new career path. MARCH 2020 •
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P A P A D A D D Y ’ S
M I N D F I E L D
A Close Shave
What’s old may be new
By Clyde Edgerton
If I use a plastic drinking As I should. So I decided to stop using plastic straws and plastic razors — those disposable ones, usually orange or blue — and buy an electric razor. My father, back in his day, used an implement that looked very much like a plastic razor, but his was metal, and when you twisted the handle about a quarter-turn, two little doors on the head of the razor opened toward the ceiling. He’d then drop in a thin, almost weightless Gillette razor blade. He’d twist the handle so that the little doors closed and the blade would be enclosed snugly, with its two sharp outside edges exposed. He’d drip some warm water from the spigot into a mug that had a bit of soap in the bottom, then work up some lather with a soft round brush. He’d brush the white lather onto his face, and then carefully shave. My grandfather did it the same way, except he used a straight razor, sharpened by sliding the blade along a leather strap, or “strop.” The strop looked like an extraordinarily wide leather belt. Anyway, I realized I’d have to shop for a new electric razor. For me, shopping often produces anxiety and indecision. I do it as rarely as possible. For example, I bought my newest sport coat before my very old cat was born. Cats don’t live that long. And I just found out that some blue jeans are black. First stop: Target. I find the electric razor section. It’s as long as a gymnasium wall. My heart rate ticks up. I look closely and read packaging information: dryfoil, proskin, lithium ion, microcomb, flexible foil cutters, pivot head. I grab one in the mid-priced range: $69 — the going price of a sink, commode and bathtub when my father started shaving in about 1917. The brand is a Braun, and something extra is in the box. I’m not sure what, but I just want to get out of the store. 80
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I take my Braun home and try to open the box with several kitchen implements. I finally open it with my chain saw, avoiding injury, get the razor out, and unpack the rest of the box. I find a thick booklet of instructions in English and many other languages, as well as a fairly large “recharging stand.” And inside the recharging stand is a small, clear plastic container. And . . . stay with me . . . inside that container is a container of some special liquid that every night will clean the shaver while the razor is being recharged and . . . no joke . . . oil it. I read that every few months I’ll need to buy more of that special liquid. A reasonable person might wonder if this thing will shave me like those vacuum cleaners that vacuum the house while you watch TV. What happened next is I nervously decided to do a bit of research. What was I getting into? When I Googled “electric shavers” I got this many hits: 41,300,000. (Check it out.) And then because I Googled “electric shaver,” I now have a new electric shaver image pop-up on my speedometer screen when I start my car — the latest deal between Honda and Google. Next stop: Target. I returned the electric razor. I bought a bag of disposable razors, the blue ones, and a can of shaving foam. Soon, I’m going to visit my father’s grave as I sometimes do, and we will have a talk. I think I know what he’s going to suggest: mug, soap, soft round brush, and an old-timey metal razor. b Clyde Edgerton is the author of 10 novels, a memoir and most recently, Papadaddy’s Book for New Fathers. He is the Thomas S. Kenan III Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at UNCW. THE ART & SOUL OF WILMINGTON
ILLUSTRATION BY HARRY BLAIR
straw, I get grief from my family.
NEW HOME S • TOWN EN ERGY • O N THE RIV ER riverlightsliving.com | 910.239.8536 | Wilmington, NC
Newland is the largest private developer of mixed-use communities in the United States. With our partner, North America Sekisui House, LLC, we believe it is our responsibility to create enduring, healthier communities for people to live life in ways that matter most to them. newlandco.com | nashcommunities.com
©2020 Riverlights. All Rights Reserved. Riverlights is a trademark of NNP IV- Cape Fear River, LLC, and may not be copied, imitated or used, in whole or in part, without prior written permission. This is not intended to be an offer to sell nor a solicitation of offers to buy real estate in Riverlights to residents of Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Oregon, or in any other jurisdiction where prohibited by law. No guarantee can be made that development of the Riverlights Community (“Community”) will proceed as described. Some properties being developed in the Community may only be in the formative stages and are not currently constructed, but are envisioned for the future. Any information on such properties is presented to set forth certain prospective developments for general informational purposes only. NNP IV- Cape Fear River, LLC (‘Fee Owner’) is the creator and Fee Owner of the Riverlights Community (‘Community’). Certain homebuilders unaffiliated with the Fee Owner or its related entities (collectively ‘Riverlights’) are building homes in the Community (‘Builder(s)’). Fee Owner has retained Newland solely as the property manager for the Community. North America Sekisui House has an interest in the member entity in the Fee Owner. Newland and North America Sekisui House (i) are not co-developing, co-building or otherwise responsible for any of the obligations or representations of any of the Builders, and (ii) shall have no obligations whatsoever to any buyer regarding a home purchase from a Builder. Buyers of homes from any of the Builders waive to the fullest extent permitted by law any and all claims against Newland Communities and/or North America Sekisui House arising out of their purchase transaction with a Builder. Prices, specifications, details, and availability of a Builder’s new homes are subject to change without notice. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY
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