Greenville Life in the East - Spring 2022

Greenville LIFE in the EAST

SPRING 2022

SPRING has SPRUNG Season brings celebration of life

INSIDE:

EARTH DAY, FARM APP, GARDENING, CLEANING OUT, BASEBALL, EVENTS

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EARTH DAY: Publisher Robin L. Quillon

Green Roof Farm is helping to sustain the planet and its venerable proprietor, Dr. Earl Trevathan.

Editor Bobby Burns

FARM TO MARKET:

Contributing writers Emily Bronson, Donna Davis, Ginger Livingston, Pat Gruner, Patrick Mason Photographers Willow Abbey Mercando, Scott Davis Regional Advertising Director Craig Springer

Advertising representatives Christina Ruotolo, Lewis Smith & Rubie Smith Creative services director Jessica Harris Creative services Lora Jernigan Layout design Emily Leach

Growing with technology, app connects consumers and agricultural businesses.

LAWN & GARDEN: Spring into the growing season as experts offer advice to create a plant-filled paradise.

SPRING CLEANING: Parting with sentimental favorites can be difficult, but sometimes clearing clutter can help build relationships.

PLAY BALL:

Welcome to the jungle, where baseball and good times meet.

EVENTS:

Music, festivals and more celebrate the season.

4-9 11-15 18-20 24-25 26-28 29-31

Greenville: Life in the East is a publication of The Daily Reflector and Adams Publishing Group ENC. Contents may not be reproduced without the consent of the publisher.

Dr. Earl Trevathan is no spring chicken. Based on Donna Davis’ story about him in this spring edition of Greenville Life in the East, however, he is a very youthful 98-year-old.

Greenville

A founding member of the local Sierra Club chapter, the Cypress Group, he purchased his family’s ancestral home place, now called the Green Roof Farm, in Fountain in 2007 and has since planted thousands of trees and implemented measures to sustain the land and its resources.

LIFE in the EAST

SPRING 2022

Trevathan was a good steward of people for decades as a pediatrician and public health practitioner in Greenville. Among his other pursuits, as Donna writes, is being a good steward of the planet.

It’s only fitting the farm will be the site of the one of the community’s centerpiece Earth Day celebrations on April 24, which you can read more about in Donna’s story.

Such events are crucial at a time when the planet faces dire threats from climate change, and many organizations around Greenville are offering Earth Day programs to educate and inform as well as entertain.

To name a few, check out the offerings through East Carolina University (campusoperations.ecu.edu/sustainability/earth-week) and its Biodiversity Initiative and Department of Biology (biology.ecu.edu/biodiversity), as well as the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences-Greenville/Contentnea Creek (atimeforscience.org).

SPRING has SPRUNG Season brings celebration of life

INSIDE:

EARTH DAY, FARM APP, GARDENING, CLEANING OUT, BASEBALL, EVENTS

Tulips bloom at Raising Grayce Farm on Stanley Road in Greenville.

Spring 2022

We are lucky to live in a place where access to the natural world is so abundant. This edition of Greenville Magazine helps readers explore that world a bit with pieces on gardening and the NC Farm App, which literally helps users explore the state’s agribusinesses.

Along with stories about the seasonal tradition of baseball, a little bit on spring cleaning and a sampling of events to help you find ways to start the season right, we hope you enjoy our slices of Life in the East and wish you all the best as the flowers bloom world greens up around us.

— Bobby Burns

Greenville: Life In The East

3

Dr. Earl Trevathan, 98, purchased his family's ancestral homeplace, now called Green Roof Farm, in Fountain in 2007 and has since planted thousands of trees and implemented measures to sustain the land and resources.

A bridge built by Trevathan is part of a trail system on the farm that will host an Earth Day celebration organized by the Cypress Group of the Sierra Club and other community organizations on April 24.

EARTH DAY A farm and a fountain of youth Green Roof Farm is helping to sustain the planet and its venerable proprietor, Dr. Earl Trevathan

P

By Donna Davis

ecans crunch underfoot as wind chimes swing and sway like gangly legs of children from the wraparound porch, their high voices noisily competing for attention.

A Mule, the four-wheel species, gets stuck twice hauling visitors around to see the farm, weaving carefully between tree plantings and ponds before miring up in rich, sloppy, signature wetlands muck.

To the idle passersby, this stretch of land straddling county lines is the very vision of the sleepy rural South. Little do they know the flurry of environmental and preservation industry spearheaded by the retired pediatrician who has outlived many of his patients.

He calls the family homeplace on 1822 Old Market Road in Fountain “The Green Roof Farm.” Family and friends might just consider it 98-year-old Dr. Earl Trevathan’s own Fountain of Youth.

Healing children and the environment The retired pediatrician might have hung up his white coat, but his legacy is anything but forgotten. His name has been emblazoned on the front of the Pitt County Spring 2022

By Scott Davis

Health Department building since 2012.

After serving four years in the Navy during World War II and completing his medical education, he was drawn back to Greenville.

“Drawn is the word. We needed doctors back here,” Trevathan said at the farm last month. “Dr. Malene Irons encouraged me to come, ‘We have a practice we can turn over to you.’”

Greenville had one of the first hospitals operated with federal Hill-Burton Act financing. That helped the community recruit doctors in all the specialty fields after the war and after the GI bill, he said.

“In all the other towns they had private ownerships. With that background and that number of young doctors coming here in specialty fields, Leo Jenkins could sort of sense we had a medical center here. And we ought to go ahead and go for a medical school. Not everyone agreed with him. But in the long term, he was right.”

Jenkins, the renowned East Carolina chancellor, drove the establishment of the medical school in 1969. Trevathan has his own renown.

“He is a celebrity!” his eldest daughter, Wenda Trevathan says, smiling. “I tell you Greenville: Life In The East

I don’t even like to go out anywhere with him because you go out for a 15-minute jaunt to the grocery store and it takes an hour and a half. Everybody in there had him as a pediatrician.”

He remembers the time before Burroughs Wellcome pharmaceuticals built a manufacturing facility here (the site now owned by Thermo-Fisher Scientific) and was trying to recruit employees to relocate to Greenville.

“I went to Tuckahoe, New York, and spoke to that crowd. ‘Come to Greenville!’

They wanted to know how common snakes were. And when you walked through swamps, did you have boards to walk on. They thought we were really primitive. I just told them to come down here and start eating collards and they would certainly decide this was a little bit of heaven.”

But his memories of the people who made the pilgrimage are fond. “I looked after all those children. And they could all pay their bills so I made my living off of Burroughs Wellcome. And they were smart and joined civic clubs and got on the Board of Education and did so many things and brought a new level of community life to Greenville.”

5

Ponds and wetlands at Green Roof Farm serve as a backdrop for weddings and parties held at a barn built with reclaimed wood. The wetlands qualified the farm for a federal program to plant environmentally sensitive and needed trees.

Purpose and Repurpose Trevathan retired from his vocation in 2000 and assumed his avocation, as he calls it.

“I’ve got a new bridge just built. It’s white against a green background and

… old brick, old wood, saved stuff.”

far as part of the Conservation Reserve

He considers the project of rehabilitating

Enhancement Program (CREP). “It's

the homeplace and farm once owned by

the rehabilitation of wetlands that are

his grandfather, Henry Turnage, and making

not used for pasture or anything else.

environmentally conscious improvements

It’s a state and federal government

his relief and recreation.

program that was initially funded by

“It involves my interest in certain issues

the Clean Water Act. Four years ago we

related to the environment. I married into

had our area surveyed and they found

that passion. My wife, Ruth, was a National

19-20 acres that qualified for planting

Park Service daughter. Her father, Paul R.

environmentally sensitive and needed

Franke, was superintendent of several

trees that lived in wetlands easily and

description of simple structures on the

of the western parks. So she grew up in

provided natural food for wildlife and

property paints a vivid picture.

a big horse barn behind it.” Trevathan’s creative vision for the farm has been a driving force from the time he surprised his family and bought it in 2007. His

the parks. Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Grand

bees. So our trees are chestnut swamp

“That single bridge is an artistic piece

Tetons. She had a great deal of influence

oak and swamp oak.”

to me. From there you just turn around

on waking me up to environmental

He’s also planted 200 silky dogwoods

and see the panorama of buildings

things. She started the trash pickup in Pitt

and 200 buttonbushes with large blooms

and white fence with three barns on

County. She and I started the Sierra Club,

to attract butterflies and bees.

the property that are built with old

or helped. We called the first meeting and

tobacco barn wood. Everything on this

helped it get organized.”

farm has been built with salvaged stuff

Trevathan has planted 6,000 trees so

“The land and space is deeded over to the state of North Carolina as a conservation resource. They have

ownership for 15 years and they pay me annually. After 15 years it reverts back to my ownership. That program is very successful throughout the state and is renewed every year. It’s good money for the farmer, and it’s wonderful for the environment.”

All the barns and outbuildings on the farm were constructed with reclaimed wood, mostly from old tobacco barns.

The dance floor in the large barn (once upon a time a chicken house) that is used as a wedding and event venue by his granddaughter, Lauren Daigle, is built with solid, reclaimed planks.

“My daughter, Wenda, and her husband Gregg Henry, will take back 10,000 square feet of planks to build their new house in Santa Fe, New Mexico. That just shows you what salvaging and saving can do. The wood is over 150 years old and it is tongue and groove. If that isn’t exciting! I have a passion for that project, that work and what I’m doing.”

Nature and Longevity These days Trevathan takes great joy in simple pleasures he finds in nature.

“The most exciting thing to me is that the martins came in the day before yesterday,” he says with a gleam in his eye. “See the gourds there? The martins have arrived!”

His daughter is busy planting sunflowers on the farm and he explains why.

“Why do you plant a flower? It’s beautiful. But it also is a very valuable natural ingredient to healthy nature. We’re sweating the stress on the honey bees now.

All they do and contribute … pollination for things that grow and bloom.”

He’s gradually adding to the farm “everything in the world I thought was attractive,” including a trail through the facility, benches along the way, bird observation and a spot overlooking wetlands where he has four little ponds plus a large pond about 3 acres in size.

Though it’s a constant work-in-progress,

Travethan describes the project as lifesaving. “As energetic as I’ve always been, I’m healthy enough to do things, not to just be pushed over to an old folks’ home, to sit on a swing out front all afternoon.”

That leads to the question that he gets asked quite often. To what does he attribute his remarkable longevity?

Trevathan, who says he is “98 and one half,” responds, “I don’t think they are as impressed with my age so much as what I do. And they think, as old as he is, what is he doing out on that tractor all day? My mother lived to 103, two weeks shy of 104. My grandfather on my mother’s side lived to 85, and on my father’s side to 95. You might say we are genetically endowed.”

But he is blessed with more than just a healthy gene pool, and explains it like this: “I think the greatest attribute I can imagine for myself is the degree of enthusiasm I have for learning, doing, wanting to see what’s going on. I wake in

Trevathan shows off a chimney at a shed that hosts gatherings at the farm. The brick is reclaimed and the wood is from tobacco barns.

the morning and start the day with things out there that are curiosities that I want to know more about, or keep up with. And I feel a lot of people don’t ride that same horse, they don’t feel that same way. I go to the Sierra Club meeting and I’m the oldest person there and I look around and wonder why others don’t want to hear about what we do with our wastewater.”

Environment and stewardship Trevathan is not alone in his interest in the environment. He has found many kindred spirits in the Sierra Club. The group has been preparing for a large Earth Day celebration at the farm on April 24.

The event will include wagon tours of restoration/conservation efforts; presentations on climate change; experts to address gardening questions and best practices for sustainable methods; demonstrations by environmental groups; antique farm tools; music, food and fun activities. Trevathan’s friend, Dr. David Ames, is chairman of the Cypress Group. “ M y pass i on for env iron m ent preservation was sparked by hiking and camping activities as a Boy Scout as well as firsthand experience of seeing coral reefs die off due to ocean temperature changes,” Ames said. “What I remember as lively, colorful underwater coral gardens in the Caribbean have now become stone cemeteries covered by algae but otherwise devoid of life.”

Reflecting on the changes in attitude since the first Earth Day in 1970, Ames said, “There is now a great deal more awareness of climate change and its impact on the planet. However, we are still far short of the adaptions that need to be made if global catastrophe is to be avoided.”

Susan Redding said that while she has been a longtime supporter of the Sierra Club, she has only been able to be more active as a volunteer since her retirement a few years ago. “I don’t think there was any singular event that had me thinking about the fact that we all share this space and we need to be careful about how our pursuit of life affects the

8

only place we have to live right now.”

She said the best thing that’s happened since the first celebration of Earth Day is there is so much more awareness of the need to be good stewards of the Earth.

“Unfortunately, the increases in numbers of people sharing this space, combined with the drive of many corporations to make profits the priority over environmental effects and health have led, in my opinion, to a very fragile world.”

Club member Sylvia Bjorkman said, “I think there is greater awareness through both science and what we can see through our personal experiences that our climate is changing. We see in the news that we are having stronger storms, more flooding and wildfires. Weather and temperatures through the seasons are changing. There is more research showing the negative impact of singleuse plastics and 'forever chemicals' in our water, potentially impacting our health, and especially our children's health. There is also more information on what we can do individually to intervene if we choose to do so and believe that we can invest in our planet.”

Celebrating Earth Day The Green Roof Farm’s fresh air is charged with excitement like the night before a harvest festival or hoe-down.

Six thousand trees are starting to bud and it won’t be long before white blossoms announce spring in all of its glory. It has been two long years since a proper Earth Day celebration with real people could take place due to the pandemic.

Organizers are pulling out all the stops for the event on April 24.

Ames said he is especially looking forward to the programs that will be presented by youth. “Their ownership of climate protection is critical. The public listens to their voice and they will own the consequences of what we currently do.”

Bjorkman, chair of the club’s political committee for the Cypress Group, said that when Trevathan offered his farm as the venue for the celebration, she drove out to see it. “It was then I realized this Greenville: Life In The East

was Dr. Trevathan's family farm that he was restoring. I thought it was beautiful, with sunflowers, zinnias, a pond, and a large restored barn. It reminded me of my mother's family farm in Sampson County where I have many fond memories growing up.”

Redding described the farm as “a lovely place that reminds us to keep places and spaces cared-for and preserved for future generations.”

Musician Bill Redding also is a member of the Sierra Club chapter and is helping to plan the Earth Day celebration, primarily organizing the music and sound.

“Lightnin’ Wells will be playing and then the NuClear Twins. I’m just planning to play one song, ‘Keep Greenville Green.’ It’s a song I wrote and sang at a (Greenville) City Council meeting some years ago after some developer clear-cut a huge tract of land on Tenth Street to build a large student housing complex.”

Redding explains that his interest in environmental issues stems back to his early adolescence in learning about these things from folk singers such as Pete Seeger. “Saving the Earth from the ravages of global warming has now, of course, become dire and we all must do whatever we can to help control it.

Programs like Earth Day at The Green Roof Farm can only help in that effort.”

“For many years I have chosen to live in a country setting so as to be closer to the Earth, live at a slower pace and hear natural sounds rather than the hum of the city,” said Lightnin’ Wells, who lives in the Fountain area not far from Travathan’s farm.

“Right in my neighborhood is a most wonderful spot established by my friend Dr. Earl Trevathan, which he named Green Roof Farm, and I can't think of a nicer place to spend Earth Day this year. I'm planning on providing some music for part of this event and plan on playing some old time music that dates back to days when people were closer to the Earth. When you hear songs that deal with animals, hard times and trains you can bet that it's probably an old time song.”

Spring 2022

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION The Cypress Group of the Sierra Club, in association with National Earth Day 2022, local schools and environmental groups, is sponsoring a public Earth Day celebration at the Green Roof Farm, 1822 Old Market Road, Fountain, 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, April 24. The event will include wagon tours of restoration/conservation efforts; presentations on climate change; experts to address gardening questions and best practices for sustainable methods; demonstrations by environmental groups; antique farm tools; music, food and fun activities. Here is a breakdown: • Four public schools involving over 70 students, grades K-12, are presenting group environmental projects.

• A state nonprofit, Plug 'n NC, is bringing an electric car for display/demonstration along with information on what North Carolina is doing regarding recharging stations and incentives.

• The Eastern Carolina Village and Farm Museum will be presenting displays on food preservation, recipes through the years, and offering samples of recipes from the 1800s, with local jams and use of herbs and spices in seasoning and preserving food.

• Sylvan Heights Bird park is bringing an exhibit with live animals.

• Duke University graduate students will be presenting an exhibit on a project they completed in Greenville identifying areas and times of high carbon monoxide concentrations and recommendations for how these concentrations can be addressed locally.

• Demonstrations will be available from Pitt County Master Gardeners, Releaf, Pitt County Soil and Water Conservation, beekeepers and a monarch butterfly exhibition, among others.

• River Park North is bringing a macroscope demonstration showing what lives in pond water.

• Fishing poles and bait will be available for parents who may supervise their children in a catch and release fishing activity on the pond.

• Wagon tours of the farm will be available, emphasizing restoration of the farm using sustainable farming practices.

• Live music will be provided by Lightnin’ Wells, The Nu Clear Twins and Bill Redding

FIND OUT MORE About the local Sierra Club and Earth Day celebration: facebook.com/nc.sierra.cypress.group and www.sierraclub.org/north-carolina/cypress About Dr. Earl Trevathan (Autobiographical stories written by Trevathan and compiled by Calvin Mercer): https://pittcountyhistoricalsociety.com /dr-earl-trevathan-stories-1 The main house at the Green Roof Farm was home to Trevathan's grandparents, Henry and Alice Turnage. It was built in the 1790s.

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Greenville: Life In The East

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Graylyn and Natalie Brown pick tulips at Raising Grayce Farms in Greenville. Along with Will Brown, they hope that being on the Visit NC Farm App will help raise the profile of their niche operation.

By Pat Gruner

FARM TO A MARKET

By Willow Abbey Mercando

new tool for farmers, restaurants and artisans to market themselves across the state has blossomed in Greenville and the surrounding region, with consumers and

Growing with technology App connects consumers and agricultural businesses

Spring 2022

providers finding ways to connect with one another.

Pitt County in August officially joined the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Visit NC Farms app, a smartphone application that connects residents or visitors to farms and fresh local food.

With agriculture and tourism being major industries in the state, the app helps to marry the two. It lists nearby farms, fisheries, markets, local goods and foods pantries, restaurants, breweries and events that feature food grown, raised or made in North Carolina.

For farmers breaking into the agrotourism industry, technology has been huge for getting their names out there. Will and Natalie Brown, a husband and wife team of agricultural engineers who operate Raising Grayce Farm at 3093 Stanley Road in Greenville said the app has been an excellent tool. The flower farm held its first large-scale you-pick tulip event on March 17.

Greenville: Life In The East

11

Raising Grayce Farms relies on technology to network with other agribusinesses as well as potential customers and has helped a small family operation grow. The business recently held its first you-pick day at the farm off of Stanley Road.

12

Greenville: Life In The East

Spring 2022

Pitt County officially joined the Visit NC Farm app in August. Developed by the N.C. Department of Agriculture in 2017, the app lists agribusinesses from 80 counties with interactive features that guide users to resources. Natalie and Will Brown, with their daughter Graylyn, said the app has been a great resource for their flower farm.

Spring 2022

Greenville: Life In The East

13

“Technology is critical as far as marketing

was a population center without one so

has seen agriculture quick on the uptake

goes, finding the best way to reach your

we want to fit a need, or what we hope

to adopt technology.

customer base,” Natalie Brown said. “Also

is one, and it sure seems like there is a

as far as learning. There are farms all the

need for flowers.”

way in the Midwest that we are constantly seeing Instagram stories and learning from them and making it part of what we do.”

The sentimentality and affection for the crop is great, too, the Browns said.

“Everything has changed in the past 20 years, and farming not only isn’t exempt from that but is kind of the pinnacle of that as far as efficiency, record-keeping

“There was a little girl who sent a

and everything they do,” Lawrence said.

Will Brown said that the app and

message saying, ‘My mom’s having a

“A lot of people don’t get a chance to see

people they have met through it has

really bad day. Is there any way I can

that. It helps with getting it out there on

been key in learning more about their

come get a bunch of flowers for her?’”

the production side and the retail side. It

crop, which is fairly niche to the area.

Natalie Brown said. “We cut them for her

goes top to bottom for sure.

“There are a lot of people that asked

and the next day she sent us a message

“There is kind of a disconnect from the

a lot of questions trying to find these

saying she didn’t even know tulips were

general public and where their food comes

(farms),” Will Brown said. “I have learned

her favorite but they made her smile.”

from. Greenville has certainly grown over

a lot more online and through technology

Justin Lawrence owns and operates The

the past 20, 10, even five years. You can

than I think I did in school, especially with

Village Market in Winterville alongside his

be in the heart of Greenville and drive 10,

flowers. Flowers are a new endeavor for us.

wife Sarah. The general store sells artisan

15 minutes and you’ll be in a more rural

“Nobody else does it. It is a unique

goods and holds weekend farmer’s market

ag-dominated area. There is a lot of jobs

thing,” he continued. “Terra Ceia (in

style events. Lawrence grew up just down

and a lot for the economy. Agrotourism

Beaufort County) is the only place east of

the road from where his establishment

gives you something, especially in a city

Raleigh that I know of that does you-picks

stands at 5026 Winterville Parkway. In

like Greenville, a place where you can live

and experiences. We knew Greenville

his time around the industry, Lawrence

and still be close to agriculture.”

Justin Lawrence of The Village Market in Winterville uses the Visit NC Farm app to promote events at the business on Winterville Parkway. "Agrotourism gives your something, especially in a city like Greenville, a place where you can live and still be close to agriculture."

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Greenville: Life In The East

Spring 2022

In February, the app was installed 835

and find what’s close by.”

times with 4,928 active users, according

A newer feature of the app is giving

to the state Department of Agriculture

tourists and locals the ability to plan

and Consumer Services analytics. Tourism

their specific stops and experiences.

is especially hot in the spring, summer and fall, according to local experts.

“You can build your own itinerary and trips,” said Sierra Jones, communications

of helping all our partners across the state do that and make it a wonderful experience for everyone.”

That means more chances for farmers to get acquainted with the public and one another through the app.

“Spring break, when people start

director for Visit Greenville NC. “It has

“We have gotten to connect with

getting itchy for strawberries, sometimes

different trails … or if you are looking for

Strawberries on 903 … talking about

those kinds of things trigger that

special events. You can see what kind of

future events through the Visit N.C.

consumer demand,” said Leigh Guth,

festivals or plant shows are going on and

Farms App,” Natalie Brown said. “There is

director of the N.C. Cooperative Extension

really break it down as to what kind of

also a girl in Goldsboro, Brook’s Fresh Cut

Service Pitt County Center. “When my

agriculture experience you are looking

Flower Farm, we are working with to get

family travels for our standard week at the

for. It even has lodging features if you

her on the app so we can work altogether

beach, we pick up a watermelon on the

are looking to stay on a farm or book an

and promote altogether.”

way. We are Down East so we always pick

Airbnb type experience.”

Planting the seeds for collaboration

up butterbeans or some of those fresh

Jones said that the region’s agriculture

tomatoes. Yes, now we go to the same

history is important for marketing. Helping

means sowing a community.

“You can tell it’s a small knit community,”

places because we know that, but for the

evolve agrotourism is essential to the

Will Brown said. “You don’t really notice until

many people who are traveling new to the

economic future of an area like Pitt County.

you’re in it and then it’s like holy smokes

coast, even from out of state, having this

“We are trying to share the history

there’s a lot of support and a lot of good

tool no matter where they go in the state,

and evolution of agriculture in the area,”

people in it for the right reasons. We’ve

they can kind of plug in their destination

Jones said. “This app does a great job

learned a lot through other local people.”

The Village Market in Winterville, started by a Pitt County farming family, sells a variety of North Carolina products and regional produce and meats and holds events regularly for area producers to sell their wares. The business is among dozens of Pitt County sites on the Visit NC Farm app.

Spring 2022

Greenville: Life In The East

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Hannah Smith, a horticultural agent with the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service in Pitt County, says spring is the time to prepare lawns and gardens for plant-filled paradises.

Ken Stillwell of Carolina Seasons Nursery on N.C. 903 North in Greenville said people like him at locally-owned nurseries can help folks choose the best kind of plants for their gardening needs.

LAWN & GARDEN Spring into the growing season Experts offer advice for creating a plant-filled paradise

By Ginger Livingston

E

By Willow Abbey Mercando

ven before the last blast from

erosion that leads to the buildup of

frosty air is swept from eastern

sedimentation which can impede drainage

North Carolina, spring makes its

and cause water to back up in neighborhoods.

presence known.

Daffodils explode, pansies reawaken and

azaleas fill yards with mounds of hot pink and purple. All eyes are also on the watch for the first dogwood blooms.

Whether a carefully composed traditional garden, a hodgepodge of native plants or

The campaign encourages people to use selective herbicides such as Spectracide, Ortho, Scotts or Image.

Weeds also can be managed by selecting the right turf for the right location.

Eastern North Carolina’s summer heat excludes many varieties of turf.

a blanket of lush green lawn, experts say

The most commonly used are Bermuda

everyone still has time to create their own

grass and centipede. Bermuda grass holds

plant-filled paradises.

up to traffic. Centipede is low maintenance

Lawn care

and is very tolerant of the region’s heat.

“Centipede does better the less you

Landscaping A lot of factors go into selecting plants for landscaping, starting with the amount of sun and shade a location receives, its type of soil and moisture content.

The amount of work a person wants to give a garden also must be considered.

Stillwell said someone who wants to put a plant in the ground should avoid plants like wisteria, which require intensive pruning.

A homeowner who wants color might consider an “encore” azalea which blooms in both the spring and fall.

Stillwell recommends that people new to gardening start with annuals, plants

“Mowing, fertilizing and weed control

mess with it,” Smith said. “It still needs to

are the three things you should care about

be taken care of but it’s not quite as high

that die at the end of the season and have

most as your lawn starts to green up

maintenance as other options.”

to be replanted.

through the mowing season,” said Hannah

Visions of lush green grass carpeting

“It will give you a good idea for growing

Smith, horticulture extension agent for Pitt

the front yards of homes has been

things. It’s one season and then you see if

County Cooperative Extension. “Spring is

around as long as the American Dream

you want to do it every year and then you

your prep time.”

of homeownership. However, ideas are

can start thinking about perennials,” Stillwell

Clearing leaves, fallen twigs or limbs and

changing about what makes a beautiful yard.

said. “I also would recommend annuals first

undertaking pre-emergent weed control are

More homeowners want large landscaped

the first steps in spring lawn care, Smith said.

areas and/or plantings of ornamental grasses

Marigolds, vinca, begonias and petunias are

to cut down on the amount of mowing and

his recommendations for first-time gardeners.

Pre-emergent weed control can involve pulling or digging them up, mowing or

maintenance a traditional lawn requires.

because it’s instant gratification.”

When people become comfortable with

While installing or expanding landscaping

gardening, Stillwell recommends they

Last month, the extension service and

requires a lot of time up front, properly

incorporate perennials and bulbs into the

the Pitt County Soil and Water Conservation

selected plants, combined with good

landscape to provide yearly color.

District teamed with county government

mulching, saves time in the long run, said

“Once they are established you don’t

to promote “Keep Pitt Green,” an initiative

Ken Stillwell, co-owner of Carolina Seasons

have to care for them much, although you

to limit the use of herbicides containing

Nursery, 549 N.C. 903 North.

do have to keep them weeded,” Stillwell

chemical control, she said.

glyphosate, a nonselective herbicide that damages or kills any plant it touches.

In certain settings, especially on ditch banks, the loss of vegetation can cause Spring 2022

“If you do the right plants in the right

said. “The downside is once they finish

places, you’re not going to have a lot of

blooming they’ll stay green until it freezes

work,” Stillwell said. “Once a year you go

and then they’ll die back.”

out and mulch and prune.”

Greenville: Life In The East

To personalize a builder-grade landscape,

19

Stillwell recommends expanding the bed and personalizing the plantings. Camellias sasanqua, a fall-blooming evergreen shrub, works in a variety of soil types and lighting.

“There is a lot of plant variety out

summer that later turn copper in the fall.

Audubon North Carolina recommends it for sheltering certain bird species.

Another alternative growing in popularity is clover, Smith said.

attacks caterpillars, Stillwell said.

“Those are safe for most things. I don’t usually recommend anything stronger than that. If they want it, they can find it,” Stillwell said.

there now so you can add lots of purples

“It is perennial, it comes back year after

The best defense against insects is a

and golds and yellows,” he said. “It’s not

year and a lot of people in the industry are

healthy plant, Smith said. Pests most often

like it used to be where it was just basic

growing mini clover or microclover, and

are attracted to plants that have been

shrubbery and a few things that bloom.

they can be cut or mowed similar to a turf,”

damaged in another way. Making sure they

There are hundreds of plants.”

Smith said.

are in the right location and are receiving the

With that many plants, choice can be overwhelming.

Stillwell said shopping at locally owned nurseries can help because the owners know the area and what works and doesn’t work.

New ideas Stillwell’s parents opened Carolina Seasons Nursery in 1978 when it was an azalea nursery. He took over in 2003 and Andrea Pike joined as a co-owner in 2004.

That’s when the nursery started retail sales along with its wholesale business. Today, they operate a 10-acre nursery.

Other long-time nurseries and garden

Clover lawns are a relatively new idea. In

right mix of water, fertilizer and pruning make

the past clover has been treated as a weed

them less susceptible to insects and weeds.

because it’s invasive. It will spread into

Eat what you grow

nearby gardens.

It also leaves stains on clothing, especially the clothing of children who have been playing on it.

“It certainly it wouldn’t be for everyone,” Smith said. “It is not an equal replacement (to grass).” However, it requires less watering and it is a nitrogen fixing plant, meaning it needs less fertilizer.

Most varieties also produce flowers, which attract bees.

Earth-friendly

centers include Plant and See, 400 Old Tar Road, Winterville, and Little’s Nursery, 480 U.S. 13.

“I always find out what they like and what they want to do. We show them plants that

Smith and Stillwell said gardeners are becoming more conscious about creating gardens that contribute to the environment, especially to the health of pollinators.

fit their needs and then let them decide,”

“A lot of perennials are really good

Stillwell said. “I’ve found that most people

attractants, like bee balm, daylilies,

know what they want, they just don’t know

anything that flowers a lot, they will be

the particular plant they need.”

attracted to,” Stillwell said.

Plantings of ornamental grasses also add interest to a landscape, Smith said.

His favorite perennial that blooms all summer long is “Hot Lips” salvia which

Fountain and pampas grasses do well

attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

in the region, but two native ornamentals

Milkweed attracts monarch butterflies

are pink muhly and little bluestem. Pink

and parsley draws swallowtail butterflies,

muhly is resistant to disease and pests, is

he said.

highly resistant to deer grazing and is low

If attracting bees and butterflies is

maintenance, according to the North Carolina

important, gardeners need to be careful about

Extension Gardner’s website. It produces

the pesticides they use. Stillwell recommends

pink flowers in the fall.

neem oil, which is made from the oil of neem

Little bluestem also is a North Carolina

trees, to control pests. It has little effect on

native. The extension gardener’s website

birds, mammals and plants but can be slightly

said it performs best in average, dry to

toxic to aquatic animals and plants.

medium moisture, well-drained soil in full

As long as its sprayed at dawn and dusk,

sun but tolerates a lot of soil conditions.

when bees aren’t active, it poses little danger.

It needs to be cut back to the ground in

Individuals who want to get rid of

early spring to produce blue leaves in the

caterpillars can use dipel, a bacteria that

20

Greenville: Life In The East

Another trend in landscape gardening is incorporating vegetables in the plantings.

Most people plant herbs and fruitbearing plants because they are attractive, Smith said.

Stillwell said he saw an increased interest in vegetable gardening when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in 2020. It was a combination of people looking for activity to fill the time they once devoted to activities outside the home and because they were concerned about shortages in grocery stores.

"We’re starting to come full circle in that we are getting more people interested in growing what they can,” Smith said. “That’s where a lot of these innovative growing styles are coming from because they are trying to make the most of their space. I think it’s interesting.”

Late April and early May is a good time to plant almost any vegetable, she said.

Tomatoes, squash, many varieties of beans, cucumbers, sweet corn, collards, spinach and other leafy greens all do well, she said.

Okra and peppers are plants that prefer a late starting time because it is “good and warm and they really take off,” Stillwell said.

People train trailing plants such as cucumbers and squash to grow on trellises and tomato cages to save space, he said.

Peppers only need to be planted 10 inches apart to grow. Tomatoes need more space, however.

“We really are at an advantage being in the eastern part of the state because there are a number of vegetables that have extended seasons,” Smith said.

Spring 2022

Home gardening boomed during the pandemic shutdown, Smith said, and the popularity continues as people are trying new and innovative growing styles "because they are trying to make the most of their space."

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Leigh Guth, director of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service Pitt County Center, teaches a class about building relationships by sharing personal items with a story. She's holding a box given to her by friend Angela Grady of Williamston 40 years ago along with a hand-written note about why the box is special.

SPRING CLEANING

Who gets grandma’s yellow pie plate?

Parting with sentimental favorites can be difficult, but sometimes clearing clutter can help build relationships

S

pringtime brings new life and with it often comes the urge to purge and declutter.

But when it comes to cleaning out the attic, the kitchen cabinets, an overpacked closet and the like, sentimentality can slow a good spring clean to a sputter.

Cherished but rarely or never used personal items for many are difficult to throw away, even if they haven’t seen daylight in decades. Perhaps they belonged to a departed loved one or recall a special memory.

Letting go can be difficult, said Leigh Guth, director of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service Pitt County Center. But she has a strategy that might help.

Think of decluttering as an exercise in creating relationships rather than simply purging personal items, said Guth, a 17-year

24

instructor of the class, “Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate?”

“One of the things we talk to people about is, as you think about giving an item to someone, think about what the story is behind that item,” Guth said. “And share that with them, so that they know why it’s important.”

Stories are passed down along with items.

So while it may be important to part with an item, preserving the memories that are attached to it is equally important, Guth said.

Unlike a house or a car, most personal belongings don’t have a title to them, Guth said. Items like jewelry, china sets, collectables and more are considered “nontitled property,” she said.

Before unloading such items, Guth said it is pivotal to determine intentions, interests and value. For instance, it might be more beneficial to donate a baseball card collection to Greenville: Life In The East

By Emily Bronson

By Willow Abbey Mercando someone who collects baseball cards than to a grandson who does not care about baseball.

“We also talk to folks about making sure the person they are giving an item to has an appreciation for that item,” Guth said.

Downsizing and transferring personal property can be a celebratory time in everyone’s life, Guth said. Each time she has taught “Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate,” she has been at a different milestone in her own life and has learned something herself from the class discussions.

In recent years, Guth and her brother closed on their late mother’s house. While sorting through her things, they came across a shallow candy dish once used as an ashtray.

Both wanted to keep it for themselves, which naturally sparked a conversation about the memories attached to the dish.

Guth told her brother she remembered Spring 2022

using it as a child as the steering wheel to an imaginary car because of its circular shape.

Similarly, her brother shared that he valued it because their grandmother used to always display it on her coffee table.

“Having that tie that ties my brother and I together to people who are no longer here, it has allowed us to have a special connection about remembering why that (dish) was important to us,” she said.

Jamee Durrett, the store manager of My Sister’s Attic in Greenville, said there are both feelings of relief and hesitation for people who are donating their personal items to the thrift and consignment shop.

Many people will bring in bags of items into the shop, Durrett said, but they will go through their things one last time before handing them over to her to sell.

“I have had people bring donations in and then, as they look in the box, they say, ‘Oh wait, you can’t have that one. That one means too much to me,’” Durrett said.

The process of decluttering and donating items is different for everyone, but Durrett said the hardest items for people to part

with are those that are sentimental to them in some way.

While parting may be difficult, Durrett said the best thing to remember is just because you are giving up a momento, you aren’t giving up the memory attached to it.

As humans, we have needs, Durrett said, financial needs and a need for space. By selling or donating items, we can begin to meet these needs. However, she said that doesn’t reduce the difficulty of the process.

“Some people come in and they are excited because it feels great to unload,” Durrett said.

“And others are certainly more hesitant.”

Jackie Artis, one of the owners of The Big Sale Thrift & Vintage Shop in Winterville said people on the receiving end of the decluttering process always seem to find a treasure.

Regular customers at her store come in to browse the shelves to make sure they don’t miss the opportunity to find and buy a unique item, Artis said.

“They never know what they’ll find when they come in,” Artis said. “Because we have about 25 different vendors, they bring in things sometimes daily. Some people just

like the uniqueness of these items.”

Her company helps families who have lost a loved one sort, sell and donate their belongings, Artis said. During these home clean-outs, she said she constantly sees the vulnerability that comes with giving up sentimental belongings.

However, Artis advises clients to avoid keeping items just because it belonged to a beloved family member.

“If someone passes unexpectedly, we do house clean-outs,” Artis said. “Sometimes family members are undecided about what exactly they want to get rid of even though they know they need to get rid of it.”

Sometimes, a single small item is enough, she said.

After not being able to attend the funeral of her recently deceased grandmother, a granddaughter came into Artis’ store and found a cookbook that belonged to her, Artis said.

Being a part of such moments being able to offer people some level of comfort is a part of her job that she never gets tired of, Artis said.

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261 Belvoir Highway | Greenville, NC | gchcinc.org This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Hum man Services (HHS) under grant number H80CS10607 Health Center Program, in the amount of $8,654,913 or 48% of total program costs with $8,956,453 or 50% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are tho ose of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov. GCHC is licensed by the state of North Carolina, led by an independent Board of Directors, and is an FQHC Program grantee under 42 U.S.C. 254. GCHC receives HHS funding and has Public Health Service (PHS) deemed status with respect to certain health or health-related claims, including medical malpractice claims, for itself and its covered individuals.

Spring 2022

Greenville: Life In The East

25

PLAY BALL

Welcome to the jungle East Carolina University Pirates baseball fans Parker Johnson, Josh Thomas, Sean Sullivan and Jare Pulmmer work right field in The Jungle at Clark-LeClair Stadium in March during a game against Virginia Commonwealth.

Where baseball & good times meet

By Patrick Mason

J

By Willow Abbey Mercando

acob Coman remembers attending his first East Carolina baseball game at the age of 12.

The Pirates were playing the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Coman watched the action from a designated seat along the first-base line with his aunt. He remembers a relaxed experience, much different from the one he was a part of during a weekend series in March.

On this particular day, Coman, now a junior at ECU, was hanging over the outfield fence in right field trying to grab the attention of the Virginia Commonwealth University bullpen members. With armpits pressed against the top of the outfield fence, arms dangling into the field of play, Coman and two friends fired taunts and jabs at the opposing players.

Nothing too serious, but enough to make their presence known.

“You have a lot of interaction out here,” Coman said. “Fans heckle the outfielders and sometimes they chirp back. It’s all in good fun.”

By the third game of the series, the hollering and heckling switched to concern and curiosity as fans peppered players with questions about the status of a player who was hit by a batted ball a day earlier. The relationship built between the fans in right field and the bullpen after days of chatter proved fruitful when the students received an update on VCU pitcher Mason Delane, who was hit by a 107 mph comebacker off the bat of Pirates infielder Zach Agnos.

Delane, wearing a smile and a fresh bruise, showed off the spot on the back of his shoulder where the ball hit, and highfived fans during a pre-game jog.

During another series, ECU junior Jayden Abernathy said that an opposing outfielder ate a fudge round given to him by the fans.

“We yell stuff throughout the game,” Abernathy said, “but it’s never anything too serious. The start of the series is where you test the waters a little bit and see which players give you a reaction. Some of them talk back, and others ignore you. By the Sunday game, you’ve got a good relationship with some of the guys. It’s fun.”

Spring 2022

Move along the outfield and head toward center field and the average age of the spectators increases. Further along the journey around the perimeter is where the crusty veterans can be found in left field.

Some have mouths pressed to large, white megaphones that amplify the heckling directed at opposing outfielders.

The megaphones also intensify the cheering for the home team.

ECU BASEBALL HOME GAMES • UNCW at 6:30 p.m. April 19 • Cincinnati at 6:30 p.m. April 29, 4 p.m. April 30 and 1 p.m. May 1 • Duke at 6:30 p.m. May 10 • South Florida at 6:30 p.m. May 13, 4 p.m. May 14 and 1 p.m.

May 15 • Campbell at 6:30 p.m. May 17 • Houston at 6:30 p.m.

May 19-20 and 1 p.m. May 21

Games are played at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

Visit www.ecupirates.com for tickets.

“You can’t get stuff like that sitting in the stands,” said Tommy Oseneek, an ECU sophomore. “Out here in right field is kind of like the unofficial student section. Then you have the legends in left field. The people in the stands with seats are either older, or they just don’t want to deal with everything out here.”

One thing is for certain: It’s a little different out here. Out here in The Jungle.

The Jungle, the nickname for the grassy area beyond the outfield walls at ECU’s Clark-LeClair Stadium, is a little less civilized than a traditional baseball experience.

Chaotic, even, at times. The only seats are the ones you bring.

Greenville: Life In The East

The experience is what you make it.

An elevated berm allows fans to see the action unfold on the field. Seeing — and hearing — super fans hanging over the fence is normal. It would be alarming if fans weren’t lined up along the outfield wall.

There is a designated kids zone, but really, the entire space beyond the outfield walls is filled with kids at play. Many are playing catch or tag, some chase each other around with plastic buccaneer guns, and others collect grass stains by rolling down the gentle hill.

It can be difficult to hear the public address announcer in certain parts of the outfield where the hum of the stadium lights dominates the senses. But fans don’t seem to mind as they are locked in on the action.

The left-field parking lot is where the tailgating happens. Large spreads of food occupy pop-up tables, tents offer shade from the eastern North Carolina sun, and the radio broadcast of the Pirates’ game mixes in the air with the smell of sizzling burgers and sausages on the grill.

Some fans never leave the parking lot and instead steal a glimpse of the action by standing on the beds of their backed-in pickup trucks.

It is here in this parking lot where Tony Brown can be found. Known to many as the Mayor of the Jungle, Brown and longtime friend Charlie Martin wandered into the outfield through an open gate nearly 40 years ago and haven’t left since.

The two began what is one of the most unique experiences in college baseball.

“We had season tickets and by April and May those aluminum seats in the stands got so hot you couldn't sit on them,” Brown, now 75, recalled. “You couldn’t even sit on the seats because it was so hot. We looked out here and saw a gate.

“So I said, ‘Charlie, it’s too hot. Let’s walk out there.’ I get out there and guess what?

I’m too short to see over the fence. I walked around and found a cinder block to stand on.

Back in those days, you could bring a cooler to games so we had a cooler, a cinder block to stand on, and we were watching the game.”

Soon, the cinder block turned into two, then four. Then a plank of wood was saddled across the blocks to form a makeshift bench.

People began to join the two in the outfield,

27

OTHER PLACES TO WATCH BASEBALL THIS SPRING:

Stalwarts of the Jungle say the banter with players from opposing teams is generally good-natured. Sometimes, they even get batters to sign the "K" boards they hang to represent their strikeout. Pirate players at the end of a victorious outing will leap over the fence in what's known as the "Jungle Jump."

PROFESSIONAL: Following the scare of an extended lockout in Major League Baseball this year, the Down East Wood Ducks are set to be back on the field in Kinston’s Grainger Stadium for another Carolina League season. The campaign for the Class-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers opened on April 8 on the road at the Carolina Mudcats before the Woodies made their home debut on April 12 for the start of a five-game home stand.

The Mudcats, based in Zebulon, are a nearby rival these days for the Wood Ducks in the Carolina League. The affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers that has long made Five-County Stadium its home opens play by hosting the Woodies and later in April travel to play them in Kinston.

COLLEGE: Just like the Pirates, the Pitt Community College baseball team also is in the midst of its season, playing its home games at the Minges-Overton Complex located on the school’s campus in Winterville. As always, the Bulldogs roster is chock with talent from local high schools and beyond, and the team started the season with a lopsided winning record.

HIGH SCHOOL: Eight nearby high school baseball teams also are in full swing, including Ayden-Grifton, D.H. Conley, Farmville Central, Greene Central, North Pitt, John Paul II, J.H. Rose and South Central. Rose, which plays many of its home games in historic Guy Smith Stadium, is the defending 3A state champion.

SUMMER LEAGUES: As college teams plays their final games later this spring, players will begin fanning out both locally and across the country to join NCAA-sanctioned summer or “wood bat” leagues to not only stay in game shape but also to try to hone the skill of hitting with a wooden bat like those used in all pro leagues. Close to home, that means stocking rosters for the Coastal Plain League (including teams in Wilson and Morehead City) and the Tidewater Summer League (including teams in Tarboro and Edenton).

28

and they soon realized that this was the place to be.

The Jungle, now officially known as the Williams Jungle, was named after ECU alumni Walter Williams. He and his wife, Marie, were prominent donors. And, as Brown explained, Williams fought to keep the Jungle as it was with a donation hinging on preserving the outfield experience.

Williams has his name on a number of athletic facilities: Williams Arena inside Minges Coliseum, Williams-Harvey Teams Building, Smith-Williams Center (Hall of Fame), Williams Strength & Conditioning Center and a pair of baseball titles — the Williams Jungle and Williams Hitting Facility.

Out here, Brown remembers heckling the center fielder for North Carolina during a game years ago, and has fond memories of interactions with parents from opposing teams.

“Did Dean Smith give you baby blue underwear?” Brown recalled a heckling fan saying that day. “Just chirping at him, you know. Never anything bad. But after the first inning he moved in three feet, the second inning three more feet, then the third inning three more. Then the worst thing in the world happened to him — we hit one over his head.”

Center f ielders have a unique relationship with the Jungle inhabitants.

Just to the left of the batter’s eye in center field is where a long metal structure Greenville: Life In The East

stands, ready to hold wooden squares with the letter ‘K’ in bold, red font.

Fans hang the wooden ‘Ks’ on a metal rack whenever ECU pitching records a strikeout. Underneath the structure is a storage bin that is strapped closed by a bungee cord when not in use. The bin itself has a large impression after being used as a seat for years.

And, whenever an opposing center fielder strikes out, the Jungle encourages him to sign his board.

“Some of them will sign it and some won’t,” Martin said. “A kid from Saint Mary’s signed it last week.”

At the conclusion of games, the cheering section in the Jungle doesn’t fade away. It grows louder. Megaphones boom with the name of Pirates players, and fans hammering their hands on the padded outfield wall beckon players.

They come, too.

The route to left field begins with a jog, then the pace quickens. Players leap into the arms of the rowdy fans in what is known as Jungle Jump.

The players have been jumping for years, and they will be jumping for years to come. After all, everyone is welcome.

“Anybody who walked up was a member of the Jungle as far as we were concerned,” Brown said. “You meet so many good people who just love baseball and a good time.”

Spring 2022

EVENTS Spring ahead Music, festivals more celebrate the season

Weekend adventures North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Contentnea Creek, 949 Contentnea Lane, Grifton, will host Weekend Adventures from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays through June. The free event will include kayak lessons, guided trails hikes, and planetarium shows. Visit atimeforscience.org.

Message of Easter The Message of Easter, a 90-minute outdoor drama depicting the last days of Christ as told in Scripture, will be held at 8 p.m. April 13-17 at 2925 Piney Grove Church Road, Williamston. There is no charge to attend. For more info visit, www.messageofeaster.org

‘Junie B. Jones’

Chih-Long Hu will perform A.J. Fletcher Recital Hall

Spring 2022

Magnolia Arts Center, 1703 E. 14th St., will present “Junie B. Jones, The Musical” at 7:30 p.m. April 14-16 and April 2123. Additional matinee performances will be held at 2 p.m. April 16-17 and April 23. The musical is an adaptation of four of Barbara Park’s best-selling books, brought to life in a not strictlyfor-kids musical that celebrates themes of friendship, acceptance and humility.

Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for students and senior adults. Visit magnoliaartscenter.com.

Greenville: Life In The East

Spring Eggstravangaza The Greenville Recreation and Parks Department will host Spring Eggstravaganza from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

April 16 at Greenfield Terrace Park, 120 Park Access Road. The free, community event will include games, candy, an egg hunt, medical screenings, employment support and school resources. In case of rain, the event will be moved to 9 a.m.12:30 p.m. April 23. Call 329-4269 for more information.

Piano concert East Carolina University’s School of Music will host a performance by pianist Chih-Long Hu, the Sandra G. Powell endowed professor of Piano at University of Tennessee, at 7:30 p.m.

Monday, April 18, at A.J. Fletcher Recital Hall. Free. A livestream will be available at www.youtube.com/ecu schoolofmusiclive. Call 328-6851.

Guitar ensemble East Carolina University’s School of Music will host a performance of the ECU Guitar Ensemble at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 19, at A.J. Fletcher Recital Hall. Free. A livestream will be available at www.youtube.com/ ecuschoolofmusiclive.

Call 328-6851.

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Wind ensemble

Dogwood Festival

East Carolina University’s School of Music will host a performance of the ECU Symphonic Wind Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, in Wright Auditorium. Free. A livestream will be available at www.youtube.com/ecu schoolofmusiclive. Call 328-6851.

‘Romeo and Juliet’

Dogwood Festival

ECU/Loessin Playhouse will present William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” at 7:30 p.m. April 2023 at McGinnis Theater on campus.

Additional matinee performances will be held at 2 p.m. April 23-24. Tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for ECU students and youth. An online viewing option is available. Visit ecu. edu/arts or call 328-6829.

Billy Taylor Jazz Festival

Dogwood Festival

East Carolina University’s School of Music will host a performance of the ECU Jazz Ensemble at 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 20, at A.J. Fletcher Recital Hall, Room B110 as part of the Billy Taylor Jazz Festival.

Free. A livestream will be available at www.youtube.com/ecuschoolofmusiclive.

Call 328-6851.

Farmville Dogwood Festival The annual Farmville Dogwood Festival will be held April 21-24.

The event will include food, musical entertainment, amusement rides, arts and crafts and commercial vendors.

The Dogwood Bash will begin at 5:30 p.m. April 23. It will feature Opening Act: Mean Street — A Van Halen Tribute, Ultimate Aldean — A Jason Aldean Tribute, and Who's Bad — The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the gate. Visit farmvilledogwoodfest.com.

Fine Arts Celebration Greenville Museum of Art, 802 Evans St., will host its 48th annual Fine Arts Celebration at 7 p.m. April 22.

The indoor-outdoor, cocktail-attire event, "Starry Night at the Museum," will include musical entertainment, dancing, live and silent auctions, an open bar, hors d'oeuvres, open bar, prize drawings and displays celebrating this year's theme. Tickets are $100 for members and $125 for others. Visit www.gmoa.org or fac2022.givesmart.com.

Family Earth Sciences Night Billy Taylor Jazz Festival

East Carolina University Opera Theater

River Park North, 1000 Mumford Road, will host Family Sciences Night from 6-8 p.m. April 21. Celebrate N.C. Science Fest and Earth week with an evening of family friendly science experiments and demonstrations with the theme of air, water, fire and earth. Free Call 329-4560.

Opera theater

Vanessa Rubin to perform at Jazz Festival Gala

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East Carolina University Opera Theater will perform a double bill of “The Prodigal Son” by Benjamin Britten and “Sister Angelica” by Giacomo Puccini at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21, and Friday, April 22, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 401 E. Fourth St. Tickets are $15 for the general public and $5 for students and are available at www.ecuarts.com. For more info, call 328-6247.

Greenville: Life In The East

East Carolina University’s School of Music will host a Jazz Combo Concert at 8 p.m. Friday, April 22, at A.J. Fletcher Recital Hall, Room B110 as part of the Billy Taylor Jazz Festival. Free. A livestream will be available at www.youtubecom/ ecuschoolofmusiclive.

Call 328-6851.

Unnatural Resources Fair The 30th Annual Eastern Carolina Unnatural Resources Fair will be held from April 22-24 at the Greenville Convention Center, 303 Greenville Blvd. Find info at www.unnaturalresources.org, email jponder@unnaturalresources.org or call 355-1039.

Spring 2022

Jazz Festival Gala East Carolina University’s School of Music will host the ECU Billy Taylor Jazz Festival Gala at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 23, in Wright Auditorium. The event will include ECU Jazz Ensemble “A” with special guests Bobby Watson, saxophone, and Vanessa Rubin, vocals.

Free. A livestream will be available at www.youtube.comecuschoolofmusiclive.

Call 328-6851.

Queen Anne’s Revenge The Queen Anne’s Revenge Lab will hold its annual open house from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at the QAR Conservation Lab, 1157 VOA Site C Road. This free event will include demonstrations on how conservationists and archaeologists use chemistry, physics, technology and other disciplines to conserve 300-year-old artifacts. It will include hands-on activities and educational demonstrations. For more info, visit www. qaronline.org or call 252-744-6721.

Studio concert East Carolina University’s School of Music will host the ECU Cello Studio Concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 24, at A.J. Fletcher Recital Hall. Free. A livestream will be available at www.youtube.com/ecu schoolofmusiclive. Call 328-6851.

Senior show ECU’s Gray Gallery will host the BFA Senior Group Exhibition from April 25May 6. The show will feature painting, drawing, printmaking and ceramics. An opening reception will be held from 5-8 p.m. May 6 as part of the First Friday Artwalk. Visit ecu.edu/arts.

Chorale and concert choir East Carolina University’s School of Music will host the University Chorale and Concert Choir at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 25, in A.J. Fletcher Recital Hall.

Free. A livestream will be available at www.youtube.com/ecuschoolofmusic live. Call 328-6851.

Spring 2022

Shad Festival

Alisi Motu-apuaka waves to family at ECU's graduation in May 2021

The Town of Grifton will host its 50th Shad Festival from April 27-May 1.

The event will feature carnival rides, food and craft vendors, art show, petting zoo, antique tractor show, live performances and a parade. The Fishy Tales lying contest will be held in the Grifton School Media Center at 6 p.m.

April 26. The Shad Festival Parade will begin at 10 a.m. April 30. Visit griftonshadfestival.com.

Gardening program River Park North, 1000 Mumford Road, will host a gardening program from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, April 30.

The free event will feature the park’s resident gardener and staff discussing what to plant and when to harvest.

Call 329-4560 or e-mail bwilliams@ greenvillenc.gov.

Miss Grifton 2014 shad festival

Senior choreography ECU’s School of Theatre and Dance students will present Spring Senior Choreography Dance Concerts at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. April 30 and noon and 4 p.m. May 1 in Burnette Studio Theater in the Messick Theater Arts Center. This is a ticketed event. Call 328-4788 or visit ecu.edu/ arts.

Wild About Mom The Greenville Recreation and Parks Department will host Wild About Mom from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 30 at Wildwood Park, 3450 Blue Heron Drive. The event will include a guided Arbor Day-inspired hike through the park, a lake-side picnic lunch and a take-home tree to plant as a family.

Tickets are $10 each. To register, visit greenvillenc.gov or call 329-4567.

Gene Oakley giving a lecture on a late model twin cylinder vertical marine steam engine at the 43rd Annual Grifton Shad Festival

Grifton Shad Festival

ECU graduation The East Carolina University Spring 2022 Commencement ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. May 6, inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Visit commencement.ecu.edu.

Greenville: Life In The East

ECU Cello Studio Concert will take place April 24

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