TCB July 14, 2022 — No Camping

JULY 14-20, 2022 TRIAD-CITY-BEAT.COM

WARNING! ‘The Dating Game’ gets a modern revamp pg. 9

NCA&T State University’s new kicks pg. 3

Scott Leftwich and his ‘80s time machine pg. 12

ABORTION ADVOCATES WARN PATIENTS AGAINST ‘CAMPING’ TREND

by Sayaka Matsuoka | pg. 5

UP FRONT | JULY 14 - 20, 2022

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK:

Everything’s a Social District if you’re thirsty enough

W

ith the opening of Raleigh’s “first” social district last week, I feel called upon to insist

by Brian Clarey that Greensboro did it first, which is not something we get to say very often around here.

It’s true. Downtown Greensboro instituted the Boro Social District months ago, a fun zone running along Elm Street from the ballpark to the Union Square campus where you can drink on the street — as long as your drink is in an official Boro cup, no larger than 16 ounces.

The rules in Raleigh will be similar: participating vendors, special cups, well-defined zones of consumption, “economic activity.”

It all conspires to incentivize a privileged drinking class. I’m here to tell you there’s no such thing.

Drinkers are drinkers, and drinking is drinking, whether you’ve got a signature cup with a logo on it or you’re gulping white zin from a Pringles can. The real boozers have been drinking on the sidewalk this whole time — that’s what those little paper bags at the gas station are for — and those on a budget will happily pull

BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brian Clarey

brian@triad-city-beat.com

PUBLISHER EMERITUS Allen Broach

allen@triad-city-beat.com

OF COUNSEL

1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336.681.0704 ART WEBMASTER Sam LeBlanc ART DIRECTOR Charlie Marion

charlie@triad-city-beat.com

SALES KEY ACCOUNTS Chris Rudd

chris@triad-city-beat.com

Jonathan Jones

AD MANAGER

EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR

noah@triad-city-beat.com

Sayaka Matsuoka

sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

CHIEF CONTRIBUTORS Suzy Fielders James Douglas

james@triad-city-beat.com

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those logo cups from a trash can if it means they can enjoy their cocktails al fresco, like everybody else.

Incidentally, drinking on the street is not necessarily a solution to a problem. The entire city of New Orleans is a Social District — you can drink wherever you want, including in your car while it’s speeding down the highway. And while it is a wonderful, magical place, it gets pretty wild after dark.

But what do I know? Drinking itself has changed since I got out of the game more than 10 years ago.

My friends behind the bar tell me that check averages at breweries and restaurants total just a couple drinks per person, that only a few people at a time are getting shitfaced while everyone else lets their beers go warm and flat, that barely anyone has a Jägermeister machine anymore and that, in so many bars, there are children and dogs everywhere.

There was a time, believe it or not, when a man who couldn’t drink 10 beers in one sitting would have trouble holding down a job, instead of the other way around.

Now, some of the young people I know don’t have 10 drinks in a month. And when I explain to them what it means to “shotgun” a beer, they look at me like I’m deranged.

Noah Kirby

CONTRIBUTORS

Carolyn de Berry, John Cole, Owens Daniels, Luis H. Garay, Kaitlynn Havens, Jordan Howse, Matt Jones, Autumn Karen, Michaela Ratliff, Jen Sorensen, Todd Turner

TCB IN A FLASH @ triad-city-beat.com First copy is free, all additional copies are $1. ©2022 Beat Media Inc.

PHOTOGRAPHY INTERN Juliet Coen

COVERS:

Design by Charlie Marion

UP FRONT | JULY 14 - 20, 2022

PEOPLE LOVE THAT SHIT

NC A&T State University gets a pair of Nikes

by Brian Clarey

T

he Aggies are on a roll.

Since the pandemic, NC A&T State University has joined Space Force, gotten a $45 million grant from McKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos’ philanthropist ex-wife, and had two of their athletes win gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

And now, they got their own shoe.

Sneakerheads have known about Nike’s

Dunk Low for decades, as it’s been one of the most customized sneakers in the canon. They came out in 1985 with colors of the Top 12 D1 men’s college basketball programs, which at the time included UNLV, St. John’s, Villanova and the like.

Later skateboarders would adopt the shoe and it was integrated into Nike’s SB offerings.

And now there’s a Dunk Low HBCU line, so you

know they got that A&T colorline coming out.

The Nike A&T “Ayantee,” named after the school’s yearbook, has Aggie Blue heel panels, with yellow laces, tongue and spine, with”1891” — the year of the land-grant university’s founding — emblazoned on the heel plate.

The sneaker is set to release later this year at select retailers and at Nike.com.

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UP FRONT | JUNE 14 - 20, 2022

CITY LIFE JULY 14 - 17

by MICHAELA RATLIFF

THURSDAY JULY 16 History of Felting and Talk @ Piedmont Craftsmen (W-S) 6 p.m.

Join Durham-based artist Sharron Parker for a discussion of the history of felt making and her own process during this free presentation. Learn more on the event page on Facebook.

Summer Film Fest @ Carolina Theatre (GSO) 7 p.m.

Carolina Theatre’s Summer Film Fest lasts until Aug. 11 and features Hitchcock films, rom-coms, banned books-turned movies and summer blockbusters. This week, There’s Something About Mary starring Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz is playing on the big screen. Tickets & more at carolinatheatre.com.

Tea Cup Gin: Special Bastille Show @ Flat Iron (GSO) 8 p.m.

FRIDAY July 15 Studio Grand Opening @ Club Pilates (HP) 8 a.m.

Club Pilates invites you to a weekend-long grand opening celebration with raffles, free intro classes and more. Call the studio at ​​734.837.3050 or visit the event page on Facebook to reserve your spot.

Thea Vidale @ Comedy Zone (GSO) 7 p.m.

Best known for her ‘90s sitcom “Thea,” comedian Thea Vidale is bringing her hard-edged material based on her life’s experiences and American culture to the Comedy Zone for a stand-up performance. Purchase tickets at thecomedyzone.com.

The Lego Movie @ Bailey Park (W-S) 7:30 p.m.

Muggles & Mimosas Brunch @ World of Beer (GSO) 11 a.m.

World of Beer is calling all Muggles for a Harry Potter-themed brunch with Butterbeer, Golden Snitch Donuts and more. Dressing up is encouraged! View the full menu at worldofbeer.com/ muggles-and-mimosas.

Cat Video Fest 2022 @ Foothills Brewing (W-S) 8:30 p.m.

Feline fans are invited to Cat Video Fest 2022, a compilation reel of the best cat videos sourced from submissions, music videos and other locations. a/perture cinema is donating 10% of ticket sales from this event to AARF to benefit local cats in need. Purchase tickets at aperturecinema.com.

SUNDAY July 17 The Big Chill 2022 @ Industry Hill (W-S) 3 p.m.

Innovation Quarter and a/perture cinema have teamed up to bring you a STEM summer with exciting films surrounding science, technology, engineering and math. On this day, enjoy The Lego Movie with a beverage from Incendiary Brewing Company. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.

SATURDAY July 16 Discovery Lessons @ Reynolda House Museum of American Art (W-S) 10 a.m.

Wise Man Brewing, Winston Junction Market and The Shalom Project of Winston Salem present the Big Chill 2022, an outdoor community-ice cream party. Shop from booths from Winston Junction Market, grab an ice cream float to cool off or both!

Find more info on the Facebook event page.

Arts Splash Summer Concert Series: Backstreet @ Oak Hollow Festival Park (HP) 6 p.m.

Enjoy a variety of music styles during High Point Arts Council’s free summer concert series. On this day, bluegrass band Backstreet will perform. Visit HighPointArts.org and click on ‘calendar’ for more information.

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Join Tea Cup Gin at the Flat Iron for performances of vintage jazz, blues and pop-rock with a French twist. Find more information and purchase tickets on the event page on Facebook.

Reynolda is hosting a series of discovery lessons to promote reading readiness and visual literacy in preschoolers through activities with art, music, movement and other kinds of fun. This session will explore Charles Burchfield’s watercolor painting “The Woodpecker.” Advance registration is required and can be done at reynolda.org/visit/ calendar/reynolda-discovery-lessons.

Send your events to calendar@triad-city-beat.com for consideration in City Life and the Weekender.

The dangers of ‘camping’ Abortion advocates warn patients against couch-surfing trend

NEWS | JULY 14 - 20, 2022

NEWS

by Sayaka Matsuoka

L

ike a lot of things these days, the trend got started on TikTok. things can happen, and we don’t want to put people in situations like that when it’s In the wake of the leaked Supreme Court draft decision in May not absolutely necessary.” and the subsequent overturning of Roe v. Wade last month, internet In North Carolina, for now, abortion is legal so taking unnecessary risks like users concerned about the decision have been telling people seeking staying with strangers doesn’t make sense, she said. abortions that they can visit them to go “camping,” a new euphemism for staying “Right now, it’s not illegal for people to travel out of state to access abortion in their homes while accessing abortion care. care,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with saying, ‘I will help you if you need Often accompanied by the Chainsmokers’ song “Paris,” the posts make offers an abortion.’ Mind you, people should help through established practical support ostensibly inviting patients over for camping trips or sightseeing vacations in abornetworks where there are security measures in place.” tion-legal states. According to the app, the hashtag #wegodowntogether, which One of those established networks in North Carolina is the Carolina Abortion references a part of the song, has had more than 44 million views with many of the Fund, a nonprofit that has existed since 2011 and helps patients pay for abortions, videos being uploaded in the last few weeks. And while the posts may come from a lodging, travel and anything else they might need to access care. desire to help those navigating the now treacherous landscape of abortion access Tara Romano, the executive director of Pro-Choice NC, said that her organiin the US, those who have been working within the abortion healthcare system for zation has been taking her lead from abortion clinics and abortion funds when it years are cautioning patients against participating in the trend. comes to helping patients.

“It’s a culmination of people not understanding what the landscape of abortion “They have been doing this work for years, so we follow their lead on what they access already looks like,” said Lauren O., a board member of the Carolina Aborthink is best for patients at this moment,” Romano said. “What we’re hearing is tion Fund. that they have systems in place. At this moment, what can The problem that Lauren sees with this new trend is work best is getting people where they can be safe, like obvious. a hotel. It’s about wanting to be respectful of abortion [P]eople should help “While I’m sure the vast majority of people who are patients who are already going through a lot. They may offering up their homes are safe, by encouraging people to have to travel for these appointments, some of them are through established seek help and seek shelter with strangers from the internet, already struggling if they have to spend the night and they practical support you’re encouraging people to take on an exorbitant amount may not want to do that at a stranger’s house.” of risk,” she said. “And that makes it easy for someone who’s Molly Rivera, communications director for Planned networks where there not friendly or safe or an advocate to abortion access to Parenthood South Atlantic, said that the organization reare security measures harm them or traumatize them into changing their mind. cently hired a full-time patient navigator whose sole job is It’s not just a risk of antis, it’s a real risk of just random to make sure patients can access their appointments. That in place. people who would like to have access to pregnant people for includes helping them pay for hotels, gas or just making Lauren O. any nefarious reason.” sure they are informed about barriers to access like North According to Lauren, who is also an abortion doula, there Carolina’s 72-hour mandatory delay for all abortions. have already been instances of clients who were set up to “There are many organizations like the Carolina Aborrely on strangers due to the new trend. tion Fund and Planned Parenthood South Atlantic who have been helping people “At one point a patient had arranged a ride through one of these networks and get an abortion for many years,” Rivera said. “We have the infrastructure in our an anti-abortion protester had a similar car and the patient almost got into the car state to make sure people can make an appointment and get to their appointments with them and drove away,” Lauren said. “We know from common sense that bad as well.”

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NEWS | JULY 14 - 20, 2022

NEWS

In the days after the leaked Supreme Court draft decision, the Carolina Abortion Fund saw a huge increase in the number of doantions to their organization.

In a blog post from May 6, the organization stated that they had raised close to $110,000 and received donations from 1,125 one-time donors – an increase from the typical 50. According to the post, the $110,000 allowed the organization to care for 423 patients in North and South Carolina with an average pledge of around $260. As of May, the organization had received about 4,000 calls and had been able to fund about 60 percent of them. In order to make that 100 percent, Lauren said that people should use their goodwill to donate to abortion funds.

“I don’t discourage anyone from participating in mutual aid outside of practice support networks, but in situations when someone is needing to access medical care, you have to ask yourself, Is it more helpful to offer my home or my time and money to try and help them reach the financial goal to stay in a private hotel?” Lauren said. “People seeking care want privacy, they want space to process what they’re experiencing in a neutral territory where they don’t feel like they’re encroaching on someone’s home. It is almost universally better to put your time, effort and resources into raising money for people to do that in the way that will be the least traumatizing and the most affirming that it can be.”

Who is most likely to need help accessing abortion care?

A

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nother reason why advocates are discouraging the couch-surfing trend is because often the people needing help when seeking abortions are ones who come from marginalized backgrounds and are already more vulnerable.

“We know from history that abortion bans particularly harm people who are low income, in rural areas and who lack access to healthcare: young people, undocumented people, BIPOC people,” said Rivera. “So it would stand to reason that more restrictions would especially harm these folks. People with resources will always be able to get an abortion.”

According to the Guttmacher Institute, one of the leading research organizations focused on reproductive rights, 75 percent of abortions in 2014 were among low-income patients. And this disparity means that patients who are low-income or lack insurance often struggle to come up with the money to pay for procedures and, as a result, experience delays or are forced to carry their pregnancies to term. According to the same data, the cost of an abortion at 10 weeks was approximately $480 about a decade ago.

“The most common factor of people looking into options like this are they are working-class, they live paycheck to paycheck, and they are already struggling to afford the cost of their procedure,” Lauren said.

“Part of the reason folks end up in these informal structures is a lack of awareness of abortion funds. These are folks who are most likely in rural areas. When people are isolated they don’t know that extended networks like abortion funds exist.”

In the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, more patients from surrounding states that have banned abortion like West Virginia and Alabama will be seeking care in North Carolina. Currently in South Carolina, abortion is illegal after about six weeks of pregnancy but the conservative state legislature is considering even greater restrictions.

“We’re seeing people travel from out of state, but also North Carolina is a big state,” Romano said. “There’s going to be more people traveling into this state because North Carolina is still a state where abortion is legal and that’s rare for the Southeast.”

According to Rivera, in the last week, more than a third of the patients that Planned Parenthood was seeing in North Carolina for abortion care were from out of state with some of them traveling from South Carolina, Tennessee, but also as far as Louisiana and Texas.

“We are in a new reality,” Rivera said. “We’re all going to need to confront this.

This includes new risks that didn’t exist before.”

One of the risks is the possibility that states start passing laws that criminalize not only the patients who seek abortions, but those who help them. These are often called “aiding and abetting laws” and are similar to the law passed in Texas which empowers private citizens to file lawsuits against anyone who “aids or abets” in an abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy.

“This is a trend that we need to take seriously,” Rivera said. “These laws come with penalties and prison.”

That’s just another reason why people who want to help abortion patients should do so through established networks.

“Using this thinly veiled language doesn’t fool anyone,” said Lauren. “It doesn’t fool antis who may want to antagonize you because you’re seeking to help people; it doesn’t fool law enforcement; it doesn’t fool an anti-choice organization who may want to sue you. It doesn’t protect people seeking abortions or you.”

For now, abortion is protected in North Carolina. In the last week, Gov. Roy Cooper signed an Executive Order protecting abortion access, but with the November elections coming up, Rivera said that Republicans may gain the supermajority they need to start banning abortions here.

“The best thing that people can do is pay attention to this election,” Rivera said.

“The Supreme Court has given a majority of these decisions to state lawmakers.

This election, they are on the ballot. We have the opportunity to either promise to protect or ban abortion. If anti-abortion legislators are able to win or regain a supermajority in the legislature this fall, they will have the ability to overrule any veto by Gov. Cooper.

“People need to know that abortion access is not guaranteed and if we lose abortion access in North Carolina, a huge region of the country will be lost,” Rivera said.

So if people really want to help keep abortions safe and legal, Rivera encouraged them to donate to local abortion funds and vote, and leave the rest to those who have been fighting the fight.

“We have been preparing for this for a long time,” she said.

D OW N TOW N

SUMMER MUSIC SERIES

NEWS | JULY 14 - 20, 2022

NEWS

SUMMER ON LIBERTY

JULY 16 WITHDREW 6TH & LIBERTY

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NOW LEASING THE STEELHOUSE CENTER FOR URBAN MANUFACTURING AND INNOVATION

To learn more about the Carolina Abortion Fund, visit their website at carolinaabortionfund.com. To find an abortion provider, visit abortionfinder.org or plannedparenthood.org.

CORRECTIONS: Last week’s ‘Greensboro Municipal Election Guide’ incorrectly stated the number of Republicans on the ballot, and mischaracterized the role of the city in assessing taxes. The article also stated that Sharon Hightower had been in office since 2017, instead of 2013. TCB regrets the errors.

1451 S Elm Eugene Street #BusinessisBuiltHere 7

OPINION | JULY 14 - 20, 2022

OPINION

EDITORIAL Abortion access expands in NC, for now

A

fter the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, North Carolina became, along with Virginia, one of two Southern states that allowed for people to make their own decisions about their pregnancies.

So far, it’s been good for business.

We’ve already swiped a feature film shoot from Arkansas, where a trigger law went into effect. An influx of abortion seekers from South Carolina, where a trigger law outlawed abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, has necessitated growth in our state’s 14 providers.

Gov. Cooper signed an Executive Order last week protecting abortion rights in our state, and for anyone who comes here looking for one.

And, for now, this is the law of the land. Certainly our GOP-majority General Assembly has tried to get a trigger law on the books, and would have passed a forced-birth bill this month if they knew Gov. Cooper wouldn’t have vetoed it immediately. They’re hoping for a veto-proof majority after the election, and have vowed to bring this up next session if they do. Or, probably, even if they don’t.

And so, to the informed voter, the coming election in November will look like something of a ballot referendum on abortion access, though unevenly distributed. But

the shorthand is this: Republican House and Senate members must oppose all abortion access; Democrats must embrace it. Then we let the voters sort it out.

Among the populace, the prochoice maintains a slim lead over the forced-birth faction — just 4 points, according to Pew Research.

And the way our state is gerrymandered makes representative government sort of a joke.

But “populace” does not always mean “registered voters,” and even registered voters don’t always turn out for off-year elections like this one. As always, higher turnout favors the left. The GOP platform is an exercise in minority rule, and reality has a wellknown progressive bias.

Our Senate race, too, will have an effect on the future of abortion in the US. President Biden’s Executive Order does much to protect abortion rights in the here and now. But he specifically requested two more pro-rights Senators to make a Constitutional Amendment protecting this right. Just so happens we have one of those races right here, competing for the seat Republican Sen. Richard Burr gave up when he got disgusted with the whole thing.

A win for Cheri Beasley would put us half of the way there. And it’s impossible to gerrymander a statewide race.

To the informed voter, the election will look like a referendum on abortion.

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Jen Sorensen jensorensen.com

CULTURE | JULY 14 - 20, 2022

CULTURE

Fresh take on ‘The Dating Game’ brings neon night of inclusivity to Winston-Salem

by Autumn Karen

JULIET COEN

Drag Queen CC LaBrie hosts ‘The Dating Game’ at the Camel City Playhouse in Winston-Salem

“I

f you know what The Dating Game is, it’s time for a colonic,” on a date. As reward for their love match, each couple receives a gift card host CC LaBrie says as she struts across the stage in a bright to a local restaurant for their first outing. red dress, peering out into the packed house before turning her Each of the three rounds provides a singular kind entertainment. When pointed gaze to her announcer, Carl Nubile.

Bachelor No. 1 asks his potential dates a seemingly innocuous question Flowers in shades of neon burst out of the mellow yellow walls of the about their favorite ice cream flavor, contestant three turns back and asks Camel City Playhouse stage on Saturday night. Their wobbly shape imhim the same question. “Pistachio,” the bachelor says. Contestant three mediately invokes the unmistakable 1960s classic TV show “The Dating immediately quips back, “You like nuts, noted.”

Game,” but tonight’s game has been updated with inclusive couples and It’s not all dirty jokes, but there is a constant thread of lighthearted sexual delightfully raunchy banter. tension. With a sly smile, a bachelorette poses the LaBrie is a fixture on the Triad entertainment loaded question, “It’s a Tuesday night and I’ve had scene, yet in her role as the erstwhile matchmaker a terrible day at work, what are you going to make The version played at she shines brighter than the wobbly neon flowers. me do to feel better?”

Camel City Playhouse was The self-described “Bearded Housewife of WinContestant 3 responds: “Front rub, back rub, ston-Salem” is as far from classic TV host Jim whatever-you-need rub.” updated to include diverse Lange as you can imagine, and it’s a welcome Incidentally, she chose Contestant 3. couples and delightfully change.

The interplay between the host and the conPlay goes in three rounds, mixed with musical testants is the X-factor in the evening. CC LaBrie raunchy banter. performances by LaBrie and a set from local comeoffers supportive stage presence for the contesdian Stephen Melaga. Round One includes Bachetants, while also keeping the audience engaged lor No. 1 and his three male suitors, Round Two a and laughing. When Bachelor No. 3 asks the men Bachelorette and her three male suitors, and Round Three Bachelor No. 2 on the couch what fictional place they’d like to visit, his Contestant 1 says and his three male suitors. he’d like to go to Narnia.

Each contestant sits behind a screen, unable to see their potential dates, Labrie pads across the stage in her heels towards the couch, “Is that bewho are seated on a couch spread with a lively vintage crocheted-flower cause you’re still in the closet? Should Triad City Beat not be photographing bedspread. After the bachelor or bachelorette asks their potential matches you right now?” a series of questions, they choose the contestant they’d like to go out with There are tentative plans to bring “The Dating Game” back to Camel City

“

“

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CULTURE | JULY 14 - 20, 2022

CULTURE

Drag queen CC LaBrie sings as she sits on the lap of Jacob Gordon at “The Dating Game” at the Camel City Playhouse

JULIET COEN

Playhouse in the future, according to LaBrie. This kind of engaged and community focused entertainment is a respite from the often oppressive times that we live in, she says. Though the diversity in tonight’s show was always part of the vision, LaBrie would like to include a mixed sexuality round and members of the trans community in the future.

All of the contestants point out that modern dating is not easy, and many people turned down offers to participate in the production because of the vulnerability that this kind of public forum entails.

For the contestants tonight, it all seemed to turn out for the best. Walk-

JULIET COEN

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Jake Messina laughs during “The Dating Game” at the Camel City Playhouse

ing out of the production, the men of Round 3 are standing together outside a bar across the street, drinking and laughing. Though Contestant 2 and his incredible waxed mustache weren’t chosen for the date, he sums up the sentiment of the evening, “I got to interact with people in real life, and I’d say that I won by making friends.”

Find future shows on Camel City Playhouse’s social media or at camelcityplayhouse.com.

JULIET COEN

Gerald Fitzgerald, right, and Zach Pfrimmer share a hug during The Dating Game. Pfrimmer was chosen out of three contestants for a date with Fitzgerald.

CULTURE | JULY 14 - 20, 2022

CULTURE

Wieners & Losers: A portal into electronic passion

by Miles Bates COURTESY PHOTO

Scott Leftwich has been collecting classic arcade games since 1996, when he bought Frogger.

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“

“I remember walking into my hometown arcade which was called Take 10 [in Mt. Airy] along with [Aladdin’s Castle] in Winston-Salem and feeling pure happiness,” said Scott Leftwich, the sole owner of Wieners & Losers, in an email. There was always something new and exciting to play.”

Leftwich, born in Mt. Airy and raised in Cana, Va., described going to the arcades as a highlight of his childhood.

Back in the day, Leftwich and his peers walked into arcades with a feeling of “euphoria.” The sights and sounds of the games were “intoxicating.”

“Arcades were the social media of its day,” he said. “That’s where all the kids hung out. The games were excellent and they were all the rage.

I was seduced by the arcades and video games.

That feeling never left me.”

Leftwich himself bought his first arcade game, Frogger, in 1996.

“At that time, the games had little to no value so I started purchasing

Arcades were the social media of its day. That’s where all the kids hung out.

“

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hat sounds like a heart, pumps. Soon, laughter breaks in, punctuated with swift control movements. It’s dark, yet light still surrounds.

Those heart pump sounds? They’re from an arcade cabinet, one of many inside Wieners & Losers in Winston-Salem, the largest private collection on the east coast of working Golden Age arcade games from the early 1980s.

There’s more than 120 cabinets to be found in the arcade — games from the ‘70s to 1984. Everything from well-known hits such as Gyruss, Sinistar and Robotron: 2084 to others such as Moon Patrol and Gorf. Computer Space, the first arcade video game, is carefully preserved in all its fiberglass glory.

Black lights drape down in one room. The limited light makes the lights and sounds all the more noticeable. There’s a feeling of walking through a colorful, lively and highly interactive museum. It’s on the verge of stimulus overload, but in a pleasing way.

EASTERN FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA PRESENTS

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CHRIS GEKKER, TRUMPET

SAT. JULY 16 Spacious outdoor amphitheater | FREE Midday Mountain Music Music Center Road, Galax, VA | Parkway Milepost 213 (866) 308-2773, ext. 212

CULTURE | JULY 14 - 20, 2022

CULTURE

“It’s kind of an ‘80s celebration,” Leftwich says about the Airbnb.

“There’s no place on Earth where you spend the night having access to every game console plus a massive arcade.”

COURTESY PHOTO

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games and storing them,” he said. “I taught myself to work on them and built a 1980s arcade man cave in my basement at my previous home in Galax, [Va.]. It was just for myself and my friends at the time.”

Leftwich, an ‘80s kid who had a “killer childhood”, has been collecting and restoring arcade machines for 26 years now, all of which are on display in his home. For those wanting to experience the nostalgia in full, they can request a booking through the Wieners & Losers website. Recently, a kid came all the way from Illinois just to spend his 11th birthday at the arcade.

The epic collection of games isn’t the only thing awaiting visitors.

When guests aren’t downstairs soaking up the arcade goodness, an ‘80s themed Airbnb waits for them upstairs.

“The Airbnb is a totally separate thing,” he explained in a Facebook message. “I don’t mix the two. I’ve never been open to the public outside of the ‘80s themed Airbnb. The Airbnb is open for booking at all times. Wieners & Losers is just something we do for fun on occasion.”

This vacation rental purrs of pop culture delights, too. Eighties fiends will be at home during their stay with an ‘80s stereo, a Nintendo Entertainment System, music posters plastered on the wood-paneled walls, comic books and more.

It’s an organized and clean room projecting a calm atmosphere for folks

to experience the artifacts from yesteryears.

“It’s kind of an ‘80s celebration,” Leftwich said.

Leftwich’s own infatuation for the ‘80s has paid off as his Airbnb has garnered national attention.

In fact, guests have been booked from all over the United States plus Europe, Canada and even Australia.

“There’s no place on Earth where you spend the night having access to every game console plus a massive arcade,” he said.

Leftwich, who said making people feel good is a “real high” for him, is constantly humbled by the “volume of interest” from around our globe. A 12-year-old even hugged him when she left Wieners & Losers and said she knows she’s only 12, however, that day was the best day of her life.

“There have been so many good memories made here,” he said. “Friendships have been forged by people who visit regularly. People have cried when walking through the door because they are seeing and hearing things they haven’t seen or heard in decades.”

To learn more, head over to longlivethe80s.com, which includes a direct link to the Airbnb.

BY CAROLYN DE BERRY

Montlieu Avenue, High Point

SHOT IN THE TRIAD | JULY 14 - 20, 2022

SHOT IN THE TRIAD

Sunday afternoon at the Nido & Mariana Qubein Children’s Museum.

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PUZZLES | JJULY 14 - 20, 2022

CROSSWORD

‘Stately’ — hey, what’s your name?

by Matt Jones

Across

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: 1. Grand slam run count 5. Prince Buster’s genre 8. Candle-heavy occasions, for short?

13. Quindlen with the 2022 best-seller “Write for Your Life” 14. Corn opener?

15. Some cameras or copiers 17. Show biz parent, maybe 19. Generational separator 20. Brick quantity 21. Aspiration for neither the over- or under-achiever 23. Roth offering 25. Salon worker 26. 180 degrees from NNE 27. Yerevan’s country 31. Actor Morales whose Wikipedia bio mentions his name © 2022 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) frequency in crosswords 33. Getting your kicks?

18. “The Bad Guys” screenwriter Cohen (not one 34. ___-Magnon of the filmmaking brothers!)

36. Toy truck maker 22. “That it be, lad” 40. Bedsheets, tablecloths, etc.

24. Suez Canal’s outlet 44. “The Only Way Is ___” (U.K. reality soap 27. U.S. Open stadium since 2010) 28. Platonic P’s 45. The day before 29. “___ bin ein Berliner” (JFK quote) 46. Finishes, as cupcakes 30. Person who may not feel romantic attrac47. Word before rain or jazz tion, for short 50. Done over, like school pictures 32. ___ Sea (arm of the Mediterranean) 52. Tuna steak choice 35. Cheer for Atlético Madrid 55. Part of CUNY or NYU 37. Twinge that may need massaging 57. “Diners, Drive-___ and Dives” 38. Worn-out jeans spot 58. Slide whistle-playing Simpsons character 39. PTA pt.

62. Pro runner?

41. Burp follower 65. Farthest orbital point 42. Cable recorder, perhaps 66. Supernatural witch of Slavic folklore 43. Majors who was “The Six Million Dollar Man” 68. Daughter of Pablo Picasso 48. Ready to breed 69. Thumb drive port 49. “Holy Diver” rocker Ronnie James 70. Capital near Lillehammer 51. Tequila who originally gained fame on 71. Positive quality © 2022 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) MySpace 72. Rd. intersectors 52. “And hurry!”

73. Bovary and Tussaud, for example (abbr.)

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: 53. Medical privacy law, initially 54. Huge celebs Down 56. Big ride to a Dead concert, maybe 1. Adjective for many world-record attempts 59. Alter ___ 2. Not faked out by 60. Ship feature 3. Like some decisions 61. Declines slowly 4. Disreputable newspaper (not like the one 63. It’s not a good look you’re reading!)

64. Country next to Thailand 5. Sport in which athletes crouch 67. ___ Kippur 6. “Turn it up and rip the ___ off!”

7. Directed a wad of paper into a wastebasket 8. Truist Park team 9. Social media and computing elite 10. Lenovo alternative 11. Hatha and bikram, for two 12. Catches, as fly balls 16. Erupt

SUDOKU

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