Cape Fear Living Magazine March/April 2018 by Cape Fear Living

T H E P R E M I E R L I F E S T Y L E M A G A Z I N E F O R S O U T H E A S T E R N N O R T H C A R O L I NA

march/april 2018

Garden to Glass Cocktails

Connecting Cape Fear Cultures

Features

flavors

faces

f eatur es //

March-April 2018

Spring Fashion Trends

de pa rtm en t s // History & Legend 8

BLAME IT ON STEPHEN KING

Health & Wellness 30

Arts & Entertainment 12

AN ARTIST OF A PECULIAR SORT

The Switchyard Smithy

From the community 36

Food & Beverage

Building Relationships that Matter

CALENDAR

Fashion & Beauty 26

Buenos Aires: The Paris of south america

Bloominâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Beautiful

Garden to Glass Cocktails

Spring fashion trends

ca pe f ear l i vi n g / marc h-apri l 2018

Travel & Adventure 34

Home & Garden 16

Wellness Trends for 2018

42 44

ASTROLOGY Investors of the Roundtable

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Contributors

writers & photographers

March-april 2018

Publisher Leping Beck publisher@capefearlivingmagazine.com Editor Laura Frank laura@capefearlivingmagazine.com

Marimar McNaughton East Coaster. Moon Howler. People watcher. Eavesdropper. Word Painter.

David Howell Husband. Dad. Poet. Musician. Sea-lover. Non-profit professional. Looks at a life as a story that never stops telling, revising, and recreating itself.

Assistant Editor Kelly Johnson kelly@capefearlivingmagazine.com copy Editor Diana Matthews dbmatthews27@gmail.com Graphic Designer Samantha Lowe samantha@capefearlivingmagazine.com Business Development/Sales Director John Reed john@capefearlivingmagazine.com

Michael Raab Dog-lover. Photographer. Documentarian. Musician. Finds interesting stories wherever he looks. Listens to classic rock ‘n’ roll.

Hayley Swinson Casual gardener. Whiskey dilettante. Realtor. Always trying new things and looking for adventure.

Account executives Jeff Chalfant jeff@capefearlivingmagazine.com Will Hair will@capefearlivingmagazine.com contributing writers Kelly Amato · Ireland Headrick · Michael Raab · Colleen Thompson Kevin Ward · Marimar McNaughton · Kelly Oliver · Diana Matthews Kelly Johnson · Hayley Swinson · Dr Shara Eisen David Howell · Debra McCormick contributing photographers Rick Ricozzi · Colleen Thompson · Emily Martian · Ethan Gaskill Arthur Green · Danielle Annechiarico Editing intern Sara Beck for event submissions: info@capefearlivingmagazine.com

Colleen Thompson Writer. Picture taker. Raconteur. Wine sommelier. Loves the art of a crafted cocktail and the storytelling that accompanies it.

Kevin Ward Artist. Author. History nerd.

published by CFL Media & Marketing LLC P.O. Box 1552 · Wilmington, NC 28402 910.408.2498 · info@capefearlivingmagazine.com www.capefearlivingmagazine.com All contents in this publication are the property of CFL Media & Marketing LLC. Reproduction or use of the contents in this magazine without authorization by CFL Media & Marketing LLC is prohibited. CFL Media & Marketing LLC takes every effort to provide correct and accurate information that is published in this magazine. CFL Media & Marketing LLC accepts no liability on behalf of contributing parties for any inaccuracies or copyright infringement. CFL Media & Marketing LLC also cannot be held responsible for any services or claims provided by our advertisers. Cape Fear Living Magazine is designed as an art, culture, and community resource. Our staff loves to hear from our readers. Contact us at

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ca pe f ear l i vi n g / marc h-apri l 2018

History&legend

BLAME IT ON

STEPHEN KING

Filming taking place for "Silver Bullet" on the Pender County Courthouse grounds.

ca pe f ear l i vi n g / marc h-apri l 2018

Burgaw Is the most famous filming location you’ve never heard of. Written by: M i c h a e l Ra a b

Built in 1936, the Pender County Courthouse is a mix of Georgian Revival and Colonial Revival architecture styles. The annual North Carolina Blueberry Festival is held on its spacious grounds, as well as the annual Spring Festival. And, in 1984, the Pender County Courthouse took on its second career, as a location for over 30 motion pictures, television series and commercials. It started with the movie adaptation of the Stephen King novel, “Silver Bullet.” Burgaw was never the same after that. “Nothing took the town the way ‘Silver Bullet’ did” explained Pender County Librarian Michael Taylor “because of the level of excitement, plus the towns participation has never been so high since then.” The film company hired all the extras from Burgaw. “They hired everyone on the spot. They hired over 350 people from Pender County. And you got an extra ten dollars if you brought your dog. They were looking for townspeople for a lawn event scene and they wanted you to come dressed as you normally dressed.” However, the uniqueness of the filming created unplanned problems. “In addition to the 350 people who turned up for scenes on the square, you had maybe hundreds of people who came to gawk. It was one big party!” Harrell’s Department Store hosted slasher film scenes from “I Know What You Did Last Summer” in 1997. Nine years later, in 2006, the department store became a Prohibition-era speakeasy for the film

ca pefea rliving mag a zin e .com

History&legend

L to R: Silver Bullet wheelchair parked at the Courthouse curb. The Silver Bullet was the first movie made in Burgaw.

“Idlewild.” It starred music artists Andre 3000 and Big Boi, along with well-known actor Terrence Howard. In 2000, Danny Glover starred in “Freedom Song”, a made-fortv movie that won several Emmys. John Westbrook, the proprietor of Burgaw Antiqueplace, talks about when they originally contacted him about using his store. “They said they were going to make a movie on the civil rights movement from the 40s up until the 60s and they’d like to use my building as a replica of the Woolworth’s in Greensboro where the sitins took place. Would I be agreeable to that? I said sure.” They reconstructed a copy of the counter, and “ they rented the original chairs from the museum in Greensboro. 25 of them.” After the movie filming ended, the counter stayed and it is still in the store today. In 2009, a local actor and producer who had grown up in Burgaw, Brandon Luck, wrote and produced “The Jailhouse,” a psychological thriller film. He shot it in the closed jailhouse opposite the Pender County Courthouse and it starred C. Thomas Howell. Burgaw even subbed for London in 2012 as Chase Credit Card filmed a commercial for the upcoming Summer Olympics on the Courthouse lawn. There were Buckingham Palace guards, British taxi cabs, a double-decker bus, lots of British flags and even a copy of Big Ben.

Later that year, the television series “Revolution” about a world with no electricity, began filming in Burgaw. In one scene on the Courthouse lawn, there was a fire fight around a helicopter belonging to the Monroe Militia. The helicopter had to be carted in on a flatbed truck for the scene as there is no way it could have landed on the lawn with the huge oak trees. Donna Best-Klingel of the Brown Dog Coffee Company was a bit perplexed when filming started. “We knew about the filming but we had no idea who the actors were. They started coming to the coffeehouse and we learned who they were real quickly because fans started coming in. Billy Burke, (lead actor in the series) I had no clue who he was. He sat in the corner of the coffeehouse with his earbuds on. Then these young ladies came in and they just went nuts because he was there.” However, when the “Under The Dome” television series came to start filming the following year, it was a completely different situation. “It was big. Stephen King was involved. Steven Spielberg was involved. It was huge. We knew what that was all about.” The firstseason ending involved a possible hanging on the Courthouse lawn complete with a gallows. There were many other movies, too many to mention in this article, that were filmed over 3 decades within a four-square block area of Burgaw. And they are still filming there. Blame it on Stephen King. ¶

L to R: Helicopter scene from “Revolution” - it couldn't actually be flown onto the Courthouse lawn, instead it was trucked in on a flatbed, rolled off, set up and then rolled back up once shooting was finished; Burgaw courthouse setting for Chesters Mill in "Under The Dome." 10

ca p e f ear l i v i n g / marc h-apri l 2018

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a r t s & e n t e r ta i n m e n t

AN ARTIST of a

PECULIAR SORT Written By: Kevin Wa r d

P hotographe d by: Emi ly M a rt i a n

It was a frigid and icy January day when I found myself sitting across from a tall wild-haired young man who was enjoying a beer and making good use of his drafting pens to enhance an unattended scrap of paper with his art. This penwielding man and I knew each other before this particular day, in fact, you could say we are friends, but like most sane people he would never admit this fact in public. His given name is Peter Deligdisch, and being the good friend I am, I only had to ask him twice how to spell Deligdisch. You see he has a moniker he is better known by, Peter Draws, which is his artist name and YouTube channel. As Peter continued to draw and sip his fermented beverage I felt the proper thing to do was start asking questions; that seemed the thing to do in an interview. First off was when did he start down the solely disreputable path of an artist? "I started in Kindergarten, like most people," Peter told me, but if you mean my current style, that started in high school. He went on to say that he would draw instead of taking notes in class, "I probably should have taken notes and just doodled in the margins, but I didn't." Peter considered his drawings as nothing more than doodles, but his classmates seemed to disagree and saw them as works of great art. Peter went on to tell me that he still views his art this way, doodles that take more time, but doodles nonetheless. His fans and I disagree with

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him on this particular issue; if his art is mere doodles then Van Gogh pieces are crayon drawings. Peter has a successful YouTube channel in which he shows off his art to millions of people across the world, but like most things, it started small. He told me he began his channel “Peter Draws” while in high school with nothing more than a cheap point and click camera. "I always liked time lapse artwork videos, and wanted to make my own," Peter said. When asked what it took to grow his YouTube channel to where it is now, "You have to promote yourself ", he said as if dispensing some ancient wisdom. He expanded on this concept to further enlighten me: he would post his videos on Reddit himself, knowing he could not expect others to do it for him. Soon his videos were getting over 100,000 views and other people were sharing his stuff without him having to lift a finger. Peter’s videos run the gamut; he may just draw a beautiful surreal image in pen and ink or use a palette knife to create Fractal Expressionism acrylic painting while dressed as a monk, and sometimes he just switches to food and teaches how to make a proper grilled cheese with an iron. Among the most recent highlights of his evergrowing channel, he was contacted by Netflix to do promotional art for their new movie BRIGHT. About this same time Peter headed

up a community mural at the CAM. He created a wonderful timelapse video of all the talented people who added their art to it. Doing my best to channel a hint of professionalism from myself, I asked him what is his favorite medium is these days. While finishing up his drawing with his pen, he pointed to it and told me that still to this day nothing is better to him then Pen and Ink. Now, these favorite tools of his are no regular art pens that you can grab at a crafting store, they are Rotring drafting pens. With these very pens, he creates monochromatic masterpieces that will undoubtedly stand the test of time. As graceful as a drunk person trying to plug in a phone charger, I segued the conversation towards Peter's future plans. He got a mad glint in his eye when I asked, almost like he had been waiting all day for this very question and I had fallen right into his trap. He started by saying "Well, I want to see my channel continue to grow, really see it become a force in the online art world." Peter made it clear that when all is said in done that he hopes Peter Draws will be mentioned in the same breath as the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross: I mean they both have fantastic hair. On a more local scene, Peter wants to do a small scale art show here in Wilmington. He is looking for the

right venue and is open to suggestion on the matter. I suggested the nearby McDonald's, but he didn't seem to jump on that idea at this juncture. Even grander than this versatile artist has goals of doing an art show in one of North Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many fine art museums. Having one's creation displayed on the walls of a museum or gallery is one of art's oldest goals. So let's say that you are hooked, you want to see more of this Peter guy's art, and maybe hear his calming voice for yourself, or perhaps you want to send him some venue suggestions for the earlier mentioned art show. Well here is how you can do all that, both his YouTube and Instagram accounts are called Peter Draws. Just look them up and give the subscribe (or follow) button a tap, and then you can see his art and videos when posted. The questions done, his beer finished, and the once empty piece of paper filled with art, Peter bade me farewell and started walking towards the nearest exit. As he walked out the door I yelled my parting words, which was to suggest the nearest Taco Bell as an art show venue. Again, he did not seem keen on that venue at this time, but I am sure he just needs to ponder it for a bit. Âś

ca pefea rliving mag a z in e .com

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ca pefea rliving mag a z in e .com

home & garden

T he

Switchyard Smithy

Sunlight streams into The Switchyard, an active railroad interchange on one of Wilmington, North Carolina’s backstreets. This place where two rail lines converge has become the hub for a community of architects, builders, artisans and writers. One among them, Ben Kastner, is the modern face of yesterday’s blacksmith. Kastner and his four-man crew work from a cinder block shop where they restore old wrought iron work and fabricate new pieces for contemporary architecture and commercial installations. Long before the others arrive and take their places, smoke curls from the chimney. It’s the first sign that Kastner is on site, lighting the forge with a small ball of paper. As the morning hours unfurl, the temperature climbs inside the old timey furnace, eventually reaching 1,800 to 2,000 degrees, at which point most of the work is done, climb-

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Written by: M a r i m a r M c N au g h to n

ing even higher to 2,400 to 2,500 degrees for welding – “maybe a little bit more,” Kastner says as he welds the snub end scrolls of filigreed gates. RESTORATION The restored gates now hang at the entrance to the Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo, one of six official sites belonging to The Garden Club of North Carolina. Closer to home, Kastner also restored the hallowed Airlie Gates that dignify the entrance to Airlie Gardens. Both sets of gates, with dates of origins into the 1700s, were transformed by Kastner and his team. “I really enjoy making things the way they were originally made before,” he says. “Granted, there are some restrictions that keep you from doing it fully traditionally or exactly the way it was, but I do my best to

do it exactly the same as it was — I may get a little carried away with it.” This passion for preservation was stirred by a Penland School of Craft instructor and mentor, Peter Ross, also a modern blacksmith who hand forges museum quality historic hardware and tools from his Siler City shop. Ross, Kastner says, “deciphers artifacts and figures out how they were made. In the end there’s not too many ways to get to the final results.” “Leaving Penland,” Kastner explains, “I went straight to his house and stayed a couple of days. I’ve been back multiple times.” The first step in the restoration process is to dismantle the pieces and remove the paint to understand how they were made. The quintessential 18th Century village blacksmiths, Kastner says “were much higher skilled, had much more time working at the forge, probably (had) been doing it since they were little kids; they were going to make it the most efficient way possible … to get the higher quality results.” Kastner’s commitment to honor the integrity of the old tradesmen has landed him other significant commissions beyond the garden gates, notably for Waynesville’s Public Art Commission and Greensboro’s

Greenway Project. “Kastner is a rare young smith to be tackling these kinds of projects and doing it in a conscientious way, with the values of a professional restorer rather than the values of a young artist,” said Ross. REINVENTION But artistic was the license he was given to reinterpret architect Bruce Bowman’s design for a grand staircase inside the Dudley Mansion at 400 South Front Street. Wilmington’s landmark Federal Style white house has been renovated twice within a 10-year time frame. With cosmetic improvements completed in 2006 and extensive infrastructure improvements completed in 2015 by Bowman, of Bowman Murray Hemingway Architects, and Dave Thomas, of D.P. Thomas Construction Group. Choosing a 1940 period of significance,

Opposite Page L to R: Detail from Intracoastal Iron & Metal's Airlie Gates restoration; Ben Kastner, blacksmith, works from his studio at The Switchyard; Forged rivet staircase detail from Iron & Wine, a private, residential Wrightsville Beach collaboration between Kersting Architecture and Intracostal Iron & Metal. This Page L to R: From his studio at The Switchyard, Ben Kastner and his crew restore historic and fabricate new architectural ironwork; The restored Airlie Gates; The completed Iron & Wine staircase, Wrightsville Beach, was fabricated by Intracoastal Iron & Metal and designed specifically for a private residence by Kersting Architecture.

Bowman added the grand staircase, at the rear of the solarium to mitigate the structure’s vertical circulation, he said during a May 2015 National Preservation Month talk hosted by Historic Wilmington Foundation. Dave Thomas was among the attendees that evening. “Bruce Bowman was asked to connect the basement with the main living area in the Governor Dudley Mansion and to provide a graceful access to the rear gardens. What he came up with was a remarkable transformation both architecturally and structurally,” Thomas says. When it was time to address the details of handrail design and installation, Thomas says he could think of no better artisan to bring on board than Ben Kastner. “Ben has always impressed me with his ability in both design and fabrication … Ben ca pefea rliving mag a z in e .com

home & garden

The Dudley Mansion's grand staircase designed by Bruce Bowman of Bowman, Murray and Hemingway Architecture, built by D.P. Thomas Construction Group with iron handrails designed and fabricated by Intracoastal Iron & Metal. residence by Kersting Architecture.

and his team at Intracoastal Iron … raise the bar tremendously in eastern North Carolina.” REVELATION One of Kastner’s perennial clients is interior designer Sherry Black, who uses ironwork in her high-end homes, but only when she feels it’s appropriate to the architecture. Case in point, when she redesigned the interior of famed North Carolina artist and furniture designer Bob Timberlake’s home on Figure Eight Island, she recruited Kastner to fabricate her vision for the interior staircase. “Ben really has a passion for what he does,” Black says. “He’s a perfectionist.” “We cater to what people want … architectural metal work - contemporary clean fabricated welded stairs and railings,” Kastner says. A frequent contributor to Kersting Architecture projects, Kastner has forged an unbending reputation for quality. 18

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Principal architect and the firm’s founder Michael Ross Kersting recalls his first meeting with the young smith. “We were designing a house renovation for a client of ours. We needed a short run of stair railing,” Kersting says. The client, Anne Sorhagen, is a friend of Kastner’s mother. “She requested Ben craft the rail, and he did an excellent job. From that point on, I was hooked on incorporating custom metal features in our projects,” Kersting says. From simple stair pipe railings, signage, and incredibly complex forged architectural hardware, metal parts and components, Kersting, his project architect Toby Keeton, and Kastner have collaborated on many projects. “One is a custom forged metal staircase that Ben fabricated and installed in a house that we designed called ‘Iron and Wine.’ For that project, the design called for an open riser stair that would become a show piece in the house,” Kersting says. “The open riser

concept was designed to allow daylight to flow into the center of the house. To support the stairs, our idea was to use small custom forged and hammered steel bars to support each wood step. The entire array of these steps would be supported by a grid of the same type of bars hanging from the floor structure of the floor that the stairs accessed. The intricate connections of all the bars would be held together with forged, pounded rivets. The overall effect of the finished staircase reveals a juxtaposition of heavy forged iron against the lightness of the wood stair treads. It’s quite remarkable and I consider it a true work of art that only a skilled craftsman could accomplish.” Though Kastner began his collaboration with Kersting before Keeton joined the firm, their careers have overlapped in many ways. “The most wonderful thing about Ben is he never says, ‘that can’t be done.’ There are always implications when it comes to time and cost, but he is always on board to figure

it out. As a designer, that’s a very freeing thing, to be able to imagine something without worrying about the limits of the craftsmanship it would take to realize. More than that, like a good blues musician, he can take the beat that you are putting down and layer over it, or strip it down to get at the idea of the thing. When you have that combination of technical ability and soul in craftsman, it means you work with them as much as you can.” Keeton has designed project details calling for sleekness or minimalism and others in which handcrafting was evident. Together they have also teamed up on a few public art projects, like the Waynesville Pocket Park and a recent installation for the Lower Cape Fear Hospice Memorial. “Ben is always pushing the limits of quality,” Keeton says. “Once we had an interview for an art project in Kinston. On the way back, he said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a lead on some really high quality, low sulfur coal that some guy has in his cellar somewhere around here; mind if we swing by and check it out?’ We drove way out into the backwoods until we arrived at what I can only describe as a junkyard kingdom. After haggling with a character straight out of central casting … he came back with a sack of coal the size of a bag of groceries. ‘That’s it?!’ I asked. He said, ‘Yeah, it’s the good stuff.’” Keeton and Kastner returned to The Switchyard, where the architect climbed the stair of the old warehouse and disappeared into the second floor loft and the blacksmith toted his sack of coal into the block studio, where it will stoke the forge some other morning. ¶ ca pefea rliving mag a z in e .com

home & garden

B loo m in ’

Beautiful

A z alea G ar d en T our A p r i l 1 3 - 1 5 Written by: D i a n a M at t h e ws

“We didn’t have azaleas when I was growing up in Indiana,” said Barbara Downing. “We didn’t have camellias blooming in December and January, either. I so appreciate the things that grow here.” Downing is Media and Communications Chair of the hard-working Cape Fear Garden Club (CFGC), which presents Wilmington’s Azalea Garden Tour every April. Almost 300 of the club’s members help carry out the event. Cathy Poulos is the current club president. Poulos chose “celebrating Southern beauty” as the theme of her service as president this year, and the annual tour is one of many ways CFGC does just that. Over the 65 years of the tour, club members have raised almost $1.2 million, which they have invested in projects to beautify the Cape Fear region, preserve wildlife and educate the public. When Downing moved to Wilmington in 1979, Wilmington was called the “city of a million azaleas.” Thousands of those azaleas had been planted by her predecessors in CFGC, one of the oldest garden clubs in North Carolina. “We’ll be celebrating our hundredth anniversary in 2025,” she said.

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During the years between the world wars, the club created garden spaces for public enjoyment. Along with the WPA, they added cultivated azaleas to the wild native azaleas already growing in Greenfield Park and established the park’s fragrance garden for the benefit of veterans who had been blinded by poison gas overseas. Cape Fear Garden Club held its first Azalea Garden Tour in 1953. The theme of the 2018 tour is “Bloomin’ Beautiful!” Activities will begin at Greenfield Park’s amphitheater at 10 a.m. Friday, April 13, with a ribbon cutting and the presentation of the Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Belles, accompanied by the Citadel Summerall Guard. The Azalea Festival Queen and her court will attend, along with other festival celebrities. The garden club will serve homemade cookies and lemonade at the Queen’s Garden Party at the conclusion of the event. Nine private gardens and the Cape Fear Museum’s rain garden will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 13-15. Airlie Gardens will be open as part of the tour Saturday and Sunday only. Locations on the tour range from the historic downtown to the country club and university areas. Azalea Belles will greet arriving visitors at each tour site.

How to cultivate Southern beauty For good advice, CFGC members say they rely on the book Growing a Beautiful Garden: A Landscape Guide for the Coastal Carolinas, by horticulturalist Henry Rehder Jr. Rehder provides month-by-month instructions for cultivating the two most popular azalea categories: Indica (or Indian) azaleas and Kurume azaleas. “Hundred-year-old (Indica) plants thrive in Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington as well as the historical districts,” Rehder says, “and many specimen plants can be found in ordinary places.” The recipe for healthy azaleas, Rehder explains, is rich, slightly acid soil, even moisture, and filtered sunlight or light shade. Early spring is the time for fertilizing. Any pruning should be done immediately after blooming ceases; the plants begin to make next year’s buds during the summer. Through the growing season the gardener needs to protect the plants from drought and azaleamunching caterpillars. Fortunately the red-and-black marked larvae are easy to defeat using a solution of liquid dish detergent and water. Rehder recommends obtaining a soil test in the fall, amending the soil according to results and mulching the plants with pine straw. The Azalea Festival committee and CFGC joined forces to create a short video describing best practices for growing healthy azaleas. Actress and Jester’s Café owner Sydney Penny is one of the featured gardeners on the video. Penny was Azalea Queen in 1999 and is the chair of this year’s tour. “It is a first for our club and the festival,” said Downing, “to have a former Queen back as a garden club member and a committee chair.” The azalea family Azaleas belong to the Rhododendron genus of shrubs. Wild native azaleas are deciduous and send out blooms on bare stems in the spring, with leaves following. Native azaleas bloom in shades of yellow and gold. Cultivated types of azaleas suitable for the Coastal Plain include Indica, Kurume, Satsuki and Encore. All are evergreen and bloom in white, pink, red and purple. Indica azaleas have very large flowers and leaves on large, ever-

green bushes. Vigorous growers, Indicas should be planted where they have room to reach a mature size of at least six feet high and five feet wide. Kurume azalea bushes grow as large as Indicas but less rapidly. Their leaves and flowers are smaller; the blooming period is longer, and they have good pest resistance, says Rehder. Two types of azaleas not mentioned in Growing a Beautiful Garden are Satsukis and Encores. Satsuki azaleas are small and densegrowing. Because they bloom later in the spring than other types, they are less vulnerable to being ruined by an early April frost. Encore hybrid azaleas, developed in the 1980s, tolerate four to six hours of sunshine a day and bloom two or three times per year. Planting for the future Since the “million azaleas” days, says Downing, “we’ve lost a lot due to development and new roads.” Hoping to regain the million mark, CFGC partners with the New Hanover Parks Conservancy and Encore Azaleas to promote “Plant An Azalea Week” the first week in April. CFGC members invite community members to help them plant azaleas in public spaces as well as in their home gardens. To have an azalea planted at Hugh McRae Park or Greenfield Park this year, sponsors only need to donate $15. The donor may designate the planting in honor or in memory of a friend or loved one, and a card will be sent to the recipient that the donor specifies. Cape Fear Garden Club returns the money it earns to the community in the form of grants for beautification, conservation and educational projects. Funding from the Azalea Garden Tour also supports the North Carolina Audubon Society work on Battery Island bird sanctuary and endowed scholarships to UNC-Wilmington and Cape Fear Community College. Tour tickets are $25 and may be purchased now at capefeargardenclub.org, or at local ticket sellers listed on the website. Tickets are valid for all three days of the tour. Children under 12 are admitted free with an accompanying adult. The Cape Fear Garden Club is also on Facebook at facebook.com/CapeFearGardenClub.¶ CFGC's "How to Care for Your Azaleas" video is at youtube.com/ watch?v=GOthyxHJtIo ca pefea rliving mag a z in e .com

Food& Beverage

Garden to G lass C oc k tails

Written and P hotographe d by: C o l l e e n T h o m pso n

Here’s to warmer weather, longer light filled days, blossoming flowers and fresh, botanically infused cocktails. Often referred to as the “garden to glass” movement, mixologists are turning to fresher, tastier, and healthier ingredients in cocktails. Made with superfoods, herbs, teas, fresh juices, and vegetables in a variety of innovative combinations - blueberry-thyme, mangocilantro, strawberry-basil, cucumber-mint anyone? Fresh produce quite simply, makes for fresh cocktails. Following in the footsteps of the farm-to-table movement and strengthened by the growing craft distillery wave, garden-to-glass cocktails have been cited as one of the biggest cocktail trends of 2018. We’re saying bye-bye to artificial ingredients and overly sweet, sticky cocktails and turning to unconventional ingredients from the garden to add to our cocktails. From infusions and shrubs to herby tinctures, happy hour is expanding beyond sprigs of mint in juleps and mojitos and incorporating lavender, sage, rosemary, cilantro, spruce shoots and even nettles – just about any plant could make its way into your glass. The wave of trendy botanical bars turning herbs, plants, and flowers into show-stopping cocktail mix-ins are popping up worldwide. Trips to farmers markets, seasonal cocktail lists, and even rooftop and cocktail gardens have become de rigueur for many mixologists. Award winning mixologist Shane Beehan believes it’s less of a trend, and rather something that’s here to stay for good. “Realistically it's the best thing that can happen to a cocktail. Sourcing out the best freshest local ingredients, grown in your own yard or your local environment, adds a personalized touch to every drink and at the same time reduces your personal impact on the environment,” he says. “Going local can be seen as a trend but I hope it’s looked at more as a solution. I hope it does make everyone who creates cock22

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tails stop and pause and think a little about where and how they source their ingredients.” Without plants we really wouldn’t have any boozy cocktails at all. Every element that goes into a drink comes from the plant world – rum from sugarcane; tequila from agave; whiskey from barley and rye; bourbon from corn; vodka from potatoes; beer from hops and wine from grapes. When it comes to garden-to-glass libations, the only limit is your imagination. It’s an easy undertaking for the home barman and gardener: you could even go as far as planting your own “cocktail garden.” Now that the spring growing season is upon us, it's the perfect time to think about planting things you can drink later. There are tons of ways to add fresh, herbal flavors into your botanical cocktails. Make a batch of your own herbal, homemade simple syrup: using thyme, lemon verbena, rosemary or elderflowers and infusing it in syrup. Combine equal parts water and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Let the mixture steep until herbs have infused – wait 20 minutes or so – before straining, bottling, and cooling. Instead of muddling fresh herbs, give them a good clap between your hands to lightly release the fragrant oils – without compromising the quality of your drink. Vodka is a great base spirit to use for infusions, because it has no flavour, which allows the aromatics of the herbs and botanicals to shine through. Rum is also a good base, but stick with the clear varieties rather than the darker ones. Gin already contains many botanical flavours from juniper and other herbs, and makes for particularly flavourful fresh cocktails. Grab your favourite spirits, find your green thumb and concoct these Mother Nature inspired libations.

Cilantro Kombucha Gimlet Ingredients 2oz Gin 1oz Cilantro Syrup* 1oz fresh lime juice Blueberry kombucha

Directions Combine gin, cilantro syrup and lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and pour over ice in a glass and top up with blueberry kombucha. Garnish with a cilantro leaf and wild edible flowers. *Cilantro syrup: combine 1cup water, 1 cup wildflower honey and a small bunch of chopped cilantro. Simmer for 10 minutes and cool. ca pefea rliving mag a z in e .com

Food& Beverage

Garden-ijto Ingredients

Directions

2 oz. White Rum

Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker and shake for

.75 oz. Lime Juice

3-5 seconds. Strain over ice into a tall glass and top

1 oz. Green Juice*

with sparkling water. Garnish with fresh mint.

.75oz Simple Syrup Garden mint

*Green Juice is a mixture of fresh pressed juices. 2 parts cucumber, 1 part green apple, 1 part kale, and Â˝ part fresh ginger.

ca p e f ear l i v i n g / marc h-apri l 2018

Sip Your Beets Ingredients

Directions

2 oz. Vodka

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with

.5oz Beetroot puree*

ice. Shake and pour over ice in a glass and garnish

1 oz. Fresh lemon juice

with thinly slice beet greens.

.5 oz. Ginger simple syrup* 2 Dashes Angostura bitters

*Beet puree: roast beets in an oven, puree in a

Beet greens for garnish

blender and strain. *Ginger syrup: combine 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and a thumb size piece of fresh, peeled and chopped ginger. Simmer for 10 minutes and cool.

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Fa s h i o n & B e au ty

Spring Fashion T ren d s

Written by: Kel ly Am ato a n d Ire l a n d H e a d r i c k Photographe d by: E t h a n G as k i l l Clothing:

Oliver Clothing models:

Chandler Russell HMUA:

Blush Haus of Beaute

ca p e f ear l i v i n g / marc h-apri l 2018

The start of spring is always the most exciting time of the year for me! It is the culmination of months of careful deliberation over which designers to feature in my boutique, as well as which trends I want to highlight in the warmer months. For Spring ‘18, the journey began last September, when I hit the streets of New York City to visit brand showrooms and fashion trade shows. My goal? Simple. To uncover the hottest trends of the upcoming season and bring them back to Wilmington with me. One of the most important aspects of being a good buyer is being an even better observer: How have trends cycled in seasons past? What are “influencers” wearing? What are my customers asking for? And of course, last but hardly least, what are designers presenting on the runway? The first step in my buying process is to watch as many fashion week presentations as I can. While not everything on the runways will translate with my customers, it’s always a great indication of where things are headed. My next step is attending dozens of showrooms and strolling aisle after aisle at trade shows. What we refer to in the biz as “market” is actually an elevated fashion showcase, featuring the most soughtafter contemporary and emerging designers and brands in the apparel industry. It’s where I as a buyer, armed with my newly-revised knowledge of upcoming seasonal trends, shop for the best new merchandise to share with customers.

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Fa s h i o n & B e au ty DIVERSITY IN DENIM High rises, cropped lengths and interesting hemlines still prevail but get ready to embrace an array of fresh denim trends. To make a statement think extremes. Light, powdery hues and dark indigo rinses; oversized cuffs; super wide silhouettes. As you head out and hit the shops to round out your spring wardrobe, keep a couple things in mind. First, it's not only helpful but fun to get the inside scoop. Sales associates should have a wealth of knowledge and ideas about fit, fabric and styling. Second, never take fashion too seriously. What you wear is an expression of yourself, but only for that day, hour, or moment. Having fun with style is all about embracing the ever-changing trends that keep fashion fresh and exciting. Getting dressed should be a daily adventure, and it's never too late to incorporate something new into the mix. ¶

Market is what brought me to New York last September, and as I searched for the perfect pieces and brands for Spring ‘18, here’s what caught my eye: COLOR This spring, expect to see extremes in color from pretty pastels like lavender and powder pink to punched-up brights like lemon and cherry. Our ladies love color and this is their season... no commitment issues need apply. Wondering what to pair with your favorite white jeans? Wonder no longer. TRANSPARENCY Sheer is chic, but you don’t have to bare it all to embrace this whimsical trend. Start small by wearing a crepe-y maxi over jeans or pairing your favorite white tee with a lacy black bralette. ROMANTIC TOUCHES Florals of all kinds are welcome this season, whether feminine and ditsy or clashy and bright. The use of bold, oversized graphics in the world of floral prints feels especially new and interesting.

ca p e f ear l i v i n g / marc h-apri l 2018

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H e a lt h & w e l l n e s s

Trends f

Written By: C o l l e e n T h o m pso n

We’ve already started adding turmeric to our lattes and taking apple cider vinegar to help us sleep better, upped our kale intake and swapped our coffee for kombucha. As spring kicks in, health and wellness are on our radar so we’ve narrowed down the list for you of this year’s biggest trends. According to figures from the Global Wellness Economy Monitor, the wellness economy is now worth $3.7 trillion. Wellness has never been bigger or broader. Innovative approaches to fitness, diet, our environment and how we take care of our minds and bodies have taken root. It's an exciting time to be alive, with so many ways, new and ancient, to improve our health. Power Naps Uber, Ben & Jerry’s and Google are all offering nap rooms for their employees to take time out of their busy workdays to catchup on sleep – a 20-minute power nap has been proven to reduce stress and increase productivity. Most Americans simply aren’t getting enough sleep according to The National Sleep Foundation. The importance of sleep, in terms of quality and hours, has tremendous health benefits and napping is becoming an acceptable form to catch up precious hours. A predicted trend for 2018 is the rise of paid for nap pods, already happening in Tokyo and London. The pods give people the chance to disconnect and refresh in a private space. For those wanting a quick nap – there’s an

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app for that – the Power Nap App helps you drift off with relaxing soundtracks and Nap Wheel helps you plan the ultimate nap by figuring out when midday slump is most likely to occur.

Mindfulness and Meditation Still Buzzwords A lot of the unwellness we’ll need to address in the years to come concerns mental health. Many wellness trends are now focusing as much on mental wellness as they are on physical wellness. Meditation has shifted — it used to be about spirituality but people now understand the science behind it and how it empowers them to be their best selves, just by being still for a few minutes every day.

Wellness Parenting

Guided mindfulness retreats, office yoga classes, and company meditation programs are all on the rise. There are also a growing number of products and services at very little cost. Apps like Headspace by founder Andy Puddicombe; a regular Ted talker known for his talks on simple meditation practices, is the soothing voice behind each Headspace session. Moodnotes is an app based on the science behind Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and encourages users to check in regularly during the course of their day.

Ketogenic Diet The trendiest diet since paleo, Keto is now trending as the most Googled diet as cookbooks to podcasts emerge almost weekly. The high-fat, low-sugar diet has been used as an effective treatment for epilepsy since the 1920s and is now being studied as a diet option for conditions like Alzheimer's and autism. The idea is to drastically reduce carbohydrate intake in the body and replace the carbohydrates with healthy fats. The process puts the body in a state of ketosis during which the body burns fat for energy more efficiently. The diet is gaining popularity among athletes like LeBron James, who according to the “Mind Body Green Report” embraces this new way of eating to maximize athletic performance.

Infrared Saunas These saunas use a different type of heat wave — the same type that hospitals have been using in rehab and for keeping premature babies warm. The heat permeates the body and raises its core temperature. Infrared saunas are actually cooler than traditional saunas and reach about 120 to 140°F, while traditional saunas can reach nearly 200°F. According to the Mayo Clinic, people suffering from issues like congestive heart failure and rheumatoid arthritis have found infrared saunas to be helpful in their treatments. Another study published by the National Center for Biotechnology found that participants who spent fifteen minutes a day for two weeks in an infrared sauna saw an impressive drop in their blood pressure.

In the Maasai culture, the health and well being of a community is determined by the health of its children. Nowhere is that more obvious than in the traditional greeting used by Maasai warriors, which begins, "And how are the children?" The anecdote comes from the Spafinder Wellness 365 report that notes that rest of the world is slowly beginning to embrace the Maasai concept. Be on the lookout for more mindfulness and meditation in schools, kid-focused yoga classes, massage for toddlers and wellnesscentric family vacations. More parents will be willing to dedicate time, attention and money to what promises to be one of the wellness industry’s most significant areas of growth. "Parents are learning that to raise healthy children in the 21st century means more than just teaching them to eat their vegetables or look both ways before crossing the street," states the report. "The poor diets, technological obsessions, and ubiquitous stressors that plague adult life offer no immunity to the young.”

Salt Rooms (Halotherapy) Halotherapy or salt therapy has been popular in Europe for a long time. In a natural setting, this treatment would mean sitting in a salt cave and breathing in the dry, salty air, which is supposed to be good for respiratory and skin conditions. In recent years, the salt therapy trend has gone global, and it's now being used to treat everything from allergies to asthma, colds to eczema. Spas and wellness centers are replicating these salt caves creating rooms filled with salt and negative ions that have darkened ambient lighting to replicate natural caves.

Floatation Therapy Also known as Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy — floatation therapy focuses on the deliberate elimination of sensory stimuli to achieve relaxation and, potentially, a meditative state. Some research shows that floatation therapy sessions have the ability to relieve stress and anxiety, ease pain and even treat addictions – all reasons why people are flocking to float. You lie back, face-up in a darkened tank, which is filled with Epsom salt (so you're completely weightless) and the water is at body temperature, blurring the line between body and water.

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H e a lt h & w e l l n e s s Longevity Foods By now, we're all familiar with the term Superfood. From Goji berries to kale, it's safe to say we've probably tried at least one of them. Whole Foods Market released their top food trends for 2018 that included floral flavors, super powders, functional mushrooms, Middle Eastern influences, plant-based foods and root-to-stem foods. Below are a few more you can expect to see in your diet. Moringa – made from the leaves of the moringa tree that are crushed into a powder, it has been nicknamed the “miracle tree” for its superfood capabilities. Used for centuries in traditional Indian medicine, research reveals it contains more than 90 nutrients, including 19 amino acids. Expect to see it showing up in energy shots, snack bars, teas and flavoured water. Kava – made from grinding the roots of the kava plant. It’s been a staple of South Pacific cultures for thousands of years. Look out for kava bars, as enthusiasts claim it produces a more euphoric and relaxing effect than alcohol. Crickets – yes, you read that correctly. Turns out crickets are very high in protein and contain all nine essential amino acids, as much potassium as spinach, more calcium than milk, and a more absorbable form of iron. Black Garlic – fermented at a high heat for about 30 days, then aged for 20 days at room temperature. The process renders it soft, sweet and spreadable. Several sources link black garlic to cancer fighting properties.

Aerial Yoga and Acroyoga Yoga is moving beyond the studio floor. Both aerial and acro yoga have been around a few years, but they are gaining popularity and showing up in yoga studios. Aerial Yoga is practised with the support of a soft, aerial fabric hammock to explore, refine and advance traditional asana, both in the air and on the ground. Acro yoga is a blend of partner yoga and acrobatics. Acro in Greek means high, or elevated. Yoga in Sanskrit commonly translates to notions of union, or joining. ¶

ca p e f ear l i v i n g / marc h-apri l 2018

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Travel& Adventure

Buenos Aires The Paris of South America

Written an d Photographed By: H ayl ey Sw in so n

A man wearing a white shirt, neckerchief, and loose blue pants gallops on horseback at breakneck speed, standing in his stirrups, arm outstretched, reaching with his pen-like stick to catch a ring suspended from a crossbar between two posts. The man’s colleagues watch with amusement and anticipation. There are four of them altogether, Argentine cowboys called gauchos, and they take turns trying for the ring, a game called Corrida de Sortija, beginning their approach out of sight of the audience, preceded by the sound of their horses’ hooves. We are on the Estancia La Porteña, a ranch in Buenos Aires Province, an hour’s drive from Argentina’s capital city. I have come to this country with Queens University of Charlotte for a two-week creative writing residency, part of my Masters of Fine Arts degree. While we are here, we will learn how to dance tango, eat Argentine barbecue and drink Yerba maté, experience gaucho culture, read the works of Jorge Luis Borges and Silvina Ocampo, and discover Evita Perón’s legacy.

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In our seminars, I have learned enough about Argentina’s history to recognize how closely it mirrors our own: Argentina is a former European colony whose government has a federalist framework and a large capital city, Buenos Aires, surrounded by a far less populated countryside with a cowboy culture. In the early 20th century, Buenos Aires experienced a significant influx of European immigrants— second only to New York City at that time—and a huge economic boom. They imported culture—especially architecture—from Paris, and began to develop their own national identity. Today, Buenos Aires is about the size of Los Angeles and is sometimes referred to as “The Paris of South America.” But the country was, and always has been, plagued by civil unrest and disagreement among the ruling elite. In the country’s short history, there have been six military coups, the most recent dictatorship ending in 1983. Even today, there is distrust and skepticism towards the government, and politicians are expected to fight dirty. When I brought up the 2016 indictment of former President Cristina de Kirchner on corruption charges, one Argentine, Mare, said to me, “They are always impeaching each other. One doesn’t like what the other one does, and so they try to impeach.” She shrugs, as if to say, what politicians do and think, is not relevant to me. And yet there is a deep-seated tradition of civil protest. Once a week for the last several decades, the mothers of disappeared youth and activists from the time of the last dictatorship, The Dirty War, march in the Plaza de Mayo in front of the presidential building—La Casa Rosada—toting signs and pictures, chanting and singing songs, demanding that their children not be forgotten. Other demonstrators have camped for years in the same square, protesting the mistreatment of soldiers who fought in the Falklands war against Great Britain. Argentines are not afraid of dissent.

There is, though, a sense of acceptance among the porteños—the word used to describe the citizens of Buenos Aires, a port city—a “do what you want as long as you’re not affecting me” attitude that is not exactly hospitable, but neither is it discouraging. “You just have to be nice to people,” Mare says. “If you are nice, then they will be nice back.” While many people in B.A. do speak English, the vast majority of ordinary folks speak only Spanish. Much like the United States, Argentina covers a variety of landscapes—from mountains to plains to beaches to rivers—and many Argentines do not feel the need to travel outside the country. Mare says it depends on your family. “If your family travels a lot outside, like mine does, then you travel more outside, too.” On a rainy, miserable day we walk through La Recoleta Cemetery, the surrounding stone mausoleums and statues blending with the gray sky above. Our guide stops us in front of the tomb of General Pedro E. Aramburu, a former president who had come to power through a military coup, ousting Juan Perón, the populist husband of Evita. Aramburu had been assassinated by Peronists in 1970, and his body was held for ransom until Evita’s body was returned. What a coincidence, I cannot help but think, that both Evita and Aramburu found their final resting places within walking distance of each other. And what a perfect representation of Argentinian sentiment, to find that fresh roses grace the markers of both graves. ¶

The best time to visit Argentina is in their spring (Sept-Nov) or fall (Mar-May). Do not miss: The Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo’s Sunday Market, La Recoleta Cemetery, La Boca barrio, and a day trip to an estancia. Best souvenirs: silver and leather goods, Yerba maté gourds, wine.

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f r o m theCo m m u n i ty

Walking the Moonlit Path Pisces March 17 | aries April 15 New Moon 2018

Written By: Dr . S h a r a e i s e n

Happy Birthday, Pisces and Aries, and a happy Pisces and Aries new moon to all! We have a lot to celebrate now, as the spring onset descends: the vernal equinox, and the beginning of the new year for the astrological and natural world. It is a time of new beginnings, yet Pisces, as the last of the 12 signs of the zodiac, has much to do with completing and releasing. The sun moves into Aries just a few days after the new moon, heralding the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Thus, it promises to be a month of releasing some of what no longer serves or is needed, while planting some seeds of new beginnings, which picks up speed in April. As the last of the signs, Pisces gives those born under it a great deal of wisdom and a strong intuition. They tend to be compassionate, giving people, often with highly sensitive natures. Even at a young age, they often gravitate to those less fortunate, demonstrating a call to service. They can easily comprehend some of the great secrets of the universe, and yet they can be challenged with taking care of themselves, so great is their altruistic nature. The Pisces new moon is an excellent time to get involved with volunteering, so this may be the time to give your local animal shelter or homeless organization a call. If there is an interest in developing your intuition, acquiring healing skills, or beginning/expanding a meditation practice, this would also be an excellent time for any of these. If you are like so many Americans who are not getting enough rest and sleep, while packing too much into your days, then this is a perfect time to reconsider this pattern and look for a better balance. We can aspire to move out of this human doing phase, back to the being that is our human being nature.

Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, and even if they have lives filled with friends and family, they always have some aspect of the perennial lone wolf to them. They have a great deal to teach us about a healthy self-centeredness. Aries consider their own ideas, needs, desires, and preferences important and speak up without hesitation or apology. They tend to not get confused or overwhelmed by the ideas and needs of the others in the family, relationship, or other forms of groups. This new moon may prompt us to ask some necessary questions related to whose visions we are living out. Have we learned to consider our own needs and preferences last, if at all? Do we tend to keep our ideas and opinions to ourselves, fearing that others wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be interested or respectful? Did we have certain goals, passions, and visions long ago that we have lost touch with as lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mundane realities took center stage? Aries is a passionate, creative, and intuitive sign that will happily follow the path less traveled if necessary. This is an auspicious time for all new beginnings in your life, simply because it is the new moon for the first sign of the zodiac. It is also a particularly excellent time for taking actions toward a passion that you have put off for someone else in your life, such a perhaps a dance class that conflicts with the time that your family would like for you to make dinner. This is the time to find those passions and make them, and thus you, a priority.

To read your horoscope this month, visit our website for the full article at www.CapeFearLivingMagazine.com. Dr. Shara Eisen began her astrology studies in 2004, shortly after adding spiritual counseling and coaching to her holistic health practice. To learn more about Dr. Shara, visit her personal website at www.newhopewellnesscenter.com or by phone at 919.423.1906. 36

ca p e f ear l i v i n g / marc h-apri l 2018

f r o m theCo m m u n i ty

Investors of the Roundtable

Written By: Kel ly E . J o hn so n

P hotographe d by: Da n i e l l e A n n ec h i a r i c o

Roundtable, a term defined in modern times as a discussion or conference amongst a number of persons. However, in Arthurian legend, the term is of similar meaning, but with an emphasis on the fact that no man takes precedence. Here in Wilmington, North Carolina King Arthur and his knights are not assembled, but rather the men and women of business, who battle the ever-changing economy and all that comes with it. They gather to exchange ideas and arm themselves with knowledge provided by experts in selected fields. An organization formed in 1994, The Investors Roundtable stays up to date on all aspects of business, finance, and economics. The group meets regularly at the Country Club of Landfall, on the first Thursday of each month. With the intention of educational growth, experts from the Wilmington community provide insight in their field of interest. Investors Roundtable has been a great staple for numerous private investors who seek to manage their assets in a well delved financial manner. President Chris Riley, leads the group with an attendance of approximately 125 members from Wilmington and its surrounding areas. Devoted to the business minded individual and the exchange of

knowledge, IRT reaches into the community with the inspiration of these same values. The membership is largely responsible for funding the Frank Dune Jr. Scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Cameron School of Business. Vice President, Beau Cummings, tells us, “The Frank Dune Jr. Scholarship was established in 1999 with a $5,000 gift; it has now grown to over $112,000 gift, and has provided scholarship support to sixteen Cameron School of Business students.” As with any honor there is a level of excellence to be met before granted. Each student must be of great character, drive, and scholastic merit, which upholds to similar values of the Investors Roundtable. The men and women of IRT value business and what it takes to run it well. They seek to educate themselves in a format of equality, just as Arthur and his knights. The Investors Roundtable places influence on today’s young persons of business by funding the well established, Frank Dune Jr. Scholarship at UNCW. One can be certain that as the world of business and finance evolves, the investors of this roundtable will be up to date and ready for battle. ¶

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Building

Relationships That Matter T he B outi q ue E x perience at T he P ropert y S hop Written By: D eb r a M c C o rm i c k

When Tony Harrington, broker/owner of The Property Shop, and Allyson Pittman, top-selling broker/ REALTOR®, greet me in the lobby of their office space, I think of a popular expression – “Stay close to people who feel like sunshine.” Their warm enthusiasm and big smiles make me think of this pleasant metaphor, and I instinctively feel that they love working with people. The Property Shop, located on Oleander Drive in Wilmington, is a boutique real estate company that offers highly specialized service to its clients. The term boutique, usually associated with high-end, intimately small fashion retail, is used here to describe a very personalized real estate experience for people from all backgrounds and needs -- from the first single-family home to the large, commercial property and everything in between. After chatting for about thirty minutes, Harrington’s hearty laughter and Pittman’s down-to-earth southern charm put me at

ca p e f ear l i v i n g / marc h-apri l 2018

P hotographe d by: Art h u r Gre e n

ease as I listen to them describe the unique attentionto-detail they and the other eighteen REALTORS® offer their clients. Allyson Pittman excels as a REALTOR® for The Property Shop, leading the company by having the highest sales volume in the past three years and earning Agent of the Year in 2015 and 2017. The value of hard work was ingrained in her from a young age. Her father, a transplant surgeon, and her mother, a dance and theater teacher, raised her to value education, hard work and the importance of family. Throughout thirty-three years of experience, she has mentored other agents who are now top producers in the area, and she has had the unique experience of selling real estate to multiple generations within families -- from the original family to the grandchildren. Pittman and her colleagues feel that a rewarding experience with the client is the pinnacle of success as a REALTOR®, and she describes the group as “a cohesive team within an office in a very positive atmosphere.”

“It is never about the money. It’s about the experience.”

The emphasis on camaraderie and connectivity illustrate what is most important to Harrington when serving the public’s needs in the real estate world. Eight years ago, when he opened The Property Shop, he saw the need for more focused, personalized attention that seemed to be lacking in an environment of some mega-size REALTOR® entities. As a result, Harrington designed the business model of the boutique experience, one in which his highly-trained and educated REALTORS® could provide a one-on-one approach to clients. All nineteen REALTORS® possess a unique brand of knowledge and experience, and they work as a team, tapping into each other’s backgrounds to broaden their scope of experience. There is healthy competition within the group, and they inspire each other to continue building their knowledge base “without the drama,” Harrington happily exclaims. Accepting challenges is a priority. Harrington recently experienced this first-hand when he was asked to chair the newly formed NC REALTORS® Global Network -- a committee dedicated to expanding foreign investment in North Carolina markets and growing communities. The initiative focuses on furthering the education level of REALTORS® to prepare them for serving global clientele. Later this month, Harrington and other NC REALTORS® will

attend MIPIM, the world’s leading real estate market, in Cannes, France, to represent North Carolina among 24,000 international attendees from around the world. Thinking ‘local’ to ‘global’ is a new challenge for Harrington and one that he enthusiastically embraces since it represents a gateway to furthering North Carolina’s future economic prospects. Dedication to the community is one of the hallmarks of The Property Shop. Harrington is extremely proud of his group for being so involved in the greater Wilmington community. His agents are actively involved in numerous charities and the arts, such as Full Belly Project, Food Bank of Eastern NC, Adopt an Angel, Paws Place, Paws4People, Thalian Association, Cucalorus Film Festival, and L Shape Lot. Having the most positive experience with a client and giving back to the community are the top priorities. With passion and conviction in his voice, Harrington states about himself and his REALTORS® -- “It is never about the money. It’s about the experience.” ¶

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Calendar

[ March 15-April Events ]

Saturday

Friday

5th Annual Roast on the Coast

Easter Egg Hunt

15 Thursday Daughtry in Concert Wilson Center | FUNDRAISER: Play Time Preview Party Cape Fear Museum | King Lear McEachernâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Warehouse | Art Exhibit: A View of Changing Cultures WHQR Gallery 16 Friday The National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba Thalian Hall | Choir of St Paul's Concert St. Paul's Episcopal Church | Begin The Conversation Phillips LifeCare & Counseling Center | Little Explorers: Build It! Cape Fear Museum | King Lear McEachern's Warehouse | The Weir TheatreNOW | Wrightsville Beach Marathon Madness UNCW | Art Exhibit: A View of Changing Cultures WHQR Gallery 17 Saturday

17th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade Downtown Wilmington (Front Street) | St. Patrick's Day Festival Downtown Wilmington -Riverfront Park | Battleship 101 Battleship North Carolina | FUNDRAISER: 14th Annual Steve Haydu St. Patrick's Day Lo Tide Run Carolina Beach Boardwalk | FUNDRAISER: Castles for Cancer Surf City Welcome Center | FUNDRAISER: Plant Sale New Hanover County Arboretum

18 Sunday Shakespeare Brunch TheatreNOW | King Lear McEachern's Warehouse | FUNDRAISER: NC Azalea Festival Children's Tea Union Station | Art Exhibit: Herb Jackson UNCW Cultural Arts Building 23 Friday Hou Ying Dance Theater Wilson Center | New Music Festival Beckwith Recital Hall | Family Movie Night MLK, Jr. Community Center | The Bridges of Madison County Thalian Hall | The Weir TheatreNOW 24 Saturday Symphony Pops: A Tribute to Motown and R&B Wilson Center | Drive By Truckers in Concert Greenfield Lake Amphitheater | FUNDRAISER: Coastal Living Show Wilmington Convention Center | Full Belly Feast: A Gala for a Cause Brooklyn Arts Center | Youth Engineering Expectations Program UNCW | FUNDRAISER: 6th Annual Pizza Putt Children's Museum of Wilmington | FUNDRAISER: 5th Annual Roast on the Coast Cape Fear Country Club 25 Sunday FUNDRAISER: Cuzfest V Reggie's 42nd Street Tavern | The Bridges of Madison County Thalian Hall | Planetarium Film: Extrasolar Planets Discovering New Worlds Cape Fear Museum | Ordinary Beauty, Closely Observed: Scanographs by Susan Francy Platypus & Gnome | Cape Fear Beer Week Various Venues 29 Thursday Spring Eggventure Halyburton Park | Night Hunt Leland Municipal Park | Planetarium Film: One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure Cape Fear Museum | Planetarium Film: Explore Cape Fear Museum 30 Friday Easter Egg Hunt Children's Museum of Wilmington | The Bridges of Madison County Thalian Hall | Southport Spring Festival Franklin Square Park | Cape Fear Beer Week Various Venues 31 Saturday Metropolitan Opera Live in HD Lumina Theater | Easter Egg Hunt Carnival Battleship Park | 2nd Annual Cape Fear Craft & Cuisine Airlie Gardens | Southport Spring Festival Franklin Square Park | Little Explorers: Big and Small Cape Fear Museum | Easter Egg Hunt North Brunswick High School April 1 Sunday Made in NC Handmade Marketplace Brooklyn Arts Center | State of the Art/Art of the State Cameron Art Museum | The Bridges of Madison County Thalian Hall | Cape Fear Beer Week Various Venues 5 Thursday Investors Roundtable MeetingCountry Club of Landfall | Jazz at the CAM: Heart of Carolina Jazz Orchestra Cameron Art Museum | Sidra Bell Dance New York Wilson Center | WilmingtonBiz Conference & Expo Wilmington Convention Center | Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal: Black List River Thalian Hall | Love, Loss, and What I Wore Cape Fear Playhouse | Little Explorers Nature Program Halyburton Park 6 Friday Bird Hike Halyburton Park | Love, Loss, and What I Wore Cape Fear Playhouse | Little Explorers: Fly Away! Cape Fear Museum | Little Explorers Nature Program Halyburton Park | Play Time! Cape Fear Museum 7 Saturday The Wizard of Oz: The Ballet Wilson Center | Spring Market Brunswick Forest Commercial Area | NC Azalea Festival Azalea Sweep Cape Fear Community College | Little Explorers: Fly Away! Cape Fear Museum | Little Explorers Nature Program Halyburton Park | FUNDRAISER: 26th Annual Herb and Garden Fair Poplar Grove Plantation 8 Sunday Chamber Music Wilmington Concert: Calidore String Quartet Beckwith Recital Hall | Listen Up Brunswick County Concert Odell Williamson Auditorium | Haya Band: Migration Concert Thalian Hall | NC Azalea Festival Unity In The Community Greenfield Lake Amphitheater | Cape Fear 16 Triathlon RiverLights Community | FUNDRAISER: Bellamy in Bloom Spring Tea Bellamy Mansion Museum

Friday

Saturday

NC Azalea Festival Street Fair

Carolina Beach Wine & Beer Walk

9 Monday NC Azalea Festival Juried Art Show and Sale Community Arts Center | FUNDRAISER: Bellamy in Bloom Spring Tea Bellamy Mansion Museum | Art Exhibit: A View of Changing Cultures WHQR Gallery 11 Wednesday NC Azalea Festival Queen's Coronation Hilton Wilmington Riverside | 71st North Carolina Azalea Festival Various Venues 12 Thursday An Evening with Gillian Welch Brooklyn Arts Center | Preschool Math & Science Cape Fear Museum | Love, Loss, and What I Wore Cape Fear Playhouse | 71st North Carolina Azalea Festival Various Venues | NC Azalea Festival Juried Art Show and Sale Community Arts Center 13 Friday NC Azalea Festival After Garden Get Down Bluewater Grill | 71st North Carolina Azalea Festival Various Venues | FUNDRAISER: Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Garden Tour Various Venues | NC Azalea Festival Street Fair Downtown Wilmington -- Market and 2nd 14 Saturday Metropolitan Opera Live in HD Lumina Theater | Little Explorers: Science Parade Cape Fear Museum | Wilmington VegFest Coastline Conference & Events Center | 71st North Carolina Azalea Festival Various Venues | FUNDRAISER: Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Garden Tour Various Venues 15 Sunday An Evening with Dark Star Orchestra Greenfield Lake Amphitheater | FUNDRAISER: Hound Hustle 10K, 5K & 1-mile Trot with Spot Brunswick Forest Veterinary Hospital | NC Azalea Festival Boxing Tournament Wilmington Convention Center | NC Azalea Festival Coin Show Elks Lodge | NC Azalea Festival Historic Home Tour Various Venues 19 Thursday Gramatik in Concert Greenfield Lake Amphitheater | Caleb Teicher Dance Thalian Hall | Little Explorers Nature Program Halyburton Park | Master Gardener Annual Plant Sale New Hanover County Arboretum | Carolina Cup Blockade Runner Beach Resort 20 Friday Star Party Carolina Beach State Park | SOJA in Concert Greenfield Lake Amphitheater 21 Saturday Wilmington Symphony Orchestra Concert Wilson Center | Oak Island Lighthouse Run/Walk Middleton Park Extension Soccer Field | FUNDRAISER: Paws Place Spring Golf Outing The Lakes Country Club | Flytrap Frolic Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden | Earth Day Celebration Hugh MacRae Park 22 Sunday Shakespeare Brunch TheatreNOW | Historic Downtown Artisan Market Historic Downtown Marketplace | Master Gardener Annual Plant Sale New Hanover County Arboretum 23 Monday

5th Annual Wilmington Jewish Film Festival Thalian Hall | FUNDRAISER: 15th Annual Good Shepherd Golf Tournament and Games Day Country Club of Landfall

25 Wednesday North Carolina Birding Trail Hike Halyburton Park | Poplar Grove Farmers' Market Poplar Grove Farmers' Market | Motown: The Musical Wilson Center 27 Friday Brit Floyd in Concert Wilson Center | FUNDRAISER: Friends School of Wilmington Spring Soiree The Terraces on Sir Tyler | Little Explorers: Fun on the Farm Cape Fear Museum 28 Saturday Peter Gros: Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom Wilson Center | Work on Wilmington Various Venues | Battleship Alive Battleship North Carolina | Healthy Kids Day Empie Park | Little Explorers: Fun on the Farm Cape Fear Museum | Carolina Beach Wine & Beer Walk Carolina Beach 29 Sunday Free Family Concert Kenan Auditorium | North Carolina Symphony Concert Wilson Center | FUNDRAISER: 10th Annual paws4people 5K & 1 Mile Fun Walk Greenfield Lake Park | Mandolin Orange in Concert Greenfield Lake Amphitheater | Historic Downtown Artisan Market Historic Downtown Marketplace | Planetarium Film -- Astronomy: 3000 Years of Stargazing Cape Fear Museum 30 Monday

5th Annual Wilmington Jewish Film Festival Thalian Hall | State of the Art/Art of the State Cameron Art Museum | Play Time! Cape Fear Museum

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f r o m theCo m m u n i ty

NourishNC: One Less Hungry Child

Feeding the Future

Written By: David H ow el l

We live in a prosperous community of beautiful beaches and designer homes… a historic community with a rich and storied past… a close community where you’re likely to see someone you know almost everywhere you go. Wilmington is more than just an historic town though. It’s a place where people who live elsewhere want to be. That’s pretty impressive and I am proud to live in a place others visit, cherish, and even envy. But like so many other great communities, ours has almost as many needs as it does riches, and the first time I met Beth Hollis, NourishNC’s former Executive Director, I learned that for one particular group of citizens who live in the Port City, the future is in jeopardy. Beth and I were attending a fundraising seminar for non-profits and just happened to be sitting next to each other. I noticed the familiar NourishNC logo, a colorful apple, and asked, “So what does NourishNC do?” Nothing could have prepared me for her answer… “We feed kids in our schools who don’t get any food at home,” she said. One in four children living in New Hanover County are hungry. One in four… it dawned on me instantly that if 25% of the school-aged kids growing up around me were hungry on an almost constant basis, that meant that a quarter of our young population didn’t have the basic needs to build their own futures.

ca p e f ear l i v i n g / marc h-apri l 2018

P hotograph y prov i d e d by: N ou r i s h NC

“About ten years ago, a small group of moms at a local school discovered that some of the kids their own children were in school with had a problem,” says Steve McCrossan, NourishNC’s current Executive Director. “They did some probing and figured out that these kids only got food when they were at school.” McCrossan came on board about three years ago and has devoted himself to building on a program that was already successfully changing the lives of kids in Wilmington and beyond. With a Master’s of Public Administration degree, a background in grocery management and deep connections across Wilmington’s impressive food culture, McCrossan was the perfect fit for NourishNC when the board decided it was time to grow. Under Steve’s management, the dedicated small staff of three and an army of volunteers are changing the lives of 1000 kids every day, on weekends and even over the holidays. “Hunger wreaks havoc on children’s emotional, physical and mental well-being,” McCrossan says. “Hungry kids are sick all the time, and children like many of the kids we feed are raised in food insecure homes and suffer from chronic health conditions that arise from malnourishment. They’re just sick more often, recover more slowly and are hospitalized more.”

When we spoke, Steve went on to explain that kids who don’t get proper nourishment are literally worried sick. They’re more likely to suffer from higher rates of anxiety, stress and depression, and they have lots of issues in the classroom. “We know from the social workers we work with and various studies that in the classroom, hungry kids are more likely to have impaired concentration, lower math and reading scores, more absences and late arrivals, more grade repetition, and a host of behavioral issues,” he says. “Because they’re hungry, they can’t learn. They can’t concentrate, can’t do homework and can’t behave.” “Think about it,” Steve says passionately, “most of us grew up worrying about good grades. When these children, who we look to for the future, leave school on Friday, they’re worried about what they’re going to eat for the next two days. That’s not fair, and all of us can do something about it.” Children needing the program are identified by social workers in the schools and are approached and enrolled accordingly. When I asked Steve how the social workers identify the kids, he said you can tell when a kid doesn’t eat at home primarily by two factors. Prior to weekends, they get caught either hoarding or stealing food for their hungry siblings who aren’t in school yet and hardly ever get food. On Monday mornings, they eat so much that they literally get sick, having had nothing over the weekend. Sixteen thousand people live in food deserts in New Hanover County (many of whom are kids). An urban food desert is a geographic area with a high concentration of poverty and no access to a supermarket. Lots of the families NourishNC helps must shop at gas stations or convenience stores, which are expensive and do not sell fresh foods and produce. ¶

Here’s a brief look at NourishNC’s programs: The Backpack Program: This program is specifically designed to put healthy food right into the hands of K-5 children. These children receive 8 easy to prepare meals, healthy snacks, milk or juice, and fresh produce every weekend. A sample weekend bag contains: an orange, sweet potato w/honey, canned ravioli, canned chicken, two mac ‘n’ cheese cups, three breakfast items (grits, cereal, oatmeal), a fruit cup, a juice box, shelf stable cheese, granola bars, snack crackers and pudding. Nourish Boxes: Pre-K, middle- and high-school students receive monthly boxes that contain four weekends’ worth of healthy food and fresh produce. Break Boxes: For all school breaks NourishNC provides all children in their program with at least three meals a day, healthy snacks, juice, milk and fresh produce. They also give full, family sized meals to families at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Food Pantries: They provide schools and other nonprofits that serve children with emergency food, fresh fruits & vegetables and healthy snacks. Farmer’s MarKid: The mobile “Farmers MarKID” is a direct and hands on approach to improving the health of children in our community. They take free fresh fruits and vegetables to wherever kids need them: food deserts, parks, playgrounds, after school programs, high need schools and other nonprofits, where hungry children can “shop” for good, healthy food. You can learn more about NourishNC by visiting their website or stopping by the warehouse for a tour. It’s a place where you’ll find a group of dedicated, hard working people. NourishNC changes the lives of hungry children, and helping fix a problem like that can change your life, too.

www.Nourishnc.org or find them at 601 Greenfield St. Wilmington, NC 2840.

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c a p e f e a r l i v i n g moments

1. Models and Big Buddy Program at Heart of the Matter Fashion Show.

2. Lego Robots at Cape Fear Museum.

3. Wrightsville Beach Polar Plunge 2018.

I f y o u o r y o u r o r g a n i z at i o n w o u l d l i k e t o s u b m i t p h o t o g r a p h s o f a r e c e n t e v e n t, we'd love to showcase them in an upcoming issue of Cape Fear Living. Send your photos to: I N F O @ C A PE F E A R L I V I N G M A G A Z I NE . C O M 44

ca p e f ear l i v i n g / marc h-apri l 2018

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