December 2, 2009

vol.

25 / pub 22 / FREE / DEcEmbER 2-8, 2009

www.encorepub.com

encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

hodge podge

contents vol.

What’s inside this week

25 / pub 21 / December 2-8, 2009

www.encorepub.com

news & views.....................4-7 4 op-ed: The Cranky Foreigner weighs the

COVER STORY: FUR-BULOUS PHILANTHROPY Come one, come all; big or small! The seventh annual Wilmington Fur

competition of scandalous covers between Marge Simpson and Levi Johnston.

6 cover story: Emily Rea details this year’s annual Wilmington Fur Ball.

Ball takes place this weekend on Saturday, December 5th, at an all-new

7 news of the weird: Chuck Shepherd

venue: the Hilton Riverside downtown. This beloved yearly event raises

finds the oddities of crime.

funds for two very worthy animal-friendly organizations: Adopt An Angel and the Pender County Humane Society. It’s a party for participants and

artsy smartsy ...................8-19

many saved lives for all the homeless and unwanted animals around our

8-9 theater: MJ Pendleton reviews “Santaland

community. Read up on all the details in our cover story on page 6.

Diaries” at City Stage; Lisa Huynh previews Thalian’s “The Nutcracker.”

11 film reviews: Anghus Houvouras reviews Disney’s A Christmas Carol.

concert tickets

Want to see the best in music at Myrtle Beach’s House of Blues? Or UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium? Or Soapbox Laundro Lounge? Visit, www.encorepub.com, to enter one of our many concert contests, and try for a chance to score tickets to area shows! Currently online: David Allan Coe, Sevendust, Mario, The Wailers, Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs, Benji Hughes and more!

late-night funnies

“Now, three weeks ago, [the Administration] said the $787 billion stimulus-thing created one million new jobs. Then, last week, they said it was really only 640,000 jobs.

Now, they’re saying they really don’t know.

You know how to create a new job? Fire the guy in charge of counting.”—Jay Leno “John McCain, Sarah Palin’s former running mate, read the Sarah Palin memoir. After 23 years of military service, five years as a prisoner of war, 22 years as a U.S. senator, I’m sure that John found Sarah’s story very inspirational.”—David Letterman “Big night at the movies yesterday, New Moon made a record $26.3 million at a midnight screening. Wow. In fact, earlier today, President Obama announced his new stimulus plan, it’s called Twilight 3. He’s going to give that a shot.”—Jimmy Fallon “The design for George W. Bush’s presidential library was unveiled Wednesday in Dallas, and features a lantern-shaped roof that will glow at night. Mr. President, I don’t want to make any more jokes about you being dumb, but you have to meet me halfway.

Don’t build a library where the lights are on

EDITORIAL:

pRODucTIOn AnD ADvERTIsIng:

Editor-in-ChiEf: Shea Carver

Art dirECtor Sue Cothran

AssistAnt Editor: Emily Rea

AdvErtising sAlEs:

intErns: Zach McKeown and Lisa Huynh

John Hitt: Downtown, Carolina Beach

ChiEf Contributors: Adrian Varnam, Nicki Leone, Anghus Houvouras, Carolyna Shelton, Rosa Bianca, MJ Pendleton, Ashley Cunningham, Robert Blanton, Lauren Hodges, Tiffanie Gabrielse, Tom Tomorrow, Chuck Shepherd

Kris Beasley: Wrightsville Beach, N. Wilmington Shea Carver: Midtown, Monkey Junction Promotions mAnAgEr: John Hitt distribution: Reggie Brew, John Hitt

encore is published weekly, on Wednesday, by Wilmington Media. opinions of contributing writers are not necessarily the opinions of encore.

encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

CorrespondenCe: p.o. Box 12430, Wilmington, n.C. 28405 email@encorepub.com • www.encorepub.com phone: (910) 791-0688 • Fax: (910) 791-9177

when no one is home.”—Seth Meyers “The Sarah Palin tour made its top in Noblesville, Indiana, today. Her book, ‘Going Rogue,’ is still at the top of Amazon’s best seller list, which is rare for a work of fiction.”—Jimmy Kimmel “The ratings just came in for Sarah Palin’s appearance on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.’

It earned Oprah her highest ratings since the episode where she reunited the Osmond family. Yeah, viewers who saw both episodes say Palin’s more likable but that Donny and Marie are more qualified to be president.”—Conan O’Brien

12 art preview: Lauren Hodges previews the Clay Guild’s Holiday Show.

13 gallery guide: See what local galleries are hanging.

14-15 music previews: Adrian Varnam previews the upcoming Soapbox show with Michael Ford Jr and the Apache Relay; Shea Carver gets the skinny on the upcoming Pretty Things Peepshow.

16-19 soundboard: Find out what bands and solo musicians are playing shows in venues all

letters

Dear MJ [Pendleton], In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I certainly wanted to thank you for your awesome support of “Always...Patsy Cline.” You helped us create a truly successful show! :) Hoping to return to Wilmington for some more completely satisfying work and have your pen on our side again!

All the best, truly!

Traci Dinwiddie Dear John, Shea, & Bethany, Thank you so much for your support of GGP’s first event! We are still getting emails from folks who had a blast, and you guys are one of the reasons behind that! We can’t thank you enough for the features on the first 2 shows; Bethany was a pleasure to work with & did a great job. Thanks to you all for always being great to work with & supporting our events. You guys ROCK! Happy Holidays!

Katie Lucas [Greater Good Productions]

over town.

grub & guzzle..................30-33 20 dining review: Zach McKeown finds a football fan’s haven at Carolina Ale House.

22-25 dining guide: Need a few suggestions on where to eat? Flip through encore’s dining guide for the scoop on the Port City’s finest.

extra! extra! ...................26-35 34-35 book review: Tiffanie Gabrielse reviews Joel Finsel’s Coloring Stories for Conscious Children, Volume 2.

28-35 calendar/’toons/corkboard: Find out where to go and what to do about town with encore’s calendar; check out Tom Tommorow

and encore’s annual ‘toons winner, R. Blanton; read the latest saucy corkboard ads.

get ready to laugh.

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below Op-Ed

6 Cover Story

7 News of the Weird

Centerfold Smackdown!

Something else to be thankful for

O

ne of the best-kept secrets around is that the Cranky Foreigner was once involved in professional wrestling.

We were always trying to set up the “oncein-a-lifetime, super-grudge-revenge, fight-to the-finish cage match.” But even Rick Flair vs. Hulk Hogan couldn’t come close to what’s coming up. I am positively giddy at the possibilities. It’s finally here! This is the centerfold, bitch-slap, Armageddon of American pop culture. Playboy’s Marge Simpson centerfold vs. Playgirl’s Levi Johnson centerfold. Nothing could hold me back. I was off to the gym to talk to the pros.

I found Lou “Bleeding Knuckles” Craglione showing some kids where to stuff the lead shot into boxing gloves. He nod-

by: The Cranky Foreigner ded wisely. “This is one of those ‘up-start kid-meets-seasoned-professional’ matches that will empty the magazine racks.

First of all, look at Marge. She’s got a better unbroken start record than Bret Farve.

The longest-running comedy series on TV, and, frankly, she’s still got her figure. I’m talking va-va-voom! She’s handled alien home invasions; even Ali can’t say that.

And she’s the hometown favorite, ‘cause Springfield is everyone’s hometown.

“But this Levi kid. I think he’s gotta pay a few more dues before he thinks he can take on the big time. What’s his record?

He got some teenage girl pregnant? Come

UNDERDOG: Levi Johnston may not have paid many dues yet, but his centerfold is in the running against pop-culture mainstay Marge Simpson.

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bridge pals in the next car! So if this Levi kid has somethin’ goin’ on, I have yet to see it.”

I thanked Lou. He promised to pay the C note from the ’84 Olympics bet.

Then Archie came in.

“It’s going to come down to style and narrative.” Archie is more sophisticated in that reads-USA-Today style that drives some women crazy. “The word’s already out on the street,” Archie mumbled as he tried to light the wrong end of his cigarette. “Levi is going to use a hockey stick as a prop. I think that’s the genius thinking that’s going to win it. A hockey stick, perfectly placed in the centerfold.

“They’ll bring in someone from Jersey to work him up on exactly where the staples go.

These Playgirl people aren’t fools. They know they got a green kid on their hands, and they’re not letting him go out there against a pro like Marge with no game plan.”

Lou could restrain himself no longer. “Hey Archie. I may not be a University of Phoenix grad like you, but I know a few things. Playboy invented the goddamn centerfold! Once the negatives get in the hands of the airbrush guys, look out! What are they gonna do with that punk, Levi? Hockey-stick prop means bad lighting. Rink lighting. You can’t do candle light and hockey sticks. Now, if they go with a gun or a piece of oil-drilling equipment, held in just the right place, you can add a fireplace, and it’s game over for Marge. Shooting, drilling and fireplaces. The three things broads love best.”

I left when the argument got to whether Marge or Levi was more three-dimensional.

At the gym that always ends up in, a knife fight at least.

So, encore readers, if this is still the democracy that our founding fathers fought so hard for, it will soon be time to vote. Do your duty, step up to the magazine rack and vote.

The future of pop culture depends on you.

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Fur-bulous Philanthropy: The fourth annual Fur Ball commences this weekend

T

he howls that may be heard echoing off the glassy top of the Cape Fear River downtown this weekend won’t be the voices of lonely canines. Man’s best friend may be the beneficiary of this once-a-year party, but the men and women who attend the fourth annual Wilmington Fur Ball this Saturday night will have their own reasons for gleeful guffaws.

A beloved event as much for the fun and entertaining gathering as for the charitable donations to its recipients—Adopt an Angel and the Pender County Humane Society— the Wilmington Fur Ball has grown every year since its inception and shows no signs of slowing down.

“Because of the difficult economic times, we feel that we are doubly committed to raising money for the selected rescues/shelters this year,” Kim Fisher of the Fur Ball says. “We continue to have the support of our past sponsors and, to our delight, have some new companies on board this year. That is saying volumes.”

The snazzy event is a black-tie, redcarpet gala that has become somewhat of an unofficial kickoff to the holiday-party

by: Emily Rea

The Wilmington Fur Ball December 5th, 6:30-10:30pm Hilton Wilmington Riverside, Cape Fear Ballroom to benefit Adopt an Angel and the Pender County Humane Society 910-279-5530; $75 www.wilmingtonfurball.com season in the Port City. Guests will notice a change in venues this year (from the cherished Thalian Hall to the Hilton Riverside) but certainly not any deficit in the ambience or proceedings.

“Every year we strive to be more glamorous, more entertaining, while continuing to be ‘one of the 10 must-attend charity events in North Carolina,’” Fisher asserts, giving a nod to a quote from Signature magazine. “We will sorely miss being at Thalian Hall this year. ...

[But] for our patrons it will be a treat to ‘take the elevator home’ by taking advantage of the

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unbelievably special room rate that the Hilton has offered Fur Ball attendees,” she adds.

As always, participants can expect full-on red-carpet glamour, including a stop in front of the Hollywood-style step and repeat banner for photographs, as well as being greeted by a butler serving wine, champagne and hors d’oeuvre—but the reason behind the celebration must not be forgotten.

“This is the first and only posh, swanky event that raises money for abused and neglected animals,” Fisher reminds. “Pender County Humane Society and Adopt an Angel are volunteer-based operations that are specifically no-kill shelters/rescues. It breaks my heart when I think of the thousands of animals that are euthanized simply because their time is up after a week in a kill shelter. People need to be aware and help rescues such as these so that eventually we don’t have any kill shelters at all.”

Wilmington’s Adopt an Angel (www. adoptanangel.cwahi.net) works specifically with municipal shelters to help make animal adoption placements by providing satellite adoption sites. The organization also works tirelessly to educate the public about the extreme importance of spaying and neutering,

as well as about the devastating misfortune of homeless animals in our local community.

The Pender County Humane Society (www.penderhumane. org), located in Burgaw, is a nonprofit, no-kill animal rescue organization that provides shelter and medical care to homeless and unwanted animals. While searching for loving and responsible permanent homes for its animals, the organization also works to prevent cruelty and overpopulation among dogs and cats in the area, as well as to assist and educate the public about responsible pet care.

The advocacy of these two organizations alone is worth a ticket to the annual Fur Ball; however, attendees will certainly receive some icing on the cake—which brings us back to the party.

The 2009 Wilmington Fur Ball will include dancing to the live musical stylings of Duke Ladd; lavish hors d’oeuvre and spirits; coffee served by Port City Java; psychic readings by Lisa Gerd-Rankin and Katherine Turner; Netop, the painting pooch; and silent and live auction items, ranging from a Carolina-blue Vespa scooter, to Super Bowl tickets, to original art work. Local photographer Satu Harris, for example, has donated several signed, framed photographs of Bill “Paco” Strickland, a stand-out local flamenco musician.

“Paco has been a beloved friend to Fur Ball from the very beginning, and we are proud that Satu’s beautifully styled images of him will be a part of the evening,” Fisher says. All of the funds raised this year through ticket sales, as well as auction items, will benefit the aforementioned nonprofits.

“Most major cities have their version of a Fur Ball because, to coin a phrase, it says a lot about a community how their animals are treated,” Fisher observes. “We really feel that the [Wilmington] community has answered the call.”

More information about the Wilmington Fur Ball can be found online at www.wilmingtonfurball.com or by calling Kim Fisher at 910279-5530. Tickets are $75; however, there are discounted tickets available on the Web site through Paypal. Tickets are also available at Petsupermarket, a Fur Ball sponsor, located at 3908 Oleander Drive.

d r i e w e h t f o s w e n

NOW OPEN Market Hours: 8am-1pm

Chuck Shepherd digs up the strangest of the strange in world news

LEAD STORY In October in Orange County, Calif., Billy Joe Johnson, who had just been convicted of murder as a hit man for a white supremacist gang, begged the judge and jury, in all sincerity, to sentence him to death. Johnson knew that those on California’s death row get individual cells and better telephone access, nicer contact-visit arrangements, and more personalproperty privileges than ordinary inmates. The Los Angeles Times reported that the state’s spending per death-row inmate is almost three times that for other inmates. The current deathrow census totals 685, but because of legal issues, only 13 have been executed since 1977 (compared to 71 death-row fatalities from other causes). In fact, Johnson was so eager to be put on death row that he tried to confess to two murders that no one yet knew about.

The Continuing Crisis Veteran marathoner Jerry Johncock, 81, was four-fifths through the Twin Cities Marathon in October when he was overtaken by a medical problem common to men of his age: urinary blockage. As he stopped to discuss his plight with officials, noting that he would have to quit the race to get to a hospital before his bladder burst, a spectator overheard the conversation and offered him the use of a “spare” catheter he had in his car. Johncock repaired to a rest room, administered the catheter, and returned to finish the race.

Shipments of Ford passenger vans arrive each month in Baltimore from a Ford plant in Turkey, but each time, workers immediately rip out the non-driver seats and replace the side windows with steel. The reason, according to a September Wall Street Journal report, is to avoid an expensive tariff on imported “delivery vans,” which is 10 times the tariff on “passenger vans.” Ford found it less costly to re-fit passenger vans than to acknowledge importing delivery vans. Ironically, the tariff was imposed in 1963 specifically to protect the U.S. auto industry from foreign imports.

In October, Poland’s Polskieradio reported a settlement in the 18-month legal battle between two neighbors in Mikowice over a plastic bucket worth about $4.50. One had sued, accusing the other of ruining the bucket by kicking it. The respondent had elaborately offered proof of innocence by submitting video of the neighbor continuing to use the bucket as before, but the neighbor had countered by calling an “expert” witness, who examined the bucket and concluded that it was probably damaged.

Yikes!

Lisa Blair and her six sisters were enjoying a Thanksgiving meal in Hamilton, Ontario (in Canada, Thanksgiving was Oct. 12), when they began noticing suspicious flecks in the food and realized that their necklace lockets,

containing the ashes of their mother (who had passed away two weeks earlier) were leaking.

A local funeral services store restocked and sealed the lockets.

In November, researchers roaming the depths of Scotland’s Loch Ness in a submarine, looking for the legendary monster, reported finding mainly “hundreds of thousands” of golf balls at the bottom, from popular use of the lake as a driving range. A recent Danish Golf Association report lamented the slow decomposition of golf balls (taking 100 to 1,000 years), and one U.K. legislator has called golf balls “humanity’s signature litter.”

The October “Miss Asia” beauty pageant in Hong Kong mostly followed a traditional script, but special bonus competitions were added, according to a report in The Straits Times. Contestants appeared behind boards with only certain body parts exposed so that judges could comment without knowing which woman they were observing. Breast-judging turned out well for each of the three finalists, as did waist-judging. However, the judges had harsh words for two contestants’ hair. Wang Zhi Fei was criticized for “lots of dandruff and oily scalp,” and Wang Chen learned the hard way that she had significant “signs of hair loss.”

Fresh from the Farm

their arms during the ride. According to director Mike Vallis: “We’ve found that when the temperature tops 77 degrees (F), the level of unpleasant (underarm) smells can become unacceptable, and we do receive complaints.”

Family Values (1) Kenny Jackson, 30, was arrested in St. Paul, Minn., in August after rampaging through his house, destroying furniture and menacing his son, 4, upon finding the boy wearing a blue shirt, which happens to be the color favored by a rival gang (to Jackson’s Bloods). (2) In April, Helen Ford was evicted from her home of 30 years in Cambridge, Mass., the result of, she says, being tricked by her son six years earlier to sign the house over to his “business associates” (who recently defaulted on the mortgage). Her son is former college and pro basketball player Rumeal Robinson, 43, who is under federal indictment for bank fraud. Ford (for exemplary community service) and Robinson (for basketball fame) are both prominent citizens of Cambridge, and the house in question sits on Rumeal Robinson Way. Names in the News (1) The victim of fatal gunshots in Buffalo, N.Y., in October: Mr. Mister Rogers, 23. (2) Arrested for flashing women in Annville Township, Pa., in October: Mr. Hung Thanh Vo, 19.

(3) Sentenced for burglary in Portland, Ore., in November (for a December 2008 incident in which he, nude, was detained by the 88-yearold female homeowner, who had grabbed hold of his scrotum): Mr. Michael G. Dick, 47. (4) Arrested (for the second time; the first was also reported in News of the Weird) for prostitution in Forsyth County, Ga., in October: massage parlor employee Mi Suk Yang, 47.

News That Sounds Like a Joke In September, prominent chocolate food engineer Hanna Frederick introduced her latest concoction at a conference of the Meat Industry Association in New Zealand: dark chocolate truffles tinged with venison and salami. Said Frederick: “There’s this smoky taste to start, then a strong chocolate flavor comes in, and at the end you have this wonderful taste of salami.” Earlier in the year, she had introduced chocolates injected with Tongkat Ali, a Southeast Asian herb reputed to stimulate testosterone production.

In August, the Thorpe Park amusement facility in Chertsey, England, posted signs on its roller coaster admonishing riders not to wave

Read News of the Weird daily at www.WeirdUniverse.net. Send your Weird News to WeirdNews@earthlink.net or P.O. Box 18737, Tampa Florida, 33679.

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below-9 Theater

11 Film 12-13 Art

14-19 Music

A Tickle and a Giggle: City Stage presents ‘Santaland Diaries’

“S

antaland Diaries, by David Sedaris, is a one-actor performance, so, despite the very clever and funny monologue, the success of the show rests almost entirely on the skills of a single actor. Justin Smith creates comedy as Crumpet the Elf initially because of his height. It’s just plain funny seeing a 6’8” guy in an elf costume. The sight gag alone, however, is not enough to sustain the humor, and, because “Santaland Diaries” has been performed every year in Wilmington by very good actors, it is a tremendous challenge to be the star of the seventh production. For Smith and the 2009 audiences, it is lucky number seven.

Smith’s appeal is that he actually becomes the characters he describes—the wannabe actor, the insensitive Santa, the bitchy boss, the sleazy elf tease, the acrimonious mom.

by: MJ Pendleton

santaland diaries HHHHH City Stage at Level 5, 21 N. Front St. Fridays - Sundays December 4-13, 8pm Tickets: $8-12 • (910) 342-0272 www.CityStageAtLevel5.com Smith not only changes his voice, but he uses his face and mannerisms to become an entire cast of characters that the audience only sees through him. Even as Crumpet his personality changes so that the role is not just an exercise in quipping one-liners.

His performance reflects the general schizo-

UNCONVENTIONAL ELF: Justin Smith takes on the one-actor role of Crumpet the Elf in City Stage’s adaptation of “Santaland Diaries.”

phrenia of the season. He is cranky, disgusted and even darkly sardonic at times—the evil troll spewing politically incorrect jokes. Then, in a flash, he is childishly delighted with the songs and antics of the chorus. He even seems genuinely touched by the Santa who symbolizes the true Christmas spirit.

These mood swings are generally subtle—a change in tone or body language—and consequently realistically human. Smith’s interpretation of the character forgives us our sins. It’s acceptable to be “bah, humbug” on Tuesday, sentimental on Wednesday and jolly on Thursday. Those familiar with other works by Sedaris will recognize the nonjudgmental humanity underlying the ironic humor. Smith perfectly captures that essence in his performance.

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In 2006 and 2007, the Ho Ho Hos (Chiaki Ito, Heather Setzler and Katherine Vernon) interrupted the monologue with their Christmas carols and attitude, but they were ousted by the Him Him Hims (Jason Aycock, Tracy Byrd and Terrill Williams) last year. This year, it’s the battle of the sexes with the two choral groups vying to out outrage each other.

They flirt shamelessly with Crumpet, who seems to appreciate all of the attention indiscriminately. Williams ultimately prevails by suggestively stroking his scarf and practically stripping in Crumpet’s lap. The Hims are hilariously entertaining with their creative rendition of Little Drummer Boy, and the Hos’ salacious “Santa (Satan) Baby” is ridiculously funny, too.

The chorus, which was essentially created

by City Stage to embellish the script, adds energy to the production and gives the principal actor a necessary break from the 35-page monologue. Though director Yukon Cornelius gets the credit for the production, many of the staging decisions are made by the principal.

The inclusion of both the Hos and the Hims, as well as the general stage set design, were Smith’s choices. The Macy’s Santaland set (elf Carrie Barnes) and the lighting (elf Dallas LaFon) are delightful and more elaborate than many of the previous productions.

“Santaland Diaries” is a tickle and a giggle—the perfect antidote to the emotional excess of the season.

New Class! parent & child

handbuilding & sculpture Sat. mornings 11am-1pm aFter schOOl art for children and Kids On Wheels Wednesday 3:30-5pm WatercOlOr With Jan Wednesday Nights 6-8pm pOtterY With anne

Anne McCombie is offering new techniques acquired and inspired by HIROSHI, “North Carolina‘s Living Treasure” and the UNCW Art Department

Wednesday Nights 6-8pm

14663 Highway 17 North (at the intersection of Hwy. 210 & Hwy. 17) OPEN: Tues.-Fri., 10am-4pm,Sat. 10am-1pm 910-270-3003

encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

A Kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Classic: Wilmington Ballet Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Nutcrackerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; opens in time for the holidays by: Lisa Huynh

The Nutcracker Ballet Preview Minnie Evans Performing Arts Center December 4th and 5th, 3pm Tickets: $25 â&#x20AC;˘ www.thalianhall.com

J

ust as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cinderellaâ&#x20AC;? is every kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first fairy tale, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Nutcrackerâ&#x20AC;? is everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first ballet. For the second consecutive year, this Tchaikovsky holiday classic is being brought to life by the Wilmington Ballet Company (WBC), an organization that has been in existence since 1999. Formerly known as the Young Dancers of Wilmington, the company has performed for more than 10,000 students in local schools for either a free or nominal rate. Marking its 10th anniversary this year, the WBC is trying its best to maintain extravagance, both in set pieces and costumes.

Every year the company brings over 1,000 children into their productions at Thalian Hall in order to encourage young performers with the arts. Working in conjunction with the Wilmington School of Ballet, the WBC has also been able to offer a scholarship program for disadvantaged children, giving $10,000 to the program.

After extensive historical research, this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alternating outfits include colorful and playful bears, mice, toy soldiers and sea creatures. The most memorable of all the costumes, of course, is the Nutcracker himself. Made with a combination of papier-mâchĂŠ and foam, The Nutcracker Prince (played

by Taylor Laney) is buckled and strapped into his headpiece so that he actually has to see through his mouth.

As for props, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget the â&#x20AC;&#x153;growingâ&#x20AC;?

20-foot-tall, lit Christmas tree and a custommade cannon, which spouts out confetti. In

addition, all of the backdrops for the production have been newly redone, as well as the throne piece for the Land of Sweets and the tutus for the Waltz of Flowers.

While the Wilmington Ballet Company is solely fueled through funds from sponsors, grants and donors, it makes ado with all the volunteer help that it can get. Director Nicole White expresses her gratitude toward volunteers on this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are very excited to be Thalianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hall new attraction for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Nutcracker,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and to watch it grow and develop each year. . . . it is very much a community effort.â&#x20AC;?

What is even more amazing is the young and delightfully talented cast, who range from ages 5-18. They also come from a wide range of regions, featuring dancers from New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender and Onslow counties. Main character Clara (played by Chrissy Ann Carpenter) is 11 years old and from Jacksonville. Choreography has been done by Wendy Cole and Jeneen Cleare, with guest performing artists Keith Gleen of the Louisville Ballet and Kara Voegele of the Nevada Ballet Theatre.

Furthermore, WBC dancers have gone on to study at the UNC School of the Arts, the Harid Coservatory, the Kirov Academy, as well as other prestigious dance academies.

Nicole White is very familiar with this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s particular production. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have been performing â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Nutcrackerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; since I was 10,â&#x20AC;? she shares. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done it my

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whole life. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a stable of every ballet company in the United States.â&#x20AC;?

A two-hour event, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Nutcrackerâ&#x20AC;? is now selling tickets at the Thalian Hall ticket office, available by calling in at 910-3433664, or purchasers can also go online at www. thalianhall.com. For more information on the production, visit www.wilmingtonballetcompany.org. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[The Nutcracker] is a holiday tradition to many families and brings them together,â&#x20AC;? White describes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This ballet encapsulates the imagination of childhood and that possibilities are endless. The wonderment of childhood, thrills adults and children alike- for joining Clara on this adventure and so adults can rekindle the imagination of childhood.

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#% Things we want you to know: New two-year agreement (subject to early termination fee) and credit approval required. A $30 activation fee may apply. Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee applies; this is not a tax or government-required charge. Additional fees, taxes, terms, conditions and coverage areas apply and vary by plan, service and phone. Use of service constitutes acceptance of the terms of our Customer Service Agreement. See store for details or visit uscellular.com. BOGA: Buy one handset and get a second handset of equal or lesser value for free. Each handset must have a minimum posted price of $49.95 (before rebate). Mail-in rebate and activation required on each handset. Promotional Phone subject to change. U.S. Cellular Visa Debit Card issued by MetaBank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Allow 10â&#x20AC;&#x201C;12 weeks for processing. Card does not have cash access and can be used at any merchant location that accepts Visa Debit Cards. Card valid for 120 days after issued. Premium Mobile Internet Plan is $19.95 per month. Smartphone Plans start at $24.95 per month. Application and data network usage charges may apply when accessing applications. Mobile Broadband on 3G Network only available with select handsets. Users can expect an average download speed of 768Kbps and an average upload speed of 200Kbps. BlackBerry, RIM, Research In Motion and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. Used under license from Research In Motion Limited. Limited-time offer. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Š2009 U.S. Cellular.

10 encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

A Classic Gets Animated:

reel to reel

Disney brings updated look to A Christmas Carol

I

may be slowly warming up to the animated film. Shocking, I know, and a little ironic, seeing as I went to a movie about a bitter old curmudgeon who discovers the joys of philanthropy. I always identified with Ebeneezer Scrooge: an intolerable, insufferable ball of rage, forced to deal with a world full of blathering idiots who won’t shut up about just how won-

derful Christmas is. I realize that there aren’t a lot of people who view the world through a Scrooge-like prism. But every year, when Thanksgiving transitions into Black Friday, and I watch people stomping on one another to ensure their precious little monsters get a Tickle Me Elmo, inside I can hear my inner Scrooge saying, “Bah, humbug!”

I’ve seen numerous productions of A Christmas Carol—my favorite being the spectacular television version starring Albert Finney. What most people forget is just how dark a writer Charles Dickens was. At the core, A Christmas Carol is about a man so removed from his humanity that it takes an encounter with the damned to awaken his frigid heart. It’s a wonderful story that has lasted not just because of the light frolic of the third act but because of the soul-stirring fear Scrooge encounters at the hand of his otherworldly tormentors.

I bring this up because oftentimes the story is strip-mined to its basic points, making it a light-hearted melodrama. It’s making sure the easily identifiable moments are showcased before heating the gimpy Tiny Tim from exclaiming, “God bless us, everyone!” in a poorly executed Cockney. I can forgive a lot of creative liberties as long as the earnest foundation is not sacrificed.

Thankfully, director Robert Zemeckis has managed not to ruin this well-loved story with his ever-growing computerized toy chest. Zemeckis had been a major contributing factor to my decade-long souring to animation as a viable medium for quality storytelling. His adaptation of Beowulf was

by: Anghus Houvouras

A Christmas Carol Starrring Jim Carrey

H HH H H

SCROOGED! Jim Carrey plays the curmudgeon in Disney’s latest reinvention of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic.

an excruciating mess, and the Polar Express may be the most unintentionally frightening children’s movie ever made.

Zemeckis abandoned conventional filmmaking some years ago in favor of motioncapture animation. Understandably, this is a new medium, and with it comes certain pitfalls. New technology always has certain limitations. A Christmas Carol is the first true realization of what this technology could accomplish. The characters feel more fully realized and, for lack of a better phrase, “fleshed out.” The robotic automatons with glassy dead eyes are slowly transforming into interesting creations capable of believable characterizations.

A Christmas Carol is the first of two films coming out this holiday season that have made a real effort to take computer-generated animation to new heights (the other being James Cameron’s much-anticipated Avatar). The argument over the future of the cinematic experience has been going on for years, with many believing that highend 3-D is the inevitable evolution. But up until now, I haven’t seen a movie that feels requisite to the cineplex. A Christmas Carol is inching ever closer to that reality.

The animation is truly impressive; each character is crafted with an obsessive level of detail. Yet, we still get the sense of Jim Carrey underneath it all. It reminded me of a high-tech one-man version Patrick Stew-

a few must-sees this week art performs onstage. Disney’s version is not exactly a one-man show, but motioncapture technology allows Carrey to bring a number of different characters to life. If nothing else, it’s interesting.

My criticism of the film stems from the overuse of technology. The same technology that crafts such an electric and detail-filled world still ends up being a crutch in certain scenes. There’s some excellent use of 3-D, but there’s also some superfluous cartoon-y moments that turns this classic story into a kinetic, high-flying manic affair akin to a Roadrunner cartoon. Yes, it’s animation and therefore prone to fall into ‘toon cliché. However, at times reducing Scrooge to a bumbling physical comic device feels suspect. It doesn’t happen enough to make it utterly ridiculous, but part of me felt that infusing broad comedy into A Christmas Carol is a little disrespectful to the source material. There are amazing sequences that can be pulled off in these virtual worlds, but the seemingly endless tracking shots quickly feel gratuitous.

I suppose if I had to sum up my issues with the new animation and the filmmakers employing it is a lack of balance. There’s an effort to legitimize the medium, yet there is an almost childlike obsession with the traditional tenants of cartoons. By trying to appease adults and kids, we end up with a film that never fully commits to either. Personally, I would prefer the darker take, but I realize how unrealistic that is since Dickens’ tale of dark redemption has become a family film. Should I really expect Disney to color outside the lines? The most predictable movie studio in the business prevents A Christmas Carol from being something unique. It’s great to look at and is a step in the right direction, but I’m still waiting for the defining 3-D animated film that pokes us squarely in the mind’s eye.

Cinematique 310 Chestnut Street • 910-343-1640 Shows at 7:30pm • Sundays, 3pm •Nov. 27th-Nov. 29th, 2009, $7 Amreeka, 96 min. (Pictured Below) The story of a middle-class Palestinian woman and her son who emigrate to the United States. Although it encompasses many of the universal problems immigrants face—acceptance, recognition of their skills, and cultural understanding—the timing of the film adds a new dimension, taking place just after the invasion of Iraq when feelings about the Middle East were exceptionally hot. Yet writer-director Cherien Dabis, son of a Palestinian father and a Jordanian mother, who herself grew up in the Midwest during the Gulf War, manages to treat the reality of the immigrant experience in America with appreciation, humor and respect.

In English and Arabic with subtitles. PG-13

Mayfaire 16 900 Town Center Drive • 910-256-0556 The Blind Side A poor, undereducated 344-pound AfricanAmerican teenager in Memphis, whose father was murdered and whose mother was a crack addict, is shuffled through the public school system, despite his low GPA and absenteeism.

But his tremendous size and quickness attracts the interest of a wealthy white couple who take him in and groom him both athletically and academically to become one of the top high-school football prospects in the country. PG-13

Carmike 16 111 Cinema Drive • 910-815-0266 Planet 51 An animated sci-fi tale set on Planet 51, whose inhabitants live in fear of an alien invasion. Their paranoia is realized when astronaut Captain Charles “Chuck” Baker arrives from Earth. Befriended by a young resident, the astronaut has to avoid capture in order to recover his spaceship and return home. PG

All AreA movie listings And pArAgrAph synopses cAn be found At encorepub.com.

encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com 11

Clay Guildâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Holiday Show: Gifts with artistic and charitable benefits

W

hether or not we realize it, a form of artistic medium that is actually a very popular gift during the holidays is clay. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all given or received a coffee mug, a figurine, a Zen fountain or a beautiful serving dish, without giving much thought to the creative process. Yet, clay artists, for the most part, welcome the fact that their work is one of the more personal of artistic mediums. Instead of hanging on a wall, clay items can be a part of our everyday lives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Clay has been fun from the beginning,â&#x20AC;?

Dick Heiser of the Coastal Carolina Clay Guild (CCCG) says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Have you ever made mud pies as a kid? Clay isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly mud, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a little way that it has worked itself into all of our lives.â&#x20AC;?

Heiser also praises clay for its flexibility, which allows it to have a personality of its ownâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;just like people. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Clay in itself is a manipulative medium that can be formed into endless shapes,â&#x20AC;? he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;which can be tightly controlled or pushed to the organic and plastic qualities that make clay, well, clay. It is not just the clay but the process as

by: Lauren Hodges

CCCG Holiday Sale Hannah Block USO Building Orange and Second streets December 6th-7th, 10am-4pm wellâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;from the creative concept to the forming to the firing.â&#x20AC;?

Heiser gets excited whenever he talks about his clay collective. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The guild offers workshops that are open to members and non-members,â&#x20AC;?

Heiser continues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have hosted wood-firing with Kevin Crowe, porcelain with Tom Turner and sculptural faces with Deborah Frits. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even have to be a potter to join the guild!â&#x20AC;?

This month public participation will be easier than ever. It goes without saying that the season of giving would be an important time for any artist. Yet, at the CCCG an annual tradition is just around the corner: their big holiday sale. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When the guild first started, we were

POTTERSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; REMNANTS: Clay artists will be selling their wares as part of the Coastal Carolina Clay Guildâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual holiday sale, this weekend.

looking to promote our work as other guilds across the country do,â&#x20AC;? Heiser remembers, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and the idea of a holiday sale was brought up. Our first sale in 2007 comprised 20 members and was held at Halyburton Park. We were actually not sure what to expect, but we

Win tickets to area events!

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December 4 DAVID ALLAN COE December 5 â&#x20AC;˘ SEVENDUST December 11 LMFAOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PARTY ROCK TOUR December 12 â&#x20AC;˘ MARIO December 29 â&#x20AC;˘ THE WAILERS December 30 CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARD December 31 â&#x20AC;˘ COREY SMITH WIN TICKETS TO THE SOAPBOX

Dec. 16 HOLLY GOLIGHTLY Dec. 31 BENJI HUGHES

â&#x20AC;?Your Alternative Voiceâ&#x20AC;?

12 encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

were overwhelmed with the support from the community. We had lines wrapped around the corner of the building.â&#x20AC;?

This year, the sale will be moved to the Hannah Block Historic USO (also known as the Community Arts Center) at 2nd and Orange streets downtown. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have around 43 artists exhibiting this year,â&#x20AC;? Heiser informs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our third annual event. Leslie Willetts and Brenda Thomas are the chairpersons.â&#x20AC;?

Of the 43 artists, more than a few familiar faces will be present. At the top of the list, Wilmingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resident clay master Hiroshi Sueyoshi is pulling double duty as both an exhibiting potter and president of the CCCGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s executive committee. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The artists participating in the show include everyone from the professional to the student,â&#x20AC;?

Heiser says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a lot of enthusiasm for the sale, and everyone works together to make sure the event is a success.â&#x20AC;?

Heiser himself is a clay artist and is excited to see what the roster of creative hands will be bringing to the sale. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will be a plethora of creations,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will be everything from bowls and mugs, to jars and vases, ornaments for the lawn and garden to sculptural works. There is something for everyone.â&#x20AC;?

Aside from the prospect of gift-giving, the best part about the sale is the chance to give back. As with every year, the CCCG is donating a large portion of the sales to the Empty Bowls project, a soup-and-bread meal held every two years with over 1,500 bowls being made by local artists. With the next event coming up in a few months, funding is needed to keep the tradition going. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The proceeds from Empty Bowls go straight to the Good Shepherd Center and Mother Hubbardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cupboard,â&#x20AC;? Hesier says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For $15 you get a bowl made by a local potter, a meal of soup and bread from a local restaurant, and the satisfaction of knowing that your money will go directly to two local organizations that fight hunger. The mission is to help the homeless through those organizations, which distribute nonperishable food to those in need.â&#x20AC;?

Proceeds from Coastal Carolina Clay Guildâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Holiday Pottery Sale will benefit the Empty Bowls Project and DREAMS Center for Art Education. Call 910-794-9717 for more information.

Artfuel.inc

1701 Wrightsville Ave 910 343 5233 Mon-Sat, 12-9pm; Sunday, 1-6pm www.artfuelinc.com www.myspace.com/artfuel_inc Artfuel.inc is located at the corner of Wrightsville Ave and 17th st. Housed in an old gas station, we offer resident artists working in studios alongside a gallery space used to exhibit other artists work. We hope to connect artists with each other and offer many styles of work to fuel the public’s interest. Currently, Artfuel, Inc. will showcase Volume 22, a graffiti extravaganza, featuring Stevie Mack, Kid Mike, Mathew Curran, Camden Noir and Eye Dee. Live tagging will be done throughout the evening on a wall built specially for the event. All are welcome.

Crescent Moon

332 Nutt St, The Cotton Exchange (910) 762-4207 Mon.-Sat., 10am-5:30pm; Sun., 12-4pm www.crescentmoonnc.com Keeping it local…Crescent Moon has partnered with Old Growth Riverwood on Castle Hayne Road to supply hand-made shelving crafted from reclaimed wood from The Cape Fear River for our new display area in the gift gallery. The new display area will be primarily dedicated to the promotion of local glass and metal artists at Crescent Moon. We now have ten local glass artists associated with us.

Old Growth Riverwood reclaims lost pieces of history and transforms them into unique and beautiful wood products for home or business. Old Growth Riverwood is committed to being environmentally responsible and does not cut down any living trees to produce their products. This project partnership speaks to a mutual philosophy, of buying and using hand-made and environmentally conscience work when possible.

One reason we love our location within The Cotton Exchange is the reuse of the wonderful historic buildings that have been so much a part of the downtown area. Hours: Monday- Saturday 10am-5:30pm and Sundays 12pm-4pm. Crescent Moon is located in The Cotton Exchange where parking is free while shopping or dining. Follow us on twitter as CrescentMoonNC or become a fan on our Facebook page!

FastFrame Gallery

1319 Military Cutoff Rd. Landfall Center (910) 256-1105 Mon.-Fri.., 10am-6pm • Sat., 10am-4pm www.fastframeofwilmington.com FASTFRAME Gallery is pleased to present the Second Annual Fill the Cupboard Art Show: “Ordinary View, Extraordinary Vision,” November 13 through December 31, featuring Terry Rosenfelder’s sophisticated oils, M. Matteson Smith’s unique paper sculptures, and Sara Westermark’s original jewelry designs. Again this year, FASTFRAME cheerfully encourages and will be delighted to accept food and financial contributions to help several of our local food

banks. Come meet the artists at the Opening Reception on Friday, November 13, from 5:00 until 7:30 p.m., with wine tasting by WineStyles and appetizers by The Sandwich Pail.

Hampstead Art Gallery

14712 Hwy. 17 N. • (910) 270-5180 Mon.-Sat. 11am-5pm, or by appt.

Hampstead, NC “Beautiful; lots of variety.” “Love the place.”

“Beautiful art work.” “Very nice.” “Art rocks your socks, and you know that.” These are just what a few customers had to say about Hampstead Art Gallery. Come and tell us what you think.

Affordable prices on prints and originals. Local artists with various styles and taste are just excited about having the opportunity to share their work with all art lovers. Our artists offer different sizes from what we have on display and low rates on commissioned work. Christmas is very close, and a family portrait would be a great gift.

Owner Charles Turner invites all artists and art lovers to just hang out in our new Artist Lounge any time. Look for our upcoming Expos and Open House. Hampstead Art Gallery is located in Hampstead on the corner of Factory Road next to CVS Pharmacy.

New Elements Gallery

216 N. Front St. • (919) 343-8997 Tues-Sat: 11am-5:30pm or by appointment www.newelementsgallery.com New Elements Gallery’s 25th Annual Holiday Show is on display now through January 9, 2010.

Always an eagerly anticipated event, the exhibition features one-of-a-kind fine art and craft by more than forty artists including Betty Brown, Warren Dennis, Donald Furst, Eric Lawing, Nancy Tuttle May, Bob Rankin, Sally Sutton and Michael Van Hout. Enjoy an amazing variety of original paintings, sculpture, ceramics, glass, jewelry and wood by regional and nationally recognized artists.

Help Us Help! Shop New Elements Gallery for the best selection of exceptional art and craft and to help Good Shepherd Center provide hot meals, warm beds and a return path to housing for hundreds of homeless people in our community.

Receive a raffle ticket for every $25.00 purchase made between now and December 16th to qualify for a $250.00 gift certificate to New Elements Gallery. Tickets will also be on sale at the gallery for $5.00 each now until December 16th. Details are available on www.newelementsgallery.com.

pattersonbehn art gallery

511 1/2 Castle Street (910) 251-8886 Tues.-Sat. 11am-5pm (Winter: closed Monday) www.pattersonbehn.com pattersonbehn picture framing & design has added an art gallery to their space, featuring several local artists. Currently on display are works by Bob Bryden, Michelle Connolly, Karen

Paden Crouch, Virginia Wright-Frierson and Pam Toll. The gallery offers a large selection of works on paper in numerous media. In addition there are many different gift ideas, such as hand-gilded table-top frames and one-of-a-kind keepsake boxes. The gallery offers something for everybody.

Monday Night Football

Sunset River Marketplace 10283 Beach Dr., SW (NC 179).

(910) 575-5999 • Mon.-Sat. 10am-5pm (Winter hours: closed Monday) www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com myspace.comsunsetrivermarketplace This eclectic, spacious gallery, located in the historic fishing village of Calabash, N.C., features fine arts and crafts by some of North and South Carolina’s most creative, successful artists.

Almost every genre is represented here—oil, pastel and watercolor, clay and glass art, fiber art, turned wood, metal works, artisan-crafted jewelry and more. Classes, workshops, pottery studio, custom framing, Creative Exchange lecture series and Coffee With the Author series are also offered on-site.

Wilmington Art Association Gallery 616B Castle St. (910) 343-4370 www.wilmington-art.org Bates Toone is our featured artist for December. Her show, titled “Groundworks” is a collection of intricate watercolor paintings of flowers, leaves and other growing things. Inspired by Corita Kent’s quote, “The groundwork doesn’t show till one day . . .” Bates’ watercolor paintings are interestingly complex arrangements of leaves and flowers that take you on a journey of discovery of what’s at your feet and perhaps unnoticed until presented in these beautiful paintings.

We will be celebrating our 10th Anniversary as a Gallery in December. Our special event show “Tiny Treasures” will feature original works of art by WAA members from $10 and under and $100 and under. These original works of art are special gifts for this Christmas season. Join us to meet Bates at the reception on the Fourth Friday Gallery Walk, Nov. 27th from 6 to 9 pm.

Start the Holiday Season steeped in the spirit of creativity.

Coming Soon! Art at Mayfaire, three days only! Fri. & Sat., Dec. 4 & 5, from 10am-9pm, and Sunday, Dec. 6, noon -6pm, 6842 Main Street (formerly Sharper Image) in Mayfaire Town Center on Military Cutoff Rd. WAA artists present their original and unique work.

Wassail NIght on Castle Street will begin at 4pm on Sunday, Dec. 6th. It is a fabulous evening starting with a festival of lights that is sure to start the Christmas season with wonderment.

TAILGATE PARTY SUNDAYS 4pm - CLOSE MONDAYS 7pm-CLOSE

25¢ Wings and

5 Sausage and Kraut $ 4 Tailgate Burgers $ 4 Barbecue Plate $

Sides: Potato Salad, Slaw, or Baked Beans Pitchers of Yuengling or Michelob Ultra: $7 Pitchers of Blue Moon or Fat Tire: $8.50

11 FOOT PROJECTION SCREEN on the patio 100 S Front St Downtown Wilmington 910-251-1832

encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com 13

Leap of Faith: Brett Moore and crew just want to live out a passion turned him on to The Avett Brothers, and he kind of got more curious about folky bluegrass instrumentation. So his brother told him about our band, Apache Relay, and suggested that Michael try us out as a back-up band.

We played one gig with him in March, just to try it out. I think we played like four songs, and it was just one of those things that clicked from the beginning. And Michael came up to us afterward and said, “I don’t know what you guys are up to, but I’m going to make this record, and I’m really liking this.” So we just went with it, and it just happened.

by: Adrian Varnam

Michael Ford Jr. and the Apache Relay

with David Mayfield of Cadillac Sky Soapbox, lounge, 255 N. Front Street December 5th; 9pm $8/advance, $10/day of www.myspace.com/mfjrandtheapacherelay

encore: How’s taking a break from school playing out with your family?

Brett Moore: They’ve all been super supportive. It’s no mystery that this is what I’ve set out to do from the beginning. I never tried to go to my parents and say, “Yeah, sure, I’ll go to med school.” Everyone knew that music is what I’ve wanted to do with my life, and they’ve been behind me completely. And as much as they’re supportive of me, they’re just fans of music, so I think they understand. e: Are the other guys in the band as committed as you are?

BM: Absolutely. We all made the same deci-

pHoto by: RAcHel WIllIAmSon

W

hen Wilmington-native Brett Moore picked up the mandolin for the first time in middle school, he had little inkling that it would become his calling—only that it was something different than the guitar, which everyone else seemed to play. After years of teaching himself and learning his way around the fretboard (as well as an unhappy semester at New York University), Moore moved to Nashville to become a student at the Belmont School of Music.

It seemed like a smart decision; it’s a good school in a city where there’s probably more mandolin players per capita than just about anywhere in the world. What he didn’t expect was how quickly his life would change.

In March of this year, Moore and three other Belmont students formed the Americana-andbluegrass-inspired-but-don’t-call-them-bluegrass band Michael Ford Jr. and the Apache Relay. In less than six months, they’ve created a buzz around Music City, USA, from the strength of their debut EP, 1988 and from the youthful vigor in their playing. Now giving it a go as a full-time band, Moore and his bandmates have taken a break from school and are hitting the road. Recently, I spoke with Moore from Nashville.

ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC: Bluesy folk-rockers Michael Ford Jr. and the Apache Relay are driven soley by their desire to play music.

sion together and, you know, take it very seriously. Everyone is just on the same page, and everyone is equally invested in the project. We all kind of put our hands in together and made a group decision to do this. And we have a booking agent that said, “Hey, if you guys do take time off from school, I’m really going to put you out there.” So we all kind of took that leap of faith together. e: Was it a well-thought-out decision where you said, if we reach this point we take a break from school?

BM: It just kind of happened. The funniest thing about this band is that it started in March. I don’t think any of us had any idea that it would be as successful to this date as it has been, relatively speaking. e: How did that come about?

BM: We started out as this band, Apache Relay, but it was really just four or five jamming friends. We’d get together and play music, but we really didn’t have anything going for us. At the same time, this guy Michael Ford Jr. was breaking away from this rock band that he was in called the Hollywood Ten, and was trying to embark on more of a solo or solo-acoustic type of thing. I think he really wanted to do stuff like Springsteen’s Nebraska, but then someone

14 encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

e: What makes it work?

BM: At the core of it are four guys who’re extremely obsessed with music: playing it, listening to it, whatever. It’s just who we are. It was infectious to get four like-minded people in a room together who were just so excited to be playing music. And I think for a lot of us, we came from a place where we couldn’t really find anyone who shared the same ideas or were just as excited about really pursuing music. e: Is it more of a band now, or do you all prefer to keep the dynamic as it was when you formed?

BM: We are totally more of a band now. Before, Michael would go off, write the songs and just bring them to us to arrange. Now, we’ll get together and write as a band; all four of us will bring ideas to the table. It’s definitely an evolutionary process and an exciting one, too. We’ve been working on stuff for our next record that’s way different, which is cool to realize that it’s not just coming from one primary source. e: So how do you feed yourself being a fulltime musician?

BM: Barely. That’s the good thing about having a booking agent. You get gigs that may not always be huge, but they’re substantial.

And I have just great parents who understand that this is a long-term investment. I think that’s the thing about this project for us: The band, our parents, everyone on our team, the management, the booking, they all know exactly where we are. They know we’ve only been a band six months, but everyone’s in it for the longevity.

But slowly we’ll get to that point and pay everyone back who’ve given so much to us.

That’s the goal, and we’re all committed to the plan. We’ve got a really great team in place, you know. The wheels have slowly been turning, and we’re really looking forward to 2010.

Jeepers Peepers: Pretty Things Peepshow seduces audiences at the Soapbox

encore: What was the impetus to start the Pretty Things Peepshow?

Go-Go Amy: I had been running Burlesque shows with Bettina May for a few years, then I got hired by a sideshow to go on Warped Tour and Ozzfest. That’s where I met my fabulous sideshow performers. That show really opened my eyes to the variety of amazingly talented people out there, which is what helped me decide on making the Pretty Things Peepshow more of a Vaudeville variety show than just a straight-up Burlesque show. There’s a little something for everyone in this show: beautiful girls, fabulous costumes, amazing stunts, and a little bawdy comedy, just for good measure.

It opens us up to a much larger audience, and it makes it a much more interesting show to have both Burlesque and sideshow performers on the bill.

by: Shea Carver

rockabilly music, like Johnny Cash and Sonny Burgess; and new original music that was written for the show by bands like Hank Angel and His Island Devils, and Zane Campbell and the Gravel Pit Ramblers. It’s a really great mix of the stars of yesterday and tomorrow.

Pretty Things Peepshow

with Wilmington’s Peepshow Cabaret Soapbox, upstairs 255 N. Front Street December 9th; 9pm $10 • www.prettythingspeepshow.com

e: Pin-up girls are a hit of the show. When did your fascination with them begin?

GGA: I’ve always been into all things fabulous.

I started off as a costume designer in theater, and my love for vintage styles grew from that. I got into pin-up modeling because it really suits my body type and personality. I think it’s better to work with what you’ve got then try to fit into someone else’s mold. Everyone is beautiful to someone. Instead of killing yourself to fit into an unattainable ideal of beauty, I think you should embrace who you are and then seek out your target audience. e: Tell me your thoughts on pin-up girls and Burlesque shows—what they represent within society, not only historically in liberating women but also how they (should) affect modern-day women. What can we continue to learn from them?

GGA: Susan B. Anthony and Gertrude Stein helped liberate women. Pin-up girls, in their day and age, were just eye candy. Sure, many people now attribute pin-up as the spark to the sexual revolution, but I would hardly say that a painting of a helpless girl showing off her stockings really opened a lot of doors for womankind.

Now, modern women are looking back to the pin-up girls of the past to find a more classy version of sex appeal, which one could say is a liberating experience for women, because those who choose the pin-up aesthetic in 2009 are taking charge of their own sexual image by choosing to tease and please rather then put it all out there. What we can learn from garter belts and glitter is that if a woman is strong enough to take charge of her own sexual choices, then she is most likely strong enough to take charge of her own political, sociological and financial choices, too. I suggest supporting her or least watching out for her; the modern pin-up force [is something] to be reckoned with. e: What does the show entail exactly?

GGA: It’s a rollercoaster ride down memory lane. We’ve got the glamour of the past performed by the talent of today. You’ll see 19 big acts all in one night. We’ve got sword-swallowing, whip-cracking, juggling, contortionists and other sorted sideshow stunts plus beautiful Burlesque. It’s theater that is meant to be

PhoTo By : Michael PeTerson

I

f times were so simple that we received entertainment in the form of peering into a wooden box and pulling a string to change the pictures inside, well, movie studios would be S.O.L., capitalism probably wouldn’t exist in America, and women may or may not be sexually free. The evolution of the peep show has kept all of the above marching along a steady path rather wistfully.

Making their mark on society in the 15th century, peep shows began as mere pictures in wooden boxes, wherein the visuals usually reflected theatrical scenes, paired with narration. In the 19th century, they evolved into live performances, some featuring puppets, others toy theaters, with moveable scenes and live action. Somehow or another throughout time, peep shows became erotic, showcasing naughty and seductive imagery that only the daring and edgy audiences embraced.

Today, the basic concept has opened a slew of doors that has kept America aroused—far from its Puritanical roots—for years. From pinup girls and supermodels, to Burlesque and Vaudeville shows, to our current fascination with video games and movies, it all seems connected. The six-century-old box has manifested itself forcefully from a contained toy contraption into a pop-culture phenomenon.

While peep shows may seem a thing of the past (remember when a once racy Times Square got a face-lift from Disney?), such isn’t the case for New York’s Pretty Things—a show featuring pin-up girls who strut their sexual prowess and entertainers who embrace the odd, the fanciful and the adventurous. Better yet, they’ve gone back to the days of Vaudeville, taking it to the road, where they’ll be stopping in Wilmington’s Soapbox on December 9th. encore had a chance to talk with founder Go-Go Amy last week about the show, its origins and its talented cast. Here is how the interview unfolded.

SEDUCTION ENHANCED: Go-Go Amy and Bettina May will entice and delight during the Pretty Things Peepshow at the Soapbox on Wednesday, December 9th.

seen with a drink in your hand and your friends at your side. e: What kind of music is involved in your show?

GGA: We have a few kinds of music in the show: vintage Vaudeville and Burlesque music, like Django Reinhardt and David Rose; classic

e: The most dangerous act to be done in the show is what?

What is the outcome?

GGA: All our acts are dangerous. Miss Heather Holliday defies death when she swallows swords. Donny Vomit risks life and limb juggling razor-sharp machetes, but the audience is most at risk when Bettina May and I hit the stage. Their hearts may get broken and their knees will get weak. The outcome of all these crazy stunts and sexy shenanigans: thunderous applause! . . . The performers in the Pretty Things Peepshow have the whole package: They are hard workers who are easy on the eyes. . . . [Like me,] Miss Heather Holliday is from New York. We weren’t lucky enough to know each other growing up, so we’re making up that slumber-party time out on the road. Donny Vomit is from Oklahoma and now lives in Brooklyn, and Bettina May is from Victoria BC in Canada. She’s like a fine wine; she’s imported and will leave you dizzy.

There’s a lot more that goes into running a show then just throwing on a glittery gown and prancing around stage. We all work hard, rehearsing, booking shows and promoting them. Beauty and brains, talent and tenacity—these girls (and guys) have it all, both onstage and off.

Let Bon Appetit Cater your Holiday party!

• Traditional Buffet Packages or Heavy Hors d’oeuvres Menus Available • Wait Staff or Delivery

Holiday Dinners available for pick up

3704 Carolina Beach Rd. (phone) 910.796.0520 (fax) 910.790.9080 Mon-Fri: Breakfast 6:30am - 11am & Lunch 11am - 2pm Sat: Breakfast only 6:30am - 1pm Sun: Breakfast only 7:00am - 2pm

*Order form available online at www.bonappetitwilmington.com and in our restaurant. Orders must be handed in and paid for in our Catering Office prior to pick up. Pick up no later than 1:00 on December 24th.

encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com 15

soundboard WED., DEcEmbEr 2 DJ P. Funk —Fibber McGee’s, 1610 Pavilion Pl; 509-1551 live music —16 Taps, 127 Princess St.; 251-1616 karaoke w/ DJ urban —Ibiza, 118 Market Street.; 251-1301 classy karaoke wiTh manDy clayTon —Remedies, Market Street; 392-8001 oPen mic niGhT —Juggling Gypsy Cafe, 1612 Castle St.; 763-2223 DJbe eXTreme karaoke —Wild Wing Cafe, 1331 Military Cutoff Rd.; 256-3838 DJ —Shanty’s Beach and Blues Club, 103 North Lake Park Blvd.; 599-3366

karaoke wiTh bob clayTon —Midtown Seafood, 4106 Oleander Dr.; 792-6880 DJ JePh caulTer —Carolina Lounge, 5001A Market St.; 791-7595 oPen mic niGhT wiTh Gary allen —Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.; 251-1888 Jeremy norris & Tommy broThers —Reel Cafe, 100 S. Front St.; 251-1832 acTion iTem, The in crowD, unDer The huDson —Soapbox Lounge, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 DJ biG kahuna —Club Vida, 105 Wetsig Road; 791-9955 Piano show —Rum Runners, 21 N. Front St.; 815-3846 eric anD carey b.

—El Zarrape Cantina, 103 Lake Park Blvd.; 458-5255 karaoke wiTh DJ biker rob —Beach House Bar ‘n’ Grill, 7219 Market St.; 689-7219

wed 12.2

dj be karaoke thurs 12.3

PhoTo by Jason collins

a preview of tunes all over town this week

NOTHIN’ bUT LOVE: Don’t miss alternative pop band Love and Reverie this Friday, December 4th, at the Soapbox Laundro Lounge. Check ‘em out first at www.myspace.com/loveandreverie.

DJ TeknacolorninJa, Pelicanesis, GyPsy Fire, kara Daly —Soapbox Upstairs, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500

Feature your live music and drink specials!

team trivia plus

dj richtermeister fri 12.4

live music with

the design sat 12.5

sunny ledfurd

Photo...

Scott Sain of Plane jane

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16 encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

THUrS., DEcEmbEr 3 classy karaoke wiTh manDy clayTon

—The Toolbox, 2325 Burnette Blvd.; 343-6988 live music —Red Dogs, 5 N. Lumina Ave., Wrightsville Beach; 256-2776

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DJ lalo —Club Vida, 105 Wetsig Road; 791-9955 DJ comPose —Port City Pub, 121 Grace St.; 251-3791 Family karaoke —Alfie’s, 2528 Castle Hayne Rd.; 251-5707 DJbe eXTreme karaoke —Café Basil, 6309 Market Street; 791-9335 karaoke wiTh bob clayTon —Midtown Seafood, 4106 Oleander Dr.; 792-6880 karaoke —Yosake Sushi Lounge, 31 S. Front St.; 763-3172 live music —16 Taps, 127 Princess St.; 251-1616 oPen mic wiTh Jeremy norris —Katy’s, 1054 S. College Rd.; 395-6204

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DJ Don’t Stop —Slick and Reds, 2501 S. College Rd.; 798-5355 live acouStic —Beach House Bar ‘n’ Grill, 7219 Market St.; 689-7219 DJ Scooter FreSh —The Rhino Club, 125 Market St.; 762-2206 KaraoKe with JaSon JacKSon —Wrightsville Grille, 6766 Wrightsville Ave.; 509-9839 hip-hop night —Ibiza, 118 Market St.; 251-1301 Fire anD Drum Jam; pSytrance —Juggling Gypsy Cafe, 1612 Castle St.; 763-2223 Burnt tamale —Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.; 251-1888 DJ Stretch —Trebenzio’s, 141 N. Front St.; 815-3301 live muSic —Harbor Masters, 315 Canal Dr., Carolina Beach; 458-28200 DJ —Shanty’s Beach and Blues Club, 103 North Lake Park Blvd.; 599-3366 guitariSt perry Smith —Caffe Phoenix, 9 S Front St.; 343-1395

Ronnie’s Place Dance Club & Bar

6745 B Market St., 910-228-8056 OPEN: M-TH 3p-2a, F-SAT 12p-2a, SUN 12p-12a

MONDAYS

Poker Night • Monday Night Football

TUESDAYS

Service Industry Night 8 Ball League • $4 Call Liquors • $3 Wells

WEDNESDAYS Bike Night/Dart League $1.50 Bud Light Cans $2 Domestic Bottles

THURSDAYS Karaoke with DJ Extreme

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SUNDAYS COME WATCH NFL FOOTBALL $ 4 Bloody Mary’s / $2 Domestics Available for Private Parties Owned by Ronnie Moore formerly of Ronnies Middlesound Inn

tom rhoDeS —Front Street Brewery, 9 N. Front St.; 251-1935 KaraoKe Kong —Orton Pool Room, 133 North Front St.; 343-8878 ponchoS From peru, come on go with uS, miDtown DicKenS, humBle tripe —Soapbox Lounge, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500

friDAY, December 4 DJ Stretch —Trebenzio’s, 141 N. Front St.; 815-3301 DJ time —Fibber McGee’s, 1610 Pavilion Pl; 509-1551 hip-hop DJ —Red Dogs, 5 N. Lumina Ave., Wrightsville Beach; 256-2776 roBBie Berry —Mexican Viejo Bar and Grill, 2013 Olde Regent Way, Leland; 371-1731 DJ will clayton —Beach House Bar ‘n’ Grill, 7219 Market St.; 689-7219 live muSic, DJ —The Sandbar, 417 S. College Rd.; 791-6080

claSSy KaraoKe with manDy clayton —Katy’s, 1054 S. College Rd.; 395-6204 melvin anD Sayer —Romanelli’s, Leland; 383-1885 KaraoKe Kong —Slick and Reds, 2501 S. College Rd.; 798-5355 FriDay night FollieS —Ibiza, 118 Market St.; 251-1301 KaraoKe with BoB clayton —Midtown Seafood, 4106 Oleander Dr.; 792-6880 DJ mitch —Odessa, 23 N. Front St.; 251-8814 latino night with DJ —Carolina Lounge, 5001A Market St.; 791-7595 DJ —Level 5/City Stage, 21 N. Front St.; 342-0872 DJ —Shanty’s Beach and Blues Club, 103 North Lake Park Blvd.; 599-3366 DJ rico —Club Vida, 105 Wetsig Road; 791-9955 piano Show —Rum Runners, 21 N. Front St.; 815-3846

JUNCTION PUB AND BILLIARDS 5216 Carolina Beach Road MONDAY MADNESS: Domestic Pints: $225 Well Vodka Drinks: $350 FREE POOL AFTER MIDNIGHT TASTY TUESDAYS: CALL NIGHT All call liquors: $400 Drinks or Shots WET WEDNESDAYS: Smirnoff Flavor Liquors $400 Drinks or Shots LATE NIGHT!!!

Domestic Light Beer $225

(Bud Light, Miller Light, Natural, Coors Light)

THIRSTY THURSDAYS: 22 Oz. Domestic Beers $400 FINALLY FRIDAYS: Cream Drinks $450 Blue Moon Draft $325 SATURDAYS: Corona & Corona Lts $250 Cuervo Silver Shots $300 Dox Equix Draft $300 POOL HAPPY HOURS 3pm-6pm $5 per player SUNDAYS: Service Employees Night Jager Shots $325 Jager Bombs $425 Coors Light Bottles $225 FREE POOL AFTER 10pm Every Mon-Wed-Fri Happy Hour Pool!

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DJ —Yosake Sushi Lounge, 31 S. Front St.; 763-3172 the DeSign —Wild Wing Cafe, 1331 Military Cutoff Rd.; 256-3838 aSg —Palm Room, 11 East Salisbury St.; 503-3040 oaKcreSt —Juggling Gypsy Cafe, 1612 Castle St.; 763-2223 Ben Sollee —Soapbox Lounge, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 love anD reverie, the Fear oF Falling, JonaS SeeS in color, a Scenery in motion, caShmoneycapital —Soapbox Upstairs, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 DJ SuSpence —Hell’s Kitchen, 118 Princess St.; 763-4133 gollum, preDeceSSor, BearD oF antlerS, pavlichenKo —Lucky’s, 2505 S. College Rd.; 792-1812 lethal inJection —Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.; 251-1888

Tuesday & Wednesday Martini Madness $2 Martinis Music by DJ TiMe Thursday ILM Electrotheque $2 Shots Music by GUeiCe & DST Friday & Saturday Discotheque $4 infused Vodkas Music by DJ DUSTiN CooK Sunday Open Mic $3 Drafts MUSiC BY YoU (instruments provided) 23 N. FroNt St. DowNtowN wilmiNgtoN

root Soul proJect —Holiday Inn Resort, 1706 N. Lumina Ave.; 256-2231 no Dollar ShoeS —16 Taps, 127 Princess St.; 251-1616 roB ronner —Henry’s, 2806 Independence Blvd.; 793-2929 live muSic —Harbor Masters, 315 Canal Dr., Carolina Beach; 458-28200 live muSic —Port City Pub, 121 Grace St.; 251-3791 DJ Scooter FreSh —Rox, 208 Market St.; 343-0402 DJ Kahuna —The Rhino Club, 125 Market St.; 762-2206 FirSt FriDay guitar Jam SeSSion —The Smudged Pot, 5032 Wrightsville Ave.; 452-2920 JaSon marKS —Wrightsville Grille, 6766 Wrightsville Ave.; 509-9839 JuStin Fox —Kefi, 2012 Eastwood Road; 256-3558

1/2 priced select apppetizers m-f 4-7pm MONDAY $10 Bud/Light Buckets $5 Jack Daniels • $4 Capt. Morgan TUESDAY $1 Tacos 4-7pm $3 Mexican Beers $5 Top Shelf Tequila • $7 Patron WEDNESDAY $3 Pints (10 Drafts) $5 Jager Bombs THURSDAY Mug Night $2 Domestic Drafts w/HK MUG $5 Bombers • $4 Jim Beam FRIDAY $3 Select Draft $4 Fire Fly Shooters $5 Red Bull Vodka SATURDAY $2.50 Miller Lt or Yuengling Draft $8 Pitcher • $3 Kamikaze $4 Well Drinks SUNDAY $2.50 Bud/Light Draft $8 Pitcher • $5 Crown Royal $4 Bloody Mary

CATCH ALL THE ACTION WITH NFL SUNDAY TICKET ON 10 HDTVs and HD big screen Your Team - Every Game, Every Week 118 Princess St • (910)763-4133

SAt., December 5 DJ lalo —Club Vida, 105 Wetsig Road; 791-9955 piano Show —Rum Runners, 21 N. Front St.; 815-3846 DJ —Level 5/City Stage, 21 N. Front St.; 342-0872 guitariSt perry Smith —Caffe Phoenix, 9 S Front St.; 343-1395 DJ p money —Rox, 208 Market St.; 343-0402 DJ time —The Rhino Club, 125 Market St.; 762-2206 DJ Foxxy —Ibiza, 118 Market St.; 251-1301 DJ will clayton —Beach House Bar ‘n’ Grill, 7219 Market St.; 689-7219 KaraoKe with BoB clayton —Midtown Seafood, 4106 Oleander Dr.; 792-6880 hip-hop DJ —Red Dogs, 5 N. Lumina Ave., Wrightsville Beach; 256-2776

Sunday: $4 Bloody Marys $4 MiMosas

MOnday: $2 yuengling Pints $3 ruM HigHBalls

TueSday: $3 House HigHBalls

WedneSday: $10 doMestic Buckets

ThurSday: $3.50 Margaritas $2 corona & corona ligHt

FrIday: $3.50 lit’s

SaTurday: $2 coors ligHt $2.50 kaMikazis 12 Dock St., • 910-762-2827 Downtown Wilmington

encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com 17

DJ EDiE —Odessa, 23 N. Front St.; 251-8814 DJ P. MonEy —Rox, 208 Market St.; 343-0402 DJBE EXTREME KARAoKE —Café Basil, 6309 Market Street; 791-9335 DJ —Yosake Sushi Lounge, 31 S. Front St.; 763-3172 livE Music —Port City Pub, 121 Grace St.; 251-3791 TouRnAMEnT, sKowls, PAvlichEnKo, BAnAl, KEysER sozE, BEARD of AnTlERs —Soapbox Upstairs, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 MichEAl foRD JR. AnD ThE APAchE RElAy, DAviD MAyfiElD of cADillAc sKy —Soapbox Lounge, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 fiRsT sATuRDAy BluEs JAM —Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.; 251-1888 silvER JuDAs, fifTy MAn fighT —Lucky’s, 2505 S. College Rd.; 792-1812 will REvo —Francesco’s, 839 S. Kerr Ave.; 793-5656

T.o.M.D. —Hell’s Kitchen, 118 Princess St.; 763-4133 sunny lEDfoRD —Wild Wing Cafe, 1331 Military Cutoff Rd.; 256-3838 cAssERolE —Palm Room, 11 East Salisbury St.; 503-3040 DJ —Shanty’s Beach and Blues Club, 103 North Lake Park Blvd.; 599-3366 livE Music —Harbor Masters, 315 Canal Dr., Carolina Beach; 458-28200 livE Music —The Sandbar, 417 S. College Rd.; 791-6080 livE JAzz wiTh BEnny hill, DJ sTRETch —Trebenzio’s, 141 N. Front St.; 815-3301 JAzzchRonic —Juggling Gypsy Cafe, 1612 Castle St.; 763-2223 John ToPPings —Holiday Inn Resort, 1706 N. Lumina Ave.; 256-2231 PolAR BEAR BluEs BAnD wiTh hARvEy ARnolD —Kefi, 2012 Eastwood Road; 256-3558

sunday, december 6 DJ Big KAhunA —Rum Runners, 21 N. Front St.; 815-3846 clAssy KARAoKE wiTh MAnDy clAyTon —The Toolbox, 2325 Burnette Blvd.; 343-6988 DJBE EXTREME KARAoKE —The Whiskey, 1 S. Front St.; 763-3088 sunDAy nighT fEvER —Ibiza, 118 Market St.; 251-1301 gAlEn on guiTAR (BRunch) —Courtyard Marriott, 100 Charlotte Ave., Carolina Beach; (800) 321-2211 REggAETon sunDAys —Club Vida, 105 Wetsig Road; 791-9955 BEnny hill JAM —Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.; 251-1888 DJ sEnsATion DAlE sAunDERs —Bottega Gallery, 208 North Front St.; 763-3737 BEAch Music PARTy —Red Dogs, 5 N. Lumina Ave., Wrightsville Beach; 256-2776 DJ —Shanty’s Beach and Blues Club, 103 North Lake Park Blvd.; 599-3366 DJ Big KAhunA —The Sandbar, 417 S. College Rd.; 791-6080

DJ P MonEy —Rox, 208 Market St.; 343-0402 fluTisT niKKi wisniowsKi —Caffe Phoenix, 9 S Front St.; 343-1395 incEnDiARy, ovERlooKED, DisTAncEs —Lucky’s, 2505 S. College Rd.; 792-1812

monday, december 7 DJ RichTERMEisTER —Wild Wing Cafe, 1331 Military Cutoff Rd.; 256-3838 KARAoKE —Level 5/City Stage, 21 N. Front St.; 342-0872 DJ —Shanty’s Beach and Blues Club, 103 North Lake Park Blvd.; 599-3366 oPEn Mic wiTh vivA —El Zarrape Cantina, 103 Lake Park Blvd.; 458-5255 oPEn Mic —16 Taps, 127 Princess St.; 251-1616 DJ Big KAhunA —The Rhino Club, 125 Market St.; 762-2206 DJ P funK —The Sandbar, 417 S. College Rd.; 791-6080

Tuesday Live Jazz in the Bar Half Price Bottles of Wine Absolut Dream $5 22oz Yendgling Draft $2 Pacifico $2.50 Wednesday Corona\Corona Light $250 Margarita\Peach Margaritas $4 10 oz domestic draft $1 Thursday Gran Martinis $7 • Red Stripe $250 Friday Cosmos $4 • 007 $350 saTurday Baybreeze\Seabreeze $4 22oz Blue Moon Draft $3 ( Live Music Every Weekend) sunday 16oz Domestic Draft $150 Bloody Marys $4 Mojitos $3 • Appletinis $3 5564 Carolina Beach Rd 452-1212

WEDNESDAY

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50¢ YUENGLING $ 1 GUINNESS $ 3 ROYAL FLUSH $ 1 GUINNESS $ 3 SOCO & LIME

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18 encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

415 South College Road MONDAY MADNESS: Domestic Pints: $225 Miller Light, Yuengling: $350 Well Vodka Drinks: $350 FREE POOL AFTER MIDNIGHT TASTY TUESDAYS: CALL NIGHT All call liquors: $400 WET WEDNESDAYS: Smirnoff Flavor Liquors $400 Drinks LATE NIGHT!!!

Domestic Light Beer $225 (Bud Light, Miller Light, Natural, Coors Light)

THIRSTY THURSDAYS: Import Beers $300 (Red Stripe, Heineken, New Castle)

FINALLY FRIDAYS: Cream Drinks $450 Blue Moon Draft $325 SATURDAYS: Corona $250 Cuervo Silver Shots $300 POOL HAPPY HOURS 3pm-6pm $5 per player SUNDAYS: Service Employees Night Bloody Marys $300 Jager Shots $325 Jager Bombs $425 Coors Light Bottles $225 FREE POOL AFTER 10pm

tuesday, december 8 RADio hAyEs AnD EchoPoinT21 —Goat and Compass, 710 N. 4th St.; 772-1400 DJ TiME —The Rhino Club, 125 Market St.; 762-2206 KARAoKE —16 Taps, 127 Princess St.; 251-1616 KARAoKE wiTh BoB clAyTon —Midtown Seafood, 4106 Oleander Dr.; 792-6880 DJ —Shanty’s Beach and Blues Club, 103 North Lake Park Blvd.; 599-3366 DJ Big KAhunA —Club Vida, 105 Wetsig Road; 791-9955 clAssy KARAoKE wiTh MAnDy clAyTon —Ultra Classics Pool and Bar, North Hampstead livE AcousTic —Wild Wing Cafe, 1331 Military Cutoff Rd.; 256-3838 100 S. Front St. Downtown 251-1832

RACK ‘EM PUB WE ARE A 100% SMOKE FREE RESTAURANT AND BAR Monday MNF All Pizzas $5 in the bar after 6 22oz Domestic Draft Kona Longboard Bottles $250 White Russians$4

oPEn Mic nighT —Port City Pub, 121 Grace St.; 251-3791 MysTERy livE Music —Juggling Gypsy Cafe, 1612 Castle St.; 763-2223

Weekly SpecialS

.0/%": $2.50 Budweiser Draft $4.00 Well Liquor FROM 4 UNTIL CLOSE $.50 Wings Buffalo, BBQ, or Teriyaki 56&4%": $2.50 Miller Lite Draft, $4.00 Hurricanes FROM 4 UNTIL CLOSE $6 Buffalo Shrimp or Chicken Tenders 8&%/&4%": $2.50 Yuengling Draft, $2.50 Domestic Bottles FROM 4 UNTIL CLOSE $2 Sliders 5)634%": $3.00 Coronas, $4.00 Margaritas FROM 4 UNTIL CLOSE $5 Cajun Shrimp or Fish Tacos '3*%": $3.00 Select Pint 4"563%": $5.50 Cosmos, Dirty Martinis or Apple Martinis 46/%": $5 Bloody Marys Half Priced Appetizers After 9:00 p.m.

Monday through Saturday.

.0/%": 1/2 PRICE APPS. 4-6PM $2 Budweiser $2.25 Heineken $3 Gin & Tonic Live music w/ JEREMY NORRIS AND FRIENDS .0/%": /*()5 '005#"-- 5"*-("5& 1"35: 25¢ Wings / $5 Sausage and Kraut $4 Tailgate Burgers $4 BBQ Plate PITCHERS OF YUENGLING OR MICH ULTRA $7 PITCHERS OF BLUE MOON OR FAT TIRE $8.50 56&4%": 1/2 PRICE APPS. 4-6PM $2 White Wolf $2.50 Redstripe $3.50 Wells 35¢ Wings at 8pm Live music w/ ROB RONNER 8&%/&4%": 1/2 PRICE APPS. 4-6PM Live music w/ JEREMY NORRIS / TOMMY BROTHERS $2.50 Blue Moons • $2.50 Corona/Corona Light 1/2 Priced Wine Bottles 5)634%": 1/2 PRICE APPS. 4-6PM Live music w/ MIKE O’DONNELL $2 Domestic Bottles • $2.75 Import Bottles $3 Rum and Coke '3*%": LIVE MUSIC IN THE COURTYARD $3 Landshark • $3 Kamikaze • $5 Bombs 4"563%": LIVE MUSIC IN THE COURTYARD Rooftop open by 6pm Dance floor open by 10pm 46/%": Live music w/ L SHAPE LOT 3-7 / MEDUSA STONE 8-12 $5 Tommy Bahama Mojitos $2.75 Corona $3.50 Bloody Mary’s • $3 Mimosas ROOFTOP KARAOKE

shAg DJ —Carolina Lounge, 5001A Market St.; 791-7595 KARAoKE wiTh DJ BiKER RoB —Katy’s, 1054 S. College Rd.; 395-6204 DJ DouBlEclicK —The Sandbar, 417 S. College Rd.; 791-6080 KARAoKE —Yosake Sushi Lounge, 31 S. Front St.; 763-3172 cAPE fEAR BluEs JAM —Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.; 251-1888 livE Music —Henry’s, 2806 Independence Blvd.; 793-2929 MATT JonEs —Juggling Gypsy Cafe, 1612 Castle St.; 763-2223

Wed., december 9

DJ P. funK —Fibber McGee’s, 1610 Pavilion Pl; 509-1551 livE Music —16 Taps, 127 Princess St.; 251-1616 KARAoKE w/ DJ uRBAn —Ibiza, 118 Market St.; 251-1301

5001 Market Street (attached to the Ramada Inn)

910-791-7595

TUESDAYS

SHAG LESSONS

@7:30 with Brad & Dancing with DJ

Lee Pearson $2 DOMESTic BOTTLES

WEDNESDAYS college Night with

DJ JEPH c

$1 DOMESTic BOTTLES $3 JAGER BOMBS

THURSDAY

LADiES NiGHT 1/2 PRicE WiNE & $5 MARTiNi LiST $2 DOMESTic

FRIDAYS ARGENTiNE TANGO LESSONS WITH INSTRUCTION at 7:30 and

SALSA LESSONS at 9:30 with live DJ $2 Tequilla - $3 Corona $4 Margarita’s

SATURDAY SALSA LESSONS Private Parties are available for booking

791-7595

piano SHoW

—Rum Runners, 21 N. Front St.; 815-3846

—El Zarrape Cantina, 103 Lake Park Blvd.; 458-5255 KaraoKe WitH DJ BiKer roB —Beach House Bar ‘n’ Grill, 7219 Market

HollyWooD lieS, SirenS for Sleeping, all lineS parallel —Lucky’s, 2505 S. College Rd.; 792-1812

St.; 689-7219

eric anD carey B.

Sent By ravenS, life on repeat,

All entertainment must be turned in to encore by noon every Thursday for consideration in the weekly entertainment calendar. Venues are responsible for notifying encore of any changes, removals or additions to their weekly schedules.

Show Stoppers: Concerts around the region HOUSE OF BLUES 4640 HWy 17 S., Myrtle BeacH, Sc 843-272-3000 12/4: David Allan Coe, Dallas Moore and The Snatch Wranglers 12/5: Sevendust, New Era Project; Blues-a-Palooza: The Reigning Parade AMOS’ SOUTHEND 1423 SoutH tryon St., cHarlotte • 704-377-6874 12/3: Switchfoot 12/4: Savng Abel, Red, Pop Evil, Tabby Porter 12/5: Beards Because Finale Party feat. Trucksop Preachers, Legendary JC’s, Dr. Eu and

Subdue’s Vibe, A Rator Bump 12/8: Cold THE ORANGE PEEL 101 BiltMore avenue, aSHeville 828-225-5851 12/4: Switchfoot 12/5: Pelican, Black Cobra, Disappearer 12/6: Rock Academy, Youth at Jazz N. CHARLESTON COLESIUM 5001 coliSeuM Dr.,

LINCOLN THEATRE 126 e. caBarruS St., raleigH 919-821-4111 12/4: Outformation, Waylandsphere 12/5: David Allan Coe, Rebel Son

courteSy of artiSt

claSSy KaraoKe WitH ManDy clayton —Remedies, Market Street; 392-8001 open Mic nigHt —Juggling Gypsy Cafe, 1612 Castle St.; 763-2223 DJ —Shanty’s Beach and Blues Club, 103 North Lake Park Blvd.; 599-3366 DJBe eXtreMe KaraoKe S. Front St.; —Wild Wing Cafe, 1331 Military Cutoff Rd.; 256-3838 KaraoKe WitH BoB clayton —Midtown Seafood, 4106 Oleander Dr.; 792-6880 DJ JepH caulter —Carolina Lounge, 5001A Market St.; 791-7595 open Mic nigHt WitH gary allen 2 Castle St.; —Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.; 251-1888 JereMy norriS & toMMy BrotHerS —Reel Cafe, 100 S. Front St.; 251-1832 tHe pretty tHingS peepSHoW —Soapbox Upstairs, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 DJ Big KaHuna —Club Vida, 105 Wetsig Road; 791-9955

cHarleSton, Sc 843-529-5000 12/5: Bela Fleck and the Flecktones 12/9: USAF Heritage of America Band

GREENSBORO COLISEUM COMPLEX 1921 WeSt lee Street, greenSBoro 336-373-7400 12/5: Big Boys of Comedy Tour 12/10: Martina McBride

ALABAMA THEATRE 4750 HWy 17 S., n. Myrtle BcH, Sc 843-272-1111 Christmas show (closed Sundays) CAT’S CRADLE 300 e. Main St., carrBoro 919-967-9053 12/2: ¡Viva Christmas! with Los Straitjackets, El Vez, Killer Filler 12/3: Mike Posner, 2AM Club, Chiddy Bang 12/5: Southern Culture on the Skids, Mad Tea Party, Pinche Gringo 12/6: Raekwon (above left), Capone-N-Noreaga, Queen Yonasda

All Hustler

Cover up your HO HO HO with

Lingere On Sale Now!

TWILIGHT PARODY

available now!

Go Team Jacob !!! es Best pric in town!

Bachelorette Party Supplies Slippery selections of lotions and oils Largest selection of toys, games & novelties Thousands of DVDs for sale or rent Great selection of magazines 100-channel DVD video arcade

6213C Market Street • 796-0690

OPEN: Mon.-Sat.10am- midnight • Sunday: 1pm - midnight encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com 19

below dining review

22-25 Dining Guide

Pub Hub: The new Carolina Ale House is a mainstay for football fans

S

omething heavy, something hot, by: Zach Keown something fried; sometimes these are the things we crave, and fortunately Carolina Ale House Wilmington isn’t starved for restaurants that 317-C College Road cater to the desire for what is, essentially, (910) 791-9393 pub food. However, the challenge lies in finding a pub-style restaurant that isn’t a H H H H H member of the average tchotchke-infested chains or, on the far opposite end of the brillliant fixture, really, perfect for drowning spectrum, a purveyor of the dollar menu, the irritation of a long wait or for enjoying a where Franken-meat burgers and other ge- little fresh air between courses. netically engineered Soylent Green-style Two hours and some change later, we fare goes easy on the wallet but has the were seated. When we asked why the wait health benefits of a carton of cigarettes. had been so long, we were told “six” is The newly opened Carolina Ale House a weird number because they only have a tries to fill that gap. I got the feeling as I handful of tables that can seat that many. walked in a couple of days following the Despite the fact that tables could be pushed opening that the Ale House is a place that together, we accepted the explanation wants desperately not to be compared to without argument, if only from the gnawing Chili’s and Applebee’s. Of course, they’ve hunger eating away at our stomachs. Again, fulfilled their quota when it comes to ran- we knew they were busy. In fact, upon my dom flair nailed to the walls at odd angles, return on two separate occasions, getting but, for the most part, the local and region- seated was fairly quick and painless. The al sports regalia don’t seem to have come waitstaff, while coping with the inner-workfrom a warehouse in China. ings of a brand new restaurant, handled the In the capacity of a sports bar, the Caro- massive crowds quite professionally. Sure, lina Ale House is great. It’s loud, there are sometimes a drink went without being remultiple bars selling a rainbow of neon mar- filled for a little too long, but when parties tinis, and, if my count was correct, there are of 12 are showing up for a round of steaks, around 16 or 17 thousand hi-def televisions the little things can understandably get lost hanging from the ceiling like fluorescent bats, in the mix. broadcasting every kind of sport known to In my mind, the quintessential American man—and at maximum decibels. The extreme pub food is the cheeseburger. To that end, exposure would make any sports fan go nuts I tried both the Cuban Panini Burger and the (especially after laying eyes on their huge pro- Carolina Ale House Pub Burger upon my jection screen). handful of visits. The Cuban Panini didn’t efBecause it’s a sports bar, the Ale House fectively emulate a Cuban sandwich. Rather may not the best place to take the wife and than delivering roasted pork, it came with a kids for a lovely family meal and a bit of, “How piece of ham, provolone cheese, mustard and was your week, honey?” conversation. Fami- pickles. None of the ingredients particularly lies would need a bionic set of vocal cords stood out on their own; although, the ham did to compete with the volume of the television, seem a little tough. music and howling sports fans (then again, Upon a different visit, the waiter recommany families may be used to precisely that mended the Pub Burger as a house specialty style of communication). and, pleasingly, it was of higher quality. Topped On my first visit, a couple of days into with crisp bacon and fried onion strings, along opening week (which, I know, isn’t always the with American cheese and “Papa Lou’s sebest time to review new eateries), I came with cret sauce” (the secret is that it tastes like a party of six. Knowing parties aren’t always barbecue sauce), everything melded nicely. reasonably within the realm of immediate There was a punch in the sauce that awoke seating, we expected a wait, which we were the smokiness of the bacon and had even given: 45 minutes. So we relegated ourselves more depth against the friable crisp of the to the Ale House’s outside bar, which is a onion strings.

20 encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

GET GRUBBIN’: Diners can’t go wrong with a burger and fries at the newly opened Carolina Ale House—but the fried pickles (right) are heaven!

Again, upon my third return, I ventured away from the burger but not from the beef. Among many entrées, the Carolina Ale House offers a Baseball Sirloin, a cut that takes on the basic shape and mass of a baseball. Served with a demi-glace sauce, alongside garlic mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables, the steak itself struck me as cleverly prepared but somewhat dishonest in the same breadth. It’s clever in that the demi-glace added an extra degree of delicacy and taste to an inexpensive, lean (i.e. sometimes tough) cut of meat.

It seemed dishonest in that the price was still well above the $14 mark.

Other members of my party, on all occasions, ordered a variety of entrées that were hit and miss. The Southern fried chicken salad and grilled blackened chicken sandwich both were well received, but the fish and chips and vegetable pizza left something to be desired.

The batter of the fish—or anything fried at the Ale House, for that matter—benefits from a light, sweet recipe, but the fish itself tasted

bland, booting a sponge-like texture. While I didn’t try the vegetable pizza, personally, I was told that the produce remained fresh— not overly done and soggy as veggies tend to get on pizza. Still, the cheese and dough had a degree of processed flavor so prevalent across America’s food industry.

Interestingly, the one consistent element upon every visit was the desire for a basket of fried pickles. What has become a Southern appetizer on many local menus, fried pickles are far superior to fries, cheese sticks, potato skins and any other pub-app offered about town. At the Ale House, the batter cradling the pickles crunches perfectly in its golden flair, offering a tangy, softer middle. Alone, they always prove worth a visit.

Carolina Ale House takes a shot at good, local pub food, adding to our foodscape another sports bar where specials always hit the wallet nicely (their bleu cheese, Buffalo cheese sticks sounded something worth trying, although only available one day a week), and the atmosphere keeps fans happily cheering. While the Ale House isn’t entirely missing the mark, it isn’t directly on the bullseye yet. But for football fans, they’re a hard act to follow.

encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com 21

u itodeateand drink in the port city d i n i n g gwhere american Black Horn Bar & kitcHen

Enjoy an extensive selection of gourmet soups, salads, sandwiches and specialty Americana in this rustic chic setting. From the dry-rubbed and slowroasted Better Buffalo Wings to the hardwood smoked Duck Quesadilla, Black Horn offers unique twists on traditional foods. Always family friendly with smoke-free dining, a large arcade gaming area, 23 Hi-Def TV’s and Nintendo Wii. Live music every weekend. 7 days a week, 11am–2am. 15 Carolina Beach Avenue North, “the boardwalk,” Carolina Beach. www.blackhornbarandkitchen. com. (910) 458-5255.

Brixx Wood Fired Pizza A short drive from the beach, Brixx Wood Fired Pizza in Mayfaire Town Center is a fun, friendly neighborhood restaurant. Serving the best brick-oven pizzas around, Brixx also offers a fine selection of signature focaccia sandwiches, pastas, fresh salads and desserts. Stop in for a quick lunch, or kick back on the patio with one of 24 beers on tap or 14 wines by the glass. Brixx is also a late-night destination, serving 2-for-1 pizzas and appetizers after 10 p.m.

Open until 1 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 p.m. on Sunday.6801 Main Street, Wilmington, NC 28405. 910-256-9677. www.brixxpizza.com

BlUeWater

A sprawling two-story restaurant located on the Intracoastal Waterway, Bluewater offers spectacular panoramic views. Watch all types of boats cruise past your table, and relax to the sound of sail masts lightly touching at the nearby marina, all while enjoying the casual American menu. Dinner mainstays include baby back ribs, char-grilled steaks, fresh fish, and delicious homemade desserts. BluewaterDining.com. 4 Marina Street, Wrightsville Beach, NC . 910.256.8500

c.G. daWGs For great traditional New York style eats with Southern charm look no further than C.G. Dawgs. You will be drawn in by the aroma of fine beef franks served with witty banter and good natured delivery from the cleanest hot dog carts in Wilmington. Sabrett famous hot dogs and Italian sausages are the primary fare offered, with a myriad of condiments for all of your midday or late night cravings. You may find them daily at their new location on the boardwalk of Market and Water St. from 11am to 5pm. Saturdays at the farmers market. Thursday-Saturday nights they are on Market St. between Front and 2nd St. from 10pm to 3:00am.

Then they finish the week off at Fibbers on Sunday nights until 3am. To busy to leave the office? Ask about their lunch time delivery service for downtown!!

tHe GeorGe on tHe riVerWalk Drop your anchor at The George on the RiverWalk, your destination for complete sense indulgence. Watch the historic Cape Fear River unfold before you while you enjoy the best in Southern Coastal Cuisine. The menu combines elegance, creativity and diverse selection of steak, pasta, salad and fresh seafood, including the best Shrimp n’ Grits in town. Warm in the sun on the expansive outdoor deck sipping an exotic, color-

ful martini, or unwind at the spacious bar inside boasting extensive wine and martini lists along with weekday appetizer specials from 4:00pm6:30pm. Don’t forget to try downtown’s best kept secret for Sunday Brunch from 11am-3pm.

You are welcome to dock your boat at the only dock’n’dine restaurant downtown, grab a trolley, or enjoy our free, front door parking (ask for pass!)

Lunch and Dinner Tues-Sunday. Why satisfy when you can indulge? Find the George on the RiverWalk at 128 South Water Street. 910-763-2052 or online at www.thegeorgeontheriverwalk.com

Hells kitcHen

This former Dawson’s Creek stage set has been turned into a lively pub in the heart of Downtown Wilmington. Their extensive menu ranges from classics like a thick Angus burger or NY style reuben to lighter fare such as homemade soups, fresh salads, and vegetarian options. Whether meeting for a business lunch, lingering over dinner and drinks, or watching the game on the big screen, the atmosphere and friendly service will turn you into a regular. Open late 7 days a week, with a pool table, darts, weekly trivia, and live music on the weekends. Offers limited lunchtime delivery during the week and can accommodate large parties. MSat 11am until late, opens Sundays at noon. 118 Princess St, (910) 763-4133

HenrY’s

A local favorite and must-see for visitors, Henry’s award-winning decor features beautifully hued stacked sandstone, a hand painted ceiling and a gorgeous 100-year-old Brunswick-style tiger oak bar.

At dinner, modern American offerings include slow roasted prime rib, rotisserie chicken, signature crab cakes, and delectable seafood dishes. Lunch features include deli sandwiches made with fresh Boars Head cold-cuts, delicious salads, and fresh bread.

Save room for the homemade strawberry shortcake!

HenrysRestaurant.com. 2508 Independence Boulevard, Wilmington, NC. 910.793.2929.

HolidaY inn resort

The Verandah Café Restaurant located in this oceanfront resort is a wonderful find. This is the perfect place to enjoy a fresh Seafood & Steak dinner while dinning outside overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Chef Eric invites you to experience his daily specials in this magnificent setting. Open daily for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. 256-2231 Wrightsville Beach

keFi

Kefi, founded in 1981 by a group of friends, has a longstanding tradition as a favorite local watering hole. This Wrightsville-Beach eatery is open at 6am for breakfast, offering everything from omelets and pancakes, to shrimp and grits. Take a break from the beach and visit Kefi’s, where their menu features a variety of salads and sandwiches. There is even a “working man’s lunch,” served Monday through Friday, all for under $6. At night Kefi comes alive by serving dinner with a Southern flare. From the fried pickles appetizer to their the shrimp or oyster Po’boy to their nightly dinner specials, there is something that will make your taste buds sing. Then stick around for live music on Friday, Saturday and Sunday; nightly drink specials are offered. Go online at www.kefilive.com for more

22 encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

info and full music schedule. Open 6am-2am, seven days a week, with full ABC permits. Lunch deliveries available in the Wrightsville Beach area. Located at 2012 Eastwood Road, 910-256-3558.

picnics, office meetings or social gatherings for parties of 15 to 5,000 people. They offer both full service and simple drop-off options to meet anyone’s catering needs. 5044 Market Street, (910) 452-7427.

tHe little diPPer

trollY stoP

Wilmington’s favorite fondue restaurant! The Little Dipper specializes in unique fondue dishes with a global variety of cheeses, meats, seafood, vegetables, chocolates and fine wines. The warm and intimate dining room is a great place to enjoy a fourcourse meal, or indulge in appetizers and desserts outside on the back deck or in the bar while watching luminescent jellyfish. Open Tuesday-Sunday, serving dinner at 5pm. Reservations are appreciated for parties of any size. Located at the corner of Front and Orange in Downtown Wilmington. 138 South Front Street • (910) 251-0433

Pine ValleY Market

Pine Valley Market has reigned supreme in servicing the Wilmington community for years, securing encore’s Best-Of awards in catering, gourmet shop and butcher.

Now, Kathy Webb and Christi Ferretti are expanding their talents into serving lunch in-house, so folks can enjoy their hearty, homemade meals in the quaint and cozy ambience of the market. Using the freshest ingredients of highest quality, diners can enjoy the best Philly Cheesesteak in Wilmington, along with numerous other sandwich varieties, from their Angus burger to classic Reuben, Italian sub to a grown-up banana and peanut butter sandwich that will take all diners back to childhood.

Served among a soup du jour and salads, there is something for all palates. Take advantage of their take-home frozen meals for nights that are too hectic to cook, and don’t forget to pick up a great bottle of wine to go with it. Mon.-Fri. 10am-7pm; Sat. 9am-6pm; closed Sunday.

3520 S. College Road, (910) 350-FOOD.

MelloW MUsHrooM

Now a smoke-free restaurant, mellow out and relax in the comfortable atmosphere that Mellow Mushroom offers. From the giant psychadelic ‘shroom located in the bar area to the Cadillac hanging on the wall, this restaurant is far from ordinary. The open kitchen brings live entertainment as pizza dough flies in the air. Their hand-tossed, spring-water dough brings new meaning to pizzas and calzones—healthy!! With 20 drafts and an array of microbrews, domestic and import bottles, Mellow Mushroom has an extensive beer list and full bar. Also, check out their lunch specials and variety of sandwiches. Their menu also caters to everyone and offers many vegetarian dishes. Live jazz on Wednesdays. Hours: Mon-Sat, 11am-10pm; Sun., 12pm-9pm. 4311 Oleander Drive, 452-3773.

stickY FinGers riB HoUse Sticky Fingers is known for the best authentic Memphis-style ribs, wings and barbecue in town. It’s no secret that slow, low-temperature smoking produces mouth-watering, tender ribs, chicken and pork. Sticky Fingers smokes everything right here in the restaurant and has received national praise for award-winning ribs. The restaurant was recently featured in Bon Appetit, Southern Living and Food and Wine, and had fantastic television exposure on CNBC’s “The Today Show,” and the Food Network. Locals voted Sticky Fingers “Best Ribs” in Wilmington. Sticky Fingers Catering has become an obvious choice for company

Trolly Stop Hot Dogs is family owned and operated with six locations throughout North Carolina. A family tradition for over 30 years specializing in homemade chili, slaw, burritos, tea and sauces. Smithfield all meat, Sabrett all beef, Oscar Mayer fat-free and Litelife veggie hot dogs.

Try their unique “burger slab dog,” which is a burger in a unique shape. 94 S. Lumina Ave., Wrightsville Beach, 256-3421; Cape Fear Blvd. in Carolina Beach, 4587557; 111A South Howe St., Southport, 457-7017; 121 N. Front St., downtown Wilmington, 343-2999; 784 King St., Boone, NC, 828-265-2658; 4502 Fountain Dr., 910-452-3952. Call individual stores for hours of operation.

asian doUBle HaPPiness Double Happiness offers the Port City fine Asian dining at reasonable prices. We prepare flavorful dishes inspired by the cultural richness of Malaysia, Thailand and authentic China. We’re now serving traditional dim sum, and good health special vegetarian dishes, such as Soy Peking Ribs, homemade tofu and homemade Malaysian sponge cake. We are dedicated to branding the exotic flavors of fresh ingredients and a romantic spice in all of our cooking techniques. Our friendly staff is always willing to help customers, and we serve beer and wine for lunch and dinner. Banquet and tatami rooms are available for large parties.

Open Monday through Saturday, 11am-10pm; and Sunday 3pm-10pm. 4403 Wrightsville Avenue; 910313-1088. www.doublehappinessrestaurant.com.

szecHUan 132

Craving expertly prepared Chinese food in an elegant atmosphere? Szechuan 132 Chinese Restaurant is your destination! Szechuan 132 has earned the reputation as one of the finest contemporary Chinese restaurants in the Port City. Tastefully decorated with an elegant atmosphere, with an exceptional ingenious menu has deemed Szechuan 132 the best Chinese restaurant for years, hands down. 419 South College Road (in University Landing), 799-1426.

Hiro jaPanese steakHoUse What better way to celebrate a special occasion or liven up a dinner out than to dine in a place where every meal is an exciting presentation. Knowing that a meal should be more than just great food, Hiro adds a taste of theatre and a amazing atmosphere to everyone’s dinning experience. Also serving sushi, Hiro surprises its guests with a new special roll every week and nightly drink specials to complement it. From 4-7pm enjoy half-priced nigiri and half-priced regular makimono. Nigiri makimono combos are only $7.50, while early-bird specials last from 4-6pm, where diners can choose two: shrimp, chicken or steak. Open Monday thru Thursday 4pm-10pm; Friday and Saturday 4pm10:30pm; and Sunday 11am-10pm. Located at 222 Old Eastwood Road (910) 794-1570. Please visit the Web site at hirojapanesesteakhouse.com.

.BLF .FNPSJFT %PXOUPXO 5 Live Theatres, 5 Cool Museums, Riverwalk, 20 Galleries, 100 Shops, Carriage Rides, Tours, 50 Restaurants, 0 Chains

Make Memories Downtown 5 Live Theatres, 5 Cool Museums, Riverwalk, 20 Galleries, 100 Shops, Carriage Rides,

$5.99 Lunches â&#x20AC;˘ $6.99 Dinners

Tours, 50 Restaurants

Serving Full Menu Until Midnight Every Day

All within walking distance

Free Beer Tasting & Tours Wed 6-8pm Free Wine Tasting Tue 6-8pm Free Live Music Th, Fr, Sa Nights 1/2 Price Apps 4-7 & After 9pm

.0/%":

$1 Coors Lite Draft $1 Tacos 56&4%":

Park FREE 1st hour at the Market Street Deck 9 N. Front St. â&#x20AC;˘ 'SPOU4USFFU#SFXFSZ DPN â&#x20AC;˘ Kids Menu Avail

-*7& .64*$ /0 $07&3 5)634 4"5

#&//: )*--

8&%/&4%":

December 2

5)634%":

$2 Bud Light Draft â&#x20AC;˘ $3 Flying Dog Bottles $5 Quesa Mesas (a quesadilla) $6 Tad Bowls (a taco salad) '3*%":

$3 Pints â&#x20AC;˘ $5.25 Beerman Tacos $6.50 Philly Faddi 4"563%":

$2.50 Domestic Bottles $6.25 Original Faddis â&#x20AC;˘ $10 Fajitas 46/%":

$6 Budweiser Pitchers â&#x20AC;˘ $7 Platter of 20 Wings

HOLIDAY GIFT CARDS!

December 1

$2 Import Bottles $2 Molson and Blue Moon Drafts $5 Nachos â&#x20AC;˘ $6 Tequila Tender Faddi $2 Bud and Bud Light Bottles $1.75 Molson Canadian Draft 35¢ Wings $4 Vegge Faddi

! n w o t Best in For every $50 of gift cards purchased, receive a FREE $10 gift card A $60 value!

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Make your your Christmas Christmas Make reservation up up to to aa reservation 100 people. people.

100

December 3

'3004) 53*0

Serving â&#x20AC;&#x153;Private Reserveâ&#x20AC;? steaks starting at $1399 steaks

wings

ribs

salads

OPEN FOR LUNCH & DINNER In the Cotton Exchange Downtown Wilmington

762-4354

FREE PARKING www.paddyshollow.com encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com 23

IndochIne lounge

restaurant

and

If you’re ready to experience the wonders of the Orient without having to leave Wilmington, join us at Indochine for a truly unique experience. Indochine brings the flavors of the Far East to the Port City, combining the best of Thai and Vietnamese cuisine in an atmosphere that will transport you and your taste buds. Relax in our elegantly decorated dining room, complete with antique Asian decor as well as contemporary artwork and music. Our diverse, friendly and efficient staff will serve you beautifully presented dishes full of enticing aromas and flavors. Be sure to try such signature items as the spicy and savory Roasted Duck with Red Curry, or the beautifully presented and delicious Shrimp and Scallops in a Nest. Be sure to save room for our world famous desert, the banana egg roll! We take pride in using only the freshest ingredients, and our extensive menu suits any taste. After dinner, enjoy specialty drinks by the koi pond in our Asian garden, or be entertained every Friday night with a Balinese dancer. Located at 7 Wayne Drive (beside the Ivy Cottage), 251-9229. Indochinewilmington.com

Yo sake

Located on the second floor of the historic Roudabush building in downtown Wilmington, Yo Sake features the best sushi along with a full pan-Asian menu served amid fabulous Tokyo vogue décor.

Entrees include Sake Bombed Duck, Tea Rubbed Salmon and Grilled Beef Tenderloin. The bar boasts an extensive wine list including 16 sakes and fantastic specialty drinks like the Wilmington-famous Pomegranate Ginger Mojito. Don’t forget to try the Fresh Mango Cheesecake or the scrumptious Coconut Banana Ice Cream, and, if you ask nicely,

they just might drop a scoop of the Lychee Sorbet into a glass of champagne for you. Open everyday 5pm-2am. Dinner served 5-11pm. Ask about our late night menu. Live entertainment nightly Tuesday -Saturday beginning at 10:30pm. 33 South Front Street, downtown Wilmington. (910) 763-3172.

Visit us at www.yosake.com.

caribbean JaMaIca’s

coMFort

Zone

Jamaica’s Comfort Zone is Wilmington’s Authentic Caribbean Restaurant conveniently located at 417 S. College Road in University Landing. We offer exquisite Caribbean cuisine to satisfy your taste buds, whether they are for spicy Jamaican jerk chicken, mellow flavors of our curry chicken, curry goat or our ox tail skillfully flavored by our Jamaican chefs. Come in and enjoy our many menu selections, our warm décor, smoke-free atmosphere, excellent service and our smooth reggae music. Operating hours are: Sunday 3:00pm – 8:00pm; Wednesday – Saturday 11:45am – 9:00pm (Closed Monday and Tuesday).

Jamaica’s Comfort Zone is family owned and operated. Check us out at www.jamaicascomfortzone. com or call us 910-399-2867.

french caPrIce BIstro

Wilmington’s finest French cuisine can be found at Caprice Bistro, a small informal neighborhood restaurant, serving hearty food in generous portions at affordable prices. Simple is the atmosphere in the bistro, as plain white plates and tables dressed in white paper make up the decor. However, the food is far from simple, as a combination of fresh ingredients

december 10th

7:30pm@ OdeSSA 23 N. FrONT ST $7 AT THe dOOr

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and innovative preparation delight the taste buds with a plethora of unique appetizers, entrées and desserts.

The service is fast, efficient and non-intrusive, and the ambience is friendly and unpretentious. After dinner, be sure to venture upstairs into their cozy and relaxing sofa bar for an after-dinner martini, or enjoy your meal there, as a light-fare and full menus are served. Art is always on display in the sofa bar, so be sure to inquire frequently about their artist show receptions. Voted “Best French Restaurant” three years in a row! 10 Market Street, downtown Wilmington, 815-0810.

italian antonIos PIZZa and Pasta

Antonio’s Pizza and Pasta, simply known as Antonio’s, is anything but simple. From scrumptious appetizers to signature pizza to some of the best traditional Italian pasta dishes in town, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a cozy dinner for two or bring the whole family in for pizza and fun. Offering beer and wine at their Monkey Junction and Porter’s Neck location and live music Friday and Saturday nights with all ABC permits at their Leland location, Antonio’s has thought of everything for you to enjoy your dining experience with them. Monkey Junction across from Super Walmart off South College Road (910) 792-0000, Porter’s Neck Shopping Center next to Kiva Grill off Market Street (910) 686-7774, Cross Creek Commons across from Magnolia Greens (910) 383-0033. www.antoniospizzaandpasta.com

caFe BasIl ItalIan grIll

Cafe’ Basil Italian grill the only authentic New York style Italian cuisine in south east North Carolina.

Owners Nick and Vincent DiNapoli are the real deal, two brothers from New York who brought all their family cooking secrets with them. The menu is filled with all your favorite traditional Italian entrees like home made Lasagna, Chicken Parmesan, Veal and Chicken Marsala to raviolis, stuffed shells and the best bowl of pasta you ever had. Plus they have grilled entrees including steaks and chops. The atmosphere is warm and inviting with dark woods and red brick through out, right down to the newly opened full service bar. There are nightly drink specials and live music every weekend in the piano bar. They’re also able to cater your next party or business function in the private banquette room. With nightly blackboard specials, drink specials, scrumptious deserts and an early bird special every day from 4 to 6. Cafe Basil will soon become your second home. One mile north of the College road over pass 10 minutes from downtown and Porters Neck. Open Mon-Sat, 4 pm-closing. Closed Sunday. For information and reservations call 910-791-9335.

eddIe roManellI’s

A marvel of architecture with an open display kitchen that adds to the stunning ambiance of the dining room. Eddie Romanelli’s offers lunch (Oleander Dr), dinner and late night menu (Oleaner Dr). The diverse menu is casual American with Italian influences, featuring favorites such as 16oz.

Marinated Rib Eye Steak, Stuffed Pork Chop, Mama Romanelli’s Lasagna, Shrimp and Crabmeat Cannelloni, unique California-style pizza and more.

RomanellisRestaurant.com. 5400 Oleander Drive, Wilmington. 910.799.7000 and 503 Olde Waterford Way, Leland. 910.383.1885

slIce oF lIFe

“Slice” has become a home away from home for tourists and locals alike. Our menu includes salads, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, homemade soups, subs and, of course, pizza. We only serve the freshest and highest-quality ingredients in all of our

food, and our dough is made daily with purified water.

We have the largest tequila selection in Wilmington.

Voted “Best Pizza” and “Best Late Night Eatery.”

Stop by for lunch dinner, or a late-night treat, open from 11:30am until 3am, seven days a week, 365 days a year, all ABC permits. 122 Market Street between Second and Front, downtown Wilmington. 251-9444.

Visit our 2nd location at 1437 Military Cutoff rd., next to PT’s! 256-2229 www.grabslice.com.

Mediterranean nagIla: the kosher Moroccan caFe

Nagila, The Moroccan Café, is a quaint, neighborhood dining place, located on Wrightsville Avenue, near Canady’s Sporting Goods. Internationally recognized Chef Shai Shalit brings the finest dining experience and superb eclectic tastes rarely experienced even in those larger metropolitan cities. Stop by for lunch and try his homemade pita bread, prepared fresh daily, stuffed with any filling of your choice. With lunch specials starting at just $5.95 and dinner specials starting at $9.95, Nagila is affordable and authentic, serving the most fantastic tahini and hummus, as well as chicken Moroccan soup that will warm your stomach.

For the less adventurous guests, Shai can prepare an unbelievable steak or a pita hamburger—one not easily forgotten. Finish your dinner with a delicious piece of Baklava and a wonderful Turkish coffee or tea. Come on in and try out Wilmington’s newest, relaxing surroundings—that of a Moroccan oasis. Reservations: 233-1251 or 798-9940. Open Sunday-Thursday; Lunch 11am-4pm; Dinner 4pm-until. Open for lunch on Friday at 11am - call for closing time. Closed Friday evening to Saturday evening for shabbos. Open Saturday night - call for times.

organic loVeY’s Market

Lovey’s Market is a true blessing for shoppers looking for natural and organic groceries, or just a great place to meet friends for a quick, delicious, and totally fresh snack. Whether they are in the mood for a veggie burger, a bean burrito or a chicken Caesar wrap, shoppers will find a large selection of nutritious meals on the a la carte café menu at Lovey’s. The food bar—which has cold salads and hot selections that can be eaten in the café seating or boxed for take-out—can be enjoyed all day long, while the juice bar offers a wide variety of juices and smoothies made with organic fruits and vegetables.

Specializing in bulk sales of produce, grains, flours, beans and spices at affordable prices, Lovey‘s also carries grass-fed and free-range meats and poultry.

Wheat-free, gluten-free, products are in stock regularly, as are vegan and vegetarian groceries and wholesome pet foods. For anything shoppers want that is not in stock, Lovey‘s will be happy to find it.

Stop by Lovey’s Market Monday through Friday, 9am to 7pm; Saturday, 9am to 6pm; and on Sundays, 10am to 6pm. Café hours: Monday-Friday, 11am–6pm; Saturday & Sunday, 10am-6pm. Located at 1319 Military Cutoff Road; 910-509-0331. Online at www. loveysmarket.com.

tIdal creek co-oP

Tidal Creek Deli offers a wide array of exceptional and unusual organic foods, all of which taste as good as they are for you. The salad bar and hot bar incorporate flavors from around the world; each item is prepared by hand using only fresh and local ingredients. The chefs are constantly experimenting to create new and exciting dishes. Choose from made to order smoothies with almond butter and hemp milk, salads with

locally grown greens or, special order a wedding cake made from scratch to your specifications. Whatever your tastes, Tidal Creek Deli is a place to rejuvenate the mind and body while enjoying the company of a friendly and relaxed organic community.

SEAFOOD DOCK STREET OYSTER BAR

Voted Best Oysters for over 10 years by encore readers, you know what you can find at Dock Street Oyster Bar. But we have a lot more than oysters! Featuring a full menu of seafood, pasta, and chicken dishes from $4.95-$25.95, there’s something for everyone at Dock Street. You’ll have a great time eating in our “Bohemian-Chic” atmosphere, where you’ll feel just as comfortable in flip flops as you would in a business suit. Smoke Free! Located at 12 Dock St in downtown Wilmington. Open for lunch and dinner, 7 days a week.

762-2827 www.dockstreetoysterbar.net.

EAST AT THE BLOCKADE RUNNER HOTEL

The Blockade Runner offers an array of seasonal seafood specials, certified Angus beef, lobster menu on Friday evening plus a spectacular Sunday brunch.

Romantic al fresco dining is available on our dinner deck located in the center of a lush garden overlooking the ocean far away from the traffic and noise. We offer live entertainment on Saturday evening and Sunday brunch. Our smoke free lounge is eco-friendly and offers light fare nightly. 275 Waynick Blvd. Wrightsville Beach. 910-256-2251.

HIERONYMUS

Proving that excellent seafood isn’t just for the eateries at Wrightsville Beach, Hieronymus Seafood is the stop for midtown Wilmington seafood lovers. In business for 27 years strong, Hieronymus has made a name for itself by consistently providing excellent service and the freshest of the fresh in oceanic cuisine. Complete with a full-service bar and a fireside oyster bar, it’s the place to be if you are seeking top-quality attributes in atmosphere, presentation, flavor and ingenuity.

Signature dishes include Oysters Hieronymus and the Scallops Fra Diavlo. Hieronymus has all ABC permits and also provides catering. Voted “Best Seafood” in 2007. 5035 Market Street; 392-6313.

CATCH MODERN SEAFOOD

When Wilmingtonians think of fresh, flavorful seafood, they flock to Catch. Couples enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres at the bar, professionals meet for business meetings and locals come for their favorites. The understated décor and friendly service create a warm and relaxing atmosphere. In this quaint bistro, Catch serves New American seafood with Asian influences.

Customers enjoy unique flavors and modern creations, matched with the best local seafood and organic produce in the Cape Fear. Some seasonal offerings include soft-shell crabs, grouper nuggets, summer flounder, N.C. shrimp and Carolina catfish. House specialties range from broiled miso-glazed wild salmon to crispy fried oyster platters. No reservations accepted. Open Mon-Fri., 11am – 2pm for lunch and now open for dinner Wed-Fri. only from 5:30pm – 9pm (BYOB). 215 Princess Street, downtown Wilmington.

Catch is chef-owned and -operated. (910) 762-2841 or www.catchwilmingtonnc.com.

OCEAN GRILL

Located next to the Golden Sands hotel in Carolina Beach, the Ocean Grill offers three distinct dining experiences: a spacious dining room with wonderful views of the Atlantic Ocean, a patio bar in the covered patio area, and a open-air Tiki Bar on the pier. You will find a

full menu inside, and appetizers, sandwiches and a full selection of beverages on the Tiki Bar menu. Serving lunch on Saturday and Sunday, and brunch on Sundays from 10am-2pm. Lunch 7 days a week beginning May 22nd. Live music calendar: www.oceangrill.us. Tiki Bar open at 11am 7 days a week. 1211 S. Lake Park Blvd, Carolina Beach; (910) 458-2000.

OCEANIC

Breathtaking panoramic views. Oceanic’s third floor private banquet room provides a spectacular lookout over the Atlantic Ocean, Wrightsville Beach and Masonboro Island. With its own restroom & bar facilities, it is perfect for wedding receptions, birthdays and corporate functions. Oceanic is a classic seafood house specializing in local seafood. Choose from a selection of seafood platters, combination plates and daily fresh fish. For land lovers, try steaks, chicken or pasta. OceanicRestaurant.com. 703 S. Lumina Avenue, Wrightsville Beach. 910.256.5551

Share Holiday Cheer Dec. 5 • 2pm-6pm

REEL CAFE

For eight years, the Reel Café has been Wilmington’s premier restaurant and nightlife location, because it has something for everyone. Enjoy dining in our restaurant, live music in our courtyard Oyster Bar, dancing in the second-floor danceclub or cocktails on the Rooftop Bar overlooking the Cape Fear River. We offer lunch, dinner and a late-night menu. Lunch has a variety of salads, sandwiches and steamers. Our dinner menu has a wonderful variety of burgers, sandwiches, pastas and steaks. We also have delicious seafood entrées and salads, or try the specials prepared daily by our chef. Whether it’s a delightful meal, live music or the downtown nightlife, The Reel Café is the place to be.

Located at 100 S. Front Street, the Reel is also available for banquets and private parties. Call for details: 251-1832.

SOUTHERN HALL’S TROPICANA RESTAURANT Hall’s is a Wilmington tradition! Originally opened in 1901 as a drug store, Hall’s has been serving the Downtown community for over 100 years. We serve traditional Southern fare, including a classic breakfast with the accompaniments you’ve grown to love. Lunch includes a Southern buffet Monday-Friday with pork, chicken, all the fixin’s, and a special addition every day! Don’t forget our unique menu, which includes everything from specialty sandwiches to fried seafood. Most importantly, at Hall’s everything is fresh! Open Monday-Friday, 7am-2pm (buffet 11-2), and Saturday from 7am-12:30pm with breakfast and menu items only. 421 Castle St. 910-762-2210.

PINK PIG CAFE Downtown Wilmington’s newest dining option has arrived! Serving breakfast and lunch all day, the Pink Pig offers a full menu featuring good ol’ fashioned cookin’ along with a few of our own innovations. For breakfast, try one of our tasty country plates or a sandwich stacked high with your favorite items. For lunch, try our already-famous Redneck Reuben, and you can’t go wrong with our real pit-smoked barbecue sandwiches. C’mon in try for yourself!

Open Tues-Sat, 8am-8pm, and Sun., 10am6pm. 124 Princess St, Downtown. 910-3996096 other sporting events. We have plenty of seating and a fun atmosphere for the whole family. In Racine Commons, 910-409-9860.

Salon and Day spa

Join us for food, games, and more! r -JWF NVTJD CZ UIF CBOE 4)*/& r 'SFF QIPUPT XJUI 4BOUB r 8JO B MVYVSJPVT EBZ TQB QBDLBHF WBMVFE BU

r %PPS QSJ[FT BOE HBNFT r )PMJEBZ TQFDJBMT GPS FBDI HVFTt Earthbound Salon and Day Spa will be sponsoring a benefit for Hospitality House. The benefit will generate much-needed support for the Hospitality House in their efforts to provide safe and supportive accommodations for love ones caring for those in intensive care in our community.

n ime i t y n A r mbe e c e D

Give a Gift, Get a Gift!

Purchase a gift certificate valued $50 or more and receive a Good Karma Package for yourself!

(Includes: an eastern scalp massage, foot and hand relief, and an eye cure).

4833 Carolina Beach Rd., Suite 103 910-791-9160 encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com 25

below Book-Club Preview

28-35 Calendar / Toons / Corkboard

Absorbing Young Minds: Joel Finsel introduces Coloring Stories for Conscious Children, Volume 2

O

nce upon a time, far, far away in the 1950s, characters in children’s books enjoyed magical adventures and lived happily ever within enchanted castles. It always seemed the strong child who was dealing with difficult obstacles always had a rescue at the end of the book. By contrast, today’s children are sadly aware of the differences between reality and fairy tales, and it weighs heavily upon their absorbing minds.

Former children’s laureate Anne Fine believes the result of this awareness has replaced sugar-coated tales with rough and often too-real stories that offer no hope for weary protagonists. She fears contemporary children’s literature is thus becoming disheartening and contaminated, with depressing endings that do little to inspire or help the budding generation. Have children novels become much more concerned with realism than purpose? If so, what does this mean?

by: Tiffanie Gabrielse

Coloring Stories for Conscious Children, Vol. 2 By: Joel Finsel Nexus Press $19.99 Book signing at Old Books on Front St. December 6th • 2pm For local author Joel Finsel, the answer is simple and, in an odd way, motivating. He believes uninspiring books that loose touch with the world of fantasy, that fail to reconnect ourselves with the innocence of childhood as a release from the pressures around us, have no business being labeled “children’s books” at all. The trendy neglect to take the time to listen and learn from our children served as the muse

behind his latest release, Coloring Stories for Conscious Children, Volume 2.

A writing veteran who has contributed work for local reads such as Focus on the Coast, encore and the Star-News, Joel Finsel has strong roots in our community, strong beliefs about the world beyond our city limits and, most importantly, strong feelings regarding the unenthusiastic messages we deliver to our youth.

Within his debut children’s book, Coloring Stories for Conscious Children, Volume 1, he aimed to present readers with something many novels lack: a clear and significantly inspiring message. Volume 2, on the other ohand, has a more spirited message.

“For this new volume, we decided to break up the five stories into two volumes,” Finsel described proudly. “For the sake of symmetry, a sixth story was added, called Sally’s Not Scared, illustrated by [local artist] Sullivan Dunn. For days I thought about this obligation to write a story and would clear my mind of all other worries, doubts, responsibilities. Once your mind is clear, all kinds of things begin to come to you.

“At the time I was troubled by the use of fear as a control mechanism in our society,

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holding us back from our potential to evolve as a species. Sally’s Not Scared is about a little girl, a bunny, who is not afraid to laugh and sing and be happy, even after an encounter with Weasly Will who teases her and scribbles on the picture that is her life’s masterpiece.”

Born from the impetus of the Rated G exhibition at ERA Gallery in 2008, the second volume of Coloring Stories... should be viewed as more than just a continued read for tiny tikes.

Instead, it’s a children’s book for adults juxtaposed with an adult book for children. Designed as a medium to nurture dialogue between children and adults on topics ranging from our hurried lives to pollution, Coloring Stories... furthers Finsel’s innovative and collaborative artistic project.

Published by Nexus Press, Volume 2 is a zesty addition that deals with more mature themes, such as metaphysics and fear. The journey it takes us thereafter explores the world a variety of minds can create when working for a common purpose.

For Finsel, this journey’s purpose is to discuss huge topics of our time through each main character.

“At our event at Old Books on Front Street, [held December 6th,] you will have the opportunity to meet the artists involved and have them sign your book.” Finsel said enthusiastically. “We’ll have a copy of the original, handmade edition, which has now grown to become a fairly desirable collectible. Some may even have the original plates there for you to view and possibly purchase. I keep mine in a vault. We probably won’t have live actors performing the stories as we did at the ERA opening, but we’re still working on that, and you never know who might want to get involved. It could be a heck of a party, for kids and adults.”

In a bold and creative move, done by no other children’s author and with original inventive contributions from local artists such as Wendy Kowalski, Michal and Nikki Wisniowski, Michael Webster and Brian Sillman, Coloring Stories For Conscious Children Volume 2 will stimulate kids of all ages to engage parents in a very important topic: How can we be better our existence? Entertaining and appropriate, Finsel’s makes it clear that saving our world begins at home.

encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com 27

calendar

where to be, what to do in Wilmington and beyond

Events JOLLY JUBILEE YWCA’s 2nd annual Jolly Jubilee holiday shopping expo is 12/5, 10am-6pm, feat. a variety of vendors offering unique, one-of-a kind holiday gift ideas, in a festive setting, to suit all taste and price point. Free to the public and all of the proceeds benefit the YWCA Lower Cape Fear.

Booth rental fees are tax deductible. Vendor setup time: 12/4, 5:30-6:30pm. 910-799-6820 or www. ywca-lowercapefear.org HOLIDAYS AT MAYFAIRE TOWN CENTER Mayfaire will be celebrating Christmas for the entire month of December. Be greeted by singers and Santa’s helpers, as well as a Nutcracker performance, a parade, and hot cocoa. Mayfaire’s Winter Wonderland will blow snow every weekend through Christmas Eve Fri-Sun, 7-8pm. Kids can visit Santa at Santa’s village Mon-Fri, 3-8pm, Sat. 1-8pm, and Sun, 12-6pm. Polar Express Family Train: $3/person which picks up in front of the theatre and runs the same time as Santa’s Village. Also a capella group, old town carolers, or the brass quartet will roam Mayfaire.

CHRISTMAS BY THE SEA Events held throughout Boiling Spring Lakes, Oak Island and Southport during the Christmas by the Sea Festival: “The Brunswick Concert Band will perform annual Christmas concert w/various selections of holiday music on Fri., 12/4, 7:30pm and Sun. 12/6, 3pm.: The Sea Notes Choral Society will present “The Old, The New, The Traditional,” directed by Dave Christensen and accompanied by Jane Boberg • Talented choirs abound in the area as the Ocean View United Methodist Concert Choir will

28 encore |-december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

present “Hallelujah Light Has Come,” 12/11-13, and the Brunswick Little Theater will be presenting our favorite Christmas Carols at Fort Johnston Garrison House on 12/12 • Tree lightings at Dosher Memorial

12/5: JOLLY JUBILEE

addition of dance and spectacle. • Brunswick Ballet Company’s original production of “Nutcracker under the Sea,” 12/12-13 • Oak Island Beautification Club’s 22nd Annual Tour of Homes, 12/6, feat. six homes and the new Yaupon Fire Department Station on Oak Island • Southport Historical Society Southport Christmas Tour of Homes. 12/12, limited to 1200 tickets and free trolley transportation for the home tour participants will be provided • Boiling Spring Lakes Community Center’s Gingerbread Workshop, Breakfast with Santa, and Holiday Crafts to take place • Southport Parks & Recreation Department holds annual Secret Santa Workshop on 12/12 • Southport Department of Tourism will show “Polar Express” on Southport’s Waterfront on the Fort Johnston Garrison Lawn on 12/11 • The Oak Island Parks & Recreation Department will utilize the Teen Center holding Secret Santa Workshops on 12/4-5 • Christmas Family Fun Hunt, 12/18 • Nature Center’s four legged companions called Santa Claws with Paws on 12/12 • Southport Oak Island Area Chamber Of Commerce Festival Parade travels down Oak Island Drive at 3pm on Oak Island, starting at 3pm on 12/5, 4900 E. Oak Island Drive and traveling Oak Island Drive to McGlamery Street. • Downtown Southport Inc.’s Southport Lighted Holiday Boat Flotilla will float by Bay Street on 12/12, 7pm. • Boiling Spring Lakes Holiday Lighted Parade will illuminate the streets in BSL with the official viewing area at Spring Lake Park on 12/12, 6pm. www. christmasbysea.com

YWCA will hold their second annual shopping expo on the 5th, from 10am-6pm, featuring vendors who are offering one-of-a-kind holiday gift ideas. All price points hit the mark at the Jolly Jubilee, and proceeds benefit the YWCA of the Lower Cape Fear. Raffles take place, too, featuring items from the vendors, so shoppers have a chance at winning gift items. For more information, call (910) 799-6820 or visit www.ywca-lowercapefear.org.

Hospital in conjunction with Santa’s arrival at the Southport Fire Department, 12/8, and the Town of Oak Island Tree Lighting at Middleton Park on Fri. 12/4 • Stage II Productions present “Winter Nightsong: A Reflection on the Christmas Eve Wanderings of one E. Scrooge Esq,” 12/11-13 and 18 at the historic Amuzu Theatre in Southport. Author and playwright K. Robert Campbell takes the Charles Dickens’ Classic tale of Christmas and adapts it for the Southport stage and local musicians Cathy Furpless and Dean Powell brought in musical numbers, lending to the

DBA SEASON OF CELEBRATION Sat. & Sun, 12/5-6: Old Wilmington by Candlelight, 2009: The Historical Society of the Lower Cape Fear presents this 36th annual tour of the downtown historical residential area. Luminaries will mark the paths of these magnificent homes. www. latimerhouse.org or call 910762-0492 • Sun, 12/6: City of Wilmington’s Christmas Parade at 5:10pm, N. Front St. & Walnut, marching thru downtown and making its way to Water St. • Sat., 12/12: Santa Claus Cruise: Cape Fear Riverboats presents this 21st annual cruise to the North Pole to pick up Santa! Admission to the Henrietta III is 6 nonperishable food items that go directly to the Salvation Army Food Pantry to help families in need during the holidays. Water & Dock St. 9:30am. 910-3431611 • Sat. 12/12: Christmas Concert—New Hanover High School Band fills the air with Christmas classics as they perform at Riverfront Park, Water St. Concert begins 2pm • Sat., 12/12 – Latimer House Christmas Caroling—Meet us at the Latimer House as we set out on a strolling Christmas caroling adventure thru the historical district and ending in downtown. This free event begins at6:00pm., at South 3rd & Orange St. • Fri. 12/18-24: Christmas Caroling Carriage Rides—Come and sing Christmas carols with Santa and his special “reindeer” while enjoying the decorative lights of the downtown area.

7-10pm at Market and Water

street, 910-251-8889 • Sat. 12/19: Jingle Bell Walk, First time event, musicians and artists line specific areas of downtown with their music and art. Gift ideas abound! Locations include Cotton Exchange parking lot,Riverfront Park, for a complete listing of locations visit www.dbawilmington.com 11-5pm. • Sat. 12/19: A Memorable Christmas Show: Ring in the holidays with the Wilmington Big Band at this exclusive downtown performance, live at Fat Tony’s Italian Pub, 131 N. Front St., 7-10pm. Half price admission with the donation of a toy, for the Toys For Tots program. 910-343-8881 or www.fatpub. com • Sat. 12/19: Christmas Decorating Winner Announcements—Help us congratulate the winners of the downtown business and residential Christmas decorating contest, presented by the Downtown Business Alliance and the Historical Society of the Lower Cape Fear. The raffle winners of the miniature decorated Christmas trees will also be announced.

Riverfront Park 2pm.

POPLAR GROVE PLANTATION 12/6: Poplar Grove Plantation Christmas Open House. Victorian décor, craft demo, handmade gifts, refreshments. Children can visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, Pony rides and hayrides $5/person. • Poplar Grove’s Farmers Market open every Wed, 8am-1pm, through 12/16, rain or shine. Offering beautifully designed jewelry, clothing, fresh cut flowers and more. Cooking classes by chef Alexis Fouros are hosted every Wednesday from 9:30am-12:30pm.

Classes cover traditional Greek cooking. 11/25: Goat cheese with baked beets, grilled cornish game hens with a wild mushroom and port reduction and pumpkin pie. 12/9: Orzo salad, codfish cakes and chocolate tarts with candied grapefruit. 12/16: Carp caviar, meatloaf over smashed potatoes, string beans with red pepper and mushrooms and greek Christmas cookies. Registration required. Betsy Fouros (917)969-2430. Chef Skip Laskody will be teaching cooking classes including penne pasta, roasted chicken, grilled vegetables, osyters, crab dip and more on 12/2. Registration required. (910)3525326.10200 Rt. 17 N, Wilmington at Scotts Hill. www. poplargrove.com 910-686-9518. noon-5pm. Free.

Poplar Grove Plantation, Hwy. 17 N. 910-686-9518, www.poplargrove.com.

TIDAL CREEK Several events will be taking place at Tidal Creek in December. • 12/8, 5:30-7:30pm; The author of A Mom’s Guide to Sanity will walk you through steps that will help you stay calm, cool and collected while living in a sea of chaos known as child rearing. • 12/10, 7-9pm; Hors d’oeuvres and wine tasting with nearly 20 wines. Get first pick of the best deals from the annual wine sale. Ticket sales support Girls Inc. of Wilmington. $25/person. • 12/11-12/12; Get fantastic deals on great wines at the co-op wine sale.

For registration contact Tidal Creek at 799-2667 or www.tidalcreek.coop.

SNEADS FERRY WINTER FEST 12/11: Lighting of the Trees, musical celebration, complimentary hot wassail and cookies. 7pm. 12/12: Breakfast with Santa, 9-11am. Arts & crafts how: 9am-4pm. Hotdogs & sodas: 12-4pm. 327-1721 for tree entries and arts & crafts vendors. www. sneadsferrynorthcarolina.com HOLIDAY LIGHTS TOUR 12/11: Cape Fear Chordsmen Barbershop Chorus.

Roland Grise School, Wilmington. Admission charge. 910-329-1512.Trolley Tour of Holiday Lights. 45-minute tours of Wilmington’s decorated neighborhoods. Departs Downtown at Dock & Water sts. (6pm & 7:30pm). Admission charge. 910-7634483; www.wilmingtontrolley.com.

ISLAND OF LIGHTS HOME TOUR 12/12: Island of Lights Holiday Home Tour. 4pm–9pm, Pleasure Island. Tickets available at island merchants.

Admission charge includes map. 910-458-7116; www.islandoflights.org..

(3"/% 13*;&

Ticket Price - $25

New 14-foot Edgewater

Make Checks Payable

(Model 145 Center Console)

with 50hp Four Stroke Yamaha Outboard and EZ Loader Trailer Drawing to be held February 27, 2010 at Halftime of Men’s Basketball Game

to UNCW Athletics or Purchase Tickets at

UNCWsports.com

Boat donated by Atlantic Marine Sales • 101 Keel Street • Wrightsville Beach, NC • 910-256-9911 encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com 29

HOMEMADE HOLIDAY SHORTS Sun., 12/13 marks WHQR’s wintertime tradition, Homemade Holiday Shorts, w/guest appearances

by Ken Blevins (“Cooking with Ken” in the StarNews), Rabbi Harley Karz-Wagman, Marva Mapson Robinson, Annie Gray Johnston, Rob Zapple and the Aloha U Ukulele Trio. Event takes place before a live audience and is broadcast live on WHQR 91.3fm at 6pm. Doors open at 5:20pm. A full reception, including drinks and lavish hors d’oeuvres will follow the live performance, which runs from 6-7pm. Tickets: $30, (910) 343-1640, whqr@whqr.org or in person at the station. All proceeds benefit the station.

CAROLING BY REINDEER Caroling by “Reindeer” Drawn Trolley/Carriage.

Horse-drawn carriage tour & caroling Downtown.

7pm-10pm. Departs at Market & Water sts. Admission charge. 910-251-8889, horsedrawntours.com RIVERFRONT FARMERS MARKET The Riverfront Farmers Market will be held every Saturday through 12/19, 8am-1pm downtown on Water St. Rain or shine. Awww.wilmingtonfarmers. com 910-341-0079 PLEASURE ISLAND HOLIDAY EVENTS 1st Annual Christmas by the Sea, through 1/1/2010: Lighting of Boardwalk at 8pm 11/27, followed by Lighting at the Lake. • Festive activities held every Fri. and Sat. thru 12/19 at Boardwalk; 5-8pm: includes Fire Pit Story Telling, Hot chocolate, Live Nativity Scene, Caroling, Santa (Sat. only), Theatre, Choral and band performances by Ashley, Murray and CB Elementary (Sat. only); Pleasure Island Drama Club, Cape Fear Roller Girls, Puppet shows, Arts & Crafts Market Area and ornament making for kids. All are free. www.boardwalkmakeover.org. www.snowscut.com.

ENCHANTED AIRLIE 5th annual show of lighted oaks and displays in post-Victorian garden setting.

Outdoor garden trains. Strolling carolers and musicians. Mini train holiday village created by Cape Fear Model Railroad Club. Santa in the North Pole tent. Families can have pictures taken in Airlie’s 2,400-sq.-ft. floral conservatory. Refreshments and holiday gifts avail. from area vendors. Tix. must be purchased before 4pm the night of the event: $5/adults, $4/children (4-12). $3 parking pass also required unless you opt for “green” pricing whereby admission is $20 per automobile or standard SUV (green offer excludes large passenger vans and buses). Each Fri. & Sat. evening, through 12/19, plus 12/21-22, gates will open for 2 sessions of self-guided tours. 5-7pm; 7-9pm. Tix. valid for 1 of the 2 sessions each night. www.airliegardens.org; 798-7700.

COLONIAL CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION Colonial Christmas Celebration: 18th Century music, dancers, hot wassail. Burgwin-Wright House, Wilmington, Sat.10am-4pm &Sun. 125pm. Admission charge. 910-762-0570; www. burgwinwrighthouse.com NEW YEAR’S EVE CRUISE New Year’s Eve Cruise w/music, dancing, hors d’oeuvres, champagne. Prepaid reservations only.

9pm-12:30am. Henrietta III Riverboat, Dock St. at Water St., Wilmington. 910-343-1611, www.cfrboats. com.

NEW YEAR’S COUNTDOWN PARTY Island of Lights New Year’s Eve Countdown Party.

9pm-12am. Music, fireworks, lighted beach ball drop.

Carolina Beach Boardwalk. Free. 910-458-5507; www.islandoflights.org.

NEW YEAR’S NOON DOWNTOWN New Year’s Noon Downtown! 12noon. Ring in the New Year at noon with noisemakers, confetti and more. Children’s Museum of Wilmington. Admission charge. 910-254-3534, www.playwilmington.org DOWNTOWNERS NETWORKING EVENT First Wed. ea. month, 5-6:30pm, Front Street Brewery.

Free appetizers throughout the networking event, and free beer tastings at 6pm. Great opportunity for people who live and work in the downtown area to get to know each other! 9 N. Front Street www.FrontStreetBrewery. com Several downtown businesses & organizations showcased at each meeting. Ellie Craig: 910-2511935, or ecraig7@aol.com

Charity/Fund-raisers LET’S SKATE AND DONATE Charity skate contest, Club Diesel, 12/5, 7pm, all ages. Up to $500 in cash and prizes, consisting two contests: Game of skate on flatland and Euro gap contest, doing tricks for cash. $5 to skate for both contasts, or free with a wrapped, unopened toy.

Proceeds benefit Toys for Tots.

JINGLE BELL BALL Historical Society of Topsail Island presents the 5th Annual Jingle Bell Ball on 12/5, 6:30pm, the Topsail Assembly Building. Tix $50/person or $600/table.

Included in tickets is a cocktail dinner buffet, libations and dance music by DJ Clint Spell. All proceeds fund community projects including youth summer programs at Ft. Fisher Aquarium, scholarships for Dixon and Topsail High School graduates, and the

12/4-5: ENCHANTED AIRLIE

fhrough 12/23. Winners drawn 12/23. Tix: Sea-Comm Media: 122 Cinema Drive, 772-6331. Gravity Records: 125 S. Kerr Ave., 392-2414. Deluxe: 114 Market St., 251-0333. www.1067thepenguin.com or www. alohau.com

Doors open nightly at 6:30pm, Thurs, 12/3: Big Ed Caylor and Cooter Douglas, 8pm, $15 • Fri-Sat, 12/4-5: Big Ed Caylor and Cooter Douglas, 8pm and 10:15pm, $15. 9588 N. Kings HWY, Myrtle Beach, SC. (843) 449-4242 www.comedycabana.com

WORK ON WILMINGTON Annual community service event in which 100s of volunteers complete in just four hours projects that make Wilmington a better place to live, has been scheduled for 4/17/2010. On this day, volunteers will gather at various locations in the city and work from 8am-12pm on projects of lasting value to the community. Organizers are now soliciting projects of lasting benefit to the community that could be finished in four hours and are unlikely to be done without Work on Wilmington. Examples might include installing playground equipment, small construction projects, painting and landscaping or cleaning up a neighborhood or park. All nominations must be submitted by 12/31/09. www.Workonwilmington.org. Jennifer Caslin 612-3757 or jcaslin@foodbankcenc.org

PORT CITY PLAYERS IMPROV Port City Players (P.C.P) presents Improv Comedy at the Level 5 City Stage every Tues night. Doors at 9pm.

Performing every Monday night at the Brown Coat Pub & Theatre! Doors at 9pm, tickets $5. myspace. com/comedyisadrug

The holidays have arrived! Airlie Gardens has transformed into a wonderland of magic, kicking off the holiday season on the coast with lighted oaks and displays in the postVictorian setting. There will be carolers, visits with Santa, refreshments, holiday gifts available for purchase and so much more! Enchanted Airlie takes place through the 22nd of December on Fridays and Saturdays. 5-9pm. Admission is $4-$5, with a cost of $3 for parking.

Missiles and More Museum. Tickets: mail a check to Michael Nelson, Treasurer, Jingle Bell Ball, PO Box 3707, Topsail Beach, NC 28445. To reserve a sponsor table, contact Peggy Gentry at 934-0083 or 327-0431.

Michael Nelson: (910) 547-8312.

CHANUKAH SHOPPING SPREE Temple of Israel will hold a Chanukah Shopping Spree and Used Book Sale on 12/6, 9am-1pm, the Temple of Israel, 1 South Fourth Street. This is a benefit fund-raiser. Come and shop for everyone in your family. Temple of Israel 762-0000.

CAROLINA CANINES FOR SERVICE Power of 10 fund-raising campaign now in session: 10 supporters donating 10 dollars each to Carolina Canines.They, in turn, ask ten of their friends to do the same, who in turn ask ten more friends, creating a powerful wave of support and fundraising dollars. The goal of the 100-day initiative is to raise $60,000—the cost to train and place three service dogs. Carolina Canines’ is a nonprofit w/a mission to empower people with disabilities to achieve greater independence and an enhanced quality of life through the services of specially trained dogs. (866) 910-3647 or www. carolinacanines.org.

THE CLARENCE AWARD As part of the traditional screening of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, UNCW is searching for an angel in disguise to be the next recipient of the Clarence Award, named after the angel-in-training in the classic holiday film. The fourth annual award will be presented at UNC Wilmington’s It’s a Wonderful Life screening on 12/13 at 2pm in Kenan Auditorium. The Clarence Award recognizes an individual in the greater Wilmington community who, without fanfare, gives unselfishly to others in order to make a difference in the lives of those in need. The honoree and their cause will receive recognition, but no cash prize will be awarded. A nomination form is available online at www.uncw.edu/filmstudies/events/wonderful-life. html. Pat Torok: 962-7502 or torokp@uncw.edu.

UKULELES FOR A CAUSE 106.7 The Penguin presents the 4th annual fundraiser—this year’s funds going to Paco Strickland, host of “Flamenco Cafe,” who is battling Multiple Myeloma, a rare blood cancer. Listeners and donors can purchase a $10 raffle ticket, which equals 10 entries, to win one of 10 brightly painted wood ukuleles signed by legends and up-and-coming artists heard on 106.7. The ukes will be on display at Deluxe restaurant

30 encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

AMERICAN RED CROSS Wilmington Tired of Turkey Days Blood Drive: 12/4, donors receive free goodies from McDonald’s, holiday ornament and chance to win a pair of round-trip airline tickets from Delta. Appt: (910) 254-GIVE

Theater/Auditions THE SANTALAND DIARIES City Stage at Level 5 presents “The Santaland Diaries,” starring Justin Smith as Crumpet, running through 12/13, Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Ticket prices range from $8-12 with $2 off for students and seniors. Visit www.citystageatlevel5.com. 21 N. Front St., 342-0272.

COVENANT CHURCH OUTDOOR NATIVITY Covenant Church would like to invite the community to attend its annual Outdoor Living Nativity this holiday season. Take a journey, set more than 2,000 years ago, where you’ll walk with the Wise Men as they lead you to the manager in search of the Savior. Continue on to the cross and hear the greatest story ever told.

12/4-5, 6:30-9:30pm or 12/6, 4-7pm. Event is free to the public; donations of non-perishable items for the Good Shepherd Shelter will be accepted. 210 Station Rd. 395-5800.

GUERILLA THEATRE Guerilla Theatre will be presenting Jeff Goode’s “The Eight: The Reindeer Monologues” in December. A dark, dark Christmas comedy. Scandal erupts at the North Pole when one of Santa’s eight tiny reindeer accuses him of sexual harassment. As mass media descends upon the event, the other members of the sleigh team demand to share their perspectives, and a horrific tale of corruption and perversion emerges, which seems to implicate everyone from the littlest elf to the tainted Saint himself. With each deer’s confession, the truth behind the shocking allegations becomes clearer and clearer.. and murkier and murkier. Rated R. Children under 18 will not be admitted w/out parental supervision. 12/9-12/13 and 12/16-12/19, 8pm, Wed-Sat, and 5pm, Sunday. Tix $15/general; $10/students. www.browncoattheatre. com or (910) 341-0001.

NUTCRACKER UNDER THE SEA The Brunswick Ballet Company presents the debut performance of “Nutcracker Under the Sea,” a fresh approach to the Tchaikovsky classic, at Odell Williamson Auditorium on the campus of Brunswick Community College. 12/12; 7:30pm and 12/13; 3pm. Tickets range $6-$15. 1-800-754-1050, ext 416. www.brunswickballetcompany.com or www. brunswicklittletheatre.com.

THALIAN HALL AUDITIONS Thalian Association will hold auditions for the musical “The Tafettas” on 12/7-8, 7-9:30pm. Roles for four women in their 20s to play the 1950’s girl-group of the title. Must be strong singers who are good with harmony. Please prepare a song in the pop style of the 50s to sing a cappella. Auditions held in the historic USO, 120 S. 2nd Street. Tom Briggs, 251-1788 or tombriggs@thalian.org.

Comedy COMEDY CABANA

Music/Concerts WILMINGTON SYMPHONY SEASON 12/5: Holiday Concert w/selections from Tchaikovsky’s ever-popular and perennial favorite Nutcracker along with Rimsky-Korsakov’s masterful Polonaise from Christmas Eve, and a joyous Christmas Carol sing-along. • (910) 962-3500 or 1-800-7323643. Season tickets are $90, $80,and $20 for youth and students. Single concert tickets are $23, $21 and $4 for youth and students. www. wilmingtonsymphony.org.

TUBA CHRISTMAS Daniel Johnson, professor of music at the UNCW, will direct two free performances of the 6th annual Tuba Christmas Concert on Sat., 12/5: noon at Westfield Independence Mall and 2pm at Brightmore of Wilmington. Feat. traditional Christmas carols by a tuba-euphonium ensemble. New Hanover County Commissioner Jonathan Barfield will serve as this year’s guest conductor. Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo will present a proclamation to declare Dec. 5, 2009 as Tuba Christmas Day. Free and open to the public.

PRE-KWANZAA CELEBRATION Upperman African-American Cultural Center at UNCW will host its 3rd annual community PreKwanzaa Celebration, 2pm, Sat., 12/5, in the Warwick Center Ballroom on campus. Experience the traditions, rituals and symbolism of Kwanzaa.

Participants will learn the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles of Kwanzaa, and how each of these aspects plays a role in the development and sustainability of this cultural celebration. Feat. storytelling by Joyce Grear and performances by the UNCW Voices of Praise Gospel Choir, Soko Drum and Dance Ensemble and Joy Murrell. Event includes a Table of Harvest, from which all participants will be invited to take a vegetable or fruit of their choice. Free but Upperman Center will collect canned food and non-perishable items to be donated to New Hanover County Meals on Wheels program. Donations accepted at the door.

MUSIC AT FIRST 13th annual Organ Recitals for the Season of Advent beginning on 12/8, 15 and 22. 30-minute recitals performed by John Tabler, Assistant Director of Music at First Presbyterian with Joann Guttman, Organist at Trinity United Methodist Church (12/8), Justin Smith, Director of Music at Little Chapel on the Boardwalk (12/15), and Brunhilde Engelhardt, Organist/Choirmaster at St. James Parish (12/22).

Concerts followed by a soup and sandwich lunch in Gilmour Hall , $6. RSVP rqd for lunch and may be made by calling the church office at 910-762-6688 no later than noon on Monday preceding each recital. Free and donations are appreciated. www. firstonthird.org 762-6688.125 South Third St. CAPE FEAR CHORDSMAN 12/11: Cape Fear Chordsmen Barbershop Chorus.

Roland Grise School, Wilmington. Admission charge.

910-329-1512.

Dances SINGLES CLUB The Wilmington Singles Club’s hosts dances each month at the Am. Legion from 8-11pm. Admission is $8 for member and $10 for guests. • 12/4: Toney & Diane, Am. Legion, Post 10 ($8-$12) • 12/11 : Classic Collections Band, Am. Legion, Post 10 ($10-$12). • 12/18: Christmas Dance w/ Colors Band, Am. Legion, Post 10 ($10-$12). Ken Batchelor: 392-0718.

HOLIDAY SEASON SOCIAL DANCE New Hanover County Center Ballroom (Senior Center), 2200 S. College Rd., corner of Shipyard, will host a holiday dance on 12/12, 6:45pm. Basic Tango lesson by Dan Chop, 7:30pm, by open dancing to our

own recorded music. Waltz, Tango, Rumba, Salsa, Fox Trot, Swing and Etc. $10/person for non-members.

Dress is comfortable evening attire, no sneakers or jeans please. Smoke and alcohol free environment.

799-1694 or acusabda@att.net.

FIREHOUSE STUDIO BELLY DANCING Beginning and mixed-level bellydance classes every Mon. 6:30pm-8pm . $12. Firehouse studio, 1702 Wrightsville Ave. CAROLINA SHAG CLUB DJs play favorite beach music and shag tunes every Sat, 8pm to close. $4/members; $6/guests. Carolina Shag Club, 103 N. Lake Park Blvd. Carolina Beach, NC 620-4025 76’ERS SQUARE DANCE CLUB Modern Western Style Square Dance. Club meets Thurs. nights at 7pm at the Senior Center for a new workshop on square dancing. Info: 270-1639 ARGENTINE TANGO 7:30pm, very Friday. $5 cover at the door, includes beginners lesson. Ramada Inn, New Carolina Lounge, 5001 Market St. Details: 790-8597.

WILMINGTON SALSA CLUB Meets 8:30-10pm, Wed. Feat. Salsa, Bachata, Merengue w/ Dawn Cattaneo. Beginner through advanced, $10/person. Singles/couples welcome, ages 18 and up. 105 Wetsid Rd. (910) 471-6809.

DANCE LESSONS AT CAROLINA LOUNGE Tues, 7:30pm, shag lessons with Brad and DJ Lee Pearson. • Fri., 7:30pm, Tango workshop with Paula.

9:30pm, salsa lessons with DJ Lalo. Cover charge $5, lesson free. • Sat., Latin ryhthm. Doors open 9pm.

5001-a Market St, (910) 790-8598

Art, etc.

ART AT MAYFAIRE Wilmington Art Association members will offer their art for sale at ART AT MAYFAIRE for 3 DAYS ONLY, Fri., 12/4, 10am-9pm, Sat., 12/5, 10am-9pm, and Sun., 12/6, noon-6pm, at 6842 in Mayfaire Town Center.

ZIABIRD IN LUMINA STATION Ziabird in Lumina Station hosts a variety of art exhibits.

•12/4: Father/daughter night at Ziabird, with owner Lynn Manock’s Father and his first photography exhibit. After a lifetime of encouraging his daughter to “do her own thing”, Jack Manock finds himself with the opportunity to show his art work publicly for the first time from 6-8pm. Refreshments will be served.

• 12/12: A day for gal pals to visit Ziabird and see new works from 3 local designers. Refreshments will be served and gift wrapping will be available.

Lynn Manock 208-9650, lynn@ziabird.com or www. ziabird.com.

LET HEAVEN AND NATURE SING “Let Heaven & Nature Sing” is a collaborative artistic exhibition of paintings, sculpture and music featuring the works of Karen Crouch, Mio Reynolds, and the live violin performance of 10 year old Jessica Goei. Fri, 12/4, 6-9pm at Caffe Phoenix. The show will be on display throughout the month of December. Joel Finsel: 910 797 3501 or joelfinsel@gmail.com DARREN MULVENNA Darren Mulvenna opens a show of paintings at the new Wilmington Wine Shoppe, feat. unique painterly applications, effects, and image-vocabulary through local color and local colors. The work immerses itself in the culture of the Cape Fear, feat. portraits of community, dancers of Forward Motion, and swimmers alongside abstract imagery, such as surrealistic aquariums, mosaics of foliage and autumn leaves, and aquatic effects.

Show runs 12/10-2/10, w/handmade goodies available for purchase this holiday season. Opening reception: 12/10, 6pm; wine tasting. 215 S Front St. NATURE WARS Independent Art Company features Abby Spangel Perry’s artwork entitled “Nature Wars” until 12/13 at the Wabi Sabi Warehouse, 19 N. Princess Street. www.abbyspangelperry.com BOSEMAN ART GALLERY Boseman Gallery hosts Stella Duplass, the UNCW student awarded the 2009-10 Ann Flack Boseman Scholarship. The Ann Flack Boseman Scholarship

is selected annually by the faculty of the Department of Art and Art History. This scholarship is endowed through the generosity of donors Mark Griffis and Dave Robertson in honor of Ann Boseman. The merit-based award consists of $1,000 toward tuition and solo exhibition. Duplass’ work focuses on ceramics and book making. UNCW Presents office: 962-7972 or www.uncw. edu/presents.

jellyfish, sea turtles, alligators, sea horses, and more. • Albino Alligator at Fort Fisher—a new, rare jewel, approximately four years old, is five feet long and weighs about 23 pounds.

• Aquarium to Display Baby Animals: Kure Beach, NC. Pack a diaper bag and bring your camera- the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher will host an “Aquababies Weekend” 11/21-22 @ 9am-5pm each day (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day). Admission: $8 adults; $7 seniors; $6 ages 6-17. Free admission for: children under 6; registered groups of N.C. school children, and NC Aquarium Society members. EVENTS: 12/1213—Be a Child during the Holidays. Adults get kids’ prices! Holiday crafts, programs, games, movies & Scuba Santa! Admission charge. NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher, Kure Beach. 910-458-8257; www.ncaquariums. com • Other events like: Behind the Scenes Tour, $15; Salt Marsh and Crabbing, ages 7+, $16.; Mommy and Me/Daddy and Me, adults and kids aged 1-3, $13/pair, $1/add’l child; Aquarist Apprentice, ages 10+, $25; Children’s Discovery Time, pre-school age only, $5. Behind the Scenes Tour, $15/adult, $13/youth (8yo & up); Canoeing the Salt Marsh, ages 8+, $25; Breakfast with the Fishes, $15 ages 6+, $5 ages 2-5. Pre-reg all events: ncaff.registrar@ncmail.net or 910-458-7468.

Event prices do not include admission, NCA members get a discount. Near the mouth of the CF River, on U.S. 421, less than a mile from the Ft. Fisher ferry terminal. Hours: 9am-5pm daily. Admission: $8 adults; $7 seniors; $6 ages 6-17. Free for children under 6; registered groups of N.C. school children, and NC Aquarium Society members. www. ncaquariums.com. Closed Christmas and New Year’s days.

HOLIDAY TREASURES EXHIBIT Fountainside Gallery kicks off the holiday season by opening a new exhibit of small paintings by gallery artists. “Holiday Treasures” presents a collection of beautiful works, an array of styles, subjects and sizes .perfect for gifting or collecting. Show through 12/30.

Lumina Station, 1900 Eastwood Rd. www.fountainsidegallery.com, info@fountainsidegallery.com or 256-9956.

PAINT WILMINGTON 2009 Through 12/31. Artists from around the country come to Wilmington to paint area marshes and trees in autumn. Exhibit hangs thru 12/31, Walls Fine Art Gallery 2713 Wrightsville Ave. (910)343-1703. www.wallsgallery.com FILL THE CUPBOARD FastFrame Gallery presents 2nd annual show: “Ordinary View, Extraordinary Vision.” Features Terry Rosenfelder, M. Matteson Smith, Sara Westermark. Food and financial contributions supporting local food banks accepted. Exhibit runs through 12/31. Landfall Center, 1319 Military Cutoff Rd. 256-1105. www.fastframeofwilmington.com A HOLIDAY SHOW A Holiday Show at Paralellogram, featuring works by Dixon Stetler, Heather McLelland , Jessie Williams , Joe Kelly, Katy Seiz, Michal Wisniowski , Nikki Wisniowski, Rachel Burgess, Stevie Mack, Sullivan Dunn and Wendy Kowalski. Decorative and practical, one-of-a kind artwork that’s affordable and would make excellent gift items. John Gray: paralellogram@ gmail.com. 523 S. 3rd St. (910)763-5423 STUDIO SPACE AVAILABLE Thrive Studios, a new cutting-edge hybrid studio

12/10: DARREN MULVENNA ART SHOW

7111, portcitypottery.com COASTAL CAROLINA CLAY GUILD Coastal Carolina Clay Guild will have its third annual Holiday Show and Sale Saturday and Sunday, 12/5 & 6, 10am-4pm at the Hannah Block Community Arts Center on corner of 2nd and Orange sts, downtown Wilmington. Forty local clay artists, including Hiroshi Sueyoshi, Don Johns, and Dina Wilde-Ramsing will be selling their pottery and sculpture. Handmade holiday gifts— portion of proceeds will benefit The Empty Bowls Project. Free admission. www. coastalcarolinaclayguild.org or 794-9717.

CAPE FEAR SERPENTARIUM Cool down in front of “Anaconda Splash” exhibit in the indoor tropical jungle. See, photograph and even touch rare animals assembled from all over the planet in beautiful simulations of their natural environments. Meet colorful jungle birds, crocodiles, king cobras, black mambas and many more. Open from 11am-5pm, Sat. from 11am6pm. 20 Orange Street at Front Street on historic downtown riverwalk. (910) 762-1669 or www. capefearserpentarium.com.

YELLOW. RED. BLUE. The Wilmington Wine Company, 605 Castle St., is pleased to present, “Yellow. Red. Blue: primarily primary” an exhibit in yellow, red and blue by local artist, Bonnie England. This colorful exhibit will be on display through 12/7.

BELLAMY MANSION 12/20, 2pm: Music lovers are invited to attend Music at the Mansion featuring members of the Tallis Chamber Orchestra. One-hour performance held in the mansion’s beautifully appointed double parlors.

Seating limited to 50; RSVP. $20 admission includes the performance, complimentary refreshments, selfguided tour of the mansion and a “Meet the Musicians” opportunity following the performance.

(910) 251-3700 x104 • Bellamy is one of NC’s premier architectural and historic treasures, built as city residence of prominent planter, Dr. John D. Bellamy. Antebellum architecture: a mix of Greek Revival and Italianate styles. Open for tours Tues.Sat., 10am-5pm; Sun., 1-5pm; closed Mons. Guided tours on the hour; self-guided audio-tours also available. Current Exhibit: “Walking in the Footsteps of: Gen. William T. Sherman.” Adults, $10; children 5-12, $4; group tours, $8 (20+ requires reservations).

251-3700 ext. 104; www.BellamyMansion.org.

• Offers a backdrop to create a holiday event of historic proportions. The Mansion is one of our state’s premier historic treasures, featuring lush gardens, grand columns, wrap-around porches, brass chandeliers, Victorian-style carpets, ornate molding, and marble fireplaces. Call for holiday or seasonal rentals.

Local painter Darren Mulvenna will open a show at Wilmington Wine Shoppe on the 10th, featuring new works immersed in the culture of the Cape Fear region.

His abstract imagery and unique techniques will be on display through February 10th. Throughout the holiday season, he will have handmade items, perfect for gift-giving, available for purchase at the 215 North Front Street store. A wine tasting takes place with show opening. and gallery, has nine artist studio spaces available for rent . Each is 8’x 8’, $200/mo. w/ 1-year lease.

Join our artist collective and let your career thrive!

Gaeten Lowrie: 919-696-4345 or Scott Ehrhart :407-257-5299.

PORT CITY POTTERY & FINE CRAFTS Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts, Cotton Exchange in downtown Wilmington, w/ handmade, one-ofa-kind, 3-D art, crafts and more by jury-selected coastal North Carolina artisans. Open: Mon.-Sat., 10-5:30pm; Sun., 11-4pm. 307 N. Front St./763-

TOPSAIL MISSLES AND MORE MUSEUM Newly renovated and expanded, in Topsail Beach. April-Mid October: Mon., Tues, Thurs., Fri., & Sat. 2-4 pm Other ∫times by appointment 1-800-626-2780

Museums CHILDREN’S MUSEUM Events: 12/6: Candyland Christmas Event.

12/11-12 & 12/19-20: Candy Cottages. 12/31: New Year’s Noon Countdown. Museum open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. Sat, 10am-5pm. Sun, 1-5pm.

116 Orange St. (910)254-3534. playwilmington. org BURGWIN-WRIGHT MUSEUM 18th century Burgwin-Wright House celebrates two days of Colonial Christmas, Sat., 12/19, 10am4pm, and 12/20, noon-4pm. House will be lavished in 1700’s Christmas tradition, playing 18th century music and food preparation from Colonial times held in kitchen, where hot wassail is served. Spinning and weaving held in craft room, and surgeon showcasing medicine during the era. $10. (910) 762-0570; info@ burgwinwrighthouse.com. 3rd and Market streets.

NC AQUARIUM EXHIBITS: “A Look at Life Through a Lens” photography by Matt Lettrich on display SeptemberNovember in the new Spadefish gallery art exhibit.

Admission: $8 adults; $7 seniors; $6 ages 6-17.

Free for: children under 6, registered groups of N.C. school children, and NC Aquarium Society members.

•Aquababies Weekend: 11/21-22. 9am-5pm. Baby

LATIMER HOUSE Victorian Italiante style home built in 1852, the restored home features period furnishings, artwork and family portraits. Tours offered Mon-Fri, 10am4pm, and Sat, 12-5pm. Walking tours are Wed and Sat. at 10am. 126 S. Third St. Adults $8, children $4. 762-0492. www.latimerhouse.org WILMINGTON RAILROAD MUSEUM

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1055 International Way Mayfaire Town Center (910) 256-4170

Sunday NFL ticket on 24 High Definition TV’s 5 Domestic Pitchers $5 Pizza’s

$

Saturday College Football

2 Domestic Bottles $3 Vodkas Highballs

$

Center Ice and NCAA Full Court

New!

All-You-Can-Eat section added to our menu

Wednesday wing night

35¢

All Pints $250

Open for lunch 7 days a week at 11:30 with a new 4.99 menu mainstreetsportscafe.com

Explore railroad history and heritage, especially of the Atlantic Coast Line, headquartered in Wilmington for more than 130 years. Interests and activities for all ages including historical exhibits, full-size steam engine and rolling stock, lively children’s area, and spectacular scale models. Housed in an original 1882 freight warehouse, facilities are fully accessible and on one level. Groups receive special guided tours. Facilities can also be booked for meetings or mixers, accommodating groups of up to 150. Admission only $6 for adults, $5 for seniors/military, $3 for children 2-12, and free under age 2. Located at the north end of downtown at 505 Nutt St. 910-763-2634 or www.wrrm.org.

NC MARITIME MUSEUM AT SOUTHPORT The North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport hosts regular Monthly Adult Programs on the 3rd Tues. of each month at 7pm at the Southport Community Building.Free to members and $5 for non-members. 12/9-20: “Holi-day” John O’Daniel exhibit, feat. items that belonged to Captain O’Daniel. 116 N. Howe St. / 910-457-0003.

PENDERLEA HOMESTEAD MUSEUM Depression-era farmstead that promotes local farm history of NC. Sat., 1-4pm. 10 mi. west of Burgaw, off NC Highway 11. 284 Garden Rd., Willard/2853490/www.penderleahomesteadmuseum.org.

CAPE FEAR MUSEUM Going to the Movies opens 12/11:Experience the history of a century of movie-going in the Lower Cape Fear region. Explore where people went to the movies. Discover how the theater experience has changed over the years. Watch some of the first films local residents may have seen.Free w/admission. • Conservation Matters. Explore the art and science of artifact conservation. Discover what it is, who does it, and why it matters to museums. A selection of beautifully conserved furniture and other wooden objects from the Museum’s permanent collection will be on display. • Cape Fear Treasures: Drink.

Glimpse a selection of drinking vessels, as you explore treasures from Cape Fear Museum’s collection. From 18th-century bottles, to fancy teapots, to modern-day souvenir mugs, discover objects that help tell the stories of liquid consumption through time. • 12/2; 10am-12pm: Volunteer Open House. Volunteers gave more than 5,000 hours of their time to the Museum last year. Drop by and discover how to become part of this dedicated corps. Opportunities are available in the Museum Store, working with the historic collection, and as an education docent. • 12/3; 7:30pm: Book Talk: Water ways to the World, The Story of the North Carolina State Ports Authority. Join historian and author Walter R. Turner and N.C. State Ports Authority Board Chairman Carl J. Stewart, Jr., for a discussion about the fascinating history of the Port of Wilmington and the State Ports Authority. Books will be available for purchase in the Museum Store.

• 12/4; 6pm: Winter Jazz: Grenaldo Frazier. Tap your toe with Grenoldo. Enjoy the perennial crowd favorite Grenoldo Frazier, as he delights with his unique style.

Pack a picnic, bring your chairs and enjoy evening jazz at the New Hanover County Government Center.

Presented by Cape Fear Museum. Sponsored

by Cape Fear Jazz Society. • 12/5, 12/12, 12/19, 12/26: Creative Chemistry. Is Oobleck a liquid or a solid? What does an atom look like? Find out as you investigate matter. Explore solids, liquids, and gases and experiment with mixtures! Unravel a colorful mystery and experiment with acids and bases. •12/6: New Hanover County Residents’ Day. New Hanover County residents are admitted free to the Museum the first Sunday of every month. • 12/11: Going to

9BOU UP TVCNJU BO FOUSZ! e-mail entry to

calendar@encorepub.com two weeks ahead of event date.

32 encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

the Movies. Experience the history of a century of movie-going in the Lower Cape Fear region. Explore where people went to the movies. Discover how the theater experience has changed over the years.

Watch some of the first films local residents may have seen. • 12/20; 1:30, 2:30. 3:30pm: Cape Fear Skies: Celestial Coordinates. 3….2….1…Blastoff! Venture into Cape Fear Museum’s portable planetarium and explore the night sky in the daytime. Become a “celestial navigator” and discover how to use a coordinate system to locate objects in the night sky. • 12/27; 2:30pm: Family Worshop: Toy Time.

Play with momentum, friction, and gravity. Discover the science behind folk toys. Build your own toys.

Experimentation, discovery and exploration for the whole family. Hours: 9am-5pm Tues-Sat. and 1-5pm, Sun. Admission is $6 for adults; $5 for students with valid ID and senior citizens; $5 special military rate with valid military ID; $3 for children 3-17; and free for children under 3. Museum members are always free. New Hanover County residents’ free day is the first Sunday of each month. 814 Market St. CAMERON ART MUSEUM EXHIBITS: Toying with Art is an exhibition of toys designed and fabricated by more than 50 artists.

Remains open through 3/28. Brings together several different kinds of toys: games, robots, plush toys, puppets and action figures all come together in this exciting exhibition. • Kaleidoscope: Changing Views of the Permanent Collection. Feat. art from the Cameron Art Museum’s collection: paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, photographs, furniture, decorative arts, from the museum’s permanent collection. Configuration will change through the year as individual works are rotated. EVENTS: 12/6 & 12/20: Movement Improv: Community Circle Dance Expression with Karola Luttringhaus at 3-4:30pm.

Move, free your spirit, sweat your prayers, find your inner self, explore and play in the community circle dance. No dance experience is needed for these informal movement sessions. Soft-soled shoes only or barefoot (no high heels or hard street shoes, etc.). $5/person, cash and checks only. www.dynamicbody.net/workshops.html • Gallery Talk: 12/12: Architects in the Galleries at 11:30am-12:30pm.

Enjoy this ongoing series with members of the American Institute of Architects, Wilmington Chapter offering monthly informal gallery talks in the exhibit Gwathmey Siegel: Inspiration and Transformation giving visitors an opportunity to see through an architect’s eyes. Mark Andrew Saulnier discusses his impressions through his background in historic restoration, traditional theme and contextual new building projects. Free w/admission. • Music: 12/17: Wilmington Choral Society from 7-8pm. Ring in the season with family and friends while enjoying the music of the holidays with this annual performance by the Wilmington Choral Society, song selections include Bach’s Break Forth, O Beauteous, Heavenly Light, Do You Hear What I Hear? and The First Noel.

Refreshments are available by donation. $5/person.

• Through 12/15: Holiday Life Draw Sessions from 6-9pm. The Life Drawing Group meets weekly in the Reception Hall. Easels and tables are provided.

Only dry drawing materials and watercolors (no oils or solvents) can be used in this space. The group draws from a live model. $35 per three week session. To register e-mail georgia@cameronartmuseum.com, or call 395-5999 ext. 1019. 12/12: Holiday Kids @CAM. 12pm-3pm. Holiday art, gifts, decorations and Santa visits. Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington. Admission charge. • 12/17: Sounds of the Season: Music @CAM. 7pm. Wilmington Choral Society’s holiday concert.

Admission charge. Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington.

910-395-5999; www.cameronartmuseum.com CLASSES: Yoga: Every Tues. at 6pm and Thurs. at 12pm; $5/members; $8/non-members. Exercises to enhance relaxation, breath control and meditation with Sara Jo Nelson. Wear comfortable clothing, bring a yoga mat. Beginners welcome. • Tai Chi, Wed. 12pm. $5/members, $8/non-members. A slow, meditative form of exercise designed for relaxation, balance and health taught by Martha Gregory. Wear comfortable clothing. Beginners welcome • South 17th Str. and Independence Blvd. Regular museum hours: Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri.: 11am-2pm, Saturday and Sunday: 11am-5m. Members free;$8 nonmembers; $5 Students with valid student ID card; $3 Children age 2 -12 www.cameronartmuseum. com or (910)395-5999.

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH MUSEUM The Wrightsville Beach Museum of History, housed in the turn of the century Myers Cottage, exists to

Wilmington Holiday Parade

Sunday December 6, 2009 - 5:10 pm Presented by the City of Wilmington, WECT News 6, Encore Magazine and Cumulus Broadcasting

Nutcracker Ballet The Wilmington Ballet Company brings their beautiful, full-length production of the classic Nutcracker Ballet back to Wilmington audiences. As with last years smash hit, professional dancers are joining the company for this production along with youth from the Wilmington School of Ballet.

The story of Clara, Herr Drosselmeir, the Mouse King, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the amazing variety of dances come to life in this traditional Christmas favorite, with the breath-taking Tchaikovsky score.

Minnie Evans Auditorium, $25 Friday, December 4 7:00pm Saturday, December 5 7:00pm

Televised live on Time Warner and ATMC Cable channel 939, Charter Cable channel 137 and over the air on channel 6.2

Sunday, December 6 3:00pm

Don’t miss the Lighting of the World’s Largest Living Christmas Tree on Thursday December 3, 2009 at 6 pm!

Since 1858 • One of America’s Most Historic Theatres

www.thalianhall.org

Parade starts at N. Front and Walnut at 5:10 pm, traveling down Front and back up Water

910-343-3664

For more information including directions and parade route maps, visit us online at www.wilmingtonrecreation.com or call (910) 341– 7855.

! d e t i v n I y l l u f r Yo u’re Chee Nothing sets a festive mood more than Emile Pandolfi at a Steinway grand. With almost thirty recordings to his credit, Pandolfi ranks among America’s most popular piano artists. Pandolfi’s performances are far from straight-backed, formal “recitals.” There’s that gleam in his eye, a card trick, a hilarious tale about an early date with his wife, a comic’s turn of phrase that layers his concerts as singularly unique. Pandolfi’s appearances are among those most frequently requested at Thalian Hall, and the Rainbow Room’s intimate setting make this performance one of the most welcomed gifts of the season. Happy Holidays.

Christmas Open House Sunday, December 6, Noon to 5pm • Hayrides ($5) • Self-guided tours • Pony Rides (fee) • Santa and Mrs. Claus • Holiday Craft Show • Free Admission

Poplar Grove Plantation

10200 US Hwy 17, Wilmington poplargrove.com • (910) 686-9518

Emile Pandolfi

$25 | Friday, Dec. 4th 8:30pm Saturday, Dec. 5th 7:30pm and 9:30pm Sunday December 6th 2:30pm

While the Main Stage is getting a few nips & tucks, your table’s waiting in the Rainbow Room upstairs!

Since 1858 • One of America’s Most Historic Theatres

www.thalianhall.org

910-343-3664

encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com 33

preserve and to share the history of Wrightsville Beach.Visitors to the cottage will find a scale model of Wrightsville Beach circa 1910, exhibits featuring the early days of the beach including Lumina Pavilion, our hurricane history and information about the interaction between the people and our natural environment which have shaped the 100 year history of Wrightsville Beach. 303 West Salisbury Street. wbmuseum.com.

Sports/Recreation PORT CITY WRESTLING CLUB Port City Wrestling Club has been established in Wilmington, NC to provide a safe and friendly environment for kids of all ages to learn wrestling skills and techniques, improve overall fitness and use teamwork to accomplish long and short-term goals.

PCW provides instruction for beginner, moderate and advanced student athletes. The mission of Port City Wrestling is to improve the caliber of wrestling in eastern North Carolina by providing college level instruction for the serious student-athlete to improve and expand their knowledge of the sport. Visit www. portcitywrestling.com, 6019 Oleander Dr. For rates and more info email portcitywrestling@me.com.

3-MONTH WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE Join Holistic Health Counselor Cortney Shallow in a 3-month group weight loss challenge. Goal of weight loss from a holistic point of view is to identify the root causes of weight gain which may be different from one individual to another. Group classes will meet twice a month for 3 months and you will meet with Cortney twice a month per month to receive personal one-on-one health counseling to meet goals specific to you. Whomever loses the most weight for each group gets their money back paid in full! $400 for full challenge. Limited space. Register by 12/18 and receive $50 off. Wed. classes 01/13-03/24 6-7pm. or Thurs. classes trough 3/25 10-11am. Reg.: 264-8465 or cortneyshallow@gmail.com OUT WILMINGTON BOWLING LEAGUE Out Wilmington Bowling league begins this fall on

Sundays at 5pm. The League goes for 12 weeks through 12/13. Breaks for Columbus Day and Thanksgiving Day weekend. Bowling league meets at Ten Pin Alley to set up teams and go over the basic rules. Arrive on time to participate. Michael Kerr at (910)409-4751 or mkerr62@gmail.com BIRD TOURS Starting 1/10: Cape Fear River Watchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guided birding tours of Greenfield Lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a 100-acre lake within a larger city park that is one of the great birding destinations of the Southeast and a featured portion of the NC Birding Trail. See Wigeon, Gadwall, Cormorants and Egrets roost in and around the Bald Cypress, and more! Traditionalists walk their way the 5 miles around the lake, guidebook in hand. Or do a guided 1-hour tour on the lake itself comfortably seated in River Watchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electric canoe. Led by trained and experienced birders, River Watch offers birding tours of aboard an electric boat that can fit 6 passengers comfortably. Tours on Wed/Thurs/Sundays through March, weather permitting, or by special app. The onehour tours leave the dock at 10am, 11am, noon and 1pm with a special â&#x20AC;&#x153;roosting hourâ&#x20AC;? tour leaving apprx 3:30pm. Group prices available; RSVP recommended. $15/person. 910-762-5606 or 910-200-4002.

HALYBURTON PARK FITNESS CLASSES Pilates: Tues., through 1/12. 5:30 or 6:30pm. $60/ person. Instructor: Jamie Annette. Wed., through 1/13, 6pm. $65/person. Instructor: Ellen Longenecker.

Thurs., through 1/28. Intermediate-Advanced.

No Class on 11/26 or 12/24. 6pm. $65/person.

Instructor: Ellen Longenecker. â&#x20AC;˘ Yoga: Tues., through 1/12. 7:30pm. $60/person. Wed: through 1/13. 9am. $65/person. Thurs. through 1/28. No Class on 11/26 or 12/24. 7pm. $65/person. Fri. through 1/15. 9am. $65/person. Pre-registration required for all classe.

(910)341-3237. www.halyburtonpark.com WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH PARKS & REC Adult Flag Football League: Games are played on Sundays. â&#x20AC;˘ Tennis Lessons. Currently registering for group tennis lessons, adult, youth, and tot. Classes meet Mon/Wed at Tennis Courts at Wrightsville Beach Park. Adult, Youth ages 9-12, and Tots ages 6-8. â&#x20AC;˘ Yoga. Tues/Wed, beginning at 6:30pm. Meet in

the Fran Russ Rec. Center â&#x20AC;˘ Pilates: Mon/Wed/Fri, 10:15-11:15am. Beginner Pilates on Tues/Thurs, 7:30-8:15am â&#x20AC;˘ Low Impact Aerobics. Mon/Wed/Fri, 8-9am and 9-10am. All ages welcome, catered towards Ages 60+. â&#x20AC;˘ Tone & Stretch. Tues/Thurs, 8:30-9:15am. All ages welcome, catered towards Ages 60+. â&#x20AC;˘ Boot Camp fitness class meets Tues/ Thurs, 6-7am. â&#x20AC;˘ Cape Fear Jr. Cotillion. Lessons in ballroom and popular dance along with etiquette and social skills! Thurs. afternoons, 9/17â&#x20AC;&#x201C;10/22.

Grades 3-5th and 6-7th. Pre-reg. required. Meets in the Fran Russ Recreation Center. Pre-reg. required: 910-256-7925.

Kids Stuff CANDY LAND CHRISTMAS 12/6:Candy Land Christmas Celebreation. 1pm5pm. Visit with Santa, make gingerbread houses, crafts, caroling at the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Museum of Wilmington. Admission charge. 910-254-3534; www. playwilmington.org BREAKFAST WITH SANTA 12/10: Breakfast w/Santa. 9am. Independence Mall.

Admission charge. 910-392-1776.

CANDY COTTAGES 12/11-12 & 19-20: Candy Cottages. Build a cottage made of candy. Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Museum of Wilmington. Admission charge. 910-254-3534; www.playwilmington.org NORTH POLE CRUISE North Pole Cruise to pick-up Santa. Boards at 9:30am; depart 10am. Admission: 6 cans nonperishable food/per person. Henrietta III Riverboat, Dock & Water sts.-Downtown. 910343-1611, www.cfrboats.com.

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA At MLK Community Center, Sat. 12/12, 9am-noon.

Join us for Breakfast with Santa at the MLK Jr. Community Center. The MLK Center is located at 401 S. 8th Street in Wilmington. Registration forms available at the MLK Commuity Center. $5/child including breakfast, or $7 for a family picture. 341-7803.

Readings/Lectures

All Day $5.99 Cheeseburger & Fries

am-3pm Double Lunch Punch from 11

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5112 Market Street â&#x20AC;˘ (910) 791-0799 34 encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

POMEGRANATE BOOKS EVENTS Holiday Storytime w/ Capt. Tim Dillinger: Pirate and childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book author in full costume, so bring cameras! Wed., 12/2: 11am. Free. â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;?A Gatheringâ&#x20AC;?

by Circles of Piece: Find peace of mind and spirit.

12/3 and 10; 6:30-8pm. Free, although donations accepted. â&#x20AC;˘ Book signing with Camden Noir: Label 228 project, noir put out a call to artists and asked them to send him their artwork on US Priority Mail labels. Within six months, he received over 500 labels from artists all over the world. At this point, he has over 1,500 labels from over 600 artists.

This is a collection of the best of those labels, in a beautiful, full-color book. 12/4: 7-9pm. Free. â&#x20AC;˘ Reading & Book signing with Minister and local author Wayne Sutton: Wrote How in Hell Can I Change?- a personal guide for total and permanent transformation, as well as a five-step program to peace and change through God. 12/5; 1-3pm.

Free. â&#x20AC;˘ Dr. Sheila Boneham: Rescue Matters! How to Find, Foster, and Rehome Companion Animals.

12/12; 1-3pm. Free. Pomegranate Books, 4418 Park Ave. www.pombooks.net. 452-1107.

KNEE PAIN SEMINAR Knee Pain live & learn seminar. Orthopedic specialists will discuss different treatment options and answer questions from the audience. 12/5, 2-4pm; 12/10, 6:30-8:30pm. Cape Fear Hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3rd floor Education Center. www.nhrmc.org/LiveAndLearn COLORING STORIES...

Coloring Stories for Conscious Children is a collaborative artistic project resulting in two softcover coloring books including the artwork of Sullivan Dunn, Wendy Kowalski, Michal & Nikki Wisniowski, Michael Webster, Brian Sillman and the writing of Joel Finsel. The artists hand-glued and silk-screened a sold out limited edition of 50 hand-constructed coloring books. This edition sold out, and due to the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s initial success, a second, soft-cover edition was planned and has evolved into two new volumes with the addition of a 6th story Sallyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Not Scared. The new editions

are both published by Nexus Press. Contains three different stories and are fully functional coloring books, including the characters: Susy Sunbeam, Rocco the Polar Bear, Casper Jasper Jumping Bean, Morty the Mushroom, and others. Reception/signing at Old Books on Front St., Sun., 12/6, 2pm. Joel Finsel: 910-797-3501 or joelfinsel@gmail.com OLD BOOKS Scrabble and Mah Jongg: Monday nights @ 6:30.

All ages and skill levels are welcome! â&#x20AC;˘ Knit Wits, an ongoing crafting group open to all skill levels every Tues., 6pm - 8:30pm 22 N. Front St. â&#x20AC;˘ (910) 763 4754 â&#x20AC;˘ www.OldBooksOnFrontSt.com

Classes/Workshops HOWARD BAD HAND Howard Bad Hand, Lakota Spiritual Leader, Taoist Teacher, will present an evening of storytelling about his Lakota tradition, the I Ching and open discussion 12/4. â&#x20AC;˘ Seaside Yoga Center @ 7pm, by donation.

5725 Oleander Dr.; 792-9303 â&#x20AC;˘ 12/5: Morning and afternoon workshop using the I Ching. Lunch will be a casual pot luck. Morning session: $45; Afternoon advanced study $45 at 335 Trails End Road; 232-8913 â&#x20AC;˘ 12/3 & 12/6: Howardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s available for private I Ching readings.joan.farrenkopf@gmail. com or 232-8913.

BEGINNERSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; FENCING Cape Fear Fencing Association offers beginnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fencing class, Mon, w/Greg Spahr. 6-wk class held Mon. and Wed. evenings, 6:30-7:30pm, $40.

Meets in lower level of Tileston Gym at St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, corner of 5th and Ann streets. All equipment supplied by the CFFA. Beginning classes include the basic elements of fencing, the history of the sport, foundational techniques, conditioning, refereeing, and tournament strategy. Graduates will have the option of continuing to fence with the CFFA which offers fencing Tues., Wed. and Thurs. evenings at 7:30pm.

A PLACE TO BEAD Beading classes and parties for all ages! Basic stringing and basic earring making offered weekly.

Precious Metal Clay and multiple wire wrapping classes offered monthly. Special projects and advanced classes offered on weekends. Every Sunday join local artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for Bead Therapy. Please call 910-799-2928 or check out www.aplacetobead. com for times and prices.

Clubs/Notcies CAPE FEAR GREEN BUILDING ALLIANCE CFGBA Holiday Social, Wed., 12/9, The Balcony on Dock at the corner of S. Front and Dock streets. Doors at 6:30pm; meeting at 7pm. Covering: 2009 Year in Review, highlights and honor the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founders, Elise Rocks, Gordon Singletary and Hope Sutton. Afterward: Holiday refreshments and mingle with fellow members or soon to be members.

HISTORIC WILMINGTON FOUNDATION Memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Holiday Cocktail Party: Fri., 12/11, 79pm, Barker-Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor House, 517 S. Front St., HWF Cordially invites you to our Memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Holiday Cocktail Party - our annual event to thank our membership. Please bring your year-end gift! Beer, wine, hors dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oeuvres & all the trimmings. Holiday casual attire. â&#x20AC;˘ New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve Party on the Sound, Thurs., 12/31, 8pm. Ring in the New Year with HWF at the beautiful waterfront home of Cynthia and Peter Dugan. Holiday wpirits, hors dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oeuvres, good times, black -tie optional. Invitations will follow.

CAPE FEAR CAMERA CLUB Club meets the third Wed. of each month, Sept. thru June @ 7:30pm UNCW campus in the Cultural Arts Building. www.capefearcameraclub.com or www. creativewilmington.com. Jerry Guba 392-2559.

CREATIVE WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EXCHANGE The Creative Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Exchange, a newly formed group of creative minds with a mission to be Wilmingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary catalyst of creative inspiration and support for women through events, workshops, monthly meetings, mentorship, projects and the open exchange of ideas and services will be resuming monthly meetings. The next meeting will be held on 11/9 at The Greenlight Lounge from 7-9pm.

21 N. Front St. www.creativewomensexchange.com or (910)352-0236.

CORKBOARD Available for your next CD or Demo

KAREN KANE MUSIC PRODUCTIONS 33 year veteran Producer/Engineer

200 alBum credits

Dreaming Of A Career In The Music Industry?

AUDIO ENGINEERING CLASSES Music Recording, Mixing, Pro Tools, Studio Production Classes offered in Jan., Apr. and Sept.

(910) 681-0220 or mixmama.com

NAILS BY CLAUDIA

Specializing & Enhancing Natural Nails Manicure & Pedicures Karma Salon 1319 Military Cutoff Rd., Landfall Center

$10 off Mani/Pedi 910.685.6245

Kara 36C-24-34, 5’6”, 120 lbs.

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Open Late! (910) 791-8698 Blu-Ray discs now in stock!

new medical office

Happy Hour acupuncture $10

MaSSage gift certificate Special for the holiDaYS

WELCOMING NEW PATIENTS -- PRIMARY CARE -PAUL ZIOMEK, M.D. Internal Medicine FOR AN APPOINTMENT TELEPHONE: 763-5510 CREASY MEMORIAL CLINIC 2207 Canterwood @ Medical Center Drive

for StreSS, aDDictionS & balance!

Every Wednesday, 5-6:30pm Center for Spiritual Living • 5725 Oleander Dr., F1-1

Karen Vaughn, L.Ac • (910) 392-0870

3 One-Hour Massages for $150 (reg. $70 ea.)

2 One-Hour Massages for $110; 1 for $60 with Janis Pulliam, LMBT#1379

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encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com 35

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36 encore | december 2-8, 2009 | www.encorepub.com