Outdoors
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The trail is open to pedestrians, cyclists, and other non-motorized modes of transportation, including wheelchairs, e-bikes, e-scooters. Don’t forget Fido! Dogs can also use the trail but must be on a leash.
Sensory garden
Thanks to a partnership with the High Point Rotary Club, children and adults alike can immerse themselves in the sights, sounds, feel and even taste of a new sensory garden at the High Point Public Library.
There are several interesting features in the garden. At the kugel fountain, people can push a big sphere that sits on a pedestal filled with water, causing it to hydroplane on the thin film of water.
“Kids love it. It’s like a magnet for them,” said Mary Sizemore, director of the High Point Public Library. “They try to stop it and change the direction. It’s fun to watch.”
There are swings, giant building blocks, wind spinners, and braille and sign language boards. Every garden also needs some greenery and this one has three raised bed gardens, a multitude of plants and an herb wall.
The library held a ribbon-cutting for the self-contained, 7,000-squarefoot sensory garden in April.
Pedal boats
Feeling the need to get out on the open water? Check out the pedal boats at Country Park in Greensboro. They come in fun shapes, including ducks, swans and dragons. There are also regular pedal boats. The boats can be rented only on weekends until May 25. They’ll be available to rent
daily from May 26-Aug. 22.
After the boat ride, there’s plenty more to check out at Country Park, including a dog park, mountain bike zone, trails, a canopy walk and fishing. The park also is home to the Guilford County Veterans’ Memorial.
Country Park is part of the 400acre Battleground Parks District, which includes 13 miles of trails, two other parks, a historical site, and the Greensboro Science Center.
Bird and butterfly meadow
Stroll through 2.5 acres of sloping hillside in Price Park to catch glimpses of butterflies and birds at the Butterfly Garden and Meadowlark Sanctuary.
The meadow is nestled in a section of the 92-acre park, which also features walking trails, a reading garden, ponds and wetlands. The city also built the Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch Library in the park. The library features a unique selection of nature, gardening, and environmental resources.
The meadow is a partnership between Piedmont Land Conservancy, Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department, Greensboro Beautiful, the American Hebrew Academy, and the city’s stormwater management program.
Guilford County Farm
Once home to the county’s prison farm, the Guilford County Farm offers trails, beehives, vineyards, farm animals, fishing ponds and greenhouses on 120 acres in northeast Guilford County.
In all, the Guilford County Parks Department operates 720 acres on the site. The majority of that land — 600 acres — is leased to local farmers
Top left: The Sensory Garden opened in April at the High Point Public Library. Photo courtesy of High Point Public Library.
Top right: The pedal boats have been a popular feature at Country Park in Greensboro.
At right: The Guilford County Farm has trails, beehives and vineyards.
who grow crops and raise cattle on the property.
For visitors, there are about 3 miles worth of trails on the property. The trails are also part of the larger, Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
The 3-acre vineyard produces thousands of pounds of grapes, which are harvested in the fall by volunteers and donated to local food banks, shelters and other programs that help feed those in need.
Three of the four greenhouses are being used by local growers.
The county-run greenhouse is used to grow plants for county parks and other properties. Some of the plants also get sold to the public during spring sales. This year, the sale runs through May 31 or until all plants are sold. Sale hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.
Honey produced from the beehives
GMA is
AQuestions with ... 6
Scott E. Johnson
General Manager, Oak
View Group/Greensboro Complex/First Horizon Coliseum
murder/mystery and to get away. But most recently I am into Memoirs of Springsteen, Little Steven, Rob Lowe, John Stamos, Prince Harry and the list goes on. Fascinating lives from these stars.
Q: What is your definition of success?
A: Multiple things can be success to me:
Repeat events or clients knowing they had a wonderful experience.
Getting a major concert booked that sells out and the folks have an amazing experience.
Being a positive role model for staff to help them along in their careers.
Q: What is your biggest regret?
A: When I was 19, I applied to work at an area camp I attended as a junior high and high school student. I wanted to be a camp
‘a vital resource,’ new member says
ngela Spangler moved from Florida to North Carolina in 2000. While traveling for business, she met her fiancé, Richard Hedrick. She has one son, Stephen, who is now married and enjoys all things outdoors.
She joined Stop Restoration and encouraged them to get involved with the Guilford Merchants Association as part of a larger plan to build deeper relationships in local communities.
counselor and lifeguard. I interviewed and it went great but they declined to hire me because the camp director thought I was not responsible because I shot arrows over the targets into a a field when I was a camper.
I’ll never forget the disappointment and not getting the opportunity because of an impression you made as a youth. From that day forward, I worked harder, stayed later and tried to gain as much experience as possible.
Q: How has a mentor impacted your life?
I have had several but my stepfather was Dr. Herb Appenzeller, athletic director at Guilford College for 35 years. He taught me a lot about integrity, honesty and do-
ing the right thing. And then professionally, Matt Brown. Despite what you may know of Matt Brown, he gave me a chance of a lifetime to grow and learn from him; he taught me the good and bad parts of being in charge ... and then to always stand up for what you believe in.
He always had the best interests of the city and coliseum in mind in carrying on his managing director duties. I can only hope I can walk in his shoes.
Scott E. Johnson
336-373-7449
Scott.Johnson@oakviewgroup.com
oakviewgroup.com gsocomplex.com firsthorizoncoliseum.com
“It’s too great of an opportunity with unlimited ROI to pass up,” she told the owners of the Winston-Salem business, describing GMA as “a vital resource.”
Stop Restoration, better known locally as “Service Spangler
Team of Professionals,” was started by owners Ben and Jennifer McDonald in June 2014. The company joined GMA this year in March. They provide emergency and scheduled restoration services. For example, if there is smoke damage after a fire in a business or home, Stop Restoration sends a team that removes excess water from firefighting efforts, sets up a containment zone to keep any soot or particulates in the air from getting into the rest of the home, and boards up windows.
With water damage due to plumbing and other issues, technicians determine cause of intrusion, and use specialized equipment for drying and moisture detection prior to providing demolition and repairs to affected areas. The company handles both residential and commer-
cial projects. It can provide demolition, test for biological growths like mold, and handle reconstruction.
Service Team of Professionals serves a large swath, from Mount Airy to Burlington, and can take on larger projects across our state and others, Angela said.
As business development manager, Angela handles sales and marketing, while building relationships with businesses and contractors.
“I’m out in the community, building relationships, working with our owners and team to innovate. We interact with and provide the best possible outcomes for our partners and customers,” she said.
Angela represents the company in GMA’s Competitive Advantage Networking group.
After only a month with CAN, Angela said she met four people in the group that were on her list of sales calls that she hadn’t been able to reach yet.
Angela is no stranger to GMA. She first joined while working in the hotel industry in 2000. She loved meeting so many different people, attending business after hours events, and being able to have a glass of wine and talk business.
While she gets a lot out of the networking activities, her favorite event is the Center City AM briefing.
“I love the fact that you can meet city officials. That’s not an everyday experience for most people,” she said.
Participants get a lot of great information, she said.
“I love engaging at a
deeper level and seeing what’s going on in the city, what’s impacting the city, and how we can get involved as businesses,” she said.
Angela said she hasn’t seen an organization that provides the kind of engagement and partnership that GMA does in any other city or county.
“For me, GMA is like creating your own family — your professional family,” she said.
Angela Spangler
336-770-0179 or 336-8295345
angela@triadstop.com www.triadstop.com
Service Team of Professionals offers restoration services. Photo courtesy of Service Team of Professionals.
NEW MEMBER
