Main & Broad February/March 2020

warm up with seasonal sips

the secret

Inside cellar 55

reasons to

rediscover wilson

The Heart + Soul of Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina

Explore the Arts the

healing power of color

A passion

for business

On stage Now

Concerts, theater & more FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

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If you live in Fuquay-Varina or Holly Springs, you’ve got primary care. Urgent care. Cardiovascular care. General surgery. Breast and colorectal surgery. Bariatric surgery.

Medical weight loss. Women’s care for every life stage.

And, for everything and anything else, WakeMed Cary Hospital is close by and as full-service and sophisticated as it gets. Granted, life in The ‘Quay and Holly Springs is pretty chill as is. But a little extra convenience can do wonders for your inner peace. Visit us at wakemed.org.

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FUQUAY-VARINA ARTS CENTER Hillbilly Science Spectacular Monday, February 10 at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, February 11 at 10 a.m.; All seats $5 Join crazy Dr. Cleatus Beaker when he comes to the Fuquay Varina Arts Center to put a unique twist on the world of science and experiments. Dr. Cleatus uses his high level of intellect and scientific training skills to bring fast paced antics, clean humor, visual props, audience participation and amazing science experiments.

Cirque de Vol Saturday, February 29, 2020, 7:00 p.m. $ 14/adult, $12/seniors & students Cirque de Vol transforms the Fuquay Varina Arts Center into a magical evening of surprises and delights. Mind boggling contortions, awesome juggling, and stunning aerial feats will leave you filled with wonder!

Collision of Rhythm Friday, March 6, 2020, 8 p.m.

30/adult, $26/seniors & students

$

Collision of Rhythm explodes on the stage with energy, musicality and sheer fun. Two guys, 17 instruments, drumming, tap dancing, rhythmic juggling, and more--audience interaction, humor, and personal stories--all combine to make Collision of Rhythm all at once captivating, inspiring and flat-out extraordinary!

For more info, call the Arts Center at 919-567-3920 fvarts.org

February/March 2020

CONTENTS 22

uctors are “Condkinda loosey goosey people.”

– Mark Gloden, condutor, Holly Springs Community Band

IN EVERY ISSUE 14 SEE & DO

Celebrate our area’s diversity through films, an international festival and plenty of unique live performances.

16 DIG IN & DRINK UP

Seasonal sips like Baltic Porter from Mason Jar Lager Company and Beef and Stout Stew, courtesy of Whisk.

44

44 THERE & BACK

Find unexpected art in Wilson, N.C.

54 RISE & DINE

the

ART

Discover your new favorite restaurant in our dining guide.

issue

58 GROW & BLOOM

22 MEET & GREET

with garden pro L.A. Jackson.

Local artists Heather Eck, Brenda Priest and Piedmont Pottery’s Jeff Ross.

Art opportunities for all with the Holly Springs Community Band, Stageworks Theatre and Fuquay-Varina Arts Council.

50

FEATURES 40 ART IN THE ORDINARY 50 LAUREL BAR + FOOD Photo essay by Jonathan Fredin

8 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

Inside Cellar 55, find creative Mediterranean cuisine meant to be shared.

The Hottest Spots in southern Wake, according to FVM.

64 SEEN & HEARD

News from the community.

66 IN FOCUS

Photos by Jonathan Fredin

34 GET INVOLVED

60 FUN & MEMES

Opening New Doors

We’re constantly working to make our vibrant community even more appealing and enjoyable. Now we’re throwing open new doors (literally and figuratively), adding three top builders to our team to create beautiful new homes.

Homes from the $300s to $1 million+.

2008 Green Oaks Parkway Holly Springs, NC 27540 919.557.6850 | 12oaksnc.com

Nine 12 Oaks model homes built by Lennar, Stanley Martin and Meritage Homes are ready and waiting for you to explore – along with tranquil nature trails, playgrounds, three resort-style pools, tennis and pickleball courts, and a Nicklaus-designed golf course.

Come take a tour and open the door to your new life at 12 Oaks.

©2019 WSLD 12 Oaks, LLC. Equal Housing Opportunity. The amenities and features described and depicted herein are based upon current development plans, which are subject to change without notice. Actual development may not be as currently proposed. References to housing products, builders and prices are subject to change without notice as well.

“

Sneak

Peek

What is your favorite way to Enjoy art?

February/March 2020 • Volume 2, Number 1 EXECUTIVE

Bill Zadeits, Group Publisher Kris Schultz, Publisher

”

EDITORIAL

Emily Uhland, Senior Editor Amber Keister Sarah Rubenoff, Copy Editor Alexandra Blazevich, Staff Writer

​ANYTHING PUBLIC OR COMMUNITY-BASED PARK SCULPTURES, MURALS, ETC.

CONTRIBUTORS

THROUGH THE LENS OF A CAMERA OR WATCHING A BALLET

SMALL-VENUE CONCERTS, WHETHER SEEING A SOLO ARTIST AT A COFFEEHOUSE OR A SYMPHONY PERFORMANCE AT CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY

FOLLOWING PEOPLE ON INSTAGRAM PHOTOGRAPHERS AND PAINT-POUR VIDEOS, AS WELL AS SCRAPBOOKING AND BIBLE JOURNALING

IN THE NEXT ISSUE: LOCAL FILM FESTIVALS THE CARY FILM FESTIVAL, THE FULL FRAME DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL AND THE HAYTI HERITAGE FILM FESTIVAL

S&A Communications Chuck Norman, APR ADMINISTRATIVE

WALKING AROUND ART MUSEUMS IN A BERET AND MUTTERING THINGS LIKE, “TIMELESS, UTTERLY TIMELESS”

Kristin Black, Accounting Cherise Klug, Traffic Manager Lisa White, Circulation Coordinator Valerie Renard, Advertising & Human Resources

Photos by Jonathan Fredin

Ron Smith Main & Broad is published six times annually by Cherokee Media Group. Reproduction or use, without permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. Subscriptions are $18/year.

MAIN & BROAD Westview at Weston 301 Cascade Pointe Lane, Cary, North Carolina 27513 (919) 674-6020 • (800) 608-7500 • Fax (919) 674-6027 www.mainandbroadmag.com

Send letters to the editor by e-mailing editor@mainandbroadmag.com or find us on social media.

This publication does not endorse, either directly or implicitly, the people, activities, products or advertising published herein.

Information in the magazine is deemed credible to the best of our knowledge.

LET’S BE

! s d n e i r F

10 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

PRODUCTION

Jennifer Casey, Senior Graphic Designer Lauren Earley, Graphic Designer Dylan Gilroy, Web Designer Beth Harris, Graphic Designer Matt Rice, Webmaster/SEO Rachel Sheffield, Web Designer Lane Singletary, Graphic Designer

PUBLISHER EMERITUS

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE ISSUE?

@mbmagazinenc

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jonathan Fredin, Chief Photographer

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Delight in a day trip to Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham.

@Main & Broad

Fuquay-Varina Memes L.A. Jackson David McCreary

ON THE COVER: HOLLY SPRINGS ARTIST HEATHER ECK FINDS HER INSPIRATION IN THE HEALING POWER OF COLOR. LEARN MORE ON PAGE 22.

BY JONATHAN FREDIN

@mbmagazinenc

Main & Broad is a proud member and supporter of all five chambers in Western Wake County: the Cary Chamber of Commerce, Apex Chamber of Commerce, Morrisville Chamber of Commerce, Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce and Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce.

All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law.

All dwellings advertised are available on an equalopportunity basis.

Editor’s

Letter MY OWN ART COLLECTION INCLUDES AN ABSTRACT PAINTING COMMISSIONED FOR MY 30TH BIRTHDAY, A MINIATURE BARN QUILT PAINTED BY MY SISTERIN-LAW AND A COPY OF “STARRY NIGHT” BY MY DAUGHTER EVIE.

This issue

BY THE

Numbers

1 new writer

Jonathan Fredin

added to the team.

Welcome, Alexa! issues of 7Main & Broad

One of my favorite quotes in this issue, our inaugural Arts Issue, is from Holly Springs painter Heather Eck. On her journey as an artist, Eck has come to appreciate that art is highly individual and speaks to everyone differently. Her story is on page 22.

I love this sentiment. It sort of takes the pressure off, doesn’t it?

Over the last several years, at the urging of my husband, we’ve made an intentional effort to experience more of the arts here at home — and while we travel. Attending a symphony performance in Boston, touring the Art Institute in Chicago for hours (and I do mean hours) and season tickets to the North Carolina Opera, for example I appreciate each of these experiences and recognize the incredible talent and hard work of each artist involved, but I can’t say that every piece, or every song, spoke to me profoundly. Some certainly did, but I have learned that experiencing works of art in the outdoors is what touches me the most deeply.

Strolling the Besthoff Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art, listening to the New York Philharmonic in the Gerald R. Ford (outdoor) Amphitheater in Vail, Colo., or witnessing the progression of our very own murals in downtown Fuquay-Varina — the melding of art and nature gets me every time.

In this issue, we explore local arts organizations powered by passionate community members and meet local artists enriching our hometown culture. I hope that within these pages you’ll find something, or someone, that speaks profoundly to you.

EMILY UHLAND SENIOR EDITOR

12 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

in print (counting this one).

Cheers to the start of our second year.

17

times readers have called the magazine Broad & Main.

15

Instagram posts in December.

Follow us at @mbmagazinenc

30

whirligigs at Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park.

160

pictures taken of said whirligigs and downtown Wilson.

Dr. Jean’s Jump Start to a Healthy Smile Get it Done in Year One

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that your child see a pediatric dentist when their first tooth erupts, and no later than their first birthday to receive an exam and begin preventative care to start them on the road towards a life-long healthy smile.

Healthy Smile = Happy Child!

Anyone with teeth can get cavities – even babies! Left untreated, baby teeth with decay can cause pain, infection and serious complications. On average, baby teeth do not finish falling out until around 13 years old. Healthy baby teeth are important for proper form, development and function. They also save space for the proper permanent tooth to erupt into.

Sip Smart

Pro Tip for Preventing Baby Bottle Rot: Never let your little one fall asleep with anything in their bottle other than water. Drinks containing sugars such as chocolate-milk or juice should be limited to 4 ounces per day and given with a meal. Avoid putting juice in a bottle or sippy cup.

Brush Together, Brush Better

As soon as teeth erupt, they should be brushed twice a day with fluoride tooth-paste. Only a “smear” of toothpaste is recommended for babies, as they cannot spit on their own. Children should be assisted when brushing in order to develop proper technique and ensure all surfaces are cleaned. Toothbrush bristles cannot reach in between teeth, so teeth that are touching need to be flossed to clean out food and bacteria.

Teething Blues

Signs of teething can include difficulty sleeping, decreased appetite and increased drooling. You can relieve discomfort with frozen teething toys or by gently massaging the gums with a cold wet washcloth. The comfort of nursing can also reduce the pain of teething. Tylenol may help soothe tender gums before bedtime.

Jean Guevarra You, DDS Board Certified Pediatric Dentist

919.303.2873

504 W. Williams Street Apex littletoothco.com

Loved by kids... trusted by parents

See Do 10 Things To Do Around Town

Jonathan Fredin

In celebration of Black History Month, the Holly Springs Martin Luther King Jr. Committee presents a series of movies.

Glory Road

FEBRUARY 7 HOLLY SPRINGS CULTURAL CENTER 7:00 P.M.

After being appointed the new coach of the 1966 Texas Miners, Don Haskins ( Josh Lucas) decides to build a team based on talent rather than race.

The conservative town residents balk at the new racially diverse lineup despite the fact that the team is winning all of their games.

The Best of Enemies

FEBRUARY 22 HOLLY SPRINGS CULTURAL CENTER 6:00 P.M.

The true story of the unlikely relationship between Ann Atwater, an outspoken civil rights activist, and C.P. Ellis, a local Ku Klux Klan leader. During the racially charged summer of 1971, Atwater and Ellis come together to co-chair a community summit on the desegregation of schools in Durham, N.C.

The Vernon Johns Story

FEBRUARY 28 HOLLY SPRINGS CULTURAL CENTER 7:00 PM

This biopic follows the life of Vernon Johns, played by James Earl Jones — now known as the father of the civil rights movement — during the years he preceded Martin Luther King Jr. as minister of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. Johns champions the cause of desegregation, clashing with his community, his church and even his family, who fears he’ll lose his pulpit and his life.

14 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

Paint your pet fundraiser FEBRUARY 21 THE CORNER BIERGARTEN, FUQUAY-VARINA 6:30 - 8:30 P.M.

Wine & Design On Wheels is hosting a Paint Your Pet fundraiser benefiting ROAR NC, a foster-based dog rescue organization. Twenty-five percent of proceeds will go toward food, vet care and supplies needed. Please arrive early to order drinks, and find your seats. Painting begins at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $55 for an 8x10 canvas.

Holly Springs Farmers Market and Artisan Marketplace

FEB 15, MARCH 21 9:30 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. W. BALLENTINE ST. BY THE CULTURAL CENTER

Locally made food products, small farm produce, fresh cheese and coffee at the farmers market pair up with the Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce’s monthly artisan marketplace highlighting local makers and businesses.

See Do International Festival of Raleigh MARCH 6 - 8 NC STATE FAIRGROUNDS

Coffee with a Cop

FEBRUARY 19 DUNKIN’ HOLLY SPRINGS, 1501 WERRINGTON DR. MARCH 12 9 A.M. - 11 A.M.

Celebrate the Triangle’s global diversity with three days of international food, exhibits and shopping. More than 60 ethnic communities encompassing Afghan to Vietnamese participate to showcase their cuisine, dance, music and traditions.

Stop by for some coffee and great conversation with members of Holly Springs Police Department.

Get to know your local officers, and discuss any questions or issues you may have.

Cirque de Vol

FEBRUARY 29 FUQUAY-VARINA ARTS CENTER 7:00 P.M.

Join Cirque de Vol for a fun-filled evening of awe-inspiring circus spectacles. Enjoy amazing feats of strength, grace, comedy and beauty in this variety showcase designed to inspire and delight the whole family!

Route 55 Jazz Orchestra

MARCH 7 HOLLY SPRINGS CULTURAL CENTER 7:30 P.M.

Enjoy big-band jazz played by community musicians. Route 55 Jazz Orchestra was founded in the fall of 2006. Tickets start at only $7.

Chamber 101

MARCH 17 HOLLY SPRINGS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 8:00 - 9:30 A.M.

Collision of Rhythm

MARCH 6 FUQUAY-VARINA ARTS CENTER 8:00 P.M.

Drumming, tap dancing, rhythm juggling, marimba, musical instruments and more, Collision of Rhythm has been described as “Stomp meets Blue Man meets Cirque de Soleil.”

Learn more about the Holly Springs Chamber and how best to utilize your membership. Topics covered include: events, committees, sponsorship opportunities, board of directors and chamber champions.

Playthrough Gaming Convention MARCH 21, 10 A.M. - 10 P.M. MARCH 22, 10 A.M. - 6 P.M. RALEIGH CONVENTION CENTER

Join the party as Playthrough Gaming Convention celebrates its 5-year anniversary. Whether you are interested in video games, eSports, tabletop games or testing new creations, Playthrough Gaming Convention showcases the latest games and provides an opportunity for gamers to meet others who share their passion.

15

Dig in

Drink up Moonlight Excursion Baltic Porter from Mason Jar Lager Company Written by Dave Tollefsen | Photographed by Jonathan Fredin

WINTER IS HERE: Breweries have prepared for the onslaught of cold

weather by introducing a slew of styles fitting for the arctic air — bigger, richer beers that are great for warming you from the inside out.

The Baltic porter is a lager, meaning the yeast is fermented in cooler temperatures and then stored or “lagered” at almost freezing temperatures for several weeks or months. This gives the beer a clean and crisp flavor.

FLAVOR: Coming in at a nice 8% ABV, the porter is dark and flavorful with just the right amount of roasty flavor. Its rich malty flavors — caramel, toffee and molasses plus a smooth roastiness — make it perfect for the cooler weather. Mason Jar Lager’s Midnight Excursion Baltic Porter delivers this style beautifully.

Pause to enjoy the aroma of the beer.

That’s not beer snobbery; it’s what enhances the experience of drinking craft beer. As you smell it and take a sip, the combination of aroma and flavors will put you right in front of a roaring fireplace. For a great flavor experience, pair this beer with a good burger or beef stew. It will knock your socks off!

ENJOY: While the beer comes in cans, the best place to enjoy it is the brewery itself. They have a big open taproom where you can enjoy a variety of the lagers they specialize in.

THE MASON JAR LAGER COMPANY 341 E Broad St., Fuquay-Varina (919) 557-5303 masonjarlagerco.com

16 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

Dave Tollefsen is one of the NCBeerGuys – they have been promoting North Carolina craft beer and breweries on their website, ncbeerguys.com, since 2012. He is an avid homebrewer for more than 10 years and is also part of the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild.

Opening early 2020.

Now accepting reservations.

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Dig in

WHISK 316 Colonades Way, Cary Mon. – Sat. 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Sun. 12 – 5:00 p.m.

(919) 322-2458 whiskcarolina.com

Drink up

Irish Beef and Stout Stew Recipe by

The Triangle’s award-winning destination for cooks, foodies, chefs and gadget lovers.

15,000+

tools for cooking and entertaining

35 cooking classes each month Private parties and company team-building 25 talented instructors from 15 countries

Family Owned

and staffed by a diverse group of culinary experts 18 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

INGREDIENTS

5 slices bacon, diced 1 1/2 pounds stew beef, cut in 1-inch cubes 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 large onion, diced

4 medium carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup Guinness stout

3 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

3 cups small red potatoes, quartered

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. 2. Over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crispy.

While bacon is cooking, season stew beef cubes with salt and pepper. Remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon. Add the stew beef to the bacon fat, brown on all sides; remove from the pot.

3. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the pot, and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the bacon and beef back to the pot, and sprinkle with the flour.

Stir and cook for two minutes. Add the Guinness stout, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and thyme. Bring the stew to a boil.

4. Add the potatoes, cover, and bake for two hours.

5. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Serve hot with fresh, crusty bread.

Serves 6-8

Dig in

Drink up 2018 Chateau Saint-Nabor Cotes Du Rhone Tradition Red

This medium- to full-bodied wine offers aromas and flavors dominated by ripe, red fruit reminiscent of strawberry and blackberry, and supported by notes of clove, licorice and a touch of leather. Given its tannins and crisp acidity, this wine is a perfect fit with the beef, pork, thyme, garlic, onion and pepper in the stew. The wine cuts through the fat component of the beef and bacon. $17.99

2016 Carpinus Deak Vineyard Tokaji Furmint

Nestled in the Tokaji Wine Region in Hungary, Edit and IstvĂĄn Bai have concentrated their winemaking efforts solely on furmint, a white wine grape. This flagship Hungarian grape variety is traditionally used in Tokaji AszĂş dessert wines, but it is also available as a dry wine such as this one. Highly fragrant with aromas and flavors of lemon, honey and green apple, the wine is full-bodied with a luscious texture and wonderful acidity, which cuts through the richness and fat of the beef and bacon. $19.99

Written By Bill Allen Photographed By Jonathan Fredin

2018 Moser Maso Warth Teroldego, Campo Rotaliano DOC Located in the Trentino-Alto Adige region in northeast Italy, the Moser family winery was launched around 1950. This red, made from teroldego grapes, is mediumbodied with soft tannins and bright acidity. It has bright fruit notes, blended in with blackberry and raspberry. There are also hints of spicy pepper, cinnamon and anise. The wine works well with the meaty stew ingredients, the herbs and the spiciness of the Worcestershire sauce. $29.99

eef stew Irish b with y c e f per tl pairs

Bill Allen holds a first-level certification with the Court of Master Sommeliers and a Specialist of Wine certification from the Society of Wine Educators.

He has worked as a wine educator with the Triangle Wine Company for five years.

19

For everything

your palate desires.

HOLLY SPRINGS

4204 Lassiter Road 919-367-6455 FINE WINE & CRAFT BEER STORE www.trianglewineco.com

CARY 575 New Waverly Place -next to Whole Foods-

(919) 307-3966

MORRISVILLE 3735 Davis Drive (919) 462-1912

ORIGINAL ALCOHOL INK ON YUPO PAPER BY HOLLY SPRINGS ARTIST HEATHER ECK

the

ART issue

Small towns are frequently lauded for their charm and friendliness, but are not usually known as meccas of arts and culture.

Southern Wake smashes that mold, with thriving community organizations fueled by passionate musicians, actors and craftsmen.

Up-and-coming artists build a following one painting at a time, while established professionals are committed to dispelling the notion of “starving artist.”

Let’s meet them.

21

H e n ali I Color

g n

HOLLY SPRINGS ARTIST HEATHER ECK BELIEVES IN THE HEALING POWER OF COLOR AND FINDS HER OWN HEALING IN EACH OF HER PAINTINGS.

22 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

the

ART issue

Original Paintings

by Heather Eck Written by Emily Uhland Photographed by Jonathan Fredin

It

began with a light-bulb moment.

Really, it began again with a light-bulb moment.

Even as a child, Heather Eck loved art; sketching hands and fingers, noticing colors.

“I was always drawing,” she says. “When I was in high school and college, I took a bunch of art classes: sewing, art, sketching, photography.”

In college, however, Eck majored in human resources, afraid she couldn’t make a career out of being an artist.

“I dove headfirst into what I felt would give me stability and stepped away from what actually made me feel really happy,” she says.

Within the last year, Eck UPCOMING EVENTS: found painting again. And about Solo Show six months ago left her job as Personify, Raleigh April 2020 human resources manager for Epic Games to paint full time.

“I was feeling kind of lost. I was at that point in your life when you are like, ‘What am I supposed to be doing? What am I here for?’ I worked with a spiritual teacher. She reminded me that my gift is creative, artistic expression,” says Eck. “And it was like a light bulb went on.”

In Eck’s painting studio, which is part of her Holly Springs home, she’s surrounded by bottles of paint, colorful canvases and pieces of inspiration continued on page 24

23

ECK CONSULTED A SPIRITUAL TEACHER BEFORE LEAVING A CAREER IN HUMAN RESOURCES TO PAINT FULL TIME. PICTURED HERE WITH “HALLELUJAH.”

continued from page 24

continued from page 23

from other artist friends. Her studio dog, Rudy, gnaws a bone at her feet.

A tarp on the floor is speckled with paint splatters, creating a beautiful kind of art in itself. I love abstract art and am immediately taken with Eck’s style. It’s full of movement, bold colors and, I come to learn, intense feeling.

“There is a spiritual aspect to my work where I can see and sense color around people. I tune in to people’s energies and the colors that surround them. Then I’ll create a personalized painting that is essentially their color energy on a canvas.”

Eck begins many of her painting sessions with meditation to tune into the spiritual energy that serves as her inspiration.

Eck admits that she’s never heard of another artist who “sees” color the way 24 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

she can, but color interpretation has al- because they are a snapshot of the energy ways fascinated her, leading Eck to be- at the time.” come a student of the chakra colors of She practices intuitive painting, a the body. movement which encourages artists to cre“My approach to (painting) comes ate using intuition around colors and forms. from a place of healing. I want to help others “When I first started, I was very much understand where color plays a role in their into paint pouring. Then, it evolved into a selives and how color can help ries of circles, and now it’s them heal,” she says. evolving into more lines She’s even started and scraping,” she says. “I producing videos to exhonestly don’t know where plain the story behind this will go next. It’s been each painting. really fun to watch my Eck largely works work evolve as I’ve stepped with acrylic paint on more firmly into it.” canvas, but also incorEck’s paintings were porates plaster, gold showcased in several flake, mica and resin downtown Raleigh locainto her “portraits.” tions, including Anchor “I call them portraits, Bar, Raleigh Raw and – Heather Eck

“

Color speaks to us in a way words cannot.

”

17001 SEARSTONE DRIVE

ECK REFERS TO HER PAINTINGS AS “PORTRAITS,” BECAUSE THEY REFLECT THE ENERGY OF A MOMENT IN TIME.

GOGET TERS

CARY, NC

WE’RE LOOKING FOR A FEW

RUDY, THE STUDIO DOG

People who are ready to embrace the future and know a great opportunity when they see one.

Trophy Tap and Table, during last year’s monthly First Friday art walks.

“They’ve been incredible opportunities to think about marketing. There’s a lot that goes into putting that show together in an effective way,” she says.

Eck feels strongly that people will find her art when it is right for them.

“I think that there is so much love for local artists, and there is so much talent. There’s room for everybody,” she says.

“There are people who will be connected to my work; there are people who will be connected to other work. What I appreciate so much about art now, is how it allows people to experience and perceive what’s meaningful for them.”

ORIGINAL ART BY HEATHER ECK (919) 230-4371 heathereck.com

Those are the people who have come to call Searstone home in retirement.

And now, as we set off on a program of exciting improvements to our six-year-old Cary campus, a few select residences are now available for those who are ready to take their place in our mix of fascinating folks.

To learn more about immediate opportunities at Searstone or our upcoming expansion, call us: 919.891.8678

THE MAGGY AWARDS

RETIREMENT LIVING with INTEREST

WINNER 2020

SEARSTONE.COM

25

the

ART issue

“

I focused on the business ... It’s a very different perspective than a lot of artists have.

”

– Brenda Priest

HOLLY SPRINGS ARTIST BRENDA PRIEST WORKS ON A CUSTOM HOME ILLUSTRATION. SHE ALSO SKETCHES LOCAL LANDMARKS AND SPORTS STADIUMS.

26 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

Woman At Work Illustrations by Brenda Priest Written by Emily Uhland | Photographed by Jonathan Fredin

N

etworking, mentorship, business education, multiple streams of revenue — not necessarily concepts you associate with artists. For Holly Springs resident, and yes, artist, Brenda Priest, they have been the focus of her 20-year career as a pen and ink illustrator.

Priest’s study of interior design and architecture led her to an internship where she fell in love with pen-and-ink drafting.

But it wasn’t until several years later, while on maternity leave, that Priest really put those skills into action.

“I started doing pen-and-ink illustrations for the Parade of Homes,” she said. “I did the drawings in my pajamas with my kids crawling all over.”

It was a great opportunity for Priest to stay home with her children and do parttime work she loved. As her daughters Abby and Maggie grew, Priest had more time to put into her business, Your Door & More, and its custom pen-and-ink-home portraits.

“I had this talent, but I didn’t know what to do with it,” she says.

Priest joined a Holly Springs networking group and started learning all she could about 30-second marketing and growing a small business.

“I focused on the business as more of a business than as a passionate piece of art that comes from my soul,” Priest says. “It’s a very different perspective than a lot of artists have.”

“I’ve had many mentors that have really taught me a lot,” she says. “I knew the arts side; I knew the drafting; I didn’t know the business side.”

Her sketches of homes were initially used as marketing tools for home builders, but when Priest started doing illustrations for family, friends and clients, her work took on new meaning.

“I love doing the house sketches, because people have such an emotional attachment to where they have lived,” she

says. “You hear lots of stories of the people who grew up in a house.”

There was the client who asked for a crack to be drawn into a window, a telltale sign of a long ago baseball accident.

Or the homeowner who needed bushes precisely sketched into the front landscaping, because the grandmother had planted a shrub for each grandchild that had been born.

“These are invaluable memories of home,” Priest says. “People want to remember where they have come from.”

Priest received an unexpected break when she was contacted by Winning Streak, a sports memorabilia company based in the Midwest who had discovered her work. Winning Streak wanted Priest’s signature pen-and-ink style for a collection of sports stadium banners.

“I almost didn’t do it,” she says. “But a basic principle in the business community continued on page 28

27

PRIEST’S COLLECTION OF FULLY LICENSED STADIUM BANNERS IS AVAILABLE AT OUR MOMENTS IN TIME IN HOLLY SPRINGS.

continued from page 27

is: If it’s out of your comfort zone, you will grow if you say ‘yes.’”

Starting with 12 Major League Baseball stadiums, including Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium, Priest’s collection of fully-licensed sports stadiums has grown to include 78 professional and college teams across the country.

“It was a smash success,” she says. “It has become the bread and butter of my business. It has really changed everything.”

In 2018, Priest sold 600 banners. In 2019 she more than doubled that number.

“Hysterically, I don’t follow any sports,” she says. “I have learned to be able to talk smack to my customers and raz them about their rivals.”

Priest sells the banners at craft shows, through her website and at Our Moments in Time in downtown Holly Springs.

“To have my work in a locally owned shop on Main Street — I feel so proud,” she says.

28 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

Priest’s collection also includes local landmarks, such as Duke University chapel, the NC State University wolf statue and the North Carolina Executive Mansion, which took 22 hours to sketch, her longest yet.

Priest has become a vital figure supporting arts and entrepreneurship in Holly Springs. She was the driving force behind the Holly Springs Arts Council, which worked alongside the town to encourage growth among local artists. Though the council eventually dissolved, the organization’s efforts produced a community arts festival, supported classes for artisans and fostered arts awareness in the community.

Priest also served for three years as a mentor in Wake Technical Community College’s program LAUNCH Holly Springs, an entrepreneurship incubator that provides training, funding and resources for small business owners in Holly Springs.

Our Moments in Time, owned by Beth and Jerry Martinez de Andino, where Priest and several local artisans have work on sale, is a graduate of the LAUNCH program.

“What Beth and Jerry have created here at the shop is an arts community. And all that revenue is staying in the community, because we are all local people,” Priest says.

Despite being a successful illustrator, with her work on sale locally and nationwide, Priest has long struggled to identify as an artist.

“I’m not a classically trained artist. I don’t paint. I didn’t fit into any box that I felt comfortable with.”

“I’ve been sketching for 20 years, I think it took 19 years to feel comfortable calling myself an artist with confidence. It wasn’t who I am inside, until now.”

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the

ART issue

JEFF ROSS, OWNER

handmade Ceramics at Piedmont Pottery

and more!

Written by Emily Uhland | Photographed by Jonathan Fredin

J

eff Ross has a doctorate in molecular biology. During his career as a scientist, he led a group of cancer researchers for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Jeff ’s wife Lisa is an infectious diseases expert working in the pharmaceutical industry. (I know, I’m impressed, too.)

You won’t find Jeff in a science lab these days. Jeff and Lisa are also the owners and creative minds behind Piedmont Pottery, a young pottery studio and gallery on Main Street in downtown Fuquay, a dream they’ve been working toward for close to 40 years.

“We always had the long-term plan that when I retired, we’d open up a gallery and studio,” says Jeff Ross.

During his college years, Ross took a course in ceramics and fell in love with the art of pottery. Jeff met Lisa making pot30 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

tery, and the two have been working the multiple cycles before a final firing in the craft together since the mid 1970s. kiln, he explains.

“Pottery is challenging and relaxing at The Rosses started looking for propthe same time. There are always opportuni- erties several years ago, and settled on ties to explore new forms and create new Fuquay-Varina due to it’s locally-minded glazes,” says Ross. business community and affordability.

Vases, mugs and serving bowls by “There is nothing just like us here. We’re Jeff and Lisa line the shelves of Piedmont more than just a pottery studio,” says Ross.

Pottery. Colors range from deep blue to Paintings, photography, sculpture, jewelry and rich turquoise to earthy neutrals. Jeff ’s gifts are on display in the charming yellow style leans toward traditional and red building next to Fainting folk pottery, like whisky and Goat Brewery, much of it is made Fun Fact: face jugs. by the Rosses and other area artWinners of last year’s “The chemistry aspects are ists. Pottery and photography Downtown appealing to me with my science classes are offered, as well as a Chili Cook-Off were awarded background,” says Ross, showing selection of premade pottery that original off a vase he created with a cryscan be painted onsite.

Piedmont Pottery tallized pattern in the glaze. The “Over the years doing “trophies” in unique pattern is accomplished craft fairs and shows, people the shape of continued on page 32 using zinc to grow crystals in mini cauldrons.

Art & Ed

n atio

uc

31

A GALLERY, STUDIO AND GIFT SHOP, PIEDMONT POTTERY OFFERS JEWELRY, LOCAL ART, AND GREETING CARDS.

JEFF ROSS AT THE POTTER’S WHEEL

DROP-IN BISQUE PAINTING IS FUN FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN, SUCH AS FOUR-YEAR-OLD AUTUMN AUDIBERT.

continued from page 30

would ask, ‘Do you do teach lessons?’

There is a definite community interest.”

“We have a strong focus on arts education. I spend a lot of time in my classes going over the fundamental basic techniques — step-by-step of what you need to do to be successful,” Ross says.

Pottery class offerings include Introduction to Clay, Introduction to the Wheel, slab building and coil building. Holly Springs photographer Ron Lowe teaches photography skills, such as an iPhone Photography Workshop, digital photography basics and How to Take Better Pictures with a Smartphone.

The Fuquay-Varina Arts Center is only a couple blocks away, which Ross sees as an advantage.

“The Art Center does a lot of 2D art, but they don’t have the facilities to do what we do with pottery. We see ourselves as being complementary to what they do,” he says.

All pottery starts with preparing the clay for working, to make sure it is uniform throughout. Beginners often use hand building or coil techniques. Experienced 32 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

potters advance to throwing on the wheel.

“The wheel is a little more difficult to do, but in many ways it’s more rewarding.

It’s what people think of first when they think of pottery.”

The final steps of drying, glazing, firing and cooldown often take much longer than the time required to shape an item.

Two onsite kilns can reach temperatures of 2200 degrees.

For the more casual artist, bisque painting (decorating a premade item) or monthly ladies night events are a good option.

“There is a different craft project each month. We have complimentary wine, soft drinks and snacks. It’s kind of a party; people have a blast,” Ross says.

“There is something inherent in people to want to express themselves in art or to appreciate art,” says Ross. “But a lot of people have no idea how to approach it. We like to have different ways to introduce people to 3D art.”

In the future, the Rosses hope to be a part of creating an arts district in the downtown Fuquay area. Anchored by the Arts Center, an arts district would include additional galleries, workshops and special events to encourage arts appreciation.

“If it becomes a destination the way Seagrove is, an arts district supports the local economy more than people buying pottery. It brings people into the town; they are going to be buying gas and lunch. It improves the image of the town.”

PIEDMONT POTTERY 332 S Main St, Fuquay-Varina (919) 285-3015 piedmontpottery.com @piedmontpottery

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A

t Windsor Point, we know everything’s better when you’re close to those you love.

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the

ART issue

JESSICA ALBERT PLAYING FRENCH HORN

Strike Up the

Holly Springs Community band Written by Emily Uhland | Photographed by Jonathan Fredin

W

hen was the last time you heard a concert band perform? You know .. the kind of band you probably played in during middle school — woodwinds (flute, clarinet, saxophone), brass instruments (trumpet, trombone) and percussion.

If you can’t recall, and chances are you probably can’t, then the Holly Springs Community Band can change that.

This group of 45 volunteer musicians is one of the resident groups of the Holly Springs Cultural Center, and the institution has been around for about 14 years.

The Holly Springs Community Band plays three formal concerts indoors at the cultural center each year, plus one outdoor concert during Summer in the Springs and at various community events.

“It’s a really excellent way to have 34 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

community members experience live music conductor in 2015, adding another tick to without spending a lot of money or making his extensive musical resume, which already big plans to go into Raleigh,” says Debbie included four years in the Navy band in Dunn-Smoot, the band’s president and an San Diego, undergraduate and graduate alto saxophone player. “We try to make it music degrees and a career teaching music an experience that you want to come back in Florida and North Carolina. Now semito again and again.” retired, Gloden still subs occasionally in You’ll hear music spanning all genres, Wake County schools. including marches, classical overtures, “It’s just fun directing a band,” he says. showtunes and movie themes, hand picked “Musicians really love playing these songs. by conductor Mark Gloden. There may be It’s not work for us. It may be more fun for a few surprises, too. everybody up on the stage.

“A lot of times I’ll get peo“Kids really love hearple up from the audience and ing the sounds of the instruNext Concert: Sat., April 4 give them the baton. The band ments.” he adds. “Adults love Holly Springs will know to play on, but the the marches and showtunes. It Cultural Center 7:30 P.M. person with the baton will have brings everybody together.”

Tickets: $3-$5 a lot of fun,” he says.

The band rehearses once a hollyspringsnc.us Gloden became the band’s week and welcomes musicians to purchase

CONDUCTOR MARK GLODEN LEADS THE HOLLY SPRINGS COMMUNITY BAND DURING THEIR WINTER CONCERT.

BRASS INSTRUMENTS, LIKE THE TROMBONE, WOODWINDS AND PERCUSSION FORM THE HOLLY SPRINGS COMMUNITY BAND.

of varied experience. There are no tryouts or auditions.

However, true beginners may feel overwhelmed.

“What we ask is that musicians play music at a grade 3, kind of a middle school or high school level.

Usually people who played in high school will fit in just wonderfully,” Gloden says.

Due to space limitations at the Holly Springs Cultural Center, the band is limited in the number of players that can be seated on the stage, and there is currently a waiting list for prospective members. That doesn’t mean membership is completed closed.

“During the summer, we have a larger capacity for musicians because the concerts are played outdoors,” says Dunn-Smoot, encouraging interested folks to try out the band during the summer months, when performance events include Salamanders baseball games and the Holly Springs farmers market.

When Dunn-Smoot first joined the group in 2016, there wasn’t space for her to play saxophone. Instead, she volunteered in the percussion section, playing the timpani drums for the first time, and various percussion instruments as needed.

“It’s nice to be able to change around depending on the needs of the music that we are playing,” she says. “I got a lot of

on-the-job training from the percussionists who did know what they were doing. It’s a really nice community that we have supporting each other.”

Gloden agrees. “This a group of wonderful people — really nice people to know as musicians and as friends. And making music is a lot of fun. You get a double win there.”

Musicians interested in membership should e-mail members@hollyspringsband.com.

HOLLY SPRINGS COMMUNITY BAND hollyspringsband.org @HSCommunityband

35

Written by Emily Uhland

Photographed by Jonathan Fredin STAGEWORKS THEATRE’S REHEARSALS AND PERFORMANCES TAKE PLACE AT THE FUQUAY-VARINA ARTS CENTER AND THE HOLLY SPRINGS CULTURAL CENTER

Flair for the Dramatic with Stageworks Theatre

W

hen Dan Barth moved to Wake County in 2011, he was immediately impressed with the community theater talent he saw in the area.

“Honestly, I was a little surprised,” says Barth. “This is a very active and cool location for community theater.”

A longtime veteran of the stage, Barth majored in theater, then worked as an actor, director and writer for multiple theater and murder mystery companies in New England, where he lived prior to relocating to North Carolina.

After doing the same with Raleigh’s 36 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

dramatic companies, Barth became inStageworks Theatre company presentspired to start something new. ed it’s first full season at the Holly Springs “I thought it’d be nice to … see if a Cultural Center in 2016, and now performs company could get planted and work to at the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center as well. be part of the planting. That’s what led to The current season, which will conclude Stageworks,” he says. with the drama “Fences” With support from in May, marks the comNext show: “Fences” Set in the 1950s, “Fences” the towns of Holly pany’s third full season. explores the evolving AfricanSprings and FuquayBarth, Stageworks’ American experience through Varina and performance president, describes the the lens of baseball. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Play. professionals in the area, group’s connection to the roots of a southern the towns as a triangle.

Holly Springs Cultural Center May 7-9 Wake County theater “Stageworks will be the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center company started to grow. third point,” he says.

May 14-16

“

Everyone likes the fabric of the town they live in.

They want to ... experience unique fun things there.

Community theater has always had a draw on the very local level.

the

ART issue

tions), there’s almost always a surprise,” he says.

Preparation for a production takes between two and three months, including multiple rehearsals per week. It can be a big commitment, Barth admits.

“We try to make it a valuable commitment. People come and do it, because it’s a passion,” he says. “This has – Dan Barth, founder and president, always been a passion in my life, going Stageworks Theatre back to high school. It’s quite literally how I rePRIDE & PREJUDICE DIRECTOR NATHALIE charge my battery.”

TONDEUR COACHES ACTORS LAUREN BODHAINE AND Well-known dramas JENNY MARCONYAK. and comedies are often crowd favorites, but Stageworks isn’t afraid to test their audience either.

“We try to balance between shows that people know and finding the right opportunity to take a risk and test drive something to see how it feels for our audience.”

“We bring the show suggestions, the talPast shows have included “Pride & ent and creativity, and work with the two Prejudice,” “On Golden Pond,” “Deathtowns to stage the seasons.” trap” and “Whose Life is it Anyway.”

“People will be amazed to hear how Stageworks is always looking for much talent and time and effort it takes new talent, on stage and backstage, and to stage a live theater production,” he says. encourages members of the community There’s anywhere from five to 15 acto get involved. tors and actresses, backstage crews manag“This is an opportunity to do ing props, costumes and set design, and a something different and plug into a director. All of these roles are volunteers, community-based organization,” Barth save the director who typically receives a says. “There is a sense of belonging small stipend. that has always been very attractive “Auditions are completely open,” to people who have gotten involved in Barth says. “Several of the members have community theater. People build very degrees in theater, but there are also peoreal relationships.” ple who literally walk in and say, ‘I’ve never done this before, and I’d like to try.’”

STAGEWORKS THEATRE “I can tell you after 30 years of (audi- @StageworksTheatreofHollySprings

”

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37

the

ART issue

GESINE NOONAN WORKS ON A STILL LIFE

Knowledge and Inspiration with the Fuquay-Varina Arts Council Written by Emily Uhland | Photographed by Jonathan Fredin

A “

rt is a business,” says Jessica Yee, president of the Fuquay-Varina Arts Council. “The goal is to sell something, to be able to make a living.”

Time out. Isn’t this an organization fostering the arts?

I met Yee one morning at Cultivate Coffee to learn more about the FuquayVarina Arts Council. Her hair is dyed blue, as you might expect of a full-time artist, but what I don’t expect is her emphasis on business education.

See, Yee is a full-time professional calligrapher, creating custom letter art commemorating life’s important events, such as weddings and retirement, through her business, The Oblique Pen. Yee founded The Oblique Pen after she abruptly decided to leave a 15-year ca38 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

reer in IT. Within three years she had replaced her former salary.

“I had some great mentors across the nation,” says Yee, fellow artists that imparted the important lessons of how to value her work and where to position it in the market.

Sharing and building business knowledge among artists is one of Yee’s top priorities as president of the F-V Arts Council.

“Unfortunately, a lot of students, as they come out of art school, are not taught how to run a business. They are only taught the art skills,” Yee says.

The Arts Council works to fill some of those gaps by hosting guest speakers on topics like accounting, financial planning, marketing and networking.

Last November, the council held its

first Makers Market at the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center, a vendor show designed to help local artists get their work to buyers.

“It’s a lot to start a business,” Yee says.

“If you are a crafter, you’ve got the tents and the tables and the display, not to include the stuff you actually want to sell. We made a market where you can come and test your feet and not lose your shirt.”

Formed in the early 2000s, the F-V Arts Council’s original aims were to create a support system for local artists — a place to find community, share ideas and grow the impact of the arts in town.

“It creates the ability to meet other artists in person and be inspired. Artists need to always be inspired, otherwise art falls to the back seat,” says Shirley Huntsberger, owner of Magnolia House Custom

TWICE-WEEKLY OPEN STUDIO SESSIONS AT MAGNOLIA HOUSE CUSTOM FRAMING OFFER ARTS COUNCIL MEMBERS OPPORTUNITIES TO FELLOWSHIP AND SHARE IDEAS. FROM LEFT, TED ZETTLE, GESINE NOONAN, ARTS COUNCIL PRESIDENT JESSICA YEE AND ANN MAYER.

Framing in downtown Fuquay and longtime council board member.

Membership in the Fuquay-Varina Arts Council is open to all artists from hobbists to professionals, and arts enthusiasts as well.

Members have access to council programs like Gallery Around Town, where local businesses have art on display and for sale, monthly member meetings, and twice-weekly open studio sessions at Magnolia House.

“Being able to create fellowship with programs like … open studio, where a group of artists can come together and sketch and discuss modes and mediums and ideas and talk to other artists is very important,” Yee says. “It doesn’t make you feel so alone.”

“Becoming a member is a chance to

show the town what you do,” says Hunsberger. “With your artwork up in local business on display, you’ll get exposure.”

Huntsberger’s idea for an en plein air paint off became an annual fixture of the Fuquay-Varina Downtown Association’s spring calendar. In conjunction, the Arts Council runs a student en plein air exhibition.

“We provide the paint, paper and equipment; all for free. Students just have to come with their talent,” says Yee. The Fuquay-Varina Arts Council — a group 120 strong — is led solely by volunteers and always welcomes new friends into its ranks. Though supportive of the FuquayVarina Arts Center, the two organizations are not directly affiliated.

“The town has to look at program-

ming for the entire community. We can create programming just for the needs of artists,” says Yee, who dreams of creating both women’s and cultural arts conferences in the future.

“Whenever we know about it, we try to put out there classes that are available, exhibits and art walks that are happening; promoting arts opportunities for artists to be aware of and for families to go and engage in,” she says.

“With our community growing by leaps and bounds right now, it will just make us more appealing if we can support local artists.”

FUQUAY-VARINA ARTS COUNCIL (919) 533-9134 FVartscouncil.org @FVArtsCouncil

39

Art in the Ordinary

By Jonathan Fredin

HADOWS

In honor of our first Arts Issue, Main & Broad’s chief photographer, Jonathan Fredin, sought to capture the unexpected art hidden in each day.

DRESSBARN AT HOLLY SPRINGS TOWNE CENTER

REVELRY BARBER AND SHAVE SHOP

the

ART issue

THE MILL BARISTA ROB DOUGLAS

CORMORANT ON BASS LAKE

STICK BOY BREAD COMPANY

41

the

ART issue

THE FAMILY FARM ON AVENT FERRY

bjects

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43

There

Back

WILSON’S VOLLIS SIMPSON WHIRLIGIG PARK, FUNDED IN PART BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, HOSTS CONCERTS, FESTIVALS AND EVENTS, IN ADDITION TO ITS 30 WHIRLIGIGS.

44 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

The

Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in Wilson

Written by Alexandra Blazevich

Alexandra Blazevich

DRIVE TIME From Holly Springs:

1 hour, 10 minutes From Fuquay-Varina:

1 hour, 15 minutes

Bankers know it as the birthplace of BB&T. Baseball fans know it for the Tobs collegiate summer baseball team. Tobacco buffs know it was once the “The World’s Greatest Tobacco Market.” BBQ critics die hard for Parker’s Barbecue.

A short drive from southern Wake county, Wilson and its 50,000 residents have a lot to offer.

Historically, Wilson was a hub for the tobacco industry. When tobacco trade began to slow, so did visitor traffic. In recent years, downtown revitalization efforts and a focus on arts have sparked a transformation.

Susan Kellum, downtown marketing and communications coordinator for Wilson Downtown Development, has lived in the city for 27 years.

“I see the downtown coming back alive,” Kellum says. “It sat here for 30 to 40 years with no love.”

Kellum moved to Wilson to raise her family, and she is excited for the opportunity to help reinvent the city’s downtown.

“If you don’t have a natural draw such as mountains or oceans or lakes, you have to create it,” Kellum says.

And that was the idea behind the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park. continued on page 46

45

Photos by Jonathan Fredin

BEFORE INSTALLATION IN THE PARK, WHIRLIGIG PIECES ARE COATED IN PRIMER, EPOXY, TWO COATS OF INDUSTRIAL PAINT AND LASTLY, CLEAR PROTECTANT.

continued from page 45

The two-acre Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park opened in November 2017 as part of an initiative to bring more arts and tourism to the Wilson community, aided by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Jeff Bell, executive director of the Whirligig Park, says there are three reasons why the park was built: to preserve the works of the late Vollis Simpson, create a community gathering place and revitalize downtown Wilson.

Simpson, a resident of Wilson County, started creating his whirligigs — or “spinning giants” as Kellum calls them — at age 65, inspired by his love for engineering.

“For Vollis, he never called it art,” Bell says. “He just made these things. It was something he was driven to do.”

Initially, Simpson built and housed his creations on his private farm outside of Wilson — known to some as Acid Park — which was the largest tourist draw to the 46 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

SUSAN KELLUM, DOWNTOWN MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR FOR WILSON DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT

area even before the park existed. The whirligigs, composed of everything from parts of ceiling fans, milkshake mixers and road signs, are now considered official North Carolina folk art.

“It seemed to be sort-of a no-brainer … to look at the possibility of acquiring those (whirligigs) and using them,” Kellum says. “We knew with Mr. Simpson getting older, without care, they would continue to deteriorate.”

In 2013, the community launched an effort to create a park that would be the new home for Vollis’ art.

In addition to housing 30 whirligigs, the park is also a concert, art performance and farmers market venue. In 2019 alone, there were 100 days of programs for people of all ages. continued on page 48

Why Acid Park?

Urban legend claims that Vollis Simpson’s daughter and her boyfriend took LSD before driving home from their prom, resulting in an accident that wrapped their car around a tree near the family’s home.

According to the legend, Simpson began creating giant reflective sculptures — the whirligigs — to memorialize her death.

The legend is, thankfully, untrue.

In reality, his daughter is alive and well and a member of the Whirligig Park’s board of directors.

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Photos by Alexandra Blazevich

ARTISTIC EXPRESSION DOESN’T END AT WHIRLIGIG PARK. PAINTED FIRE HYDRANTS AND TRASH CANS ADORN WILSON’S DOWNTOWN STREETS.

continued from page 46

“We love when people come to the park, but we hope that through the park they discover the other things Wilson has to offer,” Bell says. “So, they leave here, and they go to a shop or a restaurant, or they see something they didn’t know was down here, and it encourages them to come back.”

In the two-and-a-half years that Bell has been in charge of the park, he has noticed a growth in the number of restaurants and shops opening in the surrounding area.

“It can be a slow process. You want to see all the restaurants all at once and all the shops, but it takes one at a time,” Bell says.

“And we’re getting there.”

The unique art found in the Whirligig Park has inspired a desire for more creative expression in Wilson’s downtown.

“Beyond the park itself, we want to find as many different ways as we can engage artwork,” Bell says.

Recently, Wilson residents have had the opportunity to brighten the downtown 48 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

streets with art in a non-traditional way — painting fire hydrants and trash cans.

“Vollis used what most people would’ve considered trash to make his art, so we think it is very appropriate,” Kellum says.

His whirligigs are anything but ordinary, and Wilson wants to continue to add art to the city in unexpected places and ways.

“Vollis used found parts and recycled parts to create his spinning giants,” Kellum says. “We are really concentrating on the arts and trying to use other, similar things to create art and show that art can be created out of anything.”

“Getting people just used to coming (downtown) and finding those new things or things they didn’t know existed, that’s a big thing for us,” Bell says. “We hope that we can be a destination point, but also a point of intrigue to all the other things Wilson has.”

VOLLIS SIMPSON WHIRLIGIG PARK 301 S. Goldsboro Street, Wilson wilsonwhirligigpark.org

Stay AWhile WILSON BOTANICAL GARDENS Open 365 days a year, the garden is home to native plants, a pond and even an interactive Children’s Secret Garden complete with dino dig, sandlot play, garden tunnel, musical instruments, slide and tire swing. wilsonbotanicalgarden.org DANIEL’S FINE DINING Daniel’s has a wide array of dining spaces within its walls as well as dishes on their menu. Whether you’re looking for somewhere to host an office lunch meeting or a family dinner, it’s the perfect place to do so. danielsfinedining.com TIG’S COURTYARD Need a coffee pick-me-up? Grab your favorite latte, smoothie, mocha and more, all served up by Tig herself. @tigs109

From our family to y ours.

9 0 0 N . M a i n S t r e e t | F u q u a y Va r i n a , N C | 9 1 9 - 5 5 2 - 8 8 6 8 | g a r i b a l d i t r a t t o r i a . c o m

CHEF REGAN STACHLER AND CELLAR 55 OWNER BILL WIGINGTON SHARE AN AFFINITY FOR GREAT FOOD AND WINE.

Restaurant Spotlight

Laurel Bar + Food at Cellar 55 Written by David McCreary | Photographed by Jonathan Fredin When Bill Wigington and his wife Karyl Wigington opened their boutique wine-and-beer shop Cellar 55 in 2016, they knew incorporating food would be a winning proposition. Laurel Bar + Food opened last fall in the back portion of the business, and locals are finding much to love about the warm, cozy dining space.

“We’ve been doing wine and beer tastings on Fridays and also some wine dinners, but we’re really pleased that we could add a small restaurant,” says Bill. “People come 50 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

from Fuquay and Holly Springs, but they also drive in from Raleigh.”

The Wigingtons partnered with seasoned chef Regan Stachler, known for his erstwhile farm-to-table outpost Little Hen in Apex. At Laurel, Stachler has created a Mediterranean-inspired menu that leans vegetable-forward by design.

“I had a heart attack at age 36 when I was running my former restaurant, so for my own health I started eating a Mediterranean diet,” he reveals. “Nowadays, I’m just passing this healthy approach along to the guests.”

Stachler says after he closed Little Hen, he took some time off from working in the kitchen.

“I was totally burned out,” he says, adding that the grind of working every night took a major toll on him. “If you had interviewed me a year ago, I’m not sure what I would have said, because I didn’t know what I was going to do next.”

Eventually Stachler started taking on some catering gigs and private dinner events. He also sold hummus and other scratch-made items at the farmer’s market.

LOCALLY SOURCED CARROTS REST ATOP HOUSE-MADE HUMMUS AND CASHEWS. CELLAR 55’S SELECTION OF PREMIUM WINES MAKE A PERFECT PAIRING.

Bill Wigington approached the chef on social media and began a conversation about potentially joining forces. Ultimately, the two men forged a partnership agreement, and Laurel came to fruition.

“The food is mostly eastern Mediterranean,” Stachler explains. “We focus on cuisine from Italy, Turkey, Greece and Morocco.”

A limited yet focused menu includes tahini-infused hummus, garlic-cured marinated olives and green beans with cucumbers and feta. Artisan toast options are fashioned with La Farm Bakery bread.

Try the brie toast featuring wine-poached

apricots and toasted walnuts or the roasted shallot spread crowned with lemon-anddill mayo and fresh crabmeat.

“It’s great to have a local place where you can try different wines and enjoy healthy food options that are not your typical bar fare,” says regular guest and Fuquay native Ward Proctor. “And the rotating wine wall and draft beer selections mean there is always something new to explore.”

Stachler hand-selects the wines to pair with the food. At any given time, 16 wines are available by the glass. Beer is also accessible on self-serve taps.

“

The whole idea with the cuisine is that it’s very shareable.

It’s communal food.

Just like drinking is social, we want the food to be social as well.

”

– Regan Stachler, chef, Laurel Bar + Food

continued on page 52

51

THE VEGETABLECENTRIC MENU AT LAUREL SHOWCASES FRESH, HEALTHY INGREDIENTS.

You Need a

Date Among the tastiest menu items chef Regan Stachler creates are goat-cheese-andalmond stuffed dates. Just beware of getting hooked on them. Yes, they are that good.

“Dates are delicious and versatile, not to mention they are very healthy,” Stachler says. “I love using them in sweet and savory dishes.”

Stachler was kind enough to share his simple yet pictureperfect recipe with us. He sources goat cheese from Hillsborough Cheese Company in Orange County.

RECIPE: 1. Slice each date in half and remove pit.

2. Place 2 ounces of lightly salted goat cheese inside individual date.

3. Roll goat-cheese-stuffed date in sliced or crushed almonds and enjoy.

52 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

continued from page 51

“I also offer a good selection of salads,” says Stachler. “The whole idea with the cuisine is that it’s very shareable. It’s communal food. Just like drinking is social, we want the food to be social as well.”

Saturday food specials include heartier items like Italian meatballs, lamb and beef ragu and warm prosciutto-wrapped asparagus toast.

If you just want a snack, Laurel can accommodate.

“We showcase great artisan cheeses, and it’s a priority for us to pair that with beer and wine,” Stachler says.

Stachler sources provisions from local farmers whenever possible, citing Hilltop Farms in Willow Spring and In Good Heart Farms in Pittsboro as his go-to purveyors.

Whenever you visit Laurel, chances are good you will eat on a plate or serve food from a platter Stachler created himself. He enjoys making pottery, which he considers therapeutic as well as functional.

“I go to Cary Arts Center, and they have everything I need there,” he said.

“Monday is normally my designated pot-

CELLAR 55’S WINE DISPENSING SYSTEM POURS WINE BY THE GLASS.

tery day. I put my earphones in and go to my own little world.”

Laurel is open Thursdays from 4-8 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 4-9 p.m.

“We plan to extend the days we are open at some point,” Stachler says.

Reservations are not accepted. Go early to secure a table.

LAUREL BAR + FOOD 1351 East Broad Street, Fuquay-Varina (919) 446-1156 cellar55nc.com/wine-bar

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Dine Unsure where to eat today? Look no further than this selection of local eateries & cafes.

FUQUAY-VARINA Abbey Road Tavern and Grill “Signature Beatle burgers and live entertainment.”

711 N. Main St.; Fuquay-Varina (919) 762-7731; abbeyroadnc.com Anna’s Pizzeria “Piping hot pizzas and mouthwatering Italian food.” 138 S. Main St., Fuquay-Varina (919) 285-2497; annaspizzeria.com Aviator SmokeHouse BBQ Restaurant “All of our food is made in-house.”

525 E. Broad St., Fuquay-Varina (919) 557-7675; aviatorbrew.com Assaggio’s Pizzeria Ristorante “Top quality ingredients go into every dish.”

941 East Broad Street, Fuquay-Varina (919) 557-9505; assaggios-fuquay.com The Corner Biergarten “Bar & bottle shop.”

1625 N. Main St., Suite 133, Fuquay-Varina (919) 246-6649; tcbiergarten.com Cultivate Coffee Roasters “Modern industrial twist on a small town coffee shop.”

128 S. Fuquay Ave., Fuquay Varina (919) 285-4067; www.cultivate.coffee

The Healthy Spot “Meal replacement smoothies and energizing teas.”

961 East Broad St., Fuquay-Varina (919) 552-5373; @healthyspotfuquay

Daddy D’s BBQ “Slow cooked with love.”

1526 Broad St., Fuquay-Varina (919) 552-6464; daddydsbbqnc.com Eggs Up Grill “Breakfast favorites served all day.”

1436 N Main St, Fuquay-Varina (919) 285-4463; eggsupgrill.com

J&S New York Pizza “Family-owned and operated Italian restaurant.”

500 Broad St., Fuquay-Varina (919) 557-6921; jandsnypizza.com

El Dorado “Enjoy the most delicious Mexican food amongst family.”

112 E Vance St, Fuquay-Varina (919) 557-0287; eldoradomexicanrestaurant.com

Joyce & Family Restaurant “Home cooked Southern favorites.”

129 N Main St., Fuquay-Varina (919) 567-1717; @joyceandfamily

Drive Bru “Drive thru coffee shop with N.Y. coffee & Carolina charm.”

1013 E Broad St., Fuquay-Varina (607) 745-2512; @drivebru Garibaldi Trattoria Pizza & Pasta “Authentic Italian cuisine and quality service.”

900 N. Main St., Fuquay-Varina (919) 552-8868; garibalditrattoria.com

Juicehaus “Made-to-order fresh, raw juice.”

509 North Broad St, Fuquay Varina (919) 396-5588; juicehaus.org Jus’ Enuff Home Cooking “Homemade everything.” 736 N Main St., Fuquay-Varina; (919) 567-0587 facebook.com/JusEnuffHomeCookin Laurel Wine Bar at Cellar 55 “Mediterranean-inspired small plates with wine pairings.”

1351 East Broad St., Fuquay-Varina (919) 446-1156; cellar55.com Los Tres Magueyes “We prepare our food fresh daily.”

401 Wake Chapel Road, Fuquay-Varina (919) 552-3957; lostresmagueyes.com

CREAMY SEAFOOD PASTA WITH SHRIMP, SCALLOPS AND SALMON FROM GARIBALDI TRATTORIA IN FUQUAY-VARINA.

The Mason Jar Tavern “All the comforts of Southern hospitality with a modern twist.”

305 S. Main St., Fuquay-Varina (919) 762-5555; themasonjartavern.com

Jonathan Fredin

The Mill “Coffee. Beer. Wine. Community.”

146 S. Main St., Fuquay-Varina (919) 557-2123; themillfuquay.com

54 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

DENOTES ADVERTISER

Nil’s Cafe “Family-oriented Mediterranean cafe.”

513 Broad Street, Fuquay-Varina (919) 567-0887; nilscafe-weebly.com

Pints Ice Cream & Beer 512 Broad Street, Fuquay-Varina @pintsicecream Stick Boy Bread Co. “Handcrafted baked goods from scratch … all natural ingredients.”

127 S. Main St., Fuquay-Varina (919) 557-2237; stickboyfuquay.com Triple Barrel Tavern “Restaurant, sports bar & billiards.”

2221 N Grassland Drive, Fuquay-Varina (919) 762-0940; @triplebarreltavernfuquayvarina

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HOLLY SPRINGS

Dine Tsuru Sweets & Coffee “Elegant-yet-sassy gourmet confectionery.”

411 Broad St, Fuquay-Varina (919) 285-2646; tsurusweets.com Vicious Fishes Tap & Kitchen “Eclectic twists on comfortable bar food.”

132 South Fuquay Ave., Fuquay-Varina (919) 762-7876; viciousfishes.com/fuquay-nc Wingin’ It Bar and Grille “Family-friendly neighborhood pub.”

1625 N. Main St., Suite 109, Fuquay-Varina (919) 762-0962; winginitbarandgrille.com Zeera Indian Restaurant “Authentic goodness in traditional Indian food.”

1311 E Broad St., Fuquay-Varina (919) 762-6215; zeeranc.com

BUFFALO OYSTERS AT VICIOUS FISHES TAP & KITCHEN IN FUQUAY-VARINA

Acme Pizza Co. “Chicago-style deep dish pizza.”

204 Village Walk Dr, Holly Springs (919) 552-8800; acmepizzaco.com Bass Lake Draft House “34 beers on tap.”

124 Bass Lake Rd, Holly Springs (919) 567-3251; basslakedrafthouse.com Blaze Pizza “Fast fire’d, perfectly crisp perfection.”

316 Grand Hill Place, Holly Springs (919) 261-5950; blazepizza.com The Blind Pelican “Creative seafood and boat drinks.”

120 Bass Lake Road; Holly Springs (984) 225-2471; blindpelicanseafood.com The Butcher’s Market “Premium meats and specialty grocery.”

4200 Lassiter Rd, Holly Springs (919) 267-919); thebutchersmarkets.com Cristo’s Bistro “Hand tossed NY style pizza.”

5217 Sunset Lake Rd, Holly Springs (919) 363-8852, cristosbistro.com

of North Carolina Waters

nc-seafood.org DENOTES ADVERTISER

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Eggs Up Grill “Breakfast favorites served all day.”

4216 Lassiter Road, Holly Springs (919) 495-4530; eggsupgrill.com

Dine

Healthy But Good “Fast food for smart people.”

424 Village Walk Drive, Holly Springs (919) 341-5554; @healthybutgoodhollysprings

Fera’wyn’s Chocolate Cafe “Forget love, I’d rather fall in chocolate.”

652 Holly Springs Road, Holly Springs (415) 758-3296; ferawyns.com

Hickory Tavern “Something for every appetite.”

401 Village Walk Drive, Holly Springs (919) 557-2064; thehickorytavern.com

Fiesta Mexicana Restaurante Mexicano “Authentic. Hot. Fresh.”

428 Village Walk Drive, Holly Springs (919) 346-1330; fiestamexicananc-hollysprings.com

SOUTHERN SIDES AT THE MASON JAR TAVERN, LOCATIONS IN HOLLY SPRINGS AND FUQUAYVARINA.

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers “Great food without a long wait.”

221 Grand Hill Place, Holly Springs (919) 557-3475; freddysusa.com Harvest Moon Bakery – Cafe “Breakfast and lunch cafe with scratch-made bakery and locally roasted coffee.”

128 Bass Lake Road, Holly Springs (919) 586-7005; harvestmoonbakerycafe.com

SHORT ON

DOUGH? Lunch Specials from 11am to 4pm Monday - Friday

2 One Topping Slices and a Soft Drink $6.99 Pick 2....House/Caesar/Hummus/Soup/Chicken Salad & drink $6.99

Tuesday

One Topping Small Pizza (dine-in only) $5.00

Thursday

Club Day! Choose from either of our delicious club sandwichs, chips & drink $8.99

Friday

Calzone Day! A Calzone with 2 Toppings $9.99

4300 NW Cary Parkway • Cary, NC 919-463-7779

56 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

DENOTES ADVERTISER

Homegrown Pizza “Pizza, calzones and sandwiches.”

4928 Linksland Drive, ​Holly Springs (​919) 577-5575; homegrownpizza.com Kobe HIbachi and Sushi 515 North Main Street, Holly Springs (919) 557-1437; kobehollyspringsnc.com Los Tres Magueyes “A Mexican Treat.”

120 Bass Lake Road, Holly Springs (919) 552-6272; lostresmagueyes.com Mama Bird’s Cookies + Cream “A unique spin on a timeless dessert.”

304 N. Main St., Holly Springs (919) 762-7808; mamabirdsicecream.com The Mason Jar Tavern “All the comforts of Southern hospitality with a modern twist.”

114 Grand Hill Place, Holly Springs (919) 964-5060; themasonjartavern.com MediTerra Grill “Delicious ingredients. Old world recipes.”

108 Grand Hill Place, Holly Springs (919) 762-7851; mediterranc.com Mi Cancun Mexican Restaurant 324 Grand Hill Place, Holly Springs (919) 552-9979; micancunmx.com Michelangelos Pizza “Pizza buffet for lunch and dinner.”

7280 GB Alford HWY, Holly Springs (919) 557-4992; michelangelospizza.com My Way Tavern “Freshly made all-American foods.”

301 W. Center St., Holly Springs (919) 285-2412; mywaytavern.com Niche Wine Lounge “Tranquility by the glass.”

109 Main St., Holly Springs (919) 552-2300; nichewinelounge.com The Original N.Y. Pizza “Bringing a taste of New York to North Carolina.”

634 Holly Springs Road, Holly Springs (919) 567-0505; theoriginalnypizza.com Osha Thai Kitchen & Sushi “Authentic Thai cuisine: well-balanced dishes bursting with flavor.”

242 S Main Street, Holly Springs (984) 538-6742; oshathaikitchennc.com

Rise Southern Biscuits & Chicken “The best dang biscuits.”

169 Grand Hill Place, Holly Springs (919) 586-7343; risebiscuitsdonuts.com Sir Walter Coffee + Kitchen “Creative cafe by day. Full restaurant at night.”

242 S Main St. Suite 118, Holly Springs (919) 390-2150; sirwaltercoffeekitchen.com Skrimp Shack “Casual seafood cuisine.”

7244 Alford Hwy, Holly Springs (919) 335-3924; theskrimpshack.com Sweetberry Bowls “Beautiful and delicious bowls, wraps and salads.”

150 West Holly Springs Rd, Holly Springs (984) 225-2656; sweetberrybowls.com Sweet Southern SnoBalls “Shaved ice and Hershey’s Ice Cream.”

527 N. Main St., Holly Springs (919) 291-3355; @sweetsouthsnoballs Thai Thai Cuisine “Home cooked Thai food.”

108 Osterville Drive, Holly Springs (919) 303-5700; thaithaicuisinenc.com Thanks A Latte “Coffee and gift boutique.”

1118 Kentworth Drive, Holly Springs (919) 577-0070; thanksalattegiftsnc.com

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Dine Duck Donuts “Warm, delicious and just the way you like them.”

100 Wrenn Drive #10, Cary (919) 468-8722; duckdonuts.com/location/cary-nc Gonza Tacos y Tequila “Award-winning Colombian-Mexican cuisine.”

525-105 New Waverly Place, Cary (919) 653-7310; cary.gonzatacosytequila.com Herons “The signature restaurant of The Umstead Hotel and Spa.” 100 Woodland Pond Drive, Cary; (919) 447-4200; theumstead.com/dining/restaurants-raleigh-nc La Farm Bakery “Handcrafted daily … only the freshest ingredients.”

4248 NW Cary Parkway, Cary; 220 W. Chatham St., Cary; 5055 Arco Street, Cary (919) 657-0657; lafarmbakery.com

Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen “Exceptional renderings of classic Southern dishes.”

7307 Tryon Road, Cary (919) 233-1632; lucky32.com/cary Lugano Ristorante “Italian dining in a comfortable and casual atmosphere.”

1060 Darrington Drive, Cary (919) 468-7229; luganocary.com Mellow Mushroom “Beer, calzones and creative stone-baked pizzas.”

4300 NW Cary Parkway, Cary (919) 463-7779; mellowmushroom.com Pizzeria Faulisi “Simple foods from a simple way of cooking: a wood-burning oven.”

215 E. Chatham St., Suite 101, Cary pizzeriafaulisi.com Pro’s Epicurean Market & Café “Gourmet market, café and wine bar.”

211 East Chatham Street, Cary; (919) 377-1788; prosepicurean.com

CARY Chanticleer Café & Bakery “Family-owned restaurant serving up breakfast, lunch and specialty coffees.”

6490 Tryon Road, Cary (919) 781-4810; chanticleercafe.com Chef’s Palette “Creative flair and originality in every aspect of our service.”

3460 Ten Ten Road, Cary (919) 267-6011; chefspalette.net Corbett’s Burgers & Soda Bar “Good old-fashioned burgers and bottled soda.”

126 Kilmayne Drive, Cary (919) 466-0055; corbettsburgers.com Craft Public House “Casual family restaurant.”

1040 Tryon Village Drive, Suite 601, Cary (919) 851-9173; craftpublichouse.com

The place to go for craft beer.

The best selection of German and craft beer in the area!

BEERS Large Collection ON TAP CRAFT BOTTLES Check our Facebook page for weekly events @TCBiergarten 1625 N. Main St. #133 Fuquay-Varina 919.246.6649 | tcbiergarten.com

DENOTES ADVERTISER

Dogs are Welcome!

57

Grow

Written and Photographed by L.A. Jackson

Bloom

The dogwoods of winter If I told you I will be enjoying dogwoods in full flower this winter, you might think: (1) I’m still gulping spiked eggnog leftover from the holidays; or (2) some mad plant breeder has been tinkering with dogwood genes.

Neither is the case. Instead, I have become acquainted with the Japanese cornel dogwood (Cornus officinalis), a non-GMO, real deal of a beauty from the Orient that shakes off the shivers of cold weather to grace barren winter landscapes with unexpected blooms.

Now, about the blooms. Take images you have of blushing white, rounded, four-petal flowers and tuck them away, because the cornel dogwood’s blossoms don’t even remotely resemble the spring displays of a typical southern dogwood (Cornus florida).

Imagine branches heavily laced with bright yellow — not white — sprite-like flowers that look like stars bursting. That’s the delightful show this unusual dogwood puts on in mid-February during mild winters, or more typically, in early March. This display is followed by small, oblong red fruit, which are usually eagerly gobbled up by birds.

The cornel dogwood is a small, deciduous tree with a semiopen habit. It will top out at about 20 to 25 feet and about as wide.

Want less? Try ‘Kintoki’, a compact cutie that restrains itself to around 15 feet tall and wide.

A site that has well-worked, organically enriched soil will help get this alt-dogwood off to a good start. However, since the Triangle is on the southern end of its preferred planting zones, try to locate it where it will bask in morning sunlight but receive shady relief from summer afternoon heat.

Japanese cornel dogwood is not a one-off, eye-catching oddity. Its near-doppelganger is the cornelian cherry dogwood (Cornus mas) from southern Europe with similar displays of small yellow flowers and red berries. The J.C. Raulston introduction ‘Spring Glow’ is generally the most common cultivar to be found.

Speaking of finding, if you are interested in either of these seasonally strange dogwoods, get ready to do some searching. They aren’t common sights at local nurseries, so call your favorite garden centers for availability either from them or their wholesalers.

58 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

Online ordering is an option, but to make the search easier, include cultivar names (‘Kintoki’ or ‘Spring Glow’).

L.A. Jackson I have found stocks is the former vary seasonally, so if you editor of Carolina Gardener don’t first succeed, keep Magazine. trying — these beauties are worth the hunt!

Timely tip Dogwoods are not the only woody ornamentals capable of putting on unexpected shows in the garden during these chilly times.

Many witch hazels (Hamamelis sp.) conjure up their fragrant blooms on the coldest of days, as do the aptly named wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) and winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima).

Ditto for the perfumed blossoms of two small evergreens: sweetbox (Sarcococca sp.) and winter daphne (Daphne odora).

WINTER DAPHNE

in

BROOKS R. BARBEE A neighbor, someone you know, someone you can trust and respect. Call today and speak with a real person who cares about your family’s protection and security.

“Where Satisfied Customers Refer Their Friends”

512 WEST WILLIAMS STREET | APEX 919-362-8310 INFO@ROGERSINC.NET

February

Cut back monkey grass (Liriope sp.) to about 3 to 4 inches above ground with a string trimmer or, for faster, more even results, a lawn mower.

Got fescue? The middle of this month is a good time to apply a pound of nitrogen fertilizer per 1000 feet of lawn to jump-start the spring growing season to come.

Thinking about adding a birdbath to your landscape? To prevent predators such as cats and snakes from setting up stalking stands, don’t tuck it too close to bushy shrubs or small trees.

The Moving Truck is Leaving!

Are you ready to learn about your new community?

Your local welcome team is ready to visit you with a basket full of maps, civic information, gifts, and gift certificates from local businesses. From doctors to dentists and restaurants to repairmen...we help newcomers feel right at home in their new community!

For your complimentary welcome visit, or to include a gift for newcomers, call 919.809.0220 or visit our website, www.nnws.org.

CARY | APEX | MORRISVILLE | HOLLY SPRINGS FUQUAY-VARINA | GARNER | ANGIER WILLOW SPRING | CLAYTON | CLEVELAND

59

fun

memes

FVM’s 10 Hottest Spots in Fuquay-Varina & Holly Springs Written by the Author of Fuquay-Varina Memes Photographed by Jonathan Fredin

FUQUAY-VARINA MEMES (also known as FVM) is a freelance writer, meme guru and an anonymous resident of Fuquay-Varina.

She is the creator and manager of the FuquayVarina Memes Facebook page and has a talent for making people laugh and always taking the joke too far. Check out her blog at fvmwrites.com. fuquaymemes thefvmemes

60 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

If you think this is going to be a legitimate list of “hot spots” in Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs, then you’ve clearly never been to Fuquay-Varina/Holly Springs come to the right place. Ready for a list of the hottest venues in town? Grab that ticonderoga pencil and your monogrammed notepad, and start taking notes. FVM is basically the Stefon of the Triangle, and this is your WEEKEND UPDATE.

FUQUAY’S GOT AN ARTS CENTER. WHO’S CLASSY NOW?

THE WALMARTS

SOUTH WAKE LANDFILL (THE DUMP)

Notice I made this plural, because as most of you know, there’s a Walmart in both Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina, and they both have their own unique brand of NOPE excitement and joie de vivre. For a classier night out, head to the Holly Springs Walmart to view the local wildlife (vultures and dump chickens) as you stroll through the oversized parking lot in your crocs and completely forget where you parked your car.

For a more cultural experience, head to Fuquay by day to see residents in their daily uniform (cookie monster PJs), or visit the parking lot around 1 a.m. to watch teenagers drag race with RC cars.

Not everyone in town appreciates the South Wake Landfill, particularly when they’ve bought a house right next to it, but trust me, this place is LIT. Just last year I took a free dump tour and reviewed it in this very column. If you think I was the only one on the tour, you’d be WRONG. You’d have better luck finding true love at The Brick than you’d have scoring some last minute tickets to tour the dump. That tour bus was packed full of bird enthusiasts, homeschoolers, random old people, Prius drivers, Whole Foods addicts AND MORE.

STARBUCKS

AMC DINE-IN HOLLY SPRINGS 9 (FORMERLY KNOWN AS OVATION)

If you’re into monster trucks but you can’t afford Monster Jam tickets this year, look no further than the Starbucks drive-thru line in both FuquayVarina and Holly Springs! Enjoy your beverage of choice while watching Janet and Karen hurl their minivans over the curb, destroying their tires in an endless quest for a decent flat white.

In case you are new here, this is the only movie theater in the Holly Springs/Fuquay area.

Remember the days when we all had to drive to Cary or Apex to watch a film on the big screen?

Those days are gone, and we now have a fancyshmancy movie theater that we can smuggle free snacks into. This isn’t a Blue Ridge one dol-

lar special, y’all. This place has reclining pleather seats. If you’re lucky enough to snag one that doesn’t make embarrassing fart sounds during the crucial part of a movie, then you’re really living the dream.

HILLTOP NEEDMORE TOWN PARK AND PRESERVE

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, or you’re simply blissfully ignorant, the creation of this brand new park in Fuquay-Varina was harder than my dog’s poop when I finally find it up on the third floor behind the couch. It didn’t come easy, but Fuquay now has a pretty little park that could make Cary residents jealous (and that’s saying something). As I write this, the park is not yet open, but the signs have been installed and trespassers eager residents are walking the trails and taking beautiful sunset pictures for Facebook. What a time to be alive.

A Healthy & Delicious Resolution Oils · Vinegars · Spices · Gourmet Foods New Location · 302 Colonades Way Ste. 203 · Cary, NC 27518

THE FUQUAY-VARINA ARTS CENTER

Also known as The Farts Center by literally no one but me, Fuquay is now A TOWN OF THE ARTS AND CULTURE (as evidenced by the rest of this issue), and we have the building to prove it.

Originally a Belk department store, this modern, art deco-inspired space includes an art gallery; offices; digital, painting and dance studios; classrooms and a 294-seat theater — apparently 300 seats is just tacky. Pretend you’re in NYC while you take in a show and browse the gallery, DAHlings, but remember to hide your dollar-store bags in the car.

FUQUAY’S ACTION PARK

According to teenagers in town, sports aren’t the only reason this park is called ACTION park. Yep, let’s all take a moment to get over the dry heaves. Every town has a place where teenagers go to continued on page 62

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Aerial silks, lyra, and trapeze classes offered for only $25 per class!

continued from page 61

make out, and apparently a 14-acre park with a baseball/softball field and a playground is a place of romance and intrigue, because THIS IS FUQUAY, PEOPLE. (Oh, Kaedyn would never do something like that? Okay, Karen.)

BOJANGLES

If you thought for a minute that I was going to get through this whole list without mentioning Bo Time, then you’ve clearly never followed my Facebook page, you uncultured swine. According to sources (of which I have none), Fuquay-Varina is the proud owner of the busiest Bojangles in the state of North Carolina. Oh, you don’t think that’s accurate? Drive by Bojangles one morning, and see for yourself.

The only fast-food restaurant in town that can compete with the sheer amount of cars in a drive-thru would be …

Ages 8+

COOK OUT

Okay, allow me to clarify. Cook Out on a Friday night is packed full of squatted trucks and jeeps with green and purple underglow, so if you really have a hankering for a strawberry milkshake, be sure you get there before 6 p.m. Exaggeration, you say? NOPE. Cook Out tends to be a teenage hotspot, but any redneck can enjoy the smell of hotdogs and the sounds of engine revving, if they play their cards right.

TARGET

910-808-9169 www.facebook.com/AmbitionAerialArts Inside of Langley Gymnastics 174 W. Smithfield St. Angier, NC 27501

62 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

In some areas Target would just be considered a store, but in Holly Springs, Target is considered a lifestyle. Oh, you haven’t seen your wife in 24 hours? She’s at Target. Worried your teenagers are vandalizing parks all over town? Nope, they’re just wandering in and around Target, popping wheelies in the bike section.

Target is a siren’s call to every resident of Fuquay-Varina, too, especially classy folks who shop in leggings instead of sweats. MB

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Upselling

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Client service as a priority

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Seen

Heard Transitions LifeCare is pleased to announce

Laura Patel, MD and Christopher Thompson, MD have earned the designation fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. This status is the highest honor within the academy.

In December, The Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce launched a

Women’s Connect Group

The Norris-Holland-Hare House has been designated an official historic

landmark by the Holly Springs Town Council. The house dates to the early 19th century and is one of the oldest in the county. Landmark designation is an honor bestowed on only a few of the county’s significant historic properties each year, and this designation was recommended by the Wake County Historic Preservation Commission.

monthly networking series, , dedicated to empowering local women through connection, positive vibes, and community. Each month focuses on a different topic, but always with an overarching theme of self-care. Learn from local female leaders, non-profits and entrepreneurs, while connecting with other local women in the area.

The February meeting will be held at the Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce on Tues., Feb. 4 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Ten dancers from Fuquay-Varina’s

performed in the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This marks the studio’s second appearance in the parade. The dancers from Studio Five joined 500 other dancers from across the country to perform on Thanksgiving Day in Herald Square.

COMING SOON? According to the town of Holly Springs’ list of proposed projects, two new brewpubs could be coming to town. Homecrafted Brewpub and Eisenhower Brewpub have applied to open in the town’s research and technology district and local business district, respectively.

64 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

Jonathan Fredin

Studio Five Dance Company

The Holly Springs Police Department released its 2019 report showing that even though the population of the town has been growing, the overall crime rate has not.

Named the safest city in North Carolina in 2019 by HomeSnacks and SafeWise, both data-driven analysis websites, Holly Springs can boast a violent crime rate that is 3.04% less than the state average and 3.84% less than the national average.

The property crime rate per 1,000 residents in Holly Springs is .025% compared to the state and national averages of 2.49 and 2.57%, respectively.

The Holly Springs Town Hall seeks volunteers for the lobby front desk. Volunteers will provide a warm greeting to visitors, sign for packages and direct guests to service counters and offices. Shift options are available. No experience, apart from friendliness, is necessary.

Chante Pickard

has been named executive director of the Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce.

Pickard previously served as interim executive director, and was unanimously voted into the permanent position by the chamber board.

Under her leadership, the chamber experienced its most successful Grapes, Grains and Giving event to date, resulting in a $10,000 donation to the Holly Springs Food Cupboard.

Additionally, the chamber donated $7,000 to Holly Springs High School’s Colla Voce choir for their trip to the London International Choral Festival.

UNC Rex Healthcare is one of only five hospitals in North Carolina — and the only one in the Triangle — to earn a Top Hospitals honor from Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization seeking to drive improvements in healthcare.

Only 120 of some 2,100 hospitals made the Leapfrog list, which recognized the healthcare providers based on numerous criteria ranging from safety to infection rates, practices for safer surgery, maternity care, and prevention of medication errors.

Forget Love...

I’d rather fall in chocolate!

Holiday gift giving, corporate/client gifts, Hot Chocolate featuring real chocolate and scratch-made marshmallows, a variety of lattes featuring scratch-made sauces and Counter Culture Coffee, wide selection of desserts – dedicated gluten free facility.

Selection of truffles, caramels, confections and candies!

2020 Good Food Awards Finalists for the WRAL People’s Choice Awards!

Local Chocolate, Baked Goods, and Best New Restaurant

625 Holly Springs Rd. ferawyns.com Ferawyns Artisan Chocolates

Celebrate our one-year anniversary in December! Watch Facebook for details.

65

In Focus

The shape of rain

By Jonathan Fredin A recent storm leaves its mark on a table, where various shapes and sizes of raindrops form in a wet maze of color.

66 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020

2019 NORTH CAROLINA

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