April 2012 PineStraw by PineStraw Magazine

PARTS & SERVICE SPECIALS A Great Deal And A Great Deal More!

Pinehurst Automall technicians work to ensure your vehicle runs well for many miles to come. Our staff is trained to correctly diagnose and fix any issues your vehicle may have. We will also advise you on any developing problems with your car, truck, or SUV so future breakdowns can be prevented.

PINEHURSTTOYOTA.COM

Treat your vehicle right by visiting the Pinehurst Automall’s service departments for all your service and repair needs.

WHY COME TO PINEHURST AUTOMALL FOR SERVICE? _______________________________________ •

We have genuine expertise when it comes to your vehicle, which means your service or maintenance will be performed promptly, and done right.

•

We use parts made specifically for your vehicle.

•

Our technicians are factory trained specialists.

•

We offer competitive prices on everything your vehicle needs.

•

We are able to perform repairs to all makes and models .

•

We have been servicing vehicles for over 25 years.

PINEHURSTHYUNDAI.COM

We offer TOYOTA RENT A CAR: TRY. BEFORE YOU BUY. • Extensive model selection • Business or vacation rentals • Rent for the day, week or month • Special weekend rates available

Make an online appointment at PinehurstAutomall.com or call us at (800) 581-0519. We look forward to serving you!

PINEHURSTKIA.COM

TEXT THE WORD “Pinestraw” TO 99000 AND RECEIVE A SPECIAL OFFER

US HWY 15-501 • SOUTHERN PINES, NC • (800) 581-0519 SHOP ANYTIME 24/7 AT:

PINEHURSTAUTOMALL.COM

www.prudentialpinehurst.com

Old Town Pinehurst

Own a piece of history! Buy this former church & turn it into a spectacular home. Plans inc. Text T390701 to 85377

Emily Hewson 910.315.3324

Boca Estates

Stunning, new construction with all the amenities for the discerning Buyer. $389,000 Text T11606 to 85377

Donna Chapman 910.783.6061

Old Town Pinehurst

Cottage Style built 1999. Upgrades include antique heart pine floors. $675,000 Text T336937 to 85377

Eva Toney 910.638.0972

Weymouth Heights

“Buttonwood”-Elegant 4BR/4BA home on 2.12 acres. Pine flrs, 3FPs, Renovated Ktchn. Reduced! Text T422621 to 85377

Emily Hewson 910.315.3324

Weymouth Heights

Lovely home on 1.49 acres overlooking Weymouth Nature Preserve. 3Bdm., 2.5Baths. $369,900 Text T353560 to 85377

Mary Joe Worth 910.695.5430

CCNC

Attractive brick one story in quiet location. “Man Cave” study. Excellent entertaining spaces. Text T11591 to 85377

Joel Rich 910.315.4009

Better Than New

Gorgeous! Shows like a Model! Gourmet Ktchn, Sunny Studio, 4 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths. Must See! Text T443899 to 85377

Pat Wright 910.691.3224

Old Town Pinehurst

“Edgewood Cottage” Vintage Dutch Colonial, circa 1928-Restored. Olympic pool. 4BR/4.5BA Text T11599 to 85377

Eva Toney 910.638.0972

Log on to www.prudentialpinehurst.com FOR OUR Easy Search or Snap & Search with our FREE APP on your Smart Phone 910.295.5504 Pinehurst | 910.692.2635 Southern Pines

CCNC

Antique heart pine interior, vaulted ceilings, sunny Carolina room, 3.3 acres, Potting Shed. Text T385480 to 85377

Joel Rich 910.315.4009

Donald Ross Area

Style, Quality & Value! Well appointed custom brick home in prestigious neighborhood. $399,999 Text T244078 to 85377

Mary Joe Worth 910.695.5430

CCNC

Water Front! Beautiful rustic contemporary on 2 lots. Updates & Renovations. Spectacular Views! Test T368102 to 85377

Joel Rich 910.315.4009

The Heart of Hunt Country

Surround yourself with Grandeur! 10 Acre Farm w/inground Pool, 8-Stall Barn. 4-Paddocks Text T443907 to 85377

Deborah Darby 910.783.5193

Get the free mobile app at http://gettag. mobi

©2012 BRER Affiliates Inc. An independently owned and operated broker member of BRER Affiliates, Inc. Prudential, the Prudential logo and the Rock symbol are registered service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Used under license with no other affiliation with Prudential. Equal Housing Opportunity.

April 2012 Volume 7, No. 4 Features

55 This Body the Earth

56 Up With Chickens

By Paul Green

By Maureen Clark

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look now, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the new pecking order

66 Life on Tiger Island

By Laurie Birdsong

Saved and wildly stunning, just up the road in Pittsboro

Dawn at the Track

Departments

The Kitchen Garden Jan Leitschuh

Sweet Tea Chronicles

Material World Claudia Watson

Jim Dodson

10 PinePitch 17 Cos and Effect Cos Barnes 19 The Omnivorous Reader Stephen E. Smith

22 Bookshelf 25 Hitting Home Dale Nixon

43 45

Out of the Blue Deborah Salomon

Birdwatch Susan Campbell

Letter From the Sandhills

Vine Wisdom

Tom Allen

Robyn James

98 111 125

The Sporting Life

Golftown Journal

Tom Bryant Lee Pace

Calendar SandhillSeen Thoughts From the Man Shed

Spirits Frank Daniels III

Geoff Cutler

127 128

PineNeedler SouthWords

Mart Dickerson Sean Smith

By Cassie Butler

The sights and sounds of a new day, a new season

82 Hunt & Gather

By Sherry Samkus

Trendy tailgating must-haves

85 Sandhills Photo Club Still Life Competition

68 World Class

By Deborah Salomon

Mohsin Ali and Dolores Gregory at home in Penick Village

78 April Almanac

By Noah Salt

Flowery trees and garden tours

Cover Photograph by Cassie Butler Photograph this page by Cassie Butler 2

March 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

DUX Dollars Spring Event 速

DUXIANA at The Mews Downtown Southern Pines 910.725.1577

PineStraw M A G A Z I N E Jim Dodson, Editor

910.693.2506 • jim@pinestrawmag.com

Andie Stuart Rose, Creative Director 910.693.2467 • andie@pinestrawmag.com

Cassie Butler, Photographer/Graphic Designer Ashley Wahl, Editorial Assistant Editorial

Deborah Salomon, Staff Writer Stephen E. Smith, Staff Writer Sara King, Proofreader Mary Novitsky, Proofreader Contributing Photographers

Tim Sayer, John Gessner, Hannah Sharpe Contributors

Laurie Birdsong, Maureen Clark, Cos Barnes, Tom Bryant, Susan Campbell, Geoff Cutler, Frank Daniels III, Mart Dickerson, Robyn James, Pamela Powers January, Jan Leitschuh, Dale Nixon, Lee Pace, Jeanne Paine, Noah Salt, Sherry Samkus, Sean Smith, Claudia Watson

PS David Woronoff, Publisher Advertising Sales

Michelle Palladino, Sales Representative 910.691.9657 • mpalladino@pinestrawmag.com Terry Hartsell, 910.693.2513 Kerry Hooper, 910.693.2508 Perry Loflin, 910.693.2514 Peggy Marsh, 910.693.2516 Darlene McNeil-Smith, 910.693.2519 Johnsie Tipton, 910.693.2515 Karen Triplett, 910.693.2510 Pat Taylor, Advertising Director Advertising Graphic Design

Kristen Clark, B.J. Hill Mechelle Butler, Scott Yancey

Circulation & Subscriptions

Darlene Stark, Circulation Director 910.693.2488

PineStraw Magazine

910.693.2467 173 W. Pennsylvania Avenue Southern Pines, NC 28387 pinestraw@thepilot.com • www.pinestrawmag.com ©Copyright 2012. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. PineStraw magazine is published by The Pilot LLC

April 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

The Ryder Cup Lounge D r i n k I n Th e G a me

iscover a whole new dining experience at the

Ryder Cup Lounge located just off the porch of the historic Carolina Hotel. From the BBQ Pork Two Ways to the Pretzel Panini, our menu is as unique as Pinehurst itself.

We d n e s d a y S p e c i a l

Li v e Mu s i c

Get complimentary Deconstructed Nachos –

Bob Redding

tortilla chips, pulled pork

Friday & Saturday nights

BBQ, queso sauce, hoop cheese, refried beans, cilantro cream, salsa and guacamole – with the

Sunday brunch

purchase of one entrée. *

The Carolina Hotel • Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina • 910.235.8415 • pinehurst.com April 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

* Limit one appetizer per table.

SweeT TeA chronicleS

The Forgotten lenton rose

BY JIM DODSON

it was a funny little plant,

growing wild among the weeds of a neglected terrace planter when we moved into the house that April.

The house itself was old and not a little careworn, a rambling Weymouth relic from another century, with odd little rooms and narrow doorways veering off from a large Old World kitchen — servant quarters, it turned out — recalling a time when maids and cooks traveled with their households. From the outside it made me think of the simple French manor house in the Madeleine stories. “In an old house in Paris all covered with vines, Lived twelve little girls in two straight lines...” Because we’d just sold our beloved post-and-beam home in Maine — and taken a serious beating owing to a collapsing real estate market — I had neither the energy nor inclination to hunt for a new house to own. Besides, we had three kids heading off to college in an economy tottering over an abyss. And though we lost a small fortune by selling at the wrong moment, we counted ourselves fortunate amid reports of two million American homes suddenly underwater or being foreclosed upon. We actually had friends who were still in shock from watching most of their life savings vaporize in a matter of days. The cottage I’d been renting here oozed charm but had only four rooms. Meanwhile, we had a large moving truck packed with an entire household of belongings making a beeline for Southern Pines. My ever-pragmatic wife Wendy had the solution, knew of a single lady with two dogs who’d literally fled the beautiful old house just up the street — something about a legal fight with a sister over their dowager mother’s estate in Virginia. Anyway, the management company that looked after the place for the Pennsylvania owners was reportedly eager to find new tenants as soon as possible. “So let’s rent this beautiful old house for a while and let life settle down,” she proposed, pointing out that it was perfect for our momentary needs with a backyard that was vast and fenced — perfect for the dogs — and a

small terrace with a garden that would satisfy my biological need to potter around in the dirt. “Right. OK. But we’re only staying a year,” I declared, still in the throes of grief for my lost Maine garden. We moved in a day or two later. As April unfolded, I spent my early days setting up my writing room in an extra upstairs bedroom, the one directly over the garden. Then the dogs and I went out and got to work on the terrace, digging out all sorts of dead plants and snarly weeds. When I came to the sad little plant with the curious evergreen leaves growing at the base of one of the two Savannah hollies trained to grow over the terrace, I nearly yanked it out too but decided to leave it for the time being. I cleared it some growing space and even gave it a shot of liquid fertilizer, just to see what might result. I also planted daylilies picked up from the Southern Pines farmers market and transplanted several hosta plants I’d brought from my front garden up north. The soil wasn’t great and only a few things bloomed that first summer, though not the mystery plant. It thickened and grew more robustly but never put forth anything resembling a bloom. That first summer, though, I found the shady terrace an ideal place to sit in my favorite weathered wooden Adirondack chair and read, or nap, or daydream about my lost Maine garden. Every week a lawn crew showed up to mow the grass and tidy up the camellia shrubs out front, part of the bargain of renting. Gosh how I missed cutting my own grass! Every time I went to Lowe’s for soil or kitchen paint or lumber for the big bookshelf I was building, I found myself loitering by the new John Deere lawn tractors thinking of my own Deere tractor I couldn’t get onto the moving truck — and thus foolishly let go with the house in Maine. For better or worse, I suffer from stage four Tractorlust. On the up side, the old house eventually began to grow on me. I loved the cool Indian summer evenings on the terrace, and when the cold weather finally descended, the sound of the ancient steam radiators clanking and softly hissing provided an oddly comforting soundtrack to our new life in an old house. Even when the ancient furnace below decks conked out and a crew needed more than a week to disassemble it and replace it, I didn’t mind so much because the fireplace was in excellent order and provided a good warming fire for several December nights running. I got accustomed to the

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2012

sweet tea chronicles

quirky old-fashioned plumbing and the crazy terrace door that only I could figure out how to completely shut and lock in the evenings. In truth, it often stayed open, as did the old-fashioned windows with their hinged screens, allowing the cool smell of the garden to fill the downstairs after warm spring and summer days, especially after thunderstorms. It’s funny how a place can get under your skin. I’ve long believed that houses are more than bricks and mortar. They can and do absorb the psychic energy of the souls who inhabit them. I look at the scarred wooden floors of our rambling old Madeleine house — which will undoubtedly someday be refinished or perhaps replaced altogether by some groovy young modern — and can’t help but think about the countless families and friends and welcome strangers who’ve tread these floors. They sag with the weight of life well lived. Sometimes during our noisy suppers in the cool, white-washed dining room with its deep set windows, I sit back and hear a grand noise of voices, a symphony of tongues — arguing and laughing, telling stories, sharing news, saying grace, reconnecting with loved ones — that have made this old place a home for generations. We don’t own this house and probably never will. But it will always own a piece of us. “What I want and all I pine my days for is to go back to my house and see my day of homecoming,” Odysseus laments in Homer’s Odyssey. But homemaking is a craft of the heart. “Out in the world, we long to return home,” says former monk and spiritual psychologist Thomas Moore. “Sitting at home, we dream of wandering the world.” For what it’s worth, I’ve managed to mentally roam the world and write two books in that tranquil upstairs room over the garden. Our back terrace, meanwhile, has become my favorite place for digging in the dirt and delving in the soul. Moreover, last spring the plant finally bloomed and the mystery was solved. It turned out to be a hellebore, which I suspected all along, sometimes

called the Lenten Rose because of its late winter blooming characteristics, putting forth some of the the loveliest and long-lasting blooms I’ve ever seen. Hellebores — which are not actually roses but belong to the buttercup family — have been popular cottage garden plants since the Middle Ages, when monks used their sometimes poisonous blooms to making purging tonics and others in rituals of witchcraft, yet the pink and pristine white beauty of the five petaled blooms (which are technically sepals that never fall off, unlike those of roses) of the equally misnamed “Christmas Rose” were a powerful symbol of the Christ child, celebrated in carols of the early church. My fine little mystery plant, for what it’s worth, now starts its bloom in late February and goes all the way into early summer. This year the terrace plantings I’ve made — a gardenia bush and various knock-out roses, lilies, hostas and bleeding heart, lacecap hydrangea and a Japanese quince, not to mention the twining clematis vine and a host of yet-to-be plants I picked up at the annual autumn member plant sale at Raleigh’s Raulsten Arboretum — appear to have wintered over just fine but for two cases. Why should I lavish such time and money on putting down roots into a garden someone else owns? Hard to say, exactly — except perhaps my belief (probably owing to my native American great-grandmother) that none of us really owns the soil beneath our feet, we merely temporarily occupy it and are caretakers at best. Besides, if and when the day comes we finally do move on to buy or build another house, I’ll be comforted to know I left this old house and the terrace garden out back much better than I found it one April day. My gardener’s gift to the continuing life of this house will be the healthy plantings I leave behind, though a few special things will probably go with me. A once forgotten Lenton Rose, for sure. PS

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2012

On the Same Page

The joy of reading will be spread across the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland on April 23 for World Book Night — an annual celebration of reading and books. On this night, tens of thousands of registered World Book Night givers will hand out free paperback books to people in their communities. Local givers are invited to come to The Country Bookshop after book distribution to share their stories with the public during a World Book Night celebration, which will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. The Bookshop event will also feature local dignitaries and authors reading passages from their favorite books. Interested in reading a passage from your favorite book? Simply email a one-paragraph blurb explaining what you love about your book of choice to information@thecountrybookshop.biz. The Country Bookshop, 140 NW Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3211.

Dutch Treat

On April 12, Dutch Golden Age painter Judith Leyster will be the topic of discussion at the second of three lectures in a Fine Arts Lecture Series presented by the Arts Council of Moore County and Weymouth Center. Leyster, who achieved fame for her domestic genre scenes, largely gave up painting after her marriage to artist Jan Miense Molenaer, with whom she had five children. Lecture begins at 10 a.m. Tickets: $10/ACMC and Weymouth members; $15/nonmembers. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Reservations: (910) 692-2787 or www. mooreart.org.

At First Glance

The 2012 First Friday season kicks off on May 4 with live music from Wheeler Brothers, a five-piece indiefolk act straight out of Austin, Texas. This free, family-friendly event happens in the grassy knoll adjacent to the Sunrise Theater in downtown Southern Pines on the first Friday of each month, May through October. Food and beverages available for purchase. The May 4 First Friday concert is sponsored by Fletcher Industries of Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8501 or www.firstfridaysouthernpines.com.

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Into the Wild

A Native Son, Celebrated

North Carolina’s Dramatist Laureate and Harnett County native son, Paul Green (18941981), will be honored on April 20-21 during a festival that shares the author’s namesake. Green grew up on a cotton farm in rural Harnett County. At age 3, he met Rassie Cox, a black boy with whom he became best friends — blood brothers, in fact, when they cut each other’s fingers with Barlow knives. Green’s early association with Rassie gave him insight into the tragic plight of the Negro. He was a lifelong champion of racial equality through his writing and otherwise. The Paul Green Festival will include music, baseball, drama, film, lectures, stories and more at Campbell University, Buies Creek. For complete schedule and more information, visit www.paulgreen.org.

The Weymouth Woods Nature Preserve invites nature-lovers to participate in various alfresco happenings this month. Become an amateur oologist, for instance, on Easter Sunday (April 8 at 3 p.m.), by learning about the colors and markings of nature’s Easter eggs — produced, of course, by native birds. Or celebrate Earth Day on April 21, with a party that kicks off at 8 a.m. Festivities include bird banding, nature photography, hikes and more. A birthday celebration for the oldest known living longleaf pine in the world will happen on April 22 at 3 p.m. Carpool to the Boyd Tract to visit the 464-year old tree and enjoy cake and punch. Weymouth Woods, 1024 Fort Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167.

A Taste for Blood

Skid Row, anyone? Temple Theatre’s upcoming musical production, Little Shop of Horrors — set in a flower shop in urban New York circa 1960 — will be running from April 26 through May 13. Boy meets girl. Boy likes girl. Boy finds a mysterious unidentified plant and names it after girl. Plant has a craving for human blood. Show times: Thursdays at 2 and 7 p.m.; Fridays & Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. Temple Theatre, 120 Carthage St., Sanford. For tickets and more information, call (919) 774-4155 or visit www.templeshows.com.

Raising the Roof

Habitat for Humanity — a ministry that partners with families, volunteers and the community to build affordable houses — is holding a spring gala on April 14 to celebrate the life and accomplishments of the late Patsy Bonsal. Patsy helped raise funds for homes throughout Moore and Richmond Counties for two decades, touching the lives of hundreds of people. Festivities include a cocktail reception, dinner and dancing, live and silent auctions, and live music from The Vision Band of Asheboro. Guests will be able to bid on exciting culinary experiences, such as a cheftaught cooking lesson for eight, and various getaways. Dress: cocktail attire. Tickets: $125/person. Royal Dornoch Ballroom, Country Club of North Carolina. Info: Rita at (910) 295-3089.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2012

A Vision, Fulfilled... It began as a simple intuition about

Color is the magic word here at Hair Biz. Each member of our stylist team takes that word seriously and can advise and guide you to your perfect hue. Hair Biz also offers the Sandhills region the most complete selection of hair care products from KENRA, Goldwell Professional, Loreal, Kerastase and Keune. A rapidly growing cadre of devoted enthusiasts rave about Hair Biz’s comfortable charm, friendly team, professional services and skilled staff. “The salon is so beautiful, relaxing and I love the décor!” says one salon guest. For another, “the best part of my visit to Hair Biz is having that fresh out of the salon look for weeks”. Still another is pleased that “the stylist always consults with her before mixing her color to make sure its exact for the season, the condition of my hair or the mood I’m in!” If you’re ready for a whole new salon experience, a professional salon TEAM, cutting edge professional salon products and a new look that brightens “your” finest qualities, we invite you to join us at Hair Biz @ the Cottage Salon. Voted Best Salon in 2009 in The Pilots Readers Choice Best of Moore County.

what people are really looking for in a hair salon.

A realization that perhaps people were tired of the same old salon run around, and needing an iPhone to keep up with their hair stylist newest chair relocation. Weather you’re new to town or looking for a change, here at Hair Biz our Stylists have an uptown flair and a down to earth attitude. The ambiance at Hair Biz Salon blurs the line between cozy and chic. The Salon has been completely and painstakingly transformed with brand new interior design and customized everything from top to bottom by the highly sought after design ministrations of Ron Cole of Designed 4U Inc. We are strategically located in Southern Pines at an address in a neighborhood buzzing with life. And hardly least our cuts and color reel in compliments. In 2003, after welcoming its first salon guests, Hair Biz @ The Cottage Salon has more then fulfilled on that intuition by becoming a highlight of the vibrant Southern Pines shopping district. We have built a solid reputation on professional salon ethics, and are known throughout the region for offering up-scale cut and color services for Ladies and Gentlemen. All our stylist are State board credentialed and Goldwell certified color specialists. Our services are delivered in an elegant space that Guests describe as lovely, chic and glam yet relaxing. All of our salon services are designed to nourish and heighten the natural beauty of all of our salon guests.

It’s Time for a New You! “Spring It On”

$10

For New Salon Guests

My promise to you is simple “I want you to leave my salon looking and feeling absolutely FABULOUS!” You have my word. Billie Ertter, Owner

$10

Elegantly Styled Space with

Beautiful Custom Style Stations Vignette Seating Custom Color Bar Complimentary Gourmet Coffee Station (That Guests Discribe as Lovely)

Hair Biz at the Cottage, an “Elegant Oasis of Good Taste”

HAIR BIZ SALON

200 N Bennett Street | Southern Pines | 910-246-CUTS (2887) www.hairbizcottagesalon.com

Paid advErTiSEmENT

A novel idea walking and Gawking

The 64th annual Home and Garden Tour of Southern Pines is scheduled to be held at the height of the spring season â&#x20AC;&#x201D; on Wednesday, April 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Each stop on the tour offers a peek into beautiful historic residences, plus and a look at some stunning renovations and new construction. Six homes and gardens will be featured. Tickets are $15 in advance; $20 on the day of the tour. Proceeds benefit community beautification and horticultural education projects. Tour begins at the Campbell House, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Tickets/Info: (910) 295-4617 or southernpinesgardenclub.com.

The Southern Pines Public Library will present a free screening of The Great Santini on Sunday, April 15 at 2:30 p.m. Based on a novel by Pat Conroy, this 1979 film explores the high price of heroism and self-sacrifice. Event is part of the libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual Author Read series. Rated R. Starring Robert Duvall and Blythe Danner. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

how Does Your Garden Grow?

Those with green thumbs will be tickled pink to know about two plant sales this month. On April 14, the Weymouth Center (555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines) will host a sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. offering price-friendly perennials, shrubs, trees, groundcovers, vines and herbs that thrive in the heat, humidity and soil of the Sandhills. Info: (910) 255-0010 or (910) 949-3999. Catch the Sandhills Horticultural Society Plant sale at Steed Hall a week later (April 21 from 8 a.m. to noon) to snag perennials, woody plants and Asiatic lilies before the Joneses do. Info: (910) 695-3882.

The Swing Ain’t Dead

The Rooster’s Wife Concert Series will be in full swing this month. Western swing, that is, when twelve-time Grammywinning Texas swing band Asleep at the Wheel returns to Poplar Knight Spot (114 Knight Street, Aberdeen) on April 3 for a 7:30 p.m. concert. Founded by iconic front man Ray Benson, Asleep at the Wheel is still on the upswing, so to speak, forty-plus years later. Recently, the band collaborated with Willie Nelson to fulfill a vision that famed producer Jerry Wexler had in the 1970s. Tickets: $45. Concert series will pick up again on May 13. Info: (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife.org.

A Walk to Remember

Fact: Each day in North Carolina, 149 people hear the words, “you have cancer.” Their lives are changed forever. “The important thing about those numbers,” says JoAnne Allen, Moore County Relay for Life Event Chair, “is that they represent our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers and more. Almost everyone has been affected by cancer.” The 2012 Moore County Relay for Life will be held April 21 and 22 at Sandhills Community College. Register as a survivor (Moore County is home to about 2,400 cancer survivors), form or join a team, or donate to the cause online. Visit www.relayforlife.org/moore to register.

Le Tour de Amour

The oldest road race in the South happens in the Sandhills on April 28. The Tour de Moore, as the race is internationally known, features several cyclist levels of competition — including a 112-mile route for the serious pedal pushers. Race begins at 8 a.m. at Campbell House, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Registration required. Info: (910) 692-2463 or www.sandhillscyclingclub.org/tourdemooreroadrace.html. Wee cyclists (children 10 and under) can participate in the annual Youth Bike Races held on April 28 in conjunction with Springfest in Downtown Southern Pines. Bikes, tricycles and big wheels welcome. Registration is scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. At 11:15 a.m., they’re off! Info: (910) 692-2463 or www. southernpines.biz. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2012

Please visit one of these great properties managed by Kuester

Fairway Village

Central Park South

Le Coffee & Moore

Jos A Bank

The Shops of Fairway Village

Hot Asana Yoga & Boutique

Fratello’s

The Market Place

9735 US 15/501, Southern Pines, NC 28374

246 Olmstead Blvd., Pinehurst, NC 28374

Hickory Tavern 2Q Nails

For information on our available Commercial units,

please contact Shaw Kuester, Cell: (704) 996-9996, shaw@kuester.com

www.kuester.com 16

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

COS And eFFeCT

Other voices BY COS BARNES

i learn so much from what people say

to me. Some of these sentiments are voiced with tact, others are just voiced.

At a recent funeral Mass for his mother, Vito Gironda expressed his appreciation for his mother and father by saying: “They taught us how to be parents.” I can’t think of a nicer thing a parent could have a son say about his heritage. Recently at one of my favorite haunts, the Sunrise Theater, a classmate of my daughter said, “I knew if you were here, I was in the right place.” I don’t exactly know what this statement means, but I love the sound of it. When I was notified of the death of a first cousin in Alabama, I talked with his son whom I had never met. “Are you like your daddy?” I asked. “I am not as smart,” he said of his dad, who was in the Merchant Marines at age 16, graduated Va. Tech, joined the NASA program in its infancy and spent his entire engineering career there. I can remember harassing my oldest child in first grade about doing her homework. Her grandfather reminded me, “You can’t remember knowing nothing, can you?” With the shoe poised slightly on the other foot, I reminded my 16-year-oldson, who was preparing to drive us on his maiden voyage to Virginia with his dad riding shotgun and his two sisters and me in the back, “Remember, I knew you when you knew nothing. I have a right to worry.” Nothing lifts the spirits like a genuine compliment. After her performance in “Love Letters” at Sandhills Community College, Joyce DeWitt said to me, “I like your coat.” She was the star, I, a fan, but she assured me I had taste, too. Today I talked with a customer at the Moore Coalition for Human Care, a friend I had known long ago, and she told me her son was in the Army in Germany and she had been to visit him. He told his mother, “I want you to see all the places I have seen.” My mother frequently used an expression I abhorred: “I will do it if it hairlips the country.” It always seemed so crass to me; yet, I recognize the same trait in me that existed in her. If either of us were told we couldn’t do something, we would do our best to prove you wrong. And speaking of my mother, I remember long ago she babysat for my three for an entire weekend. When we returned, she said, “We had the best time.” No complaining, no lectures on child-rearing, no advice — just praise for fun. Let us close with the unbiased, unrehearsed retort out of the mouth of a 6-year-old, “When is the season when the Pilgrims team and the Indians team play each other again?” It has been a long time since Thanksgiving. And the sweetest words came this week from my orthopaedist, “You have great joints!” PS Cos Barnes is a longtime contributor to PineStraw magazine. She can be contacted at cosbarnes@nc.rr.com. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P April 2012

April 2012 P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

The OmnivOrOuS reAder

Waiting for moses An engaging journey into Southern neo-gothic ﬁction

BY STEPHEN E. SMITH

To say that Wiley

Cash’s first novel, A Land More Kind than Home, is a work of Southern Gothic fiction is to disparage the author’s higher intent. Certainly the requisite Southern trappings are in evidence — the use of dialect (sans the g dropping, thank goodness), a strong sense of family and place, macabre religious practices, ruthless characters, etc., all the elements that the scholars who relish the quirks of Southern literature would have readers acknowledge — but Wiley sides more with Flannery O’Connor then Erskine Caldwell when he focuses on the passions of the human heart and the misery human beings bring upon themselves.

Cash manages this transcendence while particularizing the locale for his story. Set in Madison County, North Carolina (the county was known as “Bloody Madison” during the Civil War) in the mid-1980s, Sheriff Clem Barefield, a native of Flat Rock, acknowledges the particularities of the Madison natives and the encroachment of the mainstream culture. “Most of the people up here claim they’ve got Irish or Scottish or some kind of blood

in them and I think that’s probably true, especially if you listen to the folks who’ll drive up here from the universities to tell you all about the culture that they say’s disappearing. Then they’ll go and knock on cabin doors looking to get some jack tales on their tape recorders...” Written in the first person, Cash’s three narrators are ingenuous but reliably forthright. Adelaide Lyle is the local midwife and a true believer whose life revolves around a country church that’s been taken over by the false prophet Carson Chambliss, a convicted meth merchant who leads his flock in the handling of serpents and the laying on of hands. Jess Hall is an inquisitive 9-yearold boy whose mute brother Christopher is the subject of a deadly healing ceremony. Clem Barefield is the wise but jaded local sheriff who is forced by circumstance to resolve the many-faceted intrigues instigated by preacher Chambliss. Cash is at his best when crafting characters. His narrators live and breathe and cast discernable shadows, and the stories they tell are hardedged and plausible, each vision of the truth casting light upon the various mysteries that propel the plot. Ben and Julie, Jess and Christopher’s parents, have drifted apart and Julie has been having an affair with Chambliss. While spying on his mother, Christopher discovers the infidelity but is incapable of telling Jess what he’s seen. Not long after his unhappy discovery, Christopher dies in a healing ceremony in which one of his ribs punctures a lung, and a tragic momentum is set in motion. More than a Southern tale, A Land More Kind than Home is a story of small-town America with its many kindnesses and cruelties. Madison County could be any of a thousand such locales where there are no secrets and where lives are entwined beyond happenstance. Sheriff Barefield’s son

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P April 2012

The Omnivorous Reader

da vinci robotic surgery

capefearvalley.com

[in the skilled hands of our surgeons]

six arms are better than two imagine hands that are so delicate and precise that they can peel back the skin of a grape or create miniature origami models no larger than a quarter. Now imagine those hands performing delicate prostate cancer surgery or gynecological surgery through the tiniest of incisions. That’s what the da Vinci Surgical System robot can do. For the patient, da Vinci means less pain, less blood loss and a quicker recovery. And clinical studies suggest that the da Vinci may help surgeons provide better clinical outcomes than conventional surgery. For a referral to a daVinci credentialed surgeon, please call CareLink at 910 615-link [5465].

da Vinci works here.

died years before in an accident involving Ben’s alcoholic father, Jimmy, and he carries with him the loss of his only child. Adelaide Lyle has delivered many of the children in the community, and she is a central link in the lives of most of the characters. Ben was a would-be college football player at Western Carolina University who was forced to drop out because his ne’er-do-well father couldn’t afford tuition. Cash’s writing is lucid and engaging and his narrative is sprinkled with those precise details that give fiction a semblance of reality. The setting is beautifully evoked and the mountain seasons, especially the winter snows, add a quiet touch of drama to characters who find themselves isolated in the moment. A drunken country doctor drives his truck into a winter storm and ends up in a river when he falls asleep behind the wheel. He’s rescued by Adelaide Lyle, but his abandoned truck remains in the ravine. “It’s a new bridge there now, but if you drive down through Summey and cross over the Laurel and look down over the side you’ll see the truck. There’s branches hanging over it now and it’s almost covered in moss, but I can tell you it’s there.” And central to the narrative is a flashback not unlike Warren’s history lesson in All the King’s Men but detailing Adelaide Lyle’s life before settling in Madison County. If there are weaknesses in Cash’s novel, it’s a heavy-handed use of symbolism, as when a rattlesnake continues to strike after it’s been decapitated. And certainly the character of Chambliss could use more development to provide motivation for what is otherwise a storybook villain. But these are small transgressions that in no way interrupt the narrative current of the novel. The final chapters are likely to leave readers with questions regarding Cash’s thematic intent. Is religion a healing force or merely another scam intended to manipulate the unwitting? What is the source of evil? It is, after all, Chambliss’ exploitation of his followers that leads directly to the tragic death of Christopher and Ben — and to his own violent demise. Is healing possible? Is forgiveness necessary? Cash isn’t insistent about providing answers. As Adelaide Lyle says, “This is good news now without no snake boxes, no musty smells of shed skin, no noisy rattles kicking up from places you can’t see. . . . The Israelites had a Moses to lead them out of the wilderness. We’re still waiting on ours.” Is this an immutable truth or a touch of subtle irony? The answer is for the reader to discern. PS Stephen Smith’s most recent book of poetry is A Short Report on the Fire at Woolworths. He can be reached at travisses@hotmail.com.

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

How do you want to retire?

The possibilities are endless when you choose a maintenance-free lifestyle with an abundance of amenities at The Village. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have more time to explore your passions and spend time doing the things you want to do (instead of the things you have to do). The Village at Brookwood â&#x20AC;&#x201D; This is how we do retirement.

1860 Brookwood Avenue, Burlington, NC Sponsored by Alamance Regional Medical Center

Life Care & Fee-forService Plans

800-282-2053 www.VillageAtBrookwood.org

BOOKSheLF

new releases for April BY THE COUNTRY BOOKSHOP

FICTION A LAND MORE KIND THAN HOME by Wiley Cash. A stunning debut reminiscent of the beloved novels of John Hart and Tom Franklin, A Land More Kind Than Home is a mesmerizing literary thriller about the bond between two brothers and the evil they face in a small western North Carolina town. MISS JULIA TO THE RESCUE by Ann B. Ross. Miss Julia is trying to redecorate in Abbotsville, N.C. when she realizes she must decamp to West Virginia to rescue stepdaughter Hazel Marie’s husband from trouble with his private investigation job. Her husband Sam is off in the Holy Land and wealthy eccentric Agnes Whitman has brought a group of tattooed misfits to Abbotsville. Fun and hilarity ensue in the 13th Miss Julia book. THE BEGINNER’S GOODBYE by Anne Tyler. Tyler writes a story of loss and recovery about a middle aged man who works in his family publishing business, turning out titles that presume to guide beginners through the trials of life. When a tree crashing into his house cripples him and kills his beloved wife, he finds solace in his dead wife’s frequent appearances. CALICO JOE by John Grisham. Do you remember Playing for Pizza? Grisham is back with another sports tale that encompasses fathers and sons, forgiveness and redemption. In 1973 Calico Joe was plucked from obscurity and an AA club in Midland, Texas to become a CUBS super star. Calico Joe quickly became the idol of every baseball fan in America, including Paul Tracey, the young son of a hard-partying and hard-throwing Mets pitcher. On the day that Warren Tracey finally faced Calico Joe, Paul was in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his Dad. Then Warren threw a fastball that would change their lives forever. . . .

NON-FICTION THE MAN WHO PLANTED TREES by Jim Robbins. Years ago, New York Times writer Robbins was skeptical when he encountered David Milarch’s story. Many scientists said it could not be done. The Montana man was on a mission to clone the tallest, heartiest trees that had survived the millenia and create a database to save them. Angels had appeared to him to tell him that the planet was in trouble and only trees can save it. Now, twenty years later, his team has cloned the world’s oldest trees (and some of the biggest). As Robbins began to research

the story he came to realize that there is so much we do not yet know about trees: how they die, how they communicate, the myriad of crucial ways they filter water and air and otherwise support life on Earth. Check out this engaging and hopeful book printed on 100 percent post consumer fiber. BREAKOUT NATIONS: IN PURSUIT OF THE NEXT ECONOMIC MIRACLES by Ruchir Sharma. One of the world’s largest investors in emerging markets highlights which markets will actually jump ahead and why. We live in a time of inflated expectations for “emerging markets” and after traveling and studying emerging markets for two decades, Sharma pinpoints which markets will rise and which will be hindered by their own daunting challenges. A WEDDING IN HAITI by Julia Alvarez. Julia and her husband Bill are impressed by Piti, a young Haitian who crosses the border into the Dominican Republic to find work. They come to care for him, claim him as a son and are now called over to Haiti for the first time to attend his wedding. In the book we follow her across the border into what was once the richest of all the French colonies and now teeters on the edge of the abyss — first for the celebration of a wedding and a year later to find Piti’s loved ones in the devastation of the earthquake. As in all of Alvarez’s books, a strong message is packed inside an intimate, beguiling story, this time about the nature of poverty and of wealth, of human love and of human frailty, of history and of the way we live now.

CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT STAY: THE TRUE STORY OF TEN DOGS by Michaela Muntean. Stay is the story of ten dogs, rejected and cast out by their former owners only to be adopted by circus performer and dog trainer, Luciano Anastasini. Relying on the mantra “Everyone has something to contribute,” Anastasini saw promise and hope in each of the dogs he adopted. Full color photographs accompany the amazing narratives of each of these ten talented pups. A story of promise and hope for all ages. HOW TO BABYSIT A GRANDPA by Jean Reagan. What is one to do when saddled with babysitting a Grandpa for the evening? First of all, you must keep

BOOKSheLF

him quiet. He must be entertained, and fed, and kept out of mischief. But most of all he must be loved. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit with author Jean Reagan, who has close Southern Pines connections, at the Country Bookshop at 4 p.m. on April 26. CHOMP by Carl Hiaasen. Fans of Hiaasen’s previous environmental mysteries Hoot, Flush and Scat will literally be chomping at the bit to get their hands on this newest addition. For Wahoo Cray, growing up in a zoo the son of an animal wrangler certainly does keep life interesting, but when his father takes a job with reality TV star Derek Badger, Wahoo discovers Badger is using wild animals for stunts, and he must quickly decide what to do. Fast paced fun for animal rights-minded mystery lovers. Ages 10-14. WONDER by RJ Palacio. Augie Pullman, homeschooled until now, is a perfectly normal fifth grader. He lives with his Mom, Dad, sister and dog and loves sports and hanging with his friends. Just one thing keeps him from having an uneventful first day of school: Augie was born with a severe facial deformity and he must deal with the bullying, taunting and prejudice that accompanies standing out in a world where fitting in is of the utmost importance. Thought provoking reading for ages 12 to adult. THE BOOK OF BLOOD AND SHADOW by Robin Wasserman. Part Da Vinci Code with a touch of Elizabeth Kostava’s The Historian thrown in for good measure, The Book of Blood and Shadow will entrance readers age 14 to adult right from page 1. PS

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P march 2012

hiTTinG home

Allergies Certain things just make my nose run

By DAle niXon

Today, one out of every five people suffers from

some form of allergy.

People are allergic to everything from dust to peanuts. I have a few allergies myself. But I don’t need to take a skin test or give a sample of blood to know what they are. There are some things you just know. I’m allergic to people who try to talk to me before I’ve had my first cup of coffee in the morning. I’m allergic to women who require no makeup. I’m allergic to people who have no children but tell me how to raise mine. I’m allergic to weather broadcasters who predict snow or snow flurries on the six o’clock news, making me scurry to the nearest grocery store to buy milk and bread. Guys, keep it to yourself until you see the white stuff falling from the sky. I’m allergic to rudeness. It takes only a minute to be polite. It’s the Southern way. It’s the only way. I’m allergic to merchants who display Christmas lights before Halloween. I’m allergic to men who play golf in the rain and then complain about getting wet. I’m allergic to “new” country music. I’m allergic to “new” beach music. I’m allergic to slimy stewed okra, root beer and anchovies. I’m allergic to zircons. A diamond is a girl’s best friend. I’m allergic to anyone who believes wrestling is fake.

I’m allergic to garments that read, “Hand wash only.” I’m allergic to men who smell better than me. I’m allergic to doctors (or nurses, or receptionists) who leave me sitting in a waiting room for more than an hour for an appointment. I’m allergic to teenagers who sleep until noon. I’m allergic to people who are constantly on a diet and repeatedly refuse my dessert. I’m allergic to reruns of Three’s Company. It was bad enough the first time around. I’m allergic to Perrier, gourmet popcorn and pâté. Let’s face it: No matter how you say it, water is water, popcorn is popcorn and liver is liver. I’m allergic to MTV, Hoarders, Toddlers and Tiaras and The Bachelor. I’m allergic to the young ladies vying for the hand of The Bachelor. I’m allergic to Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Jersey Shore’s Snooki and the Kardashian sisters — Kim, Khloe and Kourtney. Who cares? I’m especially allergic to the mother of the Kardashian sisters — Kris. Who cares? As I told you, I don’t need to take a skin test or give a sample of blood to know what my allergies are. Just writing this column has made me reach for a tissue to dab at my runny nose. I would go to a doctor for treatment, but . . . see item about being allergic to waiting rooms. There are some things you just know and some things you just have to stay away from. PS Columnist Dale Nixon may be contacted at dalenixon@carolina.rr.com.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2012

at Carolina Skin Care The science behind beauty

David I. Klumpar, MD

Duke-Trained Dermatologist & Medical Director

Erica Ussery, LMBT

Lic. Massage & Body Therapist

Mia Piazza, LE

235-SPA1 (7721) • 125 Fox Hollow Rd • Pinehurst, NC

Lic. Esthetician

Botox • Restylane • Laser Hair Removal • Face & Body Rejuvenation• Massage FEATURING

Botox • Facials • Restylane • Perlane Cosmetic & General Dermatology Body Treatments • Anti-Aging Peels Waxing • Laser Hair Removal Microdermabrasion • Massage Laser Vein Treatment • Laser Facial Rejuvenation Steam Treatments • Vichy Rain Shower

Tuesday-Saturday 12pm-6pm Sunday 1pm-6pm 1907 NC HWY 73 W. Mt. Gilead, NC 27306 www.littleriverwines.com

April 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

L e tt e r F r o m T h e S a n d h i lls

Good Friday at the Masters It was, please pardon the expression, a heavenly experience

By Tom Allen

Several years ago my wife, Beverly,

issued her annual perennial question — “What do you want for Christmas?” But instead of my usual response — “a couple of gift cards, white shirt, black socks, Key lime coconut patties” — on a whim, I issued a challenge: “I’d like to go to the Masters. How about that? Find me a ticket to the Masters,” I said.

“OK,” she responded, “I’ll work on it, but don’t expect any Key lime coconut patties.” A trip to the Masters, if only for a practice round, was one of those items on my bucket list, that litany of things to do before one kicks the proverbial bucket, passing from this life to the next. Like many folks, I started mine right after I viewed the 2007 comedy-drama The Bucket List, the story of two terminally ill men, played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, who take a road trip, scratching things off their lists before cancer claims their lives. I thought Beverly didn’t have a snowball’s chance in Augusta of securing a ticket, but my wife has a history of rising to the occasion, of taking a challenge and running with it. Yet, I decided, even if things didn’t work out, I could always use another pair of black socks. When Christmas morning came, rolled up and stuffed inside my stocking, alongside a couple of Key lime coconut patties, was a promissory note of sorts. A friend had arranged for a second round pass to golf’s greatest tournament. I later learned he secured tickets for himself as well as two of

my ministerial colleagues. The four of us were going to the Masters. Before moving to Southern Pines in 1998, I’d never held a golf club. Ten years later, however, with a set of sticks courtesy of Sam’s Club, a few lessons, and the encouragement of some friends who were nice enough to play several rounds a year with me, I’d grown to enjoy the game. I looked forward to a day on the links, fist-pumping after a well-played approach shot or high-fiving someone after they sank a twenty-foot downhill putt. I was more confident on the course and was hitting off the tee fairly well. Heck, I even had a golf story or two to tell — “Man, you should’ve seen my last shot on the eighteenth hole, that par-3 on Pinehurst No. 1. I hit a worm-burner off the tee, beached my second one in the left bunker, then pulled out my new sand wedge and blasted my third shot right in the hole.” Yeah, I was still somewhat of a novice, still had a lot to learn, but I was going to the Masters. Around four in the morning, on that second round Friday, our foursome headed south for Augusta National Golf Club, stopping once for a fastfood breakfast. A little after nine, we drove past the famed Magnolia Lane entrance, parked in a gravel lot just outside the gate, and made our way to the iconic course where legends like Hogan and Snead, Palmer and Nicklaus had walked away wearing the coveted green jacket. From its beginning, the day was everything I’d hoped it would be — beautiful weather, good times with good friends, and a gorgeous course. There were surprises, like the undulating nature of the course (Augusta National offers a great aerobic workout for walkers), the sixth hole, where pros shoot from behind and over spectators seated on a steep hill (my tee shot would surely send someone to Urgent Care), and the best pimento cheese and egg salad sandwiches I’ve ever tasted (cheap and wrapped in those Augustagreen Baggies). Later in the day, my heart raced a bit as we sat in the stands and observed golf’s greatest play through Amen Corner, the famed three-hole section of

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

April 2012

L e tt e r

Tell the world

YOUR STORY

COMING SOON! 2012 PANDORA SPRING COLLECTION. See our store for details.

FRAMER’S COTTAGE 162 NW Broad Street Southern Pines, NC 28387 910.246.2002

the back nine of Augusta National. We watched players putt out on the eleventh green, tee off on the twelfth hole, then cross the legendary Hogan Bridge to finish out that treacherous par-3. We watched players disappear to the tee box on thirteen and saw them reappear in the fairway, aiming their approach shot toward a green banked by exquisite azaleas, the flowering shrub for which Augusta National is known. The crowds loomed large that day, yet there was a serenity and palpable sacredness about the place. Perhaps it had something to do with spring’s rebirth, heralded by dogwoods and those stunning azaleas at their peak, images of breathtaking beauty surrounding everyone there, nature’s undeniable sermon, preached to scores of people and muffled only by the roar of the crowd when someone sank a challenging putt. Or perhaps it had something to do with another sacred aspect of the day. The Masters is the first of the major tournaments to be played each year, scheduled for the first full week of April. Occasionally, the Masters and Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter, coincide. That was the case in 2009. The final round was held on Easter Sunday; the round I attended, was played on Good Friday. Each year, on the Thursday evening before Easter, the church I serve offers a moving service recalling the tragic events that led up to that first Easter. I had been present the prior evening, had joined others in reflecting on those heartbreaking events and was more than ready for Easter’s dawning. Even so, I wondered if others at Augusta National experienced something of the tension I felt during that second round, that pull between the pleasure of the day and memories of a pain inflicted centuries ago on that first Good Friday. Angel Cabrera walked away with the green jacket in 2009, a first for an Argentinian and no doubt something he marked off his bucket list. As I marked off “go to the Masters,” on my own list, I thought about other dreams yet to be checked off — evensong in an English cathedral, a sailboat excursion in the Caribbean, Niagara Falls with my wife and kids. Yet, I was also reminded of the words from the writer of Ecclesiastes — To everything there is a season: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. And so it was for me that memorable day in Augusta, Georgia, when hints of sadness mingled with glimmers of joy echoed the ebb and flow of our lives, a life where I hope and pray, Easter is always just around the corner. PS Tom Allen is minister of education at First Baptist Church, Southern Pines, and a frequent contributor to PineStraw

March 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

April 2012

March 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Vine Wisdom

Blended Families

With summer on the horizon, several white blends offer wonderful taste, variety and value

By Robyn James

I always feel

Photograph by Cassie Butler

like wine is so much like art and music, it doesn’t lend itself to generalizations.

So, debating over whether blended wines are “better” than singular grape wines is much like debating whether playing the guitar is “better” accompanied by drums, or not. See what I mean? You just can’t say. It might be better and it might not. But, it will be different and different can often mean interesting. Nothing wrong with interesting. The French understand that your ZIP code strongly determines whether you prefer blending or not. If you own a vineyard in Burgundy or Loire, you are a purist, focused on the regality of one grape. No question about it, chardonnay from the great Burgundy region of France should not be blended with anything else, nor should the great sauvignon blancs from Loire. If your vineyard is in Bordeaux or Rhone, on the other hand, you are all about the blending. And, if you are a blender, remember that each vintage brings you a completely different wine; your “formula” for blending should never be the same because the climate, temperature and conditions will each have a separate effect on each grape type used for blending. Before buying a bottle, we all want some idea of what it holds in store, and we often look to the grape variety for clues: chardonnay will likely be creamy and rich, sauvignon blanc crisp and herbal, viognier will bloom with exotic fragrance. These white grapes are what I call “stand alone” grapes; they are awesome by themselves or as “anchors” for blends. In Bordeaux, sauvignon blanc is the white grape anchor. Some white Bordeaux may be 100 percent sauvignon blanc; others, usually, may have added semillon and/or muscadelle de bordelais, grapes contributing grassiness and perfume nuances to the sauvignon blanc. Many California vintners are now experimenting with the centuries old blends of the northern and southern Rhone regions of France. The white wines are gorgeous blends of marsanne, rousanne, grenache gris, bourboulenc and viognier. Fragrant, textured whites that wow you with or without food. Roberto Anselmi, the Godfather of Soave in Italy, shockingly forfeited the right to label his wines “Soave” in order to blend unauthorized grapes into his wine because he felt it would greatly improve the quality and complexity of his wine.

Spain has long been a huge proponent of blending white grapes. Not only do they blend their delicious Cava sparkling wines, but their crisp Verdejos with Viura and sauvignon blanc to add even more nuances of acidity and grassiness. A domestic favorite, Pine Ridge from California, has always produced a great little chenin blanc/viognier that is full of character and flavor. Chenin blanc particularly plays well with others; it can be sweet, dry, sparkling, light bodied or dessert heavy. Here are some examples of my favorite white blends:

NAIA LAS BRISAS, VERDEJO, VIURA & SAUVIGNON BLANC, SPAIN, $12 “Medium straw-colored, it offers an amazingly complex perfume for its humble price. Aromas of fresh herbs, spring flowers, baking spices and white peach lead to a ripe, concentrated, nicely balanced wine that way over-delivers for its price points.” RATED 89 POINTS, ROBERT PARKER, THE WINE ADVOCATE ANSELMI SAN VINCENZO, ITALY, $16 The fruity san vincenzo, a blend of garganega, chardonnay and trebbiano fermented in steel, exhibits aromas of lemon blossoms, minerals and wet stones. With impeccable finesse, elegance, and flavor authority, this is a light, refreshing offering. The san vincenzo represents an excellent value. This wine will be remarkably flexible with an assortment of cuisines. CHAPOUTIER LA CIBOISE, LUBERON, FRANCE, $14 “Offers a stony edge to its bright peach and melon notes, with a brisk, mouthwatering green plum-tinged finish. Its elegant poached pear and grapefruit notes are medium-bodied, fresh, lively and quite dry and crisp. Grenache blanc, vermentino, ugni blanc and roussanne.” RATED 87 POINTS, THE WINE SPECTATOR PINE RIDGE CHENIN BLANC, VIOGNIER, CALIFORNIA, $13 The perfect cocktail wine, dryish and acidic, yet enormously rich in tangerine, peach, lime and honey flavors. So easy to like by itself, yet will drink well with semisweet Chinese and Vietnamese fare. PS Robyn James is proprietor of The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines. Contact her at winecellar@pinehurst.net.

April 2012

Great Smiles Are Always In Style! • Smile Makeovers • Porcelain Veneers & Bonding • Cosmetic Fillings (Front and Back Teeth) • Non-Mercury Fillings • Crowns & Fixed Bridges • Bleaching (Whitening) • Root Canal Therapy • General Cleanings & Preventative Care • Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy • Digital Imaging (90% less Radiation) • Partials and Dentures • Cerec Single Visit Onlays & Crowns

G.R. Horton 295-5980 3 Regional Circle Suite C • Pinehurst DDS, PA www.carolinasmiles.com General and Cosmetic Dentistry

Tax credits still available and Preseason rebates up to $1400. Call today.

101 MAPLE ST. • ABERDEEN

910-944-2526 • 1-800-345-3608 ©2011 Lennox Industries Inc. Lennox dealers include independently owned and operated businesses. May be available with the installation of qualifying high-efficiency products. To find out more about tax credits, ask your tax adviser.

S p i r i ts

So Cosmopolitan

A little sweet, a little tart, and totally wicked in the city

By Frank Daniels III

Generally I am

partial to cocktails that were developed in the press of our great cities, and often during the various periods of Western culture that have inspired bartenders and their patrons to drink creatively. A prime example: Paris during World War I was particularly fruitful for cocktail cognoscenti — giving us classics like the Sidecar and French 75.

Wicked Cosmo(politan)

¼1/4 oz Canton ginger liqueur 2 oz citron vodka 1/2½ oz Cointreau ½1/2 oz Maurin Quina 1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice 3 dashes organic unsweetened cranberry juice Maraschino cherry

Pour Canton over ice in a large cocktail glass to chill and flavor glass. In a cocktail shaker pour citron vodka, Cointreau, Maurin Quina and lime juice. Shake vigorously and strain into your chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the maraschino cherry. PS Frank Daniels is an editor and writer living Nashville, Tennessee, and the author of Frank’s Little Black Bar Book, available at The Country Bookshop. Contact him at fdanielsiii@mac.com.

Sometimes, however, cocktails come from unexpected places and are popularized in amusing ways. Cocktail lore has the Cosmopolitan originating in Ohio, or perhaps, Providence, Rhode Island. I can only imagine that the mixologists were visualizing what a cosmopolitan woman might want on a cool neon evening in New York, Chicago or LA. The cocktail was sweet and pink with a refreshing citrus kick that became reasonably popular during the 1970s and early 1980s, but achieved cocktail stardom as the libation of choice for Carrie Bradshaw and her chic teammates on Sex and the City, which aired for six years on the HBO network (I know this because I have three 20-something daughters.) The Cosmopolitan is an interpretation of classic cocktail ingredients with a few twists. Lemon-infused vodka, or citron vodka, as the base ingredient gives the drink an interesting start, and the addition of cranberry juice gives the cocktail a pretty pink blush. But a Cosmopolitan really doesn’t bring enough to the party. It needs a little kick, and recently we found just the right one. Auguste Maurin created Maurin Quina Liqueur in 1906 in Le Puy en Velay. His liqueur gained fame when artist Leonetto Cappiello created a label with a green devil on it; the label is far more popular that the liqueur. But this fortified wine liqueur with its cherry and bitter almond flavors and a bit of bite from quinine makes an excellent complement to the sweetness of the standard Cosmo. A little sweet, a little tart, and a bit spicy — and you have a Wicked Cosmopolitan. Enjoy. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

April 2012

195 Short Street, Southern Pines To learn more about me and my company go to: NEW PINEHURST LISTING! 6 Flint Court, Unit 12 • $295,000 Wonderful brick home on cul-de-sac. Built 2000, 4bdrm 3.5ba, dbl garage. Great yard & location! Call Kim for a showing.

Kim sTouT 910-528-2008

www.KimBerlrlysTouT.com

www.inTernaTionalrlrealTlTyspecialisTs.com

“Whether you buy, build or sell, Emmy helps you do it well!” www.emmywebstersells.com www.internationalrealtyspecialists.com

emmy weBsTer, realTor 910-639-3520

www.TammyLyne.com www.WhyILoveMyCompany.com

Tammy lyne, realTor 910-235-0208 To buy, sell or lease residential or commercial properties,

Call me! 910.315.7575 Dave Berger www.DaveBergerBroker.com davebergerbroker@gmail.com

Dianne g. ForsBerg

LAKEFRONT AT DEERCROFT Just 15 minutes from Pinehurst! Peaceful, serene views of the water from every room! Updated & fabulous from the gourmet kitchen to the large family living areas, screened porch, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and 2 half baths. $650,000.

peggy FloyD: 910-639-1197 cheryl DenoBle: 910-280-9299 www.PinehurstLuxuryProPertrties.com

“YOU TALK – I LISTEN” Together we can make your dreams a REALity To view local properTies visiT: www.DianneForsBerg.com DgForsBerg@gmail.com

910-315-5073

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

T h e k i tc h e n ga r d e n

Tomato Time

This is the moment to plant your favorite varieties — and enjoy them all summer

By Jan Leitschuh

Kitchen gardening

is not for everyone. Vegetables are not a way of life for all, and even the most avid know this.

But many folks like to dabble. If you were to plant just a single item to enjoy and eat, just one thing, what would it be? Most would answer a tomato — for the taste of the sweet flesh, certainly, but also the ease and near-sure thing a tomato plant is. And while rarely mentioned, a healthy tomato plant has an earthy green fragrance all its own, and working with them in spring is an olfactory pleasure: growing green and newly turned earth. And why not choose tomatoes over all other possibilities? The picked-green, thick-skinned-for-better-shipping, ripenedby-gasses grocery store tomato from far-away places — pretty enough to look at but what food author Michael Pollard calls “a notional tomato” — this industrial creature cannot compare with the succulent, thin-skinned juiciness of a home-grown beauty. You know it’s true. Who makes white-bread-and-mayo ‘mater sandwiches with store-bought fruit? No, this summer pleasure is reserved for homegrown. April is the month for setting plants in the ground. If the forecast is frost-free, some folks drop their sets in early; after all, they quickly outgrow their shallow containers. But I prefer to repot to give them room, then wait until the soil temperature warms up some. That’s soil temps, not air. On an 80-degree April day, one can plunge one’s hands into the soil and feel the chill of winter still lingering. Tomato roots love it warm, and while they will likely live if planted early, they may not thrive as well as if you waited two weeks and potted up. I just stick my pots on a sunny doorstep in daytime, and bring them in at night until ready to go in the ground. What to plant? You’ve got your beefsteaks, your cherries and grapes, your canning-Roma types and mid-size slicers. You have hybrids and heirlooms to choose from. If you can only plant one, hybrids that are resistant to many diseases, such as classics Big Boy, Better Boy, Early Girl, etc. are good choices for season-long production. If you can plant two, select an heirloom for juiciness. German Johnson, Cherokee Purple, Brandywine, Lemon Boy, etc. are usually easy enough to find in our area. If you can plant three plants, add a cherry or grape for snacking right off the vine, such as Sweet Million, Jelly Bean or my personal favorites, Sun Sugar and Sun Gold. Kids tend to thrill at the latter two selections, and they win farmer’s market taste tests across the country. Next step is to enrich the planting area. That darn sand! Very good drainage, but very low in organic matter. Add a little lime and lots of finished compost. If the compost is too fresh, it might burn plants or encourage lush vineygrowth at the expense of fruits, so be sure it is well aged. The calcium in lime helps with cell-wall strength and prevents blossom end rot. Some folks feel a

teaspoon of Epsom salt well mixed into the planting soil makes sweeter fruits; experiment and see. For recyclers, save your eggshells and crunch them up. Coffee grounds, too. Apply directly under the mulch to feed the plant as it grows. You will be rewarded. You could also grow your tomato garden in containers. Pot your plant in a a gallon pot, then a three-gallon, then finish with a five-gallon bucket or planter, if you wish to go the container route. Remember to water daily, if planting in pots. Potted plantings will need fertilization as well, as they are cut off from the surrounding soil nutrition. But lawn fertilizers are inappropriate, growing vine at the expense of fruit. Location, location, location is critical. Sunshine is the number one consideration, and lots of it. Access to water is also useful. If your landscaping hasn’t been sprayed with toxic chemicals, including in-ground termite treatments. I have known folks to tuck a tomato into the foundation plantings, and train them up the deck. Bury your plant deeply, to encourage a good root system — at least halfway or a little more. Water it well. Then water daily for the next week or two, unless it rains. Being a vine, your tomato will need staking, caging or trellising. If you have the space, it is possible to grow them sprawling across the ground. It’s just not the most desirable way, due to diseases and reduced fruit load. If we’re going to go to the trouble of growing a tomato, we want lots and lots of big red beauties. Any selfrespecting tomato will also outgrow the wimpy garden-center “cone” cages well before fruit arrives, so use heavy wire and make your own, if caging is your choice. I like to mulch settled plants with straw to conserve moisture. The straw rots down nicely by next spring, adding important minerals and organic material to the garden, feeding the worms and other soil life. It also helps stabilize soil temperature. I add mulch in May, when the soil has warmed sufficiently. Allowing the soil to dry out will reduce harvest and quality, so keep up with the watering. After the plant has settled into its chosen home and had a chance to grow, I like to pinch off lower leaves that can get splashed with soil (another reason for the straw mulch). This helps reduce soil-borne fungal diseases on the leaves. Pinch side leaves up to the first flower cluster. By May, you should be seeing clusters of flowers, and while it may take a little imagination to conjure that grilled burger with sweet onion and a slice of beefsteak tomato, it won’t be long. Mid to late June around these parts, you should be picking your first fruits. Because you can, let them ripen on the vine as long as possible. With the exception of a strong-hanging plant like Cherokee Purple, you should be able to pluck them off with little resistance or tearing of the plant. Your

April 2012

W elcom e spr i ng W i t h A b e Au t i f u l l i f e s t y l e . When you decide to move to penick Village, you leave costly home and yard maintenance behind, and replace them with a carefree lifestyle in a welcoming neighborhood full of new friends. plus, plenty of opportunities to do the things you love, and the security of knowing that a full continuum of care is available, if ever needed. to learn about our variety of great living options, call (910) 692-0386 or (910) 692-0382. Visit us soon at www.penickvillage.org.

PENICK VILLAGE

500 east rhode island Avenue | southern pines, nc 28387 (866) 545-1018 toll-free

Jo-an DeSell

910-690-6126 Jo-an@DeSellandCo.com

Audrey Wiggins

910-315-3032 Audrey@DeSellandCo.com

MLS 146562 Horse Country 20 Acres ~ 5Br/5Ba $1,950,000

MLS 147309 Sandhurst 5Br/3Ba $315,000

MLS: 147310 The Meadows 6+Acres ~ 3Br/2.5Ba $500,000

MLS 145173 Downtown So Pines 4Br/3Ba $225,000

www.DeSellandCo.com ~ 910-692-0770 730 S Bennett St Ste. A ~ Southern Pines, NC

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

T h e k i tc h e n ga r d e n

fruit will come in “flushes,” so unless you have a large family, make plans to freeze or otherwise preserve some of the excess. There is little more pleasurable come winter than to pull a tub of summer-ripened chopped tomatoes out of the freezer to toss into a hearty winter stew, chili or spaghetti sauce. I also like to over-dry slices to leathery-ness, then pack in olive oil and freeze as a base for an exquisite and rich tomato paste. Keep an eye out for critters, and time your picking. One year, I watched that First Tomato ripen; every morning I would take my coffee cup and go visit it, cheer it along. As it reddened into rosiness, I considered picking it on a Wednesday morning, but decided to leave it on the vine for supper. When I pulled into the driveway that afternoon, there was a doe in the garden, happily munching away on my first tomato! They have excellent noses and can pick out the ripest fruits at 100 paces. Once the red color appears strongly, you can pick it and place in a sunny, deer-free window to finish and it will still be vastly superior to store-bought. If you notice some chewed leaves, look carefully under the leaves for a fat green caterpillarlooking creature, called a tomato horn worm. They are large and easy to pluck off. There won’t be more than a few, so simple non-chemical methods pay benefits and get us away from the computer and into the fragrant sunshine. And that, my friends, is what they call living. Theoretically, your vine could produce indefinitely. In reality, diseases will likely pull it down long before frost, although you may be a lucky one. The first year I planted tomatoes, I was picking them into November. If they weren’t so delicious, they would still be good eating. Of course, an outstanding souce of antioxidants, the compounds in tomatoes have been linked to heart, prostate, lung, pancreas and bone health, lower cholesterol, anti-cancer effects. A large tomato supplies nearly 40 percent of your daily requirement for Vitamin C. Tomatoes go well in most every cuisine. Though heavily associated with Italian culture, the tomato actually originated in South America and was likely first cultivated in Mexico. Spanish conquistadors brought the seeds back to Europe, where, due to the plant’s genetic relations with the nightshade family, many people feared it was poisonous. Finally, some brave soul found the fruit too pretty to resist, and the rest, as they say, is happy history. You can celebrate this discovery by whipping up some ‘mater sandwiches or fresh tomato salsa at the first opportunity — some 6075 days from now. PS

Exclusively Carrying… RUGS & CARPETS

Located in Pinehurst, 585 Hwy 5 | 295-2293

Jan Leitschuh is a local gardener, avid eater of fresh produce and co-founder of the Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

April 2012

LelandLittle

AUCTION &ESTATE SALES With Fidelity And Dispatch

LTD

THE HISTORIC CHINQUA PENN PLANTATION ESTATE AUCTION SALE DATES: April 25 & 26, 2012, Greensboro Coliseum: West Wing, Greensboro, NC

Offering at public auction the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Jefferson Penn, housed at their 1920s country estate, Chinqua Penn Plantation, in Reidsville, North Carolina. Absentee and online bidding available. Catalogues $55, USPS postage paid.

Napoleonic Gilt Wood Eagle Console Portrait Marble Bust of Table “Hieronymus Moronus”

910.997.2248 WWW.IRONHORSEAUCTION.COM NCFL#3936

Pallazo Carrara Marble Urn and Pedestal

919.644.1243 WWW.LLAUCTIONS.COM NCFL#7452

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

m AT e r i A L W o r L d

nature’s notes

Patience and imagination make pressed flowers a treasure that will last

By clAuDiA WATson

As spring pushes away

winter, Anne Warren waits.

Mother Nature is creating an artist’s palette from spring rains and sunlight. The palette: flowers. Delicate phlox, brightly colored verbena and happy little violas steal Anne’s attention — they are her paint and she is a garden artisan, a self-taught pressed flower artist. “The art is so in tune with nature and is feminine,” she says as her eyes light up with mere discussion of the long-awaited cherry blossoms. “The simplicity of a blossom’s beauty inspires me. They are magnificent. The color changes as they unfold. They’re fragile — each one is a work of art.” Pressing flowers has long been a way to preserve their fleeting beauty. An art form enjoyed for centuries by botanists and amateurs, it allows individuals to express themselves by simply picking a flower and using it to create extraordinary works of art. Anne’s exposure to the art began in 2004 when she took a Heritage Skills and Crafts class in pressed flower art offered by the Moore County Cooperative Extension Service. “It really gave me the start — the basics for understanding how to select, preserve and mount the flowers,” she says. “With a little patience and imagination, anyone can learn the art of pressed flowers.” Flowers are her inspiration for an assortment of cards and bookmarks made to uplift and celebrate. Years ago, she enhanced the poem “Family

Blessings” with a floral border. She framed several as keepsakes for her family. Though Anne enjoys making the cards, she has no aspiration of massproduction. For her, each card is near to her heart — indeed, a labor of love that cannot be forced or turned over to others to produce with her name. “It would lose all meaning to me to do that,” Anne says. Local merchants ask for her work, but she steadfastly holds the line. “I make these for friends and sometimes provide them for special event auctions, but I’d rather just create them in my own time.” A retired middle school English teacher, Anne and her husband, Andy, moved to Pinehurst ten years ago from Houston, Texas. She never gardened as a hobby there — “It was hot, hotter and hottest, so I wasn’t ever inclined.” Now, she says, she enjoys the change of seasons, particularly spring, which re-energizes her and replenishes her workspace with colorful inspiration. Anne’s workspace consists only of a flat table, lamp and bins that hold supplies, most of which are commonplace — scissors, toothpicks, tweezers, Elmer’s glue, clothespins and small paintbrushes. “It’s a good craft for these economically stretched times,” she says. “It doesn’t require an addition to the house or expensive equipment, just some resourcefulness and imagination.” She suggests harvesting the flowers when the dew is dry and before it gets too hot, usually mid-morning or early afternoon. Flowers are sometimes selected from her garden, but more often, she “sponges” blooms from her “generous friends’ gorgeous gardens.” Once harvested, the flower specimens are placed between sheets of tissue paper. “I prefer a glossy type of tissue that doesn’t have a texture that will im-

We are proud to announce the coming of two hospital facilities within minutes of Bermuda Village. Development has begun for Wake Forest Baptist Health Center and Novant Medical Center.

m AT e r i A L W o r L d

Fun doesn’t stop after retirement. Why should you?

See more information about these on our website.

North Carolina’s • Equity Ownership – No Entrance Fee Premier Retirement • Leasing & Rental Options Available Community

336-998-6539 www.BermudaVillage.net 142 Bermuda Village Drive, Bermuda Run, NC 27006

• Gated Country Club Community

• Activities & Social Events

• Fitness & Aquatic Center

• Two 18 Hole Private Golf Courses

• Tennis, Croquet, Shuffleboard, & More

Fresh fashion meets classic style at The Cupola.

The Carolina Hotel Village of Pinehurst 910. 235.8474 • pinehurst.com

12PNH089PinestrawAprilCupola.indd 1

3/5/12 1:04 PM

print into the flowers as they dry,” she explains, also noting that she is especially fond of the tissue wrapped around her purchases from a nearby spa. “I always ask for a couple more sheets.” The flowers and foliage are gently placed in the tissue, which is marked with the date and location of the harvest. That way she will remember to visit that neighbor’s garden the following year. Tissue-wrapped flowers are placed in a hefty telephone directory Anne got last time she was in Houston, then a few more big tomes are stacked on top of it for added measure. The flowers dry for four to six weeks. Once dried, they are sorted, labeled and placed in tiny plastic bags, then into the bins on her table. Anne purchases card stock in large quantities and uses a computer to print expressions on the cards to make them more personal. Once the card comes off the printer, her artistry begins. She readily admits that often she does not know a flower’s name, but she has her favorites. Verbena and phlox, for instance. “The smaller flowers are prettier to me than a big flower that is just plopped on a card.” Anne agrees that she sees gardens and flowers a bit differently than many people, and perhaps with a bit of a botanist’s eye. “I look at the detail — the color, the emerging bud, or size and shape of the petals, the curving stem and the simple leaves. They are all so unique.” She spends an average of twenty minutes arranging the blossoms, often adding foliage from other plants to give each card some added texture. “I save the greenery from the arrangements my husband gives me for our anniversary, so it’s sentimental to me when I use it on a card.” Her work reflects some trial-and-error in the process. She initially used clear contact paper to hold the blooms, but found it deadened the flower’s color and also developed air bubbles over time. She has also experimented with different adhesives without much luck, so continues with her tried-and-true method. Demonstrating, she dabs a toothpick in some Elmer’s glue and then lightly licks a finger “for some of Mom’s 409” to capture the flower. Once the flowers and foliage are adhered to the card, she uses a small paintbrush to stroke a special satin finish, her “trade secret,” over each blossom. When finished, she bundles her cards and ties them in raffia for sharing with friends who view her work as a demonstration of the wonders of nature. Anne sees her work as a partnership with Mother Nature, the true artist. “The beauty is all around us, it’s nature’s finest work, and all we have to do is take time to see it and preserve it for others to enjoy.” PS Freelance writer Claudia Watson may be reached at cwatson87@nc.rr.com.

April 2012

We protect the historic Market House.

Shouldn’t we protect your house, too?? • Burglar Alarms • Fire Alarms • Camera Systems • Access Systems • Central Vacuum Systems • 24 Hour Local U.L. Monitoring Station

TRI-CITY AUTOMOTIVE service center

FREE A/C System Inspection Additional Charge for Freon

Purchase 4 tires and receive a FREE Alignment Check & FREE Tire Rotation for the life of the tires Tires at Great Prices, Best in Wheel Alignments, Excellent in Transmissions

Oil Changes • Tune-Ups • Timing Belts • Brakes • Flushes A/C Service • Struts • Shocks • Batteries and much more

910-638-6826 120 Sandy Avenue Southern Pines, NC 28387

TRI-CITY AUTO GlAss CRYsTAl ClEAR VIsIBIlITY FOR A ClEAR VIEW OF THE ROAD

127 Hay Street Fayetteville, NC 28301 (910) 483-1196 www.HolmesSecurity.net

• Automotive Glass Replacements • Headlight Restoration • Chip Repair

$25 OFF

Windshield Replacement

910-724-3109 • 910-692-9007

o u t o f t h e bl u e

No Pain, No Gain My rare sick days have often been a welcome break from the routine. But I may be on borrowed time.

By Deborah Salomon

Nobody in their right

mind wants to be sick but look, stuff happens.

Rarely to me. I joke that when the time comes, medical schools will fight over my immune system. I’m never sick-sick. (Orthopedics don’t count.) When my kids were small the bugs that swept through our house passed over nursemaid mom, who actually looked forward to the day in bed which never arrived. Later, I went 15 years colds-free. So no behaviors were in place when a mild flu kept me home from work. The luxury outweighed any symptoms. First a hot shower, then a slurp of purple syrup, then I lay in bed amusing myself with a wall of family photos, five generations, like a baby amuses himself with a crib mobile. OMG, that’s my grandmother at my age. She’s old. Old-lady dress, old-lady shoes, old lady-bun. And I’m still wearing boot-cuts. With boots. Do I look stupid? There’s my father’s sister oozing family tension. She and my mother didn’t get along. How I hated being dragged to her apartment in Brooklyn on Sunday. At least her (third) husband made me sock dolls and her food was fantastic. You could smell onions frying from the lobby. I still can, nasal congestion notwithstanding. Why no big smile in my black-and-white wedding portrait? Look how fat my babies were. Rolls of sweet, delicious flesh. As I stared, in my feverish state the people came to life while through the window morning turned to afternoon and afternoon to evening. How good it felt to be home — not dusting or folding laundry or emptying the dishwasher or pounding the keyboard. Just lying still. I enjoyed that head cold. Next confinement: gum surgery. This happened during Halloween week. Everybody at the dental office dressed as ghosts, goblins and vampires — except my mild-mannered periodontist, who wore his usual white smock with mandarin collar. “Where’s your fright costume, Dr. Jack?” I trembled. “I’m wearing it,” he replied with a wicked grin. After the surgery a friend brought me the first season of “The Sopranos”

on tape. Fascination replaced pain meds as I lay on the sofa sipping broth and watching the bloodbath. Afterward I called the cable company to order HBO. Without gum surgery, I’d still be stuck on “Law & Order.” Cataract removal caused less discomfort than a bad haircut. Even shingles appeared in a discreet location. I always assumed the brain rules the body until broken bones indicated who’s in charge. The findings were not to my liking: Brain to ankle, after six weeks in a cast, with six more to go, in a two-story condo, bathroom upstairs, kitchen downstairs: Stop hurting, dammit. Get with the program. You’re supposed to be almost healed. Brain to knees, after bumps, bruises and torn cartilages: Bend, baby…bend! Brain to neck: Your creaking’s loud enough to rouse the comatose. Brain to brain: When exactly was that appointment? Is the cat in or out? Uh-oh, I forgot to buy milk. Where in this parking lot is my car? These brain infarcts prompted me to re-evaluate bodies that have stopped obeying their brains altogether ‚— a bitter, tragic situation more painful than any broken bone or festering incision. Speaking of incisions, for such a healthy person I’ve undergone lots of surgery, none of it very serious or painful, thank goodness. I had no problem making small talk with the anesthesiologist while she read off the list of complications, including death, although now I understand last-minute bolts. What could be so bad about a lovely room with a view, ordering from a menu, a nurse who knows where to find Dixie-cup ice cream (or a la-la-land pill) at 2 a.m.? Way too soon the surgeon sends you home with an 8-by-10 glossy of your hot appendix taken with an instrument smaller than a lima bean. Or an X-ray printout of your ankle held together with a metal plate and carpenter screws. Both resemble abstracts from the Museum of Modern Art. Eventually, Algea, the Greek god of pain, will prevail. I will rue these words, this camaraderie with illness born of positive outcomes as Charon rows me, kicking and screaming, across the fiery river to the land of eternal root canals, gallstones, impetigo and hernias not curable with a mug of chamomile and a spring bouquet. Until then, wanna come up and see my stitches? PS Deborah Salomon is a staff writer for PineStraw and may be reached at debsalomon@nc.rr.com.

April 2012

New Construction, Remodeling and Additions

Best Single Family Detached Home NC Home Builders STAR AWARD Certified Green Home Pinehurst Homes Builds Green and Wins Awards!!! CERTIFIED GREEN PROFESSIONAL™

6895 NC HWY 211 WEST • WEST END

295-5400

WWW. PINEHURSTHOMESINC . COM Wayne Haddock, President

U NLIMITED C ONSTRUCTION • L IC . # 28728

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

B IRD WA T C H

American Kestrel

From now till July, this smallest member of the hawk family can be seen soaring over open pine savannas

By Susan Campbell

High up on the electric wire: a brightly

colored, sleek raptor is perched, surveying its territory. It is very possibly an American kestrel.

Kestrels are not uncommon here in the Sandhills. They are the smallest members of the falcon family and have an affinity for open habitat. Also known as “sparrow hawks,” they are fast and very maneuverable fliers that not only are quick to dive after prey but can hover as well. Although kestrels are most noticeable in large, grassy fields, they actually can be found in wooded areas as well. They feed on a variety of prey: from grasshoppers to small snakes and even songbirds. These fast-flying falcons are easy to recognize given their distinctive head pattern and a repeated sharp “killy killy killy” song as well as their bright plumage. American kestrels are unique among our breeding hawks in that the male and female are distinctly different. Both sexes have a dark, helmeted appearance and mustache. Males have slate gray wings that contrast with the rufous upper parts. However, females, which are larger than males, are more of a solid red-brown with black wingtips. In winter, the sexes defend different territories too. Males are typically excluded by females from more open areas so tend to be found nearby in brushier habitat that holds smaller but more abundant prey items. Like most hawks, kestrels are monogamous. Southern populations are not migratory, so pairs remain in the same area throughout their lifetime. The American kestrel can be found across most of the United States in the right habitat. Birds that breed in Canada and the Upper

Midwest are migratory. Northern individuals may move as far south as southern Central America for the winter. Declines in kestrel populations were documented in the middle of the last century from the use of DDT. However, as pesticide use changed and nest boxes were added to the landscape in many areas, the species rebounded well and now is a common sight along roadways and the borders of agricultural areas across its range. American kestrels use open woodlands for breeding. In our area, the open pine savannahs found on Fort Bragg and at Weymouth Woods are ideal habitat to look for kestrels from March through July. These birds are also unique in that they use cavities for nesting. They take over holes created by other animals, usually pileated woodpeckers, in early spring. Although they will switch locations from year to year, they may re-use the same cavity within the season. Often kestrels will raise two broods in years when rodents are plentiful. The nest hole needs to be large and deep enough to protect the four or five young for about a month until fledging. Given their handsome appearance and small size, kestrels are popular among falconers. They can be tamed and trained to hunt with human assistance if acquired as juveniles (with the proper permits). Believe it or not, the ancient sport of falconry is alive and well across the United States — but that will be our story for next time. PS Susan would love to receive your wildlife sightings and photos. She can be contacted by email at susan@ncaves.com, by phone at (910) 949-3207 or by mail at 144 Pine Ridge Drive, Whispering Pines, NC 28327.

April 2012

FINE EYEWEAR Kazuo Kawasaki Porsche Design LST Lightec Tom Ford Silhouette Casanova Ronit-Furst Christian Dior Anglo American

910.221.0191 www.metrospecs.us

201 S.McPherson Church Rd. / McPherson Square Suite 105 in Fayetteville

T h e sp o r t i n g l i f e

Reflections of a Long, Lost Eagle Oh, well. That’s life. The lessons stay with me to this day. By Tom Bryant

A bad case of cabin fever

had me down and out for the count. It seemed as if it had been raining for days. I was inside our house wandering from room to room when finally Linda, my bride, had had enough. “Why don’t you put this time to good use and clean out your garage? It looks like somebody stirred it with a stick. You’ve still got decoys piled up in your sink.”

“I know,” I replied, “but I’m waiting for my electric drill battery to recharge so I can drill holes and drain the decoys. They leaked a little and accumulated a lot of water. I need to patch ’em.” “Surely that battery is recharged by now,” Linda said. “Why don’t you check it out? Just go out there and do something. You’re driving me crazy. I can’t get anything done.” Banished to my garage, I stood around and looked at the mess demanding attention. The morning’s almost gone, I thought. If I get started now, I’ll just have to leave things half done. I need some exercise, though. I think I’ll go down to Weymouth, have a quick walk, and then get back here in time to tackle a few little chores. “I’m going for a little walk,” I hollered in the back door. “Be careful. Take your rain gear and the phone. It’s supposed to start raining again.” We live less than a mile from Weymouth State Park, and I always love to hike the trails. It’s so quiet and peaceful there with birds everywhere and wind whispering through the pines. The place is a great getaway and mental health restorer. I parked next to the ranger station and grabbed my walking stick from the back of the Bronco before hitting the trail. Rain was misting sporadically, and since the sky looked as if a real downpour was on the way, I chose the Pine Barrens trail, remembering it wasn’t that long a walk. And if the bottom did fall out, I would be closer to the truck. I really had just gotten started when I came upon what looked like a new observation deck with built-in benches right beside the trail. What a great addition, I thought as I walked out onto the little platform. It’s a great place to rest or even have a picnic. There was an information plaque next to the opening of the deck that read “Observation deck constructed as a Boy Scout Eagle project by Alexander Waddell with the Weymouth Woods Nature Preserve.” One of the regrets of things that I should have done in my life and had every opportunity to do but didn’t was become an Eagle Scout; and Alexander’s

Eagle project got me thinking about that great organization for youngsters. I continued on with my walk, as the rain seemed to slack up a little, and thought back to my days as a Boy Scout. I decided to look up the qualifications for an Eagle when I got home. I might even call my old friend George and see what he has to say about the organization. George Atherholt is, if not the oldest active Boy Scout leader, close to it, and he has been a driving force behind our local Scouts. A drizzle was now falling in earnest, so I put the hood up on my rain jacket and headed back to the truck. On the way, I passed another trailside plaque with the information that the Long Leaf Pine Audio Trail had been another part of Alexander Waddell’s Eagle project. That fellow really earned his Eagle rank. Arriving home, I went straight to the roost, a little apartment over my garage where I hang out and write when the muse strikes. It’s my place for a little R&R whenever needed. I called down on the intercom to let Linda know I was home and would be doing a little work; then I called George Atherholt to do more research into today’s Scouting. “Hey, George. How you doing, Bubba?” I was lucky to catch him at home. He’s the most active 96-year old I know. As a matter of fact, he’s the only 96-year old I know. “Why, Tom Bryant, I thought you were down in the Everglades disturbing the peace as usual.” “ Couldn’t go yet, George, too much going on. Listen, I need some information on the Boy Scouts. Can you help me?” “Sure. Whaddaya need?” “Well, let’s see. Things like when you first joined the Scouts, what rank you achieved, and what you’re doing now with the organization.” “OK. I became a Scout in 1930 and made it to Life rank before I went off to prep school and got into sports. I was a swimmer, and that took most of my time. While active in Scouts as a youngster, though, I was inducted into The Order of The Arrow and did the usual merit badge thing. As an adult living in Savannah, I was the Southern Region Chairman of the Cub Scouts and have been active ever since. Right now, I’m an advisor to Troop 7 and meet with them every week.” George is an outstanding individual and a great asset to our community. It’s always fun to talk to him; and following our conversation, I rang off and looked up the requirements for becoming an Eagle Scout. Just as I remembered, it’s not an easy chore. First of all, an applicant must have earned a total of 21 merit badges. The merit badges don’t come easy, and a merit badge counselor must pass on each one. There are several more requirements that are strictly overseen by adult leaders, but the one that I failed to do and which kept me from achieving Scouting’s most exalted rank was the service project. While a Life Scout, which I was at the time, and to become

April 2012

The SPorTinG LiFe

an Eagle, I was to develop a service project helpful to any religious institute, school, or the community. The proposal was to be approved by the unit leader and unit committee, the council or district, and the organization benefiting from the effort. Unfortunately, it never materialized. And yet, Scouting played a huge part in my young life, and the things I learned in those early days while having fun still serve me well today. I’m sure the lifesaving merit badge played a part in my saving a couple of swimmers from drowning, and the first-aid merit badge helped me assist some other people in dire circumstances. But that final Eagle badge eluded me. I was 16, a senior in high school playing sports, and I had a brand new driver’s license. The Boy Scouts couldn’t have been further from my mind when early one spring evening, Mr. Doug David and Mr. Dave Drexel stopped by the house. They were my Scout leaders at the time, and they wanted to give me one last chance to become an Eagle. I can remember the conversation just like it was yesterday. I promised to do the best I could, but our baseball team was in the running for the state championship, I was leaving for college that fall, and I had a date Friday night with a real pretty girl. PS Tom Bryant, a Southern Pines resident, is a lifelong outdoorsman and PineStraw’s Sporting Life columnist.

PH Dining in Dark ad.pdf 1 2/29/2012 1:33:46 PM

Personalized assisted living

MoM always took such good care of Me. Now I caN take eveN better care of her.

Call or stop by today and take home a complimentary copy of the “Parent Care Conversation”

“When I was a child, Mom always looked out for me and saw that all my needs were met. Now it’s my turn and I’ve found an even better way to look out for her.” As a leading provider of Personalized Assisted Living and Alzheimer’s and dementia care we understand the needs of seniors and their families. We provide assistance with activities of daily Your story continues here... living such as bathing and dressing, as well as personalized levels of service designed to meet the unique needs of your loved ones. Carolina HoUse PineHUrst We also help them to live as independently as possible. So all your Personalized assisted living time together will be quality time. alzheimer’s & dementia Care Call (910) 235-0700 today to schedule a personal tour. Let us show you how we can help improve your loved one’s quality of life – and maybe yours as well. 18270-ROP03-0312-GB

17 Regional Drive Pinehurst, North Carolina 28374 www.brookdaleliving.com

MIRA Foundation USA cordially invites you to the Third Annual

Dining Dark in the

Don a blindfold and experience the unique sensation of dining while engaging senses other than sight. Saturday, April 28, 2012 6:30pm The Pinehurst Members Club Reservations: $125 per person with special appreciation to our Founding Visionary Partner

www.mirausa.org 910.944.7757

“Our g�ide dogs give blind children a new leash on life. . . ”

march 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

If your legs could talk...

Live green. Leave green.

...they would tell you that you no longer have to suffer from the unsightly appearance of spider and varicose veins. ...they would tell you that varicose veins are not just unsightly; that they are progressive and may worsen unless treated.

Tammy Joyner, RN-BC, RTR Certified Sclerotherapist Call our office for a complimentary consultation. Prompt referrals to board certified Vascular Surgeons.

910-295-0212

GREEN burial

A Green Burial is a simpler, back-to-basics funeral experience that has minimal environmental impact by using non-toxic, bio-degradeable materials and minimal land disturbance. Green Burials often costs less than traditional funerals. Pines Funerals, Moore Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family of funeral service centers, is one of the first to offer Green Burials in North Carolina. We are green certified by the Green Burial Council and are quickly developing burial plats in existing Moore County cemeteries that meet the stringent green criteria. To learn more about leaving green, contact Pines Funerals - Fry & Prickett - 947-2224 Kennedy - 948-2221 Powell - 692-6161

PINES FUNERALS www.pinesfunerals.com

POWELL 692- 6161 16 E. New Hampshire Southern Pines

FRY & PRICKETT 94 7-2 2 24

K E N N E DY 9 4 8-2 2 21

402 Saunders Street 241 N. Middleton Street Carthage Robbins

For some the Ultra life is a friendly game of softball, a weekend bike group or searching for that perfect round of golf. In the end, it's all about having fun. With 95 calories, 2.6 carbs and one exceptionally smooth taste, Michelob Ultra is the superior light beer perfectly balanced for your life.

WHAT'S YOUR ULTRA LIFE?

TELL US AT FACEBOOK.COM/MICHELOBULTRA

G o lft o w n J o u r n al

Two Years and Ticking The 2014 U.S. Opens are closer than you think

By Lee Pace

The sign is

tucked tastefully on the front of one of Pinehurst’s oldest buildings, on the white wood siding between the Gentlemen’s Corner and the Villager Deli, under the forest green roof of the Pinehurst Department Store building. United States Open Office.

Open the door, climb the stairs and you’ll find a cadre of USGA staffers planning the infinite details and logistics of operating America’s national championship in far-flung locales such as the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Merion in Philadelphia and Chambers Bay in Washington State — not to mention an impending date in June 2014 just a few hundred yards to the southeast, when the Men’s and Women’s Opens are held on consecutive weeks on Pinehurst No. 2. “It’s surprising how many people don’t know they are here,” says Marty McKenzie, the building’s owner and the USGA’s landlord. “The USGA could locate anywhere in the United States, but they have chosen to be in Pinehurst. What an honor.” “There is a strong Pinehurst influence that goes through our organization,” adds Reg Jones, championship director of the Open. “And there is a lot of Pinehurst influence in the game of golf. It’s a very special place.” A lady named Betse Hamilton initiated the link from the USGA’s headquarters in Far Hills, N.J., to the Village of Pinehurst in 1995. She had been on the USGA staff since the early 1980s and worked her way up to director of the Women’s Open; she was given the freedom by USGA executive director David Fay to work from wherever she wished. “My job involved so much travel, it didn’t matter where my office was,” says Hamilton, who ran Women’s Opens from Rhode Island to Colorado to Mississippi over the next decade from her home office in Pinehurst. Jones was an intern with Pinehurst Championship Management for the 1994 U.S. Senior Open on No. 2, then joined the staff full time and worked under championship director Jon Wagner on the 1999 U.S. Open. Wagner left to join International Management Group and Jones took his spot, running the 2005 return engagement at Pinehurst. One year later, Fay hired him to join the USGA staff and run the organization’s flagship event. That’s when the USGA leased office space in the Department Store building, and for several years Jones ran the Men’s Open and Hamilton the Women’s Open from the structure that once headquartered a barber shop, grocery

market and apothecary. “People were always surprised to learn what we did,” Hamilton says. “They’d say, ‘You do what? You do it from where?’ But it works. We traveled so much it wasn’t essential we work from Far Hills. We put in many long, hard hours to make it work. But it was worth it. I beat a path to the airport and was always so grateful to come back home to this wonderful environment.” Don’t look now, but it’s T-minus two years and a fraction until the next major championship comes to the sleepy village of Pinehurst. An operations office opened in February in the Member’s Clubhouse at Pinehurst Country Club. The President’s Council, a group of North Carolina business leaders assembled in 1999 and 2005 to coalesce corporate support of the championship, has been assembled and has held its first meeting. Working in tandem with officials at Pinehurst, Jones and his associates are assembling marketing materials to use in the sale of corporate hospitality. “This will be such a historically relevant championship,” Jones says. “That’s the driving force behind it. It’s something that’s never been done before — the opportunity to crown the two best golfers in the world on back-to-back Sundays, on the same golf course, pretty much under the same conditions. The level of discussion and debate and attention these two events will receive will be good for the game.” The USGA announced this novel pairing in June 2009, prompted in part because a venue it planned for the 2014 Women’s Open fell through earlier in the year. The 2014 date would follow the last Men’s Open on No. 2 by nine years and mark another return to the Sandhills of the Women’s Open after last being played at Pine Needles in 2007. “Somewhere Ernie Banks must be smiling — ‘Let’s play two,’” Fay said in making the announcement. Jim Hyler of Raleigh was vice president of the USGA when the deal was made in 2009 and then spent two years in 2010-11 as the association’s president. “I think the ’14 championships will be wonderful,” Hyler says. “The second week, the crowds won’t be as big, the bleachers won’t be as full, but I still think having the women at Pinehurst right behind the men will mean a great deal for women’s golf.” The combo deal will leave Pinehurst as the first and only venue to have hosted the U.S. Open, Women’s Open, Senior Open, Men’s Amateur and Women’s Amateur. It will have hosted nine USGA championships following the 2014 double-header. “It’s a tremendous honor for the USGA to trust us to do this,” says

April 2012

G o lft o w n J o u r n al

Pinehurst COO Don Padgett II. “It’s outside the norm, and Pinehurst is the facility and the people they want to enter into this with. What a show of trust and respect. I think everyone in Pinehurst should be very flattered.” The Sandhills area and the state of North Carolina have embraced the two Men’s Opens and three Women’s Opens that have been played at No. 2 and Pine Needles over the last two decades. Corporate support has been strong, ticket sales have been excellent, and the perceived lack of hotel rooms, restaurants and parking venues have proved non-issues. The Men’s Open in ’99 proved that Pinehurst could successfully host the event both inside and outside the ropes; the dramatic finish with Payne Stewart holing a 20foot putt on the last stroke of the championship is indelibly etched in golf history. Six years later, the Open set the attendance record for the week

...the opportunity to crown the two best golfers in the world on back-to-back Sundays, on the same golf course, pretty much under the same conditions. at some 325,000 spectators that stands today. The five champions from the two events are a disparate lot: Payne Stewart (1999) is dead and Annika Sorenstam (1996) has retired. Michael Campbell has fallen into oblivion (No. 761 on Official World Golf Rankings in late February 2012). Karrie Webb (2001) remains a force, winning twice on the LPGA Tour in 2011, and Cristie Kerr (2007) has been in the top three in the LPGA money list each of the last three years. The footprint for 2014 will remain much the same as the two previous opens in terms of placing parking, bleachers, merchandise and corporate hospitality — “with a few tweaks here and there,” Jones says. The Sandhills area is fortunate in that it has a deep reservoir of volunteers to handle two weeks’ worth of assignments. One of the key questions will be how corporate support shakes out; the banking industry that supported the early Opens was rocked to its core in the Great Recession of 2008, and the state’s two largest utilities, Duke Energy and Progress Energy, announced a merger in early 2011. “Certainly the economy has had an effect on all of us,” Jones says. “The U.S. Open is not immune. It means the last couple of years we’ve had to work a little harder to sell tickets and hospital-

March 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

G o L F T oW n J o u r nA L

ity. Still, the event has been very successful. And at Pinehurst, whether it’s tickets or hospitality, it’s been one of our more successful events. We expect that again in 2014. “And it will be a ‘home game’ for us. That makes it even more special.” As Jones speaks in late February 2012, he’d just gotten off a conference call with committee members in San Francisco, attending to questions concerning the 2012 event at The Olympic Club. On his desk are files with documents concerning the 2013 Open at Merion. It takes an organized mind to compartmentalize one year from the next to the next. In a couple of weeks, he’ll be back on an airplane, spending one of the 30-plus weeks a year he works on the road. Meanwhile, Betse Hamilton has retired from the USGA and owns and operates the Red Door Café, just downstairs on the ground floor of the Pinehurst Department Store. She’s often amused bussing tables and overhearing conversations from golfers, most of them totally unaware of the machinations unfolding one floor above. PS Lee Pace will write about hickory golf and other vintage topics in his forthcoming book, The Golden Age of Pinehurst, due out in spring 2012.

Pinehurst Resort Realty is the exclusive real estate-purchasing arm of Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, giving you a direct resource into this world-renowned destination and Pinehurst membership. Why Pinehurst Resort Realty is the Best Choice for Sandhills, NC Real Estate We know there are many choices in finding the right real estate agent. Look at our Sandhills realtor agent base, and you’ll clearly see a team of seasoned professionals who know and understand Pinehurst and Sandhills real estate like no other organization.

“Living here is like having a vacation that never ends!”

Located in the Lobby of The Carolina Hotel Village of Pinehurst, NC 28374 1-800-772-7588 www.pinehurstresortrealty.com • pinehurstresortrealty@pinehurst.com

We Wash Houses Roofs Gutters Siding

Kills Mold & Mildew

Contact: Billy Lea Telephone: (910) 295-1127 Email: wlea@nc.rr.com Advance Cleaning Systems The Low Pressure Solution PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2012

You’ll fi nd more than 50 of the best brands here, including one you can’t find anywhere else. Adidas • Peter Millar • Sport Haley • Tail • Tehama • Puma • Titleist • Tommy Bahama • Under Armour • FootJoy • Straight Down Pinehurst Collection • SDI • Zero • Maui Jim • Oakley • Brighton • Dooney & Burke • Putterboy Collection • Vera Bradley • Isda Cole Haan • Lilly Pulitzer • Iliac • Aveda • La Bella Donna • J. Lindeberg • Ashworth • Oxford • Polo • Ashworth • Adidas • Ahead American Needle • Bobby Jones • Callaway • Cutter & Buck • EP Pro • Fairway & Greene Gear • Greg Norman • Imperial • Nike

The Pinehurst Shops are full of shirts, shoes, jackets, spa products, bags, gifts and accessories from brands like Vera Bradley, Adidas, Nike, Peter Millar and Cole Haan. So come in and find your favorites. Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina • 910. 235.8154 • pinehurst.com

April 2012

One cold winter afternoon in the latter part of the nineteenth century a family of share-croppers by the name of Barnes were moving along the road to take up their abode on the level sandy lands of Joe Byrd, a laird of many acres on the outskirts of the Little Bethel Country. As the wagon approached the dark swift-running Lower Little River, which separated their old neighborhood from the new, the smallest of several children on the top of the wagon looked mournfully back down the road they had come and burst into tears. “Why, what in the world, Alvin?” his father asked as he juggled the reins unconcernedly over the rumps of the mules. “Wanter go home,” the tiny boy whimpered. “Please, Pa, wanter go home!” “Well, ain’t we?” Tck-tchk-giddup.” And the wagon wheels rumbled up on the bridge. “Yes, a new home, Alvin,” the oldest girl said as she stared listlessly at the dark water. “No, home-home,” he squalled, gazing heartbrokenly back. But the wagon moved off the bridge on the dirt road, and they were now entering Mr. Byrd’s great plantation. And there in his new home the dawn of Alvin Barnes’ life began to break around him, little Rassie Cox being the first fact that rose to meet him and help shape his days to their appointed end.

— From This Body the Earth By Paul Green

Flannery Kemple and Pecky

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Up with Chickens Don’t look now, fluffy bums are taking over — and making friends — all over town Story and Photographs By Maureen Clark

he evolution of dogs from predator to household pet took many thousands of years. Man’s best friend might have to make room for a swiftly evolving newcomer to the family pet category. Chickens, laying hens in particular, are energetically working on a translation from barnyard livestock to backyard pet. And nowhere are they gaining status faster than the backyards of Southern Pines homes and farms. Allison Kemple, mother of seven children with five pet hens, who all live downtown, explains. “You feed your pets every day. But only the chicken gives you back the wonderful, precious gift of an egg in return. Of course, they also clean your yard of ticks and wood roaches.” On a recent visit to grandmother’s house in Weymouth, Allison’s children piled out of the car. Their chickens had also come to visit. They were hunkered down calmly in a laundry basket waiting for the chance to attack Grandma’s flower borders. While Mom cradled the baby Jane Frances in her arms, 5-year-old Flannery hoisted Pecky out of the basket. The old Barred Rock was clearly child-friendly and tolerant of hugs. In no time, bark

was flying as the four hens got down to business. Grandmother Suzanne Daughtridge’s favorite chicken story is the time Flannery spotted a “scary spider” on the coffee table. The child’s shrieks did not disturb her mother, busy in the kitchen, but she did mutter that if it were outside the chickens would take care of the problem. Inspired, Flannery brought Pecky into the house, lifted her onto the coffee table and showed her the spider. “It was magic,” she explained. “The spider, poof, was gone.” The attraction, however, is more than egg production and bug removal. Rachel Lincoln, owner of Sweet Feed, on May Street in Southern Pines, sparkles with enthusiasm when the topic is chickens. On a recent visit to her home, when I pulled into the driveway, the chickens in her backyard pen stopped what they were doing and came to the side fence to see what I was doing. They lined up, like an official welcoming committee, peering through the back gate. According to Rachel, her five hens are “nothing but pleasure.” She opens the gate and lets the brood roam around her one-acre yard. The pair

of California Whites purposely hunt in one direction, her Araucanas and single Black Jersey in another. “Birds of a feather,” Rachel observed. “All those sayings about chickens are apropos.” Like ducks up-ending while feeding in a pond, it is bottoms-up for the chickens much of the day. Rachel calls the visible back ends “fluffy bums.” “That’s another thing I love. They are just so entertaining. They all have personalities. Hens are very curious and very smart and busy all day. And they are a little bit like dogs in that they come when you call. They run pell mell.” General Lee, the larger of Rachel’s Araucanas, will scoot into the house if the front door is left open. But Lee’s fellow Araucana is reserved and would never venture inside. “One day she (General Lee) came in and did not want to leave, so I spread newspaper on the counter, and let her sit there watching me cook. You don’t want them inside too long because they do poop.” When she reaches down for General Lee in preparation for a photo op, her hen does a semi-squat and lifts her shoulders, waiting to be picked up. Like Allison, Rachel appreciates the eggs. “They give you an egg every day,” she said. “Life’s biggest miracle is the chicken.” How they lay, however, is even more curious. Rachel’s hen house is small and red with a metal roof that matches her own farmhouse. Four laying boxes are lined up under the roof, making it easy to reach in and gather eggs. The eggs are all piled into one box. According to Rachel, “They tend to all use the same box.” Deborah Mitford, the 80-year-old Duchess of Devonshire, has raised

chickens since childhood. In her recent book, All in One Basket, Mitford makes a nesting observation similar to Rachel’s: “…Their purposeful walk when hurrying into the house to lay is like that of determined women heading for the sales. They queue to use the same nestingbox (why, when there is a row of identical boxes?), and when they haven’t got time to queue they climb on top of the first comer, to her intense annoyance.” Arlene Shachnow, proud owner of eleven Rhode Island Reds, has one hen, Myrtle the Turtle, who thinks independently. Arlene’s hens enjoy the run of a beautifully landscaped backyard at their Hilltop Farm in Southern Pines. A cleverly converted pony paddock, wired for enclosure, and a small shed serve as a safe haven for the chickens at night. Arlene likes to herd them into the coop by four o’clock, before predators start to roam. Myrtle earned her name for always being the last one in at night. Myrtle has also chosen a cleverly concealed spot for laying eggs. On the top of a garden arbor, tucked into a mound of Carolina jasmine, Myrtle peers out of a nest she has crafted from pine straw. My fear of disturbing the hen’s business by climbing on the fence to take a picture was dismissed by Arlene. “She won’t budge.” A long bamboo-like stick is kept at hand to prod Myrtle out of the nest from underneath. Whenever Arlene leaves the farm, she likes for all the hens to be safe in the coop, even if it inconveniences Myrtle. “They are so comical, really funny and entertaining,” Arlene observes, while walking through the yard, accompanied by her other big personal-

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Rachel Lincoln

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . March 2012

Arlene Shachnow

ity, Diva. “We call her Diva because she is always talking, talking. And she is nice and round, you know, like a Diva.” She points out one hen taking what Rachel would call a dirt bath. Arlene calls it a sunbath. “They carve out a hole in the dirt, spread out their wings and sun bathe.” The Shachnow chickens, acquired in two groups, will be a year old this month. Sid, her husband, Arlene says, lost interest when they stopped being yellow and fluffy. But she has learned: “ If you interact with them, they interact with you. They even know which room we’re in and will sit on the window-sill to look in. Once I heard a loud squawking at the back door. I had put everyone up and forgotten Myrtle. She had come to the door and was fussing at me to put her back in with the others.” As Rachel Lincoln pointed out, “With the expression, madder than a wet hen, you don’t need the adjective wet. It can just be madder than a hen. “ Mary B. and Stephen Later over the course of three years as owners of a large mixed-breed flock, including two roosters, say all the well-known sayings apply: pecking order, feather your nest, rule the roost, tough old bird, cooped up, hen party and ruffled feathers. When their daughter Kennon stepped inside the chicken house to pick up her favorite hen, Onion, the others literally “flew the coop” scooting out of the door, wings flapping, into the yard. Dominated by Fidel, a Cuban rooster given to the Laters by neighbor Effie Ellis, the hens scratched around the yard in groups looking for worms, grubs, anything edible. “We haven’t had ticks in years,” Mary B. observed. Neither has Cameron Sadler, down the road. Cameron’s husband, Lincoln, gave her 25 biddies and built her a hen house three years ago. Since then, her flock has more than doubled, and she is fascinated by the characteristics of different breeds. The French hens with feathers over their eyes were easy prey for foxes. “They didn’t last long,” she observed. In the busy crowd, there are two markedly different hens, a white naked-neck and a spry midget. She identifies them as Frizzle and Speedy. “I don’t know where they came from. One morning I came out to feed the chickens and someone had dropped them off.” Her first coop has become the pullet house and a second larger shed with roosting bar has been built nearby. Again the Duchess of Devonshire has a colorful description of the method of introducing new hens to the yard. “The pullets arrived early this year. The old hens were moved into one house to make room for the young ones. . . . All were shut in for two days to make sure they went back to the proper house at night. In spite of this time-honoured way of explaining to chickens where home is, several of the old girls went back to their original houses, only to

Kennon Later and Dos II

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Cameron Sadler

Bob

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

find the pullets installed. They were not pleased. They looked as puzzled as you and I would be if we returned to our bedroom to find it crammed full of strange teenagers.” Cameron accommodates her flock, even setting up a kiddie pool with water for wading in the warmer months. She has learned that her chickens, in addition to their regular feed, will polish off a variety of scraps from melon to collard leaves. They even consume the occasional mouse. “My girls went to town on a mouse last week,” Rachel also recalls. Her hens are fond of leftover lasagna. Arlene’s love tomatoes. Local feed stores, Aberdeen Supply and Moore Equine, in particular, have everything the novice needs to get started, from feeders to chicken coops. Jason Vuncannon, at Aberdeen Supply, where the store’s pet rooster, Bob, minds business on the counter, says the biddies come to the post office. They are immediately transferred to his feed store and kept in cages with lights for warmth. Kim Meeks, at Moore Equine in Southern Pines, also collects chicks from the post office. They are shipped as day old chicks in 12 x 15-inch cardboard boxes, 25 to a box. Meeks began carrying chickens last spring, selling over eight hundred chicks last year in the April and September seasons. They will have chicks in every Wednesday until mid-May. Each one costs between $3.95 - $5.95 depending on the breed. Meeks carries nine different breeds, preferring to sell heritage and ornamentals that produce a variety of egg colors. The chicken coops range in price from $995 to $1,400, but the housing can be accomplished for a lot less by converting a shed or dog kennel. A startup with five chickens could cost as little as $125. Hens, well protected from predators (hawks, foxes, dogs, raccoons) and well cared for can live from five to seven years. Meeks, in spite of her initial skepticism, has also gotten caught up in the urban chicken mania. “They are a lot of fun,” she admits. “Now I have twelve chickens with all the assorted personalities: the trouble maker, the friendly one and the shy one.” John Burgess purchased eight fuzzy yellow Rhode Island Reds last fall. “There was one odd black chick that we included just for fun.” His pullets are nearing the age to begin laying eggs. The little black one, like the proverbial ugly duckling turned swan, has grown into a striking gray and white Barred Rock he calls Mrs. Gray. She dominates the others, and perches on his shoulder like a sidekick. The affectionate smile on John’s face is telling. What began as an environmentally friendly hobby looks a lot more like budding friendship. PS

John Burgess

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

P S T ra v e l e r

Life on Tiger Island Carolina Tiger Rescue is more than big cats from the wild — it’s a second chance at life By L aurie Birdsong Photographs By Cassie Butler

itro, a resident tiger at Pittsboro’s Carolina Tiger Rescue, chuffles a big cat, snuffle-style purr of hello through the habitat fence to his human handler. For blind but curious Nitro, adjustment is sometimes day-to-day given his disheartening story of arrival at Carolina Tiger. In April 2009, undernourished and neglected Nitro was rescued along with his companion, Apache, from a junkyard in Kansas. A harrowing, 24-hour trip east further agitated both tigers, but their arrival at Carolina Tiger began a new era of life for them. Though Apache died late summer 2011, both animals brought their perseverance to a large, natural habitat where they learned to trust those who now care for them. Such rescue stories are all too common at Carolina Tiger, in part due to legislative inconsistencies regarding captive wildlife in North Carolina. In our state, those who rescue and harbor an injured squirrel or bird from the backyard are legally obligated to obtain an NC Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit. Yet bizarrely, no regulation applies to a tiger cub purchased from an online exotic pet dealer (yes, they do exist) by a North Carolinian with odd taste in house cats. Among a handful of other states, North Carolina has zero legal constraints regarding the private ownership of wildcats. Non-tiger-owning North Carolinians who would prefer to meet one in a well-controlled, captive environment over their neighbor’s living room will encounter 19 resident tigers, three lions, an endangered wildcat host of caracals, servals, and ocelots, and non-cat binturongs and kinkajous at Carolina Tiger. In total, 72 animals reside at the sanctuary. Known in the 1970s as the Carnivore Evolutionary Research Institute and until 2009 as the Carnivore Preservation Trust, Carolina Tiger Rescue was originally founded to breed wildcats for species survival. As non-restrictive laws across the U.S. enabled an all-too-disconcerting culture of private wildcat ownership, the organization’s goals evolved. Today, this one-of-a-kind, nonprofit wildlife sanctuary’s straightforward mission is saving and protecting wildcats in captivity and in the wild. The organization does this in part by providing them with a lifelong home. “We do not advocate private ownership of wildcats, and part of our mission is dedicated to educating the public on species conservation and PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2012

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

the threats posed to these animals in captivity and in the wild,” noted Development Director Jennifer Brunk. “When you observe the animals in our sanctuary, you get to see them and their behaviors up-close, in a way that’s so different from a zoo setting.”

t Carolina Tiger, visitors learn their carnivore ABCs through first encounters with a binturong or caracal, or otherwise, they gain a better understanding of why lions and tigers are such different big cats. As groups of 20 to 25 visitors walk Carolina Tiger’s half-mile tour path, they are readily reminded that animals in captivity have a story to share. Separated only by chain-link fences and a few barrier ropes, visitors and resident cats can get acquainted while volunteer guides introduce the animals via their rescue stories. All too many resident cats came from abusive or neglectful environments, and as with Apache and Nitro, all too many rescue stories are heart-wrenching accounts. In April 2009, staffers discovered a dumped-off animal crate in the parking lot that contained a full-grown, undernourished serval named “Elvis” whose collar had grown into his skin. Just a day before, an anonymous caller had reported to Carolina Tiger that “a friend” could no longer take care of her pet serval and needed to find him a new home. . . quickly. Resident cats also like to show off a little individuality. Though volunteer guides give fair warning, Lucky the Tiger might subject visitors to a larger-than-life kitten pounce as they approach his habitat. The tentative, yet sociable Cheyenne the caracal might show off his caninelike talent of catching mid-air a meaty treat tossed into his enclosure. When not feasting on food-fave bananas, Tristan the binturong might proudly unfurl his long, fifth appendage-like tail and give visitors a whiff of his scent-padded feet (popularly described as a corn chip-like “Frito” smell). Nationwide, CTR locates prospective new residents where there are big cats living in inhumane, often squalid conditions. In late January, the organization’s “rescue team” traveled to Collins, Mississippi, to bring home to Pittsboro two black leopards (Shadow and Smokey) and a cougar (Star) in coordination with a government seizure that resulted from a Humane Society of the United States undercover investigation of the Collins Zoo. When the Wild Animal Orphanage (WAO) in San Antonio, Texas, closed in fall 2010, Carolina Tiger pitched in on the relocation effort and in the process acquired its pride of three resident lions. Since November 2010, male lions Tarzan and Sebastian and lioness Sheba have shared a large enclosure on the tour route. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2012

APPAREL CoolSweats Gentlemen’s Corner The Faded Rose

BOUTIQUES Eye Max Optical Boutique Green Gate Gourmet Green Gate Olive Oils The Potpourri Old Sport & Gallery The Village Fox Boutique

SALONS & SPAS Elaine’s Hairdressers Glam Salon

RESTAURANTS & INNS Lady Bedford’s Tea Parlour & Gift Shoppe Tenya Japanese Cuisine and Sushi Darling House Pub/Restaurant

SERVICES Brenner Real Estate Village of Pinehurst Rentals & Golf

oth Tarzan and Sheba had previously been used for photo opportunities in Cancun, Mexico, but at around 6 months of age and with their sheer size, they were deemed too dangerous to keep using. Eventually, both were rescued by WAO. Sebastian was used as a prop in a haunted house in Texas and was surrendered to WAO when the owner died. Now adjusted to their permanent home in Pittsboro, the threesome is often seen playing, stalking, or sleeping together in a big lion pile-on. The resident tigers whose large-caged habitats most visibly display the sanctuary’s mission are its almost indisputable brand. Whereas it’s thought that less than 5,000 remain in the wild, an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 tigers are privately owned across the U.S. Facilitating a safe haven for neglected or abused “domestic” tigers that are transferred to Carolina Tiger is central to the organization’s rescue mission. Providing adequate care and a proper habitat for 16 resident tigers also represents a sizable portion of Carolina Tiger’s operational expenses. “Tigers are an amazing iconic species and few wildcat sanctuaries can afford the expense of caring for them properly,” noted Brunk. “For example, it costs $500 to anesthetize an ailing tiger before we can even apply hands-on vet care.” Carolina Tiger Rescue received its license to give public tours in 2003. Last year alone, 11,000 visitors toured its grounds. Given the keen ability of Carolina Tiger’s resident cats to charm at first acquaintance, many visitors have unsurprisingly decided to extend their support through volunteering. Though guiding tours is a more visible example of how to get involved, Carolina Tiger also relies on volunteers for animal care, property maintenance, administrative support, and assistance with fundraising and marketing efforts. Those who are able to “adopt” a Carolina Tiger resident are allowed unlimited visits with their adoptee while providing lifelong support for cost of care. And whether one contributes an in-kind food supply or monetarily online, all donations provide operational life blood for an organization that relies solely on individual and corporate donors. “Tours are a wonderful way for us to get the word out to the public about Carolina Tiger Rescue,” says Brunk. “Many visitors later become volunteers and are characteristically some of our strongest advocates for our mission and activities.” Carolina Tiger has what Sandhills daytrippers won’t find amid the Asheboro Zoo’s multitude of fierce creatures … tigers. For would-be zoogoers who need no further convincing, here’s a little more need-to-know: Carolina Tiger Rescue offers 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. guided tours year-round to the

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

public on Saturdays and Sundays by reservation only, ticket sales online — http://www.carolinatigerrescue.org. On-season, ticket prices for March-December tours: $15.50 for ages 13 and up/$9 youth ages 4-12/free for children under 3. Private tours, including “Toys for Tigers Kids Tour,” “Feeding with a Keeper,” and “Behavior Training with a Keeper” are also available. Adults-only twilight tours take place on Saturday evenings at sunset for those wanting to visit Carolina Tiger’s predator residents during their most active time of day. Drive just 45 minutes up Highway 15-501, turn east on Highway 64 at Pittsboro’s downtown traffic circle, and three-plus miles later (after a turnoff on Hanks Chapel Road), an understated green and white sign will confirm you’ve arrived at the right place.

The Pittsboro File Watching 700-pound hungry tigers crunch through raw chicken quarters extended through the cage bars (on VERY long sticks) might keep visitors focused on the well-girded fences rather than their own appetites. After their visit to Carolina Tiger, however, hungry tiger watchers will find several family-friendly, great eateries right off the downtown Pittsboro courthouse circle. If feeding a lion pride-sized crew after your tiger tour, downtown Pittsboro hosts several family-friendly eateries directly off the courthouse square. Marked by a red awning over its entrance, 1950s-style S&T Soda Shoppe serves up lunch baskets of burgers, crinkle fries and fresh-squeezed orangeades Tuesday through Saturday. Patrons can earn bragging rights for taking on its gut-busting eight-scoop, whipped cream-encased banana split. Elizabeth’s Pizza also accommodates the hungry walk-in broods ready to take over a booth and load up on pizza, subs and salads. If you’re hanging around downtown Pittsboro till dinnertime, bargain-hunt your heart out at quirky “Beggars and Choosers” antiques store, or peruse the eclectic French and African art home goods and front-lawn yard sculptures at “French Connections.” Open for just dinner on Saturdays (lunch and dinner MondayFriday), quaint side-street bistro Bella Donna (87 Thompson Street) serves up a diverse Italian menu ranging from pizzas and calzones to hearty pork, beef, chicken and vegetarian entrees and fresh pasta dishes. Dinner-goers seeking some downtown Pittsboro nightlife can also load up on sandwiches and appetizers at side-street City Tap (89 Hillsboro Street), sample a brew on tap, and hang around for the weekend 8 pm-and-after live entertainment. PS

Pamela Powers January

“Max & Bentley”

Longhaired Dachshunds

Colored Pencil

FINE

ART

PORTRAITS

PETS

www.pamelapowersjanuary.com • 910.692.0505

Dawn at the Track A new day begins before the sun rises with laps around the track and a trainer who sings to his horse Story and Photographs By Cassie Butler

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

rom the pre-dawn darkness, you can still hear their voices. The crescent moon is still high, and the only light comes from within a dozen stables ringed around the track. It’s half past five in the morning — the hustle and bustle of the harness track is well under way. The 111-acre Harness Track has been a winter training center for Standardbred horses for nearly one hundred years. The Pinehurst Harness Track was an undiscovered paradise to the Northern harness racers until 1937, when the Christmas issue of The Harness Horse magazine read: “Pinehurst, NC, Where Champions are Made.” The melodic trotting of the horses circling the burnt orange sand track is continual, punctuated by the voices of conversing trainers as they pass in their jog carts on the first training exercises of the day. As dawn breaks, the sky is painted with beautiful colors — gold, pink and orange. The pine trees become backlit, and then everything is illuminated. Two love birds dance on a power line; a black barn cat wanders into a stable. Inside, horses are being bathed, blanketed and tacked. Each horse needs a few laps each day, and with around thirty horses per barn, a total of twelve barns, the harness track runs like clockwork from 4 a.m. until noon. “All right, where am I now? . . . Folding blankets,” Bud murmurs to himself. Across the stall, Herman Cagle of Taylortown says, “It’s not a bad job,” while mucking manure with a cigarette in his mouth. He’s been working at the harness track for ten years, just during the season, which begins in October and ends May first. After dumping a wheelbarrow full of manure out back, he fires up another cigarette. Wesley Franklin walks down the center of the barn counting his hundred dollar bills. “Oh, you forget to pay me or somethin’? Or if that wad is too heavy for you, I can carry it for you,” Herman teases before taking a big long sip of black coffee from a Styrofoam cup.

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Wesley hails from Ohio. He’s wearing dark sunglasses, a black leather coat and a purple helmet. He is sure to introduce me to Trick Man, who has been a champion all his life and has won somewhere around half a million dollars. The 4-or 5-year-old stallion is about to retire; he is headed for stud, about to be a daddy. Meanwhile, Fernando is just switching horses. One sweaty steed enters the barn and another perfectly groomed stallion, with ears straight up and eyes on the track ahead, is being harnessed. Fernando, a Mexican trainer everyone calls “Amigo,” hops onto the moving jog cart with a straw sombrero shading a big sexy grin. Wesley is on to his next horse as well. With a groom holding the horse for him, he mounts the jog cart and heads back to the track. This is his eighth horse this morning, and it’s only 8 a.m. By now, the nearby Track Restaurant is overflowing with golfers wearing shorts and ordering eggs to their liking. Back at the half-mile track, the horses going clockwise are jogging; those going counter-clockwise are training. Jogging is merely exercise for the horses, while training for harness racing is about speed. Harness racing has two gaits, trotting and pacing. A trotter moves its legs in diagonal pairs, with its right front and left hind hitting the ground simultaneously, while a pacer moves its legs laterally, with its right front and right hind moving together. Traveling counter-clockwise, and trotting much faster than the rest, a singer’s voice is in full force. The song Gordon Corey sings while training his horses is swallowed up by the sounds of the track. But that hardly matters. “I sing to distract their minds from their work,” he says. Whose minds? — the horses or other trainers on the track — he does not specify. The singer’s barn is tucked behind the Fair Barn, right by entrance to the one-mile harness track. Mounted out front is a sign that reads — The Gordon Corey Institute of Equine Erudition. “I couldn’t spell stable so I had to come up with somethin’,” he says. Gordon is wearing a ball cap, large sunglasses and a red wind suit with PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2012

silver zigzag reflectors on the arms that looks like it’s straight from the ’80s. Red clay is speckled on his rosy cheeks, and his gray hair flips out over his ears. He has been training horses for nearly fifty years. Spending six months in the Sandhills and six months in Maine, “I have two springs and two falls — I live like a millionaire and I’m only a hundredaire,” he says. Gordon is the perfect example of a horse trader and trainer. The horses come from owners up North and when it becomes too cold to train there, the horses and trainers move South. The Matinee Races at the Harness Track on the first of April is the calm before the storm. The real stake races up North begin shortly after their summer return. In truth, the Matinee Races are really about tradition; they have been running for 63 years in Pinehurst. Of Gordon’s thirty-four horses, eleven are competing in this year’s Matinee Races. When comparing the harness racing business to used cars, Gordon says he’s on the design and engineering side of things, not the repair and maintenance side. “I’m interested in breaking and developing horses to create a hopefully long and successful career.” Of the three hundred stalls that are typically filled between October and May, it’s anyone’s guess which horses will become champions. All I know is that Pinehurst will miss this beautiful commotion. The pitter-patter of the hooves on the sandy track, steam coming from the horses against the backdrop of the morning light, and carts and trainers making their way around the track like clockwork, marking the start of a new day, a new and brighter season. PS

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

H u n t & G ath e r

This is the month for Stoneybrook Steeplechase and the beloved Pinehurst Matinee Races. We asked our intrepid shopper to make us the perfect horsey picnic. It’s post time. . . By Sherry Samkus

Find fashion and spirits at Gentlemen’s Corner of Pinehurst. A colorful needlepoint belt calls to

mind jockey silks. But big

Tom Bloody Mary mix and a leather-covered flask are the hit of the party.

The Climber, a tailgate friendly allterrain wine transport, is available with red or white wine. Easy setup pre-race, quick cleanup post-race. And don’t forget colorful corkscrews and stemless plastic wine glasses.

Not your average tailgate wears: Tear-away gingham napkins and a no-fly-away napkin holder with salt

and pepper shakers set in place. Found at One

Eleven Main of Aberdeen.

Collapsible coolers are a tailgater’s best friend. Along with fabulous serving pieces, of course. Available at One Eleven Main. 82

April 2012 P��

Add touches of equine whimsy to your table

with tailgating swag

from Green Goods of

Southern Pines. A decorative metal

horse also serves as a

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhillsdaisy planter. darling

Off to

the races with a vibrant tablecloth from

One Eleven Main of Aberdeen. Actual pony shoes, from Farrier Supply of Lakeview, aren’t just for decoration — they’re also great for keeping tablecloth corners weighted down.

A spring

floral

centerpiece by

Botanicals of Southern Pines steals the show, especially when paired with sturdy eye-catching galvanized buckets from Burney’s Hardware Company of Aberdeen. As for the colorful beanbags? Game time between races.

Veuve Clicquot and Fresh Market chips and

salsa are tailgate

musts. Ditto the

race themed cocktail napkins and colorful

flour sack towels, all

available Fresh Market

in Southern Pines. Nifty

bowls, made from recycled

materials, available at

You’re invited to RSVP of Southern Pines for your invitation needs — and

Green Goods.

also for paper plates and dessert ornaments.

C-Cups Cakery of Southern Pines bedecks their delicious treats with said ornaments.

Sandhills Photography Club Still Life Competition

The Sandhills Photography Club welcomes all who have an interest in improving their photography skills and gaining the technical knowledge that goes along with it. The club meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at Christ Fellowship Church on Midland Road at Pee Dee. Regardless of skill or background, any prospective member is invited to attend. Website: sandhillsphotoclub.org

3rd Place

Lana Rebert Screw Loose

Honorable Mention Lori Fischer Still Life 1

Honorable Mention Ford Wesley Dominos

Honorable Mention Suzanne Kirkman In Vino Veritas

   Fayetteville

Experience the Magic of Fenton Handcrafted Beads Jewelry Showroom, Custom Jewelry Design, Watch & Jewelry Repair, Estate & Insurance Appraisals

220 Hay Street, Fayetteville | 910.868.6472

1st Place

Lois Pollard Tulips in Sunlight

2nd Place

Suzanne Kirkman Spare Parts

Honorable Mention

Donna Rotondo Colorful Boots

Jeanmarie Schubach Spruce up the olâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; place

Honorable Mention Joanne Lentz Sewing in a Bygone Era

Simply, slightly Scandinavian, minimalist furnishings fit Dolores and Mohsinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s retirement lifestyle.

S t o r y o f a h o us e

World Class

Dolores Gregory and Mohsin Ali traveled the world, and found the perfect home a Penick Village By Deborah Salomon Photographs By John Gessner

Above: Dolores Gregory and Mohsin Ali enjoy Penick Village Library.

ohsin Ali strives to follow the middle, the moderate path in all things, according to Buddhist/Zen philosophies. Yet this middle path has led the Indian-born journalist to Buckingham Palace, the White House, council halls of Geneva, NATO headquarters in Paris, the United Nations and seats of government worldwide. He interviewed Nehru, Nasser and Reagan. As a diplomatic editor for Reuters, later correspondent for The Times of London, Mohsin and wife Dolores Gregory — chemist at the National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency and elsewhere — were on the Washington A-list. “We got invited everywhere,” Dolores says. As retirement loomed, in 1995 the couple decided to sell their Washington condo and build a home in Pinehurst, not for family connections, golf or horses, although Mohsin grew up riding. The couple craved fascinating people — plenty of those at 28374. Besides, Dolores grew up on the North Carolina coast, graduated from Duke University and kept a beach house on the Outer Banks. “When we came here we had done what we wanted to do in life,” Dolores says. Now, time to reflect, be together, enrich the community and watch the birds outside their window. This life, now fulfilled, plays like a film of European romance and intrigue, starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Sir Ben Kingsley. Dolores and Mohsin were introduced by a friend who bribed Dolores (with tickets to a Cambodian dance

Dolores and Mohsin furnished the Living room with indoor-outdoor pieces from their Carolina room in Pinehurst, for an airy feeling. Below: Mohsin, world traveler, is exquisitely content in their apartment home. performance) to have dinner with a dashing, courtly, loquacious international journalist with dark curls, intelligent eyes and a wide smile. Dolores is calm, cool, practical, scientific. “We are so different on the surface but two people said we must meet,” Dolores recalls. “I thought nobody could be that special.” Her curiosity paid off. Their courtship was glamorous, from that first encounter in Geneva to their marriage in London, where Mohsin received the Order of the British Empire from Elizabeth II herself. Dolores recalls having to purchase a hat and white gloves for the ceremony. Their London base was an elegant townhouse in Richmond, Surrey. Mohsin, descended from a prominent family, grew up in the Himalayan region of northern India, was educated in French and British secondary schools and joined the Royal Air Force during World War II. Afterward, his British war correspondent pals urged him to apply at Reuters. “I knew nothing about journalism,” Mohsin says. He learned fast. First skills: shorthand and typing. Young Mohsin started on the central desk in London, rising quickly to diplomatic coverage where, as editor, he followed news throughout Europe and Asia, meeting heads of state and writing, as Reuters required, strictly objective stories. “Facts are sacred, comment is free,” Mohsin intones.

ohsin and Dolores enjoyed their 3,000-square-foot Pinehurst home with gardens and pool for 16 years. Here reposed Mohsin’s memorabilia and the simple furnishings that fit his minimalist precepts. But as the years passed, without children or grandchildren to share the space, Mohsin and Dolores investigated downsizing. “We had planned to spend the rest of our lives in that house,” Dolores says. “Then we got practical. Most people downsize to a condo but I didn’t want to

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Left: Xxxx. Above: Xxxx.

Touches of Mohsinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s native India, including miniature horses and lamps made from camel skin brighten the neutral decor.

move twice” — the second being a retirement facility. Of the several possibilities, the Woodlands development at Penick Village in Southern Pines, open since April, 2011, suited them best. “They are changing the image of getting old here,” Mohsin observed. He speaks with animation about the friendly residents and caring staff. Marketing director Phillip Martinello reports that 40 percent of residents are couples, which encourages congeniality. Some meet in the bar for pre-dinner drinks. Accommodations range from a one-bedroom, 837-square-foot apartment to cottages double that size and larger. All have 9-foot ceilings, crown moldings, wood blinds, laundry rooms, some hardwood flooring, premium appliances and small touches like a shelf outside each front door, for seasonal decorations. Residents needing assistance or nursing care live in the original buildings. Dolores and Mohsin selected the largest (1,883 square feet) apartment home, with two spacious bedrooms, two oversize bathrooms, a study/den, dining area delineated by columns, a pantry/laundry room and balcony. The full-sized kitchen is moot: “I haven’t cooked dinner since we moved in,” Dolores says. They take at least one meal a day in the dining room, which offers both cafeteria and table service. Because construction had not been completed, Dolores and Mohsin were able to make adaptations: soft earth-toned walls and extended hardwood floors to display a collection of hand-woven Asian rugs which Mohsin values for their antiquity and craftsmanship. The apartment, although laid out longitudinally, has windows on two sides. Mohsin’s study is lined with bookcases. On the wall hangs a drawing (by political cartoonist George Gale) of Mohsin as a carrier pigeon perched on a wire, since Reuters used pigeons before mass communication. A photo of Mohsin’s mother occupies a place of honor, inside the bedroom door. This portrait has been prominent in all their residences. Furnishings, selected from their Pinehurst home, are surprisingly contemporary, conforming to minimalism. Family heirlooms are scarce. “We like Scandinavian modern,” Mohsin says. “I could live like the Japanese,” Dolores adds. The apartment appears neither bare nor cluttered. Their Shakerstyle bedroom set is vintage High Point; upholstered bamboo sofas came from their Carolina room in Pinehurst. Several Indian table lamps are composed of delicately painted camel skin. Other décor pieces include equine art reflecting Mohsin’s homeland, which he hasn’t visited for fifty years. Dolores found the handicapped-accessible bathrooms the only hint of a retirement facility. Wheelchairs remain far from their minds — minds that cannot stop spinning, and need not with the recreational, intellectual and spiritual activities onsite. In fact, from time to time Phil Martinello feels the frat/dormitory spirit reawakened in long-ago graduates. Or, according to the facility’s vision statement: “Penick Village has an uncompromising commitment to deinstitutionalizing the aging experience.” Martinello adds: “Cookie cutters are for cookies. This is their home.” And home it feels like for Mohsin Ali and Dolores Gregory. They have enough space to spread out, with a guest bedroom situated for privacy. High ceilings, informal furnishings, light-colored walls and cabinetry, white appliances impart an airiness. India is

Images from the past: A model of a RAF plane and a cartoon portrait from Mohsin’s Reuters days.

April 2012 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

present, but subtly; the South of Dolores’s youth, less so. “I tend not to look back,” she says. Mohsin Ali, accustomed to the luxury afforded diplomats and the journalists who cover then, couldn’t be happier. He extols Penick’s merits with the enthusiasm of a prospector striking the mother lode “We didn’t wait too long, like others do,” Dolores says. Now they have sufficient health and strength to enjoy their surroundings. After a spirited review of life in the international fast lane, Mohsin shifts focus. “I don’t take myself too seriously,” he says. “It is best to keep laughing. Let’s go and have lunch.”

A Moving Experience… Mohsin Ali, 88, and his wife, Dolores Gregory, transitioned smoothly from their spacious Pinehurst home to the largest apartment in the new Woodlands development at Penick Village. For other seniors, leaving the family homestead will be a wrenching experience. Integration into a retirement community can go either way. Success depends on personnel and atmosphere. Woodlands embraces the trend toward Craftsman-style architecture, arts-and-crafts furniture in dark woods reminiscent of the Frank Lloyd Wright era. Earth tones predominate: olive, gold, bittersweet, tan, brown — very different from rose pink-fern green flowery fabrics and antique reproductions found elsewhere. “People are demanding more than the old retirement village look but they don’t want ‘Florida’ either,” says Pinehurst interior designer Vicki Auman. “We didn’t want it to look dated in 10 years,” adds Penick Village marketing director Phil Martinello. Architecture and interior design are by a Winston-Salem firm familiar with senior residences. Another theory: Fresh decor encourages a fresh outlook. Martinello reports that in most cases, integration goes smoothly. Some residents knew each other previously, others retired directly to Penick Village from urban areas. “We value newcomers; they are our life blood,” Martinello says. “This is like a small community, a family unit — no cliques.” The main building housing 69 apartments could be a resort hotel with lobby, porch, garden, dining room, bar, beauty salon, chapel, theater, boutique and library. Moving may present problems. What to bring? Will it fit? How to get it here? These issues are addressed by Auman, who is available to residents for a fee. “People are surprised at how much they can bring,” she says. Auman prepares a scale drawing of the space and measures furniture. She will arrange for reupholstery, help select paint colors, then co-ordinate the move. “I’m a step-in daughter,” Auman says. “I keep the stress level down.” Beverly Swenor of Senior Relocation Services in Pinehurst does even more. Swenor supervises packing, provides movers, sets up the new kitchen and conducts a tag/estate sale with whatever is left. Although these services add to the expense, they may prevent costly mistakes while creating a smoother transition. “The one comment I hear more than any other (from residents) is, ‘Why didn’t we do this sooner?’” Martinello says. PS

A real library and comfortable theater enrich the lives of Penick Village residents Mohsin Ali and Dolores Gregory.

April’s Shining Star Show

By noah Salt

The Garden Philosopher “There is of course no such thing as a green thumb. Gardening is a vocation like any other — a calling, if you like, but not a gift from heaven. One acquires the necessary skills and knowledge to do it successfully, or one doesn’t. The ancients gardened without guidance from books, by eye and by hand, and while I am a devotee of gardening books, and love to study and quarrel with them, I don’t think they are a substitute for practical experience, any more than cookbooks are.” From Green Thoughts by Eleanor Perenyi

April, like its autumnal opposite October, is simply a great month for planet watching. Several planets put in some of their brightest appearances, including Mercury, which can be seen just after sundown in the western sky slightly below a much brighter Venus. On a clear evening, a good set of binoculars will reveal the disks of Venus quite nicely. Later in the month it climbs much higher. When it’s fully dark, Mars can be seen almost directly overhead, twinkling with bits of cosmic red. On the eastern horizon, meanwhile, you should see Saturn rising. In order to see Jupiter, the largest of our solar system and named for the chief god of the Romans, you would need to rise just before sunrise — as it appears just ahead of the sun on the eastern horizon. Jupiter fact: If you weigh 100 pounds on earth, you’ll weigh 264 pounds on Jupiter. Fortunately they don’t have a known bikini season.

The Spring Calendar Monarch of the Spring Woodlands The glorious warmth and longer days mean peak bloom time for azaleas and tulips and many other flowering bulbs, but for our money you can’t beat the great flowering trees that herald spring in North Carolina, reaching peak bloom from late March through late April. With its luminous pinkish purple blooms, the colors of ancient royalty, the Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis, the gentle monarch of the native woodlands, makes one of the earliest most striking entrances in the early spring. Mature redbuds grow to about 30 feet in height with a similar spread, but unfortunately have a relatively modest life span of about 30-40 years — though we know a crusty old redbud monarch in Weymouth that’s estimated to be well over 100 years. Popular varieties include “Forest Pansy” with its distinctive reddish leaves and beautiful “Appalachian Red” with bright pink blooms, plus a new cultivar, “Heart of Gold,” developed at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh. April means a profusion of dogwoods in bloom as well, the aptly chosen state flower of North Carolina, Cornus florida. But the deciduous magnolias offer some of the first and finest spring blooms of all, adding beautiful splashes of white, pink and purple to the landscape’s color palette. Our favorite is the Saucer magnolia, sometimes called the Tulip magnolia, which rivals the redbud for beauty and lengthy bloom in the awakening woodlands of the Sandhills.

April 11: The annual rite of spring known as the Southern Pines Garden Tour, a 50-year-old tradition, begins at Campbell House at 10 a.m. and concludes at 5 p.m. featuring six outstanding home gardens, $15 in advance and $20 the day of the event. For tickets and details: (910) 2954617 or southernpinesgardenclub.com. April 4, 12, 28: Private spring tours of the spectacular North Carolina Botanical Garden are on offer — 60-minute walking tours that reveal the splendors of native woodland plants and wildflowers. Members: Free; Non-members: $5. The NCBC — located at 100 Old Mason Farm Road in Chapel Hill — features 14 collections and display gardens and over 2,100 species of native plants, including 30 endangered ones, located on 800 acres of university-owned land, featuring wetlands and old growth forests. The garden will also feature a special Earth Day wildflower walk on Sunday, April 24, 2 -4 p.m. For more information: 919-962-0522 or www.ncbg.unc.edu April 23: “And Evening with Peter Hatch,” curator of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Gardens, celebrating the publication of his new book A Rich Spot of Earth — Thomas Jeferson’s Revolutionary Garden at Monticello. Hatch is a distinguished alumni of Sandhills Community College and a splendid raconteur of the garden — a treat not to be missed if you happen to be in Charlottesville. Reservations required. (434) 984 9880.

HomeStyles

A.A.R.P. TAX HELP. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Southern Pines Public Library ROOSTER’S WIFE CONCERT. 7:30 p.m. Asleep at the Wheel MOORE COUNTY SCHOOL ORCHESTRAS. 7:30 p.m. R. E. Lee Auditorium

LUNCH & LEARN. 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

A.A.R.P. TAX HELP. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Southern Pines Public Librar AFTERNOON TEA SERIES. 2:30 p.m. Featuring guest speaker Cheryl Gilmore, tea pot collector. Lady Bedford’s Tea Parlour

ART CLASS. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. “Playing with Pixels,” a beginner digital art class. Artists League of the Sandhills 64th ANNUAL HOME AND GARDEN TOUR OF SOUTHERN PINES. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tickets/ Info: (910) 295-4617 or southernpinesgardenclub. com.

WOMEN OF WEYMOUTH. 9:30 a.m. Weymouth Center ART CLASS. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. “Watercolor Landscape Techniques” with Andrea Schmidt. Artists League of the Sandhills

SANDHILLS QUILTER’S GUILD MEETING. 9:30 a.m. First Baptist Church GUEST CHEF SERIES. Guest chef; new menu. Wine pairings available. Cost: $30. Rue 32

ART CLASS. 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Artists League of the Sandhills ART CLASS. 12:30 – 4 p.m. Artists League of the Sandhills

ART CLASS. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Artists League of the Sandhills WORLD BOOK NIGHT. A nationwide grassroots effort to spread the love of reading, person to person, by giving away books. Info: The Country Bookshop at (910) 692-3211.

PIZZA WITH PIZZAZZ. 5 – 6 p.m. Southern Pines Public Library FREE DESSERT DAYS. 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Woman’s Exchange, Pinehurst. WINE DINNER. 6:30 p.m. Rue 32.

SPRING MATINEE RACES. 1 p.m. Pinehurst Harness Track EASTER FUN. 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Memorial Park, Southern Pines WEYMOUTH WOODS EVENT. 3 p.m. Dragons and Damsels. SUNRISE FILM. 7:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. (Sun.) Albert Nobbs.

FLORAL DESIGN CLASS. 6:30 p.m. Aldena Frye’s MEN’S NIGHT AT RUE 32. 6:30 p.m. A three-course wine dinner

EASTER EGG DECORATING. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Fun for the kids. Elliott’s on Linden WEYMOUTH WOODS EVENT. 3 p.m. Nature’s Easter Eggs. Become an amateur oologist and learn about the colors and markings of eggs produced by native wild birds. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve

SANDHILLS PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB MEETING. 7 p.m. Guests welcome. Christ Fellowship Church

FREE MOVIE. 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. The Great Santini. Southern Pines Public Library DISCOVERY HIKE. 3 p.m. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve. THE CAROLINA PHILHARMONIC. 4 p.m. “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Owens Auditorium PARTY FOR THE PINE. 3 p.m. Weymouth Woods Visitor Center MOORE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA. 3 p.m. Free spring concert. Owens Auditorium, Sandhills Community College

WRITERS’ COMPETITION AWARDS CEREMONY. 2 p.m. Weymouth Center. WEYMOUTH WOODS EVENT. 3 p.m. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve MOORE COUNTY CHORAL SOCIETY SPRING CONCERT. 4 p.m. Robert E. Lee Auditorium

SENIOR EVENT: 5 p.m. Celebrate Willie Nelson’s birthday by listening to his most famous albums. Douglas Community Center

ART CLASS. 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. “Painting with Pixels,” an intermediate digital art class with JJ Love. Artists League of the Sandhills.

ART EXHIBIT & OPENING RECEPTION. 6 – 8 p.m. Featuring the artwork of Beth Roy and Dian Moore. PINE NEEDLES JUNIOR INVITATIONAL. Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club

FINE ARTS LECTURE SERIES. 10 a.m. Weymouth Center FILM SERIES. 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. Funny Face. Southern Pines Public Library GATHERING AT GIVEN. 3:30 p.m. Given Memorial Library. RUTH PAULY LECTURE SERIES. 7:30 p.m. Owens Auditorium CONCERT & LUNCHEON. 12 p.m. Featuring sister pianists Lydia Gill and Maryanne Cantrell-Colas. www. weymouthcenter.org.

THE BEST OF MOORE ON STAGE. 7:30 p.m. The Sunrise Theater GALLERY SPRING FLING. 5 – 7 p.m. Hollyhocks Art Gallery, 905 Linden Rd., FAMILY FUN NIGHT. 5:30 p.m. Southern Pines Public Library TOUR DE TRIKE. 5:30 p.m. An adult tricycle race for charity. Info: United Way at (910) 692-2413 or www.uwaymoore.com.

JAZZY FRIDAYS. 7 – 10 p.m. Live jazz music and hors d’oeuvres, rain or shine. Cypress Bend Vineyards & Winery SOUTHERN PINES COMBINED DRIVING EVENT. Carolina Horse Park at Five Points. www.carolinahorsepark.com.

PINEHURST LIVE AFTER 5. 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. Village of Pinehurst PAUL GREEN FESTIVAL. A celebration of the life and work of Paul GreenCampbell University GALLERY OPEN HOUSE. 7 – 9 p.m. (Fri.); 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Sat.) Featuring the works of students of West End Elementary School and Caitlin O’Brien, West End Elementary art teacher. The Gallery at Seven Lakes, St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church JAZZY FRIDAYS. 7 – 10 p.m. Live jazz music and hors d’oeuvres, rain or shine. Admission: $10. Cypress Bend Vineyards & Winery MOVIE IN THE PINES. 8 p.m. Monsters vs. Aliens. Free event; concessions for sale on site. Bring a blanket or chair. Downtown Park, Southern Pines

Arts & Entertainment Calendar STONEYBROOK STEEPLECHASE. Gates open at 9:30 a.m., first race begins at 1 p.m. Horse racing coupled with family fun in the countryside. A.A.R.P. TAX HELP. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. THE MET AT THE SUNRISE. 12 p.m. Massenet’s Manon. Anna Netrebko’s dazzling portrayal of the tragic heroine. The Sunrise Theater

WEYMOUTH CENTER PLANT SALE. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Weymouth Center A.A.R.P. TAX HELP. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Southern Pines Public Library COOKING DEMO. 12 & 2 p.m. Elliott’s Provision Company THE MET AT THE SUNRISE. 1 p.m. Verdi’s La Traviata. The Sunrise Theater ART CLASS. 1 – 5 p.m. Artists League of the Sandhills. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY SPRING GALA. 6 p.m. Country Club of North Carolina.

THE BEST OF MOORE ON STAGE. 7:30 p.m. The Sunrise Theater

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION. 8 a.m. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve PLANT SALE. 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Sandhills Community College CLENNY CREEK DAY AT THE BRYANT HOUSE. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. CELEBRATION OF THE MILITARY CHILD. 12 – 3 p.m. Village Arboretum SPRING BARN DANCE. 6 – 10 p.m. McLendon Hills Equestrian Center. TOUR DE MOORE. 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Starts at Campbell House BIRD WALK. 8 a.m. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve RUMMAGE SALE. 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Old West End Gym, Hwy 211 SPRINGFEST. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Downtown Southern Pines COOKING DEMO. 12 & 2 p.m. Elliott’s on Linden

April 1

April 6

PINEHURST HARNESS TRACK SPRING MATINEE RACES. 1 p.m. Annual Harness Races with trotters and pacers. Opening ceremonies begin at 1 p.m.; races begin at 1:30 p.m. Pinehurst Harness Track, Route 5, Pinehurst. Info: Sim Brown at (910) 603-5695.

ART EXHIBIT & OPENING RECEPTION. 6 – 8 p.m. Featuring the artwork of Beth Roy and Dian Moore. Exhibit on display through April 27. Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2787 or www. mooreart.org.

EASTER FUN. 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Games and an Eater egg hunt for kids ages 8 and under. Free event. Crafts and vendors on site. Memorial Park, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

April 6-8

WEYMOUTH WOODS EVENT. 3 p.m. Dragons and Damsels. Learn about the double lives of dragons and damselflies. Plan on a 1- to 2-mile hike. Bring bug spray, sunscreen and field guides. Meet at the park office. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167.

April 1-2 SUNRISE FILM. 7:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. (Sun.) Albert Nobbs. Set in 19th century Dublin. Starring Glenn Close. Rated R. Running time: 113 minutes. Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8501 or www.sunrisetheater.com.

April 2 CAROLINAS MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP SECTIONAL QUALIFIER. Sponsored through the Carolinas Golf Association. Pinewild Country Club . Info: (910) 673-1000 or www.carolinasgolf.org. FLORAL DESIGN CLASS. 6:30 p.m. All materials included. Cost: $50. Aldena Frye’s, 107 South St., Aberdeen. Info/RSVP: (910) 944-1071. MEN’S NIGHT AT RUE 32. 6:30 p.m. A three-course wine dinner that finishes with a single malt scotch and a cigar. Ladies welcome. Cost: $50+. Rue 32, 290 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 725-1910.

PINE NEEDLES JUNIOR INVITATIONAL. Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club. 1005 Midland Road, Southern Pines. Info: (800) 747-7272.

April 7 STONEYBROOK STEEPLECHASE. Gates open at 9:30 a.m., first race begins at 1 p.m. Horse racing coupled with family fun in the countryside. Tailgating, 5K Run for Ribbons footrace and elaborate hats. Tickets: $25/advance, $30/at gate. Tailgate space: $75-$450. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd., Raeford. Info: (910) 875-2074 or www.carolinahorsepark.com. A.A.R.P. TAX HELP. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays through April 14. Clients must register onsite; no prior appointments by phone. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www. sppl.net. THE MET AT THE SUNRISE. 12 p.m. Massenet’s Manon. Anna Netrebko’s dazzling portrayal of the tragic heroine in Laurent Pelly’s new production travels to the Met from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Piotr Beczala and Paulo Szot also star, with the Met’s Principal Guest Conductor Fabio Luisi on the podium. The Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. Tickets/Info: (910) 692-8501 or www.sunrisetheater.com.

April 8

April 3

EASTER EGG DECORATING. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Fun for the kids. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Info: (910) 215-0775.

A.A.R.P. TAX HELP. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays through April 14. Clients must register onsite; no prior appointments by phone. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www. sppl.net.

WEYMOUTH WOODS EVENT. 3 p.m. Nature’s Easter Eggs. Become an amateur oologist and learn about the colors and markings of eggs produced by native wild birds. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167.

ROOSTER’S WIFE CONCERT. 7:30 p.m. Asleep at the Wheel; Texas swing band featuring iconic front man Ray Benson and his 12-time Grammy winning band. Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight Spot, Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife.org.

April 9

MOORE COUNTY SCHOOL ORCHESTRAS. 7:30 p.m. The Mark Wood Experience. R. E. Lee Auditorium, Pinecrest High School, Southern Pines. Tickets: $25/preferred seating; $15/general admission. Info: Nicole at (845) 323-9421.

April 4 LUNCH & LEARN. 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Topic: Lasers. Includes lunch, gift bag and specials. The Laser Institute of Pinehurst, 80 Aviemore Court, Suite A, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-1130 or www. pinehurstlaser.com.

Key: Art

Music/Concerts

Dance/Theater

Film

SANDHILLS PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB MEETING. 7 p.m. Meetings are held the second Monday of each month. Guests welcome. Christ Fellowship Church, Midland Rd. at Pee Dee. Info: www.sandhillsphotoclub.org.

April 10 A.A.R.P. TAX HELP. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays through April 14. Clients must register onsite; no prior appointments by phone. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www. sppl.net. AFTERNOON TEA SERIES. 2:30 p.m. Featuring guest speaker Cheryl Gilmore, tea pot collector. Cost: $25 (includes tea, party favors, door prizes). Lady Bedford’s Tea Parlour, 21 Chinquapin

Literature/Speakers

Fun

History

Sports

ca l e n da r Ave., Southern Pines. Reservations: (910) 692-2787. Info: www.mooreart.org.

Rd., Pinehurst. Info: (910) 255-0100.

April 10 - 24 ART CLASS. Tuesdays, 6 – 9 p.m. “Abstract Painting Demystified” with Kim Sobat. Cost: $90. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org.

April 11 ART CLASS. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. “Playing with Pixels,” a beginner digital art class with JJ love. Cost: $40. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org. 64th ANNUAL HOME AND GARDEN TOUR OF SOUTHERN PINES. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Southern Pines Garden Club’s tour of six wonderful homes and gardens. All offer a peek into beautiful historic residences as well as a look at some stunning new construction. Tickets: $15/ advance; $20/day of tour. Begins at Campbell House, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Tickets/Info: (910) 295-4617 or southernpinesgardenclub.com.

April 12 FINE ARTS LECTURE SERIES. 10 a.m. “Judith Leyster: Trail Blazer for Women Artists in the 17th Century,” led by Denise Drum Baker. Lecture two of three in the 2012 series. Cost: $10/ACMC and Weymouth members; $15/ nonmembers. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Key: Art

100

Music/Concerts

Dance/Theater

Film

OLDIES & GOODIES FILM SERIES. 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. Funny Face. A 1957 musical starring Fred Astaire, a fashion photographer who turns a bookstore clerk (Audrey Hepburn) into an international supermodel. Tea and light refreshments served. Free event. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. GATHERING AT GIVEN. 3:30 p.m. Master Gardener Linda Hamwi will speak on the differences between plants for sun, shade, and everything in between. Annuals, perennials, evergreen perennials, vegetables and herbs will be available for purchase. Free and open to the public. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Rd., Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-6022 or givenmemoriallibrary.org. RUTH PAULY LECTURE SERIES. 7:30 p.m. Joe and Terry Graedon of the NPR radio program Peoples Pharmacy present “Protecting Yourself From Medical Mistakes.” The Graedons are charter members of the NC Patient Consortium of Natural Medicine and Public Health, the Patient Advocacy Council of Duke University Health Systems, and are Ambassadors Plenipotentiary of the City of Medicine, Durham. Talks are free and open to the public. No tickets required. Owens Auditorium, Sandhills Community College, Airport Road, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 245-3132. Literature/Speakers

Fun

History

Sports

April 2012 i�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

ca l e n da r

April 13 JAZZY FRIDAYS. 7 – 10 p.m. Live jazz music and hors d’oeuvres, rain or shine. Gates open at 6 p.m. Admission: $10. Cypress Bend Vineyards & Winery, Riverton Road in Wagram. (910)369-0411

April 13-15 SOUTHERN PINES COMBINED DRIVING EVENT. Carolina Horse Park at Five Points, Hoke County just off Hwy. 211. Info: Kelly Valdes at fkvaldes@aol.com or www. carolinahorsepark.com.

April 14 SENIOR ACTIVITY. 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Visit the historic Alamance Battleground, the site where Royal Governor William Tryon led the NC militia against the Regulators in battle on May 16, 1771. Cost: $16/Southern Pines resident; $32 non-resident. Depart from Campbell House, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. WEYMOUTH CENTER PLANT SALE. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Price-friendly perennials, shrubs, trees, groundcovers, vines and herbs that thrive in the heat, humidity and soil of the Sandhills. New this year: garden white elephant sale. Cash and checks accepted. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 255-0010 or (910) 949-3999. A.A.R.P. TAX HELP. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Key: Art

Music/Concerts

Dance/Theater

Film

Saturdays through April 14. Clients must register onsite; no prior appointments by phone. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. COOKING DEMO. 12 & 2 p.m. Santa Maria Farms Lamb. Discover blends and techniques to bring out the full mouthwatering flavor of local lamb. Elliott’s Provision Company, Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Info: (910) 215-0075. THE MET AT THE SUNRISE. 1 p.m. Verdi’s La Traviata. Natalie Dessay will put on the red dress in Willy Decker’s stunning production, in her first Violetta at the Met. Matthew Polenzani sings Alfredo, Dmitri Hvorostovsky is Germont, and Principal Guest Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium. The Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. Tickets/Info: (910) 692-8501 or www. sunrisetheater.com. ART CLASS. 1 – 5 p.m. “Mud, Cauliflowers and Edging” with Emma Skurnick. Cost: $40. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 9443979 or www.artistleague.org. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY SPRING GALA. 6 p.m. “Raising the Roof for Patsy’s House.” A Tribute to the late Patsy Bonsal, who helped raise funds for homes throughout Moore and Richmond Counties. Gala features cocktail reception, dinner, dancing, live music, and live and silent auctions. Cocktail attire. Cost: $125/person. Royal Literature/Speakers

Fun

History

Sports

April 23rd -28th: Beautiful Burger Week @ The Sly Fox Hate to be cocky, but The Sly Fox has perfect burgers dialed in. There’s no one, no place tha---. What’s that you say? You think you can do better?!? Good. We were hoping you’d say that! Submit your burger recipe no later than April 11th. Chef Donnie Wicker and Andy Heisinger will select five recipes that they deem best. The five final recipes selected will be featured at The Sly Fox during the period starting April 23rd and ending April 27th. Contestants will be judged on number of burgers sold on the day they were featured (BRING YOUR FRIENDS!!!!) and/or by Chef Donnie’s appraisal of deliciousness. Two Finalists will be announced no later than 11:00 PM on Friday April 27th, and the winner’s entry will be added to The Sly Fox menu!

101

ca l e n da r Dornoch Ballroom, Country Club of North Carolina. Tickets/Info: Rita at (910) 295-3089.

April 15 FREE MOVIE SCREENING. 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. The Great Santini. Movie based on a novel by Pat Conroy; part of library’s annual Author Read series. Rated R. Starring Robert Duvall and Blythe Danner. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

April 19

DISCOVERY HIKE. 3 p.m. Join the Park Ranger for a short walk (approx. 2 miles) to discover the plants and animals that nature has to offer. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167.

DRINK & THINK. 6:30 p.m. A philosophical symposium held in the Beer Garden, Sly Fox Pub, 795 SW Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 725-1621.

THE CAROLINA PHILHARMONIC CHAMBER MUSIC. 4 p.m. “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Tickets: $25/ general admission; $10/student. Owens Auditorium, Sandhills Community College. Info: (910) 687-4746 or www.CarolinaPhil.org

PINEHURST LIVE AFTER 5. 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. Live music in the historic Village of Pinehurst. Family-friendly; food and beverages available. Free event. Village of Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-1900.

GOOD SAM ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE CAROLINA 200. A NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event. Rockingham Speedway, 2152 North US Highway 1, Rockingham, NC. Info: (910) 205-8800 or www.rockinghamspeedway.com.

PAUL GREEN FESTIVAL. A celebration of the life and work of Paul Green, Harnett County’s native son. Music, baseball, theatre, barbecue and more. See festival website for weekend agenda. Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC. Info: www.paulgreen.org.

April 16 WOMEN OF WEYMOUTH. 9:30 a.m. Notable Women of Pinehurst, presented by Audrey Moriarty of Givens Memorial Library. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-6261 or www.weymouthcenter.org. ART CLASS. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. “Watercolor Landscape Techniques” with Andrea Schmidt. Cost: $40. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org.

April 17 SANDHILLS QUILTER’S GUILD MEETING. 9:30 a.m. Annual sale; great bargains. Guests welcome. First Baptist Church, Southern Pines. Info: Jackie at (910) 673-7566. GUEST CHEF SERIES. Guest chef; new menu. Wine pairings available. Cost: $30. Rue 32, 290 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 725-1910.

April 18 ART CLASS. 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. “Painting with Pixels,” an intermediate digital art class with JJ Love. Cost: $60. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org.

April 18-19 ART CLASS. 12:30 – 4 p.m. “Watercolor Free and Loose” with Irene Dobson. Cost: $70. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 9443979 or www.artistleague.org.

April 18-22 THE BEST OF MOORE ON STAGE. 7:30 p.m. (Wed. – Sat.); 2 p.m. (Sun.) For the past 6 years, Moore OnStage

Key: Art

102

has produced over 30 shows, each one offering diversity of entertainment, from comedy, to musicals to dance performances. Experience the producer’s choices of the Best of Moore OnStage. Sunrise Theater, Broad Street, Southern Pines. Tickets/Info: (910) 692-7118.

Music/Concerts

Dance/Theater

Film

CONCERT & LUNCHEON. 12 p.m. Featuring sister pianists Lydia Gill and Maryanne Cantrell-Colas. Admission: $15. Reservations required. Info: (910) 692-6261 or www. weymouthcenter.org.

April 20

April 20 – 21

GALLERY OPEN HOUSE. 7 – 9 p.m. (Fri.); 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Sat.) Featuring the works of students of West End Elementary School and Caitlin O’Brien, West End Elementary art teacher. The Gallery at Seven Lakes, St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church, 1145 Seven Lakes Dr., Seven Lakes. Info: Carol at (910) 673-0356.

April 21 EARTH DAY CELEBRATION. 8 a.m. Activities include migratory bird branding with Susan Campbell, a nature photography display, hikes and more. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167. PLANT SALE. 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. The Sandhills Horticultural Society Plant Sale offers perennials, woody plants and Asiatic lilies. Steed Hall, Sandhills Community College. Pre-order: (910) 695-3882. CLENNY CREEK DAY AT THE BRYANT HOUSE. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Games, food, refreshments, crafters and reenactors. See how early pioneers cooked on an open hearth and hear Civil War stories from the re-enactors. Free admission. Rain date: Sunday, April 22. Bryant House, 3361 Mt. Caramel Church Rd., Carthage. Info: (910) 692-2051. COOKING DEMO. 12 & 2 p.m. Welcome spring with asparagus. Discover new recipes and techniques for this wonderful, seasonal ingredient. Elliott’s Provision Company, Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Info: (910) 215-0075. CELEBRATION OF THE MILITARY CHILD. 12 – 3 p.m. Recognize the military children who reside among us. Featuring cookout, entertainment by the Union Pines Band and Temple Teens, climbing wall, bouncy castle, pony rides, a video game trailer and more. Village Arboretum, Magnolia Rd., Pinehurst. Info: Suzy at (910) Literature/Speakers

Fun

History

Sports

April 2012 i�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

ca l e n da r 235-0271 or Adam at (910) 295-2817. SPRING BARN DANCE. 6 – 10 p.m. Country music, good eats and fired-up dancin’ to benefit Prancing Horse Center for Therapeutic Riding. Tickets: $45, available at Moore Equine and The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines; Given Book Shop and Village Wine Shop in Pinehurst; and Sandhills Winery in West End. McLendon Hills Equestrian Center, West End. Info: (910) 246-3202 or www.prancinghorsecenter.com.

April 21-22 MOORE COUNTY RELAY FOR LIFE. Join/form a team and fight back against cancer. Registration opens Saturday at 9 a.m. Food and beverages available by donation. Entertainment includes blue grass music, Zumba class and storytellers. Sandhills Community College. Registration/ Info: www.relayforlife.org/moore. LONGLEAF PINE HORSE TRIALS. Horses and riders compete in a three-phase competition including dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. Free for spectators. Carolina Horse Park, Montrose Road, Raeford. Info: (910) 875-2074.

April 22 PARTY FOR THE PINE. 3 p.m. Celebrate the oldest known living longleaf pine in the world. Hike out to the 464-year-old tree, learn about the property it stands on, enjoy cake and punch. Meet at Weymouth Woods Visitor Center, carpool to the Boyd Tract. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167. MOORE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA. 3 p.m. Free spring concert. Owens Auditorium, Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst. Info: www.mporchestra.com.

April 23 ART CLASS. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. “Watercolor Landscape Techniques” with Andrea Schmidt. Cost: $40. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org. WORLD BOOK NIGHT. A nationwide grassroots effort to spread the love of reading, person to person, by giving away books. Info: The Country Bookshop at (910) 692-3211.

April 23 – 28 BEAUTIFUL BURGER WEEK. Chef Donnie Wicker and Andy Heisinger will feature five winning burger recipes submitted by the public. Contestants will be judged on number of burgers sold and by Chef Donnie’s appraisal of deliciousness. Sly Fox Pub, 795 SW Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 725-1621.

April 23 – May 12 SENIOR GAMES. Wellness and health promotion program that includes fun, fitness and fellowship; network of 54 local games are held in every region of North Carolina. Divisions: Silver Arts and Official Sports. Register by April 2. Douglas Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. Key: Art Music/Concerts Dance/Theater Literature/Speakers Fun History Sports

Film

103

ca l e n da r

April 24 PIZZA WITH PIZZAZZ. 5 – 6 p.m. An hour of free food and fun. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

April 24 - 25 FREE DESSERT DAYS. 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Free selected desserts. Sandhills Woman’s Exchange, 15 Azalea Rd., Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-4677. WINE DINNER. 6:30 p.m. Wines of Spain. Five wines, six courses. Cost: $65+. Rue 32, 290 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Reservations: (910) 725-1910.

April 25 ART CLASS. 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. “Painting with Pixels,” an intermediate digital art class with JJ Love. Cost: $60. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org.

April 26 HOLLYHOCKS ART GALLERY SPRING FLING. 5 – 7 p.m. Meet the artists at this open-house gallery event. Refreshments and wine courtesy Elliott’s on Linden. Hollyhocks Art Gallery, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Info: (910) 255-0665 or www.hollyhocksartgallery.com. FAMILY FUN NIGHT. 5:30 p.m. Kids in grades K-2 and their parents are invited to celebrate el día de los niños. Key: Art

Music/Concerts

Dance/Theater

Film

Festivities include stories, crafts and supper. Free event. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

MOVIE IN THE PINES. 8 p.m. Monsters vs. Aliens. Free event; concessions for sale on site. Bring a blanket or chair. Downtown Park, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

TOUR DE TRIKE. 5:30 p.m. An adult tricycle race for charity. Registration: $100/rider. Sponsors welcome. On race day, sponsors may purchase a “monkey” to ride on the back of another cyclist’s trike to disadvantage them. The “Monkey on the Back” will be sold before each race to the highest bidder. Costumes encouraged; $50 gift certificate will be presented to the winner of the Best Costume Contest. Rain date: May 3. Info: United Way at (910) 6922413 or www.uwaymoore.com.

April 28

SENIOR EVENT: Guglielmo Marconi’s Birthday. 6 p.m. Dance in celebration of the life of the man who invented the radio. Light refreshments available. Cost: $5/Southern Pines residents; $10/non-residents. Register by April 15. Douglas Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

April 26 – May 13 TEMPLE THEATRE PRODUCTION. Little Shop of Horrors. Temple Theatre, 120 Carthage St., Sanford. Info: www.templeshows.com.

April 27 JAZZY FRIDAYS. 7 – 10 p.m. Live jazz music and hors d’oeuvres, rain or shine. Admission: $10. Cypress Bend Vineyards & Winery, Riverton Road, Wagram. Info: (910) 369-0411. Literature/Speakers

Fun

History

TOUR DE MOORE. 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Several cyclist levels of competition; riders from around the world participate in this feature race; 100 miles around Moore County; Olympic Teams represented. Starts at Campbell House, Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2463. BIRD WALK. 8 a.m. Spring migration is underway. Join for a 2-mile hike to look for various winged travelers. Bring binoculars, tick repellent, sunscreen and field guides. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167. RUMMAGE SALE. 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Annual sale presented by Women of the Pines. Proceeds benefit local charities. Breakfast and lunch available. Old West End Gym, Hwy 211. SPRINGFEST. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Free family-friendly entertainment; handmade crafts, great food, live entertainment and more in downtown Southern Pines. Kid’s Block is full of activities for kids. Bring your bike, tricycle or big wheels for the annual Youth Bike Races for children 10 and under. Registration is scheduled from 9 -11 a.m. at The Sunrise Theater. The bike races begin at 11:15 a.m. Sponsored by Southern Pines Business Association, Town of Southern Pines Recreation & Parks Dept., and the Arts Council of

Sports

 Sanford

104

April 2012 i�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

ca l e n da r Moore County. Broad Street, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2463 or www.southernpines.biz.

April 30

COOKING DEMO. 12 & 2 p.m. Crepes. Learn how to prepare the batter, select the fillings and refine your technique in the art of sweet or savory crepe making. Elliott’s Provision Company, Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Info: (910) 215-0075.

SENIOR EVENT: Willie Nelson’s Birthday. 5 p.m. Celebrate Willie Nelson’s birthday by listening to his most famous albums. Light refreshments available. Cost: $2/Southern Pines residents; $4/non-residents. Register by April 25. Douglas Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

April 29

Weekly Happenings

WRITERS’ COMPETITION AWARDS CEREMONY. 2 p.m. Annual Moore County Writers’ Competitions Awards Ceremony. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-6261 or www.weymouthcenter.org.

Tuesdays

WEYMOUTH WOODS EVENT. 3 p.m. Woodcleavers and Yellowhammers. Eight species of woodpeckers live in the Sandhills. Learn about their role in our longleaf forest. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167. MOORE COUNTY CHORAL SOCIETY SPRING CONCERT. 4 p.m. Mozart’s Requiem. Featuring orchestral accompaniment and renowned soloists. Tickets: $15/adult; $7.50/students. Tickets available at The Campbell House, The Country Bookshop, Kirk Tours, Sandhills Winery and at the door. Robert E. Lee Auditorium, Pinecrest High School, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8306 or (910) 6927683; moorecountychoralsociety.org.

Key: Art

Music/Concerts

Dance/Theater

Film

FREE YOGA FOR PSTD VETS. 6 p.m. Yoga for retired veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. No previous yoga experience necessary. Yoga Massage in the Sandhills, 5374 Niagara Carthage Rd., Southern Pines. Info: Mary Ann at (910) 949-2162.

Wednesdays CHILDREN’S STORYTIME. 1:30 p.m. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Rd., Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-6022. PRESCHOOL STORYTIME. 3:30 – 4 p.m. (April 4, 18 & 25) Bring infants and toddlers (ages birth through 5 years) for stories, songs and fun. Playtime follows. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

Saturdays MEET THE ARTIST AT WORK. 12 – 3 p.m. Meet artist Diane Kraudelt (4/7); Morgen Kilbourn (4/14); Jane Literature/Speakers

Fun

History

Casnellie (4/21); Deane Billings (4/28). Hollyhocks Art Gallery, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Info: (910) 255-0665 or www.hollyhocksartgallery.com. FREE WINE TASTING. 12 – 4 p.m. Chateau L’Ombriere (4/7); Tangent Pinot Gris (4/14); Domaine de la Belle l’Amoureuse (4/21); Entrada Chardonnay (4/28). Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Info: (910) 215-0075.phone. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave, Southern Pines. Info: 910-692-8235 or www.sppl.net. Art Galleries

Broadhurst Gallery, 2212 Midland Rd., Pinehurst, showcases works by nationally recognized artists such as Louis St. Lewis, Lula Smith, Shawn Morin, Rachel Clearfield, Judy Cox and Jason Craighead. Meet-the-artist opportunities are available. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Saturday, 1-4 p.m. (910) 2954817, www.broadhurstgallery.com. ART NUTZ AND RAVEN POTTERY, 125 SW Broad St., Southern Pines. Come see the potter at work. Features art, local pottery from many potters, handmade jewelry, glass and more. Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (910) 695-1555, www.ravenpottery.com. Artist GAlleRy OF SOUTHERN PINES features art and fine crafts from more than 60 North Carolina artists, 167 E. New Hampshire Ave., Southern Pines. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Saturday. (910) 692-6077. Artists League of the Sandhills, located at 129 Exchange St. in historic Aberdeen. Exhibit hours are noon - 3 p.m., Monday-Saturday. (910) 944-3979.

Sports

105

Worship Directory Come Celebrate the Journey

Palm Sunday ~ April 1: “The Celebration of Christ’s Joyful Entrance”. Worship at 8:45 and 11:10 AM. Maundy Thursday ~ April 5: The Lord’s Supper. Worship at 7 PM. Good Friday ~ April 6: The Passion Story. Worship at 12 noon. Easter ~ April 8: The Resurrection of Our Lord. Worship at 8:45 and 11:10 AM. The Chancel Choir with Brass.

Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church 330 South May Street at Indiana Ave, Southern Pines 910.692.6252 ~ www.brownsonchurch.org

EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH 350 East M assa chus etts Avenue Southern P ines, N C 283 87 (91 0) 692-3171 • w ww .emma nuel- parish.org

Holy Week and Easter Schedule

Palm Sunday: April 1st, Service Times: 7:30 am, 9:00 am & 11:00 am Stations of the Cross: Monday, April 2 & Tuesday, April 3rd, 6:00 pm Tenebrae Service: Wednesday 4th, 6:00pm Maundy Thursday Service/Holy Eucharist: April 5th, 7:00pm Good Friday Service: Friday, April 6th, Noon-3:00 pm Easter Vigil: April 8th, 6:00am Festal Service/Holy Eucharist: 9:00am & 11:00am

The Community Congregational Church United Church of Christ, Inc. Join us for worship service Maundy Thursday Service 7:00 p.m. With Communion

Sunday Service 11:00 a.m. Adult Bible Study 10:00 a.m. Nursery Provided www.communitycongregational.org 141 N. Bennett St. Southern Pines 910-692-8468

ca l e n da r The Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines, is open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, and every third weekend of the month from 2-4 p.m. (910) 692-4356, www.mooreart.org. The Gallery at Seven Lakes, a gallery dedicated to local artists. The Gallery is open on Wednesday and Thursday each week from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 1145 Seven Lakes Drive, The St. Mary Magdalen building. Just 9 miles from the Pinehurst Traffic Circle up 211. Hastings Gallery is located in the Katharine L. Boyd Library at Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst. Gallery hours are 7:45 a.m. - 9 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 7:45 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday; and 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday. Hollyhocks Art Gallery, 905 Linden Road, Pinehurst, features original artwork by local artists Diane Kraudelt, Carol Rotter, Morgen Kilbourn and artist/owner Caroline Love, Deane Billings, Jane Casnellie. Meet the Artists, Saturdays, Noon to 3 p.m. Open Monday-Saturday 10:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. (910) 255-0665, www.hollyhocksartgallery.com. The Old Silk Route, 113 West Main St., Aberdeen specializes in Asian original art, including silk paintings, tapestries, Buddhist Thangkas and Indian paper miniatures. Open Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. (910) 295-2055. Seagrove Candle Company, 116 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines, showcases the arts and crafts of the Sandhills and Seagrove area. Open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday, Wednesday-Saturday. (910) 695-0029. SKY Art Gallery, 602 Magnolia Dr., Aberdeen, is open 10 a.m. 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. (910) 944-9440, www.skyartgallery.com. Studio 590, located in a historic log cabin, is the working studio and gallery of artists Betty DiBartolomeo and Harry Neely. Studio 590 offers fine oil paintings, commissions and instruction. Located by the pond in the Dowd Cabin, 590 Dowd Circle in Pinehurst South. (910) 639-9404. White Hill Gallery, 407 U.S. 15-501, Carthage, offers a variety of pottery. (910) 947-6100. The Downtown Gallery (inside Flynne’s Coffee Bar) is located at 115 NE Broad St. in downtown Southern Pines. Ever-changing array of local and regional art, pottery and other handmade items. (910) 693-1999.

April 1 April 5 April 6 April 7 April 8

Christ Church Anglican Holy Week Schedule

Palm Sunday Eucharist 10:30am Maundy Thursday Eucharist 5:00pm Good Fri. Readings, Prayers, Meditation 12 noon Holy Sat. Lighting the Paschal Candle & The Prophecies 7pm Easter Sunday Eucharist 10:30am

The Rev. Dr. John Lawrence Sharpe, SSC Rector

750 Fairway Drive, Southern Pines, NC 28387 (910) 246-0955 • christchurchanglican.us

Lady Bedford’s Tea Parlour, located at 25 Chinquapin Road in Pinehurst, is featuring local artist Nancy Campbell. Original oil and watercolor paintings are on display inside the tea shop. Open Tuesday - Saturday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (910) 255-0100, www.ladybedfords.com.

Nature Centers Sandhills Horticultural Gardens (32 acres of gardens). The Sandhills Horticultural Gardens are handicapped-accessible. Daylight hours year-round. (910) 695-3882. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve (898 acres). 1024 Ft. Bragg Road, Southern Pines. (910) 692-2167. VILLAGE ABORETUM. 35 acres of land adjoining the Village Hall on Magnolia Road, Pinehurst. (910) 295-1900.

Historical Sites Bethesda Church and Cemetery. Guided tours for groups by appointment. 1020 Bethesda Road, Key: Art Music/Concerts Dance/Theater Literature/Speakers Fun History Sports

106

Film

April 2012 i�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

ca l e n da r Aberdeen. (910) 944-1319. Bryant House and McLendon Cabin. Tours by appointment. (910) 692-2051 or (910) 673-0908. Carthage Historical Museum. Sundays, 2-5 p.m. or by appointment. Located at Rockingham and Saunders streets, Carthage. (910) 947-2331.

Resale Retail

House in the Horseshoe. Open year-round. Hours vary. 288 Alston House Road (10 miles north of Carthage), Sanford. (910) 947-2051. Malcolm Blue Farm and Museum. 1-4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Group tours can be arranged by appointment. (910) 944-7558 or (910) 603-2739. North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Monday-Friday, at the Weymouth Center for Arts and Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. (910) 692-6261. Shaw House Property. Open 1-4 p.m. TuesdayFriday. (910) 692-2051. Tufts Archives. 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, and 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Saturday. (910) 295-3642. Union Station. Open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Located in downtown Aberdeen. (910) 944-5902. Sandhills Womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Exchange Log Cabin Open 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. (910) 295-4677 To add an event, e-mail us at pinestraw@thepilot.com by the first of the month prior to the event.

PineNeedler Answers From page 127

7 4 1 8 6 5 9 2 3

3 5 8 9 1 2 6 7 4

6 2 9 7 3 4 8 1 5

E M B L O E P M A Q R U S E V P O P E E A R R A

D A D A

Solution:

G R O U S E

E A R N E R

T D O N O A L C R P E S P

U S S

A L L Y

1 7 6 2 9 3 5 4 8

2 3 4 1 5 8 7 6 9

8 9 5 4 7 6 2 3 1

5 6 2 3 8 1 4 9 7

W A R F E R I E E E D S D T A L E A N S A L L Y I C K T Y R I P U R N E E D S N A P E W S S T U T E E G R E R H Y M

4 1 7 5 2 9 3 8 6 B U L L

A P A C E

9 8 3 6 4 7 1 5 2 S T E P E R Y E R

D A U P T T U A E E B A L I M O K E I T D E O

I T D O O N L C R E W E L

H A R O L D

107

Summer Camps

Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;NEAL SUMMER FUN

ONealSummer.org Summer Day Camps for Youth of All Ages

Â&#x2021; 6RXWKHUQ 3LQHV 1&

NEED PROPANE FOR HOME, BUSINESS, OR THE FARM? WE HAVE YOU COVERED. Demand more from your propane company. We have the PRICE YOU WANT with the GREAT SERVICE YOU DESERVE. • Home heating • Forklift cylinders

• Autogas • Blue Rhino tank exchange

CALL US TODAY AND LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW WE CAN MEET YOUR PROPANE NEEDS.

800-672-4342

Certain restrictions apply. Minimum fill may be required. MK-17047

110

April 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

SandhillSeen Moore County Driving Club and Moore County Hounds at Weymouth Saturday, February 18, 2012 Photographs by Jeanne Paine

Bill Long, Carol Minniker, Omar Albarez

Gary Lergner, Charlie & Terry Cook

Stacey Stuart, Peter Greenhalgh, Andie & Bennett Rose

Amanda Krichahn, Nancy MacGown

Linda Long, Jan Fowler

Tina Sully, Steve Amature

111

112

April 2012 i�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

SandhillSeen Friends of Weymouth Hunt Breakfast Saturday, February 18, 2012 Photographs by Jeanne Paine

Tommy Doonan, Tia Chick, Fran Gertz

George & Mickey Wirtz

Edie Overly, Jackie Garris, Suzanne Daughtridge, Neil Schwartzberg

Jim Rigney, Katie Walsh, Leonard Short, Arlene & Maj Gen Shachnow, Reg Miller

Savannah Russell, Blair Spencer, Dick Webb, Kayela Smith

Kim Phelps, Lynn McGugan

Carol Butler, Danielle Veasy

Paul Striberry, Mary Cremmins, Christine & David Raley

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2012

113

Experience food... Beyond ordinary

Slider Tuesdays & Pasta Thursdays

We can’t always know the future, but we can always prepare for it. At BB&T Insurance Services, we think you owe it to yourself to find out if your plan is keeping up with your ever-changing life. Our insurance professionals provide access to top-rated national carriers, and deliver the plan that’s right for you right here in your own backyard.

Depending on the day you dine. Receive either a slider or house made pasta of the moment.

BB&T Insurance Services 140 Applecross Rd., Suite B, Pinehurst NC 29374 800-537-6641 Leslie Davis, CIC (910) 693-2611 Vickie Lefler, CIC (910) 693-2616

The featured pasta or slider changes weekly. Open Monday - Saturday Lunch: 11:30am - 2:30pm Dinner: 5:00pm - 9:30pm

910.725.1910 290 W. pennsylvania ave p

114

Insurance.BBT.com.

SandhillSeen Moore County Hounds Hunter Trials Saturday, March 3, 2012 Photographs by Jeanne Paine

Kayela Smith, Savannah Russell, Sarah Brown

Mary Cremins, Tayloe Compton, Shellie Summerson Janie Boland, Kate Liner, Effie Ellis, Dick Webb

Dr. Nick Ellis, Dick Webb

Neil Schwartzberg

Kevin Riley, Andrea & Dick Moore

David Raley, Dr. Jock & Diane Tate

Irene Russell, Cameron Sadler, Norm & Babs Minery

Mark & Sarah Twilla, Donna & Dick Verrilli, Dani Devins, Dr. George Veasy

Steve Gavin, Cassie, Blair & Henry Spencer

Foxtrack Training Center riders

Ashley & Jim Van Camp

Kyle Sitowski, Diane & Mike Paul Striberry Clemmer

Dominick Pagnotta, Diane & Dr. Jock Tate

115

116

April 2012 i�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

SandhillSeen Front-Charlie Nall, Judy Duerring, Joy Scott, Jill Butler; Caroline Ferrell, Christine Gatti, Jennifer Puckett, Sandra Bumgarner

Jean Burbage, John Conrad, Carolyn Stromberg, Peggy Stefanko Carolyn Mosseller

Lunch With Legends: An Afternoon With Historic Women at Little River Golf Resort Tuesday, March 13, 2012 Photographs by Al and Annette Daniels

Roselee Bickhaus, Terry & Judy Zeterberg

Regina Yellin, Andrea Sachtleben, Flora DeMaine

Mary Lou Bernett, Jo Nicholas Nathalie Thomas, Katie McCarthy

Beth Cunningham, Carol Saylor, Cynthia Norwood

Kathleen Deignan, Lois McCarthy, Sue LeClair, Phyllis Marion, Jo Gilbert

Dee Heine, Mary Wehking, Peggy McCallum

Jane Lefever, Jane Prosser, Joan Bruno

Pam Farr, Ann Gregory

Gail Cummins, Jean Soper, Louise Weiss, Barbara Baum; Back: Claire White, Louise Brown

Sue Conrad, Charlotte Gallagher, Bonnie Roberson

Veronica Sanchez, Jessica Mark

117

SandhillSeen

Kay & Jeff Beran, Deb Lawson

Mardi Gras 2012 at The Pinehurst Fair Barn Saturday, February 18, 2012 Photographs by Al and Annette Daniels

Aimee & José Viana

Nancy & Tim O’Connell

Carl & Gretchen Kelly

Steve & Myra Marks

Joe Murphy, Nancy O’Connell, Anita Emery, Betsy Robinson

118

Debby & Dick Higginbotham

Dale Siemer, Deb Wimberly

Joy Childress

April 2012 i�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

SandhillSeen 27th Annual Heart ‘n’ Soul of Jazz at The Carolina Hotel Friday and Saturday, February 10-11, 2012 Photographs by Al and Annette Daniels

The Brian Newman Quartet: Alex Smith, Paul Francis, Brian Newman, Michael Ritchie

Doug & Debra Fry, Steve Morris, Gwen Detering

Gina Michie, Barbara Zalcberg, Debbie Behnke, Claire Canady, Diane Black

Marcia Snow, Jan Haywood

Dave & Dereda Porter, Glenda & Kevin Cody

Johnathan & Carol Skowvron

Mae Anderson, Jackie Sloan, Jayne Fleming

Elaine Curran, Lisa Akers, Annie Sellick, Jan Schnell

Jim Dawson, Jan Schnell, Mark Packard

Brenda Lyne, Jim Morgan

119

120

April 2012 i�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

SandhillSeen

The O’Neal School Annual Auction, February Fiesta at The Pinehurst Fair Barn Saturday, February 4, 2012 Photographs by Al and Annette Daniels

Linda & Houston Roberts, Diane Williams, Annette Daniels

Holly Bell, Traci Baxter

Dick & Mary ann McCrary, David & Heather Funk Ricky & Kathy Taylor

Amanda Duffy, Lydia Taylor

Kris & Doug Woolley

Mary & Dell Dembosky, Laurie Trexler

Jay Hodge, Marion, Mary & Douglas Anderson

Mark & Kathie Parson

Maria DiGiovanni, Karen Samaras

CUTLER TREE

Tree Pruning • Removal Plant Site Consulting Stump Grinding • Shrub Care Tree Conservation for New Home Sites Free Estimates Geoffrey Cutler Fully Insured 910-692-7769 910-690-7657

121

i n i n g

Gui

d e

New Expanded Menu!

Table on the Green Now pairing American Cuisine with the exotic tastes of Thailand

910-295-3240, 295-4118 Midland Country Club, Midland Road PUBLIC WELCOME www.tableonthegreen.com

Live Music & Entertainment Please call for info

Sunday Brunch Menu 10-2pm Lunch 11:30 - 2:30 Tues. - Sat. Dinner 5 - 9 Tues. - Sat. Closed Monday Reservations Suggested | Banquet Room Available Elegant Dining with Family Friendly Atmosphere

Opening in April

MOORE COUNTY

FARMERS MARKET

Tomatoes, Strawberries, Fruits, Veggies, Jams, Meats, Flowers & Plants Opens April 16th • Mondays- FirstHealth (Fitness Center) Facility courtesy of First Health 170 Memorial Dr • Pinehurst 2pm-5:30pm Will be open through October 29th

Opens April 19th • Thursdays- Morganton Rd (Armory Sports Complex) Facility courtesy of Town of Southern Pines Southern Pines 9am-1pm

Opens April 21st • Saturdays - Downtown Southern Pines Facility courtesy of Town of Southern Pines Broad St & New York Ave 8am-Noon Will be open through October 27th

Call 947-3752 or 690-9520 for more info Websearch: Moore County Farmers Market Local Harvest

Visit us on facebook! SNAP Cards Accepted

i n i n g

Gui

d e

PineServices

Yes, Yes,

W WE’RE E’RE LENDING ENDING The TheBest BestMortgage Mortgage atatthe the Right RightPrice Price with with the theLeast LeastStress. Stress. GINNY GINNYWEBB WEBB

MORTGAGE MORTGAGESPECIALIST SPECIALIST NMLS# NMLS#69833 69833

Southern SouthernPines Pines 205 205SE SEBroad Broad Street Street

910-692-6222 910-692-6222

FirstBancorpmortgageloans.com/gwebb FirstBancorpmortgageloans.com/gwebb Member Member FDIC FDIC

EqualEqual Housing Housing Lender Lender

T h o u g h ts f r o m T h e Ma n S h e d

Let’s Do It Again

Of cow-tipping and getting lost in Weymouth Woods

By Geoff Cutler

There was a time when we were think-

ing of moving out of James Creek. Maybe buy a small farm or something with some land and woods, perhaps even a fishing pond. We looked around and found some places that might suit, and when we approached the kids with the idea, they blew their respective stacks, saying they loved their neighborhood, and the friends they’d grown up with, and couldn’t bear moving too far away from them and to “Please — never bring the subject up again.”

I thought of the years we’d watched them grow, splashing in the pool, the yells of “Marco” and “Polo” piercing the night sky. Or the basketball games and how I might be attempting a Sunday afternoon nap, and as I dozed, outside the window the ball bounced and banged off the backboard, and the boys screamed “foul” at one another. Once they’d all gone off to college and the court was silenced, I thought for sure that those weekend naps would improve. They didn’t. I couldn’t sleep at all without the racket of the game below. They had an event they named “fun Friday.” Dressed all in black, they waited for dark and then used the whole neighborhood to play flashlight tag. Our dog danced merrily along behind them, and sometimes you could hear one of them yell at her, “Go away, Allie!” She was giving them up to their opponents. So thinking about these things, my wife and I talked and decided if it meant so much to the kids that we not leave the place where they grew up, that was good enough for us. We stayed. Some have graduated from college already. Some have landed jobs. Some have moved to different states and live in big cities. One of ours will graduate this spring and the other in two years. Then maybe they’ll move too, and we’ll see them even less than we do now. When they do all come home, for Thanksgiving, or Christmas, they gather around our outside fire, and stay up late. We can hear them laugh and carry on. Sometimes my wife worries about the neighbors. She goes out to tell them to go to bed. Other times, we sit by the fire with them and I stay later than she does. We tell old stories from when they were little.

“Mr. Cuts, tell the one about the time you took us to tip the cows and we got lost in the woods” says Zack. “Zack, you were there,” I say. “Tell it anyway.” “OK.” It was after the annual oyster roast and we’d taken the whole bunch with us. Brooke was driving, and as we were coming through on the dirt part of Bethesda Road, they asked if we could get out and walk home, maybe tip some cows on the way through the field. Our neighborhood lay just beyond and through a small stand of woods. I thought it shouldn’t be too hard to find it, even in the dark with a half moon. I said, “why not,” and they whooped and hollered, and the pack of us set off on foot and into the night. We saw the cows, but they were all lying down already so we pressed on, climbing over fences and into the woods. We walked, and walked and walked some more, and the kids were having a blast on this nighttime adventure. I knew our neighborhood wasn’t but a couple of football fields through those woods, but for some reason, we weren’t coming out into it. The kids didn’t care. The longer we marched the more fun they thought the adventure. I suspected that we’d gone dead left off course and that we were now deep into what I was quite sure was Weymouth Woods. We were, for lack of a better word, lost. “Kids,” I said, “how about we sit down here for a bit, light a little campfire and tell a ghost story or two.” We plunked right down on the spot and had a little blaze going in no time. I told them the true one about Phineas, the pirate ghost who haunted the summer camp I went to as a kid. When I got to the part where Phineas bursts through the hatch in the camp’s dining room floor and flails his sword at all the frightened campers, I jumped up shrieking just like Phineas, and all the kids started screaming. After a bit, we put the fire out and continued on. Getting a little anxious now, I was hoping to see the lights of civilization soon. It was a Sunday night. It was getting really late, and I thought the other parents were probably starting to worry about us. Well, we finally emerged from the woods. All the way down Connecticut Avenue before the S-turn. We headed left all right, and probably walked in circles some too. “Dang, Mr. Cutler,” said Zack, “we sure are a lot farther away from home than we were when we started.” Zack had an acute sense of the obvious. “Yes, Zack, we sure are. And since I seem to have gotten us completely lost in those woods, we’re not going back into them.” So we walked all the way back up Connecticut to Bethesda and walked it to Indiana and down Indiana to James Creek Road. It was early Monday morning before I had them back with their families. Brooke was asleep and none of the other parents were worried either. The following day, Zack came running up to me and said, “Mr. Cutler, Mr. Cutler, that was the best time we ever had. Can we go get lost in the woods again tonight?” I guess now that they’re all grown up and mostly gone, I’d give just about anything for them to all be little again, and the bunch of us are out, and getting lost in the woods. PS Geoff Cutler is owner of Cutler Tree LLC in Southern Pines. He is a regular contributor to both The Pilot and PineStraw. He can be reached at geoffcutler@embarqmail.com.

125

The Lancashire Coast of England has been called the “Heart of British Links Golf” for a very good reason. It's home to several of the most celebrated and unforgettable links-style golf courses in all of Britain. Join our travel host and bestselling golf writer Jim Dodson for a sentimental journey back to the clubs featured in Final Rounds, his beloved golf travel memoir of 1997 – a weeklong sojourn that will include reserved rounds of golf at five of Lancashire's most storied clubs, including:

WALLASEY GOLF CLUB

(An Old Tom Morris Classic, Birthplace of the Stableford Scoring System)

ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB

(Site of Bobby Jones’ Grand Slam British Open triumph)

ROYAL LYTHAM & ST. ANNES GOLF CLUB (Site of Jones's first British Open title in 1926)

ROYAL BIRKDALE GOLF CLUB

(Where Arnold Palmer won his first British Open, 1960)

SOUTHPORT & AINSDALE GOLF CLUB

(A James Braid masterpiece, site of British Amateur Championships)

FORMBY GOLF CLUB

(A James Baird and Willie Park gem, beloved for its friendly welcome and championship links)

Package includes 7 nights accommodation with full English Breakfast in the Formby Hall Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa, near Liverpool. www.formbyhallgolfresort.co.uk • Welcome and farewell dinners • Personal guided history of clubs by your host and memorable evening discussions • Five rounds with dedicated tee times • Executive coach and driver provided throughout • Opportunities for side trips to Lake Country and Liverpool sightseeing Couples welcome, options for non-golf partners available at reduced rates. Personal gift from the host, Jim Dodson. All taxes included

Contact

Saveur Magazine Travel Advisor, A Way To Go Travel, Independent Consultant

(336) 275-1010 • weezieglascock@gmail.com

April Pineneedler 43 44 45 47 51 53 54 55 57 59 62 65 66 67 68 69 70 71

ACROSS 1 “To the right!” to a mule 4 Gnome 9 Moisten the meat 14 Ewe’s mate 15 Eagle’s nest 16 More elevated 17 Sphere 18 Titles, as to property 19 Strata 20 Disarm a gun 22 Baby powder 24 Ooze 25 Tilt 27 Blue-pencil 31 Writer Bombeck 32 ____ Jesse Raphael 33 Hoopla 34 Nimble 36 The Jungle author Sinclair 38 Faithful, like a steed 40 Ceremony 42 Medication amounts 1

Make more than mince Second to last mo. Requires Composer Johann Sebastian Dog food brand Back of the neck Italian currency Animal hands Cigarette user Fish basket Learner The other half of Jima Ocean gem Heron New Jersey’s neighbor (abbr.) Hose down “No ____ or reason” Not young

DOWN 1 Game bird, and name of a scotch 2 Wage getter 6

52 55

32 34

BY MART DICKERSON

53 57 62

7 3 5

8 5 44 3 6 45 a mule 47 1 "To the right!", to4 5 7 4 Gnome 9 the meat 2 1 3 51 5 9 Moisten 53 14 6Ewe's mate 9 54 15 Eagle's nest 3 1 55 16 More elevated 17 Sphere 6 8 2 4 57 ACROSS

www.CrosswordWeaver.com

59 18 Titles, as to property 62 19 Strata 20 Disarm a5gun 7 65 66 22 Baby powder PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills 67 24 Ooze Tilt 68 25

58 65 68

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 21 23 25 26 28 29 30 32 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 45 46 48 49 50 52 56 57 58 59 60 61 63 64

Badge Nineteenth century art philosophy Unwanted plant Be Free of Joyful Bovine Swiftly Observe secretly Bringing a true taste Pinehurst No. 2 ball holder of farm freshness to Make a mistake the table. Cloudy, like a dirty window Whichever 2011 Winner Like a wedding veil Antlered animal Best Dish NC Information False god graven image Large weight unit April 12th $39 per ++ Pose Ship initials 5 course menu paired with NC Beers Southwestern Indian You don’t want to miss this event! Indian village A truly fun and unique dining Working implement experience. Invitation abbreviation century art 4 Nineteenth Has no manners philosophy For more information visit: April 15th collector www.elliottsonlinden.com Unwanted plant 5 code Genetic 910.215.0775 905 Linden Rd. Pinehurst, NC Bespiritedness 6 High school Dir. from here toof G’boro 7 Free Spring8holiday Joyful Japanese self-defense 9 Bovine Embroidery work 104010 A.D.Swiftly king of England Musical Observe secretly 11 production Friendly nation 12 Pinehurst #2 ball holder Appear Make a mistake Allot13 (with “out”) 21perCloudy, Cycles second like a dirty You do many at Gold’s gym to window tone 23 Whichever Serving of corn a wedding veil 25 Like Expression of disgust Sample 26 Antlered animal

SWINE & SUDS

28 Information 29 False god graven image 30 Large weight unit 32 Pose 9 Second to last mo. 35 Ship initials Sudoku: Requires 36 Southwestern Fill in the grid so every row, every column Indian Composer Johann and every 3x3 box contain numbers 1-9. Indian village 37the Sebastian 38 Working implement 6 food Dog brand Puzzle answers on page 107 39 Invitation abbreviaton Back of the neck Has and no would manners 40 Pines Mart Dickerson lives in Southern Italian welcome currency any suggestions from41 her fellow masters. April puzzle 15th collector 7 She Animal hands can be reached at martaroonie@gmail.com 42 Genetic code Cigarette user 1 43 High school spiritedness Fish basket 45 Dir. from here to G'boro Learner 46 Spring holiday The 2 other half of Jima 48 Japanese self-defense Ocean gem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 . . . Embroidery . . . . . . . . . . . . work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .April 2012 127 Heron 50 1040 A.D. King of New Jersey's neighbor 71

southwords

Lassoing the Moon

By Sean Smith

My grandmother,

Nana, said that it’s called “falling” in love for a reason. Whoever coined that phrase wanted to accurately sum up the lack of control one has when their heart is overwhelmed by another. Perhaps that is the reason I say silly things to Jody without realizing the significance.

This past spring I took her on an impromptu drive to enjoy a view of the moon when it was at its closest position to the Earth. I stopped the car and feigned a Russian accent: “I’ve got a plan. Want to hear my plan?” Jody: “What’s your plan?” Me: “I am going to steal the moon!” Jody: “The Super Moon?” Me: “I am totally going to shrink the moon and steal it!” I’m by no means the first guy to want to give his girl the moon. When your own words fail you, borrow those of a favorite movie character. I have a cartoon curmudgeon named Gru who plans the ultimate heist while adopting three orphan girls. My grandfather had Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey. George: “What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That’s a pretty good idea. I’ll give you the moon, Mary.” Mary: “I’ll take it. Then what?” Well, in the case of my grandfather, the “then what” was a home for his wife Kathleen in Rockland County, New York, where they raised their four daughters. Every morning Bob kissed his family goodbye and commuted to the city to work for the NYPD. All in all it was a wonderful life. My grandfather left us as a result of a car crash in 1969. Nana never really recovered, but she went back to work for the Pearl River school system, maintained the house on Forest Avenue for another twenty-three years, and took care of the moon for the next forty-two years. Ten grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren later, the family

128

continued to orbit around her. Nana was the diplomacy which ensued when conflicts erupted. She was the glue that kept everyone close. She knew everyone’s hobbies, knew who had changed jobs recently, knew who was in what grade, and knew who won the t-ball championships. She also knew who was not-yet married ‚— that’d be me. Things never really happen the way one thinks they’re supposed to happen. Nana spent the last three years in the Mount Alverno nursing center in Warwick, her mind sharp and somewhat troubled about both her diminished mobility and my unsettled life. For me, the moon was still at a distance. Nana never got to walk through the door of the home I bought, but she did get a virtual tour on my laptop when I visited her last summer. Coincidentally, and just days before that visit, I met Jody, but Jody and I would not run into each other again until several months later. Nana passed away in June—almost a year to the day of that visit. Jody accompanied me to the funeral. She never met Nana in person, but she was able to speak with her on the phone, and Nana knew I planned to marry her. Unfortunately in her last days, there were only brief moments of lucidity, and I did not get to pass along the news I learned while she was in the hospital. Jody was expecting our first child. When the funeral was over, I drove to 44 Forest Avenue to find that the current owner of Nana’s house was expecting his fourth child. Once again her house will raise four girls. Each night I come home and open Facebook to see if my cousin is safe in Afghanistan. I message my niece and nephew about their school day, and I continue to try to broker a peace between Mom and my brother’s wife. I look at mobile uploads to see that my aunts are very much enjoying their new grandchildren. Then I do a little more to clear out and prepare the room that is to become the nursery in my home. When I turn in, I always say a short prayer and ask Nana to help me take good care of the moon. PS Sean Smith is a professional writer and actor. Illustration by Pamela Powers January

April 2012 i�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

It doesn’t take all day to get a massage ... unless, of course, you want it to.

A typical therapy at The Spa at Pinehurst usually lasts 50-75 minutes. But with spacious lounge areas, saunas, whirlpools, a swimming pool plus healthy snacks and smoothies, you can relax all day. So call the Spa to schedule an appointment that will benefit you long after your therapy ends.

Receive 20% off therapies Monday-Thursday.

Located next to The Carolina Hotel • Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina • 888.435.6957 • pinehurst.com