June PineStraw 2022

LEARN TO EARN Fascinating Programs Outstanding Salaries

FOUR NEW CURRICULUM PROGRAMS BEGIN IN AUGUST Building Construction Construction Management Medical Equipment Support Computed Tomography

CURRICULUM/COLLEGE CREDIT Summer Semester sessions A & B begin on May 24.

Session C begins on June 28.

Fall Semester begins on August 15 CONTINUING EDUCATION Classes begin throughout the summer.

Welcome Chris Hunt

Chris has joined Menendez & Ritter Retirement Group and is dedicated to delivering comprehensive Financial Planning and Investment Advisory services to his clients. He specializes in working with corporate executives, business owners and affluent families. Since 1991, the Menendez & Ritter Retirement Group has been developing lasting, meaningful and open relationships. Chris is ready to continue that legacy with you.

Chris Hunt - Financial Advisor 110 Turnberry Way | Pinehurst, NC 28374 | 910.693.2430 | www.fa.wellsfargoadvisors.com/mrrg | christopher.hunt@wfadvisors.com

Investments and Insurance Products: • NOT FDIC Insured NO Bank Guarantee MAY Lose Value Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker/dealer and nonbank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2021 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved. CAR-0522-01702

Hometown People, Hometown Coverage

Why Choose FirstCarolinaCare?

Large Provider Network Connect with a large network of trusted and respected providers.

Plans Made for You Plenty of affordable employer group and Medicare plans to choose from.

Exceptional, Local Customer Service We understand your needs because we live and work right here with you.

(855) 265-2623 | FirstCarolinaCare.com/info

Talent, Technology & Teamwork!

Moore County’s Most Trusted Real Estate Team!

Top 1% of Real Estate agents Nationwide!

#1 Selling Team In Moore County For Over 20 Years!

Mark Gentry Realtor Partner

Lari Dirkmart Realtor Partner

Steve Veit Realtor Partner

Martha Gentry Team Leader

Ginger Gentry Realtor Partner

“Great things in business are never done by one person.

They are done by a team of great people.”

— Steve Jobs

Hailey Gentry Team Coordinator

David Sinclair Marketing Coordinator

Lin Bourgon Closing Coordinator

Teresa Miracle Listing Coordinator

1

Deborah Cook Realtor Partner

#

Victor Uy Field Coordinator Judi Jimenez Weekend Coordinator

Moore County’s Most Trusted Real Estate Team for over 20 years!

IN MOORE COUNTY REAL ESTATE FOR OVER 20 YEARS!

www.ThEGENTRYTEAM.COM

• 910-295-7100 • Re/Max Prime Properties 5 Chinquapin Rd., Pinehurst, NC

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A ONE TIME FULL PRICE PURCHASE OF $150 OR MORE TO BE REDEEMED IN STORE OR ONLINE COUPON CODE

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*Some exclusions apply. It does not include vintage bags or Softwaves and it doesn’t not include sale items.

All sale items are final.

124 NW BROAD STREET • SOUTHERN PINES, NC 28387 • (910) 693-7463 BEST PLACE TO BUY WOMEN’S SHOES

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Photo: Colin Quaste Photography, Know Your Worth Media

June ���� FEATURES 75 Diving for the Anchor 76 Juneteenth

Poetry by Stephen E. Smith

Produced by Brady Gallagher

The Second Independence Day

82 The PineStraw Redux

By Tony Cross

A little cocktail that changed the course of history (well, my history)

84 The Coolest Summer Job Ever

When blocks of ice were the size of Volkswagens

88 View from the Tower

By Tom Bryant

By Ron Green Jr.

Judy Rankin reflects on golf, the Bells and Pine Needles

90 The Happy House

By Deborah Salomon

Elegance and practicality on the lake

101 June Almanac

By Ashley Walshe

DEPARTMENTS 21 26 28 33 37 41 42 47 51 57 59 63 69 102 115 119 120

Simple Life By Jim Dodson PinePitch Tea Leaf Astrologer By Zora Stellanova The Omnivorous Reader By Anne Blythe Bookshelf Hometown By Bill Fields The Creators of N.C. By Wiley Cash Crossroads By Jenna Biter Sandhills Photography Club Out of the Blue By Deborah Salomon Birdwatch By Susan Campbell The Naturalist By Todd Pusser Golftown Journal By Lee Pace Arts & Entertainment Calendar SandhillSeen Pine Needler By Mart Dickerson Southwords By Eileen Phelps

On the Cover: Mitch Capel in his library Cover photograph by Tim Sayer 6

PineStraw

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Dapper DADS

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Always a Step Ahead

June 2022 Thinking about selling your home?

Contact us for a no-hassle, no-cost market analysis of your home's current value.

Serving Moore County and Surrounding Areas!

910.684.8674 | 120 N ASHE ST | SOUTHERN PINES, NC 28387

www.maisonteam.com Let Maison Realty Group help with listing your home for sale this spring. Every home we list is going under contract very quickly! Going with our firm for your real estate needs you will get 100% of our marketing and 24/7 assistance in selling through the closing process and after.

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910.684.8674 | 120 N ASHE ST | SOUTHERN PINES, NC 28387

M A G A Z I N E Volume 18, No. 6 David Woronoff, Publisher david@thepilot.com

Andie Stuart Rose, Creative Director andiesouthernpines@gmail.com Jim Moriarty, Editor jjmpinestraw@gmail.com Miranda Glyder, Graphic Designer miranda@pinestrawmag.com Alyssa Kennedy, Digital Art Director alyssamagazines@gmail.com Emilee Phillips, Digital Content emilee@pinestrawmag.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Jim Dodson, Deborah Salomon, Amberly Glitz Weber CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS John Gessner, Laura L. Gingerich, Tim Sayer CONTRIBUTORS

Are you looking for you looking for aCallCOVID-19 the At-Home a Are COVID-19 vaccine Vaccination Hotline: forvaccine a person who for a person1-866-303-0026 who is at is at home due to or visit: home due to limited mobility? www.ptrc.org/COVID limited mobility?

Jenna Biter, Harry Blair, Tom Bryant, Susan Campbell, Bill Case, Mallory Cash, Wiley Cash, Tony Cross, Brianna Rolfe Cunningham, Mart Dickerson, Bill Fields, Laurel Holden, Sara King, Meridith Martens, Jason Oliver Nixon, Mary Novitsky, Lee Pace, Todd Pusser, Joyce Reehling, Scott Sheffield, Stephen E. Smith, Angie Tally, Kimberly Taws, Daniel Wallace, Ashley Walshe, Claudia Watson ADVERTISING SALES

Ginny Trigg, Advertising Director 910.693.2481 • ginny@thepilot.com Jennie Acklin, 910.693.2515 Samantha Cunningham, 910.693.2505 Jessica Galloway, 910.638.9671 Terry Hartsell, 910.693.2513 Erika Leap, 910.693.2514

Are you Are looking you looking for for Call theCall At-Home the At-Home a COVID-19 a COVID-19 vaccine vaccine Vaccination Vaccination Hotline:Hotline: Call thewho At-Home Vaccination Hotline: for afor person a person who 1-866-303-0026 1-866-303-0026 1-866-303-0026 is at is home at home due to due to or visit:or visit: or visit: www.ptrc.org/COVID www.ptrc.org/COVID www.ptrc.org/COVID limited limited mobility? mobility?

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Emily Jolly • pilotads@thepilot.com

ADVERTISING GRAPHIC DESIGN Mechelle Butler, Scott Yancey

NC Department of Health and Human Services • YourSpotYourShot.nc.gov NCDHHS is an equal opportunity employer and provider. • 07/2021

PS Steve Anderson, Finance Director 910.693.2497 Darlene Stark, Circulation Director 910.693.2488 SUBSCRIPTIONS 910.693.2488

OWNERS Jack Andrews, Frank Daniels Jr., Frank Daniels III, Lee Dirks, David Woronoff

C DepartmentNC of Department Health and Human of Health Services and Human • YourSpotYourShot.nc.gov Services • YourSpotYourShot.nc.gov

CDHHS is an equal NCDHHS opportunity is an equal employer opportunity and provider. employer•and 07/2021 provider. • 07/2021

145 W. Pennsylvania Avenue, Southern Pines, NC 28387 www.pinestrawmag.com ©Copyright 2022. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. PineStraw magazine is published by The Pilot LLC

10

PineStraw

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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POWER LIFT CHAIRS NOW AVAILABLE IN FABRIC & VINYL OPTIONS. LIMITED STOCK!

OVER 40 RECLINERS, COUCHES & SECTIONALS AVAILABLE AT

910.246.2233 150 COMMERCE AVE SOUTHERN PINES

919.292.6001 2901 S HORNER BLVD. SANFORD

PINEHURST TOYOTA ADVANTAGE PLAN At Pinehurst Toyota, we’re more than just a dealership. We’re a family. Every time you step onto our lot, our goal is to make sure you are 100% satisfied with your visit, whether you’re looking to purchase a new ride, secure financing for that vehicle, have your current auto serviced, or buy genuine Toyota parts. You can count on our staff to make you the number-one priority.

Interested in joining the family? Check out our Advantage Plan that is guaranteed with every purchase.

LIFETIME LIMITED POWERTRAIN WARRANTY! UNLIMITED TIME…UNLIMITED MILES! NO ADDITIONAL COST! Lifetime limited non-factory warranty on all new Toyotas. Good at participating dealerships nationwide.

No additional charge. See dealer for details.

2 YEARS NO COST MAINTENANCE! * The first 2 years/25,000 miles are covered under the Toyota Care program.

5 YEARS ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE! * You get 5 years of Roadside Assistance, regardless of miles!

COMPLIMENTARY LOANERS!

We value your time. That’s why with any major service at Pinehurst Toyota, you will receive the use of a complimentary loaner.

OUR BEST PRICE DIFFERENCE!**

If within 3 days of purchasing your new vehicle from us, you find a lower price on the exact same vehicle on our lot, we will refund you 100% of the difference!

COURTESY CAR WASH WITH EVERY SERVICE!

You will receive a complimentary car wash anytime your vehicle is in for service, maintenance, or repairs!

100% CUSTOMER SATISFACTION GUARANTEE!***

If within 72 hours of purchasing your new or pre-owned vehicle you are not completely satisfied, bring it back and exchange it for another vehicle at Pinehurst Toyota! *2 years No Cost Maintenance and 5 years Roadside Assistance provided by ToyotaCare. **Must present written offer or ad on exact same vehicle from our dealership. ***Mileage driven must not exceed 200 miles.

Browse Inventory / Get Pre-Approved / Complete Paperwork CURBSIDE PICK-UP & DELIVERY OF YOUR NEW CAR!

THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT, WE HAVE WON THE BEST OF THE PINES 2021 FOR THE #1 DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT. SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT TODAY TO EXPERIENCE #1 SERVICE

All-New 2022 Toyota Tundra

910-684-4028 |

10760 HWY 15-501, SOUTHERN PINES, NC 28388 PINEHURSTTOYOTA.COM

BHHSPRG.COM

LUXURY

LUXURY

415 Fairway Drive, Southern Pines

$2,475,000

4 bed • 7/1 bath

Pamela O’Hara (910) 315-3093 MLS 100297806

Dunross Manor, built by Donald Ross in 1929 in Knollwood Heights on 2.3 acres. Beautiful chef’s kitchen, 1,900 sqft workshop, carriage house, fabulous outdoor kitchen, and breathtaking gardens.

LUXURY

$1,695,000

4 bed • 6 bath

Craig Dunlop (910) 528-1008 MLS 100324319

Jennifer Nguyen (910) 585-2099 MLS 100316830

National Pinehurst Number 9 living at its best, with transferrable Pinehurst Country Club Charter Membership. Welcoming front porch and private backyard oasis.

3 Whirla Way, Pinehurst

$495,000

Jennifer Nguyen (910) 585-2099 MLS 100320438

Enjoy the Pinehurst lifestyle in this beautiful home. From the welcoming front porch, enter the light and airy first level with wood floors.

Screened-in porch overlooks backyard with fireplace and privacy fencing.

19 Abington Drive, Pinehurst

$975,000

5 bed • 4/2 bath

Marie O’Brien (910) 528-5669 MLS 100323248

18 Kippen Court, Pinehurst

$655,000

3 bed • 2/1 bath Cathy Breeden (910) 585-2099 MLS 100309119

Pinewild Country Club location! Meticulously maintained custom built, single level home.

Exquisitely decorated, and light filled open home.

Private, large wooded lot with beautiful landscaping.

D L O S 625 Overland Court, Vass

$376,000

4 bed • 2/1 bath Jennifer Nguyen (910) 585-2099 MLS 100314176

Lakefront property in Pinewild Country Club. Enjoy spectacular lake views with pier, beach, and boating.

Cart garage, Carolina room, country kitchen, family room, game room, and more.

LUXURY

D SOL

NG I D PEN 4 bed • 2/1 bath

This is a beautiful home with everything one would want at Forest Creek Golf Club.

Dramatic open concept plan.

Enjoy the expansive back yard with another patio and eating area.

LUXURY

236 National Drive, Pinehurst

$919,000

NG I D PEN

23 Cumberland Drive, Pinehurst

G N I D PEN 4 bed • 2/1 bath

LUXURY

Welcome home in desirable Camellia Crossing community. Bright and open living room with fireplace, recessed lighting, and eating area. Kitchen with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and island.

D SOL 104 Clubhouse Lane, Southern Pines

$630,000

5 bed • 4 bath

Jennifer Nguyen (910) 585-2099 MLS 100310933

Beautiful and pristine home in Mid-South. Welcoming front porch leads into open floor plan with wood floors that flow throughout main level. Gourmet kitchen with stainless appliances, and an office nook.

NG I D PEN 101 Ramsgate Court, Pinehurst

$359,900

4 bed • 3 bath

Karen Iampietro (910) 690-7098 Jennifer Nguyen (910) 585-2099

MLS 100318342 Welcome to this spacious home located in the desirable Seven Lakes South community. The floor plan is bright, open and flows well for daily living. This is a must see home.

G N I D PEN 145 Westchester Circle, Pinehurst

$325,000

3 bed • 2 bath

Jennifer Nguyen (910) 585-2099 MLS 100318959

Nestled in the pines, this charming home has transferrable Pinehurst Country Club Charter Membership. Hardwood floors flow throughout the main living spaces.

Ask us about our convenient mortgage services.

Pinehurst • 42 Chinquapin Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374 • 910 -295 - 5504 | Southern Pines • 167 Beverly Lane, Southern Pines, NC 28387 • 910-692-2635 ©2022 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC

Soak in the Sun

One of the best-kept secrets for home furnishings and decor, Southern Design Furniture carries multiple name brands such as the beautiful Bassett furniture featured here, as well as an assortment of accessories to add that little something extra to your home.

4909 Raeford Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28304 | 910.423.0239

A Sandhills area first!

Exciting • Entertaining • Contemporary shows in their SANDHILLS AREA PREMIERES live on stage in the intimate McPherson Theatre at BPAC SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGES & GROUP RATES AVAILABLE!

July 22-August 28 • McPherson Theatre @BPAC

JudsonTheatre.com

Tix/Info/Donate: Live Professional Theatre in the Sandhills since 2012

The 501c3 not-for-profit Professional Theatre Company in Residence at Bradshaw Performing Arts Center

Daniel Haley, Artistic Director • Morgan Sills, Executive Producer

D O N ’ T J U ST L I VE H E R E . . .

LOVE IT HERE.

LIVE at Quail Haven Village, a Senior Living Community, and...

LOVE the picturesque location conveniently close to the Village of Pinehurst

LOVE the INSPIRE wellness program that helps promote an active lifestyle

LOVE the newly renovated garden apartment homes LOVE the continuing care on-site to provide peace of mind.

Call 910.537.6812 to schedule a tour and see why residents don’t just live here, they LOVE IT HERE.

155 Blake Blvd., Pinehurst, NC 28374 | QuailHavenVillage.com A Life Plan Community offered by Liberty Senior Living.

© 2022 Quail Haven Village

SIMPLE LIFE

The Incomplete Gardener We dream and scheme — and forever learn

By Jim Dodson

Over the

ILLUSTRATION BY GERRY O'NEILL

past five years, I’ve been building a garden in the old neighborhood where I grew up, a garden of shade and light beneath towering oaks, and my third effort at a major landscape project.

Each one has been distinctly different from the one before it. The first was a woodland retreat I built on 15 acres atop a sunny coastal hill in Maine, carved out of a beautiful forest of beech and birch. I was a new father when the gardening bug bit with emphasis, inspired by the British sporting estates and spectacular public botanical gardens I routinely visited in my work as a golf editor and outdoors correspondent for a pair of national magazines.

My children spent the first decade of their lives on that hilltop, living in a rugged post-and-beam house I built with my own hands and never expected to leave. It was, or so I told myself, my dream home and private garden sanctuary, the last place on earth I would abandon. My own growing obsession with gardening even inspired me to spend two years researching and writing a book about the horticulture world, the beautiful madness that overtakes those who fall in love with shaping landscape.

It was difficult to say goodbye to that little piece of heaven, but life changes when you least expect. That’s an important lesson of living. When I had an opportunity to come home to the South and teach writing at a top Virginia university and start a trio of arts magazines across my home state of North Carolina, I didn’t hesitate.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Next came a cottage on two acres in Pinehurst that we inhabited for a year with the full intention of buying. The property came with a charming but wildly overgrown garden and an aging swimming pool. Over a full year, I liberated a handsome serpentine brick fence, rebuilt the garden and enclosed the property with a new wooden fence and gate. We also updated the pool and enjoyed it for the span of one lovely summer. Our golden retriever, Ajax, particularly enjoyed the pool, taking himself for a dip every morning and floating for hours on his own air mattress.

The problem was the cottage. It was built over a forest swamp and turned out, upon the required inspection for sale, to have massive mold below decks. The entire structure had to be immediately evacuated and gutted. We took a bath on the deal, a gamble, and lost a small fortune. But such is life. One lives, learns and moves on.

The mid-century house we bought six years ago in the Piedmont city where I grew up was built by the Corry family — a beautiful California-style bungalow that was Big Al Corry’s dream house. Mama Corry was the last to live in it, and the family was thrilled when they learned we were buying it because I had grown up two doors away from the Corry boys.

As we approach six years on the grounds, restoration of the house is nearly complete. Sometime later this summer, after I finish the stone pathways and install a new wooden fence and gate, my latest woodland garden will be complete as well.

Or will it?

One of the lessons I’ve learned from building three ambiPineStraw

21

SIMPLE LIFE

tious gardens is that a garden is never complete — and neither is its creator.

We don’t just grow a garden. It continually grows us.

I think of this phenomenon as the garden within.

We scheme and dream, we build and revise, we learn from the past, forever growing.

As my friend Tony Avent, the gifted Raleigh plantsman once told me during the five weeks we spent together hunting aboriginal plants in the upland wilds of South Africa, no garden — or gardener — is ever complete.

“You’re not really a serious gardener until you’ve killed a lot of innocent plants,” he pointed out, “and learned from the experience. You just have to get down in the dirt and do it.”

I blame verdure in the bloodstream and dirt beneath my fingernails for this earthly addiction, probably a legacy of the old Piedmont family of rural farmers, gardeners and preachers from Alamance and Orange counties that I hail from. When I was a kid, both my parents were devoted amateur landscape gardeners. My father’s thing was lawns and shrubs, and my mother was widely admired for her spectacular peonies and roses come May and June.

A few years back, about the time Ajax the dog was enjoying his daily floats in a swimming pool we rebuilt but never owned, a lovely woman who purchased my family’s home got in touch.

She was planning to sell the house in order to move into a senior adult community — and wouldn’t I like to come and dig up some of my mom’s spectacular peonies?

I thanked her and promised I would soon drop by, shovel in hand. But, sadly, I got so busy with work and travel, I failed to get there before the house was sold and the peony row was plowed under by the new owners.

Another life lesson from the garden — everything in life has an expiration date. Delay may cost regret.

But sometimes, when you least expect it, another opportunity comes along, a chance for more growth.

This latest garden saved my sanity during the lost days of the COVID pandemic. It’s designed for hot summer days now upon us, cooled by more than 20 flowering trees I’ve planted around the property, creating my version of an urban woodland retreat — a Scottish vale, as I imagine it — where birds gather to feed each evening and the aging gardener sits with a fine bourbon in hand, still scheming and dreaming.

In the meantime, this month, the new peony row I planted last summer in memory of my mom — using the same small wooden-handled pot she used to plant things in her garden — should really be something to see. PS Jim Dodson is the founding editor of O.Henry.

Lin Hutaff’s PineHurst reaLty GrouP

Village of Pinehurst | 910.528.6427 | linhutaff@pinehurst.net 22

PineStraw

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

If you want to KNOW Pinehurst, you need to KNOW Lin. 910-528-6427

NEW LISTING

170 EAGLE POINT LANE, SOUTHERN PINES $1,750,000 SOL

D

SOL

185 CHEROKEE ROAD • OLD TOWN “Concord Cottage”, charming, tastefully updated throughout! $1,200,000

E UND

R CO

NTR

AC T

10 JUNIPER CREEK • PINEHURST NO 6 Golf front. Expansive deck. 15th fairway. $540,000

SOL

25 GINGHAM LANE • LAKE PINEHURST Southern charm with wrap around porch.

Private pool with 4-5 bedrooms. $489,000

D

D

610 DIAMONDHEAD DR • LAKE AREA Lake Pinehurst rare find, move-in ready! All brick, single level home. $430,000

SOL

D

180 SUGAR PINE DR • LAKE PINEHURST Total remodel. Stunning Cottage. $500,000

SOL

D

5 BAY COURT • MONTICELLO Welcoming front porch, 3 bed, 2 bath, open kitchen, fenced private yard, cul-de-sac. $460,000

PRIVATE ESTATE

5 bedroom, 4.5 bath. Hardwood floors. Updated throughout. Custom wine cellar. Lush gardens. 1 mile to village center.

CALL LIN FOR A COMPLIMENTARY MARKET ANALYSIS OF YOUR HOME

Lin Hutaff’s PineHurst reaLty GrouP 25 CHinquaPin rd., PineHurst, nC 28374 | lin@linhutaff.com| linhutaff@pinehurst.net

Welcomes

James Patterson June 10th, 2022 • 12 noon • The Pinehurst Resort Presented By

BOSTON CHICAGO JACKSONVILLE NEW YORK FAIRFIELD COUNTY SOUTHERN PINES/PINEHURST

Join us for a conversation about his newly released memoir, James Patterson by James Patterson.

We will welcome 1,000 people to pack the Grand Ballroom at the Carolina Hotel, meet James Patterson and receive an autographed copy of this book.

Conversation will be lead by the bookshop’s Kimberly Daniels Taws.

Tickets are $31 each and include:

Sponsored by

• An autographed copy of the book • The opportunity for a socially distant photograph with James Patterson • A seat for the conversation between Kimberly Daniels Taws of The Country Bookshop and James Patterson • Attendees will also have the opportunity to submit questions for consideration ahead of the event

CHECK THE STORE WEBSITE AND TICKETMESANDHILLS.COM FOR MORE EVENT INFORMATION 140 NW Broad Street • Southern Pines, NC • 910.692.3211 • www.thecountrybookshop.biz

NEW CONSTRUCTION? Here at Coldwell Banker Advantage, We work with the top local builders to offer the highest quality homes in new construction communities close to your favorite amenities & features of the Sandhills.

Gretchen Pines

Ryan's Run

Legacy Lakes

Camellia Crossing

Timberland Ranch

Give us a call today!

910-693-3300

www.HomesCBA.com | 910-693-3300| @CBAofthePines

PinePitch Off Script with The Sway

PHOTOGRAPH BY DIANE MCKAY

Join The Sway for an exciting author event on Tuesday June 14, from 6 to 8 p.m., at 195 American Fusion, 195 Bell Ave., Southern Pines. Get a behind-the-scenes perspective on this summer’s hottest beach read, Nora Goes Off Script, from the author, Annabel Monaghan. Enjoy an exclusive night sipping on a flight of tequila cocktails inspired by the books’ characters while hearing more about Annabel’s creative process.

Enough tequila and a good book — who needs the beach?

Info and tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Now Watch This Hop, leap or jump over to Raeford to watch horse and rider teams go through their paces at the North Carolina Hunter Jumper Association Annual Horse Show that begins Wednesday, June 29, and ends Sunday, July 3. Times are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford.

For information visit www.nchja.com.

So Many Books, So Little Time

History at Home West Southern Pines has an impressive legacy and an even brighter future. Learn more about this historic area as Kim Wade, president of the West Southern Pines Civic Club, and Vincent Gordon present an Arts and Humanities Lecture, “The Rebirth of West Southern Pines: One of N.C.’s First African American Townships,” on Sunday, June 12, at 2 p.m. Free admission, registration required. Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www.weymouthcenter.org.

26

PineStraw

And we’re only talking about the ones by James Patterson!

Wondering where to start? Try his new memoir, James Patterson by, you guessed it, James Patterson. Launch into your reading with an autographed copy of the book and a conversation with the author led by The Country Bookshop’s Kimberly Daniels Taws from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday, June 10, at the Pinehurst Resort, 80 Carolina Vista Drive, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 692-3211 or www.ticketmesandhills.com.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

To Be or Not to Be ’Tis not the question for us because we know you’ll want to be at the Shakespeare in the Pines summer production of Hamlet, opening Friday, June 10, at 7:30 p.m.

Lawn admission is free.

Trust us, “the play’s the thing” you need for your weekend plans. Performances are also on June 11, 12 and 17 - 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tufts Park, Village of Pinehurst. Info and tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Use Your Superpower for Good Plant power, that is. Join Namaste Arey of Meadowflower Farms at the Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines, on Saturday, June 25, at 11 a.m., for “Plant Propagation 101.” Perfect for beginners, this class will leave you with tips and tricks for turning cuttings into new baby plants. Is there a better superpower? The Earth doesn’t think so. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

Yard Sales Are the Bee’s Knees

Classic Cruisers Do you love Flathead V8s and hand-crank windows? How about raising funds for charity? Cruise into Mac’s Breakfast Anytime, 1904 N. Sandhills Blvd., Aberdeen, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, June 17, and catch the action. Bring your classic car, truck or motorcycle, and raise funds for local charities. There will be door prizes, music and more. Organized by Sandhills Classic Street Rod Association. Info: www.sandhillsclassicstreetrods.com.

YARD SALE!

Local buzz has it there will be some great finds at The Bee’s Knees Community Yard Sale, on Saturday, June 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Whet your appetite while shopping at 30 - 40 individual outdoor booths offering everything from handmade crafts, modern tools and electronics, to vintage and antique collectibles, before finishing up with a bite at the on-site food truck. The Bee’s Knees, 125 N.C. 73, West End.

First Friday If “cosmic soul rock” is your thing, then the place to be Friday, June 3, is listening to Rebekah Todd and her band on the Sunrise Theater outdoor stage, 250 N.W. Broad St. in Southern Pines, from 5 to 8 p.m. Influenced by artists from Hiatus Kaiyote to Tedeschi Trucks Band, Todd focuses on the art of expression. Enjoy food trucks, some Southern Pines Brewery brews, and listen to great music while supporting the local theater. No dogs, outside alcohol or rolling coolers. Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.sunrisetheater.com.

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TEA LEAF ASTROLOGER

Gemini

(May 21 – June 20) You’ve heard the boiling frog myth. Stick a frog in a pot of boiling water and it will jump out; but stick one in cool water that is gradually heated and, yep, it cooks. Don’t go meddling in the wrong pot, Gemini. And, certainly, don’t get complacent there. Known for their clever and charming nature, this ever-babbling air sign has a knack for nosing their way into other people’s business. Consider turning that devotion inward before things get slimy.

Tea leaf “fortunes” for the rest of you: Cancer (June 21 – July 22)

Give it time. The wound becomes the medicine.

Leo (July 23 – August 22)

It was never about the honey.

Virgo (August 23 – September 22)

Ditch the training wheels.

Libra (September 23 – October 22)

You’ve mastered subtlety. Don’t be surprised that no one’s noticed.

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)

Let the patterns clash.

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)

Maybe take it down a notch.

Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)

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PineStraw

Reply hazy. Try again.

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)

Does the phrase “dirty laundry” mean anything to you?

Pisces (February 19 – March 20)

More porch swings, less mood swings.

Aries (March 21 – April 19)

You’re cutting against the grain again.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20)

You are what you eat. Try adding some flavor. PS Zora Stellanova has been divining with tea leaves since Game of Thrones’ Starbucks cup mishap of 2019. While she’s not exactly a medium, she’s far from average. She lives in the N.C. foothills with her Sphynx cat, Lyla.

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1996

2001

2007

2022

Who will win the ultimate test in women’s golf?

THE ANSWER MIGHT SURPRISE YOU.

When the most amazing women in the game gather at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club to compete for the 77th U.S. Women’s Open Championship, the winner won’t be the only one to make history. Because while a new champion will join the ranks of Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb and Cristie Kerr who all won National titles at Pine Needles, the iconic Donald Ross track will become the only course to host four U.S. Women’s Open Championships.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of this historic event, May 31-Jun 5.

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THE OMNIVOROUS READER

Dame Agatha’s Mystery A novel look at Christie’s 11-day disappearance

By A nne Blythe

Dame Agatha Christie, the famed

author who wrote 66 detective novels in her 85 years, left the conclusion of one very public mystery untold.

While some details are known about what happened in December 1926 when the prolific writer famously went missing for 11 days, much remains unknown. That has led to an array of books and films in which writers attempt to piece together clues, fill in gaps and offer theories about Christie’s perplexing disappearance.

Nina de Gramont, a creative writing professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, has put forward an intriguing and inventive account in her latest novel, The Christie Affair. She tells her story from the perspective of the mistress who, history tells us, broke up the marriage of Christie and her first husband, Archie.

Here’s what we know from newspaper accounts.

The search for Christie included hundreds of police officers, planes, amateur sleuths on bicycles and in cars, musings from fellow mystery writers Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy Sayers, and even a séance at the site where her green Morris Cowley was found deserted in a ditch in the English countryside.

Many theories were posed about what happened to the “lady novelist,” as some journalists described Christie. Was her body at the bottom of the Silent Pool, the lake in Surrey, England, near the abandoned car? Could the mystery writer, not so well-known at the time, be pulling a publicity stunt?

The hunt ended some 200 miles north of Sunningdale, where the author lived with her husband Archie and their daughter, when it was revealed that Christie had checked into the Swan Hydropathic Hotel in Harrogate using the name Theresa Neele. It was not known at the time by the public, but Neele was the last name of Archie’s mistress, the woman he planned to leave his wife for.

Christie’s only public explanation of her whereabouts came in a February 1928 interview with the Daily Mail, in which she described being in a state of depression after her mother’s death in 1926 and suffering from “private troubles,” which she said she The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

preferred not to get into with the reporter. The Daily Mail reported that Christie contemplated death by suicide several times before driving her car into the remote ditch, hitting something, being flung against the steering wheel and bumping her head.

It has long been questioned whether Christie truly had amnesia as the family reported after a public outcry about the extensive search and cost of it when it was revealed the author had been staying in the hotel under an assumed name.

“Up to this moment, I was Mrs. Christie,” she told the Daily Mail.

In her book, Gramont names her narrator Nan O’Dea, a departure from Nancy Neele, the real-life other woman. Without giving short shrift to details of the headline-grabbing disappearance available in newspaper archives around the world, de Gramont devises a double-pronged plot. She alternates between Nan’s account of the days and crucial moments before Christie went missing and a backstory filled with sadness and grief that drives the fictional narrator.

We’re transported from London to Ireland and the worlds of the haves and have-nots amid World War I. We move back and forth between Nan’s early days and her first powerful love in Ireland to Christie’s unraveling marriage and the 11 days that inspired the novel. Slowly, we find out why Nan sets her sights on Archie and aggressively works to woo him away from Agatha to achieve a greater love that becomes clearer as the suspense unravels.

Like the “Queen of Crime,” Gramont has a knack for mystery.

She lures her readers in with her first sentence: “A long time ago in another country, I almost killed a woman.”

The North Carolina author also has a gift for leaving subtle signs of what lies ahead, putting pointers in plain sight in the style of Christie.

“Anyone who says I have no regrets is either a psychopath or a liar,” Nan, the narrator, says in the opening chapter when asked PineStraw

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by her sister whether she regrets what she did. “I am neither of those things, simply adept at keeping secrets. In this way, the first Mrs. Christie and the second are very much alike. We both know you can’t tell your own story without exposing someone else’s. Her whole life, Agatha refused to answer any questions about the eleven days she was missing, and it wasn’t only because she needed to protect herself. I would have refused to answer, too, if anyone had thought to ask.”

Right at the start, we find out what will become clear in the end — Nan ends up with Archie and Agatha does not.

What we get from de Gramont’s evocative and layered scenes between the beginning and end are often twists, steamy romance, deadpan humor, an unexpected body (as necessary in any Christie mystery) and adventures to oldfashioned villages with a cast of mostly affable, but complicated characters.

“As readers our minds reach toward longed for conclusions,” de Gramont writes as Nan brings her own narrative to a close with an ending that’s not all rosy.

Her storyline for Agatha, though, concludes with a happier image.

“A mystery should end with a killer revealed, and so it has,” de Gramont writes toward the end of her book. “A quest should end with a treasure restored. And so it has. A tragic love story should end with its lovers dead or departed. But a romance. That should end with lovers reunited. Beyond the confines of these pages, life will go tumbling forward. But this is my story. I can make anything happen, unbeholden to a future that now has become the past. I can leave you with a single image, and we pretend it lasts forever. So for this part of the story, let’s stop here.”

The author’s masterful storytelling leaves you longing for more. PS Anne Blythe has been a reporter in North Carolina for more than three decades. She has covered city halls, higher education, the courts, crime, hurricanes, ice storms, O N D sports, E R F Uhealth L 1 0 0care droughts, floods,Wcollege and many wonderful characters who make this state such an interesting place.

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Arts & Humanities Lecture June 12 • 2 pm

“The Rebirth of West Southern Pines: One of NC’s First African American Townships” Presented by Kim Wade & Vincent Gordon Free Admission / Registration Required

Writers-in-Residence Reading June 15 • 5:30 pm Charles Oldham will read from his new book Ship of Blood Free Admission / Registration Required

James Boyd Book Club June 21 • 2 pm Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee

by Casey Cep Free Admission / Registration Required

For tickets and more information, visit weymouthcenter.org Thank you to our sponsors: Richard J. Reynolds III and Marie M. Reynolds Foundation; Gerald Claude Kirby Trust; NC CARES for Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council; Arts Council of Moore County; The Palmer Foundation; Marion Stedman Covington Foundation; The Cannon Foundation; Donald and Elizabeth Cooke Foundation; The Pilot

We’re celebrating 100 years of our historic Boyd House with 100 events in 2022 555 E. Connecticut Ave. Southern Pines, NC A 501 (c)(3) organization

WONDERFUL 100

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BOOKSHELF

June Books

FICTION It All Comes Down to This, by Therese Anne Fowler The Geller sisters — Beck, Claire and Sophie — are a trio of strong-minded women whose pragmatic, widowed mother, Marti, will die soon and take her secrets with her. Marti has ensured that her modest estate is easy for her family to deal with once she’s gone — including a provision that the family’s summer cottage on Mount Desert Island, Maine, must be sold. Beck, the eldest, is a freelance journalist whose marriage looks more like a sibling bond than a passionate partnership. The Maine cottage has been essential to her secret wish to write a novel. Despite her accomplishments as a pediatric cardiologist, Claire, the middle daughter, has always felt like the Geller misfit. Her secret, unrequited love for the wrong man, is slowly destroying her. Youngest daughter Sophie appears to live an Instagram-ready life, filled with glamorous work and travel. In reality, her existence is a cashstrapped house of cards that may crash at any moment. Enter C.J. Reynolds, an enigmatic Southerner and ex-con with his own hidden past who complicates the situation. All is not what it seems, and everything is about to change.

Jackie & Me, by Louis Bayard In the spring of 1951, débutante Jacqueline Bouvier, working for the Washington Times-Herald, meets Jack Kennedy, a charming congressman from a notorious and powerful family, at a party in Washington, D.C. Young, rebellious, eager to break free from her mother, Jackie is drawn to the elusive young politician. Jack, busy with House duties during the week and Senate campaigning on the weekend (as well as his other now-well-known extracurricular activities) convinces his best friend and fixer, Lem Billings, to court Jackie on his behalf. Only gradually does Jackie begin to realize that she is being groomed to be the perfect political wife.

Sharply written by the bestselling author of Courting Mr. Lincoln,

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this historical novel draws a picture of Jackie as never before seen, in a story about love, sacrifice, friendship and betrayal.

Woman of Light, by Kali Fajardo-Anstine Luz “Little Light” Lopez, a tea leaf reader and laundress, is left to fend for herself after her older brother, Diego, a snake charmer and factory worker, is run out of town by a violent mob. As Luz navigates 1930s Denver on her own, she begins to have visions that transport her to her Indigenous homeland in the nearby Lost Territory. In the end, it is up to Luz to save her family stories from disappearing into oblivion. Woman of Light is a transfixing novel about survival, family secrets and love, filled with an unforgettable cast of characters.

Horse, by Geraldine Brooks The Pulitzer Prize-winning Brooks braids a story that sweeps from antebellum racetracks to the vibrant post-World War II art scene in Manhattan, all the way to the Smithsonian’s high-tech osteology labs. Kentucky, 1850 — A bright bay foal, Lexington, and his enslaved groom forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. An itinerant young artist who makes his name from paintings of the horse takes up arms for the Union and reconnects with the stallion and his groom on a dangerous night far from the glamour of any racetrack. New York City, 1954 — Martha Jackson, a gallery owner celebrated for taking risks on edgy contemporary painters, becomes obsessed with a 19th century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance. Washington, D.C., 2019 — As a Smithsonian scientist studies the stallion’s bones for clues to his power and endurance, an art historian seeks the lost history of the Black trainers and grooms often depicted with the horse.

Leaning heavily on Lexington’s remarkable true story, both on the track and during the Civil War, Brooks highlights the unsung contribution of the Black horsemen on whose expertise vast fortunes relied.

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Southern Classics with an Elevated Twist Wholesome Food Local Produce Bring your friends and have your own brunch picnic on our patio! Enjoy the summertime with a Mimosa Tower or one of our cocktails especially tailored for brunch. When it comes to food, you can never go wrong with a classic southern staple like our sweet and savory Chicken and Waffles or Mac N Cheese Au Gratin.

Make brunch worth celebrating!

100 Pavilion Way, Suite B Southern Pines, NC 28387 910-725-2123 Open Every Day 8am-4pm @yellowbirdsouthernpines

BOOKSHELF

CHILDREN’S BOOKS Bearnard Writes a Book, by Deborah Underwood Bearnard the bear wants Gertie the goose to have her very own book. Their adventure in writing comes complete with dragons, volcanoes and rampaging monsters. This adorable adventure story even has a literary surprise ending. (Ages 4-7.)

Pineapple Princess, by Sabina Hahn Any old princess can have a sparkly, bedazzled crown but it takes a warrior queen to fully embrace a more . . . natural option. Move over Fancy Nancy, there’s a new girl in town, and she’s, well, a little bit sticky. (Ages 3-7).

Don’t Miss Any of the Action!

2022 US Women’s Open June 2nd- 5th At Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club

Gardens Are For Growing, by Chelsea Tornetto There’s a special bond between daddies and daughters, and this adorable picture book celebrates that together time through the seasons in a family’s garden. Perfect for Earth Day, Father’s Day or graduations.

Fans of Love You Forever will declare this a must have. (Ages 3-6).

The Curious Book of Lists, by Tracy Turner What’s the world’s slimiest creature?

Which are the deadliest snakes? How many countries exist with no coastline? Find out all this and more in The Curious Book of Lists.

This would be a fun one to keep on the dinner table. (Ages 8-12). PS Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Nobody covers the Championship like The Pilot Visit thepilot.com/opendaily for top headlines from the course.

And sign up to receive our daily USWO emails sent straight to your in-box.

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HOMETOWN

Golf’s Front Porch The little magazine that could

By Bill Fields

Seventy-five years ago

this month, Pinehurst resident Robert Harlow gave golf something, a present that provided pleasure for decades. His creation was Golf World, a weekly publication that would become an important square in the quilt of the game.

Remembering Golf World is personal for me because the magazine was my professional home for nearly a quarter-century.

I wasn’t around for the debut edition — June 18, 1947, which covered Lew Worsham’s U.S. Open victory over Sam Snead — but in two stints I worked in various capacities on more than 800 Golf World issues and was a senior editor when subscribers received their last print copy eight years ago. Current PineStraw editor Jim Moriarty, who like me had a long history with Golf World, wrote the final cover story on Rory McIlroy winning the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool (where, coincidentally, Fred Daly took the Claret Jug during Golf World’s first year).

A couple of days after we put that print edition to bed on a Monday night, positions were eliminated and so was a meaningful chapter of golf history. Those of us who worked there lamented the loss. So did thousands of Golf World readers, many of them avid players or part of the industry, for whom the publication was a pillar in their golf lives.

Harlow called his creation a newspaper when it launched, but soon enough it was seen as a magazine. By any name the publication was golf’s front porch and party line, where people found out what was going on in the game they loved. E. Harvie Ward Jr. of Tarboro was a subscriber. So was a young bank teller and budding golfer in New Zealand, Bob Charles, who discovered the world he one day would join despite the news being weeks late when he received his copy.

You could find Pete Dye in the results of elite amateur events and in tiny advertisements for his services as a golf architect.

Philadelphia restaurateur Helen Sigel plugged her establishment The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

and clubmaker Bert Dargie his 7-woods in the one-inch ads. Golf World also got local businesses to advertise, with The Dunes Club promoting “floor shows, excellent cuisine and dancing.” (It couldn’t come out and say it was a little Las Vegas in the longleaf.)

Golf World started small — Harlow, instrumental in the nascent days of the professional circuit in the United States, and his wife, Lillian, formed the early core — and never got very large. Over its first four decades, when it was located in Pinehurst and later Southern Pines, a skeleton staff put out the stories and the scores with help from a network of correspondents around the globe, scribes who made less for their contributions than the pros who tied for 37th in the tournaments they were covering.

Reporters doubled as photographers, and a few of us got competent with a camera. But our skills weren’t always evident, sabotaged as they were by limitations in color separations and printing that could make images appear as murky as Drowning Creek.

Before Golf World got big-time owners — The New York Times Company and later Condé Nast — it didn’t do much live photography. This meant that when someone won in Dallas in the spring, the shot of the victor on the cover was most likely taken a couple of months earlier on a tee with good light and a clean background in Los Angeles. The use of stock pictures was largely harmless, with one notable exception. When T.C. Chen won at Riviera Country Club in 1987, the photograph used on Golf World’s cover was of his older brother, T.M., taken the previous year at the Masters’ par-3 contest.

Given that I took that Kodachrome of T.M. Chen — correctly identified on the slide mount, by the way — I thought of the publishing blunder when the curtain was closed on Golf World in 2014. It made me laugh when I felt like crying. I also considered how much the magazine got right over nearly seven decades and how many readers renewed their subscriptions year after year, grateful that Bob Harlow’s idea was in the mail, with news of the game, of their game. PS Southern Pines native Bill Fields, who writes about golf and other things, moved north in 1986 but hasn’t lost his accent.

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T H E C R E AT O R S O F N. C .

Imprinting the Land The artistry of printmaker Katie Hayes

By Wiley Cash Photographs by Mallory Cash

About half a mile

down a gravel road off a two-lane highway in rural Hillsborough, block printmaker Katie Hayes is working in a light-filled studio above her garage. It’s midday on a warm afternoon in late April. Sunlight slants through a canopy of tulip poplars and oaks, trickling down to the dogwoods that make up an understory that shades countless azaleas wild with blooms. I can’t see it from where I stand, gazing at the forest from the sliding glass door at the back of Katie’s studio, but I can hear a nearby cardinal chirping against a backdrop of birdcalls that echo through the trees.

It’s not a stretch to say that the living things outside Katie’s studio parallel the flora and fauna portrayed in her prints: All around me, jet black herons with indigo wings stalk through shallow pools; brilliant monarchs and viceroys alight on purple coneflowers; scarlet tanagers perch on branches surrounded by yellow blossoms. Here, the wild things outside the studio’s walls have been tamed and contained, framed and matted, but no less alive than they would be in the natural world.

Unlike the wildness of the woods, Katie’s studio space is meticulously managed. Drying prints lean against the wall on one side of the studio. Rollers — known as brayers — and ink and instruments made for cutting or measuring hang in various places within easy reach. A basket of pre-ordered prints featuring a yellow lady’s slipper rest in a basket, each print partnered with a personalized handwritten note from Katie. The airy space is orderly and organized, a far cry from the world outside its walls.

“Setting this place up exactly as I need it feels really good,” Katie says. She is rolling midnight black ink onto a piece of plexiglass. “I never thought I’d have a place like this.”

I know that Katie is talking about her studio, but she could be referring to the 10 acres she

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T H E C R E AT O R S O F N. C .

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shares with Sean and their daughter, Millie, and son, Ben. Or she could just as easily be talking about Hillsborough, or even North Carolina, for that matter. Although she was raised in Cullowhee, North Carolina, at one point in her life she’d lived in 13 houses in four states, and that was before she and Sean settled in Ohio, where Sean worked for Oberlin College and Katie worked for a nonprofit, assisting high school students with everything from completing college applications to tasks like locating their Social Security numbers. With each move, whether it was from the mountains of North Carolina to the Piedmont to attend UNCChapel Hill, or from Carrboro to Ohio, Katie began to see her regional identity more clearly.

“It wasn’t until I really left the South that I realized that being a Southerner was part of my identity, like I didn’t realize that being a rural mountain kid was part of my identity until I went to Carolina,” she says.

At the moment, Katie is using a heavy glass baren to smooth paper atop the block cut in order for it to absorb the ink that covers the block. The process of making a single print is long and tedious. After cutting a design into a block of linoleum, which can take anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days depending on the complexity of the image, Katie uses a brayer to evenly smear ink across a piece of plexiglass before using the same brayer to cover the block in ink. She then lays the paper over the block and runs the baren across the back of it. Most prints make use of more than one color ink, so each print goes through this process at least twice.

Katie made her first print in an art class at Smoky Mountain High School in Jackson County. She carved a linocut of a rabbit, and after her teacher put it on display someone offered to buy it.

She sold it for $15, and while she didn’t return to printmaking for many years because she didn’t have the tools and materials, the early satisfaction of knowing that her work had spoken to someone stayed with her.

What also stayed with her was the effect her grandmother’s art and practice had on her. Shirley O’Neill was an accomplished amateur watercolorist, and she always made sure that Katie had good materials — high quality paints, brushes and paper — in order to do her best work.

I watch Katie make print after print, nervous that our conversation will distract her and cause her to make a mistake, and also impressed at how she seems both careful and carefree. The block she is working from now is for a 12x16 inch matboard print from her limited edition Mid-Century Botanical series. Each print features a colorful design — a gold sun, a soft pink segmented circle, a gray oval — overlaid by the black shapes of various flora: Virginia bluebells, native ferns and peonies. She peels back the matboard, revealing a cardinal flower set against a segmented gold sun. I watch her repeat the process of imprinting cardinal flowers on several more matboards with various colorful shapes already set onto them, and each time she reveals the flower her face lights up in a smile.

“It feels so good,” she says. “When it works, it’s so good.”

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T H E C R E AT O R S O F N. C .

While the process is repetitive, it doesn’t allow Katie to shut off her brain and rely on rote memory. She is constantly assessing the amount of ink on the brayer, the placement of the paper against the block, and the countless other adjustments she makes during a single print run, which she limits to 100. There are no reproductions. Every print is handmade, distinct and limited.

Katie’s designs don’t only end up as hand-pulled prints made in her studio; her designs are also printed on everything from fabric to wallpaper by Spoonflower, a global marketplace based in Durham that manufactures textiles, connecting artists directly to consumers with no overhead costs for the artists.

Katie creates images of the flora and fauna of the Southern landscape she knows so well not only because she’s a native, but also because she gave birth to a daughter in Ohio who was upset by the family’s move south to Durham five years ago, when Sean took a job running operations for a firm that services solar farms.

“The move was a chance to get back closer to family,” Katie says, “but my daughter was 4 1/2 at the time, and when we moved it was really hard for her. She had a newborn baby brother. We had lived in a great neighborhood in Ohio, and she’d had tons of friends at a great school, and she was uprooted. The way I got started creating these images was at night.

When she would go to bed, I would make her these coloring pages, where I would illustrate different native Southeastern flora and fauna. During the day I would have my hands full with the baby, but I would whisper to her, ‘Pssst, I made you some new coloring pages. These are passion flowers. They grow wild here and look like jungle plants.’

“For a long time I resisted doing art professionally. I always saw the art world as something really exclusive,” she adds. “It wasn’t for redneck girls from Cullowhee.”

But moving to Ohio made her reconsider the role art could play in her life, and the lives of people both inside and outside the region.

“When I moved to Oberlin, people always had all these misconceptions about North Carolina and the South; it’s either Gone with the Wind or Duck Dynasty. Neither of those are authentic to my experience,” she says. This, combined with connecting her daughter to their new home via images of the Southern landscape, inspired Katie to develop a library of images, eventually culminating in a printmaking shop she calls the New South Pattern House.

“As parents we’re always trying to curate the best parts of our childhood,” she says. “That’s how I think of my Southern identity with my kids and, frankly, my business. What parts do I want to highlight? We have this incredibly rich biodiversity. We have beautiful, vibrant cities. What are the parts we want to move away from? When people think of Southerners, do I want them to think of the Confederate flag? No, not for me. I want them to think of coneflowers.” PS Wiley Cash is the Alumni Author-in-Residence at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. His new novel, When Ghosts Come Home, is available wherever books are sold.

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discoveryplace.org

Children’s Museum in Downtown Rockingham The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

CROSSROADS

Lit Up like NEON Nashville comes to Aberdeen

By Jenna Biter

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN GESSNER

“This is a listening room,” Derrick

Numbers pleads into the mic, fully aware the roomful of music and alcohol enthusiasts won’t long maintain library etiquette. Weekend after weekend, his plea fails, but he doesn’t really seem to mind. “You guys are in for a special treat: All the way from Cincinnati, Ohio, we have Matt Waters and the Recipe!”

The crowd whoops, claps, and whistles. Inside voices, be gone.

A dark-haired mop in a black leather jacket with 6-inch arm fringe flashes a cool side-smile. “No, y’all, this is a treat for us. Sincerely, to come down to such a beautiful venue,” says Waters, eyeing the room. “Y’all have no idea who we are, but you’re giving us a chance to enhance your Friday night with a little shakin’ music.” He paws his cherry red electric guitar, snarls a groovy tune and pumps his legs like he’s playing cha-

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

rades, and elliptical is the answer.

Waters is onto something. “I wanted to be a music matchmaker,” Numbers says, divulging his motive for opening his Aberdeen music venue, the Neon Rooster, after purchasing what had been The Rooster’s Wife. “I want to introduce people to artists they’ve never heard of . . . ” he pauses and grins “ . . . and sometimes it’s a blind date.”

Waters squiggles across stage the way a 4-year-old scribbles on a white living room wall, with a little mischief. “This next one’s special. It’s about the most inappropriate type of people watching there is: We dedicate this song to hot strangers.” The frontman plucks a ditty that can only be described as the love child of funk and reggae. “Oh, pretty mama, I like the way you’re reading that book . . . ” In the crowd, a baby boomer in a duckbill hat and the only other fringed jacket in sight taps his foot, and a bleary-eyed blonde dances in her chair with hands above her head. Posters for Nashville’s Bluebird Café decorate the Neon Rooster’s walls and do a little people watching of their own.

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“It used to be this secret that people kind of knew about,” Numbers says of the Bluebird. It’s still a hole-in-the-wall, but the hit soap series Nashville “took it to the stratosphere. It may be only slightly bigger than our place, but all the best songwriters have played there.”

Numbers laughs at the lineage. “I don’t think I could ever be the next Bluebird.” His son, Logan, zips by balancing a stack of beer glasses and empty Coke cans. “I want this to be a place where people know they can find good music that also provides a place for new and upcoming bands to play.”

Bearded out and capped in a “Winston Cup Series” trucker hat, Addison Johnson, whose latest album debuted third on the iTunes country charts (behind Morgan Wallen and Willie Nelson), recently played the Neon Rooster. Just a man and his guitar.

People fidgeted in their seats. This guy and his guitar for two hours? But Johnson’s storytelling lived up to his Jim Croce T-shirt. “I looove talking to radio hosts about this one,” he says. “It’s a song about a man who steals a Chevelle to sell fake drugs to the mob down in New Orleans.”

He twangs, “Yeah, that pound of white powder was a pound of white flour. Those Italians were looking for me.”

Johnson, a North Carolina native, worked through a Rolodex of old and new songs with lyrics that could outgun punchlines — apparently, he burned his ex’s stuff in a neighborhood bonfire; other songs ended in a cop chase or jail time; and Darth Vader and Neil Armstrong tagteamed cameos in a psychoactive trip at a Woodstock-lite music festival.

By the 10 o’clock close, the evening’s skeptics were full-blown believers, buying T-shirts from the merch stand and hooting for an encore. Numbers makes a promise: “Whether you like country music, whether you like rock ’n’ roll, you’ll be able to enjoy any of our artists — we don’t book duds.” PS Jenna Biter is a writer, entrepreneur and military wife in the Sandhills. She can be reached at jennabiter@protonmail.com.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

OUT OF THE BLUE

You Can’t Eat Just One Never underestimate the power of cookies

By Deborah Salomon

Today I will explore a subject rarely attempted by essayists, columnists, commentators. They are too busy solving (or fomenting) world problems to bother with cookies.

Pity. We’d be better off if Freud had spent more time on cookies, less on phantasmagorical dreams.

My only memory of kindergarten is the tiny choco-chip cookies shaped by a cookie press, served at snacktime with a paper cup of milk. They weren’t even good but they were cookies, and I loved them.

Obviously, I suffered a cookie-deprived childhood. My mother (high school math teacher) never baked a cookie in her life. The only ones she bought were mushy with dried fruit. How I loved playing at my BFF’s house. Not only was her mother a retired Broadway chorus girl, she kept a stash of store-boughts (fancy, gooey, buttery, frosted) in the pantry. And you needn’t finish your spinach to get one.

No surprise, then, that I learned early on to bake cookies — just chocolate chip and oatmeal — usually on Friday when my kids’ pals hung around for handouts. Holidays meant shaped butter cookies: turkeys for Thanksgiving, hearts for Valentine’s Day. In the mid-’90s I arrived in Switzerland to write about the former Vermont governor, Madeleine Kunin, then U.S. Ambassador, carrying a tin box of state-shaped cookies frosted green. Even her Swiss pastry chef was impressed.

By then I realized that cookies are an acceptable carryover from childhood. Zabaglione and tiramisu for dessert, cookies at bedtime. Where a Supreme Court justice wouldn’t be caught dead drinking espresso from a sippy cup, nibbling a cookie is OK. In fact, this penchant affirms the jurist’s status as a smart cookie.

Long live Cookie Monster! Don’t get me started on the misnomer.

I know one man and three women who have been called Cookie for so long nobody remembers their real names. I also befriended a cat named Oreo (black on top, white tummy) and a figgy-hued poodle called Newton.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Another crumb on the cookie path: It was once my honor to attend a weekend house party hosted by a New York Times food writer/cookbook author. Everybody brought something for a potluck beyond lucky. I brought chocolate chip cookies which, although made from my usual recipe, spread out flat rather than rising. Even worse, they were chewy, not crisp.

The foodie’s husband went gaga over my disaster. She was miffed. The culprit, I assumed, was old baking soda. Imagine my horror when she swallowed her pride and requested my “secret.”

People wax emotional, even irrational over their choices.

Duels have been fought over Whippets vs. Mallomars. A gentleman I know well, who grew up in the Northeast, insists Hydrox are far superior to Oreos, even before this bestseller went wack-o with seasonally flavored/colored fillings.

To me, Hydrox still sounds like a controlled substance.

Would it impress you to know that Lorna Doone shortbreads were named for the heroine of an inconsequential British romance novel published in 1869, in which Lorna is shot at her wedding . . . but survives?

It bothers me that spicy Biscoff monopolize in-flight airline refreshments. I don’t care if they are vegan and made in Belgium.

They leave fingers greasy.

I save mine for the squirrels.

It also riles me that faced with worldwide cookie popularity (fortune cookies, Italian wedding cookies) the Brits insist on dipping “biscuits” in their tea, while calling real biscuits “scones.”

Alas, commercial cookies have deteriorated, except maybe Pepperidge Farm. Smaller packages, questionable quality, higher prices. I miss real vanilla in vanilla wafers. Most chocolate is diluted or outright fake.

Therefore, over the years I have committed several simple, foolproof cookie recipes to memory. The latest — a super-easy but divine almond mini-chocolate chip biscotti.

Because you never know when an ambassador or Supreme Court justice might ring the doorbell on a Friday afternoon. PS Deborah Salomon is a writer for PineStraw and The Pilot. She may be reached at debsalomon@nc.rr.com.

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

B I R D WA T C H

Stranger in Town Mississippi kite finds new regions

By Susan Campbell

Seldom do we hear of good news when it

comes to the status of our migrant bird populations. But there are species that are actually expanding their ranges as a result of human alteration of habitats. The Mississippi kite here in the Southeast is one. This is a handsome raptor of wooded terrain that feeds mainly on large insects.

It was found breeding in the floodplain of the Roanoke River in the late 1980s. The next region where it was detected happened to be here in the Sandhills. And now it can be found in the Triad as well as other locations in the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

These are small, sleek raptors that are very maneuverable.

Adults are a mix of gray and black with long, tapered wings, a relatively long, squared-off tail and a delicate, hooked bill.

Immature birds are streaked brown with barred tails. They are birds built to catch rapidly moving, aerial prey. Grasshoppers, beetles, dragonflies and even bats are targets when hunting.

They also feed low to the ground when small reptiles and mammals are abundant. In late summer, as they are preparing to head south, large flocks can be seen foraging over large open areas such as farm fields where flying insects are abundant.

Although they breed here, Mississippi kites winter in South America. As well-studied as the species has been in the United States, little is known about them after they leave. Although they collect in large groups in the south-central U.S. and travel to southern Brazil and northern Argentina, their ecology is a question mark. But we have good data on the Midwestern and Southeastern populations, both of which are expanding.

Everything from increases in pasture lands, golf courses and PineStraw

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

B I R D WA T C H

parks adjacent to mature woodlands are providing opportunities for nesting.

An increase in nesting around human habitation means an increase in kite interactions with people. And this can actually be problematic. Mississippi kites are very aggressive when it comes to defending their nests and young. I have been on the receiving end of warning whistles given by territorial individuals a number of times.

Furthermore, they will readily dive bomb perceived threats — and this includes humans. I was very startled one summer several years ago to not only observe a new family on the farm where I was living in Southern Pines, but to also be buzzed by one of the adults. I was shocked by how quickly I was attacked and how close the bird came to my head. A very effective defensive maneuver for sure!

Late in the summer, kites will amass at rich foraging sites before they migrate southward. These sites may be north or west of the breeding grounds. Dozens can be seen alternately soaring and wheeling around above farm fields where an abundance of large insects such as grasshoppers, locusts, and beetles are found. If you happen upon one of these locations, it is quite a sight to see. For whatever reason, few areas consistently attract kites from year to year. One spot that is reliable in the N.C. foothills (oddly enough, since they do not breed there) is Irma’s Produce fields in McDowell County —right along I-40. If you are passing in late July or early August, it is well worth a stop. Not only do the birds put on quite a show, but I hear that Irma’s fruits and veggies are a treat as well.

There is much interest in documenting nesting Mississippi kites here in North Carolina. Should you know of a nest site or see adults or immature kites in the next few months, please drop me an email. These are beautiful and fascinating birds and certainly worthy of special attention. PS Susan Campbell would love to hear about your wildlife sightings and receive your photos.

She can be contacted by email at susan@ ncaves.com or by phone at (910-585-0574).

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

T H E NAT U R A L I S T

Of Golden Mice and Men And the quest to see all the world’s mammals

Story and Photographs by Todd Pusser

“I have something here,” Jon Hall proclaims

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TODD PUSSER

with an obvious air of excitement. “Can you see it?”

Nearby, another voice responds. “Yeah, I see it,” remarks Charles Foley, “but I can’t tell if it is a mouse or a bird.”

Despite standing just a few feet away, I cannot see either man, much less a tiny critter, in the deep dark of the moonless night.

Both men have traveled hundreds of miles just for this opportunity and I dare not move for fear of spooking their quarry.

I hear the rustle of leaves as Jon slowly repositions himself, angling for a better view. Raising a high-tech thermal imaging scope to his eye, Jon focuses his attention on a dense thicket of briers a few yards in front of him.

The scope, as its name suggests, is able to detect heat emitted from a target, such as a warm-blooded mammal or bird, and generates an image allowing the viewer to see in the dark. Long used by the military to detect enemy soldiers on the battlefield, the technology has become more widely available in recent years and is now regularly used by police, search and rescue units, hunters, and in this case, mammal watchers.

“It is a mouse!” Jon’s voice rises an octave.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Charles, standing to my right, moves closer to Jon with his own thermal scope in hand. “Ah, but what kind of mouse?” he asks.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Jon responds. Taking his eye from the thermal scope, he raises a pair of binoculars and a flashlight with his spare hand. Bright light suddenly floods the forest, illuminating the thick tangle of vegetation, temporarily stunning the rodent who freezes in place. Staring through the binoculars, Jon proclaims, “It’s a golden mouse!”

From my vantage point, I raise my own pair of binoculars to my eyes, but all I can see is a hind leg and tail of the small mouse through the dense vegetation. I am unable to see enough detail to determine exactly what type of mouse it is. Charles, too, only catches a glimpse of the animal before it darts out of sight.

I should pause here. Perhaps by now, you might be wondering why three grown men would be standing in the middle of a brier-laden Carolina forest in the dead of night, each with thousands of dollars worth of specialized equipment in hand, trying to spot a mouse. A mouse, for Pete’s sake?

Ahhh, but not just any mouse. With a prehensile tail built for a semi-arboreal lifestyle, the enigmatic rodent is the only member of its genus. Active mainly at night and rarely observed PineStraw

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T H E NAT U R A L I S T

in the wild, its lustrous golden-brown coat has captured the imagination of naturalists for generations. Famed 19th century painter John James Audubon was so enamored with the golden mouse that he once remarked, “In symmetry of form and brightness of color, this is the prettiest species of Mus (mouse) inhabiting our country.”

More importantly for Jon and Charles, who have dedicated their lives to seeing every one of the approximately 6,500 species of mammal on the planet, it was a mouse neither had observed alive in the wild.

Jon, currently based in New York, works as a statistician for the United Nations measuring the happiness and well-being of human populations. In his spare time, he maintains the internet’s premiere mammal watching website (www.mammalwatching. com). Much like more familiar bird-watching websites, Jon’s webpage regularly provides updates on interesting sightings and trip reports of mammal encounters from Borneo to Mexico. It was through the website that Charles (a researcher who has studied elephants in Tanzania for three

decades) came to know Jon. The two men travel frequently together and currently host a podcast dedicated to the evergrowing pastime of mammal watching.

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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T H E NAT U R A L I S T

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Last fall, I reached out to the men suggesting that they interview a friend of mine who has seen most of the world’s species of whales and dolphins. Through our conversations, I casually mentioned that they should come and visit me in North Carolina and perhaps I could show them a red wolf, the world’s rarest canid. With interest thoroughly piqued, Jon asked about other potential mammal species in the area, and that is how the subject of the golden mouse came up.

I confessed to not knowing much about golden mice, so I started asking around my social network of nature nerds and biologists if they knew of anyone who has encountered the species in the Carolina wilds. Before long, I was directed to Floyd and Signa Williams, two retired state park rangers, who had seen and photographed the mice on

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L-r: Jon Hall, Charles Foley, Floyd & Signa Williams their rural Gates County property in years past.

Readily agreeing to help, Floyd and Signa soon located a dozen golden mice nests along the edge of a beaver swamp behind their house. The nests, unlike those of other mouse species in the state, are spherical in shape, much like a small soccer ball, and constructed of leaves, small twigs, and bark. On their property, the nests were located between one and eight feet off the ground in dense tangles of greenbriers and holly trees.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

T H E NAT U R A L I S T

After the brief encounter with the mouse in the brier thicket, we struck out finding any more the rest of the night, despite using the high-tech thermal scopes.

Somewhat disappointed, we left Floyd and Signa for the evening and returned to our Airbnb rental over an hour and a half away.

The next morning, Signa texted to inform us we had caught a pair of golden mice in some of the Sherman Live Traps that we had placed along the edge of the swamp the day before. Ecstatic, we raced the 70 miles back to their house.

On our way, Jon mentioned that a golden mouse is worth seeing up close.

Peering into the aluminum trap, I could see what all the fuss was about. A golden mouse is an exquisite small mammal with large, curious eyes and a luxuriant golden pelage, unlike the muted greys of more familiar mice found inside homes and gardens. Simply put, the small, golden fluff ball staring back at me was the most beautiful mouse I had ever seen.

I placed the mouse inside a large photo tent where we spent the better part of an hour taking photographs and admiring its cuteness. All the while, the mouse remained surprisingly calm and docile.

After its glamour shots, we returned the mouse, unharmed and no worse for the wear, back where we found it.

A round of high fives and congratulations ensued. For Jon, it was his 1,999th species, an extraordinary accomplishment and a testimony to his lifelong obsession.

Despite having traveled the world and seeing many of its most charismatic mammals — everything from snow leopards in Asia, gorillas in Africa, and jaguars in Brazil — both Jon and Charles were all smiles and completely over the moon with their golden mouse encounter here in rural North Carolina.

I admire that about them. PS Naturalist and photographer Todd Pusser grew up in Eagle Springs. He works to document the extraordinary diversity of life both near and far. His images can be found at www.ToddPusser.com.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

G O L F T OW N J O U R NA L

Full Circle — Almost Sometimes dreams have to wait

By Lee Pace

What a story it would

have been — Rachel Kuehn, gestating in the womb of her mother, Brenda, as Brenda played the first two rounds of the 2001 U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles, growing up to become a crack golfer and qualifying herself for the 2022 return engagement of the Open at the same venue.

“I joked many times over the years to Rachel that she’s already ‘played’ in a U.S. Open,” Brenda says. “Maybe one day she’ll play in one on her own.”

Brenda and Rachel enjoyed one Sandhills golf déjà vu moment in 2020 when Rachel won the Women’s North & South Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2, a quarter-century after Brenda finished runner-up.

“I joke with my mom because she had a great finish years ago and has been holding that over my head,” Rachel said after the win. “I’m glad I could top her a little bit, but to add my name to the list of winners here is an unbelievable feeling.”

Sadly, adding to the legacy was not meant to be — at least not yet, and at least not this year at Pine Needles.

Playing in sectional qualifying at Shannopin Country Club in Pittsburgh on May 3-4, Rachel shot rounds of 74-70 for a 144 total and was tabbed second alternate for the 2022 championship, set June 2-5 at Pine Needles. A double bogey on the 13th hole in the first round and six putts that “were hard lip-outs,” in Brenda’s words, were her downfall. Though it’s not impossible, the odds of a second alternate slipping into the field are long.

Still, it’s a remarkable and evolving story of the Kuehn family of Asheville, a prominent and popular family at Biltmore Forest Country Club — dad Eric, a radiation oncologist; mom Brenda, a former Wake Forest University golfer and accomplished mid-amateur golfer; son Corrie, a former varsity golfer at Rhodes College in Memphis; Rachel, who’s just finished her junior year at Wake Forest; and son Taylor, a rising senior at Christ School in Asheville who’s committed to play golf at Samford University.

“We’re a competitive family,” Brenda says. “Corrie was maybe The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

2, 3 years old and he was shooting baskets on a little goal in our living room. If he made it, I went, ‘Yay!’ If he missed it, I went, ‘Boooo.’ One day a friend was over with her little boy. She was horrified. She said, ‘You’re booing your child?’ I said, ‘Of course, it was a bad shot. How else are you going to differentiate good and bad?’”

Adds Rachel, “There’s a hole in the wall next to our ping-pong table. All I’ll say is, I didn’t put it there.”

Brenda Kuehn developed her love of sports and competition playing golf and tennis in her native Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. She particularly loved golf as her father, Jack, was a Dominican Sports Hall of Fame member and an avid golfer.

“My most precious memories with my dad were walking nine holes of golf at 5 o’clock, walking and talking, the talking more important than the golf,” she says. “I cherish those moments and the lessons I took from them.”

Brenda wanted to attend college in the United States, but the Northeast was too cold and Florida felt too much like her homeland. So she targeted the Carolinas and the smaller, private universities, and investigated Duke and Wake Forest. She fell in love with Wake Forest immediately, entered in 1983 and, as a senior in 1986, won two individual titles, was medalist in the ACC Women’s Golf Championship, and made first-team All-America.

She had no grand designs on playing professional golf, but Wake Forest men’s team members and friends like Billy Andrade, Len Mattice and Jerry Haas encouraged her to give it a shot.

“I came close — I made it twice to final round of Q-school,” Brenda says. “I played the Futures Tour for two years, but I didn’t enjoy it. Playing for money changed it for me. There wasn’t the kind of camaraderie I’d known and enjoyed. Travel was hard. I was lugging one suitcase and a golf bag around and staying in stinky motels. It wasn’t the life for me.”

She then married college sweetheart Eric, and after he finished med school in 1995, they settled in Asheville. Brenda regained her amateur status and had a whirlwind decade playing amateur golf, with nine U.S. Women’s Open appearances and two Curtis Cup berths in 1996 and ’98. Corrie was 4 years old and Brenda was eight months pregnant with Rachel when the Women’s Open was PineStraw

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G O L F T OW N J O U R NA L

held at Pine Needles May 31-June 3, 2001.

She played 36 holes with sore feet and hips, and at least twice she hit a drive and doubled over in pain from a contraction.

Her hip action was limited by the size of the child she was carrying, “so it was pretty much an arms-only swing,” she says. No wonder she posted rounds of 79 and 84 to miss the cut. But the pregnant lady was great media fodder. Brenda was featured on ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings and interviewed by Katie Couric on The Today Show. She occasionally runs across photos from those two rounds, with Eric caddying.

“Why I wore horizontal stripes when I was so pregnant, I have no idea,” she says today. “I was wearing Eric’s size-XX shirts. I looked like a balloon. I look back and say, ‘Oh my God.’ I was so big.

I cringed later when I saw a picture of me using my stomach as a table to write my score on the scorecard.”

But she had fun with it all and brought a jovial sense of humor to post-round interview sessions.

“I’m trying to save as many clips as I can to put in the baby book,” she said.

“It will be a great thing for the baby to see what happened when it was moving around in here.”

Rachel was born one week after Karrie Webb was crowned Open champion and is certainly putting her own scrapbook together through her high school career and three years at Wake Forest. Biltmore Forest CC head pro Jon Rector cites times he’s started a round of golf with Rachel on the practice green and, four hours later when he’s coming up 18, she’s still there.

“She is the most intense, disciplined golfer I have ever seen,” Rector says. “She’s a sweet spirit liked by everyone. But she’s a fierce competitor and is out to shred you on the golf course.”

Just as Brenda treasured her twilights playing golf with her father, the Kuehns played together on the 1922 Donald Rossdesigned course at Biltmore Forest.

“I remember our family playing as a fivesome,” Rachel says. “I remember the Monday shootouts, walking nine holes late in the day. It was such a special place

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

HaveHave you met youour met o Have Have you met you our met o sistersister publications? publicatio Have you met our sistersister publications? publicatio sister publications?

G O L F T OW N J O U R NA L

to grow up and have your first memories of golf.”

Brenda won the 1998 and 2001 Carolinas Women’s Amateur, and Rachel added her name to the trophy in 2017. Rachel won the first college tournament she participated in (the ANNIKA Intercollegiate) and, as a junior in 202122, she scorched the UNC Finley Golf Course with a women’s course-record 63 in winning the individual title of the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational.

The highlight so far was last summer’s trip to Wales to participate in the Curtis Cup. Rachel was certainly well-versed in the event's prestige. Brenda secured the clinching point in the 1998 matches at The Minikahda Club in Minnesota.

“It was the 17th hole and I had a leftto-right 4-footer,” Brenda says. “I didn’t want to hit it, but I knew I didn’t want to play the 18th hole. I’ve shared my entire Curtis Cup experience with her since she was young. Rachel definitely ‘got it’ when she was named to the team.

You have arrived in golf if you make the Curtis Cup.” Rachel lost her match in opening-day foursomes with partner Emilia Migliaccio.

But then that pair won on Friday and Rachel partnered with Jen Castle to win a Friday four-ball match. Rachel won 2-up in her singles match against Louise Duncan, and her point proved the clincher in the Americans collecting a 12 1/2 – 7 1/2 victory.

“The Curtis Cup was everything I was told it would be and more,” Rachel says.

“It was weird traveling with COVID. Our team was kind of in its own bubble over there. But to represent the United States, I can’t think of any greater honor.”

While Rachel might not be playing in her second Open at Pine Needles this time, there will certainly be more opportunities — for the Kuehns and the Women’s Open. PS

ohenrymag.com waltermagazine.com ohenrymag.com waltermag Greensboro, NC Greensboro, Raleigh, NC NC Raleig ohenrymag.com waltermagazine.com ohenrymag.com ohenrymag.com Raleigh,waltermag NC Greensboro, NC waltermagazine.com Greensboro, NC Greensboro, NC

Raleigh, NC

Raleig

pinestrawmag.com southparkmagazine.com southparkmagazine.com pinestrawmag.com southparkmagazine.com pinestraw Southern Pines/Pinehurst, NC Charlotte, NC Charlotte, NC Charlotte, NC Southern Pines/Pinehurst, NC Southern Pines southparkmagazine.com southparkmagazine.com pinestrawmag.com pinestraw E-editions for all magazines available at thepilot.com

Lee Pace has written about golf in the Sandhills since the late 1980s and has covered three U.S. Women’s Opens at Pine Needles—1996, 2001 and 2007.

Charlotte, NC

Charlotte, NCSouthern Pines/Pinehurst, Southern Pines NC

E-editions for all magazines available at thepilot.com E-editions for all magazines available at thepilot.c The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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E-editions for all magazines E-editions available for all magazines at thepilot.com available at thepilot.c

IN PERSON AND VIRTUAL JUNE & JULY AUTHOR EVENTS

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Tuesday, July 26 • 4 PM at The Country Bookshop

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Books Make the Best Presents for Father’s Day 74

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

June ���� Diving for the Anchor When you were my living father, I thought of you as you, alone. Now that you’re long dead, I think of you and me as us, together, not that we were closer than most fathers and sons who can’t say what should be said, the unspoken words between them a great gauzy silence ever after, as on the moonless night we fished the Miles River, a tributary of the Chesapeake, skidding our johnboat into an early autumn’s slacking, our fishing rods angled on the gunnels. Nettles billowed the pilings, cottonwood and locust sapped the brackish air as the lulling water swirled us into an outgoing tide, tugging us midstream where you tossed the anchor overboard and heard it splash, no chain securing it to the boat, the lead shank long gone in deep water.

“We’ve lost the damn anchor!” you swore to high heaven, and as the outwash eddied us bayward you stripped off your shirt, shoes, and shorts and dove in, roiling the dark water to gulp you under into perfect oblivion, leaving the child I was alone with night sounds — a screaky covert of moorhens, cicada crescendos, the coo and stutter of a cormorant — and I knew, at that moment, you were the bravest man who ever lived. I could feel your fingers probing the busted soda bottles, tangled tackle, and rusting beer cans, groping amid the grass eels, hogfish, and bristle worms. I held the longest breath I’d ever held and prayed, prayed, for your deliverance, and mine. And sure enough the surface riffled, the waters parted, and you burst foaming into still air, anchor in hand, and clacked it onto the sloshing deck, pulling yourself free of the current, your body slick with river slime, and grasping the oarlock, rolled into the rocking boat.

I sighed my only true sigh, longing for the wisdom you’d dredged from the foulest netherworld, testimony that life is more than the taking in and letting out of breath by a father and son adrift beneath a thin haze of stars. Having plumbed dead bottom, you’d been resurrected to impart a consoling truth, a glistening coin I could tuck in the pocket of memory. You obliged: “Wish I had a nickel,” you said, “for every kid who’s pissed in this river.”

— Stephen E. Smith Stephen E. Smith's most recent book is A Short Report on the Fire at Woolworths.

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The Second Independence Day

I

n June of 1865, two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, more than 2,000 soldiers of the 13th U.S. Army Corps arrived in Galveston, Texas.

Led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, the troops marched through Galveston reading General Order No. 3 at numerous locations, including their headquarters, the courthouse, and at what is now the Reedy Chapel-AME Church. The order informed all Texans that, in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves were free.

One year later, on June 19, 1866, the formerly enslaved people of Galveston celebrated a year of freedom with the Juneteenth holiday, a name derived by blending the words “June” and “nineteenth.”

Also known as Freedom Day, Juneteenth is believed to be the oldest African American holiday, and currently 49 of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia — in addition to the federal government — recognize Juneteenth as either a holiday or ceremonial holiday and a day of observance.

Juneteenth celebrations include picnics, rodeos, barbecues, parades, and readings of the works of Black authors like Ralph Ellison, whose posthumously published second novel is titled Juneteenth.

Mitch Capel will host his second Juneteenth celebration this year at Cardinal Park. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee at Sandhills Community College will also host its second Juneteenth celebration this year.

Produced by Brady Gallagher Photographs by Tim Sayer 76

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Kim Wade

EDUCATOR AND COMMUNITY ACTIVIST I can only imagine the mixture of overwhelming emotions felt on June 19, 1865, when slaves in Galveston, Texas, heard U.S. Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger read the Executive Order of the United States, that all slaves are free.

When reflecting on that day, once the slaves felt safe to react, I imagine them running, jumping, dancing and shouting with joy. I’m certain many fell to their knees and praised God for answering their prayers. I can feel their tears of relief and understand their fear and uncertainty — including the PTSD effects so many acquired after experiencing years of inconceivable abuse and separation from family.

To me, Juneteenth marks that moment in history when the dynamic for many slaves began to shift, for the first time in their lives, to being acknowledged as a human. We became more than humanlike plantation cattle. It is one of the original landmarks of unlimited possibilities for the formerly enslaved.

Juneteenth is Independence Day for African Americans because it marks a documented date when the last group of slaves across the nation finally got the news.

My family and I celebrate Juneteenth by attending festivals or hosting cookouts and now family reunions. I remember learning about President Abraham Lincoln freeing the slaves, but this portion of history was not something I was taught in school.

Like many baby boomers, we learned most of our Black history through the grapevine of relatives, Black media and historians in our community.

One of the many personal stories about some of my ancestors becoming free slaves, documented in UNC-Chapel Hill historical archives, includes family members here in Moore County owning so much land they donated some of it to build what was known as a formal school for Negroes. That property is presently mapped as part of Hoke County. They were industrious enough to use the pine trees on their property to operate a lucrative turpentine business. Some of the same family’s offspring migrated to predominately Black Rosewood, Florida, where a racial massacre took place in 1923. These are the types of stories we share to honor the resourcefulness of our ancestors.

Every African American across this county and country has so much history about their ancestors we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface. Juneteenth, declared a federal holiday, will help document and create a platform for many of those treasured conversations for generations to come. It will not only include the story about slaves in Galveston, it will lead to many personal stories of the enslaved and their descendants throughout America.

Juneteenth is a time for all Americans to gather and celebrate African American history and culture. Together we get to reflect how far America has come and how much further we plan to go, despite the obstacles in our path. For those of us who embrace different cultures and love learning about everyone’s uniqueness and our different journeys, it’s an exciting time to be alive.

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Danny Hayes HOUSE OF FISH OWNER AND CHEF

Juneteenth wasn’t taught or celebrated in the school system where I was educated. I wasn’t aware of Juneteenth, the meaning of that day, or what actually occurred until about 15 years ago, setting me off on a quest for knowledge and understanding. Now that I know something about this incredible holiday, I choose to celebrate with food. The seafood dishes I will serve on the Saturday before Juneteenth will be inspired by what my ancestors would have had. It’s an acknowledgement that I stand on the shoulders of people who paid the price for me to live my dream.

The poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou speaks to how I feel about Juneteenth, especially two lines in the final stanza:

Bringing the gift my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

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Diana Turner-Forte

TEACHING ARTIST IN DANCE, REIKI MASTER AND HOLISTIC HEALTH PRACTITIONER Juneteenth represents another day to express gratitude to a higher source for being alive and having the opportunity to share my passion for creative expression. It’s a day to celebrate freedom, not just for African Americans but for all of humanity. Every milestone in history is a step forward and should be appreciated.

My journey as a classical ballet dancer occurred during a matinee performance at Mershon Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio, when I was mesmerized by a live performance of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Fall River Legend. I received the kiss of destiny and was lured into the program by the craftsmanship of the dancers, the synchronicity of movement to music, and the lighting and stage sets.

A few weeks later I was on a plane to study at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School to be molded into a professional ballet dancer. It was in Canada, through the rigorous, disciplined daily ritual of mental and physical training, where my technique was refined and my awareness of classical lines, flexibility and physical form were honed. I was transformed into an artist and began my professional performing career with the Chicago Ballet in 1974.

In addition to Juneteenth, another 19th century milestone was the 1846 premiere of African American dancer George Washington Smith in the role of Albrecht with Mary Ann Lee in the first American production of the ballet Giselle in his hometown. Smith acquired his skills as a ballet dancer from studying with visiting European teachers in Philadelphia, a thriving arts hub at that time.

Trailblazers are driven by faith, passion and courage. They are always looking past the horizon with an innate knowing of potential opportunities. They are compelled to continue their journeys regardless of what others say or do. Friedrich Nietzsche speaks to this idea: “And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

Racial, economic or educational obstacles are simply provocations for visionaries to take great strides forward aligned with their higher purpose. The voices of Black, Indigenous, people of color, women, healers, poets and artists are inevitably inclusive — filled with wisdom and clarity — and yet often end up being the most maligned contributors of a civilization.

Ideally Juneteenth will evolve into a celebration of American freedom, truth-telling, and multicultural community events in which citizens become more awake, spiritually grounded, and together seek to forge paths that offer meaning and hope to future generations.

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Fallon Brewington

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF THE SANDHILLS Growing up, I never really knew what Juneteenth was and what it symbolized. I honestly got the best explanation and understanding of it from the ABC show black-ish. If you haven’t seen it, I encourage you to watch it whether you are just learning about it or have known and celebrated it for years.

What Juneteenth personifies to me is yet another momentous day that I am proud of my heritage and history as a Black woman in America. In my family, we were raised to know how the strength and perseverance of our ancestors helped shape and mold us into resilient, powerful, proud people, and to take pride in the the color of our skin and what it means to be in it. It is a sacred legacy, to do whatever it takes to ensure the generations that follow have it better than we do, just as my ancestors endured injustice to pave a better way for me.

I spend time with my children on all holidays. It’s important to have those family traditions that they can reflect on when they get older and have their own families. It’s the same for Juneteenth. We celebrate by participating in various community events in Moore County, or we may go back to where I was raised in Richmond County. This year we will Celebrate at Cardinal Park.

My parents made sure we knew we were going to do more and have more opportunities than they did. It was their mission to ensure that their children would have the ability to do and experience just about anything we wanted. I now know how much of a sacrifice that was emotionally, mentally, physically, financially and even spiritually. I can see this as a parent trying to do the same thing for my own children, as well as the youth in our community. It’s the greatest gift to experience the fruits and rewards of their labor in my life, in my children’s lives.

Ultimately, I believe that’s the essence and spirit of Juneteenth. All of us, especially Black Americans, are the fruit and rewards of our ancestors’ labor and what they endured.

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Mitch Capel

STORYTELLER, ARTIST, ACTOR, POET Juneteenth is a day of reflection on the struggles, hardships and injustices suffered by our ancestors who were held in captivity for over 400 years. It was a day of jubilation for the descendants of the 250,000 still enslaved people who finally received the news 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation that the dream of freedom was a reality.

The historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up hope in uncertain times.

Now that it is a federally recognized holiday, the level of acceptance and awareness will hopefully be accelerated. The history of this country has been distorted while being taught, and it is disheartening that there is now an effort to sugarcoat even more of the truth about this nation. If we ever want to have an honest accounting of who we are in America, we can’t pick and choose what we wish to remember. There is an African proverb that says: “Not to know is bad; not to wish to know is worse.”

In 1872, in Galveston, Texas, those formally held in bondage saved $1,000 to purchase a piece of land where they could celebrate Juneteenth because of laws barring people of color the use of public facilities. Ninety years later, in 1962, my father, Felton Capel Sr., purchased acreage in Pinebluff where folks could celebrate, recreate and gather because of residual effects of those same laws — renamed segregation — that were in place. The Cardinal Park has become synonymous with good wholesome fun for all communities in Moore and surrounding counties.

I have celebrated Juneteenth over the years telling historical stories around the country at festivals, museums and other venues where the day was being acknowledged. Last year we decided to celebrate Juneteenth at Cardinal Park in Pinebluff in an effort to bring about reflection and reconciliation in our communities. It was a joyously wonderful gathering of an estimated 750 people. This year we’re expecting the same, if not more.

One of my father’s, and my own, favorite stories is by the great African American poet laureate Paul Laurence Dunbar and is titled “Goin’ Back.” I love this poem because it captures the migration after emancipation and the climate 30 years later.

My father loved it because he too left the South and moved to New York at an early age seeking a better life only to return soon after, realizing his best opportunity was where his roots were. Right here in Moore County. PS

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*

The PineStraw Redux *

A little cocktail that changed the course of history (well, my history)

By Tony Cross

A

•

Photograph by John Gessner

little over seven years ago, I was working behind a restaurant bar and, as the evening was starting to wind down, PineStraw’s Andie Rose walked over to say goodnight. She and a large group of her friends had just finished celebrating a birthday. She thanked me for her old fashioned and mentioned that the magazine had a 10th anniversary issue coming out that May. “Would you be interested in creating a cocktail for the occasion?” she asked.

Without hesitation I agreed and told her that I’d be in touch.

“Cool,” I thought to myself. That was immediately followed by, “What the hell am I going to do?”

At the time, my twin obsessions were working out and thinking of cocktail ideas. Even though my creative juices were flowing, I was scared to death of coming up with a drink that would be published and read about — not to mention drunk — by half the county.

“It’s got to have pine straw as an ingredient,” I thought. That quickly morphed into, “That will never work, but pine needles might.” I went to the end of the internet searching for ideas and came up empty. Ultimately, I decided to go with a pine needle simple syrup and work everything else in the cocktail around that.

I chose pisco (a brandy from Peru or Chile) as the base spirit. I’d recently received a special order from our state’s ABC, and just happened to be in the middle of a love affair with it. The other ingredients included chamomile-infused dry vermouth, lemon juice, and a muddled strawberry. In retrospect, maybe I was trying to do too much in my head but I felt like I had something to prove. In the end, the article accompanying “The PineStraw” was very kind.

By the end of the summer, I was no longer with the restaurant.

The idea of opening my own spot scared me. I was juggling notions of what to do next when my brother suggested I would crush it with a cocktail catering business. Southern Pines was growing

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faster than Jabba the Hutt, but I knew that I couldn’t make a living just catering gigs. There had to be something else.

One night while I was talking to myself in the shower (I’ve been barred from karaoke bars in seven states), the soap in my ears whispered what that “something else” was. Bottled carbonated cocktails for delivery. And that’s all it took to get me going. I named my business Reverie Cocktails after my brother’s daughter.

Reverie means “daydream,” but it also meant “drunkenness” in 16th century France. Quelle chance!

My idea sounded great in the shower, but I had no clue how to carbonate cocktails, bottle cocktails, or start a business.

Details, details. I was still jonesing from being behind the bar and would do anything to create a cocktail for someone, which led to another crazy idea. Maybe I could write about it. After chatting with the PineStraw folks, my first column (on punch) came out in December 2015.

Reverie Cocktails launched the next year. I figured out how to carbonate those cocktails and deliver them. The logistics have changed some, but the mission has remained the same. Not only do we sell our cocktails locally, we deliver to Wilmington, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, as well as locations in Ohio and Indiana.

Soon we’ll be in our fourth state, West Virginia. All the while, I’ve been allowed to write about spirits, cocktails, techniques, and things that I never would have dreamed anyone would want to read about.

It’s come full circle this month as Reverie Cocktails debuts our PineStraw cocktail on draught and growler delivery. We’ve switched the pisco to equal parts Absolut vodka and Beefeater’s gin, but the pine needles, chamomile, lemon and strawberry are still there. It’s an honor to recreate a drink that helped launch my business. And for that, I thank you. PS Tony Cross is a bartender (now ex-bartender) who runs the cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.

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The

Coolest

Summer Job

Ever

“A

When blocks of ice were the size of Volkswagens

By Tom Bryant • Illustration by Gary Palmer

ctually, pine trees were the reason peach orchards, as we knew them in the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s, went away.”

It was 1997 and we were sitting in a semi-circle in the living room of Clyde Auman’s home listening to him reminisce about the old days of peach farming. The “we” was the latest crop of the Moore County Leadership Institute, a group of about 15 diverse residents of the county. Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, our group met once a month to tour a place important to the success of our county. It could be a historical location like the Bryant House, or something as integral to our economy as its peach farmers. Mr. Auman was, with-

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out a doubt, the patriarch of peach farming. His orchards were famous throughout the state.

“Yes, sir,” Mr. Auman continued, “before the loblolly and longleaf pines got so tall, the frosty winds of early spring would blow right on through the orchards not harming the peaches.

But then the tall pines stopped the circulating winds and allowed frost to settle, and that killed not only the current crop, but later even the trees.

“Right now, on our farm, we do just about as much with pine straw as we do with peaches.” He chuckled. “Can’t make it on one end, we try it on the other. We have a few peach farmers, here and yonder, but nothing like the heyday when the region was known throughout the country.”

Mr. Auman was in his 80s when he spoke with us and, as we left his house to get on the bus and head back to Southern Pines,

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I hung back from the group.

“You might remember my father,” I said to him as we stood at the back door of his home.

“Who is your father?” he asked.

“Monroe Bryant. He was superintendent of the ice plant in Aberdeen.”

“I do remember him. A good man. I hope he’s doing all right.

I’m sure he’s retired by now.”

“Unfortunately, Dad passed away at an early age.”

The folks had boarded the bus and were waiting on me.

“He thought a lot of you and your peaches.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your dad. He and his ice plant played a tremendous part in our peach industry. We need to get together.

Come back out sometime and let’s visit.”

When I got back on the bus I sat behind the driver. On our

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way out to the main road, he looked over his shoulder at me.

“You got along well with Mr. Auman,” he said. “Must have some history there.”

“Yeah, he knew my father back in the day when peaches were king.”

“Your dad in the peach business?”

“In a way. Without the ice plant my dad ran, the peaches would have had a hard time getting to the markets up north and out west.”

By now two or three of our group had tuned in to our conversation. One asked the natural question. “What’s an ice plant? I’ve seen those ice boxes beside the road but surely that’s not it.”

I tried to give a short history of an industry that’s as extinct as the dodo bird.

“Think about a giant cooler,” I said, “one about the size of a football field and about eight or 10 stories high full of blocks of ice, each weighing between 350 and 400 pounds. That ice was used to cool down railroad cars carrying fruit from our region, like peaches, or vegetables from down in Florida, all heading north or west.”

“And that giant cooler is no longer there?” one of the ladies asked.

“Yep, just like the old iceboxes before electric refrigerators.

That’s kinda what happened to the ice plant when refrigerated rail cars came along. It was the tallest building in the county until it burned down in the late ’60s.”

I thought about that conversation the other day when I rode by the dirt lane that used to lead to the ice plant. I was on the way back from Burney’s Hardware and decided to take a walk down the railroad tracks to see if I could find the former site of the plant.

I parked out of the way next to a vacant lot, locked the car and headed south. It was only about a half mile walk and I made it in no time. Tall longleaf pines were growing where the major ice storage room used to be, and the hole in the sand that was the engine room was thick in weeds and briars about head high. I stayed on the tracks and did a cursory inspection of the remains of the place that played such a major part in my early years.

The recollection of those days came back clearly. My dad was the head honcho of all the doings around the massive plant, and I remembered my own participation in what has turned into a dead industry.

City Products Inc., the corporate head of ice plants from Miami, Florida, to Aberdeen, North Carolina, had massive ice factories in Florida, including Miami, Belle Glade, Lakeland, Sanford and Jacksonville. There was also a plant in Florence, South Carolina. The Aberdeen location was the last stop on the way north and west. The locations of the ice plants were built close to major railroad switching yards, at just the right distances, to service the needs for massive freight requirements of railroads hauling perishable fruit and vegetables across the country.

As a young fellow, I naturally hung out with Dad as much as I could, and he often let me accompany him as he made the rounds

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of the peach packing houses in Moore County and the surrounding area. For me, it was fun — I got to eat all the peaches I wanted.

Then, as I grew older, it provided much-needed college funds.

I worked a couple of summers at the location in Aberdeen and later spent a summer at the plant in Lakeland, where Dad became manager after the Aberdeen plant was closed.

Often when summer employment came up among friends, I’d try to explain my job pulling ice. The ice was made in attached cans that would hold enough water to make a block that weighed 400 pounds, sort of like the ice in an ice tray. The cans were submerged in a refrigerated brine tank about half an acre in size.

The metal cans were attached, 10 to a group. My job was to hoist the ice out of the tank, using a crane, and walk the cans down to a 10-foot dip tank, full of water, which would free the frozen cubes from the cans. Then, still using the crane, I’d lower the cans, now with loose ice blocks, to a swivel tray that would allow the ice to become free and slide on a conveyor into the storage room. I didn’t know what boredom really meant until I began pulling ice all day. But, hey, the job paid minimum wage — a dollar an hour — and that went a long way to provide spending money for college.

It’s remarkable how well the entire network of plants from Florida to North Carolina meshed to refrigerate rail cars traveling with highly perishable vegetables and fruits.

The plant was built in 1928 and the business was huge during the height of the Great Depression, when there was no shortage of laborers. Each plant location had bunkhouses, kitchens and dining halls to house traveling workers who would move as needed from one location to another following the rail cars north.

Platforms running parallel to the railroad tracks enabled workmen to ice 50 railcars at a time using just the right formula of ice and rock salt to cool the fruit or vegetables to the correct temperature and get them to their destination fresh and unspoiled.

Not long ago someone asked me what I remembered most about the ice plant. I guess it would have to be the immensity, the sheer monumental size of the major storage room, the huge electric motors that pulled the compressors that cooled and refrigerated the brine tanks and ice storage rooms, and in its heyday, the number of people it took to make it all work — and how few it took to close it all down.

Most of all, I remember my father. The endless hours he committed to making sure everything was done just right, never, ever doing things to just get by. He led by example, and I’m a better man for the experience of working with him.

Now the ice plant is just a hole in the sand where tall pines grow. The memories are all that’s still eight stories high. Most folks don’t even know it existed.

But it was here and what it did made a difference. In the process it even taught one kid about the world of real labor, sweat, the value of a dollar, and responsibility. A pretty cool job. PS Tom Bryant is a Southern Pines resident, a lifelong outdoorsman and, in his youth, a reliable summer employee.

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View from the Judy Rankin reflects on golf, the Bells and Pine Needles

By Ron Green Jr.

J

udy Rankin is on the road again, making the familiar 117-mile drive from her home in Lubbock, Texas, where she is near her children, to her other home in Midland, Texas, where she lived for many years.

That’s why when you ask Rankin where she lives, she says, “I wish I knew.”

One thing helps the miles roll away: an apple fritter and a cup of black coffee.

“I love apple fritters. You know how everyone loves Krispy Kreme doughnuts? Well, I love apple fritters,” Rankin says over the phone, having secured her morning snack for the ride.

Rankin, 77, is an elemental thread in the fabric of American golf, her success as a player followed by a nearly 40-year broadcasting career, setting her apart in a game made better by her contributions. Through grit and grace, Rankin had a Hall of Fame playing career, then enhanced it through her television work, sharing the gospel of golf in her comfortable and enlightening way.

When the U.S. Women’s Open is played in early June at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, part of what the championship has become is because of Rankin and what she has done for the game. She is a living example of leaving something (in this case, golf) better than she found it.

Rankin also has a history with Pine Needles, which is hosting its fourth Women’s Open, but that doesn’t make her unusual.

Almost everyone who came across the late, great Peggy Kirk Bell and her husband, Warren “Bullet” Bell, were left with a piece of the place and its people. Pine Needles is not just a destination, it’s a state of mind. That’s the lingering influence of Bell and her husband, an enduring legacy embraced and nurtured by their children and their families.

“There was something about Peggy,” Rankin says. “She was a magnet with people. There was a way about her.

“She was never a big, affectionate hugger, but she was affectionate in her way. I don’t know how you couldn’t like Peggy. She was such a wonderful role model for so many different things in the game. I admired her a lot.”

Whether Bell was cruising through the pine-shrouded streets in her authentic London taxi, her 1928 Model A convertible or

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Tower

her 1964 Lincoln Continental — just to name a few — or giving impromptu lessons to guests having a meal at Pine Needles (Bell often wore a golf glove inside to make a teaching point), she was a force of nature, and the Women’s Opens played at Pine Needles are a nod to her as much as they are to the Donald Ross design hosting the championship.

Bell’s only major championship victory came in the 1949 Titleholders, a tournament that was played for the final time in 1972 — at Pine Needles.

Sandra Palmer beat Rankin and Mickey Wright, and the memory remains with Rankin.

“I think Bullet had it in for us because they made us play from so far back,” Rankin says. “The golf course was so long. That’s what I mostly remember.

We swore on the 18th tee he had the markers back so far that your right foot was on a downslope. That became part of the lore.”

Rankin was an exceptional player, earning low amateur honors as a 15-year-old in the 1960 U.S. Women’s Open and a year later landing on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

PHOTOGRAPH RIGHT COURTESY USGA ARCHIVES.

She won 26 times on the LPGA Tour and, in the process, became the first player to win $100,000 in a season. Rankin was named player of the year twice and three times won the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average. She has been the captain of two U.S. Solheim Cup teams, both victorious, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000. Her contributions to the game were recognized by the USGA when it presented her with the prestigious Bob Jones Award in 2002.

Since 1984, Rankin has been in the television booth, covering both men’s and women’s professional golf, earning a reputation as one of the best analysts in the business. It has allowed her to stay close to the game and appreciate its evolution.

“I think (women’s professional golf is) in the very best place it’s ever been. There have been years and periods of time when it was great, but right now it’s like their time has come,” Rankin says.

“Along with that is an influx of a ridiculous level of talent and depth. Women’s golf is fortunate that people are now recognizing it. That’s the driving force.

“If you ever played at a high level you stand in awe at what some of the players today can do. I defy anybody to watch the Korda sisters (Jessica and Nelly) play golf and not walk away with their jaw dropped.”

Like seemingly everything else, golf has changed in recent years, and the women’s game is no exception. The LPGA Tour is truly global, and the introduction of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur was like a booster shot to an already growing portion of the game.

Distance is a primary determinant in the women’s game, just as it is for the men. Rankin says it’s basic math — the longer a player can hit it, the more advantage they have going into greens with shorter clubs.

That’s not all that matters, but it has shifted the dynamic in recent years. So has the way players approach the game today. They are better prepared physically, mentally and through technology.

“The best example is Augusta,” Rankin says. “I don’t know if 30 years ago players in the amateur ranks would have had the talent or the composure to go play some of their best golf at Augusta. We saw (Jennifer) Kupcho do it, and now this 16-year old (Anna Davis) lit it up. That’s the kind of difference in the game and the difference in the young golfers.

“Maybe more of them know where it is they want to go and what they want to do because of the success of the LPGA Tour. If you go back into my time, it was not a very reasonable thing to do to turn pro. A lot of that drive and a lot of that composure is due to the LPGA and its success. A lot of people have seen them, and it’s an attractive place to be.

“Instead of being intimidated, they are inspired.”

As Rankin rolls on toward Midland, her personal horizon has widened. When she called the Chevron Championship in early April — won by Kupcho — it was her final major championship in a television booth.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

She is scheduled to work three more events this year but beyond those, she has nothing planned.

Rankin plays a little golf these days, rarely more than nine holes. She recently underwent surgery on her left hand related to Dupuytren’s contraction, an affliction that required surgery in her right hand about 15 years ago.

“This was all my choice. The Golf Channel has been great to me,” Rankin says. “I don’t know what would be down the road next year, but if there is any work at all, it would be very little. I’m 77, so it’s time. I had 25 years or whatever on the PGA Tour and I feel a little bit like a historian for the LPGA Tour. I will stay close to it. Maybe I’ll do a few other things, I don’t know.

“I felt like the time was right and I haven’t really looked back.”

Not with the road between Lubbock and Midland in front of her. PS Ron Green Jr. is a Charlotte native and a senior writer for Global Golf Post. He’s covered the game for over 30 years.

Judy Rankin circa 1974

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STORY OF A HOUSE

The Happy House Elegance and practicality on the lake

By Deborah Salomon • Photographs by John Gessner

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W

hen Bill and Mandy Berg moved from Charlotte to Pinehurst in 2018, Mandy’s goal was to create a “happy place” — light, bright, uncluttered, cheerful. The tools were at hand: Mandy’s profession is staging houses to look their best for prospective buyers. But this job had moving parts. The décor must be elegant for entertaining yet practical, given a family with two young children, a huge dog, a cat and all the attendant paraphernalia.

Mandy pulled it off, complete with white carpet in the bedrooms, off-white upholstery in living room and den, and vanilla walls throughout.

Not that anybody would notice a few muddy footprints or sticky fingers with all eyes on the view. The Bergs’ three acres slope down to Lake Inverness at the Country Club of North Carolina (CCNC) where a brood of ducklings paddle through the water lilies and a turtle climbs onto the grassy shoreline. Herons, largemouth bass and an eagle complete the wildlife backdrop. Sunsets can be spectacular from a deck stretching the length of the house, equipped for cooking, eating, relaxing, playing.

Naturally, this happy place, built in 1982 for a furniture executive, brings the view inside through windows and tall sliding glass

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doors . . . everywhere. In fact, if the 1 1/2-story house with slightly Asian lines, four roof pitches covered in wood shakes and a whiff of Mid-Century Modern was seeking a name, The Abode of Sliding Doors might work.

A door not facing the lake reveals a petite tea garden walled off for privacy, and the children’s upstairs bedroom doors open onto balconies. Even the laundry room has a view. The effect is absolutely mesmerizing, rain or shine, winter or summer, with dogwood, hydrangeas and azaleas splashing color onto the exterior gray longboards.

M

andy knew Pinehurst from her grandparents, who lived at CCNC. Her parents came up from Florida to play golf. After deciding to leave Charlotte, Mandy and Bill narrowed their house hunt to Pinehurst village or CCNC. At the time nothing in the village quite suited. Despite the view, even this house had its drawbacks, for Mandy at least. Every floor except the tiled kitchen was covered in thick white carpet. And every wall wore wallpaper. Bill, however, experienced the wow factor and, as a recreational handyman/renovator, he identified the projects. And the floorplan allowed the family to spread out, or come together.

After some budget tweaking, they moved in, hired a contractor and pitched in.

Up came most of the carpet, replaced by whitewashed oak. Off came all the wallpaper, leaving some walls in need of repair. An upstairs playroom for Emma, 8, and Harry, 10, was squeezed under the eaves. After they are grown, it’s destined to become a guest bedroom. Then Bill had an idea: Why not cover an open space near the loft with strong rope netting secured to a frame, creating something like a hammock, where the kids (or grown-ups) could bounce around or simply peer down into the den?

“I was out of town when they built the hammock,” Mandy says.

“I wasn’t that happy . . . it compromises privacy.”

But it sets the house apart from every other at CCNC. And the kids love it.

Bill also constructed and installed mantels for the double-faced fireplace, built the outdoor firepit, and created a desk to fill a passthrough between the living room and den. He framed the loft and installed a new kitchen backsplash. “I’m a hands-on kinda guy,” Bill says. “I got it from my dad, who was a This Old House kinda guy.”

His next project: docks, since “The lake is my favorite part of living here.”

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T

he layout does retain some of its 1980s features. Back then, locating the master suite on the main floor was coming into fashion, especially for retirees. Turn left from the wide foyer with its handsome twin Chinese chests lacquered white and, beyond the TV den, the master suite opens out onto the deck, where railings have been removed to further expose the view. The living room is in use, flowing into a dining area with a spectacular white trestle table and molded Plexiglas chairs. Hanging low over the table is a chandelier more Star Wars than Phantom of the Opera.

Turn right from the foyer and find the kitchen — a surprise in an age of glamorous food preparation centers. No SubZero, no farm sink, no island, no Viking or Wolf blast-furnace ranges. Instead, there are classic pine cupboards and a dinette glassed in on three sides. Except for new countertops and some minor adjustments, the L-shaped kitchen was left intact, at least for now. Mandy has plans. Beyond the kitchen is a modern butler’s pantry with laundry equipment, wine fridge, another sliding door and storage cabinets. This mixture of new and recently done (in white and sandy beige) adds to the retro charm.

Mandy’s signature hue, however, is blue — more bright navy than Carolina pastel. Bill also favors blue. Navy against white is everywhere, splashed on rugs, sewn onto pillows, woven into dinette chairs, dominating a collection of ginger jars. The dining room sideboard is lacquered a shiny dark royal, as is a writing desk in the master bedroom. Even the art, some commissioned, other pieces collected, explores shades of blue.

Ah . . . the art. That makes Mandy happiest. “It speaks to me,” she says. She planned white walls and retained some white carpet so the art would “pop.” Several paintings come from local artists, including Kristin Groner. Abstracts are both framed and flush-mounted. Mandy has an eye for placement — an art in itself. In the dining room a single painting, spotlighted by a recessed fixture, adds drama to the simplest meal. Just as dramatic is an old, stained, full-sized North Carolina state flag that Bill

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found on eBay and mounted over Harry’s bed, while Emma’s room requires a bean bag chair and sparkly princess-pink accents.

Each child’s room has its own small bathroom, beyond a blessing for teenagers.

“We’ve done a lot with a little, here . . . built a lot of value,” Bill observes.

C

ontemporary architecture and furnishings are rarely classified “romantic.”

The exception might be The Abode of Sliding Doors, sitting at the end of a narrow lane canopied by branches of tall trees, thick with new leaves. The sun shining through turns the canopy into a cathedral. Beyond, the grass slopes toward the lake, where two Adirondack chairs await sunset viewers.

But does the conglomerate create a happy house?

“The color, design and art make me happy,” Mandy says. “This is a joyful place.” PS

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A L M A N A C

June

June is bustin’ out all over.

— Oscar Hammerstein II

By Ashley Walshe

All That Glitters

J

une holds nothing back.

Dripping with decadence, she drapes her frills and trimmings across limbs, stems and wild earth. She isn’t afraid to take up space, nor is she afraid to ask for more.

More beauty. More bramble. More texture. More color.

And nothing shy of the full spectrum.

Red poppies speckle sunny meadows. Orange tiger lilies brighten the foreground. Yellow swallowtail flit hither and yon.

Green — as in every sumptuous shade of it — shoots and sweeps across the landscape.

Blue chicory dances along roadsides. Indigo buntings flicker among the woodland fringe. Violet hydrangeas sweeten the lawn.

“More is more is more,” she says, weaving among peach and coral roses; the first stunning wave of starshaped clematis; a swell of multicolor zinnia.

The air is an amalgam of honeysuckle, lemon balm, basil and gardenia.

More fragrance? If it’s good enough for the hummingbirds, bring it on: Rivers of feathery bee balm, cascades of trumpet creeper, explosions of flowering salvia.

Bring on the music-makers, too. The buzzers and screamers.

All who twitter, chirp and croon. Listen for the rattle call of the northern flicker. The coo of the pigeon. The lusty moan of the lonely bullfrog.

In the garden, the squash plants runneth over. Green tomatoes fatten on the vine. Salad greens reach for the rising sun.

Bring on your glorious wildness, June. Your luscious toomuchness. Your sultry, voluptuous summer.

No need to hold back.

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According to Smithsonian Magazine, two of this year’s most “dazzling celestial events” happen this month, beginning with the first supermoon of the year on Tuesday, June 14.

What, you ask, is a supermoon? It’s when the moon is full at its perigee (aka, closest proximity to Earth).

According to NASA, a supermoon can appear up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent more luminous than a full moon at its apogee (farthest point from Earth). As if June needed one more reason for us to swoon.

Next on the don’t-miss-it docket: five planets in rare alignment from June 19–27. Make that six if you’ve got a telescope and minimal light pollution. Just before sunrise, gaze toward the eastern sky for a chance to spot Mercury low on the horizon, then Venus (always the brightest planet), Mars, Jupiter (second brightest) and Saturn (high in the south) in a diagonal line visible to the naked eye. Those with proper optics may also spot Uranus — yep, that bright green speck — just above Venus.

Do look up. At the very least, you might catch some fireflies.

The Color Purple(ish) It’s beet season. If their vibrant magenta color wasn’t reason enough to love them, consider that these earthy roots are loaded with antioxidants, fiber, folic acid and potassium. Even their greens are a superfood. And nothing says summer like a cold beetroot salad.

Boil them until tender. Once cool, peel them under cold running water, then cut into 2-inch cubes.

Toss them with olive oil, orange juice, cumin, salt, fresh mint and cilantro.

Admire your stained fingers . . . and enjoy. PS

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&

Arts Entertainment C A L E N DA R

HAPPY

FATHER’S DAY

U.S. Women's Open 6/

Father's Day Fun 6/

Carolina Pines Dance Club 6/

Although conscientious effort is made to provide accurate and up-to-date information, all events are subject to change and errors can occur! Please call to verify times, costs, status and location before planning or attending an event.

SEED LIBRARY. Anyone can come in and take seeds to plant. No library card required.

There will be several programs throughout the year related to the Seed Library. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or email ajames@sppl.net.

older can experience the beauty of Yadkin Valley while enjoying tasty wines, touring the vineyards and hanging out with the llamas. Lunch at Southern Family Restaurant before heading to the vineyards. Cost is $27 for residents of Southern Pines and $54 for non-residents. Bus will depart the Campbell House Playground parking lot at 9 a.m. Info: (910) 692-7376.

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JOY OF ART STUDIO. Painting, drawing and mixed media. Offering both private and small groups with safe distancing.

Classes are held at Joy of Art Studio, 139 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Suite B, Southern Pines.

Info: (910) 528-7283 or www.joyof-art.com or www.facebook.com/Joyscreativespace/.

SCAVENGER HUNT. Pick up scavenger hunts at the Given Book Shop, Given Memorial Library or online at www.giventufts.org/program-and-events. The scavenger hunt will take you through the village of Pinehurst, and there will be multiple themes such as science, shapes, historic buildings and more. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst.

BOOK SALE. This month’s sale is buy one, get one free on all books in the vault. Given Book Shop, 95 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst.

Info: (910) 295-3642.

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Wednesday, June 1 WOMEN’S OPEN. 8 a.m. The U.S. Women’s Open Championship returns.

The championship rounds are played June 2 through June 5. Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, 1005 Midland Road, Southern Pines. Info: www.usga.org.

FOREST BATHING. 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Make time to relax on a guided sensory journey into nature. Walks are led by Lara Beth Jones, licensed occupational therapist and nature and forest therapy guide. Cost is $45 for Southern Pines residents and $90 for non-residents.

Whitehall Tract, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2463 or www.southernpines.net.

Thursday, June 2 SENIOR TRIP. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Adults 55 and

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TASTE OF N.C. 6 - 8 p.m. “A Taste of North Carolina: Whiskey and Wine” will feature North Carolina-based bourbon and whiskey along with wine offerings from the Surry County Wine Trail. Food samples will be provided as well as a dessert sample. Agora Bakery, 15 Chinquapin Road, Pinehurst. Info and tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Friday, June 3 ART EXHIBIT. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. The Arts Council of Moore County presents “Inspirations From Color and Earth.”

The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Campbell House, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-4356 or www.mooreart.org.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

CA L E N DA R FIRST FRIDAY. 5 - 8 p.m. First Friday is a family-friendly, free concert series on the Sunrise Theater outdoor stage. Enjoy food trucks, some Southern Pines Brewery brews, and listen to great music while supporting the local theater.

No dogs, outside alcohol or rolling coolers.

Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.sunrisetheater.com.

Saturday, June 4 SCULPTING AND PAINTING. 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Ages 12 and above can join Southern Pines Parks and Recreation for sculpting and painting sessions. All supplies will be provided.

Cost is $45 for Southern Pines residents and $90 for non-residents. The Train House, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

KICKOFF PARTY. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Join us for the Summer fREADom Kickoff Party.

Register for Summer fREADom and adopt your reading buddy on the lawn at the Sunrise green space. With this program you read what you want, when you want, all summer long. Explore new concepts and connect with your community at special programs throughout June and July. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

SPRING PERFORMANCE. 7:30 p.m.

Legends of the Isle of Green come to life as fairies and creatures of Irish fantasy and folklore dance jigs, ballads and reels celebrating the music of this captivating culture. Gary Taylor Dance brings to the stage a spellbinding experience. There will be another performance June 5 at 2 p.m. Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info and tickets: www.taylordance.org.

Sunday, June 5 MEDITATION WALK. 2 - 3:15 p.m. Join us for this monthly meditation walk with your guide, Eve Gaskell. The group will meet on

the outside patio area of the visitor’s center.

If it is raining, the event will be canceled.

Sandhills Horticultural Gardens, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: harmonylifebalance@gmail.com.

WRITING GROUP. 3 p.m. Interested in creating fiction, nonfiction, poetry or comics?

Connect with other writers and artists, chat about your craft and get feedback on your work. All levels are welcome. The session will meet at the library. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: lholden@sppl.net.

OPENING RECEPTION. 5 - 7 p.m. The Artists League of the Sandhills will have an exhibit that includes the works of all Artists League members in a show judged by a professional art authority. The exhibition will remain up through July 1. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen.

Info: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistsleague.org.

Tuesday, June 7 BRAIN FITNESS. 10 - 11 a.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to a new brain fitness class.

Eve Gaskell will be the instructor. Free admission. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

Friday, June 10 BOOK EVENT. 12 - 2 p.m. Join us for a conversation about the new memoir James Patterson, by James Patterson. We will welcome 1,000 people to meet Patterson and receive an autographed copy of this book. Conversation will be led by The Country Bookshop’s Kimberly Daniels Taws. Pinehurst Resort, 80 Carolina Vista Drive, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 692-3211 or www.ticketmesandhills.com.

CHARITY EVENT. 5:30 - 10:30 p.m. Join us at a gala dining and dancing event and support the mission of Moore Free and Charitable Clinic to provide health care to uninsured residents of Moore County. Fair

Barn, 200 Beulah Hill Road S., Pinehurst.

Info and tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PINES. 7:30 p.m. Shakespeare in the Pines is back with Shakespeare’s brilliant tragedy, Hamlet.

Lawn admission is free. Performances are also on June 11, 12 and 17 - 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Tufts Park, Village of Pinehurst. Info and tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

THEATER SHOW. 7:30 p.m. Sandhills Repertory Theatre presents Anything Goes in concert. Come see a singing, dancing Tony-award winner with a full orchestra, Broadway performers and even a few New York City Rockettes. There are more performances on June 11 at 2 p.m. and June 12 at 2 p.m. Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info and tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com or www.sandhillsrep.org.

Saturday, June 11 COMMUNITY YARD SALE. 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Enjoy shopping 30 - 40 individual outdoor booths offering everything from handmade crafts, modern tools and electronics, vintage and antique collectibles, and even an assortment of everyday household items or clothes. A food truck will be on site.

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CRAFT DAYS. Children and their families can come by the library for Drop in Craft Days and work on crafts at their own pace.

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

CA L E N DA R Sunday, June 12 LECTURE. 2 p.m. Join us for the Arts and Humanities Lecture: “The Rebirth of West Southern Pines: One of N.C.’s First African American Townships.” Presented

by Kim Wade and Vincent Gordon. Free admission, registration required. Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www.weymouthcenter.org.

Monday, June 13 PHOTO CLUB. 7 p.m. The Sandhills Photography Club monthly meeting is a photo competition. The topic is Abandoned/ Decay. Our judge will be Greg Kiser, of Charlotte, who presented a program in 2020 titled “Decay Photography.” Theater of the Hannah Marie Bradshaw Activities Center of The O’Neal School, 3300 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.sandhillsphotoclub.org.

Tuesday, June 14 FATHER’S DAY FUN. 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Enjoy fun games and fellowship, while cooling down with a sweet treat. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania

Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

AUTHOR EVENT. 6 - 8 p.m. Join The Sway for a behind-the-scenes perspective on this summer’s hot beach read, Nora Goes Off Script, with author Annabel Monaghan. 195 American Fusion, 195 Bell Ave., Southern Pines. Info and tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Wednesday, June 15 LIBRARY PROGRAM. 3:30 p.m. At The Library After School (ATLAS) is a new after-school program for kindergarten through second-graders who enjoy activities, crafts, stories, and learning. We will have our friends from the Grounds Department bringing plants for attendees to take home with them. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines.

Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

WRITERS IN RESIDENCE. 5:30 p.m.

Join us as we welcome Charles Oldham, Charlotte attorney and award-winning author of The Senator’s Son. Oldham will read from his new book, Ship of Blood. Books will be available for sale and signing. Free

admission, registration required. Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www.weymouthcenter.org.

Thursday, June 16 PLAY TIME IN THE PARK. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Kids, bring your parents to Downtown Park and join other friends for giant checkers, giant Jenga, bubbles, fun and more. For kids ages 3 - 12. Downtown Park, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

READ BETWEEN THE PINES. 5 p.m.

SPPL’s book club for adults meets to discuss this month’s book. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. To join email: mhoward@sppl.net.

CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE. 6:30 p.m.

Author and historian James A. Morgan is the special guest speaker with a presentation on the Battle of Secessionville. Meeting starts at 7 p.m. Open to the public. Civic Club, corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Ashe Street, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 246-0452 or mafarina@aol.com.

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CA L E N DA R Friday, June 17 CRUISE IN. 5 - 8 p.m. Bring your classic car, truck or motorcycle and raise funds for local charities. There will be door prizes, music and more. Organized by Sandhills Classic Street Rod Association. Mac’s Breakfast Anytime, 1904 N. Sandhills Blvd., Aberdeen. Info: www.sandhillsclassicstreetrods.com.

PARENTS NIGHT OUT. 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Drop your kids ages 3 - 10 off for games, dancing, activities and more. Kids will be playing with the My Gym teachers.

Registration required. My Gym Sandhills, 262A Pinehurst Ave., Southern Pines.

Saturday, June 18 LEARN AND PLAY. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Come in for an open play date with your toddler or preschooler where there will be developmental toys and puzzles as well as early literacy tips on display for parents and caregivers to incorporate into their daily activities. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

DANCING. 6 p.m. Carolina Pines Dance Club invites you for a fun evening of social dancing — swing, line, ballroom, shag and Latin. Doors open at 6 p.m. Dance lessons at 6:30 p.m. Dancing until 9:30 p.m. Beginners and experienced dancers, couples and singles all welcome. Cost is $15 per person, cash at door. National Athletic Village, 201 Air Tool Drive, Southern Pines. Info: (724) 816-1170.

Monday, June 20 CRAFT N’ CREATIONS. 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

For adults 55 and older. We have a plethora of craft supplies and we want to create. Join us for fun DIY crafts. Cost is $6 for residents and $12 for non-residents. Douglass

Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

Tuesday, June 21 BRAIN FITNESS. 10 - 11 a.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to a new brain fitness class. Eve Gaskell will be the instructor. Free admission. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines.

Info: (910) 692-7376.

BINGO. 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to come play 10 games of bingo. Prizes given to the winners. Cost is $3 for Southern Pines residents and $6 for non-residents. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines.

Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

TEEN WRITING CLUB. 5 p.m. Are you interested in creative writing and storytelling, connecting with other writers, and getting feedback on your work? Join us for the Teen Creative Writing Club. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or email: kbroughey@sppl.net.

Wednesday, June 22 SEED PRESENTATION. 10:30 a.m.

Savanah Laur, Extension agent from the Moore County office of the N.C. Cooperative Extension, will present a program on “Seed Saving in Pollinator Gardens.” Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines.

Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

Friday, June 24 TRIBUTE CONCERT. 6 - 9 p.m. Vision 4 Moore presents the first of three concerts in the 2022 Cooper Ford Concert Series. This will be a Billy Joel tribute performed by The

Stranger featuring Mike Santoro. Cooper Ford, 5292 US-15, Carthage. Info and tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Saturday, June 25 CRAFT DAYS. Children and their families can come by the library for Drop in Craft Days and work on crafts at their own pace.

Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

PLANT PRESENTATION. 11 a.m. Namaste Arey of Meadowflower Farms will present “Plant Propagation 101.” Perfect for beginners, this class will leave you with tips and tricks for turning cuttings into new baby plants. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

Sunday, June 26 STEAM. 2:30 p.m. Elementary-aged children and their caregivers are invited to learn about topics in science, technology, engineering, art and math, and to participate in STEAM projects and activities. We will be making fairy gardens. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines.

Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

Tuesday, June 28 MUSICIANS’ JAM SESSION. 6 - 9 p.m.

Bring your own instrument and beverage or just come and enjoy the music. Attendees must have the COVID vaccination. Free admission.

Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www.weymouthcenter.org.

Wednesday, June 29 HORSE SHOW. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Come watch the North Carolina Hunter Jumper

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

CA L E N DA R Association Annual Horse Show. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford.

Show runs daily from June 29 to July 3.

Thursday, June 30 DOUGLASS CENTER BOOK CLUB. 10:30 a.m. Multiple copies of the selected book for the month are available for checkout at the library. Douglass Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or email: mmiller@sppl.net.

SOUNDS ON THE GROUNDS. 4 - 8:30 p.m. Join us for a rockin’ evening featuring Raleigh-based dance band “The Shakedown,” seven pieces of pure soul. This evening will be a tribute to the music of the 1920s. There will be music, food trucks and shopping among the blooms of summer. Cost is $20 for supporters and $25 general admission. Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www. weymouthcenter.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS Friday, July 1 THEATER SHOW. 7:30 p.m. Temple Theatre presents Disney’s 101 Dalmations Kids. Temple Theatre, 120 Carthage St., Sanford. Info: www.templeshows.com.

Sunday, July 3 MEDITATION WALK. 2 - 3:15 p.m. Join us for this monthly meditation walk, with your guide, Eve Gaskell. The group will meet on the outside patio area of the visitor’s center. If it is raining, the event will be canceled. Sandhills Horticultural Gardens, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: harmonylifebalance@gmail.com.

WEEKLY EVENTS Mondays WORKOUTS. 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to get their workout on. Open Monday through Friday. Cost for six months: $15/resident; $30/non-resident.

Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

INDOOR WALKING. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Improve balance, blood pressure and maintain healthy bones with one of the best methods of exercise. Classes are held at the same time Monday through Friday.

Ages 55 and up. Cost for six months: $15/ resident; $30/non-resident. Southern Pines

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Recreation Center, 210 Memorial Park Ct., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

GAME ON. 1 p.m. For adults 55 and older.

You and your friends are invited to come out and play various games such as corn hole, badminton, table tennis, shuffleboard, trivia games, and more. Each week enjoy a different activity to keep you moving and thinking.

Compete with friends and make new ones all for free. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

BRIDGE. 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Enjoy games of bridge with friends.

Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

Tuesdays BABY RHYMES. 10:30 a.m. Baby Rhymes is specially designed for the youngest learners (birth-2) and their caregivers. Repetition and comforting movements make this story time perfect for early development and brain growth. There will be a duplicate session outside the library at 11 a.m. Dates this month are June 7, 14, 21 and 28. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

GAME DAY. 12 p.m. Enjoy bid whist and other cool games all in the company of great friends. For adults 55 and older. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

TAI CHI. 1 p.m. Come learn tai chi. There is no age limit and the classes are open to the public. Aberdeen Parks and Recreation Station, 301 Lake Park Crossing, Aberdeen .

Info: (910) 944-7275.

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SPARK STORYTIME. 2:30 p.m. This Spark Storytime at Fire Station 82 is for ages birth through 2 and kids will have a chance to see fire trucks. Dates this month are June 7, 14, 21 and 28. Fire Station 82, 500 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

TABLE TENNIS. 7 - 9 p.m. Enjoy playing this exciting game every Tuesday. Cost for six months is $15 for residents of Southern Pines and $30 for non-residents. For adults 55 and older. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines.

Info: (910) 692-7376.

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CA L E N DA R Wednesdays CHAIR YOGA. 10 - 11 a.m. For adults 55 and older. Help offset body aches encountered with desk work. This is an accessible yoga class for bodies not able to easily get up from and down to the floor. Do standing or sitting in a chair. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

CHAIR VOLLEYBALL. 1 - 2 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Get fit while having fun.

Free to participate. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

BRIDGE. 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Enjoy games of bridge with friends.

Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

FARMERS MARKET. 3 - 6 p.m. The Sandhills Farmers Market features some of the many farms, nurseries, bakeries, meat and egg providers, cheesemakers and spe-

cialty food producers our area has to offer.

Tufts Memorial Park, 1 Village Green Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.vopnc.org.

TAI CHI. 6:30 p.m. Come learn tai chi.

There is no age limit and the classes are open to the public. Cost is $10 per class. Seven Lakes West Community Center, 556 Longleaf Dr., Seven Lakes. Info: (910) 400-5646.

Thursdays MOORE COUNTY FARMERS MARKET. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. The year-round market features “producer only” vendors within a 50-mile radius providing fresh, local and seasonal produce, fruits, pasture meats, eggs, potting plants, cut flowers and local honey.

Crafts, baked goods, jams and jellies are also available. Market is located at the Armory Sports Complex, 604 W. Morganton Road, Southern Pines.

GIVEN STORY TIME. 10 a.m. Wonderful volunteers share their love of reading.

Stop by and join the fun. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info and tickets: (910) 295-3642.

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CHESS AND MAHJONG. 1 p.m. For adults 55 and older. All levels welcome.

Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

CABIN TOURS. 1 - 4 p.m. The Moore County Historical Association’s Shaw House grounds, cabins and gift shop are open for tours and visits. Visit the restored tobacco barn featuring the history of children’s roles in the industry. Docents are ready to host you and the cabins are open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Shaw House, 3361 Mt. Carmel Rd., Carthage. Info: (910) 692-2051 or www.moorehistory.com.

MUSIC AND MOTION. 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Does your toddler like to move and groove? Join us for outdoor Music and Motion to get those wiggles out and work on gross and fine motor skills. For children 3 - 5. Dates this month are June 9, 16, 23 and 30. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net

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CA L E N DA R Fridays AEROBIC DANCE. 9 - 10 a.m. For adults 55 and older. Enjoy this low to moderateimpact class with energizing music for an overall cardio and strength workout. Free of charge. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

TAP CLASS. 10 - 11:30 a.m. For adults 55 and older. All levels welcome. Cost per class: $15/resident; $30/non-resident. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

RESTORATIVE YOGA. 1 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Practice gentle movements to improve your well-being with certified instructor, Jahaira Farias. Practice movements that may help alleviate pain and improve circulation. Bring your own mat. Free admission. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

BRIDGE. 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Enjoy games of bridge with friends.

Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

LINE DANCING. 3 - 4 p.m. For adults 55 and older. If you’re interested in learning dance moves and building confidence on the dance floor, this class is for you. Leave your inhibitions at the door and join in. Cost is: $30 for residents and $60 for non-residents. Cost is for a monthly membership. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

Southern Pines at S.E. Broad Street and New York Avenue and runs weekly (with the exception of Autumnfest) until the end of October.

FARMERS MARKET.10 a.m. - 1 p.m. The Sandhills Farmers Market features some of the many farms, nurseries, bakeries, meat and egg providers, cheesemakers and specialty food producers our area has to offer. Tufts Memorial Park, 1 Village Green Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.vopnc.org. PS

Saturdays MOORE COUNTY FARMERS MARKET. 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. The market features “producer only” vendors within a 50-mile radius providing fresh, local, and seasonal produce, fruits, pasture meats, eggs, potting plants, cut flowers and local honey. Crafts, baked goods, jams and jellies are also available, accompanied by live music. Market is located in downtown

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LOCATED DOWNTOWN 302 East Washington St | Rockingham, NC 28379 (910) 817-7494 www.simplychicmonogramboutique.com Hours: Tues-Fri 10:00-5:30 | Sat 10:00-1:00

www.highcottonconsignment.com

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Are you obsessed with your fabulous four-legged friend?

Want to see your furball featured in PineStraw magazine?

Share a photo of your pet and you could win: A gift basket full of items from all your favorite local shops!

S PONS OR E D BY Taylor Floyd Norbury Taylor.norbury@kw.com

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The photo with the most votes by June 10 will be highlighted in the July issue of PineStraw magazine!

Share your photo now at www.thepilot.com/promotions Each office is independently owned and operated

TESLA HRC HAIR RESTORATION SOLUTIONS 125 Fox Hollow Road, Suite 103 Pinehurst, NC 28374 910-684-8808 | 919-418-3078 | teslahrc@gmail.com

www.expernutritionadvisor.com/southern-pines-chiropractic Anna Rodriguez • Confidentiality is ensured.

A healthy future begins with proper nutrition Learn how nutritional care and whole food supplements can assist your immune system and improve your quality of life.

PineNeedler Answers from page 119

Southern Pines Chiropractic, P.A. Serving the Sandhills since 1991

Dr. Joseph D. Wahl, Chiropractic Physician

361 N.Bennett Street •Southern Pines

910-692-5207 • www.ncchiro.com

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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Arts & Culture

910-944-3979

Gallery • Studios • Classes

When You Want More Come to RichmondCC Art to Appreciate Opening Reception Sunday, June 5, 5:00-7:00 Exhibit Open Until July 1

This exhibit includes the works of all members of the Artists League of the Sandhills and is the only exhibit at the League that is judged by a professional art authority. Winners for best in each category, as well as best overall, will be chosen and ribbons hung by each selected painting prior to the opening reception. Guests will be asked to participate by voting for their favorite painting for the “People’s Choice” Award.

Gallery Hours: Monday - Saturday 12-3pm

OIL AND ACRYLIC

Introduction to Oils for Beginners - Linda Bruening – Monday and Tuesday, August 8, 9, 9:30-3:30 Next Step-Oil Painting - Linda Bruening – Thursday and Friday, August 11, 12, 9:30-3:30 Beginner’s Acrylic Pouring - Meredith Markfield – Friday, August 19, 1:00-4:00 Intermediate Acrylic Pouring – Swipe and Chain Pull Technique - Meredith Markfield Monday, August 22, 12:30-2:30

OTHER MEDIUMS

Inktastic/Intermediate Alcohol Ink - Pam Griner – Tuesday, July 12, 11:30-2:30, 11:30-2:30 Basic Cake Decorating – Pam Griner – Wednesday, July 13, 12:30-3:30 Decorating supplies included Next Step Cake Decorating/Flowers - Pam Griner - Wednesday, August 24, 12:30-2:30 Intro to Encaustic Wax – Pam Griner – Wednesday, July 27, 1:00 – 3:00 • Supplies included.

Inkfinity/Advanced Alcohol Ink - Pam Griner - Wednesday, August 10, 11:30-2:30, 11:30-2:30 Go with the Flow/Beginning Alcohol Ink - Pam Griner - Tuesday, August 16, 11:30-2:30 Supplies Included

Ask Us About Becoming a Member • 129 Exchange Street in Aberdeen, NC www.artistleague.org • artistleague@windstream.net

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Working Scholarship Many college students are working while going to school, and some times their income makes them ineligible for financial aid.

These students are the targeted beneficiaries of the unique Working Scholarship.

Programs of Study Electric Utility Substation & Relay Technology Mechatronics Technology Dialysis Technology Marketing Human Services Electric Lineman Truck Driver Training Cole Auditorium 1,000 seat auditorium Large-scale touring productions Nationally known acts Beautiful wedding venue Spacious lobby & banquet rooms Free parking

LOCAL COLLEGE. BIG IMPACT

Call (910) 410-1700. Visit www.richmondcc.edu.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Arts & Culture

ANGLICAN CHURCH IN NORTH AMERICA

Join Us! PREVIEW WORSHIP SERVICE JUNE 12 | 4 PM SOUTHERN PINES CHAPEL 240 E. NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE. 910-639-5617

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Join us for musical evenings under the stars!

May 28-July 16, 2022

Beethoven Juneteenth Symphony No. 9 Celebration

Dvořák New World Symphony

SAT, JUNE 4 | 8PM

SAT, JUNE 18 | 8PM

Movie Music Classics

SUPPORTED BY: NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS CONCERT SPONSOR: TRIANGLE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Disco Fever

All Mozart

The Music of Queen

CONCERT SPONSOR: RGA INVESTMENTS

Havana Nights

CONCERT SPONSORS: HIGHWOODS PROPERTIES, RALEIGH WINDOWS AND SIDING

SAT, JUNE 11 | 8PM SUN, JUNE 12 | 8PM FRI, JUNE 17 | 8PM

SUN, JUNE 26 | 8PM

CONCERT SPONSOR: GALLOWAY RIDGE AT FEARRINGTON

FRI, JULY 1 | 8PM

SAT, JULY 9 | 8PM

SEP 8-25

OCT 13-30

DEC 1-18

JAN 19-FEB 5

FEB 23-MAR 12

APR 13-30

Sidecar Social Club

SAT, JULY 16 | 8PM

The Symphony will not be performing at this concert.

PRESENTED BY

Lawn Flex Pass 10-pack just $210!*

*Price does not include tax.

Kids 12 and under admitted free on the lawn! ncsymphony.org | 919.733.2750

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

SERIES SPONSORED BY

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SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW! 919.774.4512

TEMPLESHOWS.ORG PineStraw

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Get Preapproved Today

SandhillSeen Party for the Pine

Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve Saturday, April 23, 2022 Photographs by Diane McKay

Denise Smith

Marcia Woodfield, Amy Davis, Joan Perez

Sawyer & Lucinda Coates, Willet Chanonat

Tali Mastalski, Jinny & Barbara Garnett, Katie Wyatt, Petra Vandermeer

Marsha, baby Nell, Gretchen Coll & Milo Bollinger

Hope, Miranda, Noah & Matti Whitworth

Knox, Smith & Meredith Erickson

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Jessie & Andy Jordan

Burner Bob, Lara Beth Jones

Lacy, Declan & Eric Kamber

Cecelia, Erin, Clara & Ruffles (dog)

Rebecca, Alexis & Tim Beittel

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SandhillSeen Springfest

Downtown Southern Pines Saturday, April 30, 2022 Photographs by Diane McKay Kimberly & Lauren Smith, Deborah Harris

Jaycie Tonelli, Emily & Jax Bailey

Sara Dittenber

Alaiya Covington, Alvita Thomas

Rachel, Kit & Cale Cunningham

Steve & Lucy Cain

Leandra Smith, Melinda Gregg, Regis

Rodi Rae, Caroline & Tara Logan, Ozzy

Ellen Pfan, dog Brielle, Graycen & Rebecca Eldridge

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Joy the Clown, Eric & Annabelle Velez, Benjamin Bunny

Andrea & Rick Wild

The Kjellsen Family

Baby Charlotte & Rachael Wirges, Gary Schneider

Amber & Allison Douglas, Virginia Adams

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

SandhillSeen Weymouth Strawberry Festival

Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities Sunday, May 16, 2022 Photographs by Diane McKay

Scott Brote

Laura Beth Jones, Bev Reynolds, Glenda Kirby, Kathy Newcomb

Joan Vellavigna

Leslie Kieffer, Brooke Holt

Ashley Van Camp, Emily Muha

Mary & Anika Sommer

Collett Kolinski, Susan Suggs

Kim Adams, Mary Ann Welsch, Ann Cantwell

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Talbots Fashion Show models

Linda Phillips, Ginny Notestine, Carol Weiss, Pat Keffer, Joan Erickson

Lea Brown

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Pine ServiceS Vintage Watches Wanted

ENJOY SUMMER PEST FREE

BUZZWORTHY FINDS at

ROLEX & TUDOR Omega, Hamilton Breitling Patek Philippe, Panerai, Seiko

Pilot-Diver Chronographs Military Watches

Personal Care and Private Duty Nursing Medication Planning • Meal Preparation Medical Appointment Assistance every year, Your hard work and dedication is appreciated

Buying one Watch or Collection

••CNAs, RNs Available•• but this past year hasLPNs, brought unique challenges that you Complimentary RNgrace Assessment with ongoing have handled with and professionalism. and management Thank you supervision from all of us at care Bright Horizons Home Care!

NC Licensed and Nationally Accredited

Ed Hicks Vintage Watch Collector

910.425.7000 or 910.977.5656

910-227-3883

We are so proud and grateful to have such a wonderful staff of nurses!

www.battlefieldmuseum.org www.warpathmilitaria.com

(910) 420-8970 • @BeesKneesPinehurst 125 NC HWY 73, at the corner of 15-501

24 hour, 7 days a week availability • NO availability CONTRACTS REQUIRED 24 hour, 7 days a week

110-B Applecross Road • Pinehurst, NC 28374 NO CONTRACTS REQUIRED

110-B Applecross Road Pinehurst, NC 28374

Award Winning Pressure Washing for

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Plumbing with Pride since 1965

Tired of running out of hot water? We’ve got your solution!

Gas • Plumbing • Remodeling • Water Heaters Drain Cleaning • Water Sewer Discounts for Veterans, Military, & Teachers 24/7 EMERGENCY SERVICE | 910-295-0152

SERVICES HOUSE WASHING WINDOW CLEANING GUTTER CLEANING CONTACT US!

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Remodeling • Windows Door • Siding • Sunrooms Screen Porches • Decks Termite Damage Repair

Large & Small Jobs

Call for All Your Home Needs!

910.639.5626 or 910.507.0059 Free Estimates & Fully Insured

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

June Pine Needler

Soul Food Month!

ACROSS 1. Shade of black 5. thou, old English for “do you” 9. Dock 14. Battery end 15. Really enthralled with 16. Spooky 17. Leave out 18. Soulful side, yum!

19. Indian group 20. and cheese, yum!

21. Scriptural “your” 22. Cashew or pecan 24. Hearing loss communication, init.

25. Capture 27. Dog or cat 29. Toothbrush brand 32. Speechifies 36. The night before 38. Mr. Ryan 40. Brief letter 41. Avenue, abbr.

42. Stage scene 43. Less than two 44. Black-eyed , yum!

46. Bus. group 48. Terminal abbr.

49. Sign up, at Fort Bragg 51. Where there’s there’s fire 53. Wheel track 54. Spring flowers 58. Soulful patio cooking, for short

Bunsen burner Visualize Tied, in sports Type of beef Speck Gorilla Title of respect Lawyer, abbr. greens, yum!

Moray Carriage Candy bar brand Kat

61.

63.

64.

65.

67.

69.

70.

71.

72.

73.

74.

75.

Seed bread Deli order init.

Opening Food consumer Nimbus Achy Old-womanish Heavenly light Ship’s front Answer Babysit Sweet potatoes, yum!

DOWN 1. Dwarf 2. Holy Empire 3. Decree 4. Still 5. Where plates are washed 6. Merely 7. Train depot, abbr.

8. Village 9. More soaked 10. That woman 11. Opera solo 12. Soulful staple at 58 across, yum!

13. Touch 21. Sticky black substance 23. On top 26. Caviar 28. Summer skin color 30. Defeat 31. Anoint 33. Honk

34.

35.

36.

37.

39.

41.

45.

46.

47.

48.

50.

52.

55. Ancient Greek marketplace 56. Rebound, as on a pool table 57. Gushes out 58. Honey eater 59. Scourge

60. Brand of cotton-tipped stick 62. Direction 63. Cereal ingredient 66. Building addition 68. Shoshonean 69. Observe secretly

Puzzle answers on page 111 Mart Dickerson lives in Southern Pines and welcomes suggestions from her fellow puzzle masters. She can be reached at martaroonie@gmail.com.

Sudoku:

Fill in the grid so every row, every column and every 3x3 box contain the numbers 1-9.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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SOUTHWORDS

The Evening Merriment Getting a kick out of summertime

The deserted street was silent, punctu-

ated only by the hum of mosquitoes searching for a tasty arm to nibble. Not a soul was visible, not even a hungry squirrel hunting for buried nuts. Dinnertime. All the children had been summoned to their family meals. Their absence created a vacuum of silence. Temporary. Fleeting.

The calm before the storm.

In an instant, a cacophony of voices ignited the street. As if at once children burst from their homes, anxious to get on with the evening’s passion — the nightly neighborhood kickball game. Oh, I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it was the highlight of our summer evenings. From late spring when the days grew longer until early fall when school signified the return to schedules and early bedtimes, the kids loved their daily dose of excitement.

The bases weren’t fancy. The mailbox post was transformed into home plate. Rocks, frisbees, and an occasional log served as stepping stones to scoring runs. There wasn’t time for argu-

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ments or rock, paper, scissors; everyone wanted to play every minute they could squeeze in before dark. Disputes were settled with a nod in order to keep the game going. Cooperation was the unwritten rule as the competition, no matter how frenzied, required no adult intervention. No one was left out of the festivities. If you didn’t kick well, maybe you were a speedy runner or a superb pitcher. Everyone was good at something. Age wasn’t an issue. Holding hands with older players, little tykes were escorted to shortened bases where they enthusiastically cheered for themselves, as the older kids laughed at their silliness and applauded their successes. The commotion of joyful voices, mixed with shouted directions to teammates and scurrying children, led to sheer exhaustion by dusk.

As quickly as it began, it stopped. Adult voices beckoned the players home to the comfort of their beds as darkness blanketed the concrete field. The shadows disappeared into the night. The street returned to its hushed self, awaiting the next day’s contest.

Only the drone of mosquito wings pierced the silence. PS Eileen Phelps is a retired Pinehurst Elementary teacher who loves reading, writing and spending time with her 10 grandchildren.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

ILLUSTRATION BY MERIDITH MARTENS

By Eileen Phelps

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Buyer, Purveyor & Appraiser of Fine and Estate Jewellery 229 NE Broad Street • Southern Pines, NC • (910) 692-0551 Mother and Daughter Leann and Whitney Parker Look Forward to Welcoming You to WhitLauter.