March PineStraw 2010

SWEET TEA CHRONICLES

Short Story America die a slow death, but these days it’s almost impossible to find a periodical beyond a few fairly obscure literary magazines or the New Yorker that includes memorable short fiction. that redoubtable I generally chart this decline in part from the coming of the sofeels like a lifetime ago, I sat down and wrote a called “New Journalism” beginning in the late 1970s when pseujournalists like Hunter S. Thompson and Tom Wolfe short story about a kid from the city who spends do employed the narrative conventions of traditional fiction-writa summer living on his eccentric grandfather’s ing into their non-fiction prose.

Coinciding with this was the explosion in information techfarm. The short story was required for my junior nology and the coming of personal computers that made particEnglish composition class and I drew inspiration ipation in traditional entertainment forms like reading short from my own grandfather’s life and a recently stories seem seriously outdated — and just too much work for rapidly shortening attention spans. filmed version of William Faulkner’s “The In sum, though a classic short story like Shirley Jackson’s spellbinding “The Lottery” terrified generations of middle school-aged Reivers.”

American kids — and still stands up remarkably well as a model Sad to say, I lost my only copy of this short story many years ago of economical storytelling — the traditional short story probably somewhere along the trail of a checkered journalism career and didn’t have a chance against the onslaught of MTV, cable news, today, alas, retain only a vague memory of the story’s basic action, video technology, and other exploding all of which takes place on a farm in rural forms of electronic entertainment.

Guilford County.

• The good news is that, owing to the As a result of the story, however, which efforts of a former English teacher and priwas titled “That Summer,” my life veered “A short story,” he evanvate school headmaster from Beaufort off in a wholly unexpected direction. Not (S.C.) named Tim Johnston, the endanlong after I turned it in and was surprised gelizes, “not only entergered short story may soon enjoy a grassto receive an “A” for my efforts in “Bull” roots renaissance. Johnston is on a quest Smith’s English class, she submitted it to tains you in one sitting, to restore the art form to its proper place the City of Greensboro’s annual O. Henry in mainstream culture via Short Story short-story-writing contest and — wonders but the good ones often America, an innovative Web site that probehold — it won first place. William vides short story writers a cutting-edge Sydney Porter, a.k.a. “O. Henry,” was a leave you with someoutlet for displaying their talents to an native son of Greensboro. unlimited online audience.

I remember how my buddies chortled in thing to think about — “The idea came out of my lifelong admidisbelief when Bull Smith called me up to ration of great short stories, which I considthe front of the class and presented me sometimes for the er to be the purest form of literature, ” says with a small plaque and a gift certificate to Johnston, a 1983 Davidson College graduWills Bookstore for winning that year’s “O. rest of your life.” ate who earned his masters in creative writHenry Award.” ing from Antioch College. He served as They knew me, after all, as just another • headmaster of Beaufort (S.C.) Academy for sports-mad kid who lived for Carolina basmore than a decade until last July, at which ketball and chasing a golf ball. They had no point the married father of young twin girls (wife Karen is a physiclue that I’d had a secret life of devouring adventure novels and cian) left his job to devote his full time to creating Short Story short stories since I was about seven years old. Or that I was a America and working on his own fiction. frequent and fairly dedicated reader of short stories in Esquire, “A short story,” he evangelizes, “not only entertains you in one Saturday Evening Post and even The New Yorker. sitting, but the good ones often leave you with something to think There was a time in America when the short story was the leadabout — sometimes for the rest of your life.” Short stories, he adds, ing literary form in the land, having launched the careers of everyare a largely American-born phenomenon, stemming from the one from Edgar Allen Poe to Mark Twain, Flannery O’Connor to early, economical tales of popular writers like Washington Irving F. Scott Fitzgerald into the literary firmament. For a period of time and Joseph Conrad. “From a teacher’s perspective, it’s sad to see in the late 19th century, O. Henry was the most celebrated author the short story pushed to the margins by all the technologies of in America. Three of my favorite novelists, Ernest Hemingway, modern times because everything you wish to teach a young perRay Bradbury and Irwin Shaw, began their careers as short story son about good writing is critical to a successful short story. writers and went on to glory as popular novelists.

They’re a great tool for teaching the mechanics of how to write a It’s hard to know when the short story’s popularity began to

BY JIM DODSON

One spring afternoon

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SWEET TEA CHRONICLES

good analytical essay — which so many colleges today complain incoming freshmen simply don’t know how to do. We’re simply using those tools to give the popularity of the short story a good fighting chance.”

Since SSA’s debut a little over a month ago, the literary Web site has scored big with readers and writers alike. Thousands of readers have signed up and on any given day Johnston and his co-editor Sarah Turocy receive as many as 40 story submissions. During the first week alone, SSA gained members from 13 countries and 37 U.S. states.

“We’re getting some really terrific writing from established and new writers,” Johnston explains. “But maybe the most encouraging thing is the positive feedback from members. They really seem to love that they can just go to our site and read fresh, new material. The discussion groups and feedback have been fantastic.”

Here’s how it works. Every week SSA’s attractive and easy-to-navigate Web site presents a new piece of short fiction submitted by members (signing up is free) and selected by SSA’s editors. In addition to a “classics” library containing several hundred great short stories — a gold mine, if you will, for cash-strapped English educators everywhere — SSA provides a discussion forum for established and budding short story authors, and plans to bring out a printed anthology of each year’s 52 weekly selections. A Short Story America convention is also in the works, complete with workshops and an annual writing competition for Middle School, High School, College and Graduate School levels.

PineStraw magazine is pleased to play a small role in the roll-out of Short Story America this month by publishing one of Tim Johnston’s own intriguing short stories, called “The Errand.” It begins on page 53.

Moreover, in this special issue highlighting the inaugural edition of the Palustris Festival, we would also like to encourage our literary-minded readers to check out Short Story America and consider becoming an official part of the rebirth of the great American short story.

Who knows, you may even wish to submit your own story — and start your own trek toward literary immortality.

Now, if I could just remember where I put “That Summer” after all the laughter from my buddies died down. PS

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

The Whole Truth Jason Craighead titles the centerpiece of his exhibition at Broadhurst Gallery in Southern Pines “Whole.” He commenced by crushing a piece of charcoal onto a 64-by-100 inch canvas. The remainder of the painting plays out the artist’s mission statement: A passionate and emotionally charged evolving exploration of line and space from scribble to scrawl. Translation: Seeing is understanding. A reception at 2 p.m. followed by a gallery talk by the intense young artist at 4 p.m. on March 14 will open a display of his works at the gallery. Preview them at www.jasoncraighead.com Information: www.broadhurstgallery.com or (910) 295-4817.

The Fair Way On March 8, Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina and Pinehurst Resort Course No. 8 present the 6th Annual Golf Tournament to benefit the organization that for 55 years has provided a home on Lake Waccamaw for a total of 3,500 neglected and abused children. The home is a nonsectarian, nonprofit facility supported by donations. The event, established as a memorial for golfer Courtney Quentin Register, includes dinner, a silent auction and awards. Entry fee: $200 per player, $750 per foursome. For more information, call (910) 295-1819.

Nights at Knight The Rooster’s Wife Concert March Series features Sara Grey and Kieron Means on March 7 and Road Song on March 13.

Shannon Whitworth (below) is a sultry singer with an art for all that is string. Whether she’s strumming the guitar, picking at the banjo or plucking a ditty on the ukulele, this North Carolina girl never takes her mind off her roots. Don’t miss her on on March 20.

All performances at the Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight Street, Aberdeen.

Celtic Splendor Cathy Jordan fronts Dervish, one of Ireland’s premiere Celtic bands. A Sunrise Special Event on March 5 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $30.

For tickets and information, call the Sunrise Theater Box Office at (910) 692-8501 or visit www.sunrisetheater.com.

Tickets and information on all events: (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife.org.

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Eat, Drink and Be Merry Stoneybrook presents The Casablanca Casino Gala on Saturday, March 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Member’s Club at Pinehurst Resort.

Don’t be afraid to raise the stakes at this glamorous, cocktail attire event. Proceeds will benefit the Foundation of FirstHealth Cancer CARE Fund and the Carolina Horse Park Foundation. Tickets: $150 per person. For tickets and information, contact the Carolina Horse Park at (910) 874-2074 or (910) 874-2074 or visit www.carolinahorsepark.com.

Stoneybrook Steeplechase It is no great wonder that Southern Pines has developed into the equine hub of the area that it is. Its open fields, rolling hills and pastoral splendor create a rural charm that is simply irresistible, on horseback or otherwise.

In the 1940s, an Irishman by the name of Mickey Walsh was so enchanted by the area that an entire institution was birthed from his decision to build a stable here: the Stoneybrook Steeplechase.

The annual horse race, also an anticipated social affair for 49 years, came to an end with Walsh’s death in 1993. Shortly thereafter, the legendary Stoneybrook Stable was sold.

But the show – and Walsh’s dream – had to go on. Since the development of Carolina Horse Park in 2001, a nationally renowned equine competition venue that encourages the preservation of open spaces, the Stoneybrook tradition has continued.

The 59th Stoneybrook Steeplechase will be held in Raeford at Carolina Horse Park on April 3 and is fit for all ages to enjoy. This annual celebration of equine culture and cordial competition is a symphony of excitement, alive with the clip-clop of hooves, the chatter of children, the buzz about speculated winners and thrill of friendly contests.

Although this springtime gathering is brimming with excitement and surging with the scents of tailgating treats, it is also an embodiment of the treasured relationship between humans and horses – and a place where both may enjoy the simple brilliance of the countryside.

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Four’s a Charm Forty years ago, the Tokyo String Quartet was formed at the world-renowned Juilliard School of Music. Today, they continue to impress critics and audiences alike, performing over a hundred concerts worldwide each year. With a devoted international following, it’s easy to see why the Quartet causes such a buzz — but it’s more fun to hear for yourself. On Monday, March 22 at 8 p.m., the Tokyo String Quartet will perform at Sunrise Theater, Broad St., Southern Pines. For more information, please call the Arts Council of Moore County at (910)6924356 or visit www.artscouncil-moore.org.

Green Theme St. Patrick’s Day in Pinehurst is so much more than green beer and good cheer. The 9th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade to benefit St. Baldrick’s Children’s Cancer Research will start at 11 a.m. on March 13 (rain date March 20) in the village. Parade Grand Marshals will be active-duty and retired soldiers. Miss North Carolina and the 82nd Airborne AllAmerican Chorus from Fort Bragg will attend. Details at Dugan’s Pub, (910) 295-3400.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

“Dearly Departed” In the Baptist backwoods of the Bible Belt, the beleaguered Turpin family proves that living and dying in the South are seldom tidy and always hilarious. Despite their earnest efforts to pull themselves together for their father’s funeral, the Turpins’ other problems keep overshadowing the solemn occasion.

Moore OnStage Presents “Dearly Departed” on March 17-21. Hours: Thurs. - Sat. at 7:30 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. Sunrise Theater, Broad Street, Southern Pines.

For tickets and additional information please call (910) 692-7118. March 17 is BOGO (buy one get one free).

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

The Inaugural Palustris Festival A Sandhills tradition begins

BY CHRIS DUNN ARTS COUNCIL OF MOORE COUNTY, DIRECTOR

It has long been my dream

for Moore County to host an arts festival that would rank with some of the finest arts festivals in the nation.

Not just any one- or two-day street fair, mind you, but a comprehensive, community-wide celebration of the arts that would become, with each passing year, a destination event attracting thousands of people from all over the country to our beautiful Sandhills home. As its stature and reputation grew, such a festival would not only become an annual showcase of the rich diversity of arts found in our region, but an economic boost to every citizen of the county.

I am thrilled to say that my dream has become a reality with the inaugural Palustris Arts Festival scheduled for March 25-28, 2010.

“Palustris,” by the way, is simply the Latin name for a tree we all know very well — the fabled longleaf pine.

Believe me, I am not the first person to harbor such a dream. This idea was explored in detail more than 20 years ago by a group of visionary folks. Sadly, many of them eventually left the area and the idea got placed on hold.

Two years ago, however, Caleb Miles, president of our Convention & Visitors Bureau, phoned me to ask if the Arts Council of Moore County would have any interest in working with his organization to resurrect the idea of a first-rate arts festival in the Sandhills. Obviously, we leapt at the opportunity to be involved.

Our first challenge for the newly named Palustris Festival was to solicit potential local artists, arts organizations and businesses to participate in a new event during a period of frightening economic downturn. That was no small challenge. I am happy to report that the response from our various arts constituents was extremely enthusiastic. The commonly shared belief was that a PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

serious arts festival was something whose time had arrived!

As a result, this inaugural edition of the festival features 90 events showcasing the best in music, visual arts, theater, dance, film, lectures, tours, and several other special events. What’s more impressive is that more than 60 percent of the events are free and open to the public and that no event is more than $25 per ticket.

As a native North Carolinian, I am fully aware of how fortunate we are to live here. Moore County is home to a wealth of assets that are the envy of the state, such as world-famous golf courses, unrivaled equine facilities, fine resorts and spas, and charming small towns. As a person passionate about the transformative power of the arts, I happen to believe that in a few short years we will count the Palustris Festival as one of our leading draws and cultural assets.

It is now your turn to participate in the Palustris Festival.

Mark your calendars for the last weekend of March and visit the festival’s new Web site, www.palustrisfestival.com, to see the impressive schedule of events and make your plans accordingly. We hope you’ll also make it your mission to connect with family and friends who live outside the area to invite them to visit the festival, too. We need a lot of local support of this event in order for it to grow into something special.

I recently read a quote by famed choreographer Twyla Tharp that beautifully expresses my best hopes for the new Palustris Arts Festival. “Art,” she said, “is the only way to run away without leaving home.”

In that same spirit of joyful self-discovery, we would like to invite you to embrace the dream March 25-28, 2010 — and let the Palustris Festival be your great escape! PS

For your guide to events, see pages 16-17. This box, scattered throughout the magazine, notes specific events, locations and times.

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Art Exhibit. Thurs. 5 to 7 p.m. Fri. - Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Hollyhocks Art Gallery invites the public to attend a very special exhibit will be on display to emphasize “Palustris.” 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. (910) 255-0665.

Please contact venues, as events may be subject to change

Music THURSDAY, MARCH 25 Moore Children of SCORE in Concert. 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Pinehurst Elementary Youth Orchestra and Performing Arts Club will also be featured.

Pinehurst Elementary School, 100 Dundee Rd., Pinehurst. (910) 295-6969.

Aaron Vandermeer Jazz Trio. 6:30 p.m. - 7:45. The O'Neal School, 3330 Airport Rd., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 690-2908.

Fayetteville Symphony in Concert. 8 to 10 p.m. Conducted by Fouad Fakhouri, FSO will open the inaugural Palustris Festival at R.E. Lee Auditorium at Pinecrest High School, 250 Voit Gilmore Ln, Southern Pines. $15. Tickets available at Campbell House. (910) 692-2787.

Hot Club of Cowtown. 8 to 10 p.m. Poplar Knight Spot, The Rooster’s Wife, 114 Knight St, Aberdeen. $15. (910) 944-7502.

Evening at the Cotton Club. 6 to 7 p.m. Paul Murphy and his professional jazz band along with STARS middle school honors choir. $5. Sandhills Theater Renaissance School, 140 Southern Pines Dr, Southern Pines. (910) 695-1004.

FRIDAY, MARCH 26 Baxter Clement Student Spectacular. 1 to 3 p.m. Students from Baxter Clement’s Sandhills School for the Performing Arts. Penick Village, Penick Village Auditorium, East Rhode Island Ave., Southern Pines. (910) 692-0386.

An Affair of the Arts - Dinner-Dance Show. 5:30 to 11 p.m. A dinnerdance and cabaret show. Tickets $25. The Fair Barn, 200 Beulah Hill Rd, Pinehurst. (910) 692-8839.

Evening at the Cotton Club. 6 to 7 p.m. Paul Murphy and his professional jazz band along with STARS middle school honors choir. $5. Sandhills Theater Renaissance School, 140 Southern Pines Dr, Southern Pines. (910) 695-1004.

West Pine Community Drum Circle. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Performance by the West Pine D.R.U.M. Ensemble, followed by a drum circl. West Pine Middle School, 144 Archie Rd, West End. $5. (910) 673-1464.

Acoustic Free for All. Joe Craven, Joe Newberry and the Boulder Acoustic Society meet head on for the first time. A great musical adventure. $18. Poplar Knight Spot / The Rooster’s Wife, 114 Knight St, Aberdeen. (910) 944-7502.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27 The Met: Live in HD featuring Hamlet. Live in HD. 1 p.m. $20. The Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. (910) 692-8501.

Larry McNeely & Friends. An American five-string banjo player and his friends. 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Tickets $12. Old Bethesda Church, 1020 Bethesda Rd., Aberdeen. (910) 692-2051.

Craig & Patrick Fuller in Concert. $12. 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Old Bethesda Church, 1020 Bethesda Rd., Aberdeen. For more information, pease call (910) 692-2051.

Moore County Choral Society in Concert. 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Free.

Brownson Presbyterian Church and the Moore County Choral Society.

Brownson Presbyterian Church, Southern Pines. (910) 692-6252.

Tift Merritt in Concert. Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and recording artist. 8 p.m. Tickets $12. R.E. Lee Auditorium at Pinecrest High School, 250 Voit Gilmore Ln, Southern Pines. (910) 692-2787.

Art MARCH 25 - 28 Art Exhibit: People & Places of Eastern NC. Thurs., Fri., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sun, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Campbell House Galleries, Southern Pines. (910) 692-2787.

Art Exhibit at Artists League: INKS! Thurs. - Sat. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sun 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Free. Ink paintings created by its members. Artists League of the Sandhills, Aberdeen. (910) 944-3979.

Open Studios at the Artists League. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sun 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Free. Visit the Artists League of the Sandhills to see and talk to the artists working in their studios. 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. (910) 944-3979.

MARCH 25 - 27 Customer Showcase at Bella Filati. Thurs. - Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free.

Showcase of knitted and crocheted goods. Southern Pines. (910) 692-3528.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 25 Follow the Leader Art Class. 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Art class open to anyone with a desire to paint. $25. Registration required. Artists League of the Sandhills. (910) 944-3979.

Gallery Opening: Photos Across the Atlantic. 4 to 6 p.m. International photography exhibit at SCC Hastings Gallery. Refreshments and music by the SCC Choir will be provided. (910) 695-3879.

FRIDAY, MARCH 26 Photos Across the Atlantic. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. International photography exhibit at SCC Hastings Gallery. (910) 695-3879.

Art Exhibit. 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hollyhocks Art Gallery invites the public to attend the Opening Reception of their “Celebrate Palustris” Art Exhibit. 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. (910) 255-0665.

The Pinehurst Painters’ Exhibition. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pinehurst Painters, members of the Village of Pinehurst’s Recreation Department’s adult painting class, will exhibit paintings. Carolina Hotel, 80 Carolina Vista Rd., Pinehurst.

(910) 215-0422.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27 Photos Across the Atlantic. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. International photography exhibit at SCC Hastings Gallery. (910) 695-3879.

Follow the Leader Art Class. 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Art class open to anyone with a desire to paint. $25. Registration required. Artists League of the Sandhills. (910) 944-3979.

Visions of Art. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Exhibit featuring artwork by students and faculty at Sandhills Renaissance. Sandhills Theater Renaissance School, 140 Southern Pines Dr, Southern Pines. (910) 695-1004.

Seagrove Area Potters Demonstration & Sale. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. (910) 692-2787.

The Pinehurst Painters’ Exhibition. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pinehurst Painters, members of the Village of Pinehurst’s Recreation Department’s adult painting class, will exhibit paintings. Carolina Hotel, 80 Carolina Vista Rd., Pinehurst.

(910) 215-0422.

SUNDAY, MARCH 28 Plein Air & Tea at Artists League. 1 to 4 p.m. Enjoy artists painting on the streets in the open air and a cup of tea. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. (910) 944-3979.

Tours MARCH 25 - 28 Self-Guided Tour of Village Arboretum. The Village Arboretum located beside the Pinehurst Village Hall on Magnolia Rd. A special tour map will be available onsite. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free.

Docent-Guided Tour of Weymouth Center. Thurs. & Fri. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sat. & Sun. 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Free. A docent-guided tour of the historic Weymouth Center, former home of author James Boyd and his wife, Katharine Boyd. (910) 692-6261.

Historic Walking Tour of Pinehurst. Thurs. - Sat. 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Discover the history of Pinehurst with a walking tour of the homes and buildings in the Village by Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Rd. For more information, please call (910) 295-3642.

Shaw House Property Tour. Thurs. - Sun., 1 to 4 p.m. A docent-guided tour of the Shaw House, former residence of Southern Pines’ first mayor and the birthplace of the town. 110 Morganton Rd., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-2051.

FRIDAY, MARCH 26 SCC Gardens Guided Tour. 1 to 4 p.m. Sandhills Horticultural Society will lead tours of the 32-acre garden on the campus of Sandhills Community College. Ball Visitor’s Center, 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 695-3882.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27 Bird Walk. 8 to 9:30 a.m. at Weymouth Woods. Take an easy two-mile hike with a ranger to find, identify and learn more about migratory birds and their amazing journey through the Sandhills. 1024 Ft. Bragg Rd., Southern Pines.

For more information, please call (910) 692-2167.

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Old Growth Hike. 10 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 2 p.m. Meet the oldest known longleaf in the world! Carpool three miles to the Boyd Tract. From there it’s an easy 200-yard walk to the 460-year-old tree. Learn more about this old growth stand. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Ft. Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-2167.

Wildflower Hike. 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Botanist/Biologist Bruce Sorrie, with the NC Natural Heritage Program, will lead a hike to look at wildflowers, shrubs and trees at Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Ft. Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-2167.

SpecialEvents THURSDAY, MARCH 25 Artistic Lunch at the Artists League. 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Soup and salad between the “Follow the Leader” classes. Cost $10. Reservations required by March 19. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen.(910) 944-3979.

Southern Culture Dinner in the Pines. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Authentic Southern buffet prepared by the SCC Culinary Technology program.$25 (eat in or to-go box). To reserve eat in space, please call (910) 695-3796. Little Hall in Russell Dinning Rm., 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst.

Southern Character & Caricature in Films. 2 to 2:50 p.m. Ron Layne will explore the depiction of Southerners in film. Sandhills Community College, Clement Dining Room, Dempsey Student Ctr. (910) 695-3879.

Chagall and the Bible. 4 to 5 p.m. Vivian Jacobson will discuss artist Marc Chagall’s fascination with the Bible. Temple Beth Shalom, 131 Jackson Springs Rd., Jackson Springs. (910) 673-5224.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27 Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers. Join Brady Beck for an overview of the ecology and research techniques used in studying and managing the red-cockaded woodpecker. 2 to 3 p.m. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Ft. Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. (910) 692-2167.

History of the Hunt & the Moore County Hounds. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Presented by Joint Master of Foxhounds Cameron Sadler, the lecture will offer a rare glimpse into the world of the Boyds, along with an opportunity to learn about the formation of the Moore County Hounds. $10. Space limited.

Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. (910) 692-6261.

SUNDAY, MARCH 28 Impressionist Lecture. 2 p.m. Dr. Molly Gwinn will discuss the Impressionist movement at the Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange Street. (910) 944-3979 or visit www.artistleague.org.

FRIDAY, MARCH 26 Community Read. 12 to 2 p.m. Presented by the Moore County Area Libraries, the culminating event for the Community Read of the novel Serena

by Ron Rash will be a luncheon and a performance of traditional music and stories of the Southern Appalachian Mountains by David Holt. $15. Brownson Presbyterian Church, 330 S. May St., Southern Pines. (910) 692-8235.

Art & Antique Appraisal. 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Kathleen DiLoreto will appraise pre-1950 art and antiques. $25. Cost includes appraisal for up to 2 items.

Seating is limited. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen.

(910) 944-3979.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27 Artistic Lunch. 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Soup and salad. Cost $10. Reservations required by March 19. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. (910) 944-3979.

Hats & Afternoon Tea in the Village. A lovely afternoon of tea in the Village of Pinehurst and view photos of teas from decades past. Craven Cottage, 2 p.m., $25 per person. (910) 295-6022.

Birthday Party. Celebrate the 461st birthday of the oldest known Longleaf Pine in the world with cake and light snacks. 4 to 5 p.m. Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, Southern Pines.(910) 692-6261.

The Chef's Palette Cocktail Party. 6:30 to 8 p.m. Chef Mark Elliott of Elliott’s will serve wine and cocktails in the unique setting of Hollyhocks Art Gallery, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. $25. (910) 255-0665.

Lectures THURSDAY, MARCH 25 Southern Culture: What We Learn from the Food We Eat. 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. Learn about the historical, political, socioeconomics and other cultural connections of our cuisine. Sandhills Community College, 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst. (910) 695-3879.

The History of Moore County Early Settlers. 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Sandhills Community College, Dempsey Student Ctr., 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst.

(910) 695-3879.

Pottery Talk and Demo. 2:30 to 3:20 p.m. Seagrove Area Potters Association will share the uniqueness of Seagrove area pottery at Sandhills Community College, 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst.(910) 695-3879.

FRIDAY, MARCH 26 PineStraw’s “Writers in the Garden.” 12 to 1 p.m. PineStraw Magazine presents “Writers in the Garden,” featuring Jim Dodson, Steve Bouser and special guest Emily Herring Wilson reading from new works. Ball Visitor’s Center, 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst. (910) 695-3879.

Southern Literature: The Southern Literary Renaissance. 1 to 1:50. Larry Allen will examine the explosion of literary activity that emerged from the South following WWI. Sandhills Community College, Clement Dining Rm., Dempsey Student Ctr., 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 695-3879.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Theater & Dance FRIDAY, MARCH 26 A Thousand Things Time Will Never Let Us Say: The Correspondence of James & Katharine Boyd & Friends. 7 to 9:30 p.m. This reading play will bring to life the literary giants of the tumultuous 1930’s through letters between James & Katharine Boyd and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, Paul Green and Sherwood Anderson. $20. Space is limited. Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. (910) 692-6261.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27 Greeting the Train With the Sounds of Southern Pines Memory.

Directed and produced by Ray Owen, the program is based on two historical greetings that helped found Southern Pines. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Southern Pines Train Depot, 235 NW Broad Street. (910) 692-2051.

Masterpieces in Motion. 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sandhills Renaissance 6-8 grade students. $5. 140 Southern Pines Dr, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 695-1004.

SUNDAY, MARCH 28 The Serial Killer’s Daughter. 1 to 2:30 p.m. The story of Velma Barfield, convicted and executed murderer from the point of view of her daughter. $10.

The Rooster’s Wife, 114 Knight St, Aberdeen. (910) 944-7502.

Sam Ragan: The Man, His Words. 3 to 4:30 p.m. An interactive and lively staged reading of Ragan’s poetry at Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. (910) 692-6261.

Oldest Living Confederate Widow: Her Confession. A remarkable woman reveals her secrets one by one, in this harrowing and hilarious comedy about wars, both Civil and domestic. 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Old Bethesda Church, 1020 Bethesda Rd., Aberdeen. (910) 692-2051.

Film F ,M

RIDAY ARCH 25 - 28 Blood Done Sign My Name. Thurs, Fri., Sat. 7:30p.m. Sun. 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. $7. Tickets available at box office on day of film. Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. (910) 692-8501.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27 National Film Festival for Talented Youth. 2 to 4 p.m. This screening party will show films from the largest youth film festival in the country. Refreshments will be available. $5 (Children under 12 free). Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight St, Aberdeen. (910) 944-7502.

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

A Fuller Affair Craig Fuller and son Patrick collaborate in concert from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. March 27 at Old Bethesda Church in Aberdeen.

Craig, member of pioneering country rock band Pure Prairie League and later Little Feat, lives part-time in Pinehurst, the rest in Nashville. Remember him for Grammy-nominated “Let it Roll.” Patrick, a songwriter and sophomore at UNCChapel Hill, is following in Daddy’s footsteps. Admission: $12.

Information: www.moorehistory.com or (910) 692-2051.

Throwing, Turning, Learning Potters from the Seagrove Area Potters Association will explain and demonstrate their skills beginning at 2:30 p.m. on March 25 at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst. Free, children welcome. Information: www.sandhills.edu or (910) 695-3879.

Potters will repeat the event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 27 at Campbell House Galleries in Southern Pines. Information: www.discoverseagrove.com or (910) 692-2787.

Positively Palustris Tour de Jour Weymouth Center, the grand Southern Pines home of author James Boyd and his wife Katharine, comes to life on a docent-guided tour from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 25 and from 1 to 3 p.m. on March 27 and 28. Weymouth – destination for Jazz Age luminaries like Thomas Wolfe and F. Scott Fitzgerald — is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Convene at 555 East Connecticut Ave. Free, children welcome. Information: www.weymouthcenter.org or (910) 692-6261.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

To celebrate Palustris, Hollyhocks Art Gallery in Pinehurst presents their own Celebrate Palustris Art Exhibit, with works emphasizing the festival theme, from 5 to 7 p.m. on March 25. Meet the artists over wine and nibbles. Exhibit continues from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 26 and 27. Free.

Information: www.hollyhocksgallery.com or (910) 255-0665.

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Being Here Photographs Across the Atlantic, an international photography exhibit which showcases the sister-city relationship between Southern Pines/Moore County and Newry/County Down in Northern Ireland will open from 4-6 p.m. on March 25 at Hastings Gallery, Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst. The gallery will also be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Photos include those by members of the Sandhills Photography Club and the Warrenport Photography Club. Free, with refreshments and music. Information: www.sandhills.edu or (910) 695-3879.

Paint-It-Yourself Never picked up a brush? Do it from 9 a.m. until noon and 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. on March 25 and 27 at the Artists League of the Sandhills in Aberdeen’s Follow the Leader class. Local artist Joan Williams will assist the uninitiated in completing an 8-by-10-inch oil painting. Wear paint-friendly clothes. Registration required. Fee: $25 per class. Lunch (optional): $10.

Information and registration: www.artistsleague.org or (910) 944-3979.

Oxford Blood “Blood Done Sign My Name,” a film based on the acclaimed memoir by Duke scholar Tim Tyson, makes its Sandhills debut March 25-29 at the Sunrise Theater. Shot on location in Shelby, Statesville and Gastonia, the film by veteran Hollywood director Jeb Stuart (Die Hard, The Fugitive) depicts the tumultuous events surrounding the murder of a black man and the protests and resistance that enflamed the streets of sleepy Oxford, North Carolina, in 1970.

Tickets are available at the box office day of show. For more information, call (910) 692-8501.

Remembering Marc French-Russian artist Marc Chagall was considered one of the most successful and versatile artists of the 20th century, painting everything from landscapes to U.N. windows. He was a pioneer of Modernism and one of the great figurative painters of all time. Lecturer Vivian Jacobsen was a friend of the late artist and marks the 25th anniversary of Chagall’s death with an intimate exploration of the artist’s fascination with the Bible. The lecture is sponsored by the Sandhills Jewish Congregation and will be held Friday, March 26, 4-5 p.m. at Temple Beth Shalom, Jackson Springs. The lecture is free of charge. For more information please call (910) 673-5224.

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The Winning SCORE SCORE, a national organization, offers talented, motivated children ages 8-12 the chance to make music together. SCORE kids, plus the Pinehurst Elementary Youth Orchestra will present a concert from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on March 25 at Pinehurst Elementary School.

Cash and canned food donations welcome. Information: (910) 295-6969.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Walkie-Talkie Walk through Pinehurst history with a knowledgeable guide from 11 a.m. until noon on March 25-27 offered by the Given Memorial Library. The event is free and children over 6 are welcome. Tour begins at the library. Information: www.tuftsarchives.org or (910) 295-3642.

Music to Your Ears Thelonius Monk, John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie were either born or raised in North Carolina. The UNCP Faculty Jazz Trio will play their music — and that of other Tar Heel jazz notables — at 6:30 p.m. on March 25 at The O’Neal School in Southern Pines.

Admission: $15.

Information: (910) 6902908.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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Mayor Shaw Slept Here Shaw House, circa 1820, was the farmstead residence of Southern Pines’ first mayor, therefore considered the town’s birthplace. See the house, hear the history from 1 to 4 p.m. on March 25-28. Look for hand-carved mantels, Moore County pottery and plain-style pine furnishings. Free, children welcome. Convene at 110 Morganton Rd., Southern Pines.

Information: www.moorehistory.com or (910) 692-2051.

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The Write Read The Moore County Area Libraries will conclude its Community Read with a discussion of “Serena,” an Appalachian tale by North Carolina author Ron Rash, followed by a luncheon and performance by Grammy-winning musician and storyteller David Holt. The event will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on March 26 at Brownson Presbyterian Church in Southern Pines. Admission: $15. Information: www.moorecommunityread.pbworks.com

The Biggest Bash Palustris is a festival of large happenings, little gems and one big blowout: An Affair of the Arts is for arty-party people who crave great food (Chef Donnie Wicker), movin’ music (Tom Bennett’s Swing Street Band) and cabaret entertainment, including a dance performance by Piney Award Winner Diana Turner-Forte and comedy by The Knollwood Sisters. The Pinehurst Fair Barn will rock from 5:30 to 11 p.m. on March 26. At $25 per ticket (cash bar available) this affair is practically guaranteed to sell out. Tickets: mlbernett@nc.rr.com or (910) 692-8839.

Writers in the Garden PineStraw magazine is pleased to host “Writers in the Garden” at noon on Friday, March 26, at Ball Visitor Center at Sandhills Horticultural Gardens. Author and editor Emily Herring Wilson will be reading and discussing her latest work, “Becoming Elizabeth Lawrence — Discovered Letters of a Southern Gardener.” Pilot editor Steve Bouser and PineStraw editor and bestselling author Jim Dodson will be reading from their latest books, with additional readings by PineStraw contributors Stephen Smith, Ashley Wahl and Megan Shore.

Help us welcome spring back to the garden with great writing, sweet tea, cucumber sandwiches and old-fashioned caramel cake. Event is free of charge but reservations recommended. Call Denise at (910) 695-3879.

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More Garden Fun

Upholstery

Art

•

Flooring

Tr e a t m e n t s •

March 2010

F u r n i t u r e

•

A n t i q u e s

229 NE Broad St., Southern Pines, NC 28387 • 910.692.9980 • www.hollycarterdesign.com

F i n e

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•

W i n d o w

Renovations • Accessories • Awnings

Custom

The Sandhills Horticultural Society will offer tours of the spectacular 32-acre garden on the campus of Sandhills Community College: Formal English gardens, Japanese gardens, spring in bloom.

Tours leave from Ball Visitor Center on the hour from 1 to 4 p.m. on March 26. Free, donations accepted, children welcome.

Information: www.sandhills.edu or (910) 695-3882.

Worth It Treasure or trash?

Find out from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on March 26 at the Artists League of the Sandhills in Aberdeen, when Kathleen DiLoreto, formerly with “Antiques Roadshow,” appraises your pre-1950 art and antiques.

Wine and cheese included in ticket price. Artistic pastries from The Bake House available for purchase. Admission: $25, includes appraisal of two items. Information: www.artistleague.org or (910) 944-3979.

L i g h t i n g

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Village People Students from Baxter Clement’s Sandhills School for Performing Arts will strut their stuff from 1 to 3 p.m. March 26 at Penick Village in Southern Pines.

Free, children welcome.

Information: (910) 6920386.

A Painterly Project The Pinehurst Painters from the Pinehurst Recreation Department adult painting class will exhibit their works in oil, watercolor and other media from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 26 at the Carolina Hotel in Pinehurst. Free.

Information: www.susanedquist.com

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Hot Time in the Old Town The Rooster’s Wife presents Hot Club of Cowtown, a Western swing trio familiar to international festival-goers and fans of “All Things Considered,” Grand Ol’ Opry, “A Prairie Home Companion” and other radio/TV programs. Hot Club will perform from 8 to 10 p.m. on March 25 at The Poplar Knight Spot in Aberdeen. Admission: $18. Information and tickets: www.theroosterswife.org.

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Evening at the Cotton Club Paul Murphy and his professional jazz band team up with the Sandhills Theater Renaissance School Choir from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on March 26 at the school in Southern Pines. Admission: $5, children welcome.

Information: www.sandhillsrenaissance.com or (910) 695-1004.

Young and Restless The Rooster’s Wife will host the National Film Festival for Talented Youth — a screening of films from the largest youth film festival in the U.S. — from 2 to 4 p.m. on March 27 at Poplar Knight Spot in Aberdeen. Admission: $5, children under 12 free. For more information, call (910) 944-7502 or visit www.theroosterswife.org.

Nifty Needlework View a dazzling showcase of goods knitted and crocheted by Bella Filati’s customers from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m., Thursday through Saturday. Cost: Free. Children welcome. Bella Filati, 275B NE Broad St., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-3528.

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Celebrate Life

Natural Wonders

Join in for cake and light snacks and make a toast to the world’s oldest longleaf pine.

The largest surviving vestige of an original longleaf forest that once covered the south-eastern coastal plains survives on the Boyd tract. Scott Hartley of the Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve will lead an event to celebrate the tree’s 461st birthday! 4-5 p.m., Friday, March 26, Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines.

For information, please call (910) 692-6261.

Into the Wild Botanist and biologist Bruce Sorrie, with the NC Natural Heritage Program, will lead a hike to look at beautiful wildflowers, shrubs and trees unique to the Sandhills on Saturday, March 27, from 11 a.m. to 12.

Long Live the Longleaf!

Meet the oldest known longleaf in the world on Saturday, March 27. Carpool three miles from Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve to the Boyd Tract. From there it’s an easy 200-yard walk to the 461-year-old tree. Learn more about this old growth stand in the morning from 10 to 11 a.m. or afternoon from 1 to 2 p.m.

The Chirp!

Join Brady Beck, biologist with the NC Wildlife Resource Commission, on Saturday, March 27, from 2 to 3 p.m. for an overview of the ecology and research techniques used in studying and managing red-cockaded woodpeckers.

All events are free at the Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Ft. Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. For information on all events, please call (910) 692-2167.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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Choir Boys … and Girls The Moore County Choral Society will present a choral concert from 5 to 5:45 p.m. on March 27 at the Brownson Presbyterian Church in Southern Pines. Free, children welcome.

Information: www.brownsonchurch.org.

Oldie but Chatty “The Oldest Living Confederate Widow: Her Confession,” a gritty one-woman play starring Jane Holding, adapted from the Allan Gurganus novel “The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All,” repeats a successful summer performance from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 28 at Old Bethesda Church in Aberdeen. Lucy, the teenage bride of a wizened Confederate officer, peels back the shocking story, layer by layer. Admission: $15. Information: www.moorehistory.com or (910) 692-2051.

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Is it a bird…is it a plane?

Probably a bird on this ranger-led two-mile bird walk from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 27, at Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve. Identify and learn about migratory birds and their journey through the area. Free, children welcome. For information, please call (910) 692-2167.

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Hats and Afternoon Tea Join The Tufts Archives for a lovely afternoon tea in the Village of Pinehurst at Craven/Longleaf Cottage, 15 McCaskill Road. This historic cottage will be open from 1 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 27. Enjoy a tea sampler, tea sandwiches and desserts as you socialize by the beautiful garden. Tickets are $25 and are available at the Given Library and Tufts Archives. For more information and tickets, please call, (910)295-6022.

Pretty Pickin’s Larry McNeely, the American five-string banjo whiz who collaborated with Glen Campbell, Roy Acuff and many other big names, will perform with his band from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on March 27 at the Old Bethesda Church in Aberdeen. McNeeley lives in Moore County. His wife, Beth Harris, is a descendent of the Bryant House Byrants. The concert will benefit the Bryant House and McLendon Cabin.

Admission: $12.

Information: www.moorehistory.com.

Eastern Exposure People and Places of Eastern NC, an exhibit featuring works

by Debbie Boyle, Tracy Bell and local artists, takes place March 25 - 28 at Campbell House Galleries in Southern Pines. Pottery from the Seagrove area will also be shown. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Thurs. and Fri., 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sat. and 2 - 4 p.m. on Sun. Admission: Free. Information: www.mooreart.org or (910) 692-2787.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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We have fun being serious about Wine!

A unique combination retail wine shop/wine bar.

Annual Spring Closeout Sale!

The sale begins Thursday, March 25 at 1pm Friday & Saturday from 10am-9pm Up to 70% savings on select wines.

Mon. through Sat. 10 - 9

692-3066 241A N.E. Broad St Southern Pines www.thewinecellarandtastingroom.com

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

T H E P L E A S U R E S O F L I F E D E P T.

Look Great and Pay Less $1.00 off any $5.00

purchase with this ad!

• Miss Hallie’s Clothing Cottage • Cris & Florrie’s Boutique • Sullivan Shop • The Bargain Barn

Used Books A cheap read makes a contented traveler

SANDHILLS/MOORE COALITION RESALE SHOPS 1117 W. Pennsylvania Ave. Southern Pines

Shop Hours: Tues - Fri 10-4 & Sat 9-12 Donations are appreciated with pick up available for large items.

www.sandhillscoalition.org

BY DEBORAH SALOMON

Forget American Express. Never leave

home without a used book.

I’m a frequent flier plagued with delays, cancellations, layovers. Bored with people-watching, I usually drop $10 at the airport bookstore.

Heavy reading isn’t my goal – just something to pass the time.

Something like you find in a used book store.

So, before every trip I make the rounds.

First stop is Goodwill, where paperbacks cost 75 cents and hardcovers, $1.50.

Recent finds: two long-ago best-sellers by New York Times columnist Anna Quindlen, “Object Lessons” and “One True Thing” plus a trade paperback edition of John Irving’s “Until I Find You” — something I might not attempt under different circumstances. Goodwill usually has the complete works of John Grisham, Robin Cook, Robert Ludlum and James Patterson. Ladies, if you’ve never ventured a romance novel, here’s the chance. A vintage Sidney Sheldon or Jackie Collins makes grounded in Philly bearable.

Fifi’s Resale Shop in Southern Pines is pricier (paperbacks $2-$3) but more selective: Fly away with a recent Jodi Picoult title, a classic like “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” or Dan Brown’s next-to-last neo-religious romp.

The Southern Pines Public Library has an honor system paperback rack populated by Stephen King, Jude Deveraux, even Ed McBain. No charge, return at your convenience. Even better, the paperback exchange at Given Memorial Library in Pinehurst. Bring one, take one. Given Bookshop, a splendid resource for used books, Olmstead Village, also runs great twofer specials on gently used reads.

Except for honor system books, when you’re done be a sweetie and leave it on the departure lounge seat for some other bored detainee.

Of course you don’t need to be stranded in Seattle to keep cheap reads on hand. Home with a cold? Stuck at the garage? Dead cable? Kindle — maybe.

But from where I sit a used book in hand is worth two out there. PS PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

COS AND EFFECT

Oldtimers

BY COS BARNES

All oldtimers

Photos from the Moore County Historical Association

believe their earlier years were the best years. I’m not sure they were the best, but they were certainly different.

I moved to Southern Pines in 1970. In those days I could go to downtown Southern Pines’ Broad Street at 4 p.m. on a Friday with no worry about finding a parking place. I could find anything I needed at Pope’s. Their merchandise included everything from a spool of thread to furniture. If you asked for a pack of notebook paper — remember Blue Horse? — the clerk would amble over to a counter, pick up a pack, blow off the dust, and put it in a bag.

I could buy film, have my camera adjusted and get photography advice from the late Red Overton while enjoying an ice cream cone and visiting with the locals. I could take my daughters to shop at Dak’s and see the rest of my friends. Remember, it was Dak’s before it was D.A. Kelly’s.

Since golf was so prevalent here, the Par Seekers at the Elks Club started a nine-hole group. They provided us with a few lessons, then set us out on what was then known as the “Little Nine.” Calling ourselves the Swingers, we did more laughing than scoring, perfecting our profanity at the same time, but we mastered the game after a fashion.

A real happening in those early days was Sir Richard’s sales.

Everyone looked forward to the late Dick Mattox’s twice-a-year sales of the finest men’s clothing that could be bought. The Town Center parking lot would be full of cars, and you saw all of your acquaintances.

The only drive-in was the Clam Box, located on U.S. 1.

Remember, this was before the advent of McDonald’s and Hardee’s, and speaking of Hardee’s, I and other parents were responsible for Sunday night youth suppers at the Baptist church, and upon Hardees’ establishment, I called and asked

the manager if he could feed my crowd for $25. I can’t remember how many youth this entailed, but some months later, I called Hardee’s and requested a repeat. The manager asked, “Oh, are you the lady with the $25?”

My first trip to “Pottery Country” was a disaster. I was to cover Ben Owen I’s last sale but when I finally got there, I saw John Chappell, who told me I could take pictures of Ben’s empty shelves. Not to be outdone, I had a wonderful visit/interview with the master potter on his front lawn, a time I treasure as much as my pottery collection.

We bought our first house on South Valley Road. It had been built by the president of the telephone company. There were telephone jacks in every room, including the baths, but there were few facilities for plugging in lamps.

The woman we bought the house from told us the best deal in town was to buy season tickets for $10 to the Sandhills Community College’s drama offerings. Directed by the renowned Bill Watson, these plays included theaters-in-the-round presented at the Elks Club. That ten bucks covered four shows.

Because there was no air-conditioning in Pinehurst, it virtually closed up in the summer. I would meet my husband for lunch at the Gray Fox or the Holly Inn, which featured a crabmeat sandwich, about the only thing on the menu in those days. They seated us in the kitchen and served us two-day-old coffee, but it was a homey setting. Wilma Cunningham, who still reigns supreme on Midland Road in her 90s, and daughter Jeanette ran the Gray Fox, which is now Theo’s.

Knowing no one and trying to acclimate myself to my new surroundings, I read The Pilot from cover to cover, and when my husband returned from work I would tell him, “The drys have it,” in the hotly contested votes for liquor-by-the-drink. They did for a long time.

Ah, a tamer time with virtually no traffic lights. PS Cos Barnes, we’re thrilled to say, lives and writes in Southern Pines. She is a longtime contributor to PineStraw magazine.

Women golfers at the Elks Club in the 1970s. From left to right are (front row) Cos Barnes, Kathy Richardson, Teena Little, Linda Boyette, Margaret Page, Frances Howell, Barbara Bailey, Carolyn Morris, Norma Henderson, Skip Smith, Mickey Wertz, Kay Dembricki, Lois Brown, Theresa Craver, and Jo Traylor; (back row) Mary Hughs, Peggy Kratz, Carrie Larsen, Mildred McDonald, Bonnie Quesenberry, Alice Blankenhorn, Babs Scott, Marquita Daniels, Avenell Freeman, Marcia AnnMason, Nan Austin, Hollie Delmarle, Evelyn Barnes, and Georgeanne Austin.

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T H E O M N I VO R O U S R E A D E R

Captive Souls

A pair of riveting reads on life in Civil War prisons

BY STEPHEN E. SMITH

The pure and simple

and sometimes extravagant reward for any discerning reader is the discovery of a good book that’s been overlooked by fellow literati. Such a happenstance is what every author hopes for — and lord knows, the desperate souls in the business of marketing books pray for one reader to tell another who will tell three more and so forth until the book is a bestseller.

In part, that’s how Worthy of Record: The Civil War and Reconstruction Diaries of Columbus Lafayette Turner, edited by Kenrick N. Simpson, head of North Carolina’s General Publications and Periodicals Branch of Historical Publications, came to my attention. The book was simply handed to me by a well-read friend who said, “This is an interesting book. Read it.”

And that’s exactly what I did. In fact, I read a few of the chapters twice, and I plan on keeping the book in my collection.

As the subtitle states, Worthy of Record is a compilation of the diaries of North Carolinian Columbus Lafayette Turner, an Iredell County native who joined the Confederate army, was twice captured, and went on to serve in the state legislature during Reconstruction. Imprisoned first at Fort Delaware and later at Johnson’s Island near Sandusky, Ohio, Turner kept, or later wrote, a record of his day-to-day activities, and his ingenuous ramblings supply readers with descriptions of prison food, prevalent illnesses, reading materials, prayer meetings, profanity, insects, medical care, recreational activities, etc. More importantly, he recorded the physical details of the prisons in which he was confined, focusing in particular on Johnson’s Island, a camp where conditions seem to contradict popular notions concerning Union prisons.

Johnson’s Island had the lowest mortality rate of any Civil War prison, North or South, and Turner’s sojourn there was, when measured against Union prisons at Elmira, Douglas, and Point Lookout, almost tolerable.

Turner’s entry for October 1863 is a case in point. An escape

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attempt was carried out by three Confederates who crawled down a drainage ditch and cut through a fence with a knife that had been fashioned into a makeshift saw. After escaping the compound, they were immediately recaptured, but they received little if any punishment. “They were taken before the commanding officer who complimented them for their success, and sent back to prison,” Turner writes. “The Rebel Thespians, as they call themselves, had a little play which they acted much to the amusement of the crowd, called ‘A Hole in the Fence’ from the above circumstance. The theatre is growing with as much rapidity as could be expected in such a place. They have scenery and act various kinds of plays.”

As a primary source, Turner’s diary entries will be of interest to history and Civil War buffs. Moreover, Simpson’s meticulously researched endnotes constitute a book unto themselves—a scholarly reference work for those who have more than a casual interest in Civil War and Reconstruction history.

For example, Simpson’s endnote for the October 1863 escape attempt expands, enlivens, and corroborates Turner’s diary entry: “The Rebel Thespians debuted on September 25, 1863, with a performance of the farce, Slasher and Crasher, which Joseph Mason Kern characterized as ‘somewhat of a failure,’ though he conceded that the ‘female characters were very good.’… By April 1864, the theatrical club was presenting two shows weekly.

Among the group’s repertoire was Box and Cox, The Secret (a farce), and The Toodles (a comedy).” Simpson goes on to list the names of all the prisoners involved in the playmaking enterprise.

Turner’s personal account of the everyday activities of the state legislature may be less compelling but is certainly of equal importance to his Civil War entries. On January 21, 1874, Turner wrote: “Resolution requiring the appointment of eight, five on the part of the House and three on the part of Senate, to make investigation for support of Insane Asylum, having been passed—thought that myself and Dr. Ranson should be excused from further investigation so as to leave work for the large committee….” More than 135 years later, the state legislature is still investigating the “Insane Asylum.”

While reading Worthy of Record, you might pick up a copy of Joseph Wheelan’s recently released Libby Prison Breakout: The

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

T H E O M N I VO R O U S R E A D E R

Daring Escape from the Notorious Civil War Prison. Wheelan, a former Associated Press reporter who resides in Cary, is also the author of Mr. Adams’s Last Crusade, Invading Mexico, Jefferson’s War, and Jefferson’s Vendetta.

When read in conjunction with Worthy of Record, Wheelan’s book adds an overview of Civil War prisons and focuses generally on the failings of the Confederate prison system and, in particular, on the horrid conditions at Richmond’s Libby Prison. He’s included extensive endnotes for each chapter and a comprehensive bibliography that will be useful to any reader who wishes to consult primary sources.

What those sources reveal is the unrelenting miseries suffered by Union POWs after the breakdown of the prisoner exchange system. The South’s inability to care for its own soldiers and civilians only worsened conditions at compounds such as Andersonville and Libby, and Wheelan presents the suffering in detail: “Army engineer Warren Lee Goss witnessed the death of a young, fair-haired prisoner, covered with flies and lying in ‘liquid filth.’

Goss watched the young man raise a filthy piece of bread to his mouth—and expire.

A one-legged prisoner dragged himself to the body, unclasped the finger still holding the bread, and ate it like ‘a famished wolf.’”

If you’ve read one of the many books celebrating the World War II escape from Stalag Luft II, you’re likely to find the Libby Prison breakout even more enthralling.

The captive Union officers at Libby dug four tunnels before perfecting their escape route. Of the 109 men who succeeded in breaking out, 59 reached safety, most of them struggling eastward to General Bulter’s command on the Virginia peninsula. The Confederates killed none of the escapees, two drowned, and 48 were recaptured—but for most of those who failed to reach freedom, the misery only worsened.

Many of them were thrown into Libby’s infamous dungeon.

Wheelan concludes his narrative with a beautifully structured and movingly written Epilogue that brings together the suffering and nobility of the Union officers who were imprisoned at Libby Prison—and he follows the lives of these principal characters to their often poignant conclusion. PS Stephen E. Smith is a regular contributor to PineStraw.

Contact him at travisses@hotmail.com.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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BOOKSHELF

New Releases for March

BY KAY GRISMER AND ANGIE TALLY FOR THE COUNTRY BOOKSHOP FICTION HARDCOVER ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith.

Capitalizing on the runaway success of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, Grahame-Smith introduces an irreverent biography of Abraham Lincoln chock-full of that other horror-genre staple: vampires.

BURNING BRIGHT

by Ron Rash. The author of SERENA, Southern Pines Library’s Community Read, returns with a collection of stories populated by characters mined from the landscape of Appalachia.

CAUGHT by Harlan Coben. An investigative reporter must face the possibility she has unwittingly been part of a grand manipulation aiming to destroy an innocent man.

DECEPTION by Jonathan Kellerman.

When a woman is murdered after accusing a trio of teachers of abusing her, psychologist Alex Delaware and Det. Sturgis find themselves embarking on a dark and twisted investigation.

THE GIRL WHO CHASED THE MOON by Sarah Addison Allen. The Asheville native, author of GARDEN SPELLS, adds her trademark blend of magic to the story of two very different women who discover how to find their place in the world — no matter how out of place they feel.

THE IRRESISTIBLE HENRY HOUSE by Lisa Grunwald. Henry is an orphan raised by students for their home economics class in this story inspired by a real “practice house” at Cornell U. in the 1950s, where

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orphan babies were used to teach parenting skills to students before being put up for adoption.

MRS. DARCY AND THE BLUE-EYED STRANGER by Lee Smith. In her first collection in thirteen years, the beloved NC author reclaims her place as the reigning queen of the bittersweet short story.

THE SOLITUDE OF PRIME NUMBERS by Paolo Giodano. Italian author and mathematician Giordano follows two scarred people whose lives intersect but can’t seem to join in his cerebral yet touching debut novel.

FICTION – PAPERBACK THE AGE OF ORPHANS by Leleh Khadivi. Khadivi tells the heartwrenching story of a Kurdish boy who is forced to betray his people in service of the new Iranian nation, and the tragic consequences as he grows into manhood.

WHITETHORN WOODS by Maeve Binchy.

When a new highway threatens to bypass the Irish town of Rossmore and cut through Whitethorn Woods, everyone has a passionate opinion about whether the town will benefit or suffer.

NON-FICTION HARDCOVER THE PACIFIC by Hugh Ambrose. In the companion to the HBO miniseries, Ambrose reveals the intertwined odysseys of four U.S. Marines and a U.S. Navy carrier pilot during WWII. THE STORY OF STUFF by Annie Leonard. Leonard, a Time Magazine’s Hero of the Environment, tracks the life of the stuff that people use every day, transforming how readers think about their patterns of consumption.

NON-FICTION PAPERBACK THE CANAL BUILDERS by Julie Greene.

Greene tells the compelling story of imperial ambition, class conflict, racial injustice, and the ordinary men and women who remade the map of the world.

DOUBLE NEGATIVE by David Carkeet. At the Wabash Institute, where supremely cranky academics dedicate themselves to the study of toddlers’ verbal skills, the Institute’s premier scholar (and socially clueless hero) becomes the prime suspect in the murder of one of his colleagues.

TEA TIME FOR THE TRADITIONALLY BUILT by Alexander McCall Smith. The 10th installment of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series finds Precious Ramotswe in personal need of her own formidable detection talents.

THINGS I’VE BEEN SILENT ABOUT

by Azar Nafisi. In this personal story of growing up in Iran, Nafisi, author of READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN, shares her memories of living held in thrall to a powerful mother against the backdrop of a country’s political revolution.

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

BOOKSHELF

CHILDREN’S BOOKS The book world is abuzz with award winners WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead is the winner of the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature. This story of a very ordinary young girl whose life is forever changed when she receives four mysterious letters is a fast-paced read with a nod to Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. Ages 12 and up.

THE LION AND THE MOUSE by Jerry Pinkney is the winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children. This beautifully illustrated edition of the classic Aesop’s Fables is perfect for readers ages 3-8.

BENNY AND PENNY IN THE BIG NO-NO! written and illustrated by Geoffrey Hayes is the winner of the Theodor Seuss Giesel ReadAloud Award.

Presented in graphic novel style, one of the hottest formats on the market right now for children’s literature, this beginning reader features Benny and Penny, brother and sister mice, as they track down a mysterious “new kid” who may have climbed over the fence into their yard and stolen Benny’s pail. Ages 4-7. PS

“Hurley” Boykin Spaniel

Graphite on Canson Paper

FINE

ART

Pamela Powers January PORTRAITS

OF

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APPAREL CoolSweats Gentlemen’s Corner Putter Boy Shop The Faded Rose

BOUTIQUES Eye Max Optical Boutique Horsin’Around Le Faux Chateau Lyne’s Furniture Gallery Old Sport & Gallery Old Village Golf Shop Southern Chic The Potpurri The Village Wine Shop

FINE JEWELRY Gemma Gallery Appraisals & Repairs Jewels of Pinehurst

SALONS & SPAS Elaine’s Hairdressers Taylor David Salon Studio Fitness

SERVICES Brenner Real Estate Olde Towne Realty Village Properties Sales and Rentals

RESTAURANTS & INNS Dugans Pub Lady Bedford’s Tea Parlour & Gift Shoppe Pine Crest Inn Restaurant & Pub Poppy’s Cafe & Sundry Sandhills Women’s Exchange - Crafts & Lunch The Darling House Pub & Grill Ten-Ya Japanese & Sushi Bar The Magnolia Inn Restaurant & Bar Theo’s Taverna & Tapas Bar

HITTING HOME

Made Up Oh, how I love a painted face

BY DALE NIXON

The day

of our high school prom, Margaret Keith Dabbs, my all-time best friend and confidante, dragged me into Merle Norman Cosmetics Studio. I haven’t been the same since.

The clerks twirled us around so that our backs were to the mirrors. Then they painted, rubbed, tweezed, patted, blended and smoothed mysterious liquids and powders all over our faces, throats and eyes.

When they turned us back facing the mirror, I couldn’t believe the looks of the people staring back.

I screamed, “Margaret, we’re bee-yoo-tiful!”

We had long eyelashes, rosy cheeks, ruby lips and iridescent eyes.

We had been transformed into WOMEN. I was so taken with the transformation that I slept in this fascinating makeup for two nights.

I eventually saved my money and bought one of everything Merle Norman Cosmetics had to offer. From there I progressed to being a makeup junkie.

I collected cosmetics manufactured by Charles of the Ritz, Elizabeth Arden, Estee Lauder, Avon, Cover Girl, Clinique, Lancôme and Ultima II. You name it, I’ve had it. You make it, I’ll buy it.

I’m known at every makeup counter in the Piedmont and in the Sandhills. My name is on a standing list for makeovers. My face has been computerized, categorized and homogenized.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

I have makeup to put under my makeup. I have day makeup and night makeup. I have makeup for all four seasons. I have water-based makeup and oil-based makeup. I have makeup that gives the impression I’m not wearing any makeup.

I have all the creams and lotions to take the makeup off.

Then I have more creams and lotions to smooth on for overnight.

My youngest daughter says my face should be classified as a hazardous waste dump because of all the chemicals I put on it.

My husband says the names on the various tubes, jars and bottles in my makeup drawer are depressing. He is referring to such names as “The Age-Zone Controllers,” “Night Repair,” “Cellular Life Support,” “Disaster Cream,” “Oil Relief Cleanser,” “Dramatically Different,” “Beauty Emergency Masque,” “Wrinkle Stick,” “Extra Help Makeup” and “Quick Corrector.” Their comments do not bother me. The only comment I take to heart is the one my 7year-old neighbor made: “Mrs. Nixon, you look yucky without your makeup on.”

I’m addicted. I love wearing it. I love buying it. I can even get high catching little whiffs of it.

Some women want diamonds and furs. I want the perfect shade of red lipstick and the blush to match.

Margaret, I am forever in your debt. PS Columnist Dale Nixon resides in Concord but enjoys a slice of heaven (disguised as a condominium) in the village of Pinehurst. You may contact her by e-mail at dalenixon@carolina.rr.com.

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VINE WISDOM

A Cuvee of Wine and Art When Stars meet wine there is sometimes magic

BY ROBYN JAMES

Back in the eighties, when I

was new to the wholesale wine business, I recall waiting at the Greensboro airport for a celebrity vintner to arrive. Jim Staton, the owner of our company, had driven me there and was none too pleased with the prospect of chauffeuring around what he thought would be a prima donna comedian, Pat Paulsen.

As a little girl, I watched Pat Paulsen on the Smothers Brothers Show and laughed hysterically when he decided to “run for president.”

The joke took on a life of its own, as he campaigned in one election after another, using slogans like “We Cannot Stand Pat,’’ “We Can Be Decisive, Probably,’’ and “United We Sit.’’ At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, he promised: “If elected, I will win.’’ “It’s tough campaigning,’’ Mr. Paulsen once said, “kissing hands and shaking babies.’’

Who would have guessed Pat was an oenophile?

Turns out he had purchased a winery in Sonoma County and was making really nice little wines with cutesy names like “Refrigerator White” and “American Gothic Red.” He came to Greensboro to visit us, his North Carolina distributor, to conduct a few quick tastings in hopes of stimulating sales and moving on to the next market.

I was nervous as the star disembarked the plane because the beefy owner of our company, who had had a brief career as a professional football player, was getting grumpy and wanted to get back to the warehouse and mow the grass.

Pat strode off the plane and took one look at Mr. Staton and started shamelessly gushing over him. He adored everything football, or so it seemed. He recounted different plays in different pro games that Mr. Staton had played in and complimented him on being the first All American from Wake Forest University. Next thing I knew, we sped past the hotel to Mr. Staton’s house to drop off his new BFF for a spaghetti dinner with his wife.

It was an interesting few days for me, as I clearly saw the connection between the love of wine and the arts. It made perfect sense. If you are tuned into creativity and sensitivity, what better background for the wine industry then the harmony and beauty of creating wine from the vineyard.

Pat Paulsen definitely had the connection, but unfortunately for him, the American people couldn’t take him seriously enough to appreciate his wine. When he left for the weekend, he told me that “owning a winery was a great way to make a large fortune small.” He ended up selling it to finance his divorce a few years later. His friends, the Smothers Brothers, kept their wineries, but changed the names PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

from Smothers Brothers Winery to Remick Winery, feeling their “comedian status” was a hindrance.

Not so for Dave Matthews, gentleman farmer and winery owner of Blenheim Winery in Virginia for over 10 years. Definitely a family affair, where Dave’s mother and brother are hands-on participants, Blenheim is serious about its wine. They produce a beautiful Chardonnay, Viognier and a few blends of reds that are conducive to the Virginia wine country.

It may seem obvious that the singer of ’80s super hits “Dr. Feelgood” and “Girls, Girls, Girls” knows how to have a good time. But Mötley Crüe front man Vince Neil has a serious appreciation of fine wine, as his 10,000-case production of Vince Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Sonoma Chardonnay attests. “Vince has a tattoo of Vince Vineyards on his arm,” says Vince Vineyards’ managing partner Russ Dale. “During [Mötley Crüe’s] 2006 tour with Aerosmith, the Vince Vineyards bus accompanied the tour and visited distributors in each city.”

In 2002, Bob Dylan teamed up with Antonio Terni (a life-long Dylan fan) in La Marche, Italy, to produce the Planet Waves (the title of Dylan’s 1974 album) signature label. The 2002 vintage is a blend of three-quarters Montepulciano and one-quarter Merlot grapes, and is considered to be a very upmarket bottle. “I tried to make a wine that reflects both sides of [Dylan’s] character,” says Terni. “Angular, difficult and unpredictable like Montepulciano, yet generous and friendly like Merlot.” Good luck finding a bottle — of the 415 cases produced, only 125 were exported to the United States at a suggested retail price of $65 per bottle.

It’s impossible to write about celebrity winemakers without mentioning flamboyant Francis Ford Coppola, director of all the Godfather series and owner of Niebaum Coppola Winery, a tribute to Hollywood and the Vine.

And, of course, around the time I was watching Pat Paulsen on TV, I noticed my older brother, Dan walking around the neighborhood in a coonskin cap. Fess Parker had become his TV idol. Years later, we argued over whether Fess was Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett. Guess what? Thanks to the Internet we found out he was both!

Fess Parker lives on at his first-class winery in Santa Ynez, run by Fess, his wife, children and grandchildren. He grows Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay and Viognier and is considered a major patriarch of the area. His wines are seriously fine, although you will notice a tiny coonskin cap on the cork (King of the Wild Frontier!). PS Robyn James is proprietor of The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines. Contact her at winecellar@pinehurst.net.

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F O O D F R O M T H E H E A RT

Southern Food Still Alive and Kickin’ Just not as hard

BY DEBORAH SALOMON

Smell the green beans

simmering with fatback, the farm-raised chicken frying in an iron skillet. Smear the deep-yellow cornbread with soft butter. Cut through the flaky cobbler crust that covers tree-ripened peaches.

You’re home. Kick nutrition concerns under the table. Y’all pull up a chair — and enjoy.

Southern food doesn’t fit any culinary mold. Dishes vary not only from state to state, but from family to family. Therefore, definitions come hard, even to expert Ray Linville, who uses food to illustrate culture in his humanities class at Sandhills Community College.

“Food is never just food — it’s a way of getting to something else,” he tells students. “Food is who we are, who we have been and who we want to be.”

To illustrate, he names areas where people say pah-cahn rather than pee-can, then serves the class his homemade pecan pie.

Linville looks like an older version of Leslie Howard playing Ashley Wilkes in “GWTW.” His soft Southern drawl sounds more South Carolina than hometown Winston-Salem. He sees mystique but little mystery in Southern food. For him, the watchwords are desserts, vegetables, always fresh ingredients.

And so for a while we wallowed in memories and drew conclusions, namely that Mama Dip’s in Chapel Hill gets it right while Paula Deen yuppifies Southern food for fame and profit.

Restaurant presentation is over-emphasized and ingredients shuffled, Linville says. Collard rolls? The very idea. Shrimp and grits would only be eaten on the coast.

“To me, Southern food is cheap food. I wouldn’t spend $20 on shrimp and grits.”

In the good old days, every family had a revered cook: my grandmother, Linville’s spinster Aunt Clara. Both interpreted biscuits as thin and crispy, not puffy/doughy (although he now prefers the latter kind, as do I). Cornbread contained no sugar and little or no flour. Meat was present but vegetables from somebody’s garden ruled. Beans and peas, collards and other

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leafy greens, okra, corn, tomatoes, potatoes — “Irish” and sweet. The main meal was often at noon: a chuck roast lasted several days.

Cured pork was more common than fresh. Sunday dinner was always fried chicken, rice and gravy plus four or five vegetables.

About that fried chicken. We are anti-deep-frying, since true Southern cooks dredged pieces in seasoned flour, browned in shallow Crisco (in iron skillet, of course), covered and simmered the chicken until tender, uncovered the skillet at the last minute to crisp the skin. Gravy was made from pan fat, browned bits, flour left over from dredging and milk. Batter-armored fastfood chicken clings to, not falls off, the bone.

Back then every chicken dinner had two legs, two wings and so on. Family hierarchy determined who got what piece. Lord help the in-law who coveted granddaddy’s drumstick. I remember to this day that my father was a dark-meat eater (including the precious tender muscles, called “oysters,” tucked into the back) — with me close behind. We fancied livers and gizzards, too. My grandmother picked the wings because, she said, meat close to the bone tastes sweeter. My mother held out for the breast.

About those vegetables. Plentiful, yes, but overcooked by today’s standards. Green beans, close to an hour. Linville and I swoon over pot likker flavored with salt pork, so good sopped with a biscuit. Or the soft butter mixed with Karo syrup that our grandparents spread on bread.

About those desserts: Linville has given up fried chicken for health reasons but for him, cobblers and pies made with fresh — always fresh — fruits lick the stamp. He picked blackberries, Aunt Clara made pies. Tree-ripened peaches oozed elixir. “We were four in the family so for dessert we cut the pie into quarters,” says the maddeningly slim Linville. When attending a buffet he checks out the desserts before calculating other portions.

My grandmother made pies from overripe pears that fell from the ancient tree in the backyard. She sprinkled the fruit with lemon juice and a few drops of almond extract to cut the natural sweetness. The French pastry chef who can do better has not been born.

After an hour we were ending each other’s sentences. Sadly, our remembrances won’t bring back that chicken, those biscuits or Aunt Clara’s cobbler. Southern food had a splash in the 1980s, concurrent with the Cajun/soul food craze. Bostonians

March 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

F O O D F R O M T H E H E A RT

did the greasy fingers bit in restaurants that put a face on chitlins, chicken-fried steak, catfish, shiny beans and red-eye gravy. Julia Child discovered tomato and mayonnaise sandwiches on Wonder bread.

California nouvelle put the kibosh on that. Gas grills didn’t help.

The danger, we agreed, is not that Southern food will kill partakers with salt and cholesterol but rather that we will kill it with disuse. This is a cuisine of opportunity: vegetables growing in the garden, a farmer with a hen house (try making pound cake with pale supermarket eggs), a matriarch who has time to put up chow-chow. When home cooks relegate the genre to theme dinners and Mama Dip is gone, who will stir the grits and shell the butter-beans?

Has real Southern cooking become irrelevant or just dormant?

Linville is encouraged by the farm-totable movement and finds good stuff at church events. Look for listings in the paper, he says. We both see aproned granny ghosts lurking in K&W and J&S cafeterias. Linville likes their variety of vegetables and pies. I like the fish and cornbread. Once in a while.

So shut your mouth, honey. Pour some sweet tea — and pass me that bowl of black-eyed peas. I’m hungry. PS Deborah Salomon is PineStraw’s senior writer and a baking whiz.

What: A Lecture – Southern Culture: What We Learn from the Food We Eat

by Ray Linville Date: Thursday, March 25 Time: 12:30 p.m.

Location: Sandhills Community College, Clement Dining Room Presented By: Sandhills Community College Information: 910.695.3879 or sandhills.edu Cost: Free What: Southern Culture Dinner in the Pines Date: Thursday, March 25 Time: 5:30 p.m.

Location: Sandhills Community College, Clement Dining Room Reservations Required: 910.695-3796) Cost: $25 (Dine in or Take out) Presented By: SCC Culinary Program More Info: 910.695.3879 or sandhills.edu PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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B I R DWAT C H

Wood Duck Our most beautiful waterfowl

BY SUSAN CAMPBELL

Spring is here for the most beauti-

ful of our waterfowl: the wood duck. Courtship began in January and nesting may have started in February. So they are busy raising a family by very early spring.

“Woodies,” as they are affectionately known by waterfowl lovers, are found commonly in marshes, beaver swamps and along streams throughout most of North Carolina. Here in the Sandhills they are year-round residents although the population swells in the winter to include birds from farther north. Nonresident birds tend to be very skittish and flush very quickly upon approach. Our local wood ducks can become very tame, especially in locations where they are being fed by people. On more than one occasion, I have approached wood ducks at Reservoir Park in Southern Pines where they were feeding on corn with the rest of the ducks and geese.

Wood ducks are smaller and more slender than our familiar mallards. The hen is a nondescript gray with white spotted flanks and white around the eye. The drake, on the other hand, is an amazing patchwork of red, brown, yellow and green. He sports a drooping green crest and a bright red bill and eye. Wood ducks’ vocalizations are a very characteristic series of squeals PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

and whistles. In the air, these ducks are fast fliers and very maneuverable given the need to make their way through forested bottomlands, which is their preferred habitat.

This species of waterfowl spends most of its time foraging on aquatic vegetation and insects found in shallow bodies of water.

But when it comes time to breed, wood ducks may be found up to a mile from water, searching for a suitable nesting site. They are unique in that they are the only ducks that nest in trees in our area. Hens will typically look for holes in dead or dying trees in which to lay their eggs. It is not unusual for them to lay a clutch of over twenty eggs in a cavity over a hundred feet up in an old tree. At Weymouth Woods, wood ducks frequently use old pileated woodpecker holes that were created initially by redcockaded woodpeckers.

As odd as it sounds, the ducklings have no trouble dropping to the ground when they are called by their mother soon after hatching. They will all then quickly walk downhill to the nearest body of water. It is not surprising that it is at this time that they are most vulnerable, not only to ground predators such as foxes but also to being separated from their mother as they make their way around obstacles.

Of course, with snags being less common on the landscape, wood ducks have taken to using man-made housing. They will move into wood duck houses adjacent to wetlands.

Many folks in the Sandhills have been successful at attracting woodies to their property. A box should be mounted on a pole and fitted with a baffle to keep predators such as raccoons and opossums from getting to the nest. It is also important to be aware that these ducks regularly produce two sets of young each year so a box may contain a female on eggs any time from February through May. In addition, do not be surprised if the box is used by other birds during the course of the year. Screechowls, great crested flycatchers and even bluebirds may take advantage of a duck box as well. PS Susan would love to receive your wildlife sightings and photos. She can be contacted by e-mail at ncaves@embarqmail.com, by phone at (910) 9493207, or by mail at 144 Pine Ridge Drive, Whispering Pines, NC 28327.

For more information on wood ducks go to: www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/wood_duck/lifehistory A link to a wood duck nest cam can be found at: watch.birds.cornell.edu/nestcams/camera/view?came raID=C100004

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T H E S P O RT I N G L I F E

Dance With the Mule Deer In the heart of the wilderness, you never forget the one you let get away

BY TOM BRYANT

Night was rap-

idly falling as the four men gathered around the fireplace looking for a little warmth. “Red was right, boys. It sure does get cold when the sun goes down. I’m gonna get some more firewood to hold us for a while. We’re also going to need water. How about a couple of you reprobates making a water run while I keep the fire going.”

“Come on, Blake,” Tom said as Bubba walked out the door heading to the wood shed. “Let Bubba do battle with the skunks. We’ll find the water.” He hoisted a milk can that was to be one of their water containers and trudged toward the truck. Blake also grabbed a can and followed.

“I’ll have the wood stove going and be ready for the water when y’all get back,” said Wayne, the declared chief cook of the hunting trip, as he stuffed paper and kindling in the black monster of a wood stove.

“Watch out for the skunks!” Tom warned Bubba with a laugh as they drove off to look for the water hole. Red, the owner of the little place, had warned the four men about the skunks living in the wood shed during his introduction to the cabin and the surrounding mountains where the four were to be hunting for the next ten days.

Wayne had put the trip together weeks before, and when asked, the other three had enthusiastically agreed to join him. They were in the Wasatch Mountain Range of Utah, mule deer hunting. The cabin that was to be their hunting base belonged to an acquaintance Wayne had met. The cabin was rustic to say the least, with no electricity or running water. It provided the basic necessities, and that was it. The four men were experts in the outdoors, though, and the sparseness of their surroundings gave them a chance to test their talents.

Bubba came back to the cabin with an armload of wood as Wayne lit up the cook stove. “Red was right. There is definitely skunk smell around the wood shed, but I believe they have moved. At least I didn’t have an encounter.” Wood smoke was rolling out the stove and rapidly filling the room. “Hey, Wayne, what’s wrong with that thing?”

Bubba asked as he headed for the door, coughing.

“I don’t know, the chimney’s not drafting.” He followed Bubba out the door, tears streaming from his eyes. “Maybe it’ll do better when the flue warms up.” About that time Tom and Blake drove up from their water run. “Wayne, you didn’t set the place on fire already?

We’ve got to have some place to sleep this evening,” Blake laughed.

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“Nah, I’m trying to get that dumb stove to work, that’s all.” After a bit, the cabin began to clear out and the men could see smoke coming out the chimney.

Wayne went back inside and started to prepare supper. The old wood stove rapidly heated the cabin, and the men began going through their gear getting ready for the next day. After a great dinner of homemade stew, Wayne pulled a topographic map from his pack and the four sorted out where each one would hunt the next day.

“I’m going out in the morning before dawn,” Blake said after he looked over his hunting area.

“I’ll join you since I’ll be on the ridge next to yours,” Wayne replied. “How about you other boys?”

“I’m gonna wait. I’m not gonna try and climb that mountain in the dark, especially since I don’t know where I’m going. You boys are crazy,” Tom said. “How about you, Bubba?”

“I’m with you, Tom. I figure we have ten days to figure this out, and I plan to go home in one piece. Remember how dangerous this place is, according to Red. Tomorrow is going to be a reconnoitering day for me. If I see a deer, he’s outta luck. If I don’t, that’s all right, too.”

The four sat around the fire enjoying themselves with conversations about past hunts. “Well, I’m hitting the hay. It’s been a long day, and I’m in for an early morning,” Blake said finally. “Y’all know where the outhouse is. Don’t wake me during your evening constitutionals.”

“Yeah, right,” Bubba said, chuckling. “At 14 degrees, the first will surely be the fastest.” They all laughed, and Wayne and Bubba followed Blake up to the cabin’s bunkroom.

“I’ll be right with you jokers,” Tom said. “I want to see what the moon’s doing.” He walked out on the small front porch. The sky was a deep black punched through with a million stars, a sight you can see only in the wilderness. As he gazed at the ridgeline across the valley, a meteor blazed across the blackness. A good-luck sign, he thought, and went in to bed.

Blake and Wayne were gone when Tom and Bubba got up the next morning, so they had a quick snack for breakfast and grabbed the packs they had filled the evening before. In no time, they were on the gravel road that led up the valley to the ridges they were going to hunt. Dawn was just a hint of gray when they separated. “Well, I’ll see you this evening, a little after dark, I reckon. You be careful,” Tom told Bubba as he began to head toward the looming ridge before him.

“Yeah, you too,” Bubba said. When Tom looked back, Bubba had faded away into the predawn grayness almost as if he hadn’t been there at all.

The climb was grueling. A combination of altitude and newness to the surroundings made for slow going, and noon found Tom less

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T H E S P O RT I N G L I F E

than halfway up the mountain. Time to stop, he thought, breathing hard. At this rate, if I’m not careful I could become a statistic like the fellow down the road. He was thinking about a man who had been hunting the area and had disappeared a couple years before. Tom sat down on a fallen birch tree and ate his lunch. The sun had yet to appear over the ridge. After a bit, he said to himself, I’ll make one more push and settle in for the day. Another climb, moving left to right, following deer trails found him at the edge of a small, flat, broom-straw area of about three acres. This is the spot, he thought, and settled down, his back to an aspen with broom straw all around. What a great place. A bright sun came over the ridge, warming him; and he laid back, head on his pack, and took a nap.

Close to dark, Tom began his trek back down toward the cabin. Farther up, on top of the ridge, a giant mule deer stretched from his day’s sleep and also headed down the mountain.

The four men settled into a routine and time flew by. No one was successful in taking a deer, but Wayne came close late one evening, missing his shot as the deer sensed the hunter and dove into a heavily brushed cut that went over the ridge. That evening, they sat around the supper table, tired after another day on the mountain.

“Well, boys, only three more days.

Somebody’s got to get lucky,” Blake said.

“I’m afraid the weather is getting ready to change. Remember what Red said about hightailing out of here if the weather radio said a northwest storm was brewing, and yesterday they said one is on the way.

Tomorrow could be our last day.”

“Well, they can’t say we didn’t try,” Bubba said. “I’m tired. I’ll see y’all in the morning.”

The other three talked about their plans for what could be the final day as Bubba went up to bed.

“I’ve got a great spot on my ridge and I’m gonna give it one more shot tomorrow,” Tom said. “After that, I think we all ought to consider getting ready to move out. We sure don’t want to get snowed in up here.”

The next morning Tom, usually the last to leave the hut, was the first. Well, what do you know? Looks as if the rest of the boys are sleeping in, he thought. Not really a bad idea. But since I’m this far, I might as well go on up to my pasture. He had claimed ownership of the little flat broom-straw field and was looking forward to spending the last hunt day there. The trail was a lot easier now, and he was more acclimated to the altitude, so just before noon, he was in his PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

favorite spot ready to eat lunch. A bright sun peeked over the ridge highlighting strips of clouds. They look like mares’ tails, he thought. That could be a real harbinger of bad weather on the way. We really do need to head out in the morning.

After he finished his sandwich, Tom pulled out the book that he kept in his pack and whiled away the afternoon reading and basking in the bright sun. As usual, he kicked back, put his head on his pack and took a little nap. Deer hunting was the farthest thing from his mind. He hadn’t even loaded his old Ruger rifle. With a start, around four o’clock he awoke from the strangest dream. With very little wasted effort, he slowly reached for his rifle, quietly opened the rolling block and slipped a cartridge in the magazine. Without really knowing why, he scanned the ridgeline with his small binoculars and detected movement at the very top of the mountain. He switched to his scope on the rifle for better visibility and saw the biggest deer he’d ever seen beginning his descent. The animal was enormous, with a rack of horns that looked like an elk’s. It was heading down a brushy cut right toward Tom’s little field. If that deer stays on track, he thought, I’m going to

have him right in my lap!

With his 8-power scope, Tom watched the deer as he drifted in and out of the brush on the way to the broom-straw field. It took forever, it seemed, before the monster mule deer emerged from the brushy cut that had acted like a highway leading to Tom. When the deer got to the edge of the field, he paused without any idea that a 30-06 rifle was zeroed in on his chest. He was so close that Tom could see the big brown eyes and steam coming from the deer’s nostrils as he breathed in and out. Tom tightened his finger on the trigger and then for whatever reason changed his mind, stood up, said “bang,” and watched the deer leap over the aspen, blow down, and disappear.

He stood there for a long time, rifle at his side, then shouldered his pack and headed down the mountain for the last time.

When he reached the valley floor, he looked back toward his little pasture and saw an eagle, bright in the setting sun, soar over the ridge. PS Tom Bryant is a lifelong outdoorsman and PineStraw’s Sporting Life columnist.

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THOUGHTS FROM THE MAN SHED

Chin Wattles and Elephant Scabs A day in the life of a young boarding student

BY GEOFF CUTLER

Seen from above, our dorm room

cubicles would have looked like those old-fashioned ice trays everybody used before freezers started making the ice for us. Each cubicle was identical, and was just large enough for a cot, a bureau, mirror, straight-back chair and hanging rod for our button-down shirts, grey flannels, ties and jackets. All students had a window to the outside, and on the inside, an open doorway with hanging curtain for privacy. I suspect the founding headmaster would have viewed a wooden door as too much privacy.

Who knows how my parents decided that this would be a good thing for an eleven-year-old, but they did, and I had no say in the matter. After my name was sewed or indelibly marked into everything I owned, our car was packed the Sunday night before the first day of my fourth form year, or 6th grade, and we drove the fifteen minutes over to school.

In 1971, about half of the student body were boarders and half were day students. Founded in 1903, Fessenden was one of the first boarding schools for elementary-aged students in America. Mr. Frederick Fessenden had it in mind “to train a boy along the right lines from the beginning, to teach him how to study and form correct habits of work, and to inculcate the principles which are to regulate his daily conduct and guide his future life.”

Each day, our inculcation commenced with the rising sun and a bell loud enough to wake the dead. We were to shower, make our beds, and dress. Most, if not all of us wore the school’s maroon blazer with the logo on the breast pocket. Those scant few of us who had earned a merit badge for overall right and exemplary conduct, proudly pinned it on our lapel. Each cubicle was inspected by the dorm master for clean floors and hospital corner-made beds before we were allowed to line up and go to breakfast. Some mornings, we might be held up if a snap breath test by our dorm master revealed that a fellow student had not brushed his teeth. We’d all have to wait while that kid went and did it. He wouldn’t forget again soon as the rest of us would be merciless with him for holding things up.

All masters had their own permanent tables in the dining room and students rotated around each week. Two students from each table waited on that table bringing all the food from the kitchen, and clearing it spotless afterward. Once a student reached the sixth form, he was finally exempt from waiting tables. Boarding school food is the stuff of legend. The way I saw it, you learned to like it, or you starved to death. I always thought it was pretty good for the most part, and even enjoyed PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

the breaded veal cutlet covered in nondescript tomato sauce, more commonly known as an elephant scab.

After breakfast there was a brief free time for all students. Only sixth formers were allowed to sit with faculty at the round table in the school’s common room. Faculty took this brief period to smoke.

We heard announcements in study hall where we joined up with the day students. We grabbed our books from our desks after announcements and classes began.

If memory serves, our schedule included four classes in the morning with a study hall, and one class after lunch before sports. We took math, English, history, science and one language, French, Spanish, or Latin. The 70s were a transitional era as far as teachers and learning went. There were the old masters who’d been around forever, and moved about like cobweb-covered ghosts. While we respected and even liked many of these older guys, they tended to be authoritarian and used repetition and memorization to teach.

One of these relics took great pleasure in grabbing a student’s chin wattle and giving a twist if that lad got out of line in any way. Then came the new breed. My American history teacher that year was a young fellow by the name of Jay St. John. Readers might recognize that name as the current headmaster of our own Episcopal Day School. These mavericks introduced relaxed seating and open discussion into the classroom. In Jay’s history class, memorization of names, dates and places began to take a back seat to discussion and critical thinking about historical events and issues.

After lunch and the afternoon class, every student went to sports, no exceptions. Fessenden prided itself on its athletic program and students participated for three seasons on a team from third to eighth grade. We traveled two days a week to play other schools.

Soccer and lacrosse were two fairly unusual sports offered for that time, each however had a full schedule of competitive games in both the junior varsity and varsity levels. We were trained to be intensely competitive from a very young age. Athletics were about winning, and if you lost, you did it with grace.

After showers, you couldn’t leave the shower area before standing under an ice-cold one, the day students were picked up and the rest of us got ready for dinner. After dinner we had a two-hour proctored study hall and then were allowed free time in our dormitories before bed. I remember that time as one of great fun and camaraderie, and it all took place in our dorm’s hallway. We’d pull out a dart board, or table hockey, we played soccer with rolled-up socks, tossed a Frisbee or played cards. We talked about our day, our sports and our classes. Most of us felt special somehow at this time, that we were the true community and backbone of the school, and that the kids who went home every night were missing out.

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series of books and movies, the parts depicting life at Hogwarts, reminds me of what boarding school was like for a young kid. It was different, but I liked it. PS Geoff Cutler is owner of Cutler Tree LLC in Southern Pines. He is a regular contributor to both The Pilot and PineStraw. He can be reached at geoffcutler@embarqmail.com.

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March 2010

What: Art Exhibit at Artists League: INKS! Date: March 25-28 Time: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

(Sunday 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.)

Location: Artists League of the Sandhills, Aberdeen Information: 910.944.3979 Cost: Free More Info: artistleague.org PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Floral Arrangement in Pink and Gold

By Karen Walker March 2010 53

................................................................................................................................

A Sense of Home Tift Merritt’s Journey to the Sandhills

BY JACK DODSON

S

he barely spoke before beginning her set. With no band behind her, simply a darkened stage bearing a few scattered musical instruments, Grammy-nominated country music star Tift Merritt began a lovely solo performance at Raleigh’s Pinecone Festival one snowy night this past February with a low-key “Good evening, everyone.”

On a night when a winter snowstorm had shut down basically everything moving in central North Carolina, it was telling that several hundred of the singer’s most devoted fans would not be stymied; they’d braved icy roads and single-digit wind chills to hear Merritt perform an hour’s worth of her lilting ballads and romantic songs with only her acoustic guitar.

Merritt, a willowy Texas-born songwriter who grew up in the Triangle, has gained growing respect across the music world for her dogged willingness to tour and for dulcet-voiced storytelling on five albums, highlighted by the release of 2008’s “Another Country,” which raced up the county charts to number one and earned her a Grammy nomination. A live album called “Buckingham Solo,” taped in a 12th century British cathedral, garnered rave reviews and a growing international following.

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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This snowy night in Raleigh — when less than half the festival’s anticipated audience managed to show up, even with headliner Kris Kristofferson on the bill — reveals why Merritt’s roadwork is finally paying dividends. She moseyed serenely through several of her most soulful songs and joked around with her audience, making her concert in the large Progress Energy Center Performance Hall feel more like a cozy music club.

“I was just getting a little choked up,” she observed at one point in the evening, “because it’s always been a dream of mine to play in a room like this.” Merritt explained how this hall was where she first met and played with country singer-songwriter legend Emmylou Harris, one of her major muscal influences.

“Playing solo is intimate and intense in a very different way,” Merritt told PineStraw following the show. “I enjoy it as a writer because you can really see how strong a song is when it is all stripped down — how it affects your audience.”

Ardent fans and newcomers alike will have the opportunity to experience Merritt’s sizable talents when she performs at the inaugural Palustris Arts Festival, at the Robert E. Lee Auditorium, Pinecrest High School on Saturday, March 27, at 8 p.m.

I

n many ways, her Sandhills debut will also be something of a Carolina homecoming for a rising star Entertainment Weekly describes as a “second cousin of Taylor Swift’s — only bur-

nished by the hard won wisdom and complexity that — no offense to the precocious Taylor — can only come with age.”

Merritt grew up in Raleigh, learning to appreciate music when she was young from a father who played guitar and piano entirely from ear.

After high school, she waitressed and performed in bands all around the state. She also lived for a brief time in New York City before returning to enroll at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Merritt says she loved growing up in North Carolina because the music scene was largely unspoiled by industry egos and thus a great place to learn from the grassroots up.

“There is a great community of bands and musicians here,” she elaborates, “probably because North Carolina is removed far enough from the mainstream music business. People back when I was coming up were in bands for all the right reasons — because they loved making music. That’s why North Carolina is still my home.”

This heightened sense of of home is a central concept to Merritt’s musical odyssey. She admits she spends months at a time traveling these days — and both gains and suffers from the dislocations that accompany life on the road. Both themes suffuse her bittersweet ballads.

“Life was in disarray,” she recently wrote on her Web site, “left accidentally on an airplane, misplaced along with old

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

ticket stubs or maybe left back at home, which was no longer very easy to find.”

An impromptu escape to Paris some years ago helped season her artistic coming of age. After renting an apartment for two weeks, Merritt wandered through the streets of the famous French capital trying to piece herself into the foreign landscape, looking at the world with new eyes. In doing so, she discovered something deeper in her music. The acclaimed album that came out of the experience, aptly titled “Another Country,” sought to explain everything she was feeling at the time — and upon returning home.

“Paris made a large impact on the record by way of making me not take basic communication for granted,” she explains.

“It was such an adventure to ask directions or just go to the market. It fueled a real appreciation for how amazing language is, and how translating yourself to the rest of the world is sometimes a daunting task.”

M

erritt’s latest (and as of this writing, yet untitled) album will be released later this spring. “It is a very direct record,” she says, “made while we were in motion, found in my pocket when I wasn’t looking. I wanted to make a record with a little more open space in the music, a little grittier. Very direct, not as in punch you in the face but real strength.”

Among the emotional influences on the project, her grandmother died while she was making the album, which Merritt says shaped the writing of the music.

To Merritt, making music is about discovering something

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

deeper about herself and the small epiphanies of life. At her show in Raleigh, for instance, she told of serendipitously meeting a college friend on a plane who told her all about his work with underprivileged children and their law issues. The encounter left her thinking of a songwriter’s role.

“I’m not doing anything terribly heroic being a musician.

I’m not feeding people or healing sickness or ending war,” she says. “But I want to use my spotlight for whatever good I can.”

Later, reflecting on her upcoming Palustris show, she emphasized her love of performing and vital lessons from the road. “I think community is the crux of everything that I write about — be it finding my own place in the world, telling stories that shout out to be told, or just trying to empathize with another point of view beyond my own. The simple act of writing and singing implies reaching out to be understood on some level.”

Luckily for old fans and new friends alike, as her star rises like a Carolina moon, Merritt’s musical odyssey brings her home to the Sandhills for a very special evening of music. PS

What: Tift Merritt Concert Date: Saturday, March 27 Time: 8 p.m.

Location: R.E. Lee Auditorium at Pinecrest High School

Presented By: Arts Council of Moore County and Moore County Historical Association Information: 910.692.2787 Cost: $25 Tickets: www.palustrisfestival.com

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A Timeless Treasure

The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

BY ASHLEY WAHL

B

efore bow kisses string, lip presses reed or finger touches key, you can feel it in the heavy silence.

The room and stage are positively swollen with it. Antsy, yet anchored. Poised.

“It’s like static electricity,” muses Maestro Fouad Fakhouri, conductor of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, referring to the energy of an anticipated performance in the moments prior to raising his baton.

“Then it completely dissipates,” he concludes, coolly.

In his 38 years (or measures, depending on his method of tracking time), Fakhouri has achieved international acclaim as both conductor and composer, working with such esteemed orchestras and ensembles as the National Music Conservatory of Jordan, the Pennsylvania State Philharmonic and the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, in addition to a medley of music festivals and workshops in the US and abroad. In May 2004, Fakhouri was selected from 110 candidates and named FSO’s fifth music director and conductor in its fifty-four years of melodic progression.

Since, the orchestra’s maestro has brought much more to the podium than a steady tempo; namely, he has elevated FSO’s artistic standards and helped them to gain exposure to a broader audience.

“They have grown tremendously!” Fakhouri can hardly help but gloat of his crew of musicians, pleased as a parent by their transformation from community to regional orchestra.

“We’re still not a full-time orchestra,” he adds, an air of hope in his voice, “but ninety-eight percent of our musicians are full-time professionals who play music for a living.”

Having worked with a range of orchestras, Fakhouri believes that each has a different identity — a soul of their own, if you will.

“I think their spirit — their collective spirit — is Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra’s greatest strength. They truly enjoy getting together and performing music, especially as we get closer to the concert. They really have a sense of pride in performing, and it shows up on stage,” the conductor declares.

On Thursday, March 25, FSO will be opening the inaugural Palustris Festival with a performance at R. E. Lee Auditorium at Pinecrest High School. The program will feature Rossini’s The Barber of Seville Overture, Haydn’s Symphony No. 88 in G major and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4, Op. 6 in B-flat major — all classical delights.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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“You’ll get the gamut,” Fakhouri assures.

Rossini’s 19th century masterpiece, The Barber of Seville, remains popular on the modern opera stage to this day. Not surprisingly, its overture is also one of the most recognizable symphonic pieces in popular culture, thanks, of course, to parodies from such affable caricatures as Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker and Homer Simpson.

(So if it doesn’t strike a chord with you, try playing it for the children.)

“Haydn’s 88 is one of the standards of symphonic repertoire,” Fakhouri says, speaking of Giocchino as he might an old college pal. “He’s a very sarcastic, funny composer, so there are a lot of things in that symphony that are funny and jarring…but it’s more restrained. For connoisseurs and for people who really know this type of music, they will love it,” he insists with infectious enthusiasm.

Although the great Beethoven’s fourth symphony is not as commonly played or identifiable as the fifth, the sense of movement in this lighter piece is exquisite. From allegro vivace, the quick and lively introduction, to adagio to allegro once again, this organic arrangement invites the audience along on a succession of sensory imagery. End result? Aural bliss.

“Our mission is to entertain, inspire and educate,” Fakhouri explains. “We hope that people leave the concert with all three. They are entertained, but they are also educated by having not heard something before, or at least not heard it live. Perhaps it will inspire them to come to more concerts and to really dig deeper into what we’re trying to do.”

With Fakhouri’s leadership, FSO has also established educa-

tional outreach programs for students in Cumberland County to inspire them to pick up an instrument or, in the very least, nurture an appreciation for symphonic music.

“We always try to reach for children,” the maestro asserts.

“Children who are younger than 12 come to our season concerts for free.”

Even with FSO’s many parts — a choir of strings, the comforting thump of the double bass, the twittering and tooting of woodwinds, the blasting of brass and the tasteful taps of percussion — the undulations of sound seem to come from one unified entity.

“I liken it to – and this is a much smaller scale — but the people who build the pyramids,” describes Maestro Fakhouri.

“There were a lot of workers, but there was only one goal: to build this one huge monument. And that’s what I enjoy most, getting to work with and through a number of people to achieve an incredible goal.” PS

“Our mission is to entertain, inspire and educate...”

What: Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra Concert Date: Thursday, March 25 Time: 8 p.m.

Location: R.E. Lee Auditorium at Pinecrest High School

Presented By: Arts Council of Moore County Information: 910.692.2787 Cost: $15 Tickets: www.palustrisfestival.com

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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The Singing Society greeting the train in Southern Pines in 1891

Greeting the Train with the Sounds of Southern Pines

Memories

BY RAY OWEN

T

he creation of Southern Pines was a miraculous achievement, particularly with its founding so soon after the close of the Civil War. This was the most poverty-stricken section of the state, and the coming of the first locomotive in the 1870s offered the glimmer of hope. For the native Southerners who were so willing to extend their hands in welcome to Northern settlers — the train whistle sounded their survival.

Two remarkable greetings that led to the establishment of Southern Pines are the performance event titled “Greeting the Train with the Sounds of

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Southern Pines Memories,” and an AfricanAmerican choir known as the Singing Society who serenaded incoming trains. The letters of town founder John T. Patrick tell of meetings between potential Northern immigrants and representatives from local Scottish families, arranged in an effort to demonstrate that the native Southerners were kind and hospitable. These two groups — AfricanAmerican and Scottish-American — were pillars of local society, and with their blessing Southern Pines was settled.

Directed and produced by Ray Owen, a performance will include individuals who have a connection to the historic greetings, staged at the story’s origin

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

— the train station in downtown Southern Pines. From the station steps, bagpipers and a drummer will sound, preceding local choirs who will sing hymns in Gaelic and English, all intended to bear witness to the power of our culture, with roots reaching back for generations.

Three members of the St. Andrews Presbyterian College Pipe Band will supply the evocative sounds of the bagpipes and drum, reflective of a time when ears were keen to the drawn-out syllables and twang of the Scottish brogue. The band’s recordings have been featured on National Public Radio’s “The Thistle and Shamrock” as well as on BBC Radio Scotland’s programs “Crunluath” and “Traveling Folk.”

S

cotland County native Dr. Mary Wayne Watson will be among the singers. She is the great niece of NC Poet Laureate John Charles McNeill, and a humanities instructor at Nash Community College, Rocky Mount, NC. Joining Mary Watson will be Rev. Dr. Douglas Kelly, president of Scottish Heritage USA. Known as a leading Scottish-American scholar, he serves as professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC. Rev. Dr. Kelly will lead a call and response of the Lord’s Prayer in Gaelic and English.

Aberdeen’s Bethesda Presbyterian Church Choir will entertain with hymns sung in Gaelic. Bethesda was one of the district’s first communities of faith formed by Scottish immigrants who began populating the section in the mid-1700s. Prominent members of the flock were the highland Scots, who had established their largest American colony in the Sandhills. Those who had slaves often took them to church, and many of the

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Scots taught their slaves to speak Gaelic.

The gentle, soaring harmonies of the Together-N-Unity choir will perform traditional African-American hymns reminiscent of the Singing Society’s welcome to Northern visitors. This wellknown community-based group includes members of various religious denominations from Cumberland, Moore, and Richmond counties. Directed by Roderick Brower, the choir has few peers in the Sandhills.

The Sept of Blue Clan MacMillian, along with members of the local Clan MacKenzie Society in the Americas, will attend the performance — tartan clad and flag waving. Local videographer Perry Davis of Davis Video Productions will be on hand to film the program, with Frank Pierce of A Southern Studio capturing the performance in photographs.

This event is co-sponsored by the Moore County Historical Association and the Town of Southern Pines in conjunction with the Arts Council of Moore County, the Clan MacKenzie Society in the Americas, Frank Pierce/A Southern Studio, Perry Davis/Davis Video Productions, Scottish Heritage USA, Sept of Blue Clan MacMillian, The Southern Pines Welcome Center, and others. PS

What: Greeting the Train with the Sounds of Southern Pines Memories Date: Saturday, March 27 Time: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Location: Southern Pines Train Depot Cost: Free Presented By: Moore County Historical Association Phone: 910.692.2051 More Info: moorehistory.com

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The Correspondence of James and Katharine Boyd and Friends

BY STEPHEN E. SMITH

O

n the evening of January 21, 1937, historical novelist James Boyd sat down at his desk in his home in Weymouth Heights, now the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities, and began to write a letter to his editor, Maxwell Perkins.

“Tom Wolfe just left last night after a 3 day visit,” Boyd wrote. “He arrived here (at 4:47 a.m.) thoroughly whipped down by New Orleans and Atlanta cheer and in his state was disposed to take on roles of Prometheus Bound and having refreshed himself, Ajax defying the literary Agents.”

Journalist Jonathan Daniels, press secretary to FDR and Harry Truman, wrote that the Southern Literary Renaissance began in the living room at the Boyd house. Despite his obvious hyperbole, Daniels may have been, in part, correct. The literary conversations between the Boyds and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, Sherwood Anderson, Paul Green and Maxwell Perkins and other friends and writers are the heart and soul of much of 20th century American literature.

When F. Scott Fitzgerald visited with the Boyds in June of 1935, his Jazz-Age novels and short stories had fallen out of favor with an American public that was suffering through the Great Depression. Even so, when Fitzgerald was drinking, which was most of the time, he wasn’t shy about critiquing Boyd’s novels and then apologizing in letters written at his leisure. By 1936, Fitzgerald’s wife, Zelda, was confined to Highlands Hospital in Asheville, and the author of The Great Gatsby was splitting his time between Baltimore and North Carolina. Eventually, he would migrate to California and write for the movie studios. He died in Hollywood in 1940.

Thomas Wolfe was at the apogee of his writing career when he climbed in one of the living room windows of the Boyd house and fell asleep on a couch early one morning. His novels Look Homeward Angel and Of Time and the River were bestsellers, but Wolfe was at war with his editor and mentor Maxwell Perkins and fame was weighing heavily on the broad shoulders of the six-foot-five-inch Tar Heel author. Perhaps tuberculosis of the brain, which would kill him two years later, was already affecting his behavior.

Sherwood Anderson was the most frequent out-of-state literary visitor to Weymouth in the late 1930s. He loved horses and horse racing, which the Sandhills offered in abundance, and his friendship with James and Katharine was, despite the differences

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

in their social backgrounds, genuine. He’d already mentored William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway, and in the late 30s he was still writing novels and short stories. His episodic novel Winesburg, Ohio and his short stories “Death in the Woods” and “The Egg” are required reading for any American.

Paul Green and James Boyd were best friends. The Greens lived in Chapel Hill, so they often visited with the Boyds. In 1927, Green won the Pulitzer Prize for his play “In Abraham’s Bosom.” His symphonic drama, “The Lost Colony,” is still in production. PS _____________________________________________ On March 26, the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities will present the readers’ theater production A Thousand Things Time Will Never Let Us Say: The Correspondence of James and Katharine Boyd and Friends. Based entirely on the private, unpublished correspondence between James and Katharine Boyd, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, Sherwood Anderson, Paul Green and other literary luminaries, the letters reveal much about the personal lives of the Boyds and their relationship with many of the eminent authors of the 20th century.

What: A Thousand Things Time Will Never Let Us Say: The Correspondence of James and Katharine Boyd and Friends

Date: Friday, March 26 Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Weymouth Center Cost: $20 Presented By: Weymouth Center Phone: 910.692.6261 More Info: weymouthcenter.org

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March 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Madman

The Musical

BY ASHLEY WAHL

T

o tweak a common adage of thrifty thinkers, one man’s trash may become another man’s means of euphonious expression.

For 52-year-old musician Joe Craven, the realms of strings and percussion are limitless. From gas cans and bedpans to banjos and canjos (which are, presumably, tinny versions of the former), Joe believes the world is his musical oyster — and he encourages others to see it that way, too.

“Music doesn’t need a label so much as an opportunity,” the eclectic entertainer declares, followed by a laugh as infectious as his passion for the arts.

Much inspired by vernacular and folk music — songs passed down aurally within a culture, ever changing in their nature due to what he describes as “the curious nature of recall” — Craven keeps the music of the past alive by passing it on in an original way. Whether crooning old lyrics to a new tune or tapping its rhythm on the teeth of a donkey’s jawbone, Craven strives for the history and narratives of an earlier time to resonate in present day.

“It was music that didn’t belong to anybody, thus, it belonged [and still belongs] to everybody.”

He also believes that each person has a valuable, interesting story of his of her own to tell. With music as his catalyst, Craven shares his own narratives in hopes that his curious, colorful performances might inspire others to do the same, regardless of their approach.

Craven currently resides in Dixon, California, where he spreads his joy of life (and zest to see it in new ways) through outreach programs and music education.

“My goal is to share the way I look at the world with others, to others and for others.” PS

What: Acoustic Free for All Joe Craven, Joe Newberry and the Boulder Acoustic Society Date: Friday, March 26 Time: 8 p.m.

Location: Poplar Knight Spot, Aberdeen Cost: $18 Presented By: The Rooster's Wife Phone: 910.944.7502 More Info: theroosterswife.org

S TO RY O F A H O U S E

Designed for Living Architects Create a Space of Their Own

BY DEBORAH SALOMON • PHOTOGRAPHS BY FRANK PIERCE

A

rchitects are accused of building monuments to themselves. This is a good thing, applied to Lynn and Robert Anderson.

The Southern Pines home of the husband-wife architect team renders their relationship, artistry and technical expertise in wood, steel, masonry and glass. They designed it, supervised construction and, since 1993, have lived comfortably here.

“It’s our house,” Lynn states simply.

A house that accommodated two children without seeming copious now that they are grown. A house that satisfies Robert’s exacting structural standards and Lynn’s painterly perspective. A house for gathering, working, reading, cooking and displaying.

A house situated in their chosen neighborhood.

The “our” part originated with a woven hanging depicting colored geometric shapes which Robert commissioned for Lynn as a wedding gift. She points to it, high on the wall. “This was our point of reference,” Robert says. The colored shapes are repeated in ceramic-clad brick on the chimney facing Orchard Street.

Passersby notice, and ask the significance.

The true significance, however, is the partnering of these people and the pooling of their skills.

Lynn is a Page, from the Sandhills dynasty that

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Lynn and Robert Anderson collaborated smoothly on the design of their Southern Pines home.

Top: Light, interesting angles and shapes welcome visitors inside the front door.

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Living space is designated by area rugs and furniture rather than obtrusive walls.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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Bookshelves and columns reminiscent of the Arts and Crafts style are topped off by a cozy wood-burning fireplace. produced railroad barons, ambassadors and legislators.

She lived many places until age 13 when her father, an Air Force officer, returned to the ancestral Aberdeen residence.

She speaks like a Midwesterner. “But I consider myself a North Carolina native.”

Lynn completed an undergraduate degree in architecture at N.C. State School of Design, then worked for Hayes-Howell in Southern Pines. Feeling the need for more education, she investigated graduate programs, deciding on the University of Oregon.

“Dad liked to keep his kids close — I picked a place far away,” she says — and met another Tar Heel there.

Robert Anderson spotted this petite, intelligent, talented young woman at a party. “I walked in the door and went bo-o-ing,” says the otherwise dignified professional. “As soon as she opened her mouth I was a goner.”

Lynn didn’t discover Robert was from High Point for several weeks. Living in Washington and Oregon had bred Dixie out of his speech, also.

Robert had a fine arts degree from William & Mary, where, he says, the college tried to make him a dilettante.

Drawing and painting were his strengths, but, with medicine a possibility, he studied math, physics and biology.

Architecture won.

Lynn also drew and designed, beautifully. A year studying with Jack Acton at Sandhills Community College developed her talent.

“She could draw like nobody’s business. If Lynn turned out to be a lousy designer, that would have been a big obstacle to overcome,” Robert teases.

“That goes for me, too,” his wife counters.

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Robert proudly displays Lynn’s renderings which, whether a commercial building or residence, look more like gallery paintings than impersonal scale models.

They both adhere to the social and historical aspect of architecture. Or, as Winston Churchill said, “We shape our buildings — and they shape us.”

“You play out your lives against the shape of towns, public spaces, our own homes,” Robert elaborates.

Theirs became a designer marriage, in the truest sense.

After working in Washington, D.C., Lynn and Robert returned to Southern Pines in1988. Lynn established her own office, Anderson Architecture. Robert became a partner at Hayes-Howell, designing primarily schools and public buildings. Eventually Robert joined Lynn’s firm.

They lived with two small children in a 1,400-squarefoot house on Indiana Avenue.

“We knew we were outgrowing it. We looked for years but couldn’t find a house to doctor,” Lynn recalls. In the spirit of new urbanism (dense residential development adjacent to centralized services) they wanted a location bordering downtown. One parcel, part of Briarwood, the Corning estate, seemed ideal. Except the middle school wanted it, too, for a baseball field. To prevent this, neighbors purchased the land, subdivided and sold lots. The Andersons could afford an acre.

“We were thrilled to be able to build in the neighborhood that we liked,” Lynn says.

However, with limited funds, their 2,600-squarefoot house would not approach the mansions they had designed for others.

Two creative people collaborating on a personal project augers a meeting of the minds or a war of the worlds.

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

“We were compatible in our conclusions,” Robert recalls.

They talked particulars for a year, while researching houses designed by the late Bernard Maybeck (Arts and Crafts movement), the late Harwell Hamilton Harris (disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright) and modern traditionalist Robert Stern. “We created a fourth of this family of plans,” Robert says.

Robert drew the plans, Lynn the elevations. The process took four months of evenings and weekends. They looked at neighboring houses for elements that would make theirs relate. Robert had definite ideas about a longitudinal “shotgun” layout, to make a moderately sized house appear larger. Wood floors from the side entrance, kitchen/family room, dining area and living room unify the main floor. The entire back wall rising two stories surrounds a parade of glass doors overlooking a deck and semi-circular garden designed by Southern Pines landscape architect Vince Zucchino.

The main floor falls into areas defined by furniture and rugs with interior columns and built-in bookshelves sectioning off the library/office. A partial wall separates the kitchen and family room from living/dining space without blocking flow. Guests gravitate to the kitchen or the woodburning library fireplace, Lynn says.

The cats own the laundry/mud room which overlooks a free-standing garage with guest apartment, added several years after the house was completed.

The Andersons situated three bedrooms in a loft overlooking the living room — another space-expanding device. Interior windows (one opens out from master bedroom into living room) move light through the spaces.

The kitchen — a showplace in many fine homes — is succinct, built for convenience in dark woods, black surfaces and a uniquely shaped island.

“I wanted it on the front corner of the house so I could see the children,” Lynn says.

Breakfast is possible at the island but there is no kitchen table. Lynn and Robert light candles, put on jazz and eat their evening meal in the dining end of the living room.

“It’s like going out to dinner every night,” she says.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

The Andersons spend most of their time in the family room and modestly-sized kitchen, unified by hardwood floors.

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The Anderson home is aglow on an early spring evening in Weymouth.

Look up. Ceiling fans resemble windmill turbines. The Andersons exercised no restraint on lighting fixtures, from purple glass drops over the kitchen island to the spectacular cantilevered wall-mounted arm which points a beam in any direction — and a sconce that splays colored light over a stairwell wall. Robert bought prototype cable lighting for the sofa area straight out of a showroom.

Look down. Rugs, Lynn says, whether on the floor or draped over a railing, are Robert’s province. They come from Jordan, Afghanistan, Persia and Asia. Some are contemporary, others 19th century. Robert moves them around, from time to time, to redefine space.

The total package is unrelated to the stereotypical glass-and-steel architect’s home which the Andersons say they might have built earlier in their careers. They used simple, not exotic, materials, but in unusual ways. The windows, Robert says, have a rhythm. All walls and ceilings are painted shades of smoky tan to make rooms appear larger and connected. Woodwork is plentiful but there are no crown moldings.

Art — mostly local or done by friends — hangs at many levels. A whimsical line drawing of horseman and serpent by Southern Pines author/illustrator Glen Rounds greets the eye at the top of the stairs.

The pencil drawing of a cupola is Robert’s; he designed it for Jacqueline Kennedy’s childhood home in McLean, Va. Lynn did several watercolors while in the Loire Valley.

Neither does minimalism reign here. Plants, pottery and books warm surfaces and corners.

Furnishings, more comfortable than sculpturesque, melt into the concept.

Conversely, the shingled exterior looks almost New England, as do many winter residences built by northerners in Southern Pines during the 1920s and 1930s.

“We took all that and twisted it,” Robert gestures. “You create a sense of where you are with multiple planes and layers.”

Lynn simplifies: “We’re a little playful. The house lives very well.”

So speak its architects. PS

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A woven wall hanging Robert gave Lynn as a wedding gift (bottom) is repeated in colored bricks studding the chimney (top).

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Home Style

“

Count on me to provide the best

homeowners insurance value in town.

”

State Farm Agent:

Jim Leach

Hwy 211 West, Pinehurst, NC 910-215-8150

www.jimleachagency.com

“Call me when you refinance your home for a great rate.”

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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Letters from A Gardener To A Friend EDITED BY EMILY HERRING WILSON Elizabeth Lawrence (1904-1985), now regarded as the quintessential Southern gardener and one of America’s best garden writers, began her career in the 1930s in Old Raleigh, where she made her first garden and wrote her first book, A Southern Garden. This period is evoked in several hundred vivid letters Lawrence wrote to Ann Preston Bridgers, a Raleigh friend and writing mentor, which I edited in Becoming Elizabeth Lawrence: Discovered Letters of A Southern Gardener, available in April 2010 from John F. Blair, Publisher. I have excerpted a few passages from much longer letters to give readers a sense of the delight Elizabeth found in gardening and in letter writing.

The Coming of Winter “I think gardens are just as pretty in winter. The winter grass is so fresh when you rake the leaves off the beds weeded and covered with compost, and ivy very green, and some sweet alyssum still in the path and that nice rakedup look and the air full of smoke and leaves falling.

Nothing is so beautiful and sad as leaves falling.”

Spring “I sat in Ann’s [Elizabeth’s sister’s] room at the open window and heard a weak croak and a splash which was the first appearance of the bullfrog and the first of spring. Also there is beginning to be a pale green, or a red haze about some trees. And a purple shadow on the hills.”

What: Writers in the Garden with Jim Dodson and PineSraw Magazine Date: Friday, March 26 Time: 12 noon

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Summer “The back garden has never been so lovely. I have two new herbaceous spires (some oriental kinds) that have creamy spikes of flowers misted with very fine very pale pink stamens just the shade of the pink eye of ‘Miss Lingard,’ which is magnificent for once, and with the red violet and lavender-grey Japanese iris they are exquisite. The combination being an accident (of course) due to all liking having moist soil. In the upper bed the day lilies are at their best, ranging from pale yellow to deep orange, with yellow marguerites, the little white aster, and great spikes of white and dark blue larkspur.”

Fall “It is really cold but the mornings are warm and sunny, and Bessie [Elizabeth’s mother] and I spent this one putting out the new things from Wayside [nursery in Greenwood, S.C.]. Bessie is so responsive and gets speechless as another and another root comes out of the box. I can never remember when the things come, what I ordered and why, so I take the catalogue to the garden and look them up… Bessie says she doesn’t know where I am going to put the rest of the things I ordered as every time we dug, I dug up something I had planted last week. …We had our soufflé in the sun and wished for you. Bessie says this is the most beautiful fall we ever had, but I remember a more beautiful one. We had a killing frost night before last, but it didn’t kill everything. In your garden are some late yellow chrysanthemums, and some ageratum and some alyssum still in bloom.” PS

Location: Horticulture Center, Sandhills Community College Cost: Free Presented By: PineStraw Magazine More Info: 910.693.2506

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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The Errand FICTION BY T.D. JOHNSTON

R

obert stared at the rack of magazines. The titles glazed as he considered whether to call. She’d said something bride magazine. Bride something magazine. She was adamant. Get the bride something magazine first, then the stuff from the wine shop. Cabernet from the reds aisle, and a cold Chardonnay from the cooler behind the cash register. Remember that, she’d said, because the white has to be cold by the time Jay and Linda arrive.

Jay and Linda don’t like to drop a cube in a warm glass of Chardonnay. Not like last time. Remember that, Robert. And don’t dilly-dally. Robert was sure he had it, except for the bride something magazine. Something bride.

The rack had six brides. All smiling. All in white. He’d have to call. No question about it. “Georgia Bride,” “Atlanta Bride,” “Bride 2010,” “Bride Beautiful,” “Bridal Fashion” and “Bride.” He was relieved that he could eliminate “Bride,” because she’d said something bride, bride something, but definitely something. Still, there were five. He briefly considered buying all five, but the balance in the checking account worried him, and the credit card was maxed.

He’d have to call.

But it was raining and the cell phone was in the car, and Jay and Linda would be there at eight. She wanted him back soon enough to change his sweater because he wore it two weeks ago at Kara Mortensen’s party, and Linda had been there even though Jay was out of town.

Yes, Jay was out of town, she’d said. Sometimes his work took him out of town, but then again if it didn’t, he wouldn’t be driving that Lexus, Robert.

He could not bring back the wrong something bride. He considered asking the girl behind the counter which bride magazine was best, but she had both hands busy preparing her red hair for the barrette that stuck like a cigarette from the left side of her mouth. He would have to call, but it was raining harder than when he came in, and he’d parked the Subaru around the corner in front of the wine shop.

She wouldn’t like it one bit if he came back with wet hair, especially if Jay and Linda were early and he couldn’t change his sweater.

Robert decided to ask the girl behind the counter if he could please make a local call, but the sound of his name stopped him.

“Bobby? Bobby Canton?”

He turned to find an elderly man grinning at him. The man, easily in his seventies, stood crookedly as if it were painful to stand without movement. He brushed water from the left shoulder of his tan trenchcoat.

“You’re Bobby Canton, aren’t you?”

For a moment, the old man looked familiar, but eight o’clock loomed. She would not be pleased if Linda saw him in this sweater twice in a row.

“Yes?” “My gosh, Bobby, what’s it been? Thirteen years or so? You’ve really grown up, sure have.”

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“Excuse me, but I — Oh, my God. Mr. Burris?” It was definitely Mr. Burris, but she would never buy a yarn about running into one of his old teachers. No way.

The old man extended a weathered hand. Robert shook it, and was surprised by Mr. Burris’ strength. He had to be seventy-five by now.

“You look wonderful, Bobby. Tell me what you’re doing with yourself these days.”

Robert glanced at the bride something magazines. “Well, Mr. Burris, I’m teaching history at Helton Prep, but I think — ” “No kidding? Good school, Helton. Hell of a school.”

“Um, sure is. But I think — ” “Teaching at Helton, eh? You know, Bobby, when you were a student at DeBerry, we were always afraid we might lose you to Helton.

When you were a sophomore, I think it was, we were all nervous that Helton might try to steal you with one of those famous Helton basketball scholarships.” The old man chuckled raspily. “Your dad sure would’ve liked that, wouldn’t he?”

Robert was sure that Mr. Burris was senile. Robert hadn’t been near as good a player as Dad wanted him to be as far as he could remember. Dad had always said he had no left hand. That’s why you won’t play in college. Real players have a left hand. Shooters like you? A dime a dozen.

“I suppose he would’ve, yes. He died six years ago.” As soon as the words escaped his mouth, Robert was aware that he would never say something so abrupt to his students — and certainly not to her.

Mr. Burris’s smile disappeared. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Bobby. So sorry, son.”

Robert thought that the silence that followed was awkward, so he told his old teacher about her.

“I’m, ah, I’m getting married in a few months. Love to have you come, Mr. Burris.”

The smile came home. “Well, that’s wonderful news, Bobby!

Who’s the lucky girl?”

“She works at First National.”

Mr. Burris stood as if waiting for something else. Instead of her name, Robert offered a sheepish grin. Mr. Burris cleared his throat.

“First National. That right? Well, that’s terrific, Bobby. I’m happy for you. I’ll expect my invitation. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

The silence mounted again. Robert couldn’t think of something to say. He was relieved when Mr. Burris opened his mouth to speak. Robert decided to answer one more question politely, and then go ahead and get his hair wet so he could change his sweater in time for Jay and Linda.

“Bet you’re coaching at Helton, eh? I don’t get to the games much anymore, but I’ll bet you love the heat. Nothing like high school basketball, eh?”

“No, sir. I mean, yes, it’s great, and I did it for a while, but I gave it up last year.

No time.” Robert spread his hands in a “whatcan-you-do?” gesture. “Unfortunately,” he added with what he hoped was a rueful grin.

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

He almost laughed aloud, imagining her sitting in the stands at eight o’clock at night. Two years ago, the night she actually came to his sectional playoff game against Southeast Atlanta, he had looked up from his squat in the coach’s box during the second quarter and seen her check her watch. Fourth row, midcourt. He never knew why, in the middle of a fast break by his boys, he looked up at her.

And he never quite understood why her checking her watch had seemed to happen in slow motion.

They’d been dating for seven pretty-good months, and he’d thought that if she could just see one of his games, just one, she might catch the fever. What a beautiful, intense, passionate sport. And she was a beautiful, intense, passionate woman. She couldn’t help but love it. Who could resist it, if they gave it a real chance? She might even forget what she’d said about his salary being smaller than that midget on “Fantasy Island.” But halfway through the third quarter, the trainer passed him a note written on a First National memo sheet. She had some errands to run, and would meet him at Tino’s Restaurant at ten-thirty.

They had eventually won by two, on a three-point buzzer-beater

by Scott Perry, the reluctant junior Robert had tutored endlessly for three years. The kid did it. He really, finally did it. He was sure she would have been moved. After the game, Robert and Scott were mobbed by reporters on the way to joining the jubilant lockerroom celebration.

At Tino’s, she replied that that was nice, and then ordered the seafood lasagna to go with her Merlot.

Two months later, over spinach salad with sliced peaches on the side, she offered her opinion that it would be nice if he would grow up a little bit and show some ambition. Perhaps he could quit that coaching silliness.

“Bobby?”

Robert was jolted from his reverie. For a moment, he thought he was back at DeBerry, caught not paying attention to his teacher.

Mr. Burris had a puzzled look on his wrinkled face. Robert was uncomfortably certain that the old man was going to say something preachy about the coaching, just like the headmaster had done nearly two years ago. Something about the importance of impact and following our natural direction. But Mr. Burris just studied Robert’s eyes for a few seconds.

“I’m terribly sorry to hear that, Bobby. Sure am.”

Robert could not have this conversation. Not now.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

He re-focused on the task at hand. She’d be mighty irked if she knew he was wasting time talking to Mr. Burris when he still didn’t know which bride something she wanted. He was tempted to tell Mr. Burris about the job he’d accepted at the stock brokerage, but he hadn’t told the headmaster about it yet, and Robert believed strongly in courtesy. She wanted him to tell the headmaster right away, to commit himself, but it was only January and contract time was in April. So he’d kept it quiet so that the kids wouldn’t find out and be so upset like they were when he dropped basketball last year. In fact, Scott Perry didn’t speak to him for weeks after the announcement.

But that was okay, Robert thought now. After all, Scott was at Princeton, living his dream of playing college basketball.

No, he wouldn’t tell Mr. Burris about the stock brokerage. Not right this minute. Besides, she would be the first to point out that Mr. Burris probably didn’t have any stocks anyway, just like Robert. As a matter of fact, just this morning she had said that if Robert had some of the stocks that Jay had, maybe he could feel better about only being a teacher.

Mr. Burris wouldn’t want to hear about that. And that phone call wasn’t going to happen by itself. Enough of this awkwardness. Time to get going.

“Well, Mr. Burris, it’s — it’s great seeing you. I have to finish a couple of errands here. You know. I’ll be in the proverbial doghouse if I don’t.”

Robert tried to cap the remark with a casual laugh, but it emerged as an absurd croak.

Mr. Burris gripped Robert by the wrist and wished him well, and hurried off down the aisle. Robert felt disconcerted by the departing look on Mr. Burris’s face. The poor man seemed sad. School was probably all the old man had, sort of like a twenty-first-century Mr. Chips.

As Robert passed the red-haired girl and opened the shop’s front door to brave the rain and discover the something he needed to know, a wave of compassion washed over him. If it was okay with her, he would invite Mr. Burris to dinner one night. They could talk about school, and kids, and how some things never change, and enjoy some Bass Ales together. Maybe on a Wednesday night or something.

Then maybe Mr. Burris could stick around and talk some basketball. Anything to ease the sadness old people must feel, just waiting without a purpose anymore, their dreams limping behind them like old dogs. PS

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PineBuzzz

Internet sites, indie music and film well worth checking out

BY JACK DODSON

Fourth Estate Follies Internet site: Probablybadnews.com As if newspapers and local TV news aren’t having a rough enough time surviving for their life, now comes a Web site dedicated entirely to the proposition that mistaken headlines and unintentional media gaffes make for hilarious outcomes.

And do they ever.

ProbablyBadNews.com showcases the worst and most amusing mistakes in headlines and news writing from around the world with side commentary Jay Leno would be happy to claim as his own. It’s great for a laugh at our own expense.

“Putting urine in your ear not recommended to treat sinus infection,” goes a recent headline.

“Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife,” says another.

“Panda Mating Fails, Veterinarian Takes Over.”

Some headlines just speak for themselves.

Local TV news distinguishes itself, or not, with clips like a recent one of an Australian weatherman being attacked by an angry pelican during a live broadcast. See it here before it shows up on YouTube or America’s Funniest Home Videos.

In an age when the news is pretty darn serious, it’s nice to have a laugh and be reminded that even the most well-intentioned reporters can screw things up beautifully.

The Courage of Others Indie Band: Midlake A good musician often isn’t kept within the constraints of their genre. So it is with Texasbased folk rock band Midlake, an innovative group of musicians that blends lyrical melodies and hauntingly beautiful acoustic progressions with traditional jazz instruments to create an atmospheric listening experience that reminds some of Radiohead, Fleetwod Mac, even Jethro Tull.

Their name may not inspire much excitement but the band’s third album, “The Courage of Others,” is something of a contemplative masterpiece. Of the eleven songs on the album, even the harsh chords have a strikingly pleasing feel to them, suggesting a PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

ruminative exploration of the soul that’s both eloquent and engaging at the same time.

“The sense of coming clean is inherent in melodies that sound like they were derived from Old World Hymns,” notes one impressed reviewer. Tight vocal harmonies and a dance of themes that shifts from light to darkness makes this a PineBuzz favorite.

You can preview the album on several music sites. Just Google “Midlake Courage of Others.”

Pure Serendipity Internet site: StumbleUpon.com Serendipity makes life fun. The creation of StumbleUpon is based upon the revolutionary idea that once a Web traveler has established a few of his or her personal tastes, a world of fascinating things literally lies at their fingertips, just waiting to be “stumbled upon.” Ironically, as Web sites go, this one is fairly ancient, having debuted “way back” in 2001. Yet it may be a timeless idea for the leading medium of the 21st century.

The site has a browser that allows its user to go virtually anywhere — with or without subject constraints. The toolbar links to blogs, news articles, photography, Web sites, how-to’s, random studies from universities, pretty much anything you can think of.

It’s the best and the worst of the Web in a button.

A visitor simply checks a list of preferences ranging from “food” to “philosophy” and hits the “stumble” button that launches you through cyberspace.

Whatever else is true, five minutes with StumbleUpon leaves its user a more enlightened, Web-savvy individual.

The StumbleUpon video feature is one of the most enjoyable aspects. Sometimes you’ll end up watching an hour-long Nova special on physics; other times you’ll be laughing at dumb animal tricks.

In sum, there’s no predicting exactly where you’ll end up and what you’ll be learning about. During one recent visit, PineBuzz stumbled on Ghandi’s “Seven Great Blunders” of the world, an informative treatise on coffee production, a delightful cartoon about the animals on Noah’s ark, and a splendid exegesis on napping.

The real danger of StumbleUpon.com is that you may spend hours just “channel surfing” great sites that have your number.

Oh, well. Stumble on. PS Jack Dodson is the News Editor of The Pendulum, the student newspaper at Elon College.

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MEET THE AUTHOR 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The Country Bookshop (910) 692-3211.

U.S. NAVY CONCERT BAND 7 p.m.

R.E. Lee Auditorium, Pinecrest High School (910) 692-2787 or www.mooreart.org

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME 3:30 to 4 p.m. The Southern Pines Public Library.

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

GATHERING AT GIVEN 3:30 p.m.

Given Memorial Library (910) 2953642

ART EXHIBIT & OPENING RECEPTION 6 to 8 p.m.

Campbell House Galleries (910) 692-2787 JAZZY FRIDAY 7 to 10 p.m. Cypress Bend Vineyards & Winery (910) 369-0411 “DERVISH” 7:30 p.m. Sunrise Theater (910) 692-3611 or www.sunrisetheater.com

MIDSENIOR/SENIOR/SUP ER SENIOR TOURNAMENT. Pine Needles Golf Club (910) 673-1000 or www.carolinasgolf.org

ROOSTER’S WIFE Poplar Knight Spot (910) 944-7502 or visit www.theroosterswife.org WEYMOUTH CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES 3 p.m.

Weymouth Center (910) 692-6261

FUNKY CRITTERS WORKSHOP 1 to 3 p.m. Swank, Southern Pines (910) 692-8068

TUSCANY TOUR MEETING 2 p.m.

Shaw House

PIZZA WITH PIZZAZZ 5 to 6 p.m. The Southern Pines Public Library (910) 6928235 or visit www.sppl.net

SUNDAY AFTERNOON at the movies 2:30 p.m.

Southern Pines Public Library (910) 692-8235

EXPLORATIONS SERIES 3 p.m. Southern Pines Public Library (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net

CLASSICAL CONCERT SERIES 8 p.m. Sunrise Theater (910) 692-4356.

SANDHILLS NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY 7 p.m.

Weymouth Woods Auditorium (910) 692-2167 or www.sandhillsnature.org

DIRT GARDENERS’ WORKSHOP Weymouth Center (910) 6926261

ONE-DAY FOURBALL TOURNAMENT Pinehurst No.6, Pinehurst Resort (910) 673-1000 or visit www.carolinasgolf.org See calendar for a complete list of events.

OLDIES & GOODIES FILM SERIES 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. The Southern Pines Public Library.

(910) 692-8235 or visit www.sppl.net

COMMUNITY READ & LECTURE 3:30 p.m.150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst (910) 295-6022 or visit www.givenmemoriallibrary.org

BLUE BIRD LECTURE 2 p.m.

Weymouth Center (910) 692-6261

KALEIDOSCOPE FAMILY SERIES 3 p.m. O’Neal School Theater (910) 692-2787 or visit www.mooreart.org.

LECTURE 10 a.m.

Ball Visitors Center of Sandhills Community College Tricia Mabe at (910) 695-3882.

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME 3:30 to 4 p.m. The Southern Pines Public Library.

(910) 692-8235

FINE ARTS LECTURE SERIES 10 a.m. Weymouth Center (910) 6922787

HISTORIC WALKING TOUR AND TEA 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pinehurst Resort at (910) 2358415.

PINEHURST ELEMENTARY FUNDRAISER The Fair Barn (910) 2956969.

HUNTER TRIALS Hunter Trial Field Micky Wirtz at (910) 692-6806.

ROOSTER’S WIFE Poplar Knight Spot (910) 944-7502 SAM RAGAN Poetry Festival Weymouth Center (910) 692-6261 PINEHURST’S ST. PATRICK’S PARADE Downtown Pinehurst 11 a.m.

JAZZY FRIDAY 7 to 10 p.m. Cypress Bend Vineyards & Winery (910) 369-0411

TEEN ADVISORY BOARD MEETING 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Southern Pines Public Library (910) 6928235

THE CAROLINA PHILHARMONIC CHAMBER MUSIC 2:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (910) 6874746 or (910) 4005070 ROOSTER’S WIFE Poplar Knight Spot (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife.or g

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME 3:30 to 4 p.m. (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net THE CAROLINA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 7 p.m.

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (910) 687-4746 or (910) 400-5070 or www.CarolinaPhil.org

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME 3:30 to 4 p.m. (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net

See calendar for a complete list of events.

See calendar for a complete list of events.

See calendar for a complete list of events.

March 1

March Calendar

MEET THE AUTHOR. 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. “39 Clues” author Peter Lerangis will sign his two entries into the acclaimed children’s series: “The Sword Thief” and “The Viper’s Nest.” The Country Bookshop, downtown Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-3211.

March 1- April 30 A.A.R.P. TAX HELP. Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. At the Southern Pines Public Library, (except Sat., April 3). Clients must register on site. There are no prior appointments by phone.

For more information, please call (910) 692-8235 or visit www.sppl.net

March 2 U.S. NAVY CONCERT BAND. 7 p.m. Arts Council of Moore County presents the U.S. Navy Concert Band in concert, R.E. Lee Auditorium, Pinecrest High School, Southern Pines. Admission is free, but tickets are required. For tickets and more information, please call (910) 692-2787 or visit www.mooreart.org

March 3 PRESCHOOL STORYTIME. 3:30 to 4 p.m.

Stories, songs and fun for infants and toddlers at The Southern Pines Public Library. For more information, please call (910) 692-8235 or visit www.sppl.net

March 4 GATHERING AT GIVEN. 3:30 p.m. Brad and Beth Kocher will be speaking about Pinehurst from the Tuft’s through the Dedman era. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Rd. For more information, please call (910) 295-3642.

March 4-7 PINE NEEDLES MEN’S INVITATIONAL. To request additional information regarding this “Invite Only Event,” please email Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club at reservations@rossresorts.com or call (800) 747-7272.

March 5 ART EXHIBIT & OPENING RECEPTION. 6 to 8 p.m. Young People’s Fine Arts Festival. Exhibit on display through March 20. Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines.

For more information, please call (910) 692-2787.

JAZZY FRIDAYS. 7 to 10 p.m. Live jazz music and hors d’oeuvres, rain or shine. Admission is $8/person. Cypress Bend Vineyards & Winery, Riverton Road in Wagram. For more information, please call (910) 369-0411.

SUNRISE SPECIAL EVENT. “Dervish.” 7:30 p.m. Cathy Jordan fronts one of Ireland’s premiere Celtic bands. Tickets $30. Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad St., Southern Pines. For tickets and more information, call the Box Office (910) 692-3611 or visit www.sunrisetheater.com

March 5-7 HOME & GARDEN EXPO. Fri. 12 to 6 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun. 12 to 5 p.m. The Carolina Hotel, Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 944-2992.

March 7 ROOSTER’S WIFE. Live music featuring Sara Grey and Kieron Means at the Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight Street, Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-7502 or visit www.theroosterswife.org WEYMOUTH CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES. 3 p.m. Featuring Louise Toppin, soprano, and David Heid, pianist. Weymouth Center. 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-6261.

March 9 MID-SENIOR/SENIOR/SUPER SENIOR TOURNAMENT. Sponsored through the Carolinas Golf Association. Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club. For additional information please call (910) 673-1000 or visit www.carolinasgolf.org COMMUNITY READ & LECTURE. 3:30 p.m.

In conjunction with the Moore County Area Libraries Community Read of Serena, Carla Hunt, Assistant Moore County Ranger, will be offering a brief History of Logging in NC and discussing Best Practices and Forest Practices Guidelines. 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 295-6022 or visit www.givenmemoriallibrary.org

March 11 LECTURE. 10 a.m. Beyond Pampas: Great Ornamental Grasses for Today’s Gardens. The Sandhills Horticultural Society and the Council of Garden Clubs will sponsor a program at the Ball Visitors Center of Sandhills Community College.

For more information, please contact Tricia Mabe at (910) 695-3882.

OLDIES & GOODIES FILM SERIES. 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. The Furies. The Southern Pines Public Library. Stars Barbara Stanwyck and Walter Huston are at their fierce finest in this crackling western melodrama from 1950. Have a cup of tea and refreshments while enjoying a “reel” classic. For more information, please call (910) 692-8235 or visit www.sppl.net HISTORIC WALKING TOUR AND TEA. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Discover the stories of Pinehurst’s history and enjoy the traditions of classic high tea at one of America’s Historic Landmarks. $25/person. Space is limited. For reservations, please call Pinehurst Resort at (910) 235-8415.

March 12-14 GOLF TOURNAMENT. Nineteen collegiate golf teams will compete on Pinehurst No. 8 for the Pinehurst Intercollegiate title this year at Pinehurst Resort. For more information, contact the Tournament Office at (910) 235-8140.

ROOSTER’S WIFE. Live music featuring Road Song at the Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight Street, Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-7502 or visit www.theroosterswife.org

PINEHURST ELEMENTARY FUNDRAISER. Benefits Pinehurst Elementary School. The Fair Barn.

For more information, please call (910) 295-6969.

SAM RAGAN POETRY FESTIVAL. Presented by the NC Poetry Society at Weymouth Center, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-6261 or visit www.weymouthcenter.org

PINEHURST’S ST. PATRICK’S PARADE. Downtown Pinehurst at 11 a.m.

Key: Art Literature Children Dance Film Fun Health History Music Nature Speaker Sports Theater Tour

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

250 NW Broad St. Southern Pines • 692-3611 www.sunrisetheater.org Box Office 910-692-3611

March Movie & Event Schedule Evening $7.00, Matinee $6.00 Children under 12 - $5.00 Weekdays at 7:30 • Sat. & Sun. at 2:30 & 7:30

DERVISH Friday, Mar 5 at 7:30 pm Tickets $30 sunrisetheater.org or 910-692-8501 MOORE ON STAGE PRESENTS

DEARLY DEPARTED 3/17 - 20 at 7:30pm • 3/21 - 2:00 pm Call 910-692-7118 for tickets ARTS COUNCIL OF MOORE COUNTY

TOKYO STRING QUARTET 3/22 at 8pm Call 910-692-4356 or visit www.mooreart.org for tickets MET OPERA LIVE IN HD

HAMLET 3/27 at 1pm • ENCORE 4/7 at 6pm Tickets $20 Call 910-692-8501 or visit sunrisetheater.org for tickets

March 12

March 13

March 6

HUNTER TRIALS. The 78th Moore County Hounds Hunter Trials. Junior Classes begin at 9

a.m., adult classes start at 10:30 a.m. The Moore County Hounds will make an appearance at approximately noon. Hunter Trial Field off of Old Mail Road in Southern Pines. For more information call Micky Wirtz at (910) 692-6806.

BROKEN EMBRACES Drama, Romance, Thriller 127 Minutes, Rated R Mar 4: 7:30pm Mar 6 & 7: 2:30 & 7:30 pm Mar 8: 7:30 pm

NINE Drama, Musical, Romance 118 minutes, Rated PG-13 Oscar Nominated Mar 11- 14: 7:30 pm Mar 13 & 14: 2:30 & 7:30 pm

BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME PG-13 Mar 25 - Mar 29 at 7:30 pm

Mar 28: 2:30pm & 7:30pm Mar 26 special guest appearance by Vernon Tyson, author Timothy B Tyson’s father and pastor of a prominent Oxford Protestant church during the events of 1970 in Oxford, NC.

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Experience Fayetteville

CA L E N DA R RELAY FOR LIFE. 8 a.m. Inaugural Shamrock Run for Hope in Pittsboro. 5K and 10K race.

Fundraising efforts for the 2010 American Cancer Society Relay For Life event this May. For more information, please visit www.relayforlife.org/pittsboro

March 13-14 SOUTHERN PINES HORSE TRIALS I. Carolina Horse Park at Five Points, just off Hwy. 211 between Aberdeen and Raeford. For more information, please call (910) 875-2074 or visit www.carolinahorsepark.com.

March 14 ONE-DAY TOURNAMENT. Sponsored through the Carolinas Golf Association at Seven Lakes Country Club. For additional information please call (910) 673-1000 or visit www.carolinasgolf.org FUNKY CRITTERS WORKSHOP. 1 to 3 p.m.

Learn basic drawing and painting techniques as we create funky little critter characters on canvas and watercolor paper. Swank, 232 NW Broad St, Downtown, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-8068.

MOORE COUNTY CONCERT BAND. 2 p.m.

Free. Cardinal Ballroom, Carolina Hotel, Pinehurst Resort, Village of Pinehurst. For more information please visit www.moorecountyband.com BLUE BIRD LECTURE. 2 p.m. Free.

Weymouth Center, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-6261 or visit www.weymouthcenter.org

are invited to the Southern Pines Public Library watch Hotel for Dogs. For more information, please call (910) 692-8235 or visit www.sppl.net

mation, please call (910) 692-8235 or visit www.sppl.net

BROADHURST GALLERY. 2 to 4 p.m. Gallery will feature the contemporary artwork of up and coming artist Jason Craighead. Following reception, Jason will present a Gallery Talk for collectors and art students. For more information, please call (910) 295-4817 or visit www.broadhurstgallery.com

March 17 PRESCHOOL STORYTIME. 3:30 to 4 p.m.

Stories, songs and fun for infants and toddlers at The Southern Pines Public Library. For more information, please call (910) 692-8235 or visit www.sppl.net

KOVACK POTTERY SPRING FEST. Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 12 to 5 p.m. For more information, please call (336) 8738727 or visit www.kovackpottery.com

TEEN ADVISORY BOARD MEETING. 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Southern Pines Public Library.

Make plans for spring events. Students in grades 912 are invited. New members are welcome. For more information, please call (910) 692-8235 or visit www.sppl.net

March 15

March 17-21

TUSCANY TOUR MEETING. 2 p.m. Learn more about one of Europe’s most historic and artistically important places. Shaw House, 110 Morganton Rd and SW Broad St., Southern Pines.

MOORE ON STAGE. Thurs. - Sat. at 7:30 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. “Dearly Departed.” Sunrise Theater, Broad Street, Southern Pines. For tickets and additional information please call (910) 692-7118.

March 15-18

March 18

COLOR CONFIDENCE. 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Artist League of the Sandhills presents Color Confidence workshop with Jane Jones. Workshop is for all painting media. 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen.

For more information, please call (910) 944-3979 or visit www.artistleague.org

FINE ARTS LECTURE SERIES. 10 a.m. Dr. Molly Gwinn, “Learning from the French AvantGarde: John Marin & Paul Strand.” Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines.

Please call the Arts Council of Moore County at (910) 692-2787 for reservations.

March 16

March 19

PIZZA WITH PIZZAZZ. 5 to 6 p.m. Participants are invited to get their game on at the library!

Enjoy free pizza with your friends while playing XBox 360. The Southern Pines Public Library. Kids in grades 6-8 are invited. Free pizza! For more infor-

JAZZY FRIDAYS. 7 to 10 pm. Live jazz music and hors d’oeuvres, rain or shine. Admission is $8/person. Cypress Bend Vineyards & Winery, Riverton Road in Wagram. For more information, please call (910) 369-0411.

March 14-23

SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT THE MOVIES. 2:30 p.m. Children in grades 3-5 and their parents Key: Art Literature Children Dance Film Fun Health History Music Nature Speaker Sports Theater Tour

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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Resale Retail

CA L E N DA R

March 19-21 SOUTHERN PINES HORSE TRIALS II. Carolina Horse Park at Five Points, just off Hwy. 211 between Aberdeen and Raeford. Please call (910) 875-2074 or visit www.carolinahorsepark.com for more information.

March 20 THE CAROLINA PHILHARMONIC CHAMBER MUSIC. 2:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. “On the Brink.” General Admission $25, Senior/Military $20, Students Free. Featuring Beethoven, Hindemith and Ravel. Founders Hall, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, 300 Dundee Road, Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 687-4746 or (910) 400-5070 or visit www.CarolinaPhil.org ROOSTER’S WIFE. Live music featuring Shannon Whitworth at the Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight Street, Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-7502 or visit www.theroosterswife.org

March 21 KALEIDOSCOPE FAMILY SERIES. 3 p.m.

Tokyo String Quartet. O’Neal School Theater, 3300 Airport Rd., Southern Pines. Tickets are $10 for ACMC members & O’Neal families/$15 nonmembers. For more information, please call (910) 692ARTS (2787) or visit www.mooreart.org.

EXPLORATIONS SERIES. 3 p.m. at the Southern Pines Public Library. A Forum for Adults will present an afternoon of old-time music.

Members of the April Fools old-time string band will play music inspired by the Community Read novel Serena and actors will present dramatic readings.

For more information, please call (910) 692-8235 or visit www.sppl.net

March 22 CLASSICAL CONCERT SERIES. 8 p.m.

Featuring The Tokyo String Quartet. Sunrise Theater, Broad Street Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-4356.

SANDHILLS NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. Zambia: The Nature Conservancy in Africa. 7 p.m. Ryan Elting will present images and experiences from his recent fellowship working with the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Community Markets for Conservation program. Weymouth Woods Auditorium, 1024 Ft. Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 6922167 or www.sandhillsnature.org

March 23

Fabulous Finds Consignment

Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm Saturday 10am-3pm 106 B Barcelona Drive Fayetteville, NC (behind RavenHill Medical Day Spa)

(910) 864-3690

• Citizens of Humanity • Joe’s Jeans • James Denim • Banana Republic • BCBG • Express • Evening Gowns • Cocktail Dresses • Handbags: • Dior • Chanel • Kate Spade • Yves St. Laurent

DIRT GARDENERS’ WORKSHOP. Weymouth Center. $20. For more information and reservations, please call (910) 692-6261.

March 24 PRESCHOOL STORYTIME. 3:30 to 4 p.m.

Stories, songs and fun for infants and toddlers at The Southern Pines Public Library. For more information, please call (910) 692-8235 or visit www.sppl.net THE CAROLINA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA. “Holy Week Concert with Chorus.”

7 p.m. General Admission $25, Senior/Military $20, Students Free. Featuring Haydn, Barber, Verdi, Mozart, Torelli, Handel. Main Sanctuary, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, 300 Dundee Road, Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 687-4746 or (910) 400-5070 or visit www.CarolinaPhil.org Key: Art Literature Children Dance Film Fun Health History Music Nature Speaker Sports Theater Tour

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

CA L E N DA R

March 25-28 THE PALUSTRIS FESTIVAL. A celebration of the arts in Moore County. Many varied events are scheduled throughout the period. For more information, a full schedule of events, and to buy tickets online visit www.PalustrisFestival.com

March 25 SELF-GUIDED TOUR. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Enjoy Mother Nature at her finest in the Village Arboretum located beside the Pinehurst Village Hall on Magnolia Rd. ART EXHIBIT. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. People & Places of Eastern North Carolina. Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines.

For more information, please call (910) 692-2787.

ART CLASS. Follow the Leader. 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Art class open to anyone. $25. Registration required. For more information, please call Artists League of the Sandhills at (910) 944-3979.

TOUR OF WEYMOUTH. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A docent-guided tour of the historic Weymouth Center, former home of author James Boyd and his wife, Katharine Boyd. 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-6261.

ART EXHIBIT. INKS! 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Artists League of the Sandhills will showcase ink paintings created by its members. 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-3979.

ART EXHIBIT. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Showcase of knitted and crocheted goods by Bella Filati’s cus-

tomers. 75B NE Broad St., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-3528.

Rd., Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 695-3879.

OPEN STUDIOS. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit the Artists League of the Sandhills to see and talk to the artists working in their studios. 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-3979.

ART CLASS. Follow the Leader. 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Art class open to anyone with a desire to paint. $25. Registration required. Space limited. For more information, please call Artists League of the Sandhills at (910) 944-3979.

TOUR OF PINEHURST. 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Discover the history of Pinehurst with a walking tour of the homes and buildings in the Village by Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Rd. For more information, please call (910) 295-3642.

POTTERY TALK & DEMO. 2:30 to 3:20 p.m.

Seagrove Area Potters Association will share the uniqueness of Seagrove area pottery at Sandhills Community College, 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst.

For more information, please call (910) 695-3879.

ARTISTIC LUNCH. 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Soup and salad between the “Follow the Leader” classes, or while making rounds of Palustris Festival events.

Cost $10. Reservations required by March 19.

Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-3979.

CONCERT. 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Moore Children of SCORE. Pinehurst Elementary Youth Orchestra and Performing Arts Club will also be featured.

Pinehurst Elementary School, Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 295-6969.

SOUTHERN CULTURE LECTURE. 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. What We Learn About the Food We Eat. Sandhills Community College, Clement Dining Rm., Dempsey Student Ctr., 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 695-3879.

SHAW TOUR. 1 to 4 p.m. A docent-guided tour of the Shaw House, former residence of Southern Pines’ first mayor and the birthplace of the town. 110 Morganton Rd., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-2051.

HISTORY LECTURE. 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Southern Pines: The History of Moore County Early Settlers. Sandhills Community College, Clement Dining Rm., Dempsey Student Ctr., 3395 Airport

ART EXHIBIT. Photos Across the Atlantic. 4 to 6 p.m. International photography exhibit at SCC Hastings Gallery. Refreshments and music by the SCC Choir will be provided. 26 and 27 gallery will be open from 8 to 5 p.m. For more information, please call (910) 695-3879.

ART EXHIBIT. 5 to 7 p.m. Hollyhocks Art Gallery invites the public to attend the opening reception. Wine and food will be served and all artists will be present to greet attendees. 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 255-0665.

DINNER IN THE PINES. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst. Authentic Southern buffet. Food will focus on local foods, cuisine and culture. $25. To reserve , please call Lavada Alsbrook at (910) 695-3796.

Key: Art Literature Children Dance Film Fun Health History Music Nature Speaker Sports Theater Tour

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CA L E N DA R CONCERT. 6 to 7 p.m. Paul Murphy and his professional jazz band along with STARS middle school honors choir. $5. Sandhills Theater Renaissance School, 140 Southern Pines Dr, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 695-1004.

FILM. 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Blood Done Sign My Name. $7. Tickets available at box office on day of film. Sunrise Theater, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-8501.

RUTH PAULY LECTURE SERIES. 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Robert Berry - “The Trials and Triumphs of an Insurance-Free Doctor.” Talks are free and open to the public. Owens Auditorium, Sandhills Community College, Airport Road, Southern Pines.

For more information, please call (910) 245-3132.

FAYETTEVILLE SYMPHONY. 8 to 10 p.m.

Conducted by Fouad Fakhouri, FSO will open the inaugural Palustris Festival at R.E. Lee Auditorium at Pinecrest High School. $15. Tickets available at Campbell House. For more information, please call (910) 692-2787.

CONCERT. Hot Club of Cowtown. 8 to 10 p.m.

Poplar Knight Spot, The Rooster’s Wife, 114 Knight St, Aberdeen. $15. For more information, please call (910) 944-7502.

March 26 ART EXHIBIT. Photos Across the Atlantic. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. International photography exhibit at SCC Hastings Gallery. Refreshments and music by the SCC Choir will be provided. For more information, please call (910) 695-3879.

the Pinehurst Village Hall on Magnolia Rd. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Rd. For more information, please call (910) 295-3642.

ART EXHIBIT. People & Places of Eastern NC. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-2787.

EXHIBITION. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pinehurst Painters, members of the Village of Pinehurst’s Recreation Department’s adult painting class, will exhibit paintings in oil, watercolor, pastels, acrylics and pencil. Carolina Hotel, 80 Carolina Vista Rd., Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 215-0422.

TOUR OF WEYMOUTH. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A docent-guided tour of the historic Weymouth Center, formerly the home of author James Boyd and his wife, Katharine Boyd. 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-6261.

ART EXHIBIT. Inks! 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Artists League of the Sandhills will showcase ink paintings.

129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-3979.

ART EXHIBIT. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hollyhocks Art Gallery. Wine and food will be served and all artists will be present to greet attendees. 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 255-0665.

ART EXHIBIT. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Showcase of knitted and crocheted goods by Bella Filati’s customers. 75B NE Broad St., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-3528.

OPEN STUDIOS. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit the Artists League of the Sandhills to see and talk to the artists working in their studios. 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-3979.

WRITERS IN THE GARDEN. 12 to 1 p.m. In the tranquil setting of the Sandhills Community College Gardens, PineStraw Magazine presents “Writers in the Garden,” featuring Jim Dodson, Steve Bouser and special guest Emily Herring Wilson reading from new works, plus selected readings by Stephen Smith, Deborah Soloman, Megan Shore and Ashley Wahl. Light refreshments will be served. Ball Visitor’s Center, 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 695-3879.

COMMUNITY READ. 12 to 2 p.m. Presented by the Moore County Area Libraries, the culminating event for the Community Read of the novel Serena by Ron Rash will be a luncheon and a performance of traditional music and stories of the Southern Appalachian Mountains by David Holt. $15. Brownson Presbyterian Church, 330 S. May St., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-8235.

LECTURE. 1 to 1:50 p.m. Southern Literature: The Southern Literary Renaissance. Larry Allen will examine the explosion of literary activity that emerged from the South following WWI. Sandhills Community College, Clement Dining Rm., Dempsey Student Ctr., 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 695-3879.

TOUR OF PINEHURST. 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Discover the history of Pinehurst with a walking SELF-GUIDED TOUR. Enjoy Mother Nature tour of the homes and buildings in the Village by at her finest in the Village Arboretum located beside Key: Art Literature Children Dance Film Fun Health History Music Nature Speaker Sports Theater Tour

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M A G A Z I N E

P.O. BOX 58 Southern Pines, NC 28388

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CA L E N DA R RECITAL. 1 to 3 p.m. Students from Baxter Clement’s Sandhills School for the Performing Arts will display their talents. Penick Village, Penick Village Auditorium, East Rhode Island Ave., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-0386.

SCC GARDENS TOUR. 1 to 4 p.m. Sandhills Horticultural Society will lead tours of the 32-acre garden on the campus of Sandhills Community College. Ball Visitor’s Center, 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 695-3882.

SHAW TOUR. 1 to 4 p.m. A docent-guided tour of the Shaw House, former residence of Southern Pines’ first mayor and the birthplace of the town. 110 Morganton Rd., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-2051.

SOUTHERN FILMS LECTURE. 2 to 2:50 p.m. Southern Character & Caricature in Films.

Ron Layne will explore the depiction of Southerners in film. Lecture will include a series of film clips with interspersed commentary. Sandhills Community College, Dempsey Student Ctr. For more information, please call (910) 695-3879.

CHAGALL & THE BIBLE LECTURE. 4 to 5 p.m. Vivian Jacobson will discuss artist Marc Chagall’s fascination with the Bible. Temple Beth Shalom, 131 Jackson Springs Rd., Jackson Springs.

For more information, please call (910) 673-5224.

MOORE COUNTY CHORAL. 5 to 5:45 p.m.

Brownson Presbyterian Church and the Moore County Choral Society will present a choral concert featuring a select group of their members. 330 S. May St., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-6252.

ART & ANTIQUE APPRAISAL. 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Kathleen DiLoreto will appraise pre-1950 art and antiques. $25. Cost includes appraisal for up to 2 items. Seating is limited. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-3979.

DINNER-DANCE SHOW. 5:30 to 11p.m. An affair of the Arts. A dinner-dance and cabaret show.

Tickets $25. The Fair Barn, 200 Beulah Hill Rd, Pinehurst. For more information, please call Mary Lou Bernett at (910) 692-8839.

CONCERT. 6 to 7 p.m. Paul Murphy and his professional jazz band along with STARS middle school honors choir. $5. Sandhills Theater Renaissance School, 140 Southern Pines Dr, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 695-1004.

READING PLAY. 7 to 9:30 p.m. A Thousand Things Time Will Never Let Us Say: The Correspondence of James & Katharine Boyd & Friends. Reception will follow. $20. Space is limited. Weymouth Center, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-6261.

COMMUNITY DRUM CIRCLE. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Performance by the West Pine D.R.U.M. Ensemble, followed by an engaging and fun drum circle experience led by the ensemble. West Pine Middle School, 144 Archie Rd, West End. $5. For more information, please call Marci Houseman at (910) 673-1464.

March Events at the GML/TA www.givenmemoriallibrary.org www.tuftsarchives.org (910)295-6022 (910)295-3642 March 4 – Thursday, 3:30 pm- Gathering at Given features Brad & Beth Kocher: Dedman Era March 9 – Tuesday, 3:30 pm- Moore County Area Libraries Community Read: History of Logging in North Carolina March 25 – Thursday, 11:00 am & March 26 – Friday, 11:00 am- Palustris Festival: Free Historic Walking Tour March 26 – Friday, 12:00 pm - Palustris Festival: Luncheon and performance by David Holt - Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church in Southern Pines. Tickets online: www.palustrisfestival.com

CAROLINA RAILHAWKS VS. UNC TARHEELS. 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the gate. The Carolina Railhawks and the University of NC Tarheels will play an exhibition soccer match at Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines. For more information or to order tickets online, please visit www.sandhillsfc.com/Pages/Latest_News.html

March 27 – Saturday, 11:00 am - Palustris Festival: Free Historic Walking Tour featuring the original cottages built by James Walker Tufts.

Key: Art Literature Children Dance Film Fun Health History Music Nature Speaker Sports Theater Tour

March 27 – Saturday, 2:00 pm- Hats and Afternoon Tea in the Village- Craven/Longleaf Cottage, 15 McCaskill Road. Tickets are $25 and are available at the GML/TA.

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CA L E N DA R FILM. 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Blood Done Sign My Name. $7. Tickets available at box office on day of film. Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-8501.

ART EXHIBIT. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. People & Places of Eastern North Carolina. Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 6922787.

ACOUSTIC FREE FOR ALL. Joe Craven, Joe Newberry and the Boulder Acoustic Society meet head on for the first time. $18. Poplar Knight Spot The Rooster’s Wife, 114 Knight St, Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-7502.

ART EXHIBIT. Visions of Art. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Exhibit featuring artwork by students and faculty at Sandhills Renaissance. Sandhills Theater Renaissance School, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 695-1004.

March 27 BIRD WALK. 8 to 9:30 a.m. at Weymouth Woods. Take an easy two-mile hike with a ranger to find, identify and learn more about migratory birds and their amazing journey through the Sandhills. 1024 Ft. Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-2167.

SELF-GUIDED TOUR. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Enjoy Mother Nature at her finest in the Village Arboretum located beside the Pinehurst Village Hall on Magnolia Rd. ART EXHIBIT. 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Photos Across the Atlantic. International photography exhibit at SCC Hastings Gallery. Refreshments and music by the SCC Choir will be provided. For more information, please call (910) 695-3879.

ART CLASS. Follow the Leader. 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Art class open to anyone with a desire to paint. $25. Registration required. Space limited to 12 students. For more information, please call Artists League of the Sandhills at (910) 944-3979.

TRAIN GREETING. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Greeting the Train With the Sounds of Southern Pines Memory. The program is based on two historical greetings that helped found Southern Pines.

At the Southern Pines Train Depot, 235 NW Broad Street. For more information, please call (910) 692-2051.

HUNT & HOUNDS LECTURE. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Presented by Joint Master of Foxhounds Cameron Sadler, the lecture will offer a rare glimpse into the world of the Boyds, along with an opportunity to learn about the formation of the Moore County Hounds. $10. Space limited.

Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-6261.

OLD GROWTH HIKE. 10 to 11 a.m., 1 to 2 p.m. Meet the oldest known longleaf in the world!

Learn more about this old growth stand.

Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Ft. Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-2167.

ART EXHIBIT. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Showcase of knitted and crocheted goods by Bella Filati’s customers. 75B NE Broad St., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-3528.

OPEN STUDIOS. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit the Artists League of the Sandhills to see and talk to the artists working in their studios. 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen For more information, please call (910) 944-3979.

ART EXHIBIT. Seagrove Area Potters Demonstration & Sale. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-2787.

WILDFLOWER HIKE. 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Botanist/Biologist Bruce Sorrie, with the NC Natural Heritage Program, will lead a hike to look at wildflowers, shrubs and trees at Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Ft. Bragg Rd., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-2167.

EXHIBITION. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pinehurst Painters, members of the Village of Pinehurst’s Recreation Department’s adult painting class, will exhibit paintings in oil, watercolor, pastels, acrylics and pencil. Carolina Hotel, 80 Carolina Vista Rd., Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 215-0422.

TOUR OF WEYMOUTH. 1 to 3 p.m. A docent-guided tour of the historic Weymouth Center, formerly the home of James Boyd and Katharine Boyd. 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-6261.

ART CLASS. Follow the Leader. 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Art class open to anyone with a desire to paint. $25. Registration required. Space limited to 12 students. For more information, please call Artists League of the Sandhills at (910) 944-3979.

ART EXHIBIT. Inks! 1 to 4 p.m. Artists League of the Sandhills will showcase ink paintings.

Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-3979.

TOUR OF PINEHURST. 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Discover the history of Pinehurst with a walking tour of the homes and buildings in the Village from Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Rd. For more information, please call (910) 295-3642.

SHAW TOUR. 1 to 4 p.m. A docent-guided tour of the Shaw House, former residence of Southern Pines’ first mayor and the birthplace of the town. 110 Morganton Rd., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-2051.

ARTISTIC LUNCH. 12 to 1 p.m. Soup and salad between the “Follow the Leader” classes.

Cost $10. Reservations required by March 19.

Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-3979.

THE MET AT THE SUNRISE. 1 p.m. Hamlet.

Live in HD. $20. The Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-8501.

ART EXHIBIT. Inks! 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Artists League of the Sandhills will showcase ink paintings. 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-3979.

ART EXHIBIT. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hollyhocks Art Gallery. Wine and food will be served and all artists will be present to greet attendees. 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. For more information, please call (910) 255-0665.

CONCERT. 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Larry McNeely & Friends. Tickets $12. Old Bethesda Church, 1020 Bethesda Rd., Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 692-3611.

ART CLASS. Follow the Leader. 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Art class open to anyone with a desire to paint. $25. Registration required. Space is limited. For more information, please call Artists League of the Sandhills at (910) 944-3979.

ENDANGERED SPECIES LECTURE. Join Brady Beck for an overview of the ecology and

Key: Art Literature Children Dance Film Fun Health History Music Nature Speaker Sports Theater Tour

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DINING GUIDE

MARCH 20th The first day of Spring!

Join us as we welcome the new season with our Locally Inspired Early Spring Menu GLOBAL CUISINE FROM A SOUTHERN PERSPECTIVE

910.246.3510 140 E. New Hampshire Avenue Downtown Southern Pines Serving Dinner Tuesday-Sunday

www.ashtens.com

DINING GUIDE

CA L E N DA R research techniques used in studying and managing the red-cockaded woodpecker. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1 Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-2167.

merly the home of author James Boyd and his wife, Katharine Boyd. 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 6926261.

CONCERT. 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Craig & Patrick Fuller. $12. At the Old Bethesda Church, 1020 Bethesda Rd., Aberdeen. For more information, pease call (910) 692-2051.

ART EXHIBIT. Inks! 1 to 4 p.m. Artists League of the Sandhills will showcase ink paintings created by its members. 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-3979.

HATS & AFTERNOON TEA. 2 to 4 p.m. Enjoy afternoon tea in an historic cottage in the Village of Pinehurst. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Rd. For more information, please call (910) 2956022.

NATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FOR TALENTED YOUTH. 2 to 4 p.m. This screening party will show films from the largest youth film festival in the country. Refreshments will be available. $5 (Children under 12 free). Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight St, Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-7502.

SPECIAL EVENT. Celebrate the 461st birthday of the oldest known Longleaf Pine in the world with cake and light snacks. Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-6261.

FILM. 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Blood Done Sign My Name. $7. Tickets available at box office on day of film. Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-8501.

CONCERT. 8 p.m. Tift Merritt. Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and recording artist whose music defies categorization. Tickets $12. R.E. Lee Auditorium at Pinecrest High School, 250 Voit Gilmore Ln, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-2787.

STONEYBROOK GALA. 7 p.m. Casablanca Casino Gala. For tickets and information contact the Carolina Horse Park at (910) 874-2074 or visit the website at www.carolinahorsepark.com.

SHAW TOUR. 1 to 4 p.m. A docent-guided tour of the Shaw House, former residence of Southern Pines’ first mayor and the birthplace of the town. 110 Morganton Rd., Southern Pines.

For more information, please call (910) 6922051.

OPEN STUDIOS. 1 to 4 p.m. Visit the Artists League of the Sandhills to see and talk to the artists working in their studios. 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-3979.

PLEIN AIR & TEA. 1 to 4 p.m. Enjoy artists painting on the streets in the open air and a cup of tea. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-3979.

LECTURE. 2 p.m. Dr. Molly Gwinn will discuss the Impressionist movement at the Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange Street.

For more information, please call (910) 944-3979 or visit www.artistleague.org.

ART EXHIBIT. People & Places of Eastern North Carolina. 2 to 4 p.m. Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-2787.

at box office on day of film. Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-8501.

STAGED READING. 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sam Ragan: The Man, His Words. An interactive and lively staged reading of Ragan’s poetry at Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-6261.

ONE-WOMAN PLAY. 3:30 to 5 p.m. Oldest Living Confederate Widow: Her Confession. A remarkable woman reveals her secrets one by one, in this harrowing and hilarious comedy about wars, both Civil and domestic. At the Old Bethesda Church, 1020 Bethesda Rd., Aberdeen.

For more information, please call (910) 6922051.

March 30 ONE-DAY FOUR-BALL TOURNAMENT. Sponsored through the Carolinas Golf Association. Pinehurst No.6, Pinehurst Resort.

For additional information please call (910) 6731000 or visit www.carolinasgolf.org FILM. 2:30 to 5 p.m. and 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Blood Done Sign My Name. $7. Tickets available at box office on day of film. Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 692-8501.

March 31 PRESCHOOL STORYTIME. 3:30 to 4 p.m.

Stories, songs and fun for for infants and toddlers at the Southern Pines Public Library. For more information, please call (910) 692-8235 or visit www.sppl.net

FILM. 2:30 to 5 p.m. and 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Blood Done Sign My Name. $7. Tickets available

4TH ANNUAL MARQUEZ FAMILY SK8 FEST. All day. Skate for free! Music, contests, concessions available. The Aberdeen Sports Complex, 9750 Aberdeen Road (Hwy 211). For more information please call (910) 944-4745 or visit www.SkatersForMoore.org DANCE. 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Masterpieces in Motion. Sandhills Renaissance 6-8 grade students. $5. 140 Southern Pines Dr, Southern Pines. For more information, please call (910) 695-1004.

COCKTAIL PARTY. 6:30 to 8 p.m. Chef Mark Elliott of Elliott’s on Linden will serve wine and cocktails in the unique setting of Hollyhocks Art Gallery, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. $25. For more information, please call (910) 255-0665.

March 28 SELF-GUIDED TOUR. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Enjoy Mother Nature at her finest in the Village Arboretum located beside the Pinehurst Village Hall on Magnolia Rd. STAGED READING.1 to 2:30 p.m. The Serial Killer’s Daughter. A staged reading of the 2009 Winner of the Roanoke-Chowan Award for Poetry

by Pat Riviere-Seel tells the story of Velma Barfield, convicted and executed murderer from the point of view of her daughter. $10. The Rooster’s Wife, 114 Knight St, Aberdeen. For more information, please call (910) 944-7502.

TOUR OF WEYMOUTH. 1 to 3 p.m. A docentguided tour of the historic Weymouth Center, forKey: Art Literature Children Dance Film Fun Health History Music Nature Speaker Sports Theater Tour PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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SandhillSeen Hunt Ball — MCH Photographs by Jeanne Paine

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SandhillSeen Moore County Hounds — Formal Hunting Photographs by Jeanne Paine

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SandhillSeen Dancing with the Sandhills Stars Photographs by Victoria Rounds

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SandhillSeen New Year’s Lunch Photographs by Victoria Rounds

PINENEEDLER ANSWERS

Puzzle answers from page 99 H A V A N A

U V U L A S

H E L E N A

H I E S

O I N K

T I D Y

S P R I R A T Y P

7 8 6 3 2 5 9 1 4

S T G A R T A S P P R A I O S T E M A I G T E E D

2 1 9 7 8 4 3 5 6

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

4 3 5 1 9 6 7 8 2

1 2 7 8 5 3 4 6 9

9 4 8 2 6 7 5 3 1

5 6 3 4 1 9 8 2 7

S U C H

T H R O B E S L A I N G U P A I N P A E S

6 5 2 9 4 8 1 7 3

8 7 4 6 3 1 2 9 5

O P S H U H O N Y A W O L

T A R O

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S P A R T A

P A T T E D

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SandhillSeen Moore County Arts Council Art Opening Photographs by Victoria Rounds

SandhillSeen Moore County Hounds in the snow Photographs by Jeanne Paine

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Shop Sanford

Shop Sanford

March PineNeedler B M

ART DICKERSON

Y

ACROSS 1. “Come again?”

4. Walk thru melted snow 9. Comes to rest 14. “___ Maria” 15. Forbidden 16. Grunted words for “Yeah” 17. Raunchiness 19. Old sidekick 20. Weather advisories 21. Bounce back, when yodeling 23. Slang for grannies 24. “Buona ___” (Italian good-nite) 26. Diminish 30. “Stat!”

31. 1st line of Spring quote (2 words) 33. Propyl alcohol solvent 35. Mine find.

36. what a bragger is full of, or a balloon 39. Alter a garment 41. “Rocky ___” 42. 2nd line of Spring quote (2 words) 46. Closed a verse with a rhythmic pause 48. Fed-ex and UPS rival 52. ___ terrier 53. Big____, discount store 54. Grandad’s nickname 55. Ocean menace 57. The “hit” of the party in Mexico?

58. Bit of parsley 61. Last line of Spring Quote (2 words) 64. Peeved

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34

42

46

13

32

38

41

12

22

31

37

11

19 21

33

10

16

20

58

9

15

17

36

8

54

56

57 61

60

49

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

65. Clear a disk or tape 66. Supporter on Pinehurst No. 2?

67. Used a key pad 68. Goes on angrily 69. Total, with “up” DOWN 1. Capital of Cuba 2. Flaps at the back of the throat 3. Montana capital 4. RBIs, ERAs, in baseball, ie.

5. ___Ulrich, Metallica drummer 6. ___-Wan Kenobi 7. “Help!”

8. Big "hit" at Pinecrest?

9. To a degree, so that

6 8 3 2 7 8 1 3 4 5 1 4 6 3 7 7 8 5 8 4 9 1 3 PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

10. Heart beats 11. Exclamation of surprise 12. Play on words 13. Timid 18. Italian brandy 22. ______artery 24. Sandhills tree offering 25. In-flight info, for short 27. Missing from the Fort Bragg, say 28. Hawaiian tuber 29. Ogler 31. Virginia Naval base local 32. Flair, panache 34. Public violence 36. Goes quickly, long ago 37. Farm call

38. Neat 40. Large lizard 43. Thread or film winder 44. Appropriate 45. “Absolutely!”

47. Arab, e.g.

49. Ancient military hub 50. Formed hamburgers 51. Altered another’s opinion 54. Water mains 56. Grew old 57. (hey, you...)

58. Be in session 59. Be nosy 60. “50 Cent” piece 62. Victorian, for one 63. Summer color

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

Puzzle answers on page 95

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March 2010

99

S O U T H WO R D S

BY CHRIS LARSEN

A

little over a year ago I came to visit my mother and sister for an early December Christmas celebration so, in all honesty, I would not have to be here for the holidays. A great visit turned into a great vision and as my mother and I drove past the halfway house at Pine Needles Resort, I turned to her and said, “You know? I think I could live here.”

Six months later, I had sold my house in Washington and now live a few hundred yards from the first tee of the course that inspired the move. I have wonderful and exciting memories of my Washington years, but the God’s honest truth is, not a day goes by that I am not thrilled and grateful to live in Southern Pines, North Carolina.

Many have rhapsodized the Sandhills experience.

Let me share a few observations at the six-month mark: Everyone here seems to be an ambassador for the community. In Southern Pines, people are kind enough to remember your name. In Washington, they want your name for their database.

The “Sandhills salute” is a friendly wave from strangers you pass. Behavior like this could lead to gunplay back in the District of Columbia.

First Friday: a free outdoor concert with good food and good wine that rivals a pricey trip to the barns of Wolf Trap in Fairfax, Virginia, without the traffic mess.

Tucked safely between two fancy private schools, I lived in the toney Upper Georgetown neighborhood of Washington. I walked my dog three times a day and on each walk was able to fill a grocery bag with trash from the street. In Southern Pines, pine cones are considered an eyesore.

In Washington, I frequently bumped into Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) or other Capitol Hill types at the grocery store. Here I often run into my mother or my friend Kirby at Harris Teeter or Fresh Market. That tradeoff ain’t even close.

The Sunrise Theater: What a gem this place is.

Honestly. The Last Waltz Free on Thanksgiving? My DC friends warned me I was moving to “Mayberry.”

Well — they could not poll or “focus group” themselves to this level of small town cool in Georgetown.

The ladies who work at the Jefferson Inn are as sweet as they are beautiful, and as beautiful as any Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models, and that says a lot.

100

March 2010

My favorite barkeep in Washington was a burly, bearded fellow named Mark. ’Nuff said?

I moved here with a wonderful old black lab named Scout. I was devastated when I had to put her down. I called friends in DC who had known and loved her for support.

But unexpected support arrived locally too.

People I had known only a month or two came to my house announcing the “crying party” had arrived to give me a hug. Another neighbor whom I had met only once came by in a driving rainstorm with condolence cookies. Not long ago I adopted a pair of spirited shepherd mix pups named Angel and Pepper, who helped fill a large hole in my heart.

Back around Christmas Eve, however, I suddenly relapsed and missed my DC friends and St. Alban’s family more than words can describe. It was the first day I had not been thrilled to be here in Southern Pines and longed for the city and church I had left behind.

I took my mother to the Children’s Service at Emmanuel Church. The only available spots were in the front pew. I could just hear the whispers, “These people must be Yankees or maybe Baptists, because no one ever sits in the front row.”

The hymns began and I was actually a little mistyeyed with homesickness, but, then, something magical happened.

After the second hymn, Meagan Kelly, the associate rector, invited the children to come forward to color a large mural of the Nativity scene. About fifty youngsters in cute red dresses and ill-fitting blue blazers, quietly, determinedly and with great skill, colored on what one young theologian called “the making the birth of baby Jesus.”

About halfway through the service an adorable twoyear-old named Emma decided my lap would be the best seat in the house. She climbed on up and I was as shocked as I was charmed.

There she was, my own personal Christmas angel, a gift from God welcoming me home. Without knowing it, Emma was telling me, “I could live here.”

Another spring is on the doorstep of the Sandhills and close friends back in DC are still digging out from what they’re calling “Snowmageddon.”

Soon we will have dogwoods and azaleas riotously in bloom, too. My friends don’t even bother to ask anymore why I live here. PS

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Illustration by Pamela Powers January

Why I Live Here