LNC May 2015

Currents Leilani Munter races for green Alino Pizzeria delights

The Race of Her Life Sherry Pollex and NASCAR fight ovarian cancer

VOL. 6 NUMBER

MAY 2015

5

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EXT RAORDI NARY L I V I N G

Contents

10 The Main Channel What’s hip at Lake Norman

16 Captain’s Chair The first lady of drag racing

18 Porthole

Ada Jenkins’ Red Hot Gala 2015

Contents

28 Rip Currents — History

The Lake Norman YMCA celebrates 40 years

20 Game Changers 32 The Galley with Jamey Lowe loves serving up barbecue

22 Blair’s Bits

Sherry Pollex’s fight of a lifetime

26 Rip Currents —

Style

Gifts for spring’s special occasions

Lynn and Glenn

Alino Pizzeria delivers Neopolitan goodness

16

36 Grapevine Super Tuscans

41 Thoughts from the Man Cave

Mothers — our unsung heroes

44 Game On

32

Leilani Munter is driven by sunshine

48 Home Port

Sandy and Scott Plemmons enjoy being away from it all

26

59 Currently

44

Paint the Night Blue, CURRENTS Canine Cover Competition and Drumstrong

64 Lori’s Larks

Lori K. Tate lunches in the lot in Cornelius

48

Currents About the Cover:

Leilani Munter races for green

Cover photography

by Glenn Roberson.

6

Vol. 6 No. 5 May 2015

Alino Pizzeria delights

The Race of Her Life Sherry Pollex and NASCAR fight ovarian cancer

VOL. 6 NUMBER

MAY 2015

5

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lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

2014 Gold MarCom Award Winner for Design Excellence 2013 Platinum Award Winner for Magazine Special Edition 2013 Lake Norman Chamber Business of the Year 2010 Gold MarCom Award Winner for Best Magazine 2009 APEX Award Winner for Publication Excellence Subscriptions are available for $19 per year.

Send us your name, address, phone number and a check made payable to Lake Norman CURRENTS at the address below and we’ll start your subscription with the next available issue.

Lake Norman CURRENTS is a monthly publication available through direct-mail home delivery to the most affluent Lake Norman residents.

It also is available at area Harris Teeter supermarkets, as well as various Chambers of Commerce, real estate offices and specialty businesses.

Lake Norman CURRENTS P.O. Box 1676, Cornelius, NC 28031 704-749-8788 • www.LNCurrents.com The entire contents of this publication are protected under copyright. Unauthorized use of any editorial or advertising content in any form is strictly prohibited. Lake Norman CURRENTS magazine is wholly owned by Venture Magazines, LLC.

GIF GIF TT CA GIF T CCA RRDD A RD

Lori K. Tate

Photo by Glenn Roberson

At The Helm

Y

ears ago a friend of mine wrote a lovely essay about the best way to design a guest room. Her key piece of advice was to sleep in it so you could feel like a guest in your own home. According to her, that’s the only way you’ll know what needs to be improved and what’s wonderful about the space. The same can be said for the towns in which we live.

During spring break, I discovered my high school friend Matt was visiting his parents at Lake Norman. (Facebook can be a wonderful thing.) I messaged him immediately to see if we could get together. We agreed on a time and met at Summit Coffee in Davidson with all four of our collective children in tow. He wanted his son to see Davidson College’s campus in the hopes that he might be interested in being a student there one day. I quickly volunteered to give him a tour.

After we drank our coffee and caught up on each other’s lives (we hadn’t seen each other in more than 20 years), we headed out on our tour. Without even thinking, I started spouting off bits of information that I had learned over the years. I told him about The Ghost of

TAKE IT ALL IN Be a tourist in your own town Old Chambers, the state-of-the-art Duke Performance Hall, how most students live on campus and how I met my husband in what used to be called Hodson Hall. We even walked a lap around the track.

When we returned to Main Street, Matt bought a few Davidson items at the Davidson College Store, and we took a cute photo of our kids snuggling with a giant Davidson College teddy bear. We had a great time.

As my kids and I walked back to our minivan, I realized how often I take the Lake Norman area for granted. Most of my days are filled with taking my kids to school, working out, working and running errands. If I’m on Main Street, it’s usually to go to the library or the post office, or to buy a treat at The Village Store. When was the last time I went on campus and just walked around? When was the last time I went to the Davidson College Store?

As I thought about our day, I realized how important it is to look at our community through the eyes of a visitor.

People come to our area for a variety of reasons — work, vacation, NASCAR races, dropping their kids off at college, etc. I hope in whatever time they visit here that

they see how special it is.

May is a busy month at Lake Norman.

If you’re into festivals, you’re in luck because there are plenty from which to choose. If you want to play in a golf tournament for charity, get your clubs ready. And if you want to run a 5K, take your pick. There’s so much fun to be had that I often wish I could be in two places at once.

This month as you plan your weeks and weekends, think about how our area looks to an outsider. Walk down Davidson’s Main Street like it’s your first time there. Stroll the loop at Cornelius’ Jetton Park like you’ve never done it before. Make a wish as you throw a penny in the fountain at Birkdale Village. You’ll be surprised at how much fun it is to be a tourist in your own town.

Sure, anything can be improved, but I think you’ll find that our area offers visitors an abundance of hospitality with a generous side of sunsets. Happy May!

Mission Statement: Lake Norman CURRENTS magazine will embody the character, the voice and the spirit of its The magazine by and for the people who call Lake Norman home

Sharon Simpson Publisher Sharon@LNCurrents.com

8

Lori K. Tate Editor Lori@LNCurrents.com

Taylor Buckley Advertising Sales Executive Taylor@LNCurrents.com

Publication Design & Production SPARK Publications info@SPARKpublications.com | www.SPARKpublications.com

lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

readers, its leaders and its advertisers. It will connect the people of Lake Norman through inspiring, entertaining and informative content, photography and design; all of which capture the elements of a well-lived life on and around the community known as Lake Norman.

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Main Channel Movers, Shakers, Style, Shopping, Trends, Happenings and More at Lake Norman

Let Her Entertain You

Tina Gibson wants you and your family to have a good time Tina Gibson is one of those lucky people who always knew what she wanted to do. “I think I started planning it [my career] when I was in elementary school,” says the Mooresville native. “I made a plan for myself and set out to work exactly in all the different areas in the entertainment business. I worked in every one of them to learn and educate myself about the business.”

Her plan paid off, as she opened Imagine Music Group in the late 1990s in Charlotte.

Gibson’s multi-faceted business is a fullservice entertainment agency that books, manages and represents artists. Another division of the company focuses on events.

Gibson says the events division tends to work with municipalities such as Davidson and Mooresville. Imagine Music Group coordinates Davidson’s gallery crawls, as well as signature events like Art on the Green, Concerts on the Green, Town Day (including CURRENTS Canine Cover Competition) and Christmas in Davidson. In addition, her company was selected as the 2012 Democratic National Convention Entertainment Management Team for the media Tina Gibson welcome event that took place at the NC Music Factory.

“We put together 39 different artists in 14 different venues for four hours,” she recalls.

As an entertainment specialist, Gibson works with lots of musicians, but is quick to say that she does not have that talent.

10 lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Mooresville native Tina Gibson always knew that she wanted to work in the entertainment business.

“My mom can sing incredibly well, and my husband [Michael Hough] is a fantastically talented musician and singer,” she explains, adding that she represents performers such as Maria Howell, Wynonna Judd, Ken Knox & Co. (formerly Chairmen of the Board), The Catalinas, Gino Vannelli and more.

When she talks about her work in the entertainment industry, her passion is evident. “It may sound a little corny, but I get a great amount of pleasure watching people having fun and smiling with

their families and kids…not worrying about anything, but just having a great time,” says Gibson. “To me it’s like somebody giving me an Academy Award.

Seeing people have a really good time at something that we’ve worked very hard, probably for months, to put together and hearing them say what a wonderful time they’ve had at it. It just means the world. It’s like a reward to all of us.”

— Lori K. Tate, photography by Amy Ellis

TRI-umphant Kids

In the Kitchen with Jill Dahan

Lemon Lovelies

Chuck McAllister is the lead ambassador of the local Pinky Swear Foundation.

Children ages 6 to 18 will make good on a pinky swear Saturday, May 16 to help children fighting cancer. They’ll be participating in the first annual Pinky Swear Kids Triathlon at Trump National Golf Club Charlotte.

The Pinky Swear Kids Triathlon is a noncompetitive race that raises money to help ease the financial and emotional struggles that families with children battling cancer often face. All funds raised will go to non-medical expenses, such as mortgage payments, groceries and utilities. Proceeds stay in the community, benefiting families at Levine Children’s Hospital.

The Pinky Swear Kids Triathlon is part of the weekend long Tri at Trump May 1517, which also includes a family festival featuring four-time Olympic triathlete Hunter Kemper and a sprint triathlon.

Steve and Becky Chepokas founded The Pinky Swear Foundation in Minnesota in memory of their 9-year-old son, Mitch, who died of bone cancer in 2003. Mitch, who donated his own money to help families of pediatric cancer patients, made his father pinky swear to keep the tradition alive after his death.

The local chapter of The Pinky Swear Foundation started earlier this year and has established a Youth Leadership Council and a food pantry at Levine Children’s Hospital. More than $50,000 has been raised locally since race registration opened in November.

Chuck McAllister, lead ambassador of the local Pinky Swear Foundation, says the basis of Pinky Swear is simple. “It’s about kids helping kids,” he says, “and becoming good stewards of their community.”

— Holly Becker, photography by Ben Sherrill THE SCOOP For more information on The Pinky Swear Kids Triathlon, visit www.pinkyswear.org.

We Just LOVE!

Whether or not you work out, a fashionable headband is a musthave accessory for the spring and summer seasons. These Violet Love headbands made by Rebecca Michaels in Los Angeles won’t hurt your head and stay put whether you’re running a marathon or running errands.

Available in a variety of prints and colors, these comfortable headbands were created to “remind you just to enjoy yourself, ” and are an approved vegan item, as Violet Love uses an energyefficient printing process, ethanol-based ink and reuse/recycling of all possible elements. Head out and get one!

Photography by Glenn Roberson

Violet Love Headbands

Violet Love Headbands by Rebecca Michaels, $17, Avalilly’s Boutique, 21341 Catawba Avenue, Cornelius, www.avalillys.com.

May first is known as May Day in the UK, and it’s a celebration marking the end of winter and the beginning of flowers, romance and love. What could be better than whipping up these little lovelies to mark the occasion? They are chock full of protein, fiber and nutrients, which are bound to fuel a good bit of skipping around the Maypole if that is your thing.

Swap the lemon oil for almond extract, and drizzle a bit of lemon curd over the top and magically you have another gorgeous cake. Both are naturally gluten free and only contain a very low amount (five grams) of sugar per cake, so they will help keep that spring in your step this May and beyond.

Ingredients Cupcakes 1 (8-ounce) package slivered almonds 1/4 cup coconut flour (I like Nutiva.)

4 ounces organic powdered sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder (non-aluminum) 4 large responsibly laid eggs, room temperature 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature or 3 ounces extra virgin coconut oil (I love Kerrygold.)

3 ounces full fat coconut milk 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract 1/2 teaspoon lemon oil (or almond extract) Lemon Curd 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 2 large responsibly laid eggs 1/4 cup organic powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon organic cornstarch A little water to thin Instructions Place almonds, coconut flour and sugar in a blender and blend on high just until finely ground to the consistency of flour. Remove and mix in baking powder. In a separate bowl, beat butter or oil and eggs until combined. Mix in coconut milk and flour alternatively until combined. Add in vanilla and lemon oil, and drop into parchment paperlined muffin cases. Bake at 350 F convection for 18 to 20 minutes until top just springs back when touched.

Remove and cool on wire racks. Dollop each with lemon curd, and top with a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

For the lemon curd, mix the cornstarch with the lemon juice and then whisk in the eggs, sugar and heat on medium heat, whisking continually until steaming and thickened. Set aside to cool. Mix in a couple of teaspoons of water to thin to frosting consistency. Makes a dozen cupcakes.

Photography courtesy Jill Dahan

Local kids take the Pinky Swear at Trump National Golf Club Charlotte

Jill Dahan lives in Cornelius and is the author of Starting Fresh! Recipes for Life. She also teaches cooking classes at Earth Fare in Huntersville. You can learn more about her at www.jilldahan.com.

11

lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

A Few Minutes in the Fast Lane Years ago, back when such a thing seemed like a fun way to spend the afternoon, I went skydiving with a buddy of mine. It was an amazing, unforgettable experience, but even as I floated back down to earth and landed safely — adrenaline still surging through my body — I knew I would never do it again.

I was reminded of that once-in-alifetime experience recently when I drove around the Charlotte Motor Speedway at nearly 165 mph. The only difference is that as I climbed out of the growling, 600-horespower, V8 Dodge Charger, I immediately wanted to do it again.

That’s the powerful allure of the Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE), which allows you to get behind the wheel of a NASCAR stock car and drive at speeds that most folks can’t imagine. Even if you’re not into cars, I highly recommend giving the RPDE a try, just for the visceral, nervejangling thrills alone.

Founded, obviously, by NASCAR legend

12 lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Photography courtesy of Richard Petty Driving Experience

Writer Sam Boykin tries his hand at NASCAR

Writer Sam Boykin says he could get used to the “growling, 600-horsepower, V8 Dodge Charger.”

Richard Petty, RPDE is available at more than 13 speedways in the United States, including the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord. The program offers a number of different experiences, including Ride-

Alongs, where you sit shotgun with a professional driver for three high-octane laps. But for those who want to take command of the wheel and feel the powerful roar of the engine as they step

on the gas, there are a variety of driver experiences, ranging from eight to 50 laps.

I opted for the Rookie Experience. Like most of the beginner classes, participants first slip on a full-body driver’s suit — so at least you look like the real deal — and then it’s about an hour of classroom time as the instructors show safety videos and go over the rules and regulations. It was also during this time that I started to develop eagle-sized butterflies in my stomach.

The RPDE driver programs use a Right Seat Instructor (RSI) format. So as I squeezed into the driver’s seat, sitting next to me was a professional driver to give me pointers on technique, braking and acceleration — and to prevent us from driving into a wall in case I really lost my cool.

Then we were off, and my butterflies were immediately replaced by a kind of hyper-focus, as I concentrated on finding the right driving line. You change lanes 12 times in one mile, so, per instruction, I was constantly looking ahead and aiming for marks along the track designed to keep drivers in the right position and to signal when to work the gas and brake.

DRS. COLEMAN & COLEMAN

Summer is just around the corner…

Photography courtesy of Richard Petty Driving Experience

And so are we!

Boykin said his car had a four-speed transmission and was easier to handle than he expected.

My car, which had a four-speed manual transmission, was easier to handle than I expected, and about halfway through my eight-lap session I was able to relax and really enjoy the horsepower and the throaty roar of the engine. Then, just like that, it was over — it doesn’t take long to drive 12 miles at these speeds. Driving home afterwards, still exhilarated, pumped and ready for more, my little Honda Civic had never felt so slow and wimpy.

— Sam Boykin, photography by courtesy of the Richard Petty Driving Experience

When your dentist or orthodontist says: “Its time for the wisdom teeth to come out” Call soon for best dates!

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THE SCOOP For more information regarding the Richard Petty Driving Experience, visit www.drivepetty.com

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lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

BENEATH THE SURFACE

The Tale of Jetton Park

Photography courtesy of www.visitlakenorman.com

It’s springtime again. Boats are on the water, and pollen is in the air. With the weather warming up, Lake Norman-area parks are filling up with hikers and bikers and picnickers. There have been a few days when it’s even been warm enough for a swim.

On the northern Mecklenburg County shores, Jetton Park’s tree-lined paths are filled with joggers. Aside from Lake Norman State Park in Iredell County, Jetton Park provides some of the only lakefront parkland. But it almost didn’t happen that way.

Back in the early 1960s, when the lake was still forming, Duke Power [now Duke Energy] announced plans for a coal-fired steam plant in the Jetton Peninsula. So, the area remained undeveloped, even as other lakefront areas in Mecklenburg County boomed. With subdivision after subdivision filling the shores, the

Photography courtesy of www.visitlakenorman.com

Jetton Park offers a beautiful respite for the residents of the Lake Norman area.

14

lake of public access became a social, environmental and political issue.

In 1988, as part of a parks bond package, Mecklenburg County voters approved $3 million to buy 250 acres for a large public park in the area. Meanwhile, Duke Power subsidiary Crescent Land and

lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Timber, which owned most of the land, sought to rezone the area residential and build a luxury subdivision and golf course on the entire 620-acre peninsula.

The few nearby neighbors on the Jetton Peninsula sided with Crescent, saying the park would bring traffic and noise and

“riff raff” into the peaceful neighborhood.

These comments brought strong condemnation from local media outlets like the Charlotte Observer. “These people would close the door behind them, build a wall around the lake and put up a sign saying , ‘It might be your lake but you’re not welcome.’ ” Still, with the rezoning in 1988, the Jetton Peninsula land was worth $11 million. The county had originally wanted to build the park on the north side of Jetton Road, but Crescent held out for $85,000 an acre there. Eventually, after a prolonged negotiation, the county and the company came to an agreement.

Mecklenburg County would buy 106 acres on the south side of Jetton Road and 25 acres for a boat ramp near Brown’s Cove.

The total cost — $6.5 million. Overall, the county paid twice as much for half the land the voters had approved.

— Chuck McShane Chuck McShane is director of research at the Charlotte Chamber and the author of A History of Lake Norman: Fish Camps and Ferraris. Contact him at chuckmcshane@ gmail.com. On Twitter: @chuckmcshane

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Captain’s Chair

F

by Mike Savicki photography by Amy Ellis

Finding HerWay Shirley Muldowney, The First Lady of Drag Racing, finds a new starting line in Huntersville

or more than five decades, Shirley Muldowney, now 75, left her mark not only on drag strips but also in the minds of race fans all across America. She pushed the boundaries of speed as she collected countless checkered flags and won honors across divisions that included points leader, driver of the year and world champion.

Primarily an owner-driver and match racer, her passion for racing helped fill seats, as it also helped draw media and mainstream attention to the sport of drag racing.

As a woman, she was a pioneer not simply in motor sports but in all of sports from the 1960s through the 1990s because of her dedication, determination and incredible drive and desire to win. She was feared on the track. She was outspoken, passionate, exciting and always searching for speed no matter where she was racing or who she rolled up against at the starting line.

In May 2014, upon returning from a business trip to Charlotte (that also came with a bit of urging from Cornelius drag racer Doug Herbert), Muldowney entered her suburban Detroit home and, without a plan in mind, simply went to work packing a curio cabinet. By the time she was finished months later, Muldowney had filled a small racing hauler plus two additional Penske trucks for what turned out to be a permanent relocation to Huntersville.

Her goal was to build a new life in her retirement years.

Did you see yourself as a pioneer as a woman in a sport dominated by men?

I was a racer first, and that was it. I was so “gung ho” about being the driver and winning that I did not do the media as well as many of the others, and it never really hit me that I was doing something few, if any, women ever did.

I was there to tap Garlitz’s bumper on the backstretch, and I was out there to win. But I had a temper, and I didn’t take anything. I never let anyone walk on me like an old shoe. Trust me, they didn’t want to deal with that side of this woman.

Did you have a strategy for harnessing speed and how did it feel?

Speed itself? Here’s the best way I can describe speed. And I tell this to all the drivers. Don’t ever get behind it. Always stay ahead of it. Fall behind it and you will surely see the rough of the road, you’ll become just a passenger. If you are starting to lose it, shut it off. That’s very important in our sport. My luxury was side mirrors, and I used those to see if I was hazing the tires. And if I was, I’d shut it off because if you haze the tires, you’re done. Regroup and come back because you can get hurt really, really badly out there.

The drivers today don’t have any idea how fast they are going because it is just a routine, and that drives me nuts. Sure, you need backing to deliver, and marketing is important, but I’m seeing the young drivers spending too much time on marketing and promotions than learning and understanding speed.

16

Shirley Muldowney was a pioneer not simply in motor sports but in all of sports from the 1960s through the 1990s because of her dedication, determination and incredible drive and desire to win.

lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Injuries come with speed, and your sport is more dangerous than people might imagine. Were you ever injured?

In 50 years, I got upside down once, and it got me riled.

“I’m lucky to be able to call Shirley my friend for the past 20 years. She was always one of the most intense competitors I ever raced against. One thing you never have to worry about with Shirley is knowing where you stand because she will make sure that you know! Shirley Muldowney is not only a racing legend; she is an American treasure and a hero.” – Doug Herbert, Founder of BRAKES and fellow drag racer It kept me off the starting line for much longer than I wanted. But good came out of it. The sport saw what happened, and it made changes to the track, to the car, to drag racing in general. I hate that it happened, but the sport is safer and that matters.

But the miles per hour justified the risk of injury because that’s what the fans wanted to see. When 315 (mph) came up on the board, they would go crazy because that was damn impressive no matter where you were, even in a Wednesday night race.

Did you look up to anyone in the sport?

Not in drag racing but the guy who did it right, that was Dale Earnhardt, Sr. I liked everything he was about. He thanked the people who needed to be thanked when he won the race regardless of who he was

told to thank or promote. He was my hero.

His license plate was on the front of my Mercedes for more than 10 years. I’ve been to one NASCAR race in my whole life — Charlotte, 1990 — and it was just to see him.

Do you have any special memories from your racing days?

For the majority of my career, I didn’t have a big sponsor deal or financial security and stability, so every race was special.

I raced week to week then month to month whenever and wherever I could.

I think about the track in Cordova, Illinois.

It was kind of an off track, as it was way out and away from a big city. It sits alongside the Mississippi River. I’d arrive at two o’clock, and the grandstands were bleak and empty as far as you can see. But by eight o’clock

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How has it been getting adjusted to life in the South?

The people down here, wow, they have such respect for their neighbors. They are so considerate. I’m discovering more and more as I increase my grid. The little shops and the furniture stores, they are so relaxing and therapeutic to me. I’m so glad I made the move. I’m finding my way.

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Folks were seeing red everywhere on Friday, April 17 at Historic Langtree Plantation in Mooresville at Ada Jenkins’ Red Hot Gala 2015. The evening included a silent and live auction, dinner and live music. Approximately 320 people attended the event, and the majority of them were wearing red. The event was a fundraiser for Ada Jenkins, a nonprofit agency in Davidson whose mission is “to improve the quality of life for the residents of our communities through the integrated delivery of health, education, and human services.” For more information, visit www.adajenkins.org.

18 lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

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lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Game Changers

bbq1.psd

by Rosie Molinary photography by Ben Sherrill

20

for the barbecue and ribs, the homemade sides and sauces, but they also line up because they have found a connection.

“A lot of people cook themselves, and there’s a lot of shop talk. Race teams come by here, and they do amateur barbecue competitions and to have them come to your truck is awesome,” says Lowe.

“Barbecue is a popular southern cuisine, and I like the feedback that I get more than the paycheck. It is very gratifying.”

Moreover, Lowe is enjoying the freedom this second passion-driven career has offered him. “I put my daughter on the school bus and pick her up every day,” he says. “That never happened before.”

M

ost of us dream of finding something we love to do and making a career out of it. Jamey Lowe, a former tennis pro and coach and now the pit master and proprietor behind Smokey J’s BBQ and Ribs, has made that happen twice in his life.

A collegiate tennis player at Clemson University, Jamey Lowe moved to the Lake Norman area to serve as the assistant tennis pro at The Point Golf Club (now Trump National). As his career advanced — taking him to Skybrook Swim and Racquet Club as the director of tennis and then back to Trump National in the same capacity, he was developing his proficiency in a new hobby.

“My wife is from Memphis, and Memphis and Kansas City are the barbecue capitals, although I am sure Texas would disagree. I asked her dad to teach me how to make barbecue one day, and he did,” says Lowe, 42. “Neighbors started asking me to make it. I started doing competitions and did really well in some.”

As Lowe racked up barbecue titles, he also started assessing what made the most sense for him next professionally.

“I probably had a tennis racket in my hand since I was 6 years old, and I understandably got burned out. At that point, based on what I was doing in competitions and the feedback I was getting, I figured that I was in a good place to try it [barbecue] as a career,” Lowe explains of his transition from court pro to kitchen pro.

While many would think that the ultimate way to start his career in barbecue would be with a restaurant,

lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

From the Court to the Kitchen

Jamey Lowe loves serving barbecue Lowe was more practical.

“The cheapest way to do it was a food truck, which was a growing thing. With the food truck versus a restaurant, a food truck could be more controlled. Working for myself while having small children, I wanted more flexibility,” says Lowe, who left Trump in September 2014 and opened his food truck in November.

He describes his style as a whole lot of Memphis with a Carolina twist.

The bright orange Smokey J’s BBQ truck rolls Monday through Friday, with weekends reserved for private parties and catering.

Lowe visits a different location daily to serve lunch and sometimes dinner. Especially popular sites are The Coddle Creek Country Store on N.C. 3 that he visits on Thursdays and Brushy Mountain Outdoors on Williamson Road on Fridays. People line up

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Blair’s Bits

by Blair Miller photography Glenn Roberson

The Fight of a Lifetime

Sherry Pollex’s instincts saved the life she loves

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herry Pollex has always stood out, whether it’s with her quick beaming smile she flashes on race day to support her NASCAR driver boyfriend Martin Truex Jr. or her contagious personality and attitude that she’s always shown to people.

It’s clear to see that she is full of life.

“I’ve always felt like I was blessed with an amazing life,” says Sherry from her Lake Norman home. “I travel with Martin 36 weekends of the year, I run a business and oversee the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation. I love my life.”

Unbelievable news

Sherry Pollex knew she didn’t feel well last summer, but she had no idea that she would be diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

22 lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Sherry’s sense of life was challenged to its core last summer when she wasn’t feeling well. “I had some abdominal pain and bloating but really didn’t think anything of it,” recalls the 35 year old. She went to her OB/GYN and was diagnosed with ovarian cysts. “I had several ultrasounds over the course of the summer, and the doctor kept telling me my cysts were normal and not to worry.” But she did worry and that may have saved her life.

Her concerns finally forced her to call a family friend who is a gastro surgeon. “I told him I was having severe abdominal pain, and Continued on page 24

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Pollex with her longtime boyfriend Martin Truex, Jr. before the Daytona 500.

Continued from page 22

24

no one was really helping me. He did a CT scan the next day and found my ovarian cancer,” recalls Sherry. “Without him, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Sherry vividly remembers hearing the words of her diagnosis and the utter shock and disbelief that came along with it. “I just couldn’t believe it,” she says. “I was perfectly healthy and just felt like I had a really bad stomach ache.

I have no family history of the disease,

lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

no pre-existing medical conditions, nothing. I was just so blown away that the scan I was looking at was my body.”

The cancer was stage IIIC and had spread throughout her abdomen.

Eight days after the diagnosis, Sherry went through a seven-hour surgery to remove the cancer. She went on to have intense chemotherapy for six months.

She will continue with maintenance chemo for several more months, as she’s determined to beat it. “I’m going to fight like hell,” she says. “I want to live.”

Word of Sherry’s diagnosis quickly spread throughout the tight-knit NASCAR community. Friends and family stepped in to bring meals, Sherry’s mother moved in, and complete strangers made it their mission to bring awareness to Sherry’s battle and to ovarian cancer.

“Wow is the only word that comes to mind when I think of the support the NASCAR family and our local community has given me,” says Sherry.

“I was so humbled at Chicago when the Sprint Cup race teams had teal ribbons on their cars with my name on them.”

Through it all, her boyfriend, Martin, has been by her side to help. “Martin just became this man I didn’t know he could be,” says Sherry. “This whole experience has brought us closer together and just deepened our love for one another, and I’m so grateful for that.”

The cancer hit especially close to Sherry and Martin because their foundation has focused on helping kids fight cancer for years. The foundation’s trademark event, Catwalk for a Cause, takes place on May 13 in Mooresville and will raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to help local kids at Levine Children’s Hospital.

Sherry has always been very close with the kids as they battle their cancer, but she never thought she’d ever be this close.

“Catwalk was such a special night for me before, but this year will be so different for me,” she says.

“I can’t wait to stand up there and show them that I’m a survivor just like they are. They’re my heroes.”

Sherry’s diagnosis has also given her a chance to help others and hopefully bring more awareness to ovarian cancer.

“So much is unknown about ovarian cancer and the treatments that are offered; it’s sad,” she says. “Only 21,000 women a year are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, so I guess there’s not enough of us for the government to give it the attention and research it deserves.”

Regardless, Sherry is giving it her full attention. This is the fight of a lifetime and a fight she intends to win.

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25 lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Rip Currents — Style

Get it Right

by Lori K. Tate photography by Glenn Roberson

Your best bets for spring gifts

Journal, $23 — Bebe Gallini’s, 19725 Oak Street, Cornelius, look for Bebe Gallini’s on Facebook.

For the Graduate

For Teacher Beaded Coin Purse, $12.99 each — The Village Store, 110 South Main Street, Davidson, look for The Village Store on Facebook.

East Carolina University Flip-Flops, $27.99 — Rivals Sports & Home, 19420 Jetton Road, Suite 103, Cornelius, look for Rivals Sports & Home on Facebook.

Brave Girl Sculpted Heart with Key Stand, $14.95 — The Village Store, 110 South Main Street, Davidson, look for The Village Store on Facebook.

26 lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Pomegranate Shea Butter Spa Soap, $3.95; Pomegranate Shea Butter Luxurious Hand Soap, $6.95 — Blumengarten, 20017 N. Main Street, Cornelius, www.blumengartenllc.com.

For Mom

Macaroon Limoge, $10 and Citrus Floral Recipe Box, $34 — Note + Nest Paperie, Jetton Village, 19818 North Cove Road, Cornelius, www.papayapapers.com.

O Venture Key Ring, $44 — Bebe Gallini’s, 19725 Oak Street, Cornelius, look for Bebe Gallini’s on Facebook.

For Dad Big Deal Beer Glass, $12; Watch Tray, $8.50; Big Deal Napkins, $5.50 — Note + Nest Paperie, Jetton Village, 19818 North Cove Road, Cornelius, www.papayapapers.com.

African Violet, $16.95 — Blumengarten, 20017 N. Main Street, Cornelius, www.blumengartenllc.com.

North Carolina State University Desk set, Card Holder, $19.99; Clock $39.99; Memo Pad $29.99; Frame $29.99) — Rivals Sports & Home, 19420 Jetton Road, Suite 103, Cornelius, look for Rivals Sports & Home on Facebook.

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lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Rip Currents — History

I

by Lori K. Tate photography by Glenn Roberson

t’s the Thursday before Easter, and a cold snap has snuffed any sign of spring temperatures. Lucky for Bobby Cashion that he has a fireplace on his screened-in porch for nights such as these. As he tends to the crackling fire, guests begin trickling in, and he greets each one with a hug or a handshake.

Everyone comments on the heavy traffic they experienced on the way to Bobby’s Davidson home. And almost all of his guests remember a time when traffic wasn’t an issue in the Lake Norman area.

His guests include his mother, Louise Cashion, along with Taylor Blackwell, Lawrence Kimbrough and Richie King.

If you’re not from the area, you probably don’t recognize these names, but chances are that you benefit from something these visionaries were responsible for —the Lake Norman YMCA. These folks and a handful of others had the foresight to turn a swamp into a place where everyone was and is still welcome to come play.

This year, the Lake Norman YMCA celebrates the 40th anniversary of its facility on Lake Cornelius. And as the nonprofit looks to the future, its humble beginnings are more important than ever.

Selling the Y

28

When you hear the story of how the Lake Norman YMCA came about, it’s hard not to think of the book The Little Engine That Could. This is a story about creating something from nothing to fill a need some folks didn’t understand that the community had. It’s about having courage and resolve, and it’s about establishing a facility where future generations from all walks of life could flourish.

As the group at Bobby’s house settles in by the fire, they start talking about how it all began, and every single person agrees that Robert Tyler Stone was the man who got things going. “The guiding star of this whole thing is Bob Stone,” explains Richie King, a retired math professor at Davidson College.

“He was the energy that kept us going.”

A life insurance salesman, the late Stone grew up going to the Central Y in Charlotte and saw the need for a Y in the North Mecklenburg area. Keep in mind that the Lake Norman community was different in the late 1960s. Huntersville kept its eyes on Charlotte, Cornelius was a mill town, and Davidson was a college town, with a distinct separation of town and gown.

lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

From left clockwise, Lawrence Kimbrough, Ben Pinegar (current executive director of the Lake Norman YMCA), Bobby Cashion, Lori K. Tate, Erika Arnold (district executive director of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte), Sharon Simpson, Taylor Blackwell and Louise Cashion.

Kimbrough, a retired banker, was the son of a Davidson College professor and remembers how “faculty brats” had the run of the campus.

“We could do whatever we wanted to do on the campus, but nobody else could. The African American kids whose parents worked for Davidson College didn’t have that stature. They couldn’t go over and play in the gymnasium.

They couldn’t swim in the swimming pool,” remembers Kimbrough. “There weren’t any programs for non-college-related people or African Americans, and I think people just looked at that one day and said, ‘This isn’t right,’ and that’s where the YMCA came from.”

In the late 1960s, the core group of founders, which also included the late Robert Cashion, the late Burl Narramore, the late Jack Tate of Piedmont Bank and Trust, and the late Wesley Rood (the mayor of Cornelius at the time),

embraced Stone’s idea for a Y and started running programs for children in the American Legion hut in Cornelius — and wherever else they could. A fellow named Donald Punch served as the first executive director of what was initially called the North Mecklenburg YMCA. “Don was willing to work for nothing,” says Kimbrough, adding that Punch lived on the construction site of the Y in a trailer for a while.

“He was just a dedicated YMCA employee, and he had no ambitions to be the CEO of anything. He just wanted to provide a program.”

Blackwell, the former editor and owner of The Mecklenburg Gazette and the former coowner of The Village Store, says that summer camps took place wherever Punch could find space, including the American Legion hut and the Davidson College Lake Campus.

“He [Punch] put things together. He

Built for and by the Community The Lake Norman Y not only filled a swamp; it filled a need

Lawrence Kimbrough

Louise Cashion

Taylor Blackwell

kept us in Y activities, which I think the kids really counted on,” remembers Blackwell, adding that Stone was just as dedicated.

“Bob Stone’s office was two doors down from my store. He never came in trying to sell insurance. He was always selling the Y.”

Getting in the dirt With glimmers of success in the late ’60s and early ’70s, the group decided to look for

Richie King

Bobby Cashion

land to build a permanent spot. Blackwell came up with the idea to ask Duke Power Company (now Duke Energy) for a piece of swamp land on the shores of Lake Cornelius, right on the line between Cornelius and Davidson. The company replied positively in three days after receiving Blackwell’s letter.

“I thought that was visionary to realize that that would be the site it was because in fact as a site, it was horrible. Not the location, but the

location’s condition. The drainage was non-existent,” remembers Kimbrough, adding that Nelson Mebane, a member the Davidson College Math Department and a registered surveyor, surveyed it for free. “It was Taylor’s suggestion that we get the 30th Engineering Battalion of the North Carolina National Guard in Mooresville to work on it.”

Work on it they did, along with a lot of volunteers and their families (including children). King remembers his daughter and a friend playing in the mud after their boots got stuck in a hole. “Well that was the happiest faces you want to see,” recalls King. “They just ran around. There’s a lot of stories like that.”

To understand the challenge the land presented, you have to realize that the Y’s existing parking lot today was formerly a lake cove.

The National Guard took the top of a hill off, built a cofferdam and filled the swamp with dirt. “We got some push back from fishermen,” says King. “It was a good place to go fish.”

Once the site was ready for construction, an outdoor pool was built, which now serves as the site’s indoor pool. Next came the gymnasium, which was built by Hipp Construction for cost. “The fact that we had enough money to build something made the vision a little clearer for those with means that there was something going on down there,” says King.

Stone knew that the Y had a capital budget, which helped pay for the facility, as it was made of contributions from area businesses such as Reeves Brothers, Inc., a mill in Cornelius; Piedmont Bank and Trust headquartered in Davidson and Bridgeport Fabrics in Davidson. Narramore brought his business [Bridgeport Fabrics] from Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he had served as president of the YMCA of Western Connecticut.

“They [Stone, Tate and Narramore] were all people who were washed in the YMCA blood,” says Kimbrough. “They knew what kind of program it could be and what kind of an impact it could be.”

This group of volunteers worked hard to raise money in the community for scholarships that allowed kids whose families couldn’t afford memberships to enjoy the Y. Everyone from local elementary school principals to mayors pitched in to make things happen. Kimbrough and King remember that they were responsible for mowing the grass at the new facility.

“There never had been an effort like this between the communities,” says Kimbrough.

“Never, so this was a real groundbreaker as far as that’s concerned, too.”

As the group reminisces about the Y, they talk about how back then the only other place families

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lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

of all races from Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson shared was Cashion’s Food Mart, Inc. Louise Cashion, who owned the Food Mart in Cornelius with her husband, Robert, says that it never made any difference to her or her husband which town folks came from or what color they were. “Everybody was nice coming in. It didn’t make any difference, as long as they came in and shopped,” remembers Louise. “When the Y started, everybody just came in. People began to be comfortable with each other. …It was nice.”

One of the reasons Louise and her husband were so adamant about creating the Y is that it gave her three sons something to do. “It [the Y] helped me raise three boys to be community oriented, to be honest, and it made them work,” she says. “They knew what it was to be a part of the community, and, of course, everyone knew them. They could do no wrong.

That was your glue so to speak, as far as raising the children, giving them something to do to improve their physical being and their mental being and letting them know that people care for them. That’s the name of the story.”

Blackwell, who still goes to the Y almost every day to work out, says that the early Y was for the children. While children are still

a large focus of the facility, he now sees it as a place for seniors, too. “Lots of people come there on regimes that their doctors prescribe for them,” he says. Adds King, “The Y has grown, and it’s evolved without our intervention.”

For the community A succession of solid leaders has grown the Lake Norman Y to its 8,500-strong membership today. Many fundraising efforts, basketball seasons and summer camp sessions have gone by since the swamp was filled in on Lake Cornelius. Parking is often hard to come by as parents bring their kids to the Y to learn how to swim, play soccer, perform gymnastics and participate in a host of other sports. Women and men clad in exercise clothes make their way to the weight room or to a yoga class on a daily basis, and senior citizens flock to the water exercise classes held in the pool that was built 40 years ago.

In addition to physical fitness, members share a passion for the community just as it founders did. Kids who can’t afford to go to camp get the chance to experience canoeing on Lake Cornelius through scholarships, children learn to read through the Y Readers program, folks with disabilities can water ski

through the Adaptive Water Skiing program and everyone is greeted with a friendly hello from the front desk when they enter.

The Lake Norman Y has become a hub for generations of families all because a group of citizens took the time and talent to make it happen. As it embarks on the next 40 years, there are plans for the future that include improved parking, along with improved facilities, and the Y constantly updates its programming to satisfy its members. But despite what changes and improvements may occur, the core of the Lake Norman YMCA is still the same as it was more than 40 years ago. It is a place built by the community that is for the community.

“You get two or three people talking, and you’ve got a church,” says Blackwell. “This [the Y] is where little people put things together.”

THE SCOOP The Lake Norman YMCA celebrates its 40th anniversary on Saturday, May 16 with its Family Fun Day beginning at 11 a.m. at the Lake Norman YMCA facility, 21300 Davidson Street, Cornelius. A Superhero 5K and Family Fun Run is scheduled for 10 a.m. that morning. For more information on this event and the Lake Norman YMCA, visit www.ymcacharlotte.org.

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The Galley with Lynn and Glenn

Alino's nine Neapolitan-style pizzas are priced at $14 to $16.

by Lynn Roberson photography by Glenn Roberson

traditionally

tasty

G

rowing up in a small village in Turkey, Michal Bay learned the importance of breaking bread with family and friends.

“I used to love eating with my friends and family,” Bay says. “And I used to think it would be wonderful to have a pizza place and movie theater.”

One aspect of his dream has come true, with the opening of Alino Pizzeria in Bay’s Merinos Home Furnishings Warehouse complex in Mooresville.

Everything fresh 32

The bakery’s select menu features simple, traditional food. Alino’s nine

lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Neapolitan-style pizzas are priced at $14 to $16 and range from the Bellucci with fresco cremo mushroom, cipolla onion, fresh garlic and truffle oil to the simpler Bianca and its four cheeses, fresh garlic and basil, with no sauce.

Guests can choose from two salads; traditional cannoli and sfogliatelle pastry as the two desserts; and a handful of beers, Italian wines, waters and sodas.

“We’re not doing 1,000 different things,” Bay explains. “We’re doing one Michal Bay (center) and his team at Alino Pizzeria in Downtown Mooresville.

thing, but we want to do it the best possible [way].

The technique is the old traditional way of doing it.

We’re making the dough with just natural things — sea salt, bottled water, fresh yeast and the flour from Italy. And then, don’t raise the dough too quickly. Take your time, and after that do it by hand. Everything is done by hand. And when you do it by hand, to look at it, it may not look perfect, but the taste is perfect.”

Three dome-shaped ovens dominate the open kitchen and are fired to almost 1,000 degrees as they burn through a small truckload of dried cherry and hickory wood each week.

The pizzas come out of the ovens in 90 seconds or less, slightly charred and well done.

“If you really, really want the traditional style pizza, you have to have this fresh buffalo mozzarella, you have to have this high-heat oven, you have to have extra virgin olive oil,” Bay says.

“You have to have the best of everything.”

Bay traveled to Italy to learn the traditional method for making Neapolitan pizza and to find sources for his ingredients, including the olive oil, flour, truffle oil, spices and cheese. He and a companion toured Venice, Rome, Milan, Como, Naples and other cities, sampling pizzas along the way. He estimates that they consumed 40 pizzas in 20 cities.

Bay has taught his team to handle the dough and other ingredients with the light, deft touch required. During the learning period, they invited friends and family to test-taste.

Continued on page 34

Mooresville’s Alino Pizzeria delivers Neapolitan pizza and more

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Homemade cannolis are a dessert choice.

Continued from page 32

“We opened it to our staff, then we invited the fire department, police department, local authorities, the city hall, the hospital, and we invited them free,” Bay says. “And we were practicing and practicing and trying to get it right. We did that for three months.”

Only then did Bay declare the team ready.

Building a dream The décor matches the simplicity of

the food. The brick walls of the renovated mill retain layers of paint, and communal tables encourage guests to share the space and the food. Signs over the kitchen read, “Famiglia Cucina — Family Kitchen.”

Sophia Loren photographs grace the wall near the front, close to the register, where guests place their orders as they enter and find their beverages in tall coolers. Soccer games fill large-screen TVs, and Italian music provides a backdrop. Two Vespas stand at the entrance in front of carts stacked high with massive bags of Italian flour.

While the Italian scooters speak to modern Italy, Bay keeps in mind the origins of the Neapolitan pizza. In the 18th century, fishermen and other poor people bought flatbread with simple toppings as their mainstay food.

“Pizza was originally poor man’s food,” he says. “Naples was one of the poorest cities in Europe. And people had not much. The fishermen would buy this thing called pizza — it’s a piece of dough with red sauce on it. They will buy it from a bakery. They will not pay today. They will pay for last week’s purchase, because everybody was poor.”

The heritage of pizza as a poor

man’s food resonates with Bay, who left his native Turkish village near the Syrian border as a teenager, headed for London and later America.

He worked in restaurant jobs and sold furniture from a van before cobbling together enough money to open a small furniture store in a rundown cotton mill in Jefferson, Georgia. He saved up to buy the mill, and then bought a second one.

He purchased the vacant Mooresville mill about four years ago, shortly before it was to be razed. He has since renovated the space and first opened Merinos Home Furnishings and an antique mall, before fulfilling his boyhood dream of opening a pizza place.

“It’s been as good as my dream, as good as I was imagining and even better,” Bay says. “It’s meeting new friends and family here and eating together.”

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Grapevine

T

by Trevor Burton

he status quo, filled with consistency and certainty, can seem pretty comfortable.

But sometimes it takes a little rebellion and revolution to open up doors to a better place.

For instance, isn't July Fourth a great holiday?

Let’s journey back a few years to the 1960s in the Tuscan region of Italy. The world was flooded by Chianti in haywrapped flasks, and Italy was making the cumbersome move from large quantities of low-end wines to producing ones of high quality. But Italy’s laws that governed winemaking were not moving at the same pace. In a Spartacus moment, a number of winemakers rebelled. They had a view of the wines that they wanted to make, wines that differed from the official glacial position.

the DOC bows, Antinori’s uncle, Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta, had already been making a small production of Bordeauxinspired wine called Sassicaia (sah-si-ky-ya) in Bolgheri, a small area of Tuscany.

The name of this second wine gives us a clue to the mindset behind these rebels.

Sassicaia indicates a stony field, as sasso is Italian for stone. These guys were all about creating wines that expressed their “terroir” rather than abiding by myopic, centrally imposed rules. The two of them opened the floodgates to international grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Syrah and others that were not eligible for Tuscany’s various appellations.

Here are a couple of rebels who altered the wine laws in Italy.

36

There was a little family intrigue. A Florentine winemaker named Marchese Piero Antinori decided it was time to throw the book at Italy’s DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) laws. These laws demanded that wine from Chianti be made from Sangiovese and a large proportion of white grapes. This produced a diluted, fruity blend that could be consumed young and had virtually no shelf life. Antinori had a different vision.

He introduced a vineyard-designate wine, Tignanello, which contained Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, two of the grapes used in Bordeaux blends. To add insult to the DOC injury, his wine was aged in French oak barrels. In another shot across

lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

there were a couple of “big bangs.” It was a sensation when wine critic, Robert Parker (love him or not), awarded the 1985 vintage 100 points. His comment was that he often mistook it for 1986 Mouton-Rothschild. The excellence of the wine has been confirmed at tastings ever since. This was not the first time Sassicaia had wowed critics. In 1978 the prestigious wine magazine Decanter held a worldwide Cabernet Sauvignon tasting in which the 1975 Sassicaia triumphed all comers. Not bad for a simple table wine.

These types of wine had definitely arrived and were collectively known under the moniker, “Super Tuscan.”

But still it remained that, outside the very famous labels, unless you knew

super tuscans

Fun and games This is when the fun started. The DOC gang was definitely not amused. They refused to let any of these upstart wines carry a prestigious regional name on their labels. Having control over what can and cannot appear on a wine label, the governing body mandated that the wines carry the lowest possible designation, Vino da Tavola — table wine. So, unless you knew specifics about a particular winemaker, it was impossible to discern whether the wine in a bottle was world-class stuff or simply a table wine. Then it got even better.

Sassicaia was already well known throughout the world by the 1980s, but

The saga of a revolution that has settled into some tasty options specifics about a particular winemaker, it was impossible to discern whether the wine in a bottle was world-class stuff or simply a table wine. Finally, a little compromise and sanity came into play.

Order from uncertainty

Macchia, undergrowth that adds a fundamental flavor to the wines from Bolgheri.

price — up there in the nosebleed section.

But check out lesser mortals that have the region Bolgheri on their labels. You can find them in the $20 range; not Tuesday night pizza wine, for sure, but not out of reach.

There’s one characteristic about Bolgheri wines that draws me to them.

Like their cousins along the southern coast of France, they soak in the aromas of the vegetation that surround them. They have a fundamental base flavor of undergrowth, known in Italy as Macchia. The wines are incredibly compact, dark and ruby red in color. There are boatloads of ripe berries, but it’s that base flavor that attracts me.

Today, the ripples from the Super Tuscan saga have smoothed out. It’s pretty foolproof

and very interesting to go exploring. A neat thing to try would be to compare a wine from Bolgheri against a wine from Chianti to see what the differences are.

Chianti and Chianti Classico wines are nothing like they were when this whole adventure started — they are way better.

Another, fairly nerdy, venture would be to compare a Bolgheri wine with one from the southern coast of France, from Languedoc maybe. The nerdy side is that the type of undergrowth is a little different from one place to another. In France, it’s more herbal stuff like rosemary and lavender. In Bolgheri, it consists more of larger bushes and small trees. Either way, the base taste is there. So go exploring and take your palate for a whirl. Enjoy

About The Writer

In 1994, the region where the revolution first took hold, Bolgheri, was recognized as an official region. It received its very own DOC title. The DOCtrinaires recognized the value of creating wines that display a true expression of where they come from. The main focus of the Bolgheri DOC is the importance of terroir, and for this reason, the Bolgheri Rosso and Bolgheri Superiore wines are labeled without the mention of grapes, as terroir is considered more significant than grape varieties.

Nevertheless, the varieties that put Bolgheri on the wine map, the Bordeaux trio Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot are the main ingredients in the Superiore wine. Syrah and the traditional Sangiovese can be added, as can Petit Verdot. In a final gesture, a special designation was set aside for the groundbreaking wine, Sassicaia. This single vineyard was given its own DOC, Bolgheri Sassicaia — the only wine from a single estate in Italy to enjoy this privilege.

This is all fun and games, but what does it mean? Well, terrific wines are not difficult to find. Not surprisingly, wines like Sassicaia can command a pretty hefty

Trevor Burton of Mooresville is certified by the International Sommelier Guild, he is founder of SST Wine Experiences and, along with his wife, Mary Ellen, conducts wine education and tasting tours to wine regions throughout the world.

37 lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

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more credit than we, as sons (and husbands), generally give

Like that time in first grade when we stopped kissing you “goodbye” at the bus stop because we had become “too cool” and didn’t want our friends to see. Or that time when we ran from home to a parked police car and screamed to the officer that you were trying to poison us when you were simply trying to get us to finish our vegetables. Or for all those times we beat up our younger brothers, sisters, and even a cousin or two, and you had to make the runs to the emergency room. We are sorry.

Sincerely. You didn’t deserve any of what we dished out as kids. But if the scars haven’t healed, we are sure you’ll let us know.

Isn’t that how the game of guilt works?

I guess now might also be a good time to own up to being the culprit in a few of those “family mysteries” that remain unresolved.

Going to church was never one of our favorite weekend activities, so you should know it wasn’t the dog who ate the two sets of car keys every single Sunday, it was us who hid them. Oh, and speaking of the dog, remember the white stripe that appeared on the dog’s back making him look like a giant skunk for an entire summer so many years

by Mike Savicki

A Mother’s Day Letter to Our Unsung Heroes Moms deserve

Thoughts from the Man Cave

Dear Moms: Before we get to the true message of this letter, can we please get a couple of points out in the clear?

First, yes, we are fully well aware that Mother’s Day falls on the second Sunday of this month (not next month or last month), so please don’t start calling us to nag about sending flowers to the grandmothers, mothers-in-law, aunts, friendly neighbors and, yes, even to our sisters, too, because they are all moms and they deserve the recognition from guys — who have it easy.

Second, no, we won’t forget to include you in the list of Mother’s Day gifting like we did on that one occasion about five or six years ago. Admittedly, we shouldn’t have posted pictures of us golfing with our college buddies on Mother’s Day when we should have been with you, but please, won’t you just let it go? We still feel terrible about it, and the emotional scars we bear are permanent, so you can rest assured knowing that we learned our lesson.

While we are on the subject of emotional scars, we, as your sons, truly hope just a few of the many, many we caused you through the years have completely healed.

41 lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

things differently. As we watch our wives do so many of the same things you did for us so many years ago, this message also extends to them.

Quite simply, without sugarcoating or embellishing, we want to tell you this, we love you and appreciate all you do for us, for our kids, for the dog and cat, for the entire family, more than you could ever imagine.

It’s that simple.

So why tell you now? Why in a letter? To us, there never seems to be a good time otherwise. We try and try, sometimes more successfully than others, but either we stumble over our words or emotions, or the message falls on ears finely tuned to the sounds of washing machines, vacuum cleaners, mixers, microwaves, garbage disposals, car engines, slamming doors, ringing phones, barking dogs, screaming kids and crying babies, so you just don’t hear us.

If you are reading this letter, we sincerely hope that in these few precious, fleeting, hopefully undisturbed

moments, you hear us when we say “thank you.” You mean the world to us.

On Mother’s Day, as it is on every other day of the year, you are our unsung heroes.

Love, Your sons (and husbands) About The Writer

ago? It wasn’t from the house painters next door spilling a can of paint from a ladder.

No, not at all; we painted the dog on a dare.

But looking back, you already knew all this, didn’t you? And so much more, too. Because you are moms, and moms have a knack for knowing what their sons do, right? Perhaps it’s a chapter in that “Mom Handbook” you always tell us about reading. Or maybe it is the way you know your sons like no other. Ours really is a special bond.

The mother-son bond transcends age, doesn’t it? Even though we are adult men now (at least if you measure age as a number, but not behavior, as you like to remind us), you can always tell when we are bothered, struggling, sad or confused.

You see it in our eyes, and you know from our energies. You can even pick it up over the phone. How do you do it? No doubt it’s another one of those mom talents.

Now, finally, to the point of this letter because there really is something we need to tell you. And now that we are grown, married and have children of our own, we see a few

Freelance writer Mike Savicki has lived and worked in the Lake Norman area for nearly two decades.

His interest in athletics and love of sports journalism spans from racing to rugby and anything in between.

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Game On

by Mike Savicki photography courtesy of Leilani Munter

44

I

t was during the 1996 race season when California transplant and ARCA driver, Leilani Munter, first caught wind of a multi-page Internet discussion thread focused solely on her. It caught her by surprise. Checking site statistics, she noticed the thread was driving a high level of Leilani Munter's voice has become a bridge traffic to a recently added between activism and racing. section of her website where she shared ideas and beliefs on activism, alternative energy and global eco-issues.

Wondering why a race forum would drive traffic to an environmental section of her site, she followed the links back to the source. Reading through page after page

Driven by

million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Munter calls it her light bulb moment in life.

“For me, when I saw that thread, the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I got a smile on my face,” she recalls. “That was the moment when it all made sense, the degree in biology, the career in racing, and I said to myself ‘if I can educate the 75 million fans who make NASCAR the largest spectator sport in the country week in and week out, and help to make changes like increasing their recycling, switching to energy efficient lighting, and even cutting out plastic bags, then I can create a movement where the small changes made by small groups of people build momentum. We can move society towards a tipping point where we begin questioning traditional habits and look at alternative practices aimed at preserving the environment’.”

From that moment forward, Munter began living in a higher gear. Her voice became the bridge between activism and racing.

She began connecting with environmental groups. In 2007, she became an ambassador

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of comments, Munter was surprised to see the discussion, which initially questioned both her qualifications as a female driver and her diehard commitment to a certain type of nontraditional sponsor, had, in fact, shifted to a debate on something entirely different, Munter touring a solar farm. namely her views on solar, wind and electric cars, plus her review of the documentary An Inconvenient Truth.

Munter, who is a UC San Diego-trained biologist concentrating in ecology, behavior and evolution, turned to her then boyfriend (now husband), New Zealander Craig Davidson, and shared the news that she had long hoped would happen — race fans were actually debating the very issues she held close to her heart. One reader, she shared, even posted a graph of the levels in parts per

lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

A supercharged messenger of change, Cornelius’ Leilani Munter is the first green race car driver

"I feel truly, personally, passionately vested in the companies on my car because I want them to succeed," says Munter. "They are changing the world in the way I want it to change, too."

for the rainforest and began adopting acreage. A year later she became the first Ambassador of the National Wildlife Federation. She spoke on the National Mall for Earth Day 2012 and has been a guest at The White House three times. And last month she addressed the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in Geneva, Switzerland.

The media caught wind of her message, too.

Glamour magazine named her “An Eco Hero” in 2009. Discovery’s Green Planet named her “The #1 Eco-Athlete in the World” in 2010. And she regularly appears on CNN, MSNBC and CBS News to debate environmental awareness.

But her reception on the track was initially not as warm. Munter felt pushback at first from a race community that felt she was “pushing green” and driving the sport away from its roots. In sports marketing circles, she learned, Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other sport. Of all sports enthusiasts, race fans show the highest level of brand loyalty and awareness. But because she had committed to endorsing only those sponsors who fit a very specific set of personally defined criteria, Munter fell short of securing enough funding to make full-season competition possible.

She understands the reasoning and justifies it through her mission but remains positive and

45 lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Munter surveys the gulf oil spill.

to operate with solar power. She utilizes a 540-gallon rainwater collection tank, maintains a vegetable garden and composts all her scraps. And when she looks in her garage, Munter smiles knowing her all-electric Tesla has “265 miles of initial charge on it every day from the electrons of the sun that land on my roof.”

Her passion for racing remains glowing, too.

“Racing gives me my voice, and it allows me to talk to a huge demographic of people who need to hear these issues and messages,” Munter says. “Remember that Internet forum from 2006? Well, people are still talking, but now it’s because they see the changes coming, they are hungry for them and they want to learn. That’s what makes race fans great, they are curious and agree it’s just a matter of time now.”

About The Writer

hopeful as she is seeing new categories of sponsors move toward motorsports.

“Yes, maybe I have been on the track less because I did walk away from some bigger sponsors, but when I am on the track, I am racing for those super cool companies that I believe in,” she says, adding, “and that means something to me because I want it to be perfect. I feel truly, personally, passionately vested in the companies on my car because I want them to succeed. They are changing the world in the way I want it to change, too.”

Despite the limited schedule, she is proud of her cars. In starts dating to 2006, her racecars have carried messages about solar power, wind turbines, recycled products, LED lighting and veterans for renewable energy as well as the documentaries Blackfish and The Cove.

Fast forward to 2015 and Munter is operating under full power and has no plans to slow down. In her first ARCA race of the 2015 season, her car promoted Energy Freedom and the movement to Go 100% Renewable. On the big screen, she is making yet another statement. In the new documentary and eco-thriller Racing Extinction, made with the Oceanic Preservation Society and the Academy Award-winning filmmakers behind The Cove, Munter drives a James Bond-like version of a Tesla Model S. The film recently premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it received standing ovations. She is now accompanying it on an international film festival tour.

And when she is at home in Cornelius, Munter practices what she preaches.

Her home was only the 14th of Energy United’s 120,000 local residential accounts

Freelance writer Mike Savicki has lived and worked in the Lake Norman area for nearly two decades.

His interest in athletics and love of sports journalism spans from racing to rugby and anything in between.

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lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Homeport

by Lori K. Tate photography by Glenn Roberson Sandy and Scott Plemmons enjoy country living.

48 lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Scott and Sandy Plemmons Y created a personal paradise in the country

Organically Designed

ou never know where life will take you. And Sandy Culver Plemmons never thought it would take her to a farm in the country, but as she looks out on 12.5 green acres from her screened-inporch, there is no place she’d rather be.

Sandy and her husband, Scott, turned what was supposed to be a pit stop into a final destination. In an effort to downsize, they sold their 7,000-square-foot lakeside home in Mooresville and moved into another Mooresville home that Scott owned and had previously rented. The idea was to fix the house up enough to sell it and then build on another lot they owned in Mooresville. After completing a small renovation, they got a taste of country living and decided to stay.

“I remember one night we were sitting outside with cocktails, and we confessed to each other that we wanted to stay,” recalls Sandy. Once they decided to make the house their home, they began a second, more extensive renovation.

A gathering space

Sandy and Scott have five grown children between them, and while they’re empty nesters, their kids visit frequently.

With that in mind they wanted to have an open floorplan that promoted gatherings. By working with Century Designs Inc. and Jasper Builders, they created a welcoming space that works for them as a couple, as well as a family.

Originally built in 1994, the house had good bones and 3,249 square feet, but it needed updating, and the Plemmons wanted more space. They expanded the kitchen to accommodate a large island and multiple workstations, as Sandy loves

The open dining room of Scott and Sandy Plemmons' home in Mooresville features a built-in hutch and wet bar.

The couple wanted a more friendly entry, so they opted to add a gable to the front porch to allow for natural light. In the evenings, a glass Moravian star illuminates the space.

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The kitchen features a large island and banquette, as well as multiple workstations.

to cook and is known for her homemade gnocchi. The granite for the island was sourced out of state to accommodate the size and has chiseled edges for a more organic look. Custom cabinets offer ample space to hide appliances when they’re not in use. “We wanted the kitchen to be neat,” says Sandy.

The kitchen space also features a large banquette flanked by glass art Scott purchased in Colorado. The base of the banquette was created from the base of an old pedestal table, and the top was made from reclaimed wood.

“The banquette was a must have,” says Sandy, who is the executive director of the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation in Mooresville — a mere five minutes from their home.

“I can just see my future grandchildren sitting around that banquette.”

The kitchen opens to the living room, where a large sectional sofa from Pottery Barn offers each family member a comfortable seat while watching TV. The Plemmons had to expand the living room more than they had originally planned in order to accommodate the sofa. The khaki sofa works well with the warm hickory wood flooring that is cut at random lengths and widths.

Scott enjoys watching sports as he sits on the screened-in porch.

50 lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

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More wood defines the space, as the interior wood beams came from Scott’s parents’ farm in Brevard. Scott, a retired executive from Lowe’s Home Improvement who now works as a consultant, created the distressed, aged-wood look of the beams by watching a Bob Villa video on YouTube.

An avid art collector, Scott hung a painting from the Veronica’s Veil series by Davidson artist Herb Jackson in the living room, where he also displays his Dale Chihuly piece. “You have to stand back to get the full effect of it [the painting],” says Scott, who owns another painting by Jackson, in addition to one by Jackson’s son, Ulysses.

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Designing for the future

Throughout the design process, the Plemmons kept the idea of aging in place in their minds. “We’re watching our parents grow older,” explains Sandy, “and we want the ability to stay here.” That said, the master bedroom is downstairs, and the master bath’s doors are wide enough to be accessed with a wheelchair if necessary.

“I wanted it [the master bath] to feel like we were outdoors,” says Sandy, who chose pebbled stone for the open shower and tub areas. It was installed in an uneven pattern to make it feel as natural as possible. Plush plants behind the standalone tub further enhance the organic look she wanted in the bathroom and throughout their now 5,131-square-foot home.

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Sandy designed the master bath to have an outdoor feel.

A sectional sofa from Pottery Barn allows for ample seating, while a Herb Jackson painting hangs in the background.

“We just wanted our house to be comfortable to live in. We didn’t want anything formal because we’re not formal people,” explains Sandy. “It’s very comfortable with pops of contemporary art,” adds Scott.

The Plemmons don’t miss living on the water, and Scott especially enjoys the yard work involved in keeping up with 12.5 acres and a barn. “ I like tinkering around,” he says, adding that he also tends to their two quarter horses named Durango and Bailey and their mini-horse named Sunny.

On a recent trip to New Jersey Scott saw an abstract sculpture of two horseshoes at a plant nursery. He tried to buy it, but it wasn’t for sale. Instead, he commissioned metal artist Mike Rinquist, who also did the metal work in their home, to make one for him. Now, when guests drive down their long driveway, they see a sculpture covering their well instead of a large fake rock.

As the Plemmons settle into their most recent renovation, plans are in the works to add a pool, as well as a poolhouse. But for now, they’re happy sitting on their screened-in porch, thankful that they decided to stay. “It’s so quiet here,” says Sandy. “It’s just far enough that it feels like we’re miles and miles away.”

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Your source for real estate available in Lake Norman and nearby areas.

LIVE THE GOOD LIFE AT LAKE NORMAN

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DETAILS: 280 degrees of dazzling Lake Norman views surround this landmark waterfront estate nestled on a 1.24 acre peninsula. Completed in 2012, this impeccably appointed stone masterpiece offers year-round sunrises and sunsets, luxurious resort amenities, 4-car garage and a private quest suite.

DETAILS: This beautiful custom stone and brick home is situated on nearly 40 acres with two fully fenced pastures and mature trees and landscaping. The entrance has a circular driveway and the property also boasts its very own private FAA approved airstrip.

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54 lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Deeded Boatslip 4485 Rustling Woods $495,000 DETAILS: Full Brick, Refinished hardwoods, 5 bedrooms, Amazing outdoor Living Space. Walk to your Deeded Boatslip.

Frances Dawson The Lake Norman Group of RE/MAX Executive at the Lake 704-701-7599 www.HomesOfLKN.com

Custom Home in Mt. Isle Lake Neighborhood 11716 Renee Savannah Lane MSL 3076886 5 Bedrooms, 4 Full Baths 3690 SF $469,900 DETAILS: An incredible custom home in Mt. Isle neighborhood. Archways curved wall, granite counter tops, hardwood floors, covered deck, the perfect backyard.

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STATESVILLE MLS 2211206 Lot 23 Southern Horizon Drive 1.90 acre $35,000 MLS 2209208 Lot 43 Windingwood Drive 1.90 acre $45,000 MOORESVILLE MLS 3059322 - Lot 225 Mainview .23 acre $44,000

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3066635 - 9224 Fair Oak Drive, Sherrills Ford Spectacular custom home with 309 feet of shoreline nestled on cul-de-sac. The list of upgrades and details in the home is sure to impress. $1,225,000

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CURRENTS Canine Cover Competition

If you think your pooch has what it takes to be on the cover of CURRENTS Magazine, bring your dog out to CURRENTS Canine Cover Competition at The Village Green in Davidson on Saturday, May 2 during Davidson Town Day. The winner of the competition will be on the cover of our annual pet issue, which comes out in July.

All types of dogs are eligible — think big, small, curly hair, short hair, shaggy, you name it. Our judges are looking for a fun-loving dog who craves the camera, and preferably won’t eat it.

To preregister your dog, call or contact Imagine Music Group at 704.995.2698 or email at events@imaginemusicgroup.com. There is a $10 entry fee, and all of the proceeds go to Friends of the Animals, a local non-profit organization that promotes responsible pet ownership, provides low-cost spay/neuter services and promotes adoption of homeless pets. Goody bags and T-shirts will be given to the first 50 contestants, and you can enter on the day of the event from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.

CURRENTS Canine Cover Competition, Saturday, May 2, noon-2 p.m., $10 entry fee, free to spectators, The Village Green, Davidson, www.lncurrents.com.

RUMSTRONG D to Beat Cancer

The North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival at Historic Rural Hill is one of the most popular events around, but this year the festival (scheduled for May 8-9) is offering something new called DRUMSTRONG through a partnership with DrumsForCures: drumstrong.com. DRUMSTRONG events raise awareness and funds for cancer organizations globally through family friendly rhythm gatherings, and the organization plans to continue to do that at The Fifth Annual North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival.

The Gong to kick off DRUMSTRONG’s non-stop 12-hour drumming for all ages will sound at noon on Saturday, May 9 and end at midnight. All festival attendees are invited to take part, support cancer survivorship, education and research, and have fun. DRUMSTRONG will be webcast with global participation.

DRUMSTRONG, May 9, noon-midnight, The Fifth Annual North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival at Historic Rural Hill, Huntersville, www.ruralhill.net.

compiled by Lori K. Tate

The Big Three

A canine competition, Paint the Night Blue and DRUMSTRONG

Currently

Currently

Paint the Night Blue

On Saturday, May 23, you can Paint the Night Blue while you help prevent child abuse in the Lake Norman area. Held at Queen’s Landing in Mooresville, this event featuring a performance by the band Too Much Sylvia, a group featuring four lead vocalists who play and sing old pop favorites, as well as new tunes such as Sugar, Uptown Funk and Zac Brown’s Homegrown.

All proceeds support SCAN of Iredell an Exchange Club Center. SCAN stands for Stop Child Abuse Now. The non-profit helps children by healing families in Iredell County through support, coaching, accountability and nurturing. The organization provides education and support to at-risk parents, grandparents and other guardians to promote safe and healthy relationships. SCAN also works with schools, local agencies such s DSS (Child Protection Services), health departments, physicians and therapists to reach families in need of intervention.

Paint the Night Blue, 6-11 p.m., $25 ($40 for two tickets), Queen’s Landing, Mooresville, www.iredellscan.org.

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lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

A month of things to do in the Lake Norman area Date Night

CHILDREN

conductor and artistic director is internationally known handbell musician and composer, Timothy H. Waugh. 7 p.m. Free (free will offering encouraged). Family Life Center, Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, Cornelius, www.mtzionumc.net.

Family Fun

$10 per entry (benefits Friends of the Animals). Preregister at 704.995.2698 or events@imaginemusicgroup.com; can register the day of between 10-11:30 a.m. The Village Green, Davidson, www. lncurrents.com.

Me Time

tor pool, patrol demos, and more; all leading up to a large battle Cinderella (May 2, 9) Activate at 2 p.m. each day. Get up close Community Through Theatre and personal with re-enactors as (ACT) presents the classic tale of they share information and skills Cinderella. 1 p.m., 4 p.m. Tickets with spectators. This event has TBA. ArtSpace of the Community something the entire family will School of Davidson, Davidson, enjoy from half-tracks and tanks to Davidson Town Day (May 2) This live 1940’s entertainment. Letters www.activatecommunitythroughMusic @ St. Alban’s (May 17) annual festival brings everyone theatre.com.

From Home is a wildly entertainEnsemble Vermillian is back with to town. Learn about community- ing musical duo who amuses an exuberant program featuring oriented organizations, listen to audiences with a musical comedy the chamber music of Biber and music, play games and enjoy good routine including tap dancing and food. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. DownMusic on Main Mooresville (May Buxtehude. Sisters Frances Blaker patriotic harmonies. Enjoy perfortown Davidson, www.ci.davidson. mances throughout the weekend 1) The Tams perform beach music (recorders) and Barbara Blaker Krumdieck (cello) co-founded nc.us. favorites. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Free. at the USO mini-shows (Saturday Ensemble Vermillian years ago Mooresville Town Hall. at noon and 3 p.m.; and Sunday when they were studying music in 14th Annual Evening for Dove at noon). Stick around for a live House (May 2) This signature Concerts on the Green (May 3 Europe, and since then the group concert on Saturday evening only, fundraising event provides critical and 17) Kick off spring with this has gone on to record several CDs May 2nd (6:30-8 p.m.), in support funding that allows Dove House to favorite concert series. 6-8 p.m. and has performed throughout of the USO. Bring your own chair provide services to child victims of Free. Davidson Village Green, the U.S. and Northern Europe. and enjoy an outdoor musical sexual abuse here in our commuwww.ci-davidson.nc.us.

They are known for their excitnight by the Latta Carriage Barn. nity.

“Restaurant Row” promises to ing interpretations of 17th and New Music Davidson (May 5) Sat-Sun 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $10 per please the taste buds with cuisine 18th century chamber music. This This late afternoon concert offers person, bring in donations for the from over a dozen top local concert will highlight soprano world premiere performances of USO and receive admission disrestaurants and caterers including: original music compositions from Margaret Carpenter as well as counts. Historic Latta Plantation, Epic Chophouse, eeZ Fusion, Joe baroque violinist David Wilson. students in Professor Jennifer 5225 Sample Road, Huntersville, Byrd’s Food Junkee Backyard BBQ, 3 p.m. $15, $10 students and Stasack’s composition class. 4:30 www.lattaplantation.org.

Pomodoro’s Italian Café, Hickory p.m. Free. Tyler-Tallman Hall, Sloan seniors (62+), children under 12 Tavern, Salty Caper, Pisces Sushi, Build for the Cure — 50 free. St. Alban’s, 301 Caldwell Lane, Music Center, Davidson College, Brickhouse Tavern, Lone Star Shades of Pink Gala (May 8) Davidson, www.musicatstalbanswww.davidson.edu.

Steakhouse, Debbie’s Heavenly To celebrate the completion of E.S. davidson.org.

Touch Catering, JD’s Market & Deli, Johnson Builders’ fifth Build for LangTree Lake Norman LIVE Lake Norman Big Band Finish Line Restaurant, El Cerro (May 7, 14) This 21-week concert the Cure show home, a 50 Shades (May 18) The Lake Norman Reyes, The Sports Page and more. of Pink Gala is being held at the series features all sorts of music.

Big Band plays every third Monday Live music by The Buff’ugees and On May 7, U-Phonik performs; property. 7-10 p.m. $75 per night at The Finish Line Restaurant The Mike Hager Band will keep May 14, Joystick performs. 5-10 person. 18105 Shearer Road, everyone’s feet dancing. Larry p.m. Free. LangTree Lake Norman, in Mooresville. The show features Davidson, www.buildforthecufavorite hits from the big band era Sprinkle of WCNC serves as the Mooresville, www.langtreelkn. recharlotte.com. and more. 7-9 p.m. $5 cover. Call emcee. 5-11 p.m. $100 per person, com.

704.664.2695 for reservations. The tables of eight $1,000. The Charles Hello Huntersville (May 9) Head Webcast of Wayne Shorter to downtown Huntersville to Finish Line Restaurant, 125 Mack Citizen Center, Mooresville, (May 15) Eighty-one-year-old celebrate the works and talents of Morlake Drive, Mooresville, www. www.dovehousecac.org.

NEA Jazz Master and wizard of local artists. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. thelakenormanbigband.org.

In-Water Boat Show (May 2-3) the saxophone Wayne Shorter Downtown Huntersville, www.

Paint the Night Blue (May 23) Test new boats, take the power will join Wynton Marsalis and the huntersville.org.

Too Much Sylvia performs at Paint boat challenge, have your vessel Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for The Fifth Annual North Carolina checked, and enjoy free hot dogs an evening celebrating this master the Night Blue, which benefits Brewers and Music Festival (May SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) of and snow cones at the In-Water musician’s contributions to Jazz 8-9) This celebration of North Iredell an Exchange Club Center.

Boat Show at The Peninsula Yacht music. This Webcast is brought Carolina music and beer features 6-11 p.m. $25 per person, $40 per Club. Sat 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun to the public through the Jazz performances by The Steep Cancouple.

Queen’s Landing, Mooresnoon-5 p.m. Free. The Peninsula Program at Cannon School. 7:30 yon Rangers, Sister Sparrow & The ville, www.iredellscan.org.

Yacht Club, Cornelius, www.pyp.m. Free. Cannon School, 5801 Dirty Birds, Edward David Andercboatshow.com.

Poplar Tent Road, Concord, www. son and more. Brewers attendcannonschool.org.

World War II Re-enactment ing include Highland Brewing, (May 2-3) Enjoy a weekend filled Blind Squirrel Brewery, Birdsong FAMILY FUN CURRENTS Canine Cornelius Concert Series (May Cover Contest (May 2) Bring your with exciting demonstrations and Brewery, Lost Province Brewing 16) A community handbell dog out to see if they have what it battles surrounding WWII’s Opera- and more. This year also marks the ensemble for youth and adults, first Angels of ’97 cornhole tournaCharlotte Bronze was organized to takes to be on the cover of the July tion Market Garden (Sat) and VE ment. Campground opens, Friday, Day (Sun). Living history exhibits perform high-level concert music issue of CURRENTS. Our Canine May 8 and closes Sunday, May 10.

Cover Contest takes place during and talks include both Allied and and educate handbell musicians Check website for performance Davidson Town Day. Noon-2 p.m. with whom they interact. The Axis soldiers, a field hospital, mo-

CONCERTS

EVENTS

60

Girls’ Night Out

lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

times and ticket prices. Historic Rural Hill, 4431 Neck Road, Huntersville, www.ruralhill.net.

Build for the Cure Home Tours (May 9-24) Tour a River Run home in Davidson built with all the latest bells and whistles by E.S. Johnson Builders. Proceeds benefit Susan G. Komen Charlotte. Fridays (May 15, 22; 5-9 p.m.), Saturdays (May 9, 16, 23; 10 a.m.-6 p.m.), Sundays (May 10, 17, 24; noon-6 p.m.). Price TBA. www.buildforthecurecharlotte.com.

DRUMSTRONG (May 9) The North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival at Historic Rural Hill, DRUMSTRONG involves 12 hours of drumming by participants of all ages in support of cancer survivorship, education and research.

Noon-midnight. The North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival at Historic Rural Hill, Huntersville, www.ruralhill.net.

6th Annual Catwalk For A Cause (May 13) This spring tradition benefits pediatric cancer research and financially deserving families of children being treated at Levine Children’s Hospital (LCH) and it supports research through a new phase I and phase II drug trial nurse as part of the Carolina Kids Cancer Coalition. The highlight of the evening is the runway show, which includes women’s spring fashions from local boutiques and the “Catwalk Heroes,” children from LCH wearing the latest children’s styles from Belk. 6-10 p.m. $100 per person. Merinos, 500 S. Main Street, Mooresville, www. martintruexjrfoundation.org.

32nd Annual Race City Festival (May 16) This celebration of Mooresville’s arts and culture scene offrs sidewalk sales, vendor booths, arts and crafts, live music and entertainment, NASCAR cars, and more. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free.

Downtown Mooresville, www. mooresvillenc.org.

Charlotte Asian Festival and Dragon Boat Race (May 16) Celebrate Asian cultures, diversity, ethnicity, roots and history in addition to seeing a beautiful boat race. Time TBA. Free. Ramsey Creek Park, Cornelius, www.charlottedragonboat.com.

Lake Norman YMCA Family Fun day (May 16) Come celebrate the Lake Norman Y's 40th anniversary with fun and games (including canoing). A Superhero 5K and Family Fun Run begins at 10 a.m.

11 a.m. Free. Lake Norman YMCA, 21300 Davidson Street, Cornelius, www.ymcacharlotte.org.

‘Tawba Walk Art and Music Festival (May 16) This multidimensional, eclectic art crawl, which snakes through the heart of Cornelius, featuring dozens of local vendors, live street performances, shopping, food and more. 2-8 p.m. Free. Old Town Cornelius, www.tawbawalk.com.

4th Annual Swing Fore Golf Tournament (June 1) This annual golf tournament at River Run benefits A Child’s Place, a local non-profit working to erase the impact of homelessness on children in Charlotte and their education. Tournament play begins at 1 p.m. $250 per player. River Run, Davidson, http://swingfore2015. eventbrite.com .

Scramble for Hope Golf Tournament (June 1) The Hope at the Lake Foundation sponsors this golf tournament. This is a significant fundraiser for the foundation, which has distributed more than $1 million to non-profit organizations in the Lake Norman area. Tee off at 10 a.m. FourPerson Captain’s Choice Scramble Format. Price TBA. Trump National Golf Club Charlotte, Mooresville, www.hope-lake.org.

FILM Indies + Docs (May 30-31) Whiplash, a low-budget independent film, made it to the top of 2014’s acclaimed dramatic films.

In it a young drummer attends a high-end music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student’s potential. This breathtaking film is a study in harsh educational methods — both physical and mental, and the cost of “success” in a highly competitive field. View in on a new 17-foot screen in 5.1 surround sound. 7 p.m. $9. Warehouse Performing Arts Center, 9216-A Westmoreland Road, Cornelius, www. studioccinema.com.

GALLERIES Brick Row Art Gallery Various exhibitions. Tue-Sat 10 a.m.-6 p.m. or by appointment. 21325 Catawba Avenue, Cornelius, look for Brick Row Art Gallery on Facebook.

Cornelius Arts Center Various exhibits. Mon-Thu 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Fri-Sat 9 a.m.-noon. 19725 Oak Street, Cornelius, www.cornelius. org.

“Cotton” Ketchie’s Landmark Galleries Various exhibitions.

The work of watercolorist ‘Cotton’

Ketchie. Mon-Sat 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 212 North Main Street, Mooresville, 704.664.4122, www.landmarkgalleries.com.

Depot Art Gallery Mooresville Arts presents Artoberfest, featuring work from some of the finest artists around. September 30-October 31. Opening reception and awards presentation, October 10 6-8 p.m. 103 W. Center Avenue, Mooresville, www.magart.org.

Foster’s Frame and Art Gallery Various exhibitions. Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat 10a.m.-4p.m. 403 N. Old Statesville Road, Huntersville, 704.948.1750.

Four Corners Framing and Gallery Various exhibitions. Tue-Fri 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

112 S. Main Street, Mooresville, 704.662.7154, www.fcfgframing. com.

Lake Country Gallery Various exhibitions. Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Exit 36 – Mooresville, between Belk and Kohl’s, 704.664.5022, www. lakecountrygallery.net.

Sanctuary of Davidson Various exhibitions. 108 S. Main Street, Davidson, www.sanctuaryofdavidson.com.

Tropical Connections Various exhibitions. Tue- Fri 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. or by appointment. 230 N. Main Street, Mooresville, www.tropicalconnectionslakenorman.com.

The Van Every/Smith Galleries Annual Student Art Exhibit (through May 6) This exhibition features nearly 60 works of art in a variety of media–printmaking, digital art, painting, drawing and sculpture–by Davidson students, both art and non-art majors. Rising Senior Art Majors (May 28-July 30) Having early exposure to what is involved in preparing for an exhibition, rising senior art majors experience first-hand the many steps required in showing their work. Come see a sneak peak of next year’s Senior Studio Art Major Shows. Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat-Sun noon-4 p.m. Davidson College, The Van Every/Smith Galleries, 315 N. Main Street, Davidson, www.davidsoncollegeartgalleries.org.

MONTHLY EVENTS Carolina Raptor Center Live bird presentations, flight shows, behind-the-scenes tours and more take place at Carolina Raptor Center throughout the month.

Visit carolinaraptorcenter.org for more details.

The Artisan Market Craft Crawl (First Saturday) Formerly known as the Mooresville Craft Crawl, this market features baked goods, clothing, embroidery, jewelry, paintings, pottery, quilts and woodcarvings with an edge.

5-9 p.m. Free. Mooresville Town Square across from Lowe’s Foods. https://www.facebook.com/artisanmarketnc.

Lunch in the Lot (every Wednesday and Friday) Feast from a food truck in Old Town Cornelius at Oak Street Mill. Tables and chairs are set up at Kadi Fit so you can enjoy your lunch with friends. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Look for Old Town Cornelius on Facebook.

Davidson Farmer’s Market (Every Saturday) 9 a.m.-noon. Free.

Next to Town Hall between Main and Jackson streets in downtown Davidson, www.davidsonfarmersmarket.org.

Mooresville Museum (First and Third Saturday)View exhibits and artifacts from Mooresville’s past and present. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free.

132 E. Center Avenue, Mooresville, www.downtownmooresville.com.

Downtown Mooresville Farmers Market (Every Saturday) This market features local produce, meats, eggs and more. 8 a.m.noon. Corner of Church Street and East Iredell Avenue, Mooresville, www.downtownmooresville.com.

THEATRE Defying Gravity (May 8-23) This charming, humor-filled play is about our human adventures into the unknown. Jane Anderson’s masterful work centers on the 1986 Challenger launch and artfully interweaves together the lives of a motley group of characters: The painter, Claude Monet; Ed and Betty, a retired couple in a Winnebago who dream of hotels in space; the teacher, bold enough to serve as the first civilian astronaut; her daughter, Elizabeth, braving her mother’s journey; C.B., a NASA ground crew technician; and his spunky, down-to-earth dream girl, Donna. Together their stories celebrate the spirit of exploration and inspire us to defy gravity in all senses of the word. Thu-Sat 8 p.m., Sun (May 17, 2 p.m.). $21; seniors, groups and students $16.

Warehouse Performing Arts Center, 9216-A Westmoreland Road, Cornelius, www.warehousepac.com.

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lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Living Well Your local resource for health and wellness services near you Audiology Piedmont HealthCare Megan Mathis-Webb, AuD Kathryn Curtis, AuD 140 Gateway Blvd.

Mooresville, NC 28117 704-664-9638

Cardiology Piedmont HealthCare Gary K. DeWeese, MD, FACC 359 Williamson Road Mooresville, NC 28117 704-235-1829

Dermatology Piedmont HealthCare Naomi Simon, MD Scott Paviol, MD Kristen Prochaska, PA-C

128 Medical Park Road, Suite 201, Mooresville, NC 28117 704-235-1827

Piedmont HealthCare Steven F. Wolfe, MD Nikki Leahy, PA-C Jennifer Bender, PA-C

Piedmont HealthCare Tiana Losinski,MD

206 Joe V. Knox Ave. Suite J Mooresville, NC 28117 704-360-4801

Family Medicine Piedmont HealthCare James W. McNabb, MD Karen Carson, FNP

435 East Statesville Avenue Mooresville, NC 28115 704-663-5056

Piedmont HealthCare Emmett Montgomery, MD Rebecca Montgomery, MD 191 West Plaza Drive Mooresville, NC 28117 704-664-4000

Piedmont HealthCare Alisa C. Nance, MD Lana Hill, FNP-C

150 Fairview Road, Suite 210 Mooresville, NC 28117 704-235-0300

Bremnor Family Medicine Judy Bremnor, MD, FAAFP

114 Gateway Blvd., Unit D Mooresville, NC 28117 704-663-2085

136 Corporate Drive, Suite H Mooresville, NC 28117 704-660-9780

Riva Aesthetic Dermatology

Iredell Family Medicine Emily Nabors, MD FAAFP

General Dermatology, Botox, Filler, Laser/IPL

Kerry M. Shafran, MD, FAAD Rachelle M. Cronin, MPAS, PA-C Mari H. Klos, CMA, LE 704-896-8837 Cornelius www.rivaderm.com

Ears, Nose and Throat Piedmont HealthCare Keith Meetze, MD Thomas Warren, MD Herb Wettreich, MD Fred New, Jr., ANP

140 Gateway Blvd.

Mooresville, NC 28117 • 704-664-9638

Piedmont HealthCare Ronel R. Enrique, MD

359 Williamson Road Mooresville, NC 28117 • 704-838-8255

Family Medicine Piedmont HealthCare Timothy A. Barker, MD Edward S. Campbell, MD Heather C. Kompanik, MD Bruce L. Seaton, DO Lindsay Jayson, PA-C

357 Williamson Road Mooresville, NC 28117 • 704-664-7328

544 Brawley School Road Mooresville, NC 28117 704-360-5190

Gastroenterology Charlotte Gastroenterology and Hepatology John H. Moore, III, MD Steven A. Josephson, MD Scott A. Brotze, MD Michael W. Ryan, MD

Lake Norman Offices 13808 Professional Center Dr. Huntersville, NC 28078 150 Fairview Rd., Ste. 120 Mooresville, NC 28117 Appointment line 704-377-0246 www.charlottegastro.com Locations also in Charlotte, Ballantyne, SouthPark & Matthews

Piedmont HealthCare Carl A. Foulks, Jr., MD Angela Kellermeyer, PA-C

359 Williamson Road Mooresville, NC 28117 • 704-878-2021

Piedmont HealthCare Neil M. Kassman, MD Leann Barnett, PA-C

359 Williamson Road Mooresville, NC 28117 • 704-838-8215

Internal Medicine Piedmont HealthCare Manish G. Patel, MD Julie Abney, PA Amy K. Bolling, FNP-BC

128 Medical Park Road, Suite 101 Mooresville, NC 28117 704-658-1001

Piedmont HealthCare John C. Gatlin, MD LuAnne V. Gatlin, MD

548 Williamson Road, Suite 6 Mooresville, NC 28117 704-660-5520

Physiatry – Interventional Spine Care Piedmont HealthCare Harsh Govil, MD, MPH Thienkim Walters, PA-C 359 Williamson Road Mooresville, NC 28117 704-235-1829

Piedmont HealthCare Jacqueline Zinn, MD 359 Williamson Road Mooresville, NC 28117 704-235-1838

Neurology

Podiatry

Piedmont HealthCare Dharmen S. Shah, MD

Piedmont HealthCare Kenneth Bloom, DPM Kurt Massey, DPM

359 Williamson Road Mooresville, NC 28117 704-873-1100

Piedmont HealthCare Andrew J. Braunstein, DO Ryan Conrad, MD Craig D. DuBois, MD Douglas Jeffery, MD

124 Professional Park Dr, Ste A Mooresville, NC 28117 704-662-3077

Piedmont HealthCare Andrew J. Braunstein, DO Ryan Conrad, MD Craig D. DuBois, MD Douglas Jeffery, MD

9735 Kincey Avenue, Ste 203 Huntersville, NC 28078 704-766-9050

137 Professional Park Dr., Ste C Mooresville, NC 28117 704-662-8336

Rheumatology Piedmont HealthCare Sean M. Fahey, MD Dijana Christianson, DO

128 Medical Park Road, Suite 101 Mooresville, NC 28117 704-658-1001

Urgent Care Piedmont HealthCare Express Care Frederick U. Vorwald, MD Lori Sumner, PA-C Ayanna Galloway, PA-C

Occupational Medicine

125 Days Inn Drive Mooresville, NC 28117 704-660-9111

Piedmont HealthCare Frederick U. Vorwald, MD

Vein Specialists

125 Days Inn Drive Mooresville, NC 28117 704-660-9111

Orthopaedic Surgery Piedmont HealthCare Byron E. Dunaway, MD Scott Brandon, MD Kim Lefreniere, PA-C Sherry Dawn Repass, FNP-BC 359 Williamson Road Mooresville, NC 28117 704-235-1829

Iredell Orthopaedic Center Jason Batley, MD 544 Brawley School Road Mooresville, NC 28117 704-658-0956

Carolina Vein Associates Specializing in the Treatment of Varicose and Spider Veins 206 Joe Knox Ave, Suite H, Mooresville, NC 28117 704-684-4511 www.carolinaveinassociates.com Free Vein Screenings!s

please support our advertisers and be sure to tell them you saw their ad in currents! (listed alphabetically for your convenience)

A4 Wealth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Allen Tate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Allen Tate team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Amish Oak. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 993 Amy Ellis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Big Daddy’s Seafood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Birkdale Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Carolina Oral Surgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Carolinas Veterinary Care Clinic. . . . . . . 23 COCOCO Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Consignment LKN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Copper Innovations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Cornelius page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Debra Moss. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Depot at Gibson Mill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Dixie Dean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Dr. Graper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Dr. Rolle Oral and Facial Surgery. . . . . . 31 Dutchman's. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Epic Chophouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Ethan Allen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Frances Dawson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Freedom Boat Club. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Glenn Roberson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Hair Technics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Hearth and Patio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Impact Design Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Ivester Jackson Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 J. Parks Interior Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Lake Norman Chamber Bus Expo. . . . . 52 Lake Norman Chrysler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 994 Lake Norman Ortho & Spine. . . . . . . . . . 21 Lake Norman Realty, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Lakeside Neurology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 LN Realty Luxury Division. . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Massage Envy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Melinda Meade-White. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Music on Main . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Nationwide Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Notes+ Nest Paperie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

What’s Your Story?

CURRENTS Magazine’s First Annual Essay Contest

Oasis Pools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Permits 4 U. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Piedmont Healthcare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Progressive Pilates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 promo ad for Essay contest. . . . . . . . . . . 63 Randy Marion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Randy Marion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Raylen Vineyards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Sea Ray of Lake Norman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Skin Envy Loung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Sofas and Cheers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Sothebys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 992 Team Nadine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Tilley Harley Davidson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 TowUS/Lake Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Wellness Directory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Wheeler & Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Wine And Dine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

CURRENTS invites all aspiring writers to share their favorite story or memory about Lake Norman with us! It can be historical, current, personal, funny, inspirational or life-changing, but it must be TRUE! Send us your 800-word (or less) essay, and if our panel of experienced journalists choose yours as the best, we’ll publish it in our July issue!

This is your chance to become a published writer!

Email your essay to CURRENTS editor, Lori K. Tate at Lori@LNCurrents.com by May 15, 2015.

Be sure to include your name and phone number so we may contact you if you’re our winner.

We look forward to reading your story and sharing it with readers.

63 lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Lori’s Larks

by Lori K. Tate photography courtesy of Lori K. Tate

64

I

was having a dreary, weary Wednesday.

My daughter’s allergies were acting up, my son’s sassiness was going into high gear and it was raining. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, I chose to go to Lunch in the Lot in Cornelius. I heard about this food truck fiesta last year but never made it there, so around 11:30 a.m. I headed to Old Town Cornelius to see what the deal was.

As soon as I drove into the parking lot of Oak Street Mill, I saw a bright orange food truck that read Ruthie’s of Charlotte NC. It shined like the sun through the rain. I walked up to the window and was greeted by Deborah Monroe, the owner of Ruthie’s of Charlotte and the daughter of the late Ruthie, who opened two soul food restaurants in Brooklyn, New York that are still going strong today.

Ruthie’s is on the Lunch in the Lot rotation, along with other food trucks that specialize in stuffed burgers, seafood, wraps, Mexican fare and more. Lucky for me it was Ruthie’s week because soul food ranks at the top of my favorite food list. Monroe explained that she makes soul food with a twist, as her best seller is The Best Sandwich, which is made of half pulled pork, half meatloaf, grilled cheese, and macaroni and cheese. “You have to figure out which half you like best,” says Monroe with a smile.

As good as that sounded, I knew my stomach couldn’t handle that much fun, so I opted for the collard quesadilla,

The menu from Ruthie's — think collard quesadilla.

lake norman currents | May 2015 | www.lncurrents.com

Eatin’for a Tasty Reason

Lunch in the Lot lives up to the hype

From left, Deborah Monroe, owner of Ruthie's of Charlotte, and CURRENTS' editor Lori K. Tate at Lunch in the Lot in Cornelius.

which featured collards, of course, with Monterey jack cheese. I ate every single last bit of it and missed it when it was gone. So as far as the food goes at Lunch in the Lot, you won’t be disappointed.

However, the thing I liked best about lunch was the sense of community. Even on a rainy day, folks came out to the food truck for lunch. The event is sponsored the Cornelius Arts Cultural Group (CCAC), a non-profit focused on Cornelius’ community development. Tables are set up at nearby Kadi Fit so you can sit down and enjoy your lunch among art and fellow citizens. I ran into several people I knew, and we ate our lunch as we talked about all of the exciting things being built in Old Town Cornelius right now.

Jessica Boye, the communications coordinator for Cornelius’ Bella Love Arts & Entertainment and a volunteer for CCAC, organizes the event and says Lunch in the Lot mainly takes place during the warmer months and that starting in May it will be

offered on Wednesdays, as well as Fridays.

“Last year we had 150 to 200 people coming regularly,” she says. “By the end of the summer we had two food trucks come because the lines were so long.”

Each food truck donates 10 percent of its sales to the CCAC. Often the group gives money to other nonprofits such as the Smithville Community Coalition.

Not only are you eating good food in an artsy community atmosphere, you’re also supporting your community financially.

It’s a tasty win-win situation, as I’m still thinking about my collard quesadilla.

THE SCOOP For more information about Lunch in the Lot, visit the Old Town Cornelius page on Facebook. The event takes place every Wednesday and Friday throughout the summer from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of Oak Street Mill. If you would like menus e-mailed directly to you the night before Lunch in the Lot, e-mail your information to info@weareccag.org.

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