WALTER Magazine - October 2017 by waltermagazine

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OCTOBER OCTOBER OCTOBER OCTOBER 2017 2017 2017 2017

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OCTOBER 2017

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FEATURES

VOL 6, ISSUE 2 OCTOBER 2017

80 HOUSE AND GARDEN ISSUE 60 OUR TOWN SPOTLIGHT Raleigh treehouses by Rebecca Guenard photographs by Juli Leonard

88 STORY OF A HOUSE More is more! by Jesma Reynolds photographs by Catherine Nguyen

67 RALEIGH GARDENS photographs by Catherine Nguyen

94 AT THE TABLE On galettes and gratitude by Brigid Washington photographs by Madeline Gray

70 WALTER PROFILE Ellen Cassilly: Building up the Bull City by J. Michael Welton 80 STORY OF A HOUSE Georgian on my mind by Jesma Reynolds photographs by Catherine Nguyen

103 ARTIST’S SPOTLIGHT Dwane Powell, congenital cartoonist by Liza Roberts photographs by Peter Hoffman

On the cover: photograph by Catherine Nguyen

10 | WALTER

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OUR TOWN The Usual: Wheel Chix cycling club Game Plan: East Oak Studios Shop Local: Flower & Flour On Duty: Supper Meals by Jessie Ammons photographs by Madeline Gray DRINK Social House Vodka by Jessie Ammons photographs by Madeline Gray

IN EVERY ISSUE 14

Letter from the Editor

Contributors

Your Feedback

The Mosh

Raleigh Now

Triangle Now

120 The Whirl 128 Scribo

113 WALTER EVENTS WINnovation 2017 130 END NOTE Haunted Raleigh by Katherine Poole

12 | WALTER

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HOUSES AND GARDENS SAY A LOT ABOUT US: how we live, what we care about, what we consider to be beautiful. “The longer I live,” said the architect Frank Lloyd Wright, “the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.” By “invest,” he meant to pay attention, and he believed it was a virtuous circle: “We create our buildings, and then they create us,” he said. “Likewise, we construct our circle of friends and our communities and then they construct us.” This month, we visit some interesting corners of our community to find people who live the truth of Frank Lloyd Wright’s words, who find what they believe is there, and who create a more robust community as a result. From treehouses to stately homes, they invest in beauty, and their lives reflect it (House and Garden section, pgs. 60 – 92). Of course, ‘investing in beauty’ can be metaphorical, too. Food writer Brigid Washington tells a poignant story (pg. 94) about investing in the beauty of cooking for others. Cartoonist Dwane Powell (pg. 103) sets an example as someone who invests in the beauty of living wholeheartedly, creating art and forging lifelong bonds in the process. Hopefully you will feel, as I do, that these stories – these people, and their commitment to a life well lived – are inspiring. That their example of investing in beauty, grandly or simply, is worth following, so that the longer we live, the more beautiful our lives will also become.

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Editor & General Manager Creative Director JESMA REYNOLDS Assistant Editor JESSIE AMMONS Community Manager KATHERINE POOLE Contributing Writers REBECCA GUENARD, BRIGID WASHINGTON, J. MICHAEL WELTON

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Contributing Photographers LISSA GOTWALS, MADELINE GRAY, PETER HOFFMAN, JULI LEONARD, CATHERINE NGUYEN

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Published 10 times a year by The News & Observer Publishing Co. A McClatchy Company, 215 S. McDowell St., Raleigh NC 27601

OCTOBER 2017

Harvest. Home. Family. Silk velvet pumpkins. Natural stem.

Walter is available by paid subscriptions for $10 a year in the United States, as well as select rack and retail locations throughout the Triangle. For customer service inquiries, please email us at customerservice@waltermagazine.com or call 919-836-5661. Address all correspondence to Walter Magazine, 215 S. McDowell St., Raleigh NC 27601. Walter does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Please contact editor and general manager Liza Roberts at Liza.Roberts@Waltermagazine.com for freelance guidelines.

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CONTRIBUTORS

OCTOBER 2017

REBECCA GUENARD / W R I T E R

Photo by Surya

Creating Inspiring Interiors

The freelance writer typically covers scientific content for magazines like The Atlantic, National Geographic, and Scientific American. In this issue, she wrote about treehouses. “When trying to find subjects for the story, I recalled a small, wonderfully different treehouse I had seen while house hunting,” she says. “It was the McCalls’ boat-shaped treehouse (featured in the piece). I drove by their house day after day until I finally lucked out and found Roger McCall at home.” Guenard admits that boat might be her favorite of the bunch.

JULI LEONARD / P H O T O G R A P H E R Leonard has been a photojournalist for 17 years and has worked for The News & Observer for 13 of them. In this issue, she captured Raleighites’ treehouses for an Our Town Spotlight. “I’ve been an avid treehouse lover since I can remember so this assignment was the perfect combination of my love of treehouses and photography,” she says. She resides in Raleigh with her daughter, partner, and two naughty pups.

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Washington is a writer and author of Coconut. Ginger. Shrimp. Rum: Carribean Flavors for Every Season. In this issue, she reflects on the sentiment behind recipes in At the Table. “For me, baking those galettes was a gateway to my former self.”

CATHERINE NGUYEN / PHOTOGRAPHER The editorial and commercial photographer specializes in interiors and architecture both in Raleigh and San Francisco. In this issue, she visited beautiful Raleigh homes and also covered WINnovation 2017. “What struck me about the homes I photographed is how full of life they are: full of objects and art that bring meaning to the owners’ lives. Our homes reflect our lives. Both Pam Clark and Charlotte Smith have homes that are bursting at the seams with the stories they have to tell. It’s wonderful.” Similarly, “At Winnovation, I was particularly impressed with the candor the speakers showed in sharing their journeys to success.”

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YOUR FEEDBACK @ waltermagazine

Starting ’em young! –Emily Morgan @emilymorgan Such a wonderful opportunity to attend WINnovation 2017 Friday night. It was a night that celebrated the talents of many amazing women entrepreneurs in North Carolina. What I found refreshing and most inspirational is that the speakers all embraced a similar theme: creating a new business is often born out of struggle and it’s hard. It takes grit, discipline, and passion. The message wasn’t about the fancy outer package of success, but about the honest, frank admittance that no matter how much you believe in your vision, it can be painstakingly tough. The messages were real, but hopeful and I loved being around so many inspiring women. –Connections for Autism @ConnectionsforAutism (September Walter event) Thrilled to attend WINnovationlast night, celebrating women and entrepreneurship in Raleigh - fabulous speakers! –Jaynie Royal @PJRoyal1 (September Walter event) Thanks to last night, Nnenna Freelon and a whole lotta amazing ladies, I’ve been singing all my sentences this morning. So inspiring, WINnovation, @ WalterMagazine, @BankofAmerica, @TheUmstead HotelandSpa. Now back to the bees. –Alice Hinman @apiopolis (September Walter event) Love love love Mrs. Ashburn #empowers #inspiring –Alexis Bollman @MsBollmantweets (September, pg. 54) The story behind the murals of Raleigh, as told by @ WalterMagazine (including our favorite tunnel!) –Seven Ages Design @sevenagesdesign (September, pg. 68) Happy 5th birthday @WalterMagazine! Here’s to covering #Raleigh’s life and soul for many more to come. –Largemouth PR @largemouthpr

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MOSH “Today, in the October sun, it’s all gold — sky and tree and water. Everything just before it changes looks to be made of gold.” – Eudora Welty, “The Wide Net”

CHECKS AND BALANCES If your birthday falls between Oct. 1 and 22, you’re a Libra. Cooperative and social, you air signs enjoy sharing with others and being outside. Here’s how you can find your zodiac balance locally this month: You can volunteer in a number of City of Raleighowned green spaces all month along. Opportunities include: planting annuals at Mordecai Historic Park Oct. 5, reorganizing the butterfly garden at Durant Nature Preserve Oct. 11, and weeding flower beds at Horseshoe Farm nature Preserve Oct. 21. All three take place 9 a.m. - 12 noon; learn more at raleighnc.gov/parks

PLANT A PRETTY

October is a great time to plant hardy winter-flowering annuals. These types of plants have a life cycle of a year or less and hold their blooms for a while, which makes them fun chances to experiment in the garden. Pansies, violas, foxglove, larkspur, and ornamental cabbages planted now will flower in the winter and last until spring’s temperatures get too hot.

Libra is ruled by Venus, which means you likely appreciate beauty in art, music, and travel. The Mahler’s current exhibit, Places, features painter and UNC-Chapel Hill professor’s abstract landscapes and pencil drawings of travel scenes. Runs through Oct. 7.

HISTORIC HALLOWEEN Who says Halloween is just for trick-ortreating? First Lady Kristin Cooper will serve as grand marshal of a Halloween parade hosted by the N.C. Museum of History Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. She’ll lead the procession from the museum to the Executive Mansion. Costumes are encouraged. ncmuseumofhistory.org/halloween-parade

22 | WALTER

Why not... Paint fall foliage in a watercolor class at western N.C.’s boutique mountain inn, The Swag, Oct. 15 - 22…Learn craft coffee brewing at Carrboro Coffee Roasters Oct. 7…Download the BikeRaleigh app and find a new route for your ride...Check out the art at Raleigh’s First Friday, Oct. 6…Go for a stroll in the winter garden at JC Raulston Arboretum…Carve a gourd… Lace up your sneaks for some speed dating at Noir Bar & Lounge Oct. 5… Skip the treats; play a trick...Ditch the seasonal latte and try a pumpkin beer instead...

Thinkstock (HORSESHOE); courtesy Mahler Fine Art (PLACES); Thinkstock (PANSY); Scott Lewis (PARADE); Robert Willett (GOURD); courtesy Big Boss Brewing (BEER)

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Above: Gowns by Givenchy, left, and Alexander McQueen and Emmanuel Ungaro, right.

24 | WALTER

ashion icon, Vogue editor, and Durham native Andre Leon Talley will be in town Oct. 28 - 29 to celebrate the opening of the North Carolina Museum of Art’s Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair, a spectacular exhibit of couture fashion from 1958 - 2009. The show, comprised of 41 ensembles by designers including Yves Saint Laurent, Bob Mackie, Alexander McQueen, and Christian Lacroix, is a tribute to Ebony Fashion Fair, an influential series of annual charity fashion shows created by Eunice Johnson, cofounder of John-

RALEIGH

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Raleigh now son Publishing Company. The shows, raise funds for local charities,” he says. which grew out of the pages of the The millions of dollars she raised with company’s own Ebony magazine, brought the shows supported education, health glamour and high fashion to diverse care, and civil rights. audiences across the United States and The shows themselves also launched around the world, and often featured the careers of a number of AfricanJohnson’s own couture collection. American models, dozens of whom, it “The historturns out, live in ical component North Carolina. of this show is The museum has so meaningful,” invited them all says Marjorie to attend the Hodges, direcshow’s ticktor of external eted opening relations at the party on Oct. museum. “It is 28, which will a celebration feature a runof fashion as a way show of true art form, a juried designs celebration of by students from African-AmeriN.C. State, Apcan culture, and palachian State, a celebration of N.C. A&T, and Eunice Johnson, UNC-Greensan dynamic, boro. Talley will elegant woman be on hand for who combined the event, which philanthropy will also include and fashion.” a dance party. Johnson The following was “a tour de evening (Oct. force,” says Tal29), Talley will ley, who served sit down for a Eunice Johnson at work as fashion conversation in editor for Ebony early in his career, and the museum’s SECU Auditorium with knew Johnson personally. “She was a fashion expert Audrey Smaltz, a longwoman of great style and authority … time assistant to Donna Karan, Oscar de she crashed the glass ceiling. She was la Renta, and other top designers, and a the first African-American to embrace former Ebony Fashion Fair commentathe quality of high fashion through tor. The exhibit itself is also designed her support of European haute couture as an experience, with a virtual fitting and American fashion” at a time “when room that will allow visitors to “try on” multi-cultural diversity didn’t exist in some of the show’s glamorous ensembles. fashion.” Talley accompanied Johnson on Several dinners, lectures, receptions, trips to Europe and New York, witnessfilms, workshops, and gallery tours are ing first-hand “how a visionary who also scheduled. –L.R. believed in aspirational fashion could enhance the black communities, and

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The Grammy-Award-winning country music cool boys that are the Zac Brown Band roll into the Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek Oct. 6 on its Welcome Home tour. Zamily members (followers of the band) can expect a good ol’ country jam that is sure to bring down the house. 7 p.m.; $49 and up; 3801 Rock Quarry Road; coastalcreditunionmusicparkatwalnutcreek.tickets.expert

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North Carolina is ready for its close-up. Longleaf Film Festival presents First Fridays at the Museum: Before the Talkies at the N.C. Museum of History Oct. 6. Noted film historian and instructor at the Asheville School of Film Frank Thompson has written extensively about our state’s little-known history in silent filmmaking. Author of the Asheville Movies series and the forthcoming North Carolina Silent Film: Rediscovering the Lost Era of Tar Heel Movies from the Blue Ridge to the Outer Banks, Thompson will be on hand to sign books and to screen clips from some of the first films ever made in N.C. Beer from BrüePrint Brewing Company will be on hand, as well. 5 - 9 p.m.; free; 5 East Edenton St.; ncmuseumofhistory.org/events/first-fridays-museum-talkies

courtesy Zac Brown Band (ZAMILY); public domain (GOLDEN)

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Corey Lowenstein (PARTY); Matt Sayles (MARS)

OCTOBER

PARTY LIKE IT’S 1899

Step back in time Oct. 7 for Heritage Day at Oak View Park. This historic 19th century farmstead preserves N.C.’s agricultural and rural history through special programs and events. Heritage Day is a celebration of our agrarian past in the form of an old-time county fair. Historical reenactors entertain visitors as they stroll among antique car and farm equipment displays, heritage crafts, handmade items, and a quilt show presented by the Capital Quilters Guild. Live animals, cane pole fishing, and carriage rides keep the younger set engaged as live music and a quilt auction with professional auctioneer liven up the afternoon. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; free; 4028 Carya Drive; wakegov.com/parks/oakview/events/Pages/heritageday.aspx

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Smoother than a fresh jar of Skippy, the multitalented, megawatt star Bruno Mars takes the stage Oct. 12 at PNC Arena on his 24K Magic Tour. Prepare to be amazed by Mars’ dazzling show. It’s solid gold. Parking lots open at 5:30 p.m. for pre-show festivity (parking fees apply). 8 p.m.; $199 and up; 1400 Edwards Mill Road; thepncarena.com/ events/detail/bruno-mars-1

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SPOTLIGHT

AW, SHUCKS

The annual State Capitol oyster roast returns

ou can kick your shoes off at the State Capitol on Oct. 4 when the site’s foundation hosts its annual oyster roast. “You can walk around, have an oyster, dance, and enjoy the music,” says Arlene “Dutchie” Sexsmith, a vice president of the N.C. State Capitol Foundation. She says this sixth annual shebang is meant to offer a change of pace from the many formal fundraising events of the season. “This particular fundraiser is festive and it’s fun and it’s very enjoyable. People come and relax.” Members of the Raleigh Shag Club will keep the dance floor hopping to the tunes of local beach music band The Embers. Shag novices can learn from club members during a few informal demonstrations throughout the night, when they’re

28 | WALTER

not dining on the quarter pound each of shrimp and oysters that come with a ticket. Sexsmith says it’s no small feat to keep up with the shellfish demand: The group usually shucks more than 100 pounds of oysters by the end of the night. There will also be a silent auction to benefit “the education, restoration, and preservation of our historic 1840s State Capitol building,” Sexsmith says. After all, the event takes place beneath a tent cast in the Capitol’s glow. “It’s all about our beautiful State Capitol. What better way to toast it than with the North Carolina traditions of beach music and seafood?” –J.A. 7 - 11 p.m.; $75 includes seafood; 1 E. Edenton St.; ncstatecapitol.org/oyster-roast

courtesy N.C. State Capitol Foundation

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13 BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS What goes great with pancakes? How about booze and art? That’s the incongruous but intriguing answer to be found downtown Oct. 13. The Pancakes and Booze Art Show is a traveling art gallery coming to the Lincoln Theatre with local artists, photographers, DJs, and musicians. Established in 2009, this alternative art show provides local artists exposure to a greater audience in an upbeat atmosphere. Expect a diverse range of local art on display, artists creating on-site, body painting, a lineup of musical acts, and just enough pancakes and booze to keep it interesting. 7 p.m. - 1 a.m.; $7 early bird, $10 - $12 at the door; 21 and older; 126 E. Cabarrus St.; pancakesandbooze.com

DANSE MACABRE The Carolina Ballet presents the world premiere of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Haunted Tales at the Fletcher Opera Theater Oct. 12 - 29. Choreographer-in-residence Zalman Raffael conjures up a macabre spell over Washington Irving’s bone-chilling story of unrequited love and loss. Experience this classic horror tale in an entirely new way … you might just lose your head. See website for showtimes and tickets; 2 E. South St.; carolinaballet.com

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OCTOBER

14 Nog Run Club (BEER); Thinkstock (BULL)

BEER RUN Dust off that dirndl, it’s time for the sixth running of the nOg Run Club’s Oktoberfest 8K. Founded by local businesses including Tir na Nog Irish Pub and Fleet Feet Sports, the nOg Run Club is a nonprofit that promotes charitable awareness in the running community. This year’s 8K Oct. 14 will benefit Wake Enterprises, an organization that provides assistance to people with developmental disabilities. The run is for fun, and folks of all ages and abilities are welcome. Post-run, raise a stein at the after-party where prizes are awarded for speed and style. (Think: Bavarian themed costumes, a trademark of the event!) Registration is required. 10:30 a.m.; $36 before Oct. 11, $40 after Oct. 11; 614 Glenwood Ave. (behind the Raleigh Beer Garden); nogrunclub.com/oktoberfest

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BULL HEADED Feeling bullish? Head over to the PNC Arena Oct. 14 and 15 to catch the PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) Built Ford Tough Series competition at the Frontier Communications Invitational. The world’s top 35 bull riders compete for international standings and a share of the $140,000 purse. Thrills, chills, and hopefully not too many spills. Parking lots open two-and-a-half hours before each show (parking fees apply). 6:45 p.m. Saturday, 1:45 p.m. Sunday; $15 and up; 1400 Edwards Mill Road; thepncarena.com/events/detail/pbr-series

SPOTLIGHT

Dan Nelson

RALEIGH now

HARMONY DOWNTOWN The N.C. Symphony’s gala takes to the street

32 | WALTER

n the first Saturday in October, as many as 300 music lovers will don black tie to dine al fresco under a transparent, chandelier-lit canopy in the middle of Fayetteville Street. They’ll gather to raise more than $200,000 for the North Carolina Symphony, which is celebrating its 85th season. Known for its prolific profile, music education, and statewide outreach, the Symphony

OCTOBER stages 175 concerts and events annually at Raleigh’s Meymandi Concert Hall and across the state. As the country’s first state-supported symphony, the NCS is unique among American orchestras for serving the entire state the way it does, travelling 18,000 miles every year to bring music to as many as 250,000 North Carolinians, including 55,000 4th and 5th grade students. It also takes pride in showcasing new music, and has performed nearly 50 U.S. or world premiers in its history. The gala will also represent a first: Fayetteville Street has never before been closed for a black-tie fundraiser, organizers say. Chaired by Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane, and co-chaired by Rebecca Quinn-Wolf of PNC bank and Symphony trustee Patty Briguglio of PFB Connect, the party will feature music by Symphony members and local jazz musicians, and a menu created by James Beard award-winning chef Vivian Howard, whose Kinston Chef and the Farmer restaurant is the subject of the popular PBS series A Chef’s Life. Two complete outdoor kitchens will be constructed on the eastern side of Fayetteville Street to prepare the three-course farm-to-table menu. Chefs Jason Smith of 18 Seaboard and Dean Ogan of Rocky Top Hospitality will collaborate with Howard to prepare the meal, which will be served under a 100-foot long, 50-foot wide translucent canopy. -L.R.

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SPOTLIGHT

SMOKE OFF

Raleigh’s barbecue cook-off for the masses

arbecue is a weighty topic around here: In North Carolina alone, the ongoing debate between Eastern (vinegar-based) and Western (tomato-based) styles has inspired trendy graphic maps, not to mention heated conversation; beyond this state, there’s Memphis style (typically dry-rubbed), brisket (beef ) in Texas, and on it goes. The Sir Walter Smoke-Off Oct. 7 invites anybody confident in their recipe to enter into an inaugural barbecue cook-off. Winners receive a pig-shaped gold medal and $500; proceeds from the event benefit the Oak City Outreach Center and the Partnership to End Homelessness.

If tasting is more your style, you’re not only in for a treat, you get to help pick the winners, which are decided by attendee vote. Tickets to the family-friendly celebration at Dix Park include a “pork passport” which lets you sample from each of the competitors, and becomes your ballot at the end of the afternoon. You’re encouraged to bring picnic blankets and lawn chairs to serve as your home base. From there, guests of every age can enjoy the bourbon sampling and beer garden area, the younger set can enjoy the KidZone, and everybody can enjoy live music from local bands. Non-barbecue-lovers: there are $5 general admission tickets and a concession tent with other food and beverage options, too. No matter the winner (or the style you prefer), this pork in the park for local nonprofits is worth savoring. –J.A. To compete in the smoke-off, you can register by team for $125. 12 noon - 5 p.m.; general admission, $5; pork passport tickets, $30; pork passport and drinks included, $60; sirwaltersmokeoff.com

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Raleigh Convention Center Purchase tickets online at ashoppingspree.org.

WE ARE THE WORLD

Celebrate our community’s rich ethnic diversity Oct. 20 - 22 at the 32nd International Festival. The celebration brings together artists, performers, musicians, and culinary experts from more than 70 ethnic groups. The festival opens each year with a naturalization ceremony, during which as many as 250 people representing 83 countries take the oath to become U.S. citizens. During the three-day event, there’s a play about the life of Frida Kahlo, a folkloric fashion show, and a dance competition. The weekend wraps up at the International Block Party in City Plaza. You can take a break from the sights and sounds at a mini sidewalk cafe, then browse the arts-and-crafts booths for a fitting reminder of your trip around the world. 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday; tickets start at $5 for single day passes; 500 S. Salisbury St.; internationalfocusnc.org/festival

Shop at SPREE! to find gifts for everyone on your list! Stylish jewelry. Fashionable apparel and accessories for men, women and children. Seasonal home decor.

GROOVE IS IN THE GARDEN

Raleigh Little Theatre welcomes folks of all ages to the Stephenson Amphitheatre and Rose Garden Oct. 21 for the third annual Groove in the Garden. Two stages will feature a lineup of great N.C. acts, including American Aquarium, Toubab Krewe, Bombadil, and Lonnie Walker. Bring a blanket or chairs, your pooch on a leash, and the groove in your heart. Picnics are welcome, but leave all glass and alcohol at home. Plenty of food trucks will be on hand as well as concessions, Larry’s iced coffee, beer, and wine. Gates open at 12 noon, show starts at 1 p.m.; $20 in advance, $25 at the gate, children under 5 free; 301 Pogue St.; grooveinthegarden.com

Takaaki Iwabu (WORLD)

November 2 – 5

$10 one-day general admission ticket. Don’t miss our special events!

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OCTOBER

Style & Quality

STAR LORDS

Steve Christensen (STAR); Brooke Mayo (GREAT TASTE)

Still have total eclipse fever? Get your astronomy fix Oct. 28 when you can skywatch at the Big Field at Dorothea Dix Park. This evening of stargazing is hosted by Raleigh Parks and Recreation with the Raleigh Astronomy Club, CHAOS (the Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society), and the Morehead Planetarium. Professional and amateur astronomers will be on hand with telescopes trained for celestial bodies. Doug Lively of Raleigh Astronomy Club predicts clear views of many “brighter deep sky objects,” including the Ring Nebula (M57), a star like our sun that is “out of fuel and looks like a ring in the sky” and the Great Cluster (M13) which resembles a diamond brooch. Don’t leave early or you might miss a peek at the Andromeda Galaxy, which is on a path to merge with our own in a mere 4 billion years. The viewing is open to anyone over age 5 who can stay up past 8 p.m. Bring water and a light snack and be prepared to walk in grass and on uneven surfaces. 6 - 10 p.m.; free; space is limited - registration required; 101 Blair Drive; raleighastro.org/events-2

GREAT TASTE

North Carolina has emerged as a respected source for great wines. Dotting the countryside from the mountains to the coast, a proper wine country tour is no easy feat, so the North Carolina Wine Festival brings it to you Oct. 28. The day-long event is the longest running wine festival in the state, and Raleigh is fortunate to play host for a third year. More than 16 wineries will be on hand for tastings including Sanctuary Vineyards (featured in our May issue and shown above). Pair the wine with great food and music, and serve up the perfect fall day at Midtown Park at North Hills. Keep it simple: no chairs, coolers, or outside food or beverages. Wine, dine, N.C. fine. 12 noon - 6 p.m.; $27 $59; 4011 Cardinal at North Hills; ncwinefestival.com

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SPOTLIGHT

Sedaris created covers for each of the 156 volumes of his diary. The sketchbooks pictured here span from Feb. 1980 - Jan. 1981, a time he was living in a house near the IHOP on Hillsborough St. and working part time at Irregardless Cafe.

SCENES FROM A CRIME An evening with David Sedaris 38 | WALTER

December 28, 1983 Raleigh This was my last night at the IHOP. I’ve been going steadily since 1979, just drinking coffee and reading. On my way out tonight I said good-bye to my waitress and left a $2 tip. I didn’t cry, though I worried I might.

avid Sedaris made this entry in his diary just days before leaving Raleigh - his boyhood home - to become a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The move upended the life of the floundering 27 year-old would-be artist, and set him

Excerpted from DAVID SEDARIS DIARIES: A Visual Compendium. Copyright © 2017 by Jeffrey Jenkins and David Sedaris. Reprinted with permission of Little, Brown and Company. All rights reserved. Photo of David Sedaris by Ingrid Christie

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on a course to become the acclaimed writer and humorist he is today. Perhaps it is true that you can’t go home again (especially if your beloved downtown IHOP on Hillsborough Street is no more), but you can stop over on an international reading tour and pay a visit to your dad and kid brother. Family, friends, and fans will welcome Sedaris home (again) Oct. 23 at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. Known for a performance style as candid and riotously funny as his writing, Sedaris will read in part from Theft By Finding, a collection of his diaries from 1977 - 2002. The book’s title is inspired by a paradoxical British law. Sedaris, who resides in Great Britain, once found a five-pound note on the side of the road and upon sharing his good fortune with a friend learned that not attempting to find the rightful owner was considered theft by finding. Sedaris is a connoisseur of the human condition and his diaries are a record of the countless acts of thievery that have become the essays and stories in his best-selling books including: Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls.

February 16, 1988 Chicago Reasons to live: 1. Christmas 2. The family beach trip 3. Writing a published book 4. Seeing my name in a magazine 5. Watching C. grow bald 6. Ronnie Ruedrich 7. Seeing Amy on TV 8. Other people’s books 9. Outliving my enemies 10. Being interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air C.’s receding hairline and the viability of his enemies notwithstanding, 2017 David has ticked each item off this list, including seeing sister Amy Sedaris on screen. (The actress has her own series debuting this fall on truTV.) His reasons to live in 1988 continue to inspire and inform the prolific writer and this hometown audience eagerly awaits stealing a moment of his time. –Katherine Poole 8 p.m.; $45 - $61; 2 E. South St.; dukeenergycenterraleigh.com Diary passages excerpted from Theft By Finding by David Sedaris. Copyright © 2017 by David Sedaris. Reprinted with permission of Little, Brown and Company. All rights reserved.

THE SHERI HAGERTY GROUP 919.862.6258 sheri.hagerty@hodgekittrellsir.com 3200 Wake Forest Road | Raleigh, NC 27609 hodgekittrellsir.com Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated.

SPOTLIGHT

CREATURE FEATURE

Theatre in the Park picks up the story where Mary Shelley leaves off

“W

hy did you make me?” This is the question at the reanimated heart of Theatre in the Park’s production Playing with Fire by Barbara Field. After an exhaustive pursuit, a dying Dr. Viktor Frankenstein has finally tracked the Creature he’s made to the frozen tundra of the North Pole. He sets out to destroy the evil he unleashed, but discovers in its place a pathetic and broken being looking for acceptance. Frankenstein is forced to admit culpability by confronting his own demons. Who is the real monster? Find out in the final act. Nestled in a lush garden at the northern end of Pullen Park, Theatre in the Park is a cornerstone of the bustling arts plaza that includes the Pullen Arts Center and the new Gregg Museum of Art & Design. Since the ’70s, under the faithful direction of Ira David Wood III, TIP has also been a cornerstone of Raleigh’s holiday traditions. Post Halloween, two new productions will join the marquee with the beloved A Christmas Carol: Mark your calendar for A Charlie Brown Christmas and The Santaland Diaries, based on the story by David Sedaris. –K.P. Oct. 6 - 7, 7:30 p.m; Oct. 1 and 8, 3 p.m.; $16 - 24; 107 Pullen Road; theatreinthepark.com

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courtesy Theatre in the Park

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We’re proud to welcome a new neighbor to our family.

We’re proud to welcome Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Pinehurst Realty Group into the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Carolinas Realty family of companies. With offices across North Carolina, now including Pinehurst and Southern Pines, you can count on having a great neighbor at your side.

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LIght

SECCA, an affiliate of the North Carolina Museum of Art, is worth a drive for its own sake. Housed in a classic Tudor house donated by the Hanes family, the museum features a modern addition, a unique hybrid gallery space, and groundbreaking art.“Much of our community doesn’t realize the caliber of artists that have showcased at SECCA before they became famous,” Olson says, citing Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and Christo. The museum’s inaugural Slam for Art golf tournament will pay homage to those blue chip names with a golf tournament that includes 18 holes transformed into 18 living versions of iconic art. Because part of the contest requires golfers to guess the artist that inspired each hole, Olson is tight-lipped about what exactly to expect. “I can tell you that instead of the ‘longest drive hole,’ you’ll drive over Andy Warhol-inspired giant-scale soup cans. On the Christo hole, all of the bunkers are wrapped in fluorescent yellow fabric.” There will also be local flair, including Art-o-Mats, or old cigarette vending machines filled with small original artworks instead of cigarettes. It’s a nod to the tobacco industry that built Winston-Salem, embedded in a bunker. “Every single golfer will walk away with an original piece of art.” The fun will continue post-tournament, when non-golfers are welcome to join for the after-party, featuring barbecue, blues music from Roy Roberts, and an auction for unusual art, Above: A SECCA board member creates including residential room murals. The event is art for the tournament course. entirely volunteer-run, which means all proceeds will go straight to SECCA. “Learn about art, have a little fun … It’s a whole experience.” And if you miss the chance to trek for the tournament e wanted to totally up the ante” on this year, Olson says planning has already commenced for the fundraising front, says Siob- the next Slam for Art. “We had to shelve some of the ideas this han Olson, a member of the board year, so we’re gearing up for this to be an annual event. People of directors at the Southeastern are already signing up for next year.” –J.A. Center for Contemporary Art in Breakfast begins at 9 a.m. and tournament tee-off is at 11 a.m., afterWinston-Salem. On Oct. 3, the museum will combine conparty begins at 4 p.m.; $140 per golfer or $500 for a team of four, $40 temporary art with golf for a fundraiser “worth driving for,” after-party-only ticket; Salem Glen Country Club, Clemmons; Olson says. seccaslamforart.org

FORE!

SECCA Slam for Art combines golf and modern art

“W

42 | WALTER

courtesy SECCA Slam for Art

TRIANGLE

Spot

SPOTLIGHT

LISTEN UP Yep Roc Records’ 20th anniversary bash

“W

e always stop and ask ourselves, can we add value to what our artists are creating? Can we amplify what they’re doing?” says Billy Maupin, general manager of Yep Roc Records in Hillsborough. This month, the amplification will be literal: the indie label celebrates its 20th anniversary with a weekendlong live-music-packed bash in Carrboro and Hillsborough Oct. 20 and 21. Yep Roc represents an eclectic mix of artists, including Raleighite Tift Merritt, Chapel Hillians Mandolin Orange, and mellow indie rockers like The Stray Birds and Aoife O’Donovan. Housed in an historic brick building in downtown Hillsborough, the label prides itself on a low-key, intensely artist-centered mindset. Reflecting back on two decades, Maupin says the approach has helped the company quietly build a label with legs. “We’ve never been an especially flashy company or one trying to create overnight sensations. We’ve been very determined and very methodical in how we’ve grown and established our brand.” All bets are off, though, when it’s time to celebrate. The label threw a memorable 15th anniversary bash that’s inspired

44 | WALTER

this month’s revelry, too. The main draw, of course, is the music: local musicians and Yep Roc artists that’ll keep the stage busy for most of the “three-night music extravaganza.” (As of press time, the total band count was at 12.) Performances take place at Chapel Hill’s iconic Cat’s Cradle. To connect the dots between nighttime shows, on Saturday there’s a daytime pre-festival in Hillsborough at the town’s River Park. Between impromptu acoustic performances, food from local restaurants, and specially brewed beer from Mystery Brewing, “it should be a pretty amazing day,” Maupin says. In the spirit of the label, this celebration is creative rather than raucous. “One of the coolest things that came out of the 15th anniversary was the connection between the artists. It led to several interesting projects after the fact.” Maupin says music lovers will appreciate the chance to watch artists jam, collaborate, and freestyle. “It’s what we’re all about: partnering with people that we think are creative and have something to say. … We want to celebrate the longevity of that vision.” –J.A. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; $50 for a single-night ticket, $80 for two-night tickets; for the full lineup and details about Saturday’s daytime prefestival: yeproc.com/yr20

Charles Harris

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RHEABUTCHER.COM (WIFE); McClatchy archives (LUCK)

OCTOBER

4 TAKE MY WIFE, PLEASE

Working with your wife is no joking matter. Or is it? Comedians and life partners Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butler offer a take on the subject Oct. 4 during their stand-up show Back to Back at Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill. Esposito has been named a Comic to Watch by The New York Times, and with the success of her album Same Sex Symbol, she has become a refreshing new voice in comedy. Butler is a stand-up comic, actor, and writer. Her television series Take My Wife (co-starring Esposito) premiered on Seeso in August. Catch these rising stars up-close and personal. Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m.; $32.50; 300 E. Main St.; catscradle.com

5-8

LUCK BE A LADY

Grab your guy or doll, a C note, and make the scene at The Cary Players community theater company’s production of Guys and Dolls Oct. 5 - 8. The beloved Broadway musical based on the short stories of Damon Runyon follows the antics of a grifting crew of gamblers, bookies, flunkies, gangsters, and molls hustling against the backdrop of 1950s Times Square. The colorful dialogue and rousing show numbers are a real kick in the pants. 7:30 p.m.; $20 for adults and $18 for seniors, students, and children; 101 Dry Ave., Cary; caryplayers.org/shows/guys-and-dolls

WORLD PREMIERE

OCTOBER 12-29, 2017 Fletcher Opera Theater

CarolinaBallet.com | 919-719-0900 Ticketmaster.com 800-982-2787

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SPOTLIGHT

courtesy Click! Photography Festival

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CLICK BAIT Click! Photography Festival

ov. Roy Cooper has officially proclaimed October Photography Month in North Carolina, and the Click! Photography Festival is your chance to observe it. Click! will put on more than 80 exhibits, events, and workshops featuring renowned and up-and-coming photographers at 35 local museums, galleries, universities, and alternative art spaces. Don’t miss exhibits like The Fence, the world’s largest public art photography exhibit, on show at Durham’s Orange Street Mall, or Garmsir Marines at the historic Forest Theatre on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus: The stirring collection by Louie Palu, a Guggenheim Fellow and documentary photographer, features large-scale banner portraits. Other exhibits will take place at Raleigh’s Gregg Museum of Art & Design, the 21c Mu-

46 | WALTER

seum Hotel in Durham, the Holly Springs Cultural Center, and others. But Click! is more than an opportunity to admire great photography. The festival also wants you behind the camera. Click! 120 Core Programming, an 120-hour intensive immersion into the medium of photography featuring keynote speakers, portfolio reviews, art bus tours, artist talks, and workshops, runs Oct. 4 - 8. Keynoters include Louie Palu and Anne Wilkes Tucker, curator emerita of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The festival concludes with an opportunity to operate the Mythical Beast, a 20-by-24-inch giant Polaroid camera on loan from 20x24 Studio making its final appearance to the public. Chuck Close, William Wegman, Andy Warhol, Joyce Tennyson, and Julien Schnabel have all taken turns behind the behemoth – at Click! you can too. The camera will be open to the public at Raleigh’s Anchorlight studios Oct. 27 and 28 in two-hour blocks of time (registration required) at a cost of $600. Get with the picture and celebrate photography month. Governor’s orders. –Katherine Poole For a full list of exhibitions and programs: clicktrianglephoto.org

OCTOBER

Thinkstock (PARTY); News & Observer archives (NATIVE)

PARTY ON, PROSIMIAN

Lemurpalooza swings into action at the Duke Lemur Center Oct. 7. Switching into party mode, this sell-out open house and adoption event is a blast for all ages. Stroll and view the animals at leisure and meet the Madagascan mammal’s BFFs – the keepers, educators, and researchers of the DLC. Bring a picnic or enjoy dinner and dessert from a local food truck. Reservations are required, as is a $50 donation which includes a parking pass for one vehicle and admission for its occupants. Also included is the symbolic adoption of one lemur. This fall adopt Raven, Teres, Presley, Pompeia, Grendel, or Thistle and receive regular updates and photos. Party with a purpose: The funds generated from Lemurpalooza cover the $7,400 per year it takes to care for each furry tailed friend. It’s a lemur lovefest! 4 - 7 p.m.; $50; reservation required; 3707 Erwin Road, Durham; lemur.duke.edu/lemurpalooza

NATIVE SOIL

Experience local history through the eyes of some of its earliest inhabitants. Join John “Blackfeather” Jeffries Oct. 8 at the Hillsborough Visitors Center for a hike along the Eno River and journey back 400 years. Jeffries, a tribal chief of the Occaneechi, shares what he refers to as the our-story, a counterpoint to hisstory, of his people. The Occaneechi, who were ousted from their Virginia homeland after a rebellion in the 1600s, founded a village near present-day Hillsborough. The village continues to maintain its native culture as one of the state’s eight recognized tribes. 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; $12; East Margaret Lane, Hillsborough; eventbrite. com/e/occaneechi-history-hike-tickets-36523677302?aff=es2

Learning IsA Blast! From the earliest years, children learn that Ravenscroft is a place of warmth, of belonging, and of exciting new discoveries. We meet every child where they are and as they explore a new world of people and ideas, we take them by the hand and make sure their journey is one of wonder and joy. Discover why children love it here!

Join us! Call to schedule a visit: 919.848.6470, or view our new website at www.ravenscroft.org. 7409 Falls of Neuse Road Raleigh, NC 27615 919.847.0900 www.ravenscroft.org

for any o ccaSion

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SPOTLIGHT

HEAD TO THE Chatham County’s HILLS funky, earthy, welcoming festival returns

“T

here are no strangers at Shakori Hills,” says Sara Schwartz, a coordinator of the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance Oct. 5 - 8. Now in its 15th year, the twice-yearly shindig is a family-friendly tailgate-meets folk concert-meets community happening. Spread out across dozens of acres in Chatham County, the four-day festival features four stages and more than 50 bands that range from local indie rockers like Sarah Shook & The Disarmers and Phil Cook & The Guitarheels to eclectic world music acts. Various activity areas provide nonstop diversion: there’s a movement tent, a dance tent, an indigenous crafts station; there’s a country store and a coffee barn (and a “lil coffee barn”); there’s a community garden and a goat pasture. There’s a circus zone, a music workshop, a sustainability workshop, and a food station. “We like to pull people in with good music, and then we have a lot of other really great things,” Schwartz says. “It all has a good positive message about arts and arts education.” Single-day tickets or weekend-long Women ’ s s tore 2015 C ameron s t. • 919.365.7074 kannonsClothing . Com

passes are available; some elect to camp out all weekend. Shakori Hills’ parent nonprofit organization owns the 75 acres that play host to the festival, providing a bucolic backdrop for a weekend of fresh air. In keeping with the family-friendly ethos of the festival, organizers have designated “quiet” campsites just for families. “Festivals have become a trendy thing,” she says, which has introduced a younger, hipper attendance demographic to Shakori Hills the past few years. Schwartz says the younger people make for a truly well-rounded audience. “We’ve always had everybody from very young children and families all the way up to 60-and-70-year-olds that may have gone to Woodstock … Community is at the core of all things. Whether it’s somebody who is at a Shakori Hills for the first time or somebody who’s been coming forever, everyone is really kind.” Drop any expectations (or dress codes) for this one: Whether you’re in search of music or dance, relaxation or activity, an escape or a party. –J.A. For the full schedule and to buy tickets: shakorihillsgrassroots.org

Dax Pecoro

S tyleS

Getty (PAR); TriangleGameNight.com (NIGHT); Thinkstock (PHANTOM)

OCTOBER

9-15

F or o ver 100 Y ears

PAR FOR THE COURSE

The SAS Championship tees off in Cary Oct. 9 for a week-long official PGA Champions Tour featuring top golfers over the age of 50. The Prestonwood Country Club, designed by Tom Jackson, hosts the 54-hole competition that showcases some of the nation’s premier talent, including John Daly, who will make his SAS Championship debut this year. Proceeds from this year’s tournament will benefit the YMCA of the Triangle’s Y Learning Program. Since the tournament’s inception in 2001, more than $4 million has been raised to support education. See a champion, be a champion. For complete schedule and to purchase passes: saschampionship.com.

NIGHT OF THE NERFING DEAD

The apex of the zombie apocalypse is Apex? TriangleGameNight.com has the intel and is locked and loaded for its Zombie Nerf Gun Battle Oct. 14. Join bands of fellow human survivors for this epic battle on 70 acres of zombieinfested land. You’ll be helping more than just the human race, as all proceeds benefit Extra Life Raleigh-Durham Guild and Duke Children’s Hospital. Whether you identify survivor, ultimate survivor, zombivore, or straight-up gamer, walk the walk of the dead. Prepare for battle with: a flashlight or headlamp, a nerf gun, and cash for concessions and extra ammo. 7 p.m. - midnight; ages 18 and older; $15 - $55; Optimist Farm Road, Apex; thezombiebattle.com

PHANTOM AT THE OPERA

The Clayton Music Festival is throwing the ultimate graveyard bash. Music of the Night is a deliciously wicked masked ball with dinner, concert, and dessert reception held Oct. 28 at Brick and Mortar Events. Guest artists Elana Gleason, soprano; Tyrone Chambers, tenor; and Michael Danchi, violin join artistic director and pianist Jonathan Levin for a performance of the best (and worst) horror music from stage and screen. Come dressed to impress a panel of fiendish judges and win tickets to a future show. Levin is a native son of Clayton and has made it the festival’s mission to bring high-caliber classical music performance to his community. It’s scary good. 6:30 p.m.; $45 seniors, $50 general audience; 217 E. Main St., Clayton; claytonpianofestival.org

M en’ s store 435 Daniels st. • 919.336.6902 kannonsclothing . coM

SPOTLIGHT

OUT STANDING IN THE FIELD

Farm fun for the whole fam

umpkins, corn cribs, mazes, hayrides, and farm animals ... It’s fall, y’all, and local farms have carved out a cornucopia of fun for everyone. We’ve rounded up a list of farms offering a variety of activities for all ages to make planning a day (or night) trip a cinch. Fam-tastic Load up the kids for some pumpkin-patching, corn-cribbing, cotton-picking family fun. Pan for gems and slip down the 80-foot giant slide at Hill Ridge Fall Pumpkin and Harvest Festival. Climb the farm tower fort or ride the barrel train at Naylor Family Farm. Pick cotton, take a hayride, and shop the country market at Farmer Ganyard’s Fall Harvest Festival at Upchurch Farm. Make a night of it at Millstone Creek Orchards for Hayride and Movie Night under the stars. A-maze-ing Test your luck, pluck, and ability to get unstuck at one of the many nearby corn mazes. Ken’s Korny Corn Maze is N.C.’s longest running with 2 ½ miles of paths over six acres. McKee’s Cedar Creek Farms, described as an “aerial billboard” for passing planes, boasts one of the largest corn mazes in the state. It covers more than 12 acres with four miles of labyrinth paths. All of the area corn mazes are designed with families in mind and have escape plans in place for any lost souls Spook-tacular For those seeking spine-tingling chills with their thrills, check out one of these local haunts. During the month of October, the Boyette Family Farm mutates into the Clayton

Fear Farm: Family-friendly daytime attractions focus on the happy of Halloween; fiendfriendly nighttime amusements include seven haunted attractions with horror features sparing no blood, guts, or chainsaws. Meantime, Phillips Farm of Cary dares visitors to cross its Field of Lost Souls in one piece or catch the show at Big Top Terror: There will be clowns. We’ll just leave it at that. –K.P. See websites for full lists of attractions, hours of operation, and admission prices. Clayton Fear Farm at Boyette Family Farms: through Oct. 31; 1620 Loop Road, Clayton; claytonfearfarm.com Farmer Ganyard’s Fall Harvest Festival at Upchurch Farm: through Nov. 12; 2521 Louis Stephens Drive, Cary; upchurchfarm.com Hill Ridge Fall Pumpkin and Harvest Festival: through Nov. 11; 703 Tarboro Road, Youngsville; hillridgefarms.com/harvest.php Ken’s Korny Corn Maze: 3175 Benson Road (Hwy. 50 South), Garner; kenskornycornmaze.com McKee’s Cedar Creek Farm: through Oct. 28; 5011 Kiger Road, Rougemont; mckeemaze.com Millstone Creek Orchards: every Saturday night in October; 506 Parks Crossroads Church Road, Ramseur; millstonecreekorchards.com/products/ halloween-hayride-movie-night Naylor Family Farm: through Nov. 5; 6016 US 401 North, Fuquay-Varina; naylorfamilyfarm.com Page Farms: through Oct. 31; 6100 Mt. Herman Road; pagefarmsraleigh.com/services.html Phillips Farm of Cary: through Oct. 31; 6701 Good Hope Church Road, Cary; phillipsfarmsofcary.com

Corey Lowenstein

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“Our purpose is to make women feel comfortable and confident, and have more fun, and be fit, and have a group of women to support them.”

–Chris Newport, president, Wheel Chix cycling club

hen the wheels go off for Le Tour de Femme, a annual women’s-only bike ride that includes a metric century (100 kilometer), half-metric century, and 15-mile route Oct. 14, the local Wheel Chix female cycling club members will be there. Four years ago, the club was created to ride in the event, says president and founder Chris Newport. “It was an excuse to ride with other women,” she says. “At the time, I had a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old, so Wheel Chix was partly selfish. … I wanted to ride my bike and I wanted other awesome ladies to do it with.” It began as a group of friends, many of whom Newport knows from the her day job as the owner of The Endurance Edge performance center in Cary, and today includes 60 regular members who gather for weekly rides throughout the Triangle. There are road bike rides most Thursdays, often easygoing loops through downtown Cary, and mountain bike rides most Sundays, often at William B. Umstead State Park. To supplement the riding, monthly socials “are like a social and a clinic combined,” Newport says. These beginner-friendly meetups are geared toward camaraderie. “We want everyone to experience

wheelchix.com

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Chris Newport, second from right, leads

that childish joy that goes along Wheel Chix cyclists (from left to right) Robin Ramm, Sarah Zumbrum, and with getting on two wheels and Baxter, Cassie Natalie Lew on a ride through Cary. riding.” Newport says the group’s growth – including a 200-strong group of women who follow it on Facebook – confirms the power of female community. “I was a bit of a tomboy growing up, but I really wanted this to be exclusively women. Riding together, you become comfortable with each other, and then you’re supported by that community of other strong, confident women.” A show of support will happen this month, when Wheel Chix presents another bike event in Cary the weekend before Le Tour de Femme. Tour de Cove honors club member Lori Cove, who was struck by a car last October and is recovering from traumatic brain injury. Proceeds from the 2.5-mile walk and 20 or 50 mile bike rides help Cove’s family pay for medical expenses. “Now it’s our turn to focus on riding safer and riding smarter, both as drivers and as cyclists. … This group has been an evolution.” –J.A.

photograph by MADELINE GRAY

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Our Town

GAME PLAN

“We want to find people that we can pour into here, and to contribute to the art culture as it grows.” –Louis Carr, painter and co-founder, East Oaks Studio

ontemporary realist painters Louis Carr, Michael Klein, and Joshua LaRock straddle the line between traditional art and popular culture. The trio – none of them North Carolina natives – opened East Oaks Studio in a historic mill building on Dawson Street in April. “We have a common vision about what we’re trying to do,” says LaRock. Namely: create a gallery, workshop, studio, and gathering space that welcomes the public, teaches them to paint, and celebrates their work. “There’s a high demand here, we’ve found,” LaRock says. “A lot of people have come out of the woodwork who are interested in what we’re doing, and who want to paint.” They met many of those folks through a series of online video tutorials the three of them put together. “Since Bob Ross, people have been making videos” that teach people to paint, Carr says, “but we wanted to create something that would provide quality instruction and also be something beautiful.” The result, de-

scribed by Carr as “a marriage between quality video and quality art,” fueled a successful Kickstarter campaign that funded the creation of the studio. Now that the studio is open, LaRock says, “we can get down to the work of painting.” The three men met at the atelier of the famed realist painter Jacob Collins in New York, and want East Oaks to provide budding young artists in this area the same kind of venue for learning. Their open-floorplan studio-workshop-gallery space hosts free workshops for beginners and paid workshops for serious artists. Each artist still produces instructional videos. “This space has developed slowly, but we know patience pays off,” says Carr. They chose Raleigh because it “checked all of the boxes,” including cost of living, quality of life, and the strength of the cultural community. “This is the place that is primed and ready for us to contribute to the swell of great art.” –J.A.

eastoaksstudio.com

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Painters (left to right) Louis Carr, Joshua LaRock, and Michael Klein pose in their work space.

photograph by MADELINE GRAY

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Our Town

SHOP LOCAL

“I want to give people an opportunity to have something beautiful, no matter how big or small.” –Lindsay McMillan, owner, Flowers & Flour floral design and bakery

sk Lindsay McMillan about her business concept, and she says it boils down to a good ol’ passion project: The Le Cordon Bleu graduate “just loves to arrange flowers.” When she moved to Raleigh six years ago she couldn’t find chic centerpieces on a budget, she started a company so that she could buy wholesale blooms and arrange them for herself and friends. Combining it with her culinary training seemed like a good move, and Flowers & Flour was born. “It’s still very small,” McMillan says of her one-woman business, if very small means providing flowers and desserts for events almost every weekend. Sometimes she does arrangements for a dinner party, baby shower, or bridal shower; sometimes she does the flowers for an entire wedding. Other times, she’s baking the cake as well. McMillan excels at trendy nontraditional styles: greenery wreaths, flower crowns, throwback birthday cakes (one recent confection featured funfetti strawberry shortcake with cream cheese buttercream frosting covered in rows of pink and white

frosted Mother’s circus animal cookies). During the week, she’s busy at her day job in the bakery of the new Sprouts Farmers Market specialty grocery store in North Raleigh, which keeps her culinary skills sharp. Much of her floral design knack comes naturally and from self-taught practice; she’s briefly worked with Meristem Floral to learn a few tricks of the trade, and now relies on a friend at church for traditional arranging guidance. So far, Flowers & Flour’s nearly constant stream of orders has come mostly via word-of-mouth and social media. “People find me on Instagram! It’s crazy how people from all over find me.” For now, her home base is her home kitchen and a spare roomturned-flower-studio, but one day, she’d love to open her own store. “That’s always been my personal dream. But something that I really respect and want to do is to take time, and learn, and hone my craft.” The best part, she says, pun intended, is the opportunity for growth, especially in the flower design department. “I get to be creative consistently, but it’s not overwhelming. I’m not burning myself out.” –J.A.

flowersandflournc.com

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photograph by MADELINE GRAY

Our Town

ON DUTY

“Customers have described us as a personal chef but at Panera prices.” –Roxanne Bras, co-founder, Supper Meals meal delivery service

t began as wishful thinking among young professionals in 2012: A group of friends sitting in Roxanne Bras’s kitchen dreamed they could afford “having a local chef make our dinners (at home), like when our moms would make our lunches,” Bras recalls with a chuckle. She was living in Southern Pines at the time, stationed with the military and too exhausted at the end of the day to cook. Mealdelivery services like Blue Apron were emerging, but Bras says it wasn’t enough to have ingredients and a recipe delivered. “I don’t enjoy cooking, nor am I particularly good at it.” The idea turned into a business plan, one that put the operational skills Bras had developed during her seven years in the military to work. In March 2016, she teamed with Dan Shih, a friend from graduate school who was working in technology, to found Supper Meals. After work, Bras canvassed for local chefs, and Shih built an online ordering platform and user-friendly app. Supper Meals became an immediate success, delivering pre-made meals “straight from the chefs’ kitchens to

the customers’ doorsteps,” ready to be re-heated and enjoyed. Supper Meals quickly became more than a side business. Last January, Bras left the military, Shih quit his job, and they both moved to Raleigh. Here, Supper Meals hit its stride. “The thing I’ve been struck by is that everybody’s busy. That resonates. Whether it’s because they’re working, they’re chasing their toddler, whatever it is.” Meals that range from $5 to $15 per person, cooked by local chefs including Mounir Saleh of Sassool and Cary-based personal chef Mario Huante, have found a following. Bras says her more than 1,000 weekly customers include professionals who need a few desk lunches, parents who want family dinners, and people ordering for elderly relatives. “We’re trying to make fresh, locally made meals more accessible and affordable … I feel that our customers are paying their hard-earned money for a service, and we really want to deliver.” The locavore ethos helps, too: “This is chefs feeding their communities … Somebody in Raleigh is making the food from scratch.” –J.A.

suppermeals.com

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photograph by MADELINE GRAY

deally, the places we live reflect who we are and what matters to us. Maybe they celebrate what we love, like color, nature, or art; maybe they serve as an extension of our life’s work; perhaps they offer a place to dream. This month, we visit houses and gardens that serve these purposes and more. “Home” means something unique if you’re an architect or a collector; “garden” means something different to a master gardener or a tree house builder. As with so many things, Raleigh has variety in abundance. Join us as we take a tour.

OCTOBER 2017 | 59

Our Town

SPOTLIGHT

photographs by JULI LEONARD

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HAPPINESS among the trees

by REBECCA GUERNARD

erched out of reach, a treehouse evokes mystery, seclusion, a place apart where a child can dream up an adventure. It’s a castle on the hill, the Shire, an Ewok village. It’s Swiss Family Robinson. Before the ink was dry on the mortgage papers of our North Raleigh home, my family was discussing which tree on our two-acre property would support a treehouse. After six months of planning, drawing, and calculating, my husband looked up from the kitchen table, surrounded by graph paper covered in schematics, and said: “This is going to be a big project.” Everyone went quiet and my son gently pointed out the reality of his undertaking. “You are building a house,” he said. “Up in a tree.” Feeling apprehensive, I set out to find camaraderie with Raleigh’s treehouse people. It, too, was a bigger challenge than I expected. Despite its Oak City label, Raleigh’s building ordinances hinder the construction of treehouses. “Accessory structures” are limited to a certain height and distance from property lines, making treehouses unlikely to qualify, given the standard lot size. Even if you head out to where lots are more spacious, homeowners associations can crush your treehouse dreams. Eventually, I was able to find several examples of what is possible when grown-ups with power tools remember what it was like to be a kid. Occupying only a couple-hundred square feet of space, these houses in the trees are cozy enough to let you roll out just a few sleeping bags, and big enough to let your childhood imagination run wild.

OCTOBER 2017 | 61

Our Town

SPOTLIGHT

TREE HUGGERS Clockwise from top: Nava Robinson, 8, swings on a thick vine beneath the treehouse built by her father, Matt Robinson. Three loblolly pines support the bow of the McCalls’ treehouse. A lack of doors or windows in the Corkums’ treehouse encourage the scent of magnolias from a neighboring grove to fill the cozy interior decorated with furniture from a craftsman in Boone who fashions old twigs into child-sized tables and chairs. Tiny birds’ nests hang in several corners of the Corkums’ treehouse. A tiny skeleton and a wooden wheel are among the details on the McCalls’ treehouse boat. Colorful chairs and cushions encourage lounging in the Vassallo-Soto treehouse. Previous spread: A Charlotte artist designed and built the Corkums’ hexagonal shaped house with a wraparound deck.

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OCTOBER 2017 | 63

The Proud Pavilion

Though the Vassallo-Soto family built their treehouse for their four kids, they admit adults love it too. Tara and her husband Vinney wanted to give their kids a place for sleepovers, where they could chill device-free. “We wanted to give the kids a house outside of the house,” says Tara Vassallo-Soto. Tara Vassallo-Soto hashed out a design with RB Landscaping in under an hour. The treehouse sits proud and inviting at the top of a rise in the backyard, tucked up into the lower limbs of a tall oak tree. The design is reminiscent of a pavilion, with only one full back wall and two knee-height side walls. The absence of a fourth wall provides a spacious feeling and unobstructed views across the neighborhood. Kids can lounge lazily in the colorful beanbag chairs dolloped throughout the space, or in the neon hammocks draped underneath. The colors pop off the natural wood structure, like stained-glass windows in a childhood sanctuary.

The Tree Hugger

“We bought this house because of that tree,” says Matt Robinson. He is referring to a mammoth pin oak at the back of his property. Its trunk punctures the foundation and then exits through the roof of a treehouse-in-the-works that sits 14 feet off the ground. For as long as he can remember, Robinson wanted to build a treehouse. His apprenticeship came when he helped a friend clear the trees on a 40-acre property. They cut the logs into lumber and built a timber-framed home on the land. Robinson applied the skills he learned building that house to construct the treehouse for his family, a massive undertaking that required him to borrow scaffolding to build so high. “I never want to get up on that roof again,” Robinson says. “It was terrifying.” He calls the treehouse his “labor of love.”

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Robinson has worked on it for two years. He is happy to take his time; being among the trees, he says, relaxes him. Preferring a rustic look, he has used reclaimed wood and incorporated creative touches like a window across the back wall that is actually a French door on its side. A prominent feature inside the house is the oak tree itself, which greets a visitor immediately upon entering. Robinson is still working to finish details like a backlit rusted tin ceiling and a rolling ladder to access the house’s loft. He also plans to put in a writing desk, ostensibly so his girls can do their homework, but his wife imagines Robinson himself will claim it most of the time. “He is looking forward to having a spot where he can look out through the trees and write some poetry,” she says.

The Woodlands Home

With a heavy heart, Sherry Corkum accepted that twin 100-year old oak trees on her property, formerly the Lassiter Mill Farm, had to be cut down. One tree still had weathergreyed wooden slats nailed to the trunk that the Lassiter children had used decades earlier as a ladder to a long-gone treehouse. But the trees were rotted and posed a safety hazard. Corkum was expecting a baby, and the Corkums couldn’t risk an accident, so the trees were removed. Corkum didn’t have to mourn their absence for long. Two weeks later, her husband called from Charlotte where he was developing a property. A treehouse on the land where he was working had to be removed or destroyed before building could begin. The Corkums decided to make it their own. Months later, a flatbed trailer arrived at the Corkums’ home in Raleigh with their treehouse and what remained of the cypress tree it once lived in. The house is a special one. A Charlotte artist designed and built the hexagonal shaped house with a wraparound deck. The Corkums used the cypress tree it once hung in as pilings to support its substantial load-bearing beams, which also accommodate an exit slide on one side and a couple of hammocks on the other. Tree bark shingles on the roof and siding camouflage the whole house, while tiny birds’ nests hang in several corners. A lack of doors or windows encourage the scent of magnolias from a neighboring grove to fill a cozy interior decorated with furniture from a craftsman in Boone, North Carolina who fashions child-sized tables and chairs out of old twigs. There is a chalkboard on one wall and drums hang throughout. The Corkums hide small treasures here and there for young guests to discover. Sherry Corkum says her family has gotten hours of enjoyment out of the treehouse. It has been the centerpiece for her son’s birthday parties and the hangout spot for her teenaged niece. “We lost two oaks,” says Corkum. “But we gained so much more.”

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN Brian Lowery built a live-in doll house among the trees in his Zebulon backyard for his daughters, Logan and Austyn Lowery. The tiny twostory structure is fairytale perfect, with green siding, white trim, and an inviting front porch. Opposite: The interior features tranquil purple walls, reading nooks, and a sleeping loft.

OCTOBER 2017 | 65

The Doll House

Brian Lowery intended to build a swing set. Instead he built a live-in dollhouse among his backyard trees. “We figured they would quickly outgrow a swing set,” says Lowery, since his daughters were eight and eleven when he embarked on the project. He wanted to give them a place that they could use well into their teen years. Lowery constructed the house himself, on a modest budget, with materials he purchased at the local home improvement store. He supplied the house with electricity so nightfall would not discourage the girls from playing outside. The tiny twostory structure has green siding, white trim, and an inviting front porch. The interior features tranquil purple walls, reading nooks, and a sleeping loft. It’s the ideal spot to foster some girl power. A year has passed and Lowery’s house is fairytale-perfect, but he isn’t shy about expressing his disappointment. He imagined his girls would be anxious to spend their private time in the house sharing giggles and secrets, but they haven’t shown much interest in it. He recently hung a television on one wall. “If no one is going to use it, I’ll turn it into a man-cave,” Lowery says, with a laugh.

The Fantasy-bound Boat

In a cluster of trees beside a European-style North Raleigh home sits a treehouse shaped like a boat. Its bow, supported by

three loblolly pines, points through a sea of trees to be navigated on the way to adventure. Make-believe grandeur is easy to conjure in this simple setting. Perhaps Peter Pan is faring the Darling children home from Neverland, a peg-legged Ahab is manning a whaling ship, or SpongeBob is practicing his driving lessons. The homeowners, Roger and Terri McCall, considered taking down the treehouse when they bought their home. Their kids are grown and they didn’t imagine anyone using it. But they love the ocean, and decided to leave the treehouse in place as a seaside-style decoration. They underestimated the boat’s magnetism. It turns out the treehouse is beloved by all their pint-sized visitors – grandnieces and nephews and friends with kids. The original owner’s brother, a carpenter, built the precious port-dweller. Children enter from a trap door in the floor of the boat, leaving the boat’s structure uninterrupted when the door is closed. As you look out from the small, enclosed bridge, it’s easy to imagine you are sailing through the sky. “Sometimes it’s a pirate ship. Sometimes it’s a fishing boat,” says Roger McCall. “Mostly, it’s a pirate ship.” The McCalls now have a box of accessories to accompany the treehouse. They keep plenty of flags, swords, hooks, and dolls on hand to foster the popular pirate theme and delight in the hours of laughter and “Ahoy, matey!” that emanate from their trees.

RALEIGH

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that the earth laughs in flowers, and Francis Bacon called gardening “the purest of human pleasures.” Each spring, members of the Raleigh Garden Club open their carefully tended home plots to the public during the club’s annual garden tour.

OCTOBER 2017 | 67

RALEIGH gardens

GARDEN PARTY “We celebrate gardening pleasures and treasures,” says president Joyce Moses. The group was organized in 1925 and is among the oldest garden clubs in the state. Its longevity is perhaps due in part to its diverse activities: beginner and master gardeners alike volunteer side-byside to plant flowers in city parks, lead garden tours, and host seasonal maintenance workshops. They also sponsor garden therapy programs in local prisons and rehab facilities. And, of course, they tend to plots of their own. From the flourishing rose bushes in member Vicki Thompson’s garden to the sculpture-studded greenery at CJ Dyke’s, these backyards serve as reminders that gardens can take on any size, style, and design. The best way to begin, Joyce Moses says, is to simply dig in. “Gardening is for everybody.” photographs by CATHERINE NGUYEN

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OPEN HOUSE Clockwise from top left: Pat Grady’s greenhouse; One of many sculptures in CJ Dyke’s garden; A blushing rose in Vicki Thompson’s garden; Ferns and other shade plants in CJ Dyke’s garden. Opposite: Pat Grady’s shade garden; Vicki Thompson’s roses. Previous page: An arch of roses welcome visitors in Vicki Thompson’s garden.

OCTOBER 2017 | 69

WALTER profile

Building up The Bull City Architect Ellen Cassilly’s Durham

by J. MICHAEL WELTON

Driving through Durham with architect Ellen Cassilly, you’d be hard-pressed to find a section of the city where she hasn’t made a difference. There’s Central Park and the pavilion next to it, home to Durham Farmers’ Market. There’s Leaf, a shade structure that was the first design-build project from N.C. State’s Summer Studio, in 2009. There’s Liberation Threads, the ethically sourced fashion shop on Chapel Hill Street, and the apartment above it. The list goes on, wherever your tour might take you: “On Mangum Street we did this yellow one and that red one there,” the 56-year-old designer points out. “On Parrish Street we did Chet Miller – it’s tiny.”

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FUEL UP Cassilly recently converted an aging PURE gas station-turned-storefrontchurch into a restaurant called GRUB. DL Anderson Pictures

OCTOBER 2017 | 71

Lissa Gotwals

LOFTY AMBITION

Ellen Cassilly at home with her husband, Frank Konhaus.

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Tiny is not uncommon in Cassilly’s work, though she’s taken on some fairly sizeable projects as well. Her own home, which she designed with husband Frank Konhaus, is a series of three pods linked together to overlook Duke Forest. References to Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, and Alvar Aalto abound. There’s a 2,400-square-foot residence, an 800-square-foot studio for visiting artists, and a 900-square-foot connecting gallery to display their work. “Who would have thought of that but Frank and Ellen?” asks Raleigh architect Frank Harmon. “They created their own community. She’s interested in doing things that haven’t been done before.” Harmon should know. Cassilly worked with him from 1993 to 1998, tackling a wide range of projects. “She saw my office as doing the kind of work she’s sympathetic to – it’s very much about place and the people that I work for,” he says. “I involve my clients as much as possible in the designs.”

both photos courtesy Ellen Cassilly

From Paris to Raleigh

SNUG An example of Cassilly’s residential work on Lancaster Street in Durham. The rustic garden classroom at Sarah P. Duke Gardens.

Cassilly approached Harmon after a four-year stint in Paris, where – straight out of the University of Pennsylvania – she’d worked in the office of Pritzker Prize-winning Christian de Portzamparc. “This, from a 25-year-old woman,” Harmon says. That job on her resume was Harmon’s first hint at her resourceful confidence: “She gets into a phone booth and starts calling architects – and lands a job with one of the top three in France.” When Harmon brought her in for an interview, Cassilly told him: “I’m going to stop working here one day.” Cassilly recalls Harmon was nonplussed: “Why are you telling me that?” Harmon asked. “I haven’t offered you a job.” Cassilly replied: “Oh, you’ll get to that.” And he did, eventually putting her to work on a new amphitheOCTOBER 2017 | 73

Lissa Gotwals

“I haven’t offered you a job.” Cassilly replied: “Oh, you’ll get to that.” And he did, eventually putting her to work on a new amphitheater for the North Carolina Museum of Art, one that’s now celebrating its 20th anniversary. “She was great,” says Dan Gottlieb, NCMA’s director of planning and design. “She was talking us through a lot of practical pieces of the puzzle for a peculiar kind of design – and a slim budget that stretched well beyond what she had.”

Stepping up – and out

In 1997, Cassilly bought a midcentury modern bank building in Durham’s warehouse district, paying $232,000 for 10,000 square feet in one of the sketchiest parts of town. It’s now one of the most desirable. “It was a very scary day,” she says. “I was working at Frank’s office, and I said: ‘I bought a building.’ ” “Frank said: ‘What are you going to do with it?’ ” “I said: ‘It could be Frank and Ellen West – or it could be Ellen West,’ ” referring to her future independent business’s location in Durham, she says. “I was being pretty clear.” She set up her practice – and never looked back. She started with two projects and some well-designed signs posted on Club Boulevard. The firm has eventually grown to five people, with its work now split evenly between commercial and residential designs. Seven years back, architect Phil Freelon asked her to collaborate on his fifth-floor penthouse atop the Kress Building downtown. “I PLAIN VIEW

Cassilly’s home celebrates art. A detail of her home’s exterior.

had design ideas but didn’t want to do the details, and I wanted assistance from someone I respected, who showed a track record of excellence,” Freelon says. “That turned out to be Ellen.” Cassilly had already designed most of the condos in the building, so the learning curve was minor. “She had great ideas about how to configure the space,” he says. More recently, she’s worked at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, designing smaller structures that delight visitors and employees alike. They include a greeters’ pavilion, a way station at the entrance of the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden, and a restored tobacco barn for an outdoor learning center. But her finest effort there rises from a prairie meadow where 40 pine and cedar trees were cleared in 2016. Out of the harvested timber, Cassilly created a rustic garden classroom, and left behind a design opportunity for Stefan Bloodworth, curator of Blomquist Garden. He wove a series of wall screens – essentially see-through wainscoting knitted out of tree branches – that add a spiritual element to the place. “People ask me: ‘Is this a church?’ ” he says. “And I’m not going to argue with that.” The charm of the classroom, with metal roof ridge that rises and eaves that drop, is nothing short of enchanting. “When you first look at it, you say ‘Oh – a little shed,’ ” Cassilly says. “And you get closer and you say: ‘Ohhh – it’s much more complex than that – there’s the lattice work, the lowered eave and the extended prow.’ It’s like a deer blind, but you sit in it and observe nature.” On the commercial front, Cassilly recently converted an aging PURE gas station-turned-storefront-church into a restaurant called GRUB, complete with rooftop bar, outside order window, and shaded picnic benches. Her choice of materials was diverse: banquettes covered in Raleigh Denim, barn-wood interior paneling, and outside, a four-foot-tall dividing wall composed in Florida decorative block.

Home work

Cassilly’s residential work speaks volumes about her gift for listening to both people and places. For Jennings Brody’s 300 square-foot addition to a boxy 1948 1,450 square-foot home, she tore down walls, in-

The Sweet Sound of Good Times Although you may not know Dave Rose by name, if you’ve seen live music in Raleigh, N.C., chances are that you’ve seen and heard his handiwork. From programming the North Carolina State Fair’s live music to advising on local events, Dave ensures that live music has a place to shine seven nights a week. Learn more at visitRaleigh.com/livemusic

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troduced natural light, and added a kitchen island that’s now a gathering spot for Brody’s girlfriends. “I feel like she changed the energy of the house,” Brody says. For an 800 square-foot interior at the 1940 William Sprinkle House, she redefined the living area and added space for house concerts around a grand piano. She opened up a porch overlooking a decades-old camellia garden, paying homage to its former jalousie windows with glass display shelves. Most intriguing is an electronic mesh “phantom” screen she inserted – one that can be raised or lowered in 60 quick seconds. Her creativity is also on display in a two-story guest house for the Berliner residence on the edge of Trinity Park, where she opened up a double-height living space to accommodate a 12-foot-tall pilot whale skeleton, adding a music studio above. Paul Berliner is an ethnomusicologist who specializes in the African mbira instrument, so she curved the roof of the guest house with four laminated pine beams, mimicking that instrument’s steel keys. And for a three-floor condominium in Durham’s former Book Exchange Building, Cassilly broke 7,800 square feet of space down into manageable pieces. On the main level, a fireplace separates the kitchen, living, and dining area, where the wooden frame of an antique elevator hovers over the table. Office space and bedrooms are on the second level, and on the third is a guest suite with a Murphy bed. As Durham continues to reinvent itself with grand hotels like 21c and The Durham, as well as One City Center, the 27-story mixed-use tower, bigger projects surely will come Cassilly’s way. “She’s perfectly capable of doing large things, and I wish she would,” says Harmon. It’s bound to happen. She’s already designed everything else under the sun in Durham.

An evening evening with with

Please join WALTER magazine for an evening with internationally acclaimed artist and designer Bob Timberlake. We will share a delicious meal, drinks, and conversation with the beloved North Carolinian, whose paintings of the outdoors and bestselling lines of furniture have made him a ﬁxture in our state and beyond. PRESENTED BY

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STORY

of a house

Georgian

on my mind A grand home exudes a playful happiness 80 | WALTER

MODERN ENGLISH Above: The exterior of Pam and George Clark’s home. The tower salvaged from a Fayetteville high school is behind the trees on the left. Opposite, clockwise from top: Chocolate walls in the dining room feature several colorful abstract paintings including one by Raleigh artist Meredith Kittrell on the left wall. The chandelier – a box of glass tubes when found – came from Habitat for Humanity’s Raleigh ReStore. A funky blue carousel mirror fragment enlivens the living room.

by JESMA REYNOLDS photographs by CATHERINE NGUYEN

“Spitttin’ distance” is an apt Southernism to describe the distance between Pam and George Clark’s house on Clark Avenue and Snoopy’s Hot Dogs & More on Hillsborough Street, but that’s where any connection stops. Take one step through their iron gate, and it’s immediately clear that theirs is a world apart – from everything around it. Cloistered behind a serpentine brick wall, a breathtaking Georgian home with a stately two-story, white-columned porch overlooks a sweeping front lawn bordered with hydrangeas. The house has been the Clarks’ since 2003, when a need to renovate the house they were living in inspired them to take a look at what was on the market. When they found the Clark Avenue property for sale, they didn’t think twice. The classic residence had been extensively renovated

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IN LIVING COLOR This page: Living room walls are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Chic Lime. A carousel fragment mirror found in Asheville hangs above an antique chest of drawers, the first piece of furniture Pam Clark bought. The painting above the fireplace was a gift from her father. All the fabrics came from her sister and interior designer Susan Tollefson. Wallpaper in the entry hall is by Osborne & Little. The white and black vintage lamp, one of a pair on the sideboard, was purchased at Legacy Antique Mall in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, where Clark also found the painting Bathers by Claude Howell. Opposite, clockwise from top left: Bold wallpaper adds drama to the tiny powder room. In the library, Clark placed a pair of green velvet chairs she found at Shelton’s Furniture in Raleigh. In the breakfast room, a chandelier made out of tractor parts hangs above a custom farm table from Georgia Harvest Tables. Paper mats and napkins are from Clarks’ shop The Fort at 3512. A collection of glove molds found at the Raleigh Flea Market sit on top of the fish tank. The sunset painting is by Linda Sue Dickerson.

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CHEAP TRICKS Pam Clark thrives on finding good deals. Her office, above, is in a converted upstairs bedroom. She found the hot pink curtains at IKEA. The guest bedroom at left is a mix of flea market finds, IKEA, and Target.

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NIRVANA The pool terrace is a favorite spot for entertaining. Faux fescue placemats on the table reflect Pam Clark’s whimsical approach to design. Vintage glassware mixes with Vietri silverware and white china. The tower addition was salvaged from Fayetteville High School. A master gardener, Clark created a lush oasis around the pool.

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U RB A NFO O DGRO UP.COM

and modernized by notable architects Perry & Plummer, who had used it as their personal home. One of the house’s most distinct features is its tower, which was salvaged by the architects from Fayetteville’s old high school. As providence would have it, Pam Clark, who is from Fayetteville, has many relatives – including her mother – who attended the school when the tower was still intact. Today, with its large-scale circular windows, carved mouldings, and soaring 12-foot ceiling, the square space has become a favorite room for the couple to spend their mornings. The classic architectural details of the house itself provide a lofty framework for Pam Clark’s evolving tastes, her love of color, and her mastery of mixing high and low. Within its stately rooms are flea market finds, pithy signs and pillows, quirky vintage wares, and traditional furniture. In the living room, a funky blue bubble-lit mirror (likely a carousel fragment) is a nod to Pam Clark’s fun-loving spirit. And because she loves a deal, she’s proud to share that her guest room is furnished with finds from Ikea, Target, and flea markets. Gracious entertainers, the Clarks have often opened their home over the years for numerous parties, house swaps with friends, and recently, their daughter’s wedding reception. In 2012, Pam Clark converted their freestanding garage – topped with a weathervane from the same Fayetteville high school – into a business called The Fort at 3512 where she sells “conventional and unexpected” gifts and vintage finds. She announces The Fort’s irregular hours with weekly emails to her customers that note when “the door will be UP,” times that often coincide with happy hour, which gives her another opportunity for entertaining and gathering. A master gardener, Pam Clark has designed the house’s beautiful formal gardens, too. Around the pool and terrace are trimmed hedges, statues, and topiary echoing the classical style of the house. It is a cool spot where the Clarks often retreat and invite friends. Even in such a refined setting, Pam Clark’s whimsy is still at play: “faux fescue” ottomans serve as extra seating under a canvas cabana, and placemats of the same material rest beneath china and Vietri flatware on an outdoor dining table. As with any gracious home, the Clarks have imbued their residence with comfort and warmth that is a reflection of their needs and styles. The result is a home that is both exuberant and energetic. TheFort3512.com

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STORY

of a house

MORE IS MORE! At home with Charlotte Smith

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by JESMA REYNOLDS photographs by CATHERINE NGUYEN

In Charlotte Smith’s world, more is always better. More art, more accessories, more color, more furniture. The owner of Raleigh’s two-year-old Union Camp Collective sells an unconventional mix of wares out of her large shop/warehouse on West Street. There, her more-is-more approach reigns supreme. Rooms are choc-a-block full of modern vintage furniture, fine antiques, large-scale art, and funky garden sets. It’s also an event space that Smith offers up for parties, film screenings, and other gatherings. The bind that ties it all is a combination of variety and audacity that she applies with skill at her personal residence as well. On a side street in the University Park neighborhood, Smith’s rental house is a laboratory for experiments in color, arrangement, scale, and style. Ever-changing – price tags remain on most of the furniture and accessories – the rooms are a bricolage of things picked up on buying trips or inherited from family members. The result is a mash-up of motifs, periods, and styles. Furniture pairings are fierce, or, as she’s prone to say about pretty much everything in her house, badass. Within that framework, one might find a chair from India with a Native American headrest beside an antique gilt French side table, or a collection of custom-framed antique fans from her mother lining the walls of the dining room. It all seems pretty fabulous, but it’s the art she treasures most. Smith claims if a fire did strike and she were forced to grab a favorite piece, she’d likely die inside as she returned over and over to rescue every piece of art. For now, she takes full advantage of her spacious walls to showcase a puzzlelike arrangement of her beloved works. Outsider folk canvases, abstract art, fine landscape paintings, period portraits, three-dimensional works, and vintage metal signs are juxtaposed higgledy-piggledy for a grand effect that defies convention. In Smith’s bold and capable hands, it all works. union-camp.myshopify.com

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MASTER OF THE MIX

Previous spread: Smith says there’s an inviting challenge in unfinished spaces. For her, each item tells a story, and she is constantly rewriting the narrative by rearranging her treasures. Assorted gilded Buddha statues and temple pieces are arranged on Italian carved wood sconces around the mantel and grouped with a self-portrait by Ohio artist Pascal Cuçaro and a Marimekko original.

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This page, clockwise from top: The wall above the living room sofa is covered with a variety of art, which is how Smith, shown at right, likes things. South American masks coupled with Native American platters and African folk art hang on the wall. Opposite: A collection of antique fans inherited from her mother hang on the walls in the dining room.

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TRUE TO HERSELF Smith surrounds herself with things she loves. In the bedroom, art from different styles and periods hangs on the wall by her bed; most pieces, she says, are for sale. A turn-of-the20th-century stage coach cloak with ermine fur, a family heirloom, rests on the end of the bed with a pink wool and blue handstitched embroidery throw. A zebra pouf and a reupholstered chair from her shop anchor the sunny window. A collection of hard-to-find glass and resin dandelion paperweights in the dining room.

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AT THE table

galettes and gratitude COMMON MEAL

Brigid Washington, left, serves a savory butternut squash and sage galette, and a sweet pear and cardamom galette to her friends from The Summit Church.

by BRIGID WASHINGTON

AST YEAR, WHEN MY HUSBAND JOSEPH AND I WELCOMED OUR second child, I dreaded going back to the office. “The office” for me was our home kitchen. As the former editor of the Culinary Institute of America’s monthly magazine and a longtime food writer, work for me meant cooking. Just three weeks prior to our daughter’s birth, I had submitted the final pass to my Manhattan publisher for my first cookbook. When Noelle Grace arrived, not only was I exhausted, as you might expect, but I was also experiencing a mash-up of emotions. Angst and accomplishment topped the list. So for weeks, our new family of four

survived off my visiting mother’s cooking, the generosity of a few friends who brought over meals, and a mortgage-payment’s-worth of prepared food from the Whole Foods hot bar. When our small group of friends from The Summit Church hosted a potluck, the thought of attending seemed impossible to imagine. Then, bright glimpses of my former self began to shine through my postpartum cloud. I decided that I had to allow my once-heady love for community and the kitchen to overpower my growing reclusivity. Also, I needed to face my fear: that my nourishing relationship with food had begun to curdle.

Back in the kitchen

It was a potluck, so I had to contribphotographs by MADELINE GRAY

94 | WALTER

ute something. But the moment I RSVPed “yes” was also the moment I felt the weight of my own expectations. I wanted to bring some impressive culinary musing: you know, something that “I just whipped up” because “everything is so great,” a dish dripping with the syrupy, fake sweetness of humble-brag. Thankfully, reality has a way of asserting itself, and my diminished state quickly dissolved any notion of creating a caramel-spun croquembouche. An honest inner dialogue ensued. Deciding on a dish that brims with ease and charm – as well as utility – forced me to thumb through my mental recipe index. And there, somewhere between a root vegetable pizza and a classic apple pie were the answers: a butternut squash and sage galette, and a pear, honey, and cardamom

galette. I didn’t set out to make galettes. Instead, I listened to the story my body was quietly trying to tell me, and the result was an ode to everything I wanted to share with friends. It was also what my postpartum body needed. Because I was nursing, I instinctively gravitated toward nutrientdense foods that fed both me and my baby well. Butternut squash, with its high folate and magnesium content,was a clear choice. I also craved the warm comfort of baked fruit mingled with the novelty and glamour of a classic French pate brisee pastry. In no time I was back in the saddle. My muscle memory, slightly atrophied from the lapse in service, regained confidence with each step. Dough formation, vegetable cookery, fruit assembly, and egg wash application were the simple process-

es that made me feel like me for the first time in months. A glass of crisp Cava didn’t hurt either. Moments later, an alien aroma enveloped our home and gave each of us pause – even the crying baby. It wasn’t just the homemade, baked goodness, it was something much more: It was the scent of gratitude. I realized that the reward of this experience was not the galettes. It was the ability to make them, and then to share them with many friends as I held a healthy baby girl on my hip, next to a toddler who is every bit of 3-year-old boy as he should be, all within the security of a strong marriage that had weathered a barrage of storms. For the previous two months, I had failed to recognize my own complicity in my humdrum listlessness; I had grumbled OCTOBER 2017 | 95

over trivialities instead of marveling at all of the triumphs. Realizing this, I felt embarrassed by my shortsightedness, at having been so blind to the blessings. The kitchen I had so recently shunned now seemed transformative. Making these dishes had ratified my position that the kitchen will always be a place of immense fulfillment; it had provided the means for me to rediscover the value of cooking for others. So, when I pulled those galettes out of the oven – the butternut squash speckled with sage and struggle, the pear dripping with honey and delight – I also extracted the knowledge that gratefulness to the Father, for this life, was the missing ingredient.

Oriental Rugs

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SAGE GALETTE For the crust 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 stick butter, cold and cubed

contemporary traditional transitional

½ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped ½ cup iced cold water For the filling 1 medium-sized butternut squash, peeled 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper 2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped 1 egg, lightly beaten

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Make the crust dough: In a food processor, pulse the flour, cold butter, salt, and sage until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 20-30 seconds. Stream in the iced water, a quarter-cup at a time, until the mixture takes a globular shape, roughly one minute. For a delicate, flaky pastry do not to overwork the dough. Ready an ample-sized piece of plastic wrap, then turn dough onto the wrap, and gently form into a roughly five-inch disc. Chill for at least an hour. Meanwhile, make the filling: Preheat oven to 350. Peel the butternut squash and divide the longer part from the round base which contains the seeds. Cut the longer part of the squash in half, down the middle,

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to make two half-moon logs. Following this, slice each half into half-inch pieces. (You will likely get 30 slices per half.) Place these slices on a sheet pan lined with either a Silpat or parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season with coarse salt, pepper, and the remainder of the sage. Bake for 9 - 11 minutes. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and allow it to cool. Increase the oven temperature to 400. Ready another sheet pan with a double lining of parchment paper. Make the egg wash and set aside. Retrieve the dough from the refrigerator. On a generously floured work surface, roll the dough, starting from the middle and rolling outward. This should form a circle roughly 12 inches in diameter. Very carefully, transfer the dough to the parchment lined sheet pan. Arrange the baked butternut squash slices in whatever manner that preference dictates on the dough, leaving a one-inch border. Take caution to fully cover the dough with squash. Fold edges of dough over the squash, creating a pleat with the dough to enclose the galette. Brush the prepared egg wash onto the galette and bake for 30 - 35 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack for five minutes. Serve warm on its own, or with a simple side salad. Serves 4 - 6

PEAR, HONEY, AND CARDAMOM GALETTE For the crust 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 1 stick butter, cold and cubed 2 tablespoons sugar ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup iced cold water For the filling 4 large D’Anjou pears, peeled, cored, cut into eighths ½ cup honey, divided 1 tablespoon ground

cardamom,

1 tablespoon butter, melted 1 egg, lightly beaten Crème fraiche or chantilly cream, for serving Make the crust dough: In a food processor, pulse the flour, cold butter, salt, and sugar until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 20 - 30 seconds. Stream in the iced water, a quarter-cup at a time, until the mixture takes a globular shape, for roughly one minute. For a delicate, flaky pastry do not to overwork the dough. Ready an ample-sized piece of plastic wrap, then turn dough onto the wrap, and gently form into a roughly five-inch disc. Chill for at least an hour.

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Meanwhile make the filling: In a large bowl, toss the pears with half of the honey and the cardamom. Set aside. Preheat the oven temperature to 400. Ready a sheet pan with a double lining of parchment paper. Make the egg wash and set aside. Retrieve the dough from the refrigerator. On a generously floured work surface, roll the dough, starting from the middle and rolling outward. This should form a circle roughly 12 inches in diameter. Very carefully, transfer the dough to the parchment lined sheet pan. Drizzle the other half of the honey on the dough, leaving a one-inch border. Arrange the pears slices over the honey on the dough (in whichever manner most visually appealing to you). Fold the edges of the dough over the pears, creating a pleat with the dough to enclose the galette. Brush the melted butter over the pears, then brush the dough with the prepared egg wash. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Allow the galette to cool on a wire rack for five minutes. Serve warm with crème fraiche, chantilly cream, or any other creamy accoutrement. Serves 4 - 6

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DRINK

SOCIAL SIPPER Raleigh’s latest vodka

“T

by JESSIE AMMONS

he older you get, the more you realize that moments are important,” says Cary Joshi, president of Social House vodka. He’s sitting in the downtown Raleigh headquarters of the new alcohol brand on a recent afternoon, overlooking City Plaza and reflecting on the moments that went into the creation of this vodka: the friends – Joshi, Raleigh restaurateur G Patel, and spirits industry veteran Mark Mullins – who decided to create spirits together; the months of work with food sensory and biochemical scientists at N.C. State to analyze dozens of different vodkas and concoct their own recipe; the transformation of an old power plant in Kinston into a distillery; the

From left: The founders of Social House vodka, Mark Mullins, G Patel, and Cary Joshi

offical launch in August. And now the partners have the moment where they watch it all pay off: Social House is already in Triangle ABC stores and in bars and restaurants statewide, which include local spots like the Angus Barn, The Haymaker, and Prestonwood Country Club in Cary. The trio say they chose to make vodka because it is so versatile. “You can have vodka – responsibly – on almost any occasion at almost any time of day,” Joshi says, from Bloody Marys to nightcaps. Mullins describes vodka as the middle ground of spirits. “If you’re a tequila drinker or a bourbon drinker, and someone only has vodka, you’ll probably still have a vodka cocktail. But if you’re a vodka drinker and all someone has is bourbon, you might not drink it, the flavor profile might be too strong. To us, that makes vodka the most photographs by MADELINE GRAY

98 | WALTER

social spirit.” Vodka’s very versatility, however, can get in the way of brand loyalty. So the team decided to create a meaningful signature flavor that relies on local ingredients. Social House is corn-based, which Mullins says gives it “a sweet, buttery, soft, subtle note” suitable to sipping on the rocks or mixing into cocktails. The corn comes from a farm in Eastern North Carolina near their Kinston distillery; the bottles are made in the U.S.; and the labels in Thomasville, North Carolina. “We’ve all chosen to make Raleigh our home,” Mullins says, “and it feels really good to support North Carolina.” Given the vodka’s name, it’s no surprise the Social House team favors drink recipes suited to punch-bowl quantities, like the pear-and-ginger combination at right. “Going out for a craft cocktail is great … but it’s hard to replicate at home.” His advice for home mixologists is straightforward: “Keep it simple, make sure the ingredients are good, and share it with your friends.”

THE SOCIAL PEARING 1 ½ ounces Social House vodka 2 ½ ounces pear nectar 1 ounce ginger simple syrup (recipe below) ½ ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed Candied ginger or pear slice, for garnish For the ginger simple syrup: ¼ pound fresh ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced 1 cup sugar 1 cup water Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and add ice. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain over a highball glass filled with ice, and garnish with a slice of pear or candied ginger. To make the ginger simple syrup: Place ginger in a saucepan with sugar and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, until a syrup forms. Strain out the ginger and let cool before using.

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ARTIST’S

spotlight

DWANE P OW E L L

Congenital cartoonist OCTOBER 2017 | 103

by LIZA ROBERTS photographs by PETER HOFFMAN

In a career spanning more than 40 years, nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist Dwane Powell has published more than 15,000 cartoons, won countless prestigious awards, and had his body of work archived at UNC’s Wilson Library. But Raleigh’s hometown cartooning hero, who spent 34 years on staff at The News & Observer and continues to contribute cartoons many Sundays, is also more influential than many of us here know: His industry-leading colleagues will tell you that his commitment to state politics has actually kept him under-recognized as one of the nation’s biggest talents in a highly specialized field. “Because the majority of his work concentrates on local North Carolina issues, he’s been overlooked, but certainly is deserving, of the Pulitzer many times over,” says Ann

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Telnaes of the Washington Post, one of Powell’s many Pulitzer-prize-winning cartoonist friends. You know Powell’s work. With a sense of humor more absurd than malicious, and a drawing style that includes immediately recognizable caricatures, imaginative scenarios, madcap details, and a laser-like ability to cut to the heart of a matter metaphorically, his cartoons are hard to miss. From Gov. Jim Hunt to Rev. Billy Graham, from Gov. Pat McCrory and the current Republican-led legislature, Powell has taken on those in power, and he’s skewered issues of all kinds. He has a reputation for tilting left politically, but he’ll tell you his goal is broader: “to keep elected officials on notice.” Powell says he is proudest of “ignoring contradicting advice and following my creative instincts.” Telnaes says he’s done that with a “lethal combination” of “a biting wit, being very well-informed, and having a constant burning outrage at hypocrisy and abuse of power,” she says. “Many cartoonists possess one or two of these attributes, but only the best have them all.” Mike Keefe, another Pulitzer-Prize-winning cartoonist friend known best for his work at the Denver Post, agrees. “Dwane is perhaps the most congenital artist I know,” Keefe

CONSTANTLY CREATING In his home studio, Powell’s many creative pursuits – including music, photography, and illustration – have a place.

says. “He was born to be a cartoonist. It’s in his DNA. A lot of us got in the back door, we liked to draw a little bit … but his mind works like a cartoon. He’s a unique talent. He’s not like any cartoonist out there I know of.” These people know each other well. There are only about 50 full-time editorial cartoonists working in the country right now, Keefe points out, and “at the peak,” in the late 1980s, there were only about 350, he says. “It’s a rarified area.” The talented folks who populate it enjoy each other’s company, and Powell enjoys bringing them together – which might be an understatement. An entire room in the art-filled contemporary Raleigh house Powell shares with his wife Jan is covered with cartoons that his friends have drawn on the walls over the past 25 years, during weekend visits and at late night, music-jamming parties. “Cartoonists are really a tight group, and they all play guitar and sing,” Powell says. The cartoon-covered “den of iniquity,” he calls it, is a testament to these friendships, many originally forged at cartoonist conventions all over

the country, and to the community Powell has helped bind among them. “I think cartoonists are drawn to Dwane because of his passion for what he does,” says Telnaes, who, after 20 years, assumes that Dwane would consider her “a more recent” friend. “He’s genuine.” His enthusiasm is potent. With a twinkle and a grin, he’s an eager guide to all that he loves, and it goes well beyond cartooning to include music, which he writes and plays; photography, which he practices and collects; cycling; his daughter and grandson; and his constant companion, Jan. “There are six Pulitzer Prize winners in here,” Powell says happily as he shows a visitor the cartoon-covered den. Ben Sargent is one; so are Michael Ramirez, Ann Telnaes, Kevin Siers, Gene Payne, and Mike Keefe. Bob Clarke’s Spy vs. Spy (of Mad Magazine fame) speeds around a corOCTOBER 2017 | 105

ner; Dave Graue’s syndicated strip Alley Oop characters are there. Mad Magazine is also represented by Mort Drucker and Nick Meglin; other cartoonists including Bob Krieger, Cullum Rogers, John Branch, David Cohen, Roy Doty, Chris O’Brien, Bill Holbrook, Randy Molton, Sam Rawls, Marc Dabagian, the Powells’ daughter Devon Powell, and more than a few house guests and “wannabe cartoonists” have all put their Sharpies to memorable use.

Arkansas roots

It’s easy to picture Powell as the lovable, talented, distracted kid his friends recall, growing up on a farm in McGehee, Arkansas, more interested in football than schoolwork. At 72, his athlete’s frame and shock of thick hair don’t look much changed from the photos of him as a much younger man, despite a recent bout with cancer; his charm can’t have changed much, either. “He was – he is – just an all around good guy,” says Powell’s best friend from high school, Robert Moore, who went on to become the speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives. “He was a leader in a lot of ways. I was in awe of his talent. Everyone liked Dwane,” he says. “He had a kind of charm that was irresistible to the ladies, and to everyone. 106 | WALTER

‘DEN OF INIQUITY’

It’s hard not to like him now, Cartoonist friends – including six and it was hard not to like him Pulitzer Prize winners – have made their marks on Powell’s walls. then.” Powell’s recollection is a little less rosy: “I doodled. I was a terrible student,” he says, grinning. “I guess I was an ADD kid. I couldn’t pay attention.” Schoolwork might have escaped his focus, but drawing did not. He was “notorious” for the doodles and caricatures that filled his notebooks, and for the scribbled-on napkins he left in his wake. As the son of a successful businessman, farmer, and civic leader, Powell felt plenty of pressure to get his act together. Moore remembers those days well. “I still remember his father saying, ‘Drexel (Dwane’s formal name), why don’t you be more like Robert and make those good grades?’ ” It wasn’t until a high school guidance counselor took Powell aside, gave him “a bottle of India ink and a speedball pen set,” and put him on the yearbook staff that Powell realized he might have something to offer. Seeing his work in print was a revelation: “There was some kind of rush.” “He took some time fooling around,” Moore recalls, “but when he found his talent,” it took off. “Obviously the

FORTY YEAR CAREER (clockwise from top): A January 2017 cartoon depicts former White House press secretary Sean Spicer; Powell presents former News & Observer editor Claude Sitton with a cartoon on the occasion of Sitton’s 1983 Pulitzer Prize for commentary; Jesse Helms was a frequent target of Powell’s pen (as well as a fan: Helms requested a copy of every Powell cartoon he appeared in); a caricature of Gov. Jim Hunt; President Bill Clinton gets the Powell treatment.

OCTOBER 2017 | 107

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Powell with his wife, Jan, in

guy is really smart and percep- the front yard of their art-filled, tive, and able to take the events of contemporary Raleigh home. the world and make a statement on the issues.” Also, and unsurprisingly, Moore says Powell has always been funny. “He always had a great sense of humor. We could cut up real good together. We never did anything mean, and I can’t say that about everyone I knew. We sure had some fun.” Powell says that early on, his drawings became a way to connect: “Drawing was always something I got attention for. I couldn’t tell a joke, but I could draw a cartoon and get a laugh.” He was able to keep his grades up enough to stay eligible for high school football, and then to earn a spot to study agri-business – and play football – at Arkansas A&M (now the University of Arkansas at Monticello), where he was soon drawing for the campus paper. But when a shoulder injury ended his football career, his grades slipped, he left college, and made a short-lived stab at operating his own farm. It was enough to motivate him to get back to school. Back to “drinking and drawing,” as his wife Jan puts it, laughing. Powell grins: “I really had a reputation.”

Early days

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A visit to a local stationery store – which doubled as the newsroom of the local newspaper – resulted in a conversation with the paper’s editor, who’d seen Powell’s napkin doodles. The editor asked if he’d ever thought of drawing a political cartoon, and offered him $5 to give it a shot. “I figured, hell, it might buy a six-pack or two,” Powell recalls.

But he found himself stumped at what to draw: “I didn’t have a political point of view.” So he followed the editor’s advice and “read up on the news.” A move in the Arkansas legislature to hold a constitutional convention captured his interest. “I thought: Do we really need to do this? And I did something of them trying furiously to iron out something that didn’t need ironing.” “Remember,” Jan prompts, “You had liquid paper and a Flair pen.” And an evolving perspective on current events. That first cartoon was picked up by the Little Rock Arkansas Gazette. “I went home that weekend,” he recalls. “And my Dad picked up the paper. And he said, ‘Dwane, did you draw a cartoon for the Arkansas Gazette? There’s a cartoon here with your name on it.’ From then on, every Sunday I had a cartoon in the paper.” But when he graduated in 1969, he didn’t know where his future would take him. He drove a Mack truck for his father’s oil business. He gave a half-hearted stab at becoming an insurance agent – he was hired, told to read several handbooks and come back in a week, and “then he put the books on the top shelf and never went back,” Jan laughs. Jan fills in several details as Powell unspools his life story. By his side for almost half a century, the two met in McGehee when she was 17, a winner of the American Legion orator award, and unafraid of wearing hot pants; he was 23. She was with two of her friends, both of whom had already

dated Powell, when he asked her out. On their first date – July 4, 1968 – a policeman at the Mississippi state line asked Powell what he had in his car, and saw Jan: “Just one sweet little petunia, I see,” the policeman said, and the nickname stuck. “We just had the 49th anniversary of our first date,” Jan says. In the intervening years, Jan’s own career took off with a successful promotional marketing business called Ad Infinitum that she sold in 2007, after 30 years in business. “It’s still going strong under the original name,” Dwane Powell notes proudly. His own career eventually took him to newspapers in Hot Springs, San Antonio, and Cincinnati, and eventually, in 1975, to The News & Observer, where he worked full time until 2009. Much of the work he created during those years is the subject of a comprehensive retrospective exhibit of his work at the City of Raleigh Museum, on display through 2019. Powell’s N&O editor and good friend, Steve Riley (a Pulitzer Prize finalist himself ), fondly recalls working with him. Powell’s unique “ability to personalize a character” – like Jim Hunt, with a comb and poofy hair, or Jesse Helms, with his darting eyes – combined with Powell’s sense of humor to make for remarkably memorable cartoons. “He can find humor in almost anything,” Riley says. “Life just oozes out of him, oozes through him...He just makes it fun for the rest of us.”

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Powell’s daily routine at the paper, Riley says, would be to read the news in the morning, germinate an idea, kick it around, run a sketch of it by everyone in the newsroom to see who laughed, and then race to complete it by deadline, five days a week. That kind of salaried job as a daily editorial cartoonist almost doesn’t exist anymore, and Powell says he’s grateful he had the chance to do it when it did. But he’s also optimistic for the future of editorial cartooning. “The art form will remain,” he says, “because there will always be individuals driven to comment through their art. The rub comes in how to get eyes on that art, and the big rub, how the hell to make a living off of it.” These days, Powell is doing less ‘making a living’ and doing more plain ‘living’ – as fully as he can, which is something his friends all say defines him. Riley, for one, has a storehouse of tales of extracurricular adventures he’s had with Powell over the years – like serenading people at Duke Gardens, staying up till all hours with cartoonists, going on ski trips, cycling. Powell “finds fun pretty much wherever he is.” Still, “he can be serious, almost to the point of bitterness, when he starts talking about current national issues,” Riley says. “A good cartoonist needs some anger and some righteous indignation, but he’s never let it spill out too much into the rest of his life.” Since 2013, Powell has been tapping into some of that energy, indignant and fun-loving, most Sundays. Getting back in the cartooning groove has been gratifying, he says. “I think I’ve always thought metaphorically. I think visually. When something’s going on, the first thing I start thinking is: How can I show this? How can I say this without using a word?” It’s a question Powell says he’s privileged to be able to ask and answer. “I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to speak my mind for cartoons for forty years,” he says. “Just achieving the opportunity to be a cartoonist is probably the high point.”

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WINNOVATION 2017

N ENGAGED GROUP OF 230 TRIANGLEITES – LEADERS, creators, thinkers, and most of them women – gathered at the Umstead Hotel & Spa Sept. 8 for WALTER’S thirdannual WINnovation event celebrating women and entrepreneurship. Presented by Bank of America, the Umstead Hotel and Spa, and WALTER, the sold-out evening featured TED-style “WIN” (women in innovation) talks by five standout local women: Mati Energy drink founder Tatiana Birgisson, Grammy-award-winning jazz singer and nonprofit founder Nnenna Freelon, nonprofit Apiopolis founder Alice Hinman, The Preiss Company founder and CEO Donna Preiss, and Raleigh Denim co-founder and CEO Sarah Yarborough.

The speakers shared insight, wisdom, and inspiration about their career journeys; and they also shared candid personal stories with humor, honesty, and sincerity. From their diverse realms of jazz, fashion, real estate, the environment, and con-

sumer products emerged common themes: the importance of intentionality, gratitude, pluck, and self-care. “You have to take risks; you have to have courage; and you have to be who you are,” said Michelle Moore, head of digital banking at Bank of America, who kicked off the speakers. The message resonated with the audience, who say they felt empowered, connected, and energized. Prior to the dinner and WIN talks, many attendees participated in a start-up workshop sponsored by Diamonds Direct and hosted by the Council for Entrepreneurial Development CEO Ravila Gupta. It sparked conversations that carried over to cocktails on the patio and throughout the night, a memorable one of community and inspiration.–J.A.

photographs by CATHERINE WINnovation speakers: Maura Horton, Cindy Whitehead, Isa Watson, Jamie Meares, andNGUYEN Tashni-Ann Dubroy.

OCTOBER2017 2017| |113 113 OCTOBER

“You have to have moments of fearlessness until you build up those moments and you become fearless..” -Tatiana Birgisson, founder, Mati Energy

WALTER editor Liza Roberts

A slide showing Alice Hinman and her mother.

It’s almost time for dinner! @ WalterMagazine #winnovation #entrepreneur #celebration#women -SamTweets @NowIAmSam Beautiful & inspirational talk from Alice @apiopoliskeeper at Winnovation 2017. Thank you @virginiagparker @BankofAmerica @WalterMagazine -Lisa@ LPGenschel Thank you @WalterMagazine @BankofAmerica and @TheUmstead for a meaningful celebration of women entrepreneurs!! -Laura M Ridgeway @LauraMRidgeway

114 | WALTER

Jennifer Darwin of Bank of America; Michelle Moore, head of digital banking at Bank of America; Kari Stoltz, market president for the Triangle Region, Bank of America; Robin Costello from the Council for Entrepreneurial Development

“Women’s lives are not linear. Period. They are circuitous, up and down, triangles, hexagons; between children, aging parents, and everything else in our lives we have to take care of. … But everything that we do adds to our fabulousness.” -Nnenna Freelon, Grammy-award-winning jazz singer and founder, Freelon Foundation

Helen Fuller

“Far worse than starting when you’re not quite ready is not starting at all.” -Alice Hinman, founder, Apiopolis

A question from the start-up workshop led by Ravila Gupta from the Center for Entrepreneurial Development

OCTOBER 2017 | 115

The 32nd Annual

International Festival of Raleigh

“Balance is not the thing that I’m seeking, progress is. I don’t want to go through all of the motions without progressing, both personally and professionally.” -Sarah Yarborough, co-founder and CEO, Raleigh Denim

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Raleigh Convention Center

International Cafes & Bazaars Dancers from around the world Folkloric Fashion Show Cultural Booths Wedding Traditions Dance Competition Naturalization Ceremony MS. World Ambassador

Family Day Friday $5 before 5pm − $7 after 5pm

Cocktail hour on the patio of The Umstead Hotel and Spa.

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facebook.com/RaleighInternationalFestival twitter.com/intlfestraleigh

Participants consider a question at the start-up workshop.

Excited to be attending ‘WINnovation 2017: Celebrating Women and Entrepreneurship’ tonight! @WalterMagazine -Jaynie Royal@PJRoyal1 So inspired by speakers @WalterMagazine #winnovation17 speakers @The_Umstead @BankofAmerica #WomenRule -Lisa Grele Barrie @LGBgrounded Nnenna Freelon @WalterMagazine #Winnovation finds it interesting when a singer is asked to speak. #irony -Sara Glines @sglines2008

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Tift Merritt and Friends at the NCMA

he Whirl is WALTER’s roundup of local happenings. From store openings to fundraisers, big galas, intimate gatherings, and everything in between, The Whirl has got it covered.

Submissions for upcoming issues are accepted on WALTER’s website at waltermagazine.com/submit-photos. PAGE/PARTIES 121 122 123 124 125 126 126 127

Tift Merritt and Friends Women on a Mission dinner N.C. Museum of History Assoicates museum day The Fabric of Raleigh opening reception Theatre Raleigh’s Dinner in the Secret Garden Gallery C’s Art of Rock and Roll reception Power of 10 ribbon cutting CurEat

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Eric Heywood, Matt Lorenz, Alexandra Sauser Monnig, Jay Brown, Tift Merritt, Matt McCaughan, Phil Cook

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TIFT MERRITT AND FRIENDS Raleigh native Tift Merritt gathered some of her favorite musicians and artists for a selfdeclared “hometown thank-you” concert at NCMA Aug. 19. Merritt was joined on-stage by MC Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger and Eric Slick of Dr. Dog, among others; and the set design by folk artist Butch Anthony was a piece of art in itself. There was also a commissary of wares including Raleigh Denim and vintage goods, food trucks, and fresh N.C. oysters.

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WOMEN’S WINE DINNER The annual Women on a Mission dinner July 1 brought Chef Ashley Christensen to the home of Eliza Kraft Olander to prepare an evening exclusively for women. Christensen served her characteristic awardwinning food and Kraft Olander picked and poured wines from her cellar for 40 guests. The event is part of the Triangle Wine Experience and all proceeds benefited the Frankie Lemmon School and Developmental Center. Jennifer Walters, Jane Gray

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FIELD TRIP The North Carolina Museum of History Associates hosted a Museum Day in Blowing Rock, North Carolina Aug. 11. Held at a home overlooking a Blue Ridge vista, Associates members gathered for food and drinks along with a special program by Lee Carol Giduz, executive director at the Blowing Rock Art & History museum. The group plans a few trips across the state each year in order to engage with members of other communities and inspire the next generation of N.C. Museum of History supporters.

Tricia Phoenix, Courtney Bell, Sarah Boone

Hunter Diamond

Lee Carol Giduz, Carol Dabbs

Marie Gardner, Beth Strandberg

Laura Bingham, Martha Marshall, Helen Cain

EXPERI EXPERIENCE ENCE A NI NIGHT GHT OF HIMALA YAN CUL TURE HIMALAYAN CULTURE Traditional Nepali Food & Festivities Hear the Sherpa Adventure Gear story — who they are, and how they give back to communities in Nepal.

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FINE FABRIC The Betty Ray McCain Gallery at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts held an opening reception for The Fabric of Raleigh/People with Purpose, an exhibit by photographer Christer Berg. 150 guests, including subjects of his portraits, gathered Aug. 8 to celebrate the people who make up the fabric of our community.

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SECRET GARDEN DINNER Theatre Raleigh hosted “Dinner in The Secret Garden” for 130 guests Aug. 19 prior to a performance of the company’s production of The Secret Garden that night. Under white tents on Lichtin Plaza, just outside of Fletcher Opera Theater, the Victorianthemed evening included croquet and other yard games and music from guitarist Alex Gordez. Local artist Dan Nelson created a one-of-a-kind portrait that was auctioned off to support Theatre Raleigh, which works to create intimate professional productions in the Triangle. Dan Nelson

DeAnn Jones, Benji Taylor Jones, Lauren Kennedy Brady, Liz McDonald

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FAR OUT OPENING Music and art lovers gathered at Gallery C in downtown Raleigh for the opening of Far Out! The Art of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Many of the 150 attendees donned attire from the ’60s and ’70s to celebrate during the First Friday event Aug. 4. Also in attendance: a 1959 Ford Fairlane Galaxie 500 Skyliner, courtesy of Sharky’s Place sports bar’s car collection. The exhibit ran through September.

Doro Taylor, Leslie Pruneau

Charles Winston, Smedes York

Brenda C. Gibson, Polly Yeargan Hardie

October 6–December 31, 2017

THE BOOMER LIST PHOTOGRAPHS BY TIMOTHY GREENFIELD-SANDERS

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Karen Tam (FAR OUT); Ray Barbour (POWER)

Charlene Newsom, Lilly Newsom

POWER OF 10 200 guests gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting for the new Brenda C. Gibson Community and Education Services Center and the launch of Transitions Kids, a hospice provider for children in our community. The addition of 10 rooms will complete the campus hospice facility for Transitions Life Care. The capital campaign was led by Brenda C. Gibson, Thad Woodard, and Dr. Billy Dunlap.

Kim Hunter

Inez Rubistello, Jennifer Kelly

Steve Mangano

Ricky Moore

Cheetie Kumar, Charlie Deal, Inez Rubistello, Wyatt Dickson, Joe Mancini, Starr Sink, Steve Mangano, Marjorie Hodges, Lee Stimmel, Sam Ratto, Alan Mitchell, Tia Bethea

Jennifer Kelly

AN APP FOR APPS CurEat’s Steve Mangano celebrated the Android launch of his new restaurant-finding app at Google Fiber with two parties Aug. 17 and First Friday Sept. 1. Hundreds of guests enjoyed food and drink courtesy of local chefs and CurEaters. He also introduced the new “CurEat Experience” program, connecting diners, CurEaters, and independent restaurants.

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The WALTER Scribo The answers to the following clues are in this issue. Happy reading! ACROSS 1. Brigid Washington shares recipes for both a savory and sweet take on this easy pastry 4. The Raleigh ______ Club allowed WALTER to snap a few photos of their annual spring open house 6. Dwane Powell creates these 7. This architect’s body of work includes many nooks, crannies, and residences in Durham 9. Social House is this sort of spirit DOWN 2. These unique backyard structures are perched in a handful of Raleigh backyards 3. Roxanne Bras can have these delivered to your doorstep 5. The Wheel Chix like to do this type of activity 8. NCMA’s latest exhibit is a tribute to charity fashion shows put on by this magazine

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KILLER TACOS

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130 | WALTER

courtesy Xoco Raleigh

o you prefer your carne with a side of carnage? Check out Xoco Raleigh, where every day is Dia de los Muertos. Aztec for “little sister,” Xoco is the kooky kid sibling of North Raleigh’s favorite haunt Dos Taquitos. “Haunt” isn’t a bad word for Xoco, either – it seems that when the Mexican eatery opened in the Old Creamery building on Glenwood South, it had a few disgruntled former tenants to contend with. Maybe the restaurant folks shouldn’t have been surprised: After all, the building has a grim history, including damaging fires and multiple deaths, including a murder by a serial killer. Perhaps that explains why dishes fly off shelves, lights flicker on and off, and spectral voices whisper in the dark. But the Xoco staff is armed with good mojo, and happily embraces its status as otherworldly outpost. They have even gone so far as to invite a local ghost-busting firm known as ASAP (As Southern as Possible) Paranormal in to verify mysterious disturbances. Ain’t afraid of no ghosts? Then, steel your nerves with a margarita or two and order extra queso, because you never know who might be joining you for dinner. –K.P.

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OCTOBER 2017 2017 OCTOBER

WALTER Magazine - October 2017

Articles inside

ARTIST’S SPOTLIGHT Dwane Powell, congenital cartoonist

DRINK

AT THE TABLE On galettes and gratitude

STORY OF A HOUSE More is more!

The Mosh

OUR TOWN

OUR TOWN SPOTLIGHT Raleigh treehouses

WALTER PROFILE Ellen Cassilly: Building up the Bull City

RALEIGH GARDENS

Contributors

STORY OF A HOUSE Georgian on my mind