WALTER Magazine - June 2018

JUNE 2018

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FEATURES

Volume 6, Issue 9 JUNE 2018

72

105

64

STORY OF A HOUSE Global Touch

by Laura Petrides Wall photographs by Catherine Nguyen

94

72

WALTER PROFILE Blount Williams

by Will Lingo photographs by Geoff Wood

105 GIVERS Taste Good

by Jessie Ammons Rumbley photographs by Smith Hardy

78

RALEIGHITES Fine-tuned

by Samantha Gratton photographs by Ben McKeown

86

THROUGH THE LENS Beneath the Surface photographs by Barbara Tyroler

On the cover: TK

10 | WALTER

AT THE TABLE Kim Hammer

by Laura White photographs by Jillian Clark

Geoff Wood (WILLIAMS); Ben McKeown (GUITARS); Smith Hardy (FOOD TRUCK)

78

D e s i g n i n g a n d B u i l d i n g t h e We l c o m e H o m e s i n c e 1 9 8 4

www.dixonkirbyhomes.com

52

OUR TOWN Game Plan: Joe Kwon The Usual: NCY12SR On Duty: Casey Gallas Shop Local: The Local Squirrel

by Catherine Currin photographs by Madeline Gray, Juli Leonard, and Eamon Queeney

60

OUR TOWN SPOTLIGHT ShopSpace

by Rebecca Guenard photographs by Eamon Queeney

102 QUENCH JuiceVibes 108 DESTINATION WALTER Q&A with Ariana DeBose

Eamon Queeney (KWON); Ethan Hill (DEBOSE)

DEPARTMENTS 52

IN EVERY ISSUE 14

Letter from the Editor

18

Contributors

20 Your Feedback 22 The Mosh 24 Raleigh Now

113 WALTER EVENTS WINi

40 Triangle Now 119 The Whirl

130 END NOTE Bedazzled

12 | WALTER

128 Scribo

108

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EDITOR’S LETTER

T Summer

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his feels like a superstar issue. We were at work on it when WALTER hosted WINi, the first sister event of our annual WINnovation. WINnovation brings together women entrepreneurs in honor of innovation; WINi similarly brought together female leaders, this time to celebrate girl power of many kinds. Five women—from the worlds of fitness, ballet, jewelry design, nonprofit work, and youth environmentalism—shared their personal creative and professional journeys to a multigenerational room of mostly women and also a few men. The afternoon, held in the ballroom at The Umstead Hotel & Spa, was an elegant, sweet time of empowerment. Mostly, as one audience member remarked to me, WINi reminded us that we “live in a community of superstars, doing big things every day.”

Her comment stuck with me, and I offer it to you as a suggested lens for this June issue. Profile subject Blount Williams is the CEO of his family’s furniture business, and he’s also a tireless community advocate (you can read more on p. 72). Kim Hammer owns a coffee, dessert, and cocktail lounge; an artisan grocery store selling only North Carolina-made products; and fills her free time giving back to the local food and service industry (p. 94). Barista Casey Gallas is reliably cheerful, even though his pastry shop gig is only to supplement his music and his work in STEM education (p. 56).

They are quiet, perhaps even reluctant and certainly humble, superstars.

In this issue, we also meet two actual superstars: cellist Joe Kwon, who is part of multiple-Grammy-nominated The Avett Brothers, and Ariana DeBose, who at 27 just earned her first Tony nomination (p. 52, p. 108). DeBose grew up in Wake Forest and remains in touch with her Wake County art teachers, she says, and Kwon considers this home base when he’s not touring. Despite busy, glamorous, lives, they both consider Raleigh not just home but the community to remain enrooted in.

As you take your summer leave of town or pick your favorite poolside seat, I hope you’re encouraged by these folks. This is a great—super—place to call home.

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WATCH WITH US If you missed WINi, you can visit waltermagazine.com for a video of the afternoon’s best moments.

Jessie Ammons Rumbley Editor

Raleigh’s Life & Soul PUBLISHING

VOLUME VI, ISSUE 9

Editor

General Manager

JUNE 2018

JESSIE AMMONS RUMBLEY

DENISE WALKER

Design Director LAURA PETRIDES WALL Associate Editor CATHERINE CURRIN

Advertising Account Executives KAIT GORMAN CRISTINA HURLEY JULIE NICKENS

Community Manager KATHERINE POOLE

Advertising Coordinator ROBIN KENNEDY

Contributing Writers SAMANTHA GRATTON, REBECCA GUENARD, WILL LINGO, LAURA WHITE

VP Strategic Sales & Partnerships ANNIE ALEXANDER

EDITORIAL

Contributing Photographers JILLIAN CLARK, MADELINE GRAY, SMITH HARDY, JULI LEONARD, TRAVIS LONG, BEN MCKEOWN, CATHERINE NGUYEN, BARBARA TYROLER, EAMON QUEENEY, GEOFF WOOD

Published 10 times a year by The News & Observer Publishing Co. A McClatchy Company WALTER is available by paid subscriptions for $15 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 919-836-5613.

Address all correspondence to: WALTER Magazine, 421 Fayetteville St., Ste. 104 Raleigh, NC 27601

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WALTER does not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

Please contact editor Jessie Ammons Rumbley at jammons@waltermagazine.com for freelance guidelines. © The News & Observer. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

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CONTRIBUTORS

JUNE 2018

W R I TE R

P HOTO G R A P HE R

As a freelance writer, Gratton loves hearing and sharing life stories.

On some level she feels we can all relate to one another, yet find perspective in our differences, she says. Gratton wrote about a handful of guitar-makers in this month’s Raleighites. “Marrying into a family full of musicians, I felt fortunate to get a glimpse at the artistry behind the instruments. The five luthiers I interviewed had vastly different backgrounds but all had strong roots to North Carolina and a clear love for both what they did and where they lived.”

Raised in Ohio, Queeney is a freelance photojournalist with a love for his adopted Southern home. He cut his teeth on the staff of daily newspapers, especially The Columbus Dispatch.

He photographed this month’s Game Plan and Shop Local. “I’ve enjoyed collaborating … on stories closer to home. It never ceases to amaze me how welcoming people are in general, and even more so here in Raleigh.

They regularly open their home to the photographer they (just) met … A few seconds later, Joe Kwon is happily rearranging his kitchen for me so he can peer out from under a hat.”

cover artist BARBARA TYROLER / PHOTOGR AP HER Tyroler is a Chapel Hill-based freelance photographer and educator. She previously served on the art faculty of the University of Maryland, where she created the first digital imaging curriculum. Now, she offers independent critique and seminars for photographers, and occasionally teaches advanced workshops at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies. Tyroler’s current project is an exhibition of North Carolina writers and the creative spaces they inhabit.

This issue’s Through the Lens features a hauntingly beautiful selection of water portraits taken in pools across the East Coast. The photo essay includes an image from Tyroler’s Rockin’ the Spectrum series, a project merging documentary and semi-abstracted photographs of children with a wide array of neurodevelopmental attributes as they learn to trust the water. You can see Tyroler’s work locally at FRANK Gallery in Chapel Hill.

18 | WALTER

MADELINE GRAY / P HOTO G R A PH ER

WILL LINGO / W R I TE R Lingo has lived in North Carolina his whole life, including the last 25 years in Raleigh. Most of that time he spent working for Baseball America, a magazine based in Durham. He left Baseball America last year to start Helium, a baseball-focused media agency. He wrote this month’s WALTER Profile. “The best interviews are nothing more than good conversations where you happen to take notes, and my time with Blount Williams certainly qualified.”

Gray is a freelance documentary photographer. Working at newspapers gave her a strong understanding of the power of community journalism, and she is driven to tell stories from underserved and underrepresented communities.

She joined WALTER this month for WINi at The Umstead Hotel & Spa. “Photographing the WINi event for this issue was very inspirational.

Being in a room full of young women, listening to others share their stories of empowerment and perseverance, really emphasized the strength of women in the Triangle.”

courtesy of contributors

SAMANTHA GRATTON / EAMON QUEENEY/

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We are incredibly blessed to have many compelling marks of the talented @thomassayreartist left behind on this city. —@amyupclose (Raleighites about Oberlin Rising, May, p. 60) It’s a beautiful tribute to this historic neighborhood. —@leechayden (Raleighites about Oberlin Rising, May, p. 60) Number 1 in my book! —@carolmclaurin (At The Table about Oakwood Pizza Box, May, p. 86) Looking good. Gotta check it out —@vn.xi (At The Table about Oakwood Pizza Box, May, p. 86) We love @raleighrum! —@thepeachykeen (Quench about Raleigh Rum, May, p. 93) It is even better in person! —@wlfpkgrl001 (Cover art, showing Denise Hughes’ mural, May 2017, p. 24)

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MOSH The

“At midnight, in the month of June, I stand beneath the mystic moon.”

Cue for Cali SCENTED HARVEST Stop and soak up some rays and aromas at Sunshine Lavender Farms June 9 and 10.

The farm hosts its 15th annual celebration in Hillsborough with crafts, picnics, and lavender goods galore.

Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday, 9 a.m. 4 p.m.; free; sunshinelavenderfarm.com

Whimsies...

A pop of color from Peppertrain Jewelry...playing hooky...new Yeti paraphernalia at Great Outdoor Provision Co. (Hopper BackFlip anyone?)... freezing herbs into ice trays to spruce up glasses of water and cocktails alike...an afternoon biking on the greenway...Pelican’s SnoBalls on the way back from the beach... celebrating Dad June 17!

Recent James Beard award winner Rodney Scott travels to Raleigh for a cause June 15. Triangle Wine Experience will host Cue for Cali at the Frankie Lemmon School, benefitting the Napa and Sonoma wine regions that were devastated by last year’s wildfires. Scott is joined by BBQ master Sam Jones, and Ashley Christensen will spread her famous pimento cheese.

6:30 p.m.; $75; 3311 Carl Sandburg Court; trianglewineexperience.org/register

Summer sipping You can head to Hummingbird to celebrate national Negroni Week beginning June 3. $1 of every Negroni or Negroni-inspired cocktail will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Here’s a go-to recipe for the classic drink that you can make at home: 1 ounce gin 1 ounce campari 1 ounce sweet red vermouth Orange peel, for garnish Combine all ingredients over ice and stir. Garnish with orange peel and serve.

22 | WALTER

A BERRY GOOD TIME Irregardless Cafe & Catering hosts the second annual Blackberry Festival at its Well Fed Community Garden June 23. Learn about gardening at this family friendly event, with live music, oven-baked pizza, and, of course, blackberry treats.

4 p.m. - 8 p.m.; $20 adults, $7.50 children; wellfedgarden.org/events

Adobe Stock (LAVENDER, BICYCLE, PIG, DRINK, BLACKBERRIES); courtesy Peppertrain Jewelry (EARRINGS)

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Raleigh

Cal Quinn

Spott ligh

LOCAL CATCH How are y’all doing? We’re American Aquarium from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Songwriter BJ Barham opens every show proudly declaring his allegiance to the Oak City. Originally from Reidsville, North Carolina, Barham founded the alt-country group in 2005 while studying political science and history at N.C. State University. And from the group’s first gig at Raleigh’s legendary music venue The Brewery, to shows in major metropolises, and tours through every state in the union and 19 countries, Barham continues to pay tribute to his musical roots—American Aquarium is a Raleigh band. Hear it from him: Raleigh has always been my center. My dad used to have this crazy saying: Grow where you are planted. And I was always that guy who thought to myself, ‘Well if I can’t make it in my hometown, what makes me think I can make it in New York?’ … I had to prove to myself that I could be a big fish in a small pond.

24 | WALTER

JUNE

FILL THE TANK

Cal Quinn (BAND); courtesy American Aquarium (ALBUM)

See American Aquarium on the road in N.C. this month:

While a student at N.C. State, Barham cut his teeth on songwriting and the Americana sound while working at Record Exchange on Hillsborough Street. He cites Wilco and the Drive-By Truckers as influences. He named his band American Aquarium after a lyric from the Wilco song I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. Former Drive-by Trucker Jason Isbell produced their break out album, Burn, Flicker, Die.

June 20 Asheville June 21 Charlotte June 22 Greensboro

Raleigh is where I found my identity as a person. I came to N.C. State and … had no intentions of being a songwriter. I didn’t even play the guitar. When I moved to Raleigh it was the first time I was able to see live music that wasn’t in a big venue. I was able to realize you could play songs for people and not be Tim McGraw.

I was introduced to the idea of an independent local band.

Barham has certainly grown where he was planted. Since the band’s early days playing for friends in local dives, Barham has sown his wild oats, gotten sober, married his soulmate, moved to the country, parted ways with his original bandmates, and in April welcomed a daughter into the world.

He’s the first to tell you that his life is like a country song and he puts it directly into his music. Barham writes with raw honesty about his life and that has never been more evident than on the band’s 10th album, Things Change.

There are plenty of songs about dirt roads and Friday nights and cold beer and pretty girls and whatever the hell is on pop radio these days.

But my favorite songwriters … they’re writing from a point of not holding anything back.

I write songs about very specific moments in time and very specific people. It is so eye-opening to me to travel somewhere and meet someone that heard the same exact song that I wrote and took something completely different away from it. They just applied that raw emotion to their life and it got them through something.

I have watched fans spend their entire 20s in a drunken haze, and then come to shows now as a father or as a husband or as a recently sober person.Watching them change with me, hearing people coming up after the show saying the reason they made this change was watching me … it pushes me to continue to be honest. It pushes me to continue to be a voice for someone —Katherine Poole that might not have one.

BJ and company will also make a stop in Raleigh June 23 at Red Hat Amphitheater. The band is appearing as a special guest for Band Together’s 2018 Main Event.

For full tour and ticket information, visit americanaquarium.com

JUNE 2018 | 25

RALEIGH NOW

all month Be young, be foolish, be happy every Thursday this month at the Midtown Beach Music Series. Now in its 11th season, North Hills’ signature music event lets all the Carolina girls (and guys) show off their shag dance moves. All shows take place on The Commons, a spacious outdoor green area with restaurants and amenities within walking distance. This month’s lineup includes: Chairmen of the Board June 7, Bantum Rooster June 14, Fantastic Shakers June 21, and Legacy Motown Revue June 28. Get out from under the boardwalk and swing on over.

6 - 9 p.m.; free; 4158 Main at North Hills St.; visitnorthhills.com

2

COOP DE VILLE Cross the road for the chicken on the Tour D’Coop, Wake County’s popular tour of local chicken coops. This self-dubbed Parade of Combs is a self-guided tour featuring coops, from the fancy to the functional, tucked in the backyards of your friends and neighbors. Routes include neighborhoods in downtown, North Raleigh, West Raleigh, South Raleigh, Apex, and Cary.

Day-of tour tickets are available for sale from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Raleigh Brewing Company, Seaboard Ace Hardware, and Whole Foods locations in Raleigh and Cary. All proceeds benefit Urban Ministries of Wake County, which is really something to cluck about.

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; $12 per person or $25 per group/car; tourdcoop. urbanmin.org

" $* $ $ $ $ ' $ $ ) $ '$ $ * $ &+ ! $ $ ( $ $ ( ( $ " $ ' &%& & +"& " !

courtesy North Hills [BEACH]; Casey Toth [COOP]

BEACH PLEASE

Ed Marshall (PSYCHED); courtesy NC Vibes (GLOBALLY)

JUNE

7-9 PSYCHED OUT Turn on, tune in, drop out. Trip out at the first annual Triangle Psych Fest June 7 - 9.

This alternative music festival celebrates the area’s underground psychedelic music scene. The fest kicks off Thursday at King’s with the SuiPsychedelside Pre-Party. Friday night the party pops up at The Wicked Witch and features Timothy Eerie, Giant Red Panda, Lazarus Pit, and Tide Eyes. The Saturday showcase is at the Pour House with a full line-up including: The Veldt, Lacy Jags, Eyeball, Billy Warden and the Floating Children, and Dexter Romweber.

Get psyched up to experiment with some mind-blowing music. see event page for show times and tickets: facebook.com/ events/1522804467815379/

9 THINK GLOBALLY Act Locally. Raleigh’s International Food Fest takes over City Plaza on June 9 to celebrate our community’s diversity and welcoming spirit. Sample cuisine from Italy, Jamaica, Latin America, South America, Germany, Lebanon, South Africa, and the good old U.S.A. Wash it all down with beers and wine from around the world.

Take in an authentic Bollywood performance, gyrate with belly dancers, or cha-cha-cha your way through a salsa lesson. With activities for kids, there is something to suit everyone’s taste. Feel good about taking a trip around the world: a portion of the proceeds will go to support cancer research. Bienvenido, willkommen, welcome y’all.

3 p.m. - 10 p.m.; free; 400 Fayetteville St.; ncvibes.net

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SPOTLIGHT

SCHEDULE ORIENTED CampRooster celebrates local youth summer camps

“I

t takes a lot of time to find and manage a camp schedule,” says Raleigh parent Nathan Pienkowski.

A few years ago, Pienkowski and his wife found themselves frustrated when they couldn’t find the right camp for their two daughters. They knew there had to be more options in a growing place like the Triangle, Pienkowski says, but didn’t know where or how to find them. “We don’t want to just fill our kids’ time, we want to make their summers a decent learning experience.” Once they figured it out, Pienkowski co-founded CampRooster in 2016 along with Michael Woodward, Garry O’Grady, and Gordon Pruitt. The online database hosts everything from local day camps to destination programs. The site includes more than 10,000 youth camps, and users can filter to those near their home or work, or search for camps throughout North Carolina. From cooking schools a mile

28 | WALTER

from home to sleepaway camps on the coast, Pienkowski hopes CampRooster will prevent parent frustration and information overload.

The site currently focuses on Triangle residents, but hopes to expand to other metropolitan areas. “We want to provide a marketplace that allows parents to find camps and evaluate them,” says Pienkowski, whose daughters are now in sixth and ninth grade. He says he hopes that the site’s local focus and tools such as a precise mapping feature help showcase the multitude of options nearby. These discoveries inspired the site’s name, says Pienkowski. “Camp Rooster represents the rooster giving the wake-up call to all of the options for your children’s summer.”

—Catherine Currin camprooster.com

courtesy Camp Rooster

RALEIGH NOW

JUNE

Adboe Stock [PARK]; courtesy of Brightroom Photography [ROSY]

10 PARK AND BARK

10

Here’s a command dog lovers can obey: Sit, Stay, NCMA! Leash up your four-legged fur pals and take them out to the N.C. Museum of Art’s Museum Park for an afternoon of food trucks for dogs (and humans too), local vendors, canine-inspired art, agility activities, and a splash zone. North Carolina based rescue organization Saving Grace will have pups available for adoption. The early dog gets the bone—the first 500 pups receive a wag bag filled with treats.

Don’t roll over and miss this fetching event.

12 noon; $6 members, $8 nonmembers, free for children 6 and under; 2110 Blue Ridge Road; ncartmuseum.org/calendar/event/2018/06/10/sit_stay_ ncma/1200

B

ROSY RIVETING

Tri it out at the Ramblin’ Rose Triathlon. This women’sonly event celebrates female strength and relationships.

Hosted by the AE Finley YMCA, the race includes a 225-yard swim, an 8-mile bike ride, and a 2-mile run. Registration ends June 7 and requires a $15 one-day USA Triathlon (USAT) license, if you are not a USTA annual member. Go on girl, get race-y.

8 a.m. start; $85 individual entry, $140 relay entry (2 - 3 people); 9216 Baileywick Road; ramblinroseevents.com

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NCMA’S summer concert series returns

“W

e’re expanding the range of arts experiences people can have on the NCMA campus,” says the museum’s director of performing arts and film, George Holt. He’s been curating the summer concert series, for example, for over 20 years. This year, he and his team have nine performances on the deck at the amphitheater (two are already sold out), who will perform to close to 3,000 people. Performers include a pop group from Paris, France, and a folk duo from Charleston, South Carolina. Finding talent from across the world is not something Holt and his team take lightly. “Diversity is a major goal of ours. We hope to have an eclectic program with plenty of groups and genres represented.”

Based on the following schedule, this summer, that mission is accomplished.

—Catherine Currin

courtesy NCMA

RALEIGH NOW

JUNE

SCHEDULE OF CONCERTS June 8, 8 p.m.

First Aid Kit, with Jade Bird (sold out) June 16, 8 p.m.

Shovels and Rope, with Son Volt June 23, 8 p.m.

Mandolin Orange, with Charlie Parr (sold out) July 12, 8 p.m.

Lake Street Dive, with Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear July 28, 8 p.m.

An Evening with the Mavericks Aug. 1, 8 p.m.

Father John Misty with Jenny Lewis Aug. 3, 7:30 p.m.

Kishi Bashi and Jake Shimabukuro Aug. 4, 8 p.m.

Paris Combo Aug. 18, 6 p.m.

Trombone Shorty’s Voodoo Threauxdown celebrating the tricentennial of the City of New Orleans (sold out) For tickets and more information: ncartmuseum.org/calendar/ series_parent/summer_concerts

JUNE 2018 | 31

RALEIGH NOW

SPOTLIGHT FATHER’S DAY Local ways to celebrate Dad June 17: FOR EXPLORING Orvis is open for business in Ridgewood Shopping Center. You can stock up for outdoor enthusiasts—or just dads who like the gear.

FOR UNWINDING Build-your-own six-pack of beer.

Need we say more? Crafty Beer Shop, Red Line Beer and Wine, and Tasty Beverage Company are a few reliable options.

NEW MEASURE Chamber Music Raleigh announces upcoming season

C

hamber Music Raleigh is branching out. Fresh off of securing a permanent venue at the N.C. Museum of Art, the local chamber music presenter recently announced its new season with shows for aficionados, for children, and for most people in between.

The company brings professional musicians from across the country together to perform concerts, and previously each show took place at a different Raleigh venue. Partnering with NCMA has allowed executive director Jackson Cooper to think creatively about the performances, he says. “This upcoming season is all about coming home and cherishing North Carolina.” In that vein, the company will still present at a few choice local venues, namely at Marbles Kids Museum and N.C. State’s campus. Back at the museum, Chamber Music Raleigh’s lineup includes a few spunky offerings, including an immersive concert experience where audience members pick the next piece from a “menu” of songs. “I hope this can expand the way people experience music.”

—Catherine Currin To learn more: chambermusicraleigh.org

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FOR EVERYTHING ELSE At the Man Expo, you’ll find custom whiskey barrel side tables, gutter guards, beerscented candles, bathroom remodeling deals, off-road outfitters, upcycled knives, food, beer, and cocktails.

June 16-17, manexponc.com

Courtesy Sybarite5 Website

3516 Wade Ave.

JUNE

Featuring: GINNY CHENET

JIM CARSON

Welcoming: ADELE YONCHAK

ANNA VAUGHN CREECH

13-24 Adobe Stock [BRIDESMAN, HOTROD]

ALWAYS A BRIDESMAN Theatre Raleigh is heading down the aisle of The Kennedy Theatre with the critically acclaimed, fresh off of Broadway show Significant Other. Here’s the gist: Jordan is looking for Mr. Right and so are his best girlfriends; as they find true love and matrimony, Jordan must deal with being left standing alone at the altar. The New York Times theatre critic Charles Isherwood declared Significant Other “entirely delightful, richly funny, and heart-stirring.”

Wednesday - Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m.; $32 general admission, $30 senior, student, and military; 2 E. South St.; theatreraleigh.com/significant-other

4421-123 Six Forks Road at North Hills, Raleigh Monday - Saturday 10 to 6 and by appointment www.artsource-raleigh.com 919.787.9533

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RALEIGH LOCATION

100 Kumar Court

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14 HOT WHEELS Make some vroom room on the calendar for the 24th annual Hot Rod Power Tour. This souped-up, tricked-out traveling car show revs up June 14 at PNC Arena and features all the fan favorites: Camaros, Firebirds, Mustangs, and ’Vettes. Put the pedal to the metal and gun it for this power trip.

12 noon; free, $10 parking; 1400 Edwards Mill Road; thepncarena.com/ events/detail/hot-rod-power-tour

WELLNESS | HOTEL | GROOMING | DAYCARE | PET FOOD

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SPOTLIGHT

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PUPS in the PARK

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ou can let the dogs out at Dix Park June 23, when the PopPupalooza temporary dog park takes place. Pets are allowed off-leash across a four-acre span of the park for this special event, with optional group games and activities throughout the afternoon. If you don’t want to roam alongside your pup, there are food trucks, Durham-made Locopops popsicles, and local beer to keep the humans occupied.

There’s also a slew of vendors geared toward animal lovers, including Bone Appetit Bakery, Twilight Meadows Mobile Vet, Pupcakes, various area pet stores, and the SPCA of Wake County. It’s safe to assume they’re barking up the right tree.

—Jessie Ammons Rumbley 12 noon - 6 p.m.; free, but registration strongly suggested; facebook.com/events/161515854685442

JUNE

C E L E B R AT I N G

16 courtesy alstrongmusic.com (SERENADE); Ray Black III (COLOR)

STARLIGHT SERENADE Be cool on a hot summer night: It’s Jazz on the Lawn at St. Augustine’s University QUAD. Bring a picnic, lawn chairs, and get your groove on at the university’s second annual evening of mingling and music featuring the Al Strong Quartet. Strong is a leader of the Triangle’s current jazz revival and co-creator of The Art of Cool music festival. Sound good? There’s more: special ticket pricing includes drinks and SAU lawn chairs. The gates open at 5 p.m. for plenty of time to enjoy a great night and all that jazz.

6 - 8 p.m.; $25 single ticket, $50 single ticket package (including one drink and lawn chair), $80 double ticket package (including two drinks and lawn chairs); 1315 Oakwood Ave.; facebook.com/ events/2026849860891687

20-21 COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES

See your surroundings with fresh eyes at NCMA’s two-day immersive workshop: Art and the Environment. You’ll explore the galleries and Museum Park to examine how artists interpret the natural world. Artists Heather Gordon, whose work is featured in You Are Here: Light, Color, and Sound Experience, and Jennifer Landin, who teaches biological illustration at N.C. State, will share their own inspirations and insights. You’ll cover a lot of ground—be prepared for extensive walking and exposure to the elements. Certificates of Participation for 10 hours will be provided (1.0 CEU, with prior approval from the local school system).

9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. each day; $45 members, $50 nonmembers; 2110 Blue Ridge Road; ncartmuseum.org

YEARS

– A N N I V E R S A R Y–

RALEIGH NOW

SPOTLIGHT

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he Dillon continues to open in phases downtown, bringing residences, restaurants, shops (including Urban Outfitters), and a public parking deck downtown—as well as noteworthy installations by local artists. A few eateries, shops, and the deck are expected to open this month and throughout the summer, but you can see the art now. Tim Lytvinenko’s Not how it is, but how it came to be spans six levels of the parking deck’s exterior, and visitors get an up-close view from glass elevators traveling to and from the building’s ninth-floor lobby-patio. The 30-by-66-foot work is a photo scanned and printed onto vinyl. Durham-based Heather Gordon created a 40-by-10foot tape installation in the sky lobby, a connecting hallway suspended high above the ground and visible from many viewpoints at The Dillon and nearby Union Station. There’s also a mixed media triptych by Raleigh artist Oliver Wagner in the ground floor lobby facing West Street, not far from Jason Craighead’s 80-by-62-foot canvas. The Dillon worked closely with next-door neighbor CAM Raleigh, through CAM’s Art in the Workplace program, to commission the Gordon, Lytvinenko, and Wagner pieces—evidence that creative collaboration is alive and well in the warehouse district.

—Jessie Ammons Rumbley

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Dylan Bouterse (DILLON EXTERIOR); Heather Gordon (GEOMETRIC ART)

DECKED OUT The Dillon celebrates local artists

JUNE

Creative Landscaping Solutions for Fine Properties Since 2002

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Backyard Oasis

courtesy Walk on the Moon; courtesy pleaserock.com

ONE SMALL STEP Q: What happens when community members band together for a great cause? A: The 2018 Band Together Main Event at the Red Hat Amphitheater. Band Together is a local nonprofit that hosts musical performances to raise funds for Triangle charities, and this year’s main event is the alt-rock-pop group Walk the Moon.

Triangle Family Services is the 2018 nonprofit partner, and the goal is to provide access to mental health services to up to 600 individuals in our community. Up your ante (and join the cause) with a VIP ticket, which includes dinner from local chefs, craft beers and wine, late-night food, premier viewing, silent auction, an artist village, and other shenanigans. Love this to the moon and back.

6 p.m.; $25 - $62.50, $150 VIP ticket; 500 S. McDowell St.; bandtogethernc.org

• • • • • •

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30 I REALLY WANT TO SEE YOU TONIGHT If you like piña coladas and soft rock is the magnet to your steel, then make plans to groove over to the Lincoln Theatre June 30 for Yacht Rock Revue. Also known as the West Coast Sound, Yacht Rock is the totally mellow music made popular in the ’70s and early ’80s: a mix of light rock, smooth jazz, R&B, funk, and disco.

Yacht Rock Revue is a cover band complete with horn section, keyboards, and plenty of cowbell to rock audiences from the tops of their captain hats to the tips of their platform shoes. Catch you on Baker Street. Cue the sax.

8:30 p.m.; $14; 126 E. Cabarrus St.; lincolntheatre.com/event/yachtrock-revue

Privacy Screening RALIEGH • DURHAM • CHAPEL HILL

www.homeandgardenlandscapes.com NCLC License #2591

Triangle

courtesy Durham Arts Council

Spott ligh

SMART STARTS Durham public art initiative begins

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he first major installation in Durham’s decade-long public art initiative is in progress this month: a large-scale banner “art wrap” of the Corcoran Street parking garage, near American Tobacco campus and DPAC. The as-yet-untitled work by artist Olalekan Jeyifous (“LEk,” pronounced lake) vibrantly celebrates Durham’s culture, past and present. “It’s multicultural, multicolored— it really represents the melting pot of Durham,” says Sherry DeVries, executive director of the Durham Arts Council.

The mural publicly kicks off the Durham SmART Initiative, part of the N.C. Arts Council’s statewide initiative by the same name, which supports and encourages creative placemak-

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ing. “Public art initiatives can create the fabric of experience in a downtown area,” says DeVries. In Durham, the SmART task force plans to transform a 1-and-a-half-mile corridor through downtown Durham with murals, striking lighting, stages, and sculpture. The idea is to mirror the energy of what’s going on inside these buildings, DeVries says. This month’s installation, for instance, faces DPAC. “If you’re at DPAC and you look upward toward downtown Durham at night—even in the daytime—it’s, well, it’s pretty dull. At night, there’s not a lot of lighting. … It’s not very inviting to cross the railroad tracks and walk two blocks up into the city center.”

The art wrap should set a different tone. The abstract

JUNE

ESCAPE.

UNWIND. take on a massive banner version of a quilt features imagery familiar to locals: American Tobacco, the Lucky Strike tower, Unscripted hotel, the Durham Bulls, Hayti Heritage Center.

There are motifs and less-obvious symbols, as well. “I hope the public feels that they can see their city in it,” LEk says. “I also want people to continually discover new things in the work.”

Artist LEk is based in Brooklyn but spent time in Durham before envisioning the piece. “I want to reflect on the history, change, and community through abstract, non-hierarchical, and multi-scalar snapshots of the past, the present, and future of this area of Durham.” He hosted “community engagement” sessions and took “a bunch of photographs” to set the tone, and he was inspired by what he found. “I think sometimes not being from a particular place can be an advantage to creating artwork for that place. Your excitement and enthusiasm is —Jessie Ammons Rumbley fresh and new.”

To learn more about upcoming projects: smartdurham.org

INDULGE. BannerElk.com

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2018/19

SPOTLIGHT

MEYMANDI CONCERT HALL, RALEIGH

“Star Wars: A New Hope” in Concert FRI/SAT, OCT 5-6 | 8PM The iconic 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope plays on the big screen as the Symphony performs the score live.

Holiday Cirque Spectacular FRI, DEC 21 | 8PM SAT, DEC 22 | 3PM & 8PM

Wesley Schulz, conductor

The Music of Billy Joel featuring Michael Cavanaugh FRI/SAT, JAN 18-19 | 8PM VALENTINE’S WEEKEND

The Music of Whitney Houston FRI/SAT, FEB 15-16 | 8PM

Brent Havens, conductor

Rashidra Scott joins the Symphony to perform Whitney’s hits, including “How Will I Know?” and “I Will Always Love You.”

Broadway by Request FRI, MAR 8 | 8PM SAT, MAR 9 | 3PM & 8PM

Wesley Schulz, conductor

Choose the hits you want to hear! Vote for your favorite songs from Wicked, Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, and many more.

Pink Martini

FRI, MAY 10 | 8PM SAT, MAY 11 | 3PM & 8PM

Wesley Schulz, conductor

MOORE PLEASE Moorefields hosts its sunny annual gala

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ou can feast among the foliage this month at Moorefields’ brunch gala.

This year’s annual event is June 3, including a buffet from Hillsborough’s Louisiana-style restaurant LaPlace and live jazz music. The historic home, built in 1785 and renovated in 1982, will be open for tours, as well as tours of the grounds, including the organic farm and pesticide-free gardens and greens. All proceeds from the daytime gala support the historic preservation of Moorefields.

Moorefields executive director Barry Jacobs says he looks forward to hosting in a style befitting the place. “Moorefields is a great example of why so many Orange County and Triangle residents are committed to allying preservation with growth, nature with history.”

—Catherine Currin 12 noon - 3 p.m.; $50 per person; moorefields.org

Subscribe today!

ncsymphony.org 919.733.2750

courtesy Barry Jacobs

Wesley Schulz, conductor

Helping you achieve your goals has always been ours Congratulations to L. Thorne James for being named to: • Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list in 2018 • Barron’s Top 1200 Financial Advisors list in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

The James Group L. Thorne James, CFP®, CRPC® Managing Director Wealth Management Advisor Senior Portfolio Manager 919.829.2005 • thorne_james@ml.com Merrill Lynch 4242 Six Forks Road Suite 1800 Raleigh, NC 27609 fa.ml.com/thorne_james

Source: Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings to evaluate each advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes: client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC, and not representative nor indicative of any one client’s experience, future performance or investment outcome. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receives compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. Forbes is a trademark of Forbes Media LLC. All rights reserved. The ranking or ratings shown here may not be representative of all client experiences because they reflect an average or sampling of the client experiences. These rankings or ratings are not indicative of any future performance or investment outcome.

Source: Barron’s “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors” list, March 12, 2018. Advisors considered for the “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors” ranking have a minimum of seven years financial services experience and have been employed at their current firm for at least one year. Quantitative and qualitative measures used to determine the advisor rankings include: This is a list of the top advisors in each state, with the number of ranking spots determined by each state’s population and wealth. The rankings are based on assets under management, revenues generated by advisors for their firms and the quality of the advisors’ practices. Investment performance is not an explicit criterion because performance is often a function of each client’s appetite for risk. In evaluating advisors, we examine regulatory records, internal company documents and 100-plus points of data provided by the advisors themselves. Barron’s does not receive compensation from advisors, participating firms and their affiliates, or the media in exchange for rankings. Barron’s is a trademark of Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Rankings and recognition from Barron’s are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a current or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance results and such rankings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor.

Merrill Lynch Wealth Management makes available products and services offered by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, a registered broker-dealer and Member SIPC, and other subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation.

Investment products:

Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed

May Lose Value

The Bull Symbol and Merrill Lynch are trademarks of Bank of America Corporation.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ in the U.S. CRPC® is a registered service mark of The College for Financial Planning. © 2018 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

ARJSNNYK | AD-05-18-0120 | 471003PM-0318 | 05/2018

TRIANGLE NOW

SPOTLIGHT TO MARKET Summer is a veggie lover’s haven— check out these farmers’ markets for your seasonal needs.

MIDTOWN Midtown Raleigh Farmers’ Market pops up every Saturday until November 3.

8 a.m. - 12 noon; The Commons, Main at North Hills Street

APEX In partnership with Abundance NC, visit Apex Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. 12 noon for local goodies.

KEEP IT REAL

The Monti fosters true, live storytelling

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veryone has something to share, and Jeff Polish has been handing the mic to folks around the Triangle for more than a decade. He founded The Monti, modeled after New York City’s storytelling organization The Moth. “Our mission is to create community through the telling of stories,” says Polish.

Whether it’s a curated storytelling series or a “story slam,” Polish says the local community’s engagement with the concept has steadily grown. “We’re doing something really important in this day and age: connecting people. In many ways, we don’t really have an intimate connection with many people anymore. I believe The Monti has succeeded because people are dying for something more intimate.”

Polish, who holds a doctorate in molecular biology, hopes to use his storytelling techniques to help others convey content with a relatable narrative. “The principles that guide my work are the same principles that guide any type of oral presentation,” he says. This June, The Monti will host one of its signature series, featuring curated speakers sharing their experiences with the community. You can hear for yourself June 16 at The Arts Center in Carrboro. If you can’t make it to their live events, The Monti also has a weekly podcast, featuring many of the live performances. “I’m proud that we’ve created a space where people feel safe to share raw material from —Catherine Currin their lives.” themonti.org

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DOWNTOWN Farmers flock to Fayetteville Street on Wednesdays for this seasonal market through October. Enjoy fresh produce, live music, and other treats, like baked goods and desserts.

Fayetteville Street Plaza; 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.; godowntownraleigh.com/farmers-market

STATE The State Farmers Market is open every day of the year. For instant gratification, you can enjoy produce right on your plate at their adjacent Farmers Market restaurant.

Mon. - Sat. 5 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m. 6 p.m.; 1201 Agriculture St; ncagr.gov/markets/facilities/markets/ raleigh

courtesy Jeff Polish

220 N. Salem St.

Raising a pint to an outlaw brewer

visitRaleigh.com has everything locals need to keep company happy with tasty dining ideas and top things to do, like a trip to Sumit Vohra’s Texas-themed Lonerider Brewing Company, one of the country’s best beermakers. Take friends and family on a tour of the area’s 25+ breweries to earn prizes on the Raleigh Beer Trail.

Learn more at visitRaleigh.com/family.

all month

STRIKE A POSE Thanks to our nation’s obsession with social media, or in spite of it, portraiture is experiencing a renaissance in contemporary art. Consider the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, the most prestigious of its kind in the country: Every three years, The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery invites a selection of artists to enter the juried competition. Amy Sherald won first place in 2016 (of more than 2,500 entries); you might know her as the artist commissioned to paint the official portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama.

This month, Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill is the final stop on The Outwin: American Portraiture Today, the Portrait Gallery’s first-ever traveling exhibition of Outwin award winners, including Sherald. Make plans to see this (for better or worse) Instagramstory-worthy show.

See website for museum hours; free; 101 S. Columbia St., Chapel Hill; ackland.org/exhibition/outwin-american-portraiture-today

6

VEEP Vice President Joe Biden extended his 30-city American Promise Tour to include DPAC in Durham. The former VPOTUS sits down with a moderator for an informal talk about big moments in his career as a politician, and the hardships and high points he has weathered during his 45 years in service to the country. Biden will also delve candidly into his bestselling memoir, Promise Me Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose, which chronicles the period in 2015 when he lost his son Beau to brain cancer.

7:30 p.m.; $49 - $199; 123 Vivian St., Durham; dpacnc.com/events/detail/ joe-biden

“As a mother of two, one of my goals is to educate my children about the spirit of giving back. I helped achieve that when I brought them both to Marta’s SPCA of Wake County charity event. They loved being able to give cuddles to pets up for adoption. I am so proud to be a part of the Marta's team and constantly impressed with their efforts to raise awareness and funds for these local organizations. And for that – Marta’s matters.”

Alison E. Anderson, Flywheel Instructor and Marta’s Marketing Manager

Learn more at MartasofRaleigh.com North Hills Raleigh Adjacent to Renaissance Hotel 919-788-4200

Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deiight) by Amy Sherald (PORTRAIT); Patrick Semansky (BIDEN)

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JUNE

Be well addressed...

NOSH NEWS WAHLBURGER Marky Mark has opened the newest location of the family’s burger empire on Fayetteville Street. Wahlburgers opened last month in the former location of The Oxford, serving burgers, salads, and root beer floats.

For official hours and more information, visit wahlburgersrestaurant.com

1809 Glenn Avenue Hayes Barton

$699,500.00

2004 Stone Street Hayes Barton

$1,095,000.00

HATS OFF! The cuisine queen of Kinston has another accolade for her list: Daytime Emmy. A Chef’s Life star Vivian Howard and her team took home the award for Outstanding Directing in a Lifestyle/Culinary/Travel Program.

601 N. Bloodworth Street Oakwood

$1,450,000.00

3009 Granville Drive Country Club Hills

$1,749,900.00

335 Yadkin Drive Country Club Hills

$1,795,000.00

3100 Beaufort Street Country Club Hills

$2,495,000.00

SAY CHEESE That favorite decadent Southern spread can be found in abundance at Cary’s Pimento Cheese Festival June 9. There will be live music, beer, and of course— pimento cheese. Feeling artistic? Enter the pimento cheese sculpting contest.

Free; 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.; 319 S. Academy St; visitraleigh.com/event/pimento-cheesefestival/58057

Runyon Tyler III 919.271.6641

runyon.tyler@bhhsysu.com BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.%AE Equal Housing Opportunity.

8 PULL OUT THE STOPS

The Durham Arts Council is pulling out all the stops for their 2018 Organ Crawl, an exclusive event celebrating sacred music in three of Durham’s historic churches complete with a three-course meal.

The evening unfolds as a progressive party, beginning with hors d’oeuvres and wine pairings at Trinity United Methodist Church, then continuing with dinner at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, and dessert at First Presbyterian Church. Guests are treated to a private organ performance at each stop and architecture and church renovator Terry Byrd Eason will provide historical context and insight on each church. Please note: the party progresses on foot with a short stroll between the sites. Golf cart shuttles are provided for those with limited mobility. Proceeds from the event benefit the Durham Arts Council, and that certainly hits a high note.

5:30 - 9 p.m.; $60; 215 N Church St, Durham; durhamarts.org/events.html

9 BLIND FAITH Lift your spirit at Summerfest with the North Carolina Symphony.

On June 9, the Blind Boys of Alabama join the symphony on stage at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary for an evening of stirring spirituals and gospel music. The Blind Boys of Alabama formed in 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in Talladega, Alabama, and have gone on to win multiple Grammys, including one for Lifetime Achievement, and be inducted into the Gospel Hall of Fame. For the last 70 years, members have come and gone, but the group’s commitment to performing uplifting harmonies and encouraging those with disabilities has never wavered.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m.; $36 - $40, $17 lawn ticket for students 13 - 26 with school ID, free lawn seating for children under 12; 8003 Regency Parkway, Cary; ncsymphony.org/events/170/summerfestblind-boys-of-alabama

fine gifts custom stationery furnishings interior design

SOUTHCHAPELHILL.COM 107 MEADOWMONT VILLAGE CIRCLE CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA 919.240.5475

courtesy opendurham.org; Jim Herrington

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JUNE

6/147/21

Your love.

Our passion.

Grant Halverson (ADF); Corey Lowenstein (BEYOND)

5, 6, 7, 8....

53 performances; 10 world premieres; 14 debuts; 26 companies/ choreographers from Canada, China, Israel, and the US; and world-class dance in 7 venues can only add up to one thing: the American Dance Festival (ADF) in Durham. ADF celebrates its 85th year with a full calendar of innovative modern dance. Highlights include: the presentation of the 2018 Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award for lifetime achievement to choreographer Ronald K. Brown; the first-ever performance of ADF alumni in Coming Home: ADF Alumni Return; and co-presenting with NCMA Dana Ruttenberg’s Naba 2.0. Crowd favorites the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Pilobulus, and the Shen Wei Dance Arts will also return.

See the ADF website for the full calendar of events, performances, workshops, and camps for dancers and dance-lovers alike. americandancefestival.org

1317 THE GREAT BEYOND. The Cary Theater proudly presents ... (drum roll, please) Beyond: The Film Festival, a celebration of the art of storytelling in cinema.

This is Cary’s first ever film festival and The Cary Theater is rolling out the red carpet for a week of special events, screenings, and a screenplay and short film competition. Highlights include: vieing the Family Kick-Off Film, Back to the Future, in Downtown Park; screening of a feature film from Cary’s sister city in Taiwan; short film blocks; a screenplay masterclass with Shawn Scheps (Encino Man, Weeds); and a screening of Steel Magnolias with a special guest to be announced. Mix and mingle in between showings at one of several parties held at Pharmacy Bottle and Beverage, Bond Brothers Beer Company, and the Mayton Inn. Take one, scene one: Cary is ready for her closeup.

See website for event and show times; $90 full festival pass, $30 Friday pass, $45 Saturday pass, $9 individual events; 122 E. Chatham St., Cary; thecarytheater.com

4401 Glenwood Ave. Raleigh, NC 27612 www.diamondsdirect.com

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SPOTLIGHT GOOD FINDS DEADHEADS Pull out your dancing bears T-shirt and get ready to jam.

Dead & Company, featuring heartthrob John Mayer, will pit stop at Coastal Credit Union Music Park June 9. $45 - $149; deadandcompany. com

TARGET PRACTICE

Axe throwing facility to open in Durham

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his summer, you can take the edge off in a new way. Urban Axes, a Philadelphia-based axe-throwing facility, has broken ground on a location in Durham, expected to open later this summer. Up to 200 “throwers,” as the facility calls visitors, can hurl the sharp tools in the 12,000 square-foot space. The environment is controlled for safety, but nonetheless this axe throwing is for ages 21 and up. There’s also a bar of beer and wine on-site, the company’s first. Co-founder Krista Paton says Durham is a perfect fit for the fourth Urban Axes location (besides Philadelphia, there are spots in Boston, Massachusetts and Austin, Texas). “Durham is a community-driven city that supports local businesses and its innovators, and that’s something we value.”

About axe throwing: The new take on recreation has become increasingly popular among the breweryand-bar-going set, and it is precisely what it sounds like. Think of it as the 2.0 version of bar games like darts. “We pride ourselves on a creating a space that’s fun, laid-back, and inclusive, whether you’ve never thrown an axe in your life or you’re a pro,” says Paton. Throwers come out of curiosity, in search of entertainment, and, yes, for stress relief. “Some people come to blow off some steam after a hard day at work, some come to get together with their friends to have a good time—either way they always do. Once you get a bullseye, you want to keep trying for the next.”

—Catherine Currin 619 Foster St., Durham; urbanaxes.com

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Marbles Kids Museum is opening their doors for an older crowd this month. You can be a kid again and even enjoy a beer in the interactive space June 22. Proceeds from the event support the nonprofit’s exhibits and programs.

For ticket pricing and more information, visit marbleskidsmuseum. org/21marbles

courtsey Urban Axes

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM

Robert Willet (MUDCATS); Thomas Ebert (HIPHOP)

JUNE

22-24 HIPHOP TRIPPIN’

19 A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN The best and the brightest stars of the Carolina League will be at Five County Stadium when the Carolina Mudcats host the 2018 Carolina League All-Star Classic June 19. The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball organization with 10 teams stretching out along the Atlantic Coast. Grab a dog, a brew, and cheer on your favorite N.C. team—the Wilmington Blue Rocks, Buies Creek Astros, Down East Wood Ducks, Winston Salem Dash, or, of course, our own Mudcats.

Batter up.

7 p.m.; $13 - $18; 1501 NC Highway 39, Zebulon; milb.com/index. jsp?sid=l122

Put your hands in the air for the North Carolina Hiphop Festival, the state’s largest showcase of the dopest in Hiphop and R&B. Billed as the premiere destination for luxury hiphop enthusiasts, the festival promises to deliver a big sound at various small clubs and venues in downtown Durham. Headliners include Large Professor, Arrested Development, Doug E. Fresh, Mr. Cheeks, and Sa-Roc. In addition to dropping beats, over 100 exhibitors are expected to offer a deep-dive into hiphop culture. The festival is open to those 18 and older. A valid I.D. is required to purchase alcohol. Food vendors will be available morning, noon, and night to keep festival-goers fueled up. Believe the hype? Make plans to attend this on fleek festival.

9 - 2 a.m. daily; $49 general admission, see website for VIP package pricing; see website for venue locations; nchiphopfestival.collinsboy.com

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8411 Glenwood Ave., Ste. 107 Raleigh, NC 27612 919-783-7100

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4209 Lassiter Mill Rd., Ste. 130 Raleigh, NC 27609 919-600-6200

Juli Leonard

TRIANGLE NOW

30 FARM FRESH Jamie Dement is really cooking. The Eastern N.C. native lives on 55 acres in Hillsborough where she and her family farm sustainably raised heirloom varieties of produce and livestock. She and her partner Richard Holcomb own Piedmont Restaurant in Durham, and the online farmers’ market Bella Bean Organics.

She also frequently guest lectures at UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State, and Duke.

Oh, and in her spare time, she wrote the cookbook The Farmhouse Chef, full of recipes and stories she has cultivated over the years. On June 30, Jamie pays a visit to the Mathews Family Mini Farm in Hillsborough for an intimate 3-hour workshop. Guests will prepare recipes from her cookbook, and then take home the fruits of their labor. The day begins with coffee and snacks and ends with lunch served outdoors. A portion of ticket sales benefit No Kid Hungry.

9 a.m. - 12 noon; $95; Mathews Family Mini Farm, Hillsborough; eventbrite.com keyword: Jamie Dement

GAME PLAN

Our

“So many places in Raleigh are rising to the top.

It’s fun to be in that growth.” —Joe Kwon, musician and local food enthusiast

J

oe Kwon was born in Korea, raised in High Point, and has travelled near and far. It’s downtown Raleigh, however, that he returns to after months on tour with award-winning and multiple-Grammy-nominated band The Avett Brothers. And he doesn’t just live in Raleigh— he’s deeply involved in its growth and development. The cellist most recently performed at Blue Cross Blue Shield’s first annual THRIVE NC festival at City Market, for example. He says it was a no-brainer to contribute with a performance of “Joe Kwon & Friends” at the culinary event supporting statewide hunger relief. “All of my friends in the culinary world were going to be a part of it, so it made sense for me to sign on. It was an easy decision.”

Like music, food is a central theme in Kwon’s world. He’s also a part of the artistic team for the upcoming East Raleigh food hall, Transfer Co. The space will include vendors like

Person Street Bar, Locals Seafood, and Saxapahaw General Store. Kwon says he’s looking forward to a spot that will heed the growth of this often underserved side of Raleigh. “Downtown and East Raleigh are two demographics that might not cross paths without something like Transfer Co. Hopefully we can create cross-communication, through food, that wouldn’t naturally occur.”

Despite steady travel and juggling multiple projects, one of Kwon’s favorite things to do, he says, is stay at home. “We’re on the road a lot, so when we’re home, we don’t want to leave. We love hosting people and gathering around the table.” He and his wife, Emily, customized their downtown Raleigh home with intentional spaces for entertaining and hosting. “It’s such a communal thing to share memories around food.”

—Catherine Currin

photograph by EAMON QUEENEY

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“I’ve seen a lot of High Country communities and none compare to Blue Ridge Mountain Club.”

Hutch Johnson, Award-Winning Residential Designer Blue Ridge Mountain Club Homeowner

When you’re a celebrated residential designer like Hutch Johnson, well-known throughout Western North Carolina, as well as the Research Triangle, you have seen a lot of master-planned communities.

“I’ve designed houses for people all over the High Country of North Carolina,” says Hutch, “and no place compares to Blue Ridge Mountain Club. It stands apart from the rest.

That’s why Kate and I made it our home.”

Homes & Condominiums from $430k. Homesites from $80k.

To learn more or plan your visit contact Team BRMC: 828-414-4261 or online at ExploreBRMC.com Obtain the Property Report required by Federal Law before signing anything. All information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted. This information shall not constitute a valid offer in any state where prior registration is required. This information and features and information described and depicted herein is based on proposed development plans, which are subject to change without notice. Actual development may or may not be as currently proposed. No guarantee is made that the features, amenities, or facilities depicted by an artist’s rendering or otherwise described herein will be built, or, if built will be the same type, size, or nature as depicted or described. © 2015 Blowing Rock Resort Venture, LLC.

MUSIC • FOOD • DRINK ADMISSION IS FREE

SAT, JUNE 23RD • 1-9PM VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE FOR DETAILS

OUR TOWN

THE USUAL

T “This program shines a light on how the 12 steps of recovery and yoga principles align.”

—Phyllis Kritz, N.C. Yoga of 12 Step Recovery leader

here’s a group of Raleighites that are taking to their yoga mats for support and discussion each week. North Carolina’s chapter of Yoga of 12-Step Recovery, or NCY12SR, is built on the foundations of the classic 12-step recovery method, and adds yoga practices to foster an empowering environment for those recovering from all forms of addiction. “The Sunday evening time sets your week up for intention and success,” says leader Phyllis Kritz.

Krtiz has led the group since its first gathering in 2015. She says that yoga experience is not necessary; the meetings at Evolve Movement on Oberlin Road are open to any and all levels, and a judgement-free zone. After 45 minutes of discussion and sharing, the group spends 45 minutes in gentle yoga flow. “The beauty of this meeting, just like yoga, (is that) there is a template but there’s room to expand upon it.” The encouraging weekly gatherings attract people currently struggling with addiction, Kritz says, and also those looking for relapse prevention.

The volunteer leaders work with Healing Transitions in Raleigh, welcoming the community there to a supplemental support system. Jahi Aziz, a NCY12SR member since 2016 and now a trained leader, says the yoga meetings “just felt right.” He was introduced to the group while at Healing Transitions, and now encourages his former peers to join him on Sunday nights. “What it really represents is an expansion of the foundation of 12-step recovery. The meetings at Evolve keep me fresh … I’ve never left the meeting feeling how I felt when I came in.”

—Catherine Currin

photograph by JULI LEONARD

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OUR TOWN

ON DUTY

“I don’t necessarily know what everyone does or even their names, but I recognize them, and that makes you feel part of a community.”

—Casey Gallas, barista, lucettegrace

S

ome might say that Casey Gallas is a jack of all trades.

He’s not only a friendly face behind the counter in the morning at lucettegrace patisserie downtown, he’s also a singer in The 919 Band, performing at events and weddings locally. Oh, and he’s a cast member of STEM the Musical, a local educational program for grades K-8. But to him, he’s just “slinging coffee” and providing delicious treats to Raleighites. His almost two-year gig at lucettegrace began with an Instagram job posting, and Gallas says he’s grateful to be in the thick of the action as downtown has evolved the past few years. Along the way, he’s come to believe in the power of pastry. “These are the people here every day and we get to offer that little piece of delicious for them. … You only get so many chances to eat during life, why waste it?”

His personal favorite treat is hard to pin down. “People

ask me my favorite thing to eat at lucettegrace 30 times a day and it always changes.” Right now, it’s the ham-and-cheese croissant with a cup of soup, he says. You can catch him behind the coffee bar most mornings, and he says he loves the flow of professionals stopping in for their regular coffee or croissant. “In the morning, it feels like the genuine working lifeblood of the city.”

Gallas considers lucettegrace his side work, meant to supplement the music and the education, but it’s come to be a meaningful, rewarding part of his days, he says. From his side of the counter, Gallas observes important community moments: job interviews, first dates, team meetings. “We’re much more than baristas or pastry ambassadors. We’re weaving into this fabric of life downtown.”

—Catherine Currin

photograph by MADELINE GRAY

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Autumn Prelude Special Sept. 4-28 40% off Chetola Accommodations (Sunday-Wednesday only)

This Year...Elevate Your Vacation!

There’s no better place to enjoy an Indian summer or autumn getaway than at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock. Enjoy a day of hiking, fly fishing, clay shooting, shopping, fine dining, and sightseeing. Then, rejuvenate in our full-service spa, enjoy a memorable dinner at Timberlake’s, and take advantage of our varied accommodations at a special turn-of-the-season discount.

Includes:

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40% off Chetola Lodge, Bob Timberlake Inn or 1-4 Bedroom Condominiums Breakfast in the Lodge or Inn Chetola Blanket (1 per room)

at blowing rock

Don’t settle for the same old vacation. This year, head to the mountains and enjoy attractions including High Gravity Adventures and Grandfather Mountain, and activities like zip lining, fly fishing, hiking and more.

Stay in a spacious Chetola condominium and enjoy paddle boarding, tennis and weekly bonfires with s’mores.

We’re just a short walk from downtown Blowing Rock and within a five-minute drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Chetola.com | 800.243.8652 800-243-8652 | Chetola.com

OUR TOWN

SHOP LOCAL

“I’m inspired by our local makers and what they’re doing.”

—Rachael Pusateri Riddle, owner, The Local Squirrel

“W

e gather our local products like squirrels gather their nuts,” says Rachael Pusateri Riddle, who founded The Local Squirrel two years ago. The shop in Cameron Village stocks local products, gifts, home decor, and jewelry.

Riddle is a Raleigh native and Meredith College alumna with years of retail work under her belt, and she pays homage to both of those places in her own space. Place, she says, is a priority, in more ways than one. “Location is what was most important, and Cameron Village was the ideal location.

I wanted to bring a lifestyle boutique to the Village.”

Riddle says she’s proud to showcase local artists and makers—they account for 70 percent of the store’s merchandise.

Wares include Raleigh-based Porchfly Clothing and Pepper-

train Jewelry, as well as national labels Rifle Paper Co. and HGTV’s Fixer Upper Magnolia Home line. The shop’s vibe is rustic and eclectic, with everything from the perfect gift for a bride to trinkets suited to bedside tables. “We try to highlight what Raleigh and the South are doing … I read a lot and am always travelling and looking for what’s new.” Riddle says she’s been surprised and excited by the many collaborations going on around the shop, such as neighboring sidewalk sales and special trunk shows. “We really thrive on community. I’ve noticed that the store has become a landing spot for people to just stop by and say hello.”

—Catherine Currin 2012 Cameron St. thelocalsquirrel.com

photograph by EAMON QUEENEY

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CUSTOMIZED FLOOR PLANS WITH SPACIOUS INTERIORS

CURATED FINISHES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

NOTHING COMPARES Seventeen modernist brownstones nestled between Cameron Village and Downtown Raleigh.

All with elevators, rooftop verandas, and stunning views.

A downtown address in a serene setting, located on St. Mary’s St. between W. Jones and W. Lane. www.TheSaintRaleigh.com

OUR TOWN

SPOTLIGHT

From left to right: ShopSpace co-founders Mary Catherine (“MC”) Floyd, Bill Knight, Lucas House, and Dave Nicolay at the studio in the Boylan Heights neighborhood near downtown Raleigh.

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“Metalworking is so tool-intensive.

Most people can’t afford to have this kind of tool inventory in their garage.”

–Dave Nicolay, co-founder, ShopSpace

by REBECCA GUENARD

T

he metal transforms under her skilled hammer strikes, yielding easily in its malleable state. She guides the molten steel into precise tapers and graceful curves with only a few controlled blows. Meanwhile, attempts by one novice result in misshapen, tortured metal, as if to prove her deftness. Today’s goal is to fashion a hook, and though the beginner’s metal is too thin in spots and oddly misaligned, it is hook-shaped – so that’s something. Besides, she is a master craftswoman, at the helm of an all-levels blacksmithing class.

The craftswoman is Mary Catherine (“MC”) Floyd, one of the co-founders of ShopSpace, a forging and fabrication studio in the Boylan Heights district of downtown Raleigh. Floyd teaches evening classes in metalwork, along with her husband and co-founder Dave Nicolay and fellow metal artist and other co-founder Lucas House (there is also a fourth co-founder, Bill Knight). They regularly welcome world-class craftspeople and intrepid beginners alike to the shop, ushering them into a wellstocked, no-judgement place for learning and honing.

Creating Space ShopSpace’s four co-founders all share a dedication to their craft. Lucas House, a native of Western North Carolina, moved to Raleigh to attend N.C. State’s College of Design in 2002, when he also joined artist co-op Antfarm Studios. After

photographs by EAMON QUEENEY JUNE 2018 | 61

ShopSpace co-founder Lucas House, right, helps Christy Strother, left, of Raleigh, work in the studio.

graduation, he opened his metalworks business IronHouse Forge, specializing in custom designed commercial and residential pieces. Through the years and the ups and downs of small-business ownership, House kept in touch with College of Design classmate Dave Nicolay. For his part, Nicolay applied his design training to work as a general contractor, specializing in historic restoration. Nicolay often borrowed House’s shop tools and space for projects.

Worlds collided in 2009 when Floyd traveled to Raleigh for the installation of her honeycomb sculpture in the nowclosed Busy Bee Cafe restaurant. Nicolay was friends with the restaurant’s remodelling contractors and helped Floyd install her sculpture. At the time, Floyd was a blacksmith’s apprentice at the National Ornamental Metals Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. After the Busy Bee project, the

62 | WALTER

two dated long-distance for awhile before Floyd returned to her native Raleigh, married Nicolay, and wound up in a studio at Antfarm, collaborating with House.

The trio spent a lot of time in the metalworks studio, imagining a place open and inviting to the community.

House and Nicolay were inspired by the shop they had access to as students at the College of Design and were determined to provide Raleigh with a similar space where people could be creative with metal. Luckily, House had his IronHouse Forge studio, and he was willing to have it do double-duty. In 2016, the ShopSpace idea was born; longtime friend and supporter Ben Knight joined the team to help get the space up and running.

ShopSpace accommodates a range of metalwork expertise. If you have always wanted to give the work a try, there are two-hour beginner classes in blacksmith-

ing and in fabrication. Then, as your skill and appreciation for safety grow, you can sign up for open shop time to work on an independent project.

Nicolay says that in the year-and-ahalf since ShopSpace opened, over 700 students have crossed the threshold. They need more space. In the fall, the team will move out of its current 1,500-square-foot Antfarm spot (and House’s professional studio) to a 8,000-square-foot warehouse on Capital Boulevard. The extra room will allow the trio to teach a wider range of classes and offer memberships for anyone interested in coming and going freely during regular business hours.

Most of ShopSpace’s clients are not craftspeople, according to Nicolay. “Their careers are a little more desk-oriented and this is an outlet for them,” he says.

On a recent Thursday night class, for instance, there were a number of software

engineers. There was a young, married couple who delighted in learning a new skill together, and a gentleman who hopes to someday repurpose railroad ties into a set of oyster knives.

Floyd began class that night by informing the group that at 1,800 degrees, metal behaves like clay—in the malleable state. It turns out, that’s only after you’ve practiced a few times.

Clay willingly acquiesces to pressure, and for a first-timer, metal stubbornly refuses. But Floyd demonstrated how to make the hot metal accede. The class eagerly set to work trying to influence the metal in the same way. Despite the outcome, the challenge was addictive.

As class wrapped up, most students lingered, not seeming to want the experience to end. The beauty of ShopSpace is that now, there will be an opportunity to try again soon.

Clockwise from top left: ShopSpace co-founder Lucas House demonstrates on the anvil; a detailed look at the forging area inside ShopSpace; class-takers mingle between learning to forge and weld.

JUNE 2018 | 63

STORY of a house

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GLOBAL TOUCH

Personal style fuses with inherited pieces from around the world in this curated, collected home

by LAURA PETRIDES WALL photographs by CATHERINE NGUYEN

JUNE 2018 | 65

A

s a child, Mandi Chappell used to make fun of her father’s Asian art collection.

“He had a real passion for it and collected pieces when he traveled,” she says. Even though his travel was often domestic, her father had an affinity for Oriental style, bringing home everything from small decorative ornaments to large rugs.

“Admittedly, I did not appreciate the beauty of the pieces he collected,” says Chappell. She particularly disliked a pair of Chinese guardian lion statues, sometimes known as foo dogs, that her father purchased. However, since his passing a few years ago, Chappell has developed an appreciation for his beloved collectibles.

It is not coincidence that these same two foo dogs, meant to ward off evil and offer protection, now flank the front doors of her family’s new home.

After months of searching for an existing home in Raleigh, Chappell and her husband, Brian Chappell, finally settled on purchasing an older ranch home on a large lot in Country Club Hills. “It was a tear-down, but the location was ideal. We 66 | WALTER

decided to go for it,” says Chappell. With the help of architect Tony Frazier and builder Richard Gephart, their custom home became a reality. After 15 months of construction, the Chappells moved in last December. They intend to stay. “This is the first and last house we will build together,” she says.

Once construction was complete, Chappell turned her focus to the home’s interior. She worked with interior designer Tula Summerford to pull together pieces new and old. Chappell says she loved Summerford’s design work and personality, so it was a natural collaborative fit. “I saw the different kinds of work that she had done. She really understood what I wanted,” Chappell says. Through the design process, the two found new use— and created a stage—for her father’s remarkable collectibles. Together, they created an inventory of the Chappells’ existing furniture, antiques, and art, and then narrowed things down to best fit the space. “I like people to keep things that they’ve inherited,” Summerford says, “I think it’s a reflection on their life, their travels, and their lifestyle.”

DIVINE DINING Above: Kravet cut velvet wallpaper adds texture to the dining room.

The handpainted Asian breakfront that belonged to Mandi Chappell's father anchors the room. The dining room table is a custom piece

by Fulford & Company in Wilson, North Carolina. Antique dining chairs are covered in hand-embroidered fabric by Christian Lacroix.

Handblown Merino sconces from the late 1800s help illuminate the room.

At left: A charming pair of Herend foo dog figurines sit on the dining table and accompany the antique china.

JUNE 2018 | 67

LAYERED LUXURY Above: A reclaimed kitchen table and 1980s chairs were brought back to life with a coat of navy paint and recovered in striped Designers Guild fabric. An antique brass Louise Gaskill chandelier hangs over the kitchen table.

At left: Navy bar stools and yellow accessories add color to the kitchen.

Opposite page: A circa-1890s crystal chandelier from Paris hangs from the unique barrel ceiling in a hallway adjoining the kitchen; velvet cheetah-print Kravet wallpaper surrounds an old French console, converted into a bathroom vanity with metal flower sculptures by Chapel Hill artist Tommy Mitchell; translucent agate cutting boards and antique coupe glasses add opulence to the bar cabinet.

68 | WALTER

The Chappells repurposed existing family furnishings and splurged on lighting, wallpaper, and hardware. Taking personal style into consideration—Chappell’s love for color, animal prints, and the sentimental art collection—created a cohesive, multilayered, and inspired look.

They’ve settled nicely into their new home, which they share with children Jack, 14, Molly, 12, and Katherine, 9. “It’s better than we could have ever dreamed of. I never thought I’d live in a house like this,” says Chappell. More importantly, she sees their space as a tribute to her late father. “I wish he could see the foo dogs on the front porch.”

JUNE 2018 | 69

FRESH START Above: Reupholstered animal-print chairs once belonged to Mandi Chappell's grandmother; an old French desk was given a new life with a coat of white lacquer from Steins Furniture & Lacquer Studio; bookshelves display inherited artworks, Grecian urns, antique Staffordshire dogs (a signature in Tula Summerford's homes), and also showcase small paintings from local artist Emily Anne Farrell.

At right: A contemporary painting by local artist Jennifer Flannigan welcomes visitors in.

70 | WALTER

Blount Williams at Marbles Kids Museum. Williams’ many community involvements include the museum, where he was the former chairman of the board of directors.

72 | WALTER

WALTER profile

Community BUILDING

Blount Williams’ tenacious thoughtfulness, in business and beyond

by WILL LINGO photographs by GEOFF WOOD

O

Ostensibly Blount Williams sells office furniture. In reality he is a builder.

Take his family’s company, for instance.

Alfred Williams and Company has been a Raleigh institution for 150 years, and it’s still going strong, growing from its headquarters downtown to now cover the Carolinas and Tennessee. Williams has added his own chapter to his family’s history there.

But nowhere is Williams’ impact more obvious, once you know to look for it, than in his community work. His nonprofit involvement is diverse—the WakeMed Foundation, Wake Education Partnership, and Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, to name just a few—

and his contributions go beyond simply serving on boards. He leverages the skills that have made him successful in business to bring meaningful action and change to the organizations he serves. He is strategic and visionary, but he doesn’t run people over when trying to execute a plan. He focuses on communication and collaboration, so that his leadership naturally moves people toward consensus.

This community building is perhaps best exemplified by Williams’ leadership in transforming Marbles Kids Museum.

He began as a board member of Exploris, the original name for the museum when it opened in 1999. The so-called “global experience center” struggled to find its JUNE 2018 | 73

way, without a clear mission and saddled with debt. The failures of the museum made the relationship between the nonprofit and Wake County, which owns the downtown property, tense. Williams served on a task force to decide whether to close the museum or figure out a way to reinvigorate it.

Exploris eventually joined forces with a small but successful children’s museum called Playspace to form a reinvigorated museum with a clear focus on children, called Marbles. The new museum hired Sally Edwards as president and CEO of the organization, and watched the new entity take off. Williams was the chairman of the Marbles board of directors for two terms as it became a gem in the midst of downtown Raleigh’s rebirth.

“It’s such an important institution for our community, for our children, for downtown Raleigh,” Williams says. “But there was a lot of angst between the county and Exploris when things weren’t going well. At Marbles, that relationship has been transformed.

greater good, coming together for a common cause. And I think that’s true in his own organization, or the museum, or his church. People are inspired by Blount.”

Good business Williams’ deep-rooted and widespread impact does, ultimately, go back to Alfred Williams and Company. Blount is the fifth generation of Williams leadership for a family that traces itself back to Raleigh’s earliest days. The first Alfred Williams was born in Franklin County in 1805 and came to Raleigh when he was 16, finding work as a clerk in a drugstore.

By the time he was 22 he owned the place. He worked in various other businesses until the Civil War, and then in 1867 started a bookselling and publishing company that became the Alfred Williams Company, adding office supplies to answer a need in the market.

Over time the company dropped book publication and became a complete office outfitter, with office supplies, machines, and furniture. That was how the compa-

Thoughtfulness. Strategic thinking. Consensus.

Collaboration. The same words come up over and over when you talk to people who have worked with Williams.

“It was fun to take something that was kind of souring and watch it become really good.”

Edwards met Williams as she was going through the recruitment and interview process to come to Marbles, and his intentionality and vision made an immediate impression.

“He is such a thoughtful leader, and to have always at the heart of his strategic thinking what is best for the community, it really helps everybody line up around a vision,” Edwards says. “He’s so smart that sometimes you don’t recognize how strategic he’s being.

“He’s not calculated, he’s intentional, helping people buy into a vision for the 74 | WALTER

ny sat in 1981, known by its current name of Alfred Williams and Company, when Williams’ father came calling.

Williams, after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill, had fled Raleigh for Winston-Salem, working in commercial real estate there after getting his MBA at Wake Forest University. “I thought I would never come back,” he says, somewhat wryly as he sits in the CEO’s office of the company’s shiny downtown headquarters. “I always said I would never work for Alfred Williams and Co.” But his father presented it as a challenge, and he saw a small, “typical family business” that was in need of more professional management. His father and

uncle were the owners at the time, with office supply, office machine, and office furniture divisions. The transformation took about 10 years, but Williams eventually bought both his uncle’s and father’s shares of the business and sold off the office supply and machine divisions.

Williams decided the office furniture business had the most potential, and it was the area that interested him the most, as it transformed from simply selling furniture to helping a company think about its space, how design could benefit the business and its culture, and helping it achieve those goals.

“In 1981 we just took what the client said they wanted and decorated their office beautifully,” he says. “Now companies are a lot more thoughtful about the spaces they create. They’re more intentional.

“We’re not just in the furniture business, but we’re consulting with companies about their space, and making the company better. That kind of engagement is invigorating to me.”

Once he took ownership of the company, Williams drove further growth, and in 2008 he worked out a plan to merge his company with two others that would put offices in eight markets and cover the Carolinas and Tennessee. The deal was completed on July 1, 2008, but almost before the ink was dry, the Great Recession hit. The unified company, which had 220 employees at the time of the merger, was down to 150 within nine months.

“That was a really painful time, the toughest time in my life professionally,” Williams says. “At the same time, though, if we had been any one of those companies standing alone, then we would not have made it. We always had at least one market that drove our profitability while other markets recovered.”

Alfred Williams and Company always remained headquartered in Raleigh, and it has since moved back downtown, into a beautifully renovated building on Fayetteville Street that illustrates the company’s focus on open, bright, modern office design.

And while the company’s mission has expanded, from simply selling office furniture to consulting with businesses

Blount Williams talks with Marbles Kids Museum employees Ben Whitley, left, and Billy Barefoot.

about what they want out of their space and how to achieve that, Williams says the most fundamental element of success has not changed: finding good people and letting them do their jobs.

The other thing that has not changed is the company’s focus on service to its community. It starts with Williams as the CEO and permeates down through the company’s org chart.

“Good corporate citizenship is really important,” Williams says. “… There’s the fulfillment for giving your time and talent to the community.”

Positive energy Williams sets the example for the rest of his company to follow with his continual willingness to not only serve but to lead. As he sits in his office on a recent afternoon, surrounded not only be impeccably selected office furniture but also a wealth of family photos and paintings of horses (another passion),

and reflects on his community service, the most recent challenge that jumps to mind is his service at Christ Episcopal Church, the downtown church where he was baptized.

He had been a loyal member for most of his life, but seven years ago the Rev. Jim Adams, the rector, called and asked Williams to run for vestry, the church’s lay leadership board. Williams won election and eventually acted as the leader of the group as it began an ambitious $10 million capital campaign to retire all of the church’s debt, undertake a huge renovation of the building, and build an endowment to use for outreach projects.

Williams says he was not sure what to expect but found it as rewarding as any service he has ever undertaken. “You’re at the table with your peers, and you’re contributing in your very best way, and you’re learning from each other and teaching each other and growing,” he says.

Adams says Williams’ attitude and

his ability as a consensus builder made him an ideal leader for such a complex project, one that has to balance the many, varied interests that come up in a church.

Good executive leadership, where everyone is heard but decisions still get made, can be hard for nonprofits of any kind to come by.

“Blount is one of the people who has that,” Adams says. “He’ll make a decision that may or may not please everybody but serves the church the best. And he’s just such a thoughtful guy and a good communicator that he’s very trusted.”

Thoughtfulness. Strategic thinking.

Consensus. Collaboration. The same words come up over and over when you talk to people who have worked with Williams.

Mike Ferguson, a doctor at WakeMed and director of Wake Specialty Physicians ENT – Head and Neck Surgery, first served with Williams on the search committee that selected Donald Gintzig JUNE 2018 | 75

as the organization’s CEO, and later on the board of the WakeMed Foundation, when Williams was chairman.

“He is what he appears to be,” Ferguson says. “There is a kindness to his leadership. You never question his authority or ability, but he always delivered his message in a gentle way. He always achieved what he wanted to achieve, but he never did it with a heavy hand. You can’t find

for a non-Williams future. He is now the only family member in the company, and in 2015 he hired John McKinney as the president of the company, the first time someone outside the Williams family has occupied such a role. It’s been a good move, one Williams is proud of, he says.

The company is back up to more than 200 employees, with annual sales north of $100 million. While Williams cher-

“He is what he appears to be. There is a kindness to his leadership. You never question his authority or ability, but he always delivered his message in a gentle way. He always achieved what he wanted to achieve, but he never did it with a heavy hand.” anybody who has spent any time with Blount who has anything bad to say about him.”

Ferguson says that aside from the quality of Williams’ leadership, his decisions about which causes and organizations to support also make a difference in the community.

“Because of his reputation and his standing in the community, his service was a huge help to WakeMed and the foundation,” Ferguson says. “His choosing to commit his time and talent put in motion a lot of really great things for WakeMed.” The common thread, again, is building.

And whether it’s his own company or a community organization he cares about, Williams likes to focus on creating a sustainable foundation for the future.

Intensely family-oriented, Williams and his wife Dargan raised four nowgrown children in Raleigh, all of whom attended Wake County Public Schools and three of whom have returned to the city to raise their own families. They’ve added 12 grandchildren to the brood, and they’re increasingly the priority.

Today, at 63, Williams is thinking about the future of Alfred Williams and Company, and preparing the company 76 | WALTER

ishes the family aspect, he is optimistic about the future; McKinney and his colleagues feel like family, and by now Williams’ work and his life interweave regularly.

“Early on, a lot of times I doubted my decision to come back,” Williams says now. “But if I’ve done something well as owner and leader, it’s run a good, medium-sized business that happens to have ownership concentrated with one family.”

Williams continues to take his work beyond the furniture business. He and his wife are restoring two houses on North Blount Street to use for offices and apartments. It has been his pet personal project for the past year, and he sees it not only as a nice investment property for his family but also as a way to preserve historic structures.

The thing that sets Williams apart, though, is his consistent track record of applying that same acumen to his work in the community, again and again.

Another current focus is serving on the board of the Dorothea Dix Park Conservancy, the organization that will help Raleigh decide how to transform more than 300 acres in the heart of the city into what it calls “America’s next great

public park.” Williams says, “I believe this endeavor will be transformational for the city of Raleigh and the state of North Carolina.”

Even when his current focus shifts, Williams remains involved with the organizations he serves for years after his official work has ended. At Marbles, for example, Edwards says that she continues to hear from Williams about ideas he picks up when he visits museums in other cities. He’s still involved and still a major sponsor. Marbles has gone from a seed of an idea to a successful museum with major expansion plans, and Williams has been central to the campaign to raise money for that as well.

“Blount has continued to reinvent his company, and we continue to reinvent Marbles,” Edwards says. “The confidence of someone like him inspires nonprofits.”

Perhaps the easiest way to sum up Williams’ appeal, whether in business or the community, is that people like him, and want to be liked by him. That comes across in just a short conversation, and in the way that organizations come back to him again and again for service and leadership.

And Williams always answers. Christ Church’s capital campaign was successful, of course, so Adams chose Williams to be part of the leadership for the new outreach fund. Who better to decide what to do with that money to benefit the community?

“I love the guy,” Adams says. “He is so community minded, so focused on common ground, and that’s the kind of thing that tends to be in short supply today.”

JUNE 2018 | 77

RALEIGHITES

Andy Danser in his Durham guitar workshop

by SAMANTHA GRATTON photographs by BEN MCKEOWN

FINE-TUNED 78 | WALTER

Hearing from guitar makers in the Triangle JUNE 2018 | 79

From left to right: Behind the scenes at Pre-War Guitars Co. in Hillsborough; Andy Danser’s workshop in Durham; Tim Benware in his home workshop in Creedmoor; Tim Benware holds an instrument in the making

E

very guitar has its own distinguishing feature, be it the sound, color, or brand name on the headstock. Every guitarist chooses a varying tune and playing style, but the instrument itself can impact the sound almost as much as the musician.

Of those making guitars in the Triangle, each luthier is as different as the guitar he or she makes—different backgrounds, different goals, and different perspectives. Each is bringing something new to the industry, from completely custom guitars based on the whims of their customers to a style of guitar that has not been commonly found in decades. Here, meet a few of them.

Nostalgic for another era When it comes to building guitars, Wes Lambe and Ben Maschal have a very specific style and sound in mind. Instead of building custom guitars, the two joined together to create Pre-War Guitars Co., named after the guitars commonly 80 | WALTER

found in the late ’30s, prior to World War II. Customers choose between the different ’30s-era models of acoustic guitars, and then choose the level of distress they want, ranging from mint condition to heavy wear. Their guitars have been popular with bluegrass musicians, and their customers include Tommy Emmanuel, Molly Tuttle, David Grisman, Trey Hensley, and Andrew Marlin.

These well-made guitars expertly appear well-worn, giving each guitar the look and feel of something that has experience. It’s a difference that appeals to musicians more than collectors. Lambe says Pre-War Guitars are “more of a players instrument—not art, but a tool for musicians to make their art.”

To create the well-worn appearance, Lambe and Maschal intentionally add wear and tear to each freshly crafted instrument. When they first distressed a guitar after months of working on it, Maschal admits he felt like he “ruined it.”

Luckily, the partners’ friendship continually encourages them to have fun and take

risks for the sake of their craft.

And these two know their craft.

Prior to Pre-War Guitars, both luthiers had been making guitars on their own; Maschal estimates he had made around 50 guitars and Lambe had made almost 200. Along the way, they also extensively repaired guitars actually from the 1930s era, which today leaves them with a thorough understanding of how to accurately replicate the vintage guitars.

North Carolina natives, Maschal was born in Charlotte and Lambe in Durham.

After high school, both went to different schools for guitar-building and lutherie before returning to their home state to work on guitars. As with many guitar makers, guitar repair work supplemented much of their income, but they also had to work other jobs—Lambe in restaurant kitchens, Maschal building cabinetry. “It’s really hard to just make guitars,” Lambe says.

Finding a partner makes it easier. After each working separately on both guitars and their side jobs, in 2014 Maschal started doing subcontracting work for

Lambe. By the fall of 2015 they formed The Luthiers Workshop in Hillsborough and then Pre-War Guitars in 2016. “I feel very lucky to be doing what I do,” says Lambe.

Mashcal adds, “I feel lucky to be making a living at it.”

They build about 12 to 15 Pre-War Guitars a month, and have been conscious to remain diverse in their work. Lambe and Maschal are also part owners of Hybrid Guitars Co., a company that makes a combination instrument of a bass and guitar. Lambe continues his Wes Lambe Guitars instrument-making business.

Each year, the duo also builds thousands of wood side panels in analog synthesizers for Moog Music in Asheville.

Building relationships Tim Benware, a luthier from Creedmoor, knows one thing is certain when it comes to making guitars: “It has to be a combination of look good and sound good.”

After a full career in law enforcement,

Benware retired as a police chief in 2012.

About 10 years ago, he started asking himself what he wanted to do in retirement.

His experience with guitars up until then consisted of minor repairs to his own guitars, bolstered by his perspective as a musician. Since the early ’70s, he’s played acoustic and folk music in a band and at church, and his band has cut two albums and a Christmas record. To prepare for his retirement, Benware decided to study with Dave Nichols at Custom Pearl Inlay in New York in 2010, taking classes in guitar-building and advanced repairs.

When he retired, he put his classes to work to take on guitar repairs, and started building custom acoustic guitars out of his garage in Creedmoor. He started with a few ads on Craigslist and business quickly grew by word-of-mouth. Today, about half of Benware’s time is spent repairing or restoring guitars and the other half is spent building. He makes acoustic guitars primarily, but he has also built ukuleles and electric guitars. He has since moved his work into its own workshop, and most JUNE 2018 | 81

It starts with selecting the guitar body shape, choosing the wood type, and then picking the hardware to go inside. The guitar neck, bridge, inlay, pickguard, and final color and finish are all customizable, too. of his business is from repeat customers.

Benware estimates that he has built about 100 guitars now, each time matching the guitar to the musician who will later play it. He is willing to try just about anything when it comes to customer specifications and takes pictures throughout the process to show the guitar’s progression. He likes the flexibility he has in adding proprietary designs and tones that differ from those found in standard manufactured guitars, but admits it is more time-consuming.

“I think there’s a proven difference,” says Benware. “I know my customers well enough, and they compare the sound and they can hear the difference—it’s clear.”

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Over time as his work as become more known in the area, he’s had to scale back to balance the high demand for his work. “Making money wasn’t my main motivator for doing this. I like having the people come in my shop and talking with them,” says Benware. “A lot of my customers have become good friends.

They enjoy it, I enjoy it.”

Musician + maker Classically trained in both playing guitars and making them, Andy Danser specializes in classical and flamenco guitars. Different than a standard acoustic guitar, this type has nylon strings and is lightly built with finer woods that do

not vibrate or resonate quite as much.

Classical guitars, which originated in the 19th century in Spain, are also known for the rosette around the sound hole, an intricate design that provides reinforcement and beauty to the guitar.

“To me, one of the most beautiful parts of a guitar, aesthetically, is a rosette.

I do traditional intarsia which is the Spanish method of making rosettes,” says Danser. Created over several hours through a complicated woodworking process and then cut in a way that produces a pattern, the pieces are put together similar to a mosaic to form the rosette.

Danser grew up in Durham alongside his twin brother, who also makes guitars in Austin, Texas. His father was a woodworker and stained glass artist, so he grew up watching him in the shop. Between earning his bachelor’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and later attending graduate school, Danser took a month-long course to learn how to build guitars. His plan was to complete

his master’s degree in international education, but guitar-making intrigued him most.

“I was building guitars in my apartment, in the living room,” says Danser.

“And it was all I could think about.”

It wasn’t long before he left the master’s program to move to England and pursue classical guitar-building through a two-year program. Afterward, he did a year-long apprenticeship with esteemed guitar repairman Robert Jones in New York. In that time, Danser learned more about guitar repairs on a variety of expensive and vintage guitars.

“Building guitars and repairing are two completely different disciplines,” says Danser, who felt he benefited from training in both. His has built over 25 guitars, but most of his clients first come to him for repairs.

In 2006 he returned to his hometown of Durham, to be closer to his family and the great music scene in the area.

He was active in a band and constantly found friends and fellow musicians who

needed guitar repairs. Since then he has continued to be busy with guitar repairs, but tries to balance it out with building guitars and also spending time with his wife and kids. Danser is sure to prioritize: “my passion is building classical guitars.”

Fair bit of art, fair bit of science After a long career in pharmaceutical manufacturing, Dale Brown jokes that he went “from drugs to rock ’n’ roll” when he began making guitars and bought Zion Guitars. Wanting to own his own business, Brown contacted Zion Guitars to learn more about their process, and ended up acquiring it in 2000. At the time, it was located in Greensboro, but he moved the business to Raleigh in 2001 where it continues to specialize in custom electric guitars.

Brown had always had a guitar of his own and occasionally played in bars or at church, but he first tried building one in 1997. He is primarily self-taught and has made about 1,000 guitars since 2000.

While a few of those have been acoustic

From left to right: Ben Maschal at Pre-War Guitars Co., which he co-founded with Wes Lambe; Andy Danser getting his details right; Maschal in process; Pre-War Guitars Co. co-founder Wes Lambe strings a vintage-style guitar

JUNE 2018 | 83

From left to right: Tim Benware also plays guitar, which informs his lutherie; Pre-War Guitars Co. craftsman Ross Guret, co-founder Wes Lambe, and craftsman Clay Conner

84 | WALTER

“I know my customers well enough, and they compare the sound and they can hear the difference—it’s clear.” guitars, the majority have been electric.

In regards to the manufacturing process of each guitar, Brown says, “There’s a fair bit of art, and there’s a fair bit of science.”

It starts with selecting the guitar body shape, choosing the wood type, and then picking the hardware to go inside.

The guitar neck, bridge, inlay, pickguard, and final color and finish are all customizable, too.

“If you can think it, you can have it,” says Brown.

He prefers to meet his customers and see them play in person so he can design a guitar that best suits their playing style.

People have come from all over the world to begin the process, and when they are done, Zion Guitars have been shipped to far away places like Hong Kong, Hawaii, Indonesia, and Italy. While he spends most of his days building or sometimes

repairing guitars, he most enjoys working with the people.

“It’s a very interesting business, it absolutely is, and you get to meet some really nice people. … Any time you get together with somebody, you learn,” says Brown. “That’s something I like to do.”

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THROUGH the LENS

Two close friends in Orange County, North Carolina (Sisters, from the WaterMark series)

BENEATH the SURFACE photographs and words by BARBARA TYROLER

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W

ater is the source of life. That may be its primeval allure.

We’ve likely all experienced the fear of water, too. It can engulf us, drag us down to the terrifying deep beneath a calm surface, drown us. And yet water can also offer freedom and delight. Swimming through water is like flying; our limbs become wings.

The Water Portrait collection of images were all photographed in public and private swimming pools and aquatic centers along the East Coast. These portraits, organized into dozens of independently titled series, amassed organically over time. They feature family, friends, and people in love; colleagues and students; business clients; and strangers.

Some of my subjects are chosen or come to me simply because of their love for swimming. Children with physiological or developmental challenges have attended classes to learn to navigate and trust their bodies in the water. Elderly people suffering from arthritis find that the water can heal and soothe. People with anguished reactions to life’s challenges use the water to enter a spiritual state of being. Others come to water to alleviate stress, ritualize a birth, celebrate a marriage, or to mourn the loss of a loved one.

These images are representational, in that they document or bear witness to the actual people, places, and events that I bring to the lens. The lines, markings, shapes, and colors created by the body’s immersion in water, while recognizable with a close look, also become a burst of multilayered refractions, meant to project an aura of fantasy, mystery, a kind of chaos that can at first be disorienting.

As strange and unsettling as some of the images may at first seem—making human shapes almost unrecognizable—they help us recognize each other, however different we are, as fully human.

What follows are the stories lurking within the frame.

JUNE 2018 | 87

‘A PLACE OF EASE, ABANDON’ Clockwise from above: Two close friends submerged in the shallow waters of an outdoor pool in Orange County (Chrysecolla, WaterMark series); A colleague stretching her legs (CV, Water Portrait collection); An adapted aquatics swimming class in Chapel Hill for children with specific neurodevelopmental characteristics associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder. “Once in the water, the watery world is her own,” says this subject’s parent. “A place of ease, abandon, and belonging. She goes under the water, and she is safe. The sound is muffled, and she who makes so little sound herself is not required to converse.” (M, Rockin’ the Spectrum series)

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JUNE 2018 | 89

FAMILY DIPS Clockwise from above: A mother and daughter in Orange County (Hollie and Colie-1, WaterMark series); The photographer’s daughter and her husband-to-be in Greenbelt, Maryland (Engagement, Water Portrait collection); A boy in Orange County who overcame many physical challenges through learning how to swim in his grandfather’s backyard pool (L, Water Portrait collection)

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JUNE 2018 | 91

SWIMMING ACROSS CULTURES Above: Two foreign exchange students teaching a class on light and design in the community pool in Greenbelt, Maryland (Takesha and Sefia, Water Portrait collection); The photographer’s daughter as a young teen in her grandmother’s (the photographer’s mother’s) heirloom (Mama’s Red MooMoo, Water Portrait collection)

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at the TABLE

DROP the HAMMER Local provisions, decadent desserts, passion for community: Kim Hammer brings them all to the table

by LAURA WHITE photography by JILLIAN CLARK

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“Strawberries are the best and the quickest way to teach a person how much better things can be if they’re eaten seasonally and locally,” she says. “I feel like there are a lot of people who have never had a perfect strawberry.”

Giving back

I

t’s 11 p.m. on a Saturday night in May when Kim Hammer finally has a few minutes to sit down for an interview. She’s had a busy start to the year, between a trip to Miami for the United States Bartenders’ Guild, fundraising for the annual Bee Ball, closing on a new condo, and celebrating Bittersweet’s fourth anniversary alongside the eighth for her and her partner in both life and business, Lewis Norton.

Sitting down for an interview is actually an overstatement. Really, she’s behind the bar of Bittersweet, her dessert, cocktail, and coffee lounge downtown. It’s packed, tables full of people enjoying chocolate bourbon pecan pies drizzled with salted caramel sauce, lemon-lavender crème brulee, ice cream cookies, sherbet, and cupcakes alongside flutes of champagne and stiff highballs. Hammer hustles back and

Hammer’s penchant for strawberries harks back to more than 12 years ago, during her first year at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market with her then-in-home bakery, bittycakes. She was placed in a stall next to another first-timer, a farmer named George who was, she says, “starving to death, because you don’t make any money (as a farmer), especially in the very beginning.”

Hammer swears his strawberries, though, were the most amazing she’d had in her whole life, and she wanted to support him in whatever way she could. She would feed him her wares each week: cupcakes, pumpkin bread. “It’s really not the most nutritious stuff, but I was like, ‘This is what I have. Here: eat, eat.’”

That passion for seasonal, locally sourced food and the impact it can make on the way we engage with—and provide for—one another is what drove Hammer to launch Raleigh Provisions in 2017, a specialty store carrying gourmet food and gifts from North Carolina artisans. It’s also why she was so excited to be tapped for the Bee Ball Royalty Court this year, she says. The court competes to raise the most funds for the Beehive Collective, a Raleigh giving circle. Each year the group chooses a

“I’m kind of a rare breed around here now because I’m from here; and the truth is, when you’re behind the bar and you’re proud of where you’re from and you’re proud of all the things produced there, you can’t help but talk about it.” forth between orders. She’s been at it since 6 a.m.; her daughter had a Science Olympiad bright and early. But she shows no sign of slowing down, or of minding at all.

Hammer remembers, for instance, this frequent customer’s love of strawberries. She catches my eye, beckons me closer with one hand, and smiles slyly. “You like strawberries, right? I saved something for you. We sold out an hour ago. Don’t let people see this.” She grins, and ducks down behind the counter.

She places a thick slice of roasted strawberry cream pie with a chocolate pretzel crust on the bar top in front of me. It’s the aptly named Hella Good Strawberry Cream Pie, a recipe born of a rough season for strawberries a few years back, she says—to make her favorite fruit taste a little like it’s supposed to, during a season bearing watery berries, she roasted strawberries to get the flavor out.

This year, as it happens, is the best year for strawberries since Bittersweet first opened—when Hammer served a simple bowl of sliced strawberries and house-whipped cream—so the pie is particularly on point, and the seasonal menu items, food and drinks alike, comprise a sweet ode to the tart little fruit. She’s been putting the strawberries in everything, obnoxiously, as she says. But Hammer’s obsession with the fruit is no secret. All you have to do is look at her left arm, where her love for them is immortalized in ink.

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theme, and this year’s is food insecurity. The cause resonates with Hammer. “I think about it all the time. One of the most amazing perks (of being in the food industry) is that we usually get to eat very well.”

But not all are cared for in the same way, or have access to the same resources, and having been a single mother of two—a daughter, 10, and a son, 15—Hammer understands how difficult it can be at times. “A lot of other people in my financial situation and in blue-collar professions, they don’t have that perk, they don’t get to eat like that.”

So Hammer used her business platform to raise as much as she could: in May, Bittersweet hosted a Cinco De Mayo and Kentucky Derby party, in addition to a business birthday party, and all sales went to Beehive Collective. Leading up to the Bee Ball, Hammer also encouraged her guests to give up at least one visit to Bittersweet and put that tab toward the theme, food insecurity, instead. All said and done, at last month’s Bee Ball, Hammer was crowned Queen of the court and the event, including HamPrevious page: Kim Hammer in her Raleigh Provisions shop downtown.

At right, clockwise from top: North Carolina-made artisan food goods at Raleigh Provisions; manager Josh Lamm at the gourmet grocery; a sidewalk sign advertises rotating specials.

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mer’s fundraising efforts, raised $45,000 in total to fight food insecurity through local organizations.

The food industry helped Hammer through her own tough times. Bittycakes, and North Carolina laws that allow homebased food businesses, were what allowed her to make ends meet, because she was able to operate her bakery at home and wasn’t paying overhead for a commercial kitchen. “That business literally saw me through two children, a back surgery, and a divorce …

Any number of those things could have put me out of business if I was paying for a storefront.”

Hammer had always enjoyed baking, but she dove in deep to keep busy after her first son was born: experimenting with new techniques, making cakes and cookies for his friends (and their parents). It was one of those mothers who, in 2004, suggested she should be getting paid for it. Hammer’s first response was skeptical. “I was like, yeah, that’s probably really complicated and hard.” But the would-be customer persisted, and Hammer is now grateful: “Big ups to moms and girlfriends—she literally put the phone number for the small business association in my hand and was like, just call them. Just tell them what you do and see what they say. And I did.”

Within three days, she had a business.

Flash forward to 2018, and “complicated” is what drives her

At left, clockwise from top: Bittersweet employees, from left to right, Esther Wallace, Kim Hammer, Klay Misenheimer, Jessica Hale, Duke Campbell, and Lewis Norton; cookies at Bittersweet downtown; dessert humor at Bittersweet.

The USBG is a professional association for bartenders and bar owners with a mission to unite the hospitality community to advance professional bartending. The Raleigh/Durham chapter hosts a number of events with that goal, from educational spirit lectures and tastings to financial wellness workshops. Hammer believes in what she does, and in those she does it alongside of in a city she’s proud to call home. “I’m kind of a rare breed around here now because I’m from here; and the truth is, when you’re behind the bar and you’re proud of where you’re from and you’re proud of all the things produced there, you can’t help but talk about it.”

That’s how Raleigh Provisions was born. Guests at Bittersweet always wanted to know where they could find the milk she used, or the coffee, or the jam. So she decided to bring the best of the farmers’ market to downtown Raleigh. “I can get really emotional about this. (The artisans’ dedication) is on such an amazing level,” she says. “Yes we want to make money and we need to make money, but it’s such a secondary thing because I

Guests at Bittersweet always wanted to know where they could find the milk she used, or the coffee, or the jam. So Hammer decided to bring the best of the farmers’ market to downtown Raleigh. “I can get really emotional about this.

(The artisans’ dedication) is on such an amazing level,” she says. business model, she says, along with creating places she wants to patron. “Because it’s what I like!” has become a kind of mantra for her process. And Hammer knows what she likes. “I feel blessed that it turns out a lot of other people like it too.”

Paying it forward It isn’t all driven by desire, strictly speaking. Hammer follows the business method of Danny Meyer, the New York City restaurateur and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group who is wellknown for his restaurants and his writings, including 2006 book Setting the Table, which focuses on the power of hospitality in service, business, and life. If somebody comes to her with a building, she looks around and says, “What does this neighborhood need?

What does it not have?” And she’s committed to bringing others up with her.

This is what led her to help launch the Raleigh/Durham chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild, for which she serves as vice president, along with President Matthew Bettinger, a longtime friend and professional confidant, co-owner of SideBar in Cary, and manager of C. Grace and The Empress Room; and Tony Ursone, a former Bittersweet bartender and now retail hospitality account manager for Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, among others.

just wanted people to know about all this.”

Every Saturday, local vendors come out to demo their goods in the shop. This is important to Hammer because she wants people to have the opportunity—on a consistent, not specialoccasion basis—to meet their makers. “I don’t know if there’s anything more intimate … you’re literally taking something somebody made and you’re putting it in your body. ” This speaks, again, to her intentions: the reason she launches businesses is because she believes in them. She may be opening places that she wants, but only because she wants to share them with others. “I get really excited about those things, and it feels really good, so why wouldn’t I want everyone else to feel that?”

She still thinks back to some words of wisdom from George the strawberry farmer in those early days in Carrboro. “I asked him one time if he would tell other people to be a farmer. I (said), are you glad you made this choice?”

His response: “It’s really, really honest and good work and I sleep really well at night. You can’t put a price on that.”

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RECIPES chocolate bourbon pecan pie “This pie wasn’t even supposed to have a permanent spot on the Bittersweet menu,” says owner Kim Hammer. “It just made an early appearance at a Kentucky Derby party when we first opened in 2014 and proved so popular that it has never left the menu. We get it—deliciously chocolatey, it’s one of our favorite Southern staples.”

3 eggs 3/4 cup light corn syrup 3 tablespoons white sugar 1/4 cup light brown sugar 3 ounces melted butter, cooled Heavy pinch of salt 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Put eggs in large mixing bowl and whisk them thoroughly until whites and yolks are fully incorporated. Add corn syrup, both sugars, and melted butter. Whisk until combined. Add salt, extract, and bourbon. Stir to combine. Set aside.

Meanwhile, blind bake frozen pie shell. Cover with parchment paper and at least 2 cups of dried beans (or pie weights). Bake for 8 minutes, remove the beans and paper, and bake for another 5 minutes. If pie crust bubbles up, gently push it down with oven mitt after pulling it out of oven. (Do not poke holes in the crust in attempt to avoid bubbles. This pie filling will leak beneath the crust and make the pie stick so tight to the pan you will swear it was superglue!)

Drop the oven temperature to 325 degrees. After the blind bake, spread out chocolate chips and chopped pecans across the bottom of the crust.

Stir up the filling again (sugars may have settled to the bottom) and gently pour into the crust.

Go slow, as to not upset the chips and pecans too much. Do not overfill pie crust.

Frozen pie shell (or your favorite crust recipe)

Top with the whole pecans. Bake for 30 minutes with an empty sheet pan on the rack above your pie (this will keep the crust and pecans from getting overly toasty). Then take out the sheet pan, rotate the pie, and bake for another 30-35 minutes. When you stick a sharp knife in the center of the pie and it comes out clean, you know it’s done.

Make ahead: Press pie shell into 9-inch pie pan.

To slice nicely, let pie cool completely. May also be served warm. Will keep for 2-3 days.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Makes one pie

1/4 cup bourbon 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (semi-sweet is fine, but something like 60 percent dark is better) 2 cups toasted pecans: 1 cup chopped, 1 cup left whole

Toast the pecans: Either heat over a burner until fragrant; or preheat oven to 350 and roast in a pan, shaking frequently, for 9-10 minutes.

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berry gin & jam “This is a Bittersweet favorite cocktail,” says owner Kim Hammer. “In fact we have an entire Gin & Jam menu, because it combines two of our favorite things: gin and local jam. I highly recommend finding a favorite local jam. This recipe is one of my favorite combos.”

1 1/2 ounces Durham Distillery Conniption American Dry gin 1 teaspoon + extra spoonful strawberry jalapeño Copperpot preserves 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice 1/2 ounce simple syrup Add 3 - 4 ice cubes to cocktail shaker. Add gin, 1 teaspoon jam, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Shake for at least 10 seconds. Pour into rocks glass, and garnish with a small spoon of the jam (for tasting or for stirring into the drink).

Makes one cocktail

QUENCH

ALL HAIL TO KALE Denton encourages at-home smoothie makers to find the blended ratios that best suit your taste buds. Below is a starting point.

Ingredients:

SMOOTH

MOVE

by CATHERINE CURRIN

I

t’s hard to top a refreshing beverage on a humid North Carolina day.

Sneak in a few of your veggies, to boot, by trying a locally made produce-packed smoothie. There are many Triangle options, including JuiceVibes in Cary and Clayton (there is also a third franchised location in Greenville, North Carolina). Cary owner Stephanie Denton was inspired to open her smoothie bar in July 2017, after being a longtime customer at the Clayton shop. Owning a juice shop is a decision she treats as a lifestyle, she says. “I worked with the Clayton team and watched countless documentaries and researched to educate myself on the plantbased lifestyle. I’ve now been a plantphotographs by LAURA PETRIDES WALL

102 | WALTER

based eater for more than a year.”

Denton’s mission is simple, she says.

“Eat more from the earth, less from a box.”

She doesn’t preach about it, but she does hope to make the choice easier for her customers: the shop’s menu is dairy-free and vegetarian, and most produce comes from the State Farmers Market. The decor is bright and cheery, full of quirky motivational signs. Start each day with a grateful heart welcomes you in, for instance; pillows bearing lemon drawings and Squeeze the Day cover the benches; and a neon pineapple sign takes over the back wall.

You can get your health fix with a freshpressed juice, smoothie, acai bowl, or even the shop’s on-the-go energy bites.

A few handfuls kale A handful pineapple, diced Squeeze of a lime wedge 1 banana Coconut milk, to taste Agave (optional) Coconut flakes, for garnish Hemp seeds, for garnish Add kale, pineapple, lime squeeze, and banana to a blender with a handful of ice, and cover with coconut milk. Add agave if preferred. Blend ingredients together. Serve topped with coconut flakes and hemp seeds.

Not sure where to start? Try one of the most popular smoothies, All Hail the Kale. A creamy coconut milk concoction, this smoothie is “packed with antioxidants, aids with digestion, and has no added sugar,” says Denton. Not to mention it’s topped with coconut flakes and hemp seeds for an added crunch. Don’t let the bright green color scare you off—while it’s chock-full of greens and nutrients (handfuls of kale), the apple and banana mixed in give it a naturally sweet taste.

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good Feeding a need with pupusas

by JESSIE AMMONS RUMBLEY

B

y the time she was a sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill, Cecilia Polanco knew she wanted to start a scholarship fund for the Triangle community. Not as a side project, but as her future career focus. Scholarships are a way to provide peace of mind, she says, something she felt as a Morehead-Cain scholar. Financial aid offers worry-free comfort, much like a home-cooked meal—and this was Polanco’s aha moment in 2014. “I would bring friends home (to Durham) from college, and I would tell them: ‘You’re going to come to my house, you’re going to meet my mom, she’s probably going to cook for you. You need to come hungry because you can’t say no to her. And you’re probably going to have pupusas.’” photographs by SMITH HARDY JUNE 2018 | 105

At right: A piping-hot homemade pork-andcheese pupusa topped with tomatoes and cabbage.

Today, Polanco and her mom cook the traditional Salvadoran dish for the masses from their So Good Pupusas food truck, founded in 2015 during Polanco’s senior year in college. Through a clever business model, sales from the food truck fund two annual scholarships for undocumented students, mostly in the Latino community.

“We’re not donating profits. The scholarship component is built into the business: Our revenue covers the scholarships, just like it covers the tomatoes and the cabbage.”

Pupusas are thick, doughy masa (or corn) tortillas stuffed with savory fillings: pork, refried beans, cheese, squash-and-zucchini. “For non-Latino folks, or even non-Salvadoran folks, pupusas are something new,” Polanco says.

With the food truck, she’s able to share her culture while giving back to it, and also dabble in social justice and foodway advocacy. “We do aim our scholarship at undocumented students,” Polanco says.

She is not undocumented herself, and mostly grew up in Durham after being born in California; but, as a Latina, despite being “very motivated in high school, doing well, getting good grades, working, and doing community service … I faced barriers in applying for financial aid.” With persistence and a strong family support system, she says, Polanco ultimately earned the prestigious Morehead-Cain scholarship to UNC-Chapel Hill. “I had a full ride, and I also received a scholarship to take a gap year. I had so much support in the form of scholarships.

It really changed my life.”

So Good Pupusas gives the scholarship portion of its revenue to Pupusas for Education, the small nonprofit Polanco founded in 2016 to hold and issue financial aid. Right now, Polanco runs both, relying heavily on students at UNC-Chapel Hill who serve as interns and staffers.

106 | WALTER

“The scholarship component is built into the business: Our revenue covers the scholarships, just like it covers the tomatoes and the cabbage.”

Executive director Tiffany Turner, for example, graduated from UNC last month and will likely join the nonprofit full-time.

Together, the two hope to create even more business education opportunities for the underserved Triangle community: There’s a second truck in the refurbish stage, which might be a “partnership program” for “culinary entrepreneurs— primarily folks of color, or any need-based entrepreneurs—who want to figure out if having a food truck is right for them.

We want to give them a platform to get started.”

In the meantime, Polanco uses her personal pupusa-making as a metaphor for the small-business-nonprofit journey. “I didn’t know how to make pupusas when we started,” she says, having always watched her mom make them without a recipe. “She just kind of does her thing.

Now, I’ve learned what she does and learned her taste. … Last June, I made my

first real pupusa, my first good-looking pupusa. But I would only serve them to friends and family. Now, I can make them to sell.” Likewise, “the business is thriving, the nonprofit is doing really well. We’ve streamlined our pupusa making. It’s all positive.”

You can find So Good Pupusas at the Latino Community Credit Union in Durham for lunch and dinner each Thursday; sogoodpupusas.com

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DESTINATION WALTER

Ethan Hill

Q& A 108 | WALTER

Catching up with Raleigh’s latest Broadway star

SUMMER SHOW A

riana DeBose is on a roll: the 27-year-old Raleigh native made her Broadway debut at 21, originating a role in Bring It On: The Musical; she’s competed on So You Think You Can Dance; and she was an original member of Hamilton, the musical that shattered records on Broadway and is now touring nationally, including a stop at the Durham Performing Arts Center this November. Meanwhile, DeBose moved on to create an original role in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, which debuted in April for an open-ended Broadway run. She is one of three actors who each play Donna Summer in a different stage of her life, and DeBose represents Summer’s disco heyday. The role has already garnered her first Tony Award nomination (the award ceremony takes place this month).

With no plans to leave New York any time soon, DeBose says she’s still a hometown girl at heart. “I am absolutely still a Southerner. Most of my family is in North Carolina and they are my greatest support system.” WALTER recently spoke to the singer, dancer, and actor to discuss her latest act, her Triangle roots, and the eternal craving for biscuits and barbecue. –J.A.R.

JUNE 2018 | 109

What did you know about Donna Summer before this production?

I knew her music. My mom and I would “Donna Summer-cise” in the living room together, doing push-ups to her songs. I knew the voice, but I didn’t exactly understand who she was. I did know she looked like me, and I knew she sang, and that was cool. For this role, I’ve learned more about her as a human. What I have discovered is that Summer influenced every style of music that came after her. So many art-

110 | WALTER

ists have been inspired or influenced by songs that she wrote or sang: Beyonce has sampled Love to Love You Baby. She created her own genre. And she was the woman in the group, an active collaborator. I love that.

You play Donna Summer in her prime disco years. What kind of music did you listen to growing up?

A very eclectic array. My grandmother would play Motown tunes and songs of the ’60s. My mom would listen to everything from Donna Summer to Enrique Iglesias to Kenny G to The Sound of Music soundtrack. And I loved Celine Dion, she was the voice of my childhood.

Favorite Donna Summer song?

I Feel Love is so iconic, and that beat—it’s hard to beat.

You have credited much of your success to the Triangle performing arts community you were part of as a middle and high-school student. Do you remain in touch with teachers and mentors?

Oh yes. My band teacher from Wake Forest-Rolesville High School, Shannon Norman, was in the audience for opening night of Summer. I talk to a lot of my art teachers from West Millbrook Middle School and WFRHS. High school was one of the happiest times of my life. I was surrounded by many strong women; I learned a lot about being a leader there; I was part of seemingly every arts department that was available to me. It was wonderful. I also regularly talk to Terri Dollar, who now runs Artsplosure, and Paige Holland Hamp, who used to run an organization called Embrace Uganda and instilled in me the importance of charitable work to balance performing. Since moving to New

photos courtesy The Donna Summer Musical / Joan Marcus

Congratulations on your Tony Award nomination!

Thank you, it’s exciting. I didn’t see it coming! I was really shocked, but totally honored. What we’ve created with Summer is a triple-threat role; it’s not the type of role that you see on Broadway all the time. The awards are June 10, but just to be nominated is an honor.

York, I’ve met Lauren Kennedy Brady (a Broadway star and current director of Theatre Raleigh), and she’s become an important resource.

What about North Carolina do you miss most?

I miss downtown Wake Forest. It’s quaint and kind of eccentric, and I used to love to walk through the seminary. There are a ton of colleges around me in New York, but a New York City college campus feels quite different than that small-town feel of my childhood.

“It’s a joy for me because I can see the faces of the people in the audience and they’re having a good time.”

When you do return home, what’s your first stop when you get off the plane?

Bojangles or Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q What’s the hardest part of being a Broadway performer?

I often think it’s stamina—I never stop.

Especially with Summer, the way my character functions is to tell part of the story, then go offstage, then return to tell more of the story, then go back offstage. It takes mental stamina to stay in the story.

I’m also singing and dancing and acting: the physical stamina, the vocal stamina, and the mental ability to be present to say the words honestly is a challenge.

What’s the most fun part?

Entertaining. There’s a lot of the job that is sheer entertainment value. It’s a joy for me because I can see the faces of the people in the audience and they’re having a good time. They’re singing with us, they’re dancing in their seats, they’re dancing in the aisles. It’s instant gratification: I can see that what I have done over the last 100 minutes of the show has had a positive effect on those people, and that’s all you can ask for.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learned so far?

It’s not always going to be quote unquote perfect. You’ve got to take the pressure off of yourself and know that if you’re doing your best, that is enough.

What’s next for you?

The sky’s the limit at this point. I feel so blessed. I consider myself a blessed individual, but I also acknowledge the success I’ve been able to create is a combination of talent, perseverance, hard work, and right-place-at-the-right-time.

I never thought I’d have a Tony nomination before 30 years old. That’s amazing, thrilling. Right now is all about Summer.

Next, it will be less about just going to

get another job and more about considering what story I want to tell. What story do I feel drawn to, do I feel people need to hear? And, will it challenge me?

I like to be challenged.

If you go see the show in New York City: thedonnasummermusical.com

JUNE 2018 | 111

We recognize our most precious resource — the people in our community Thanks to you, things are getting done. Thanks to you, our community is a better place and the lives of real people are being changed for the better.

Bank of America congratulates our community’s female leaders for helping to make a lasting difference where we live and work. Thank you for being an inspiration to us all.

Visit us at bankofamerica.com/local Life’s better when we’re connected® ©2018 Bank of America Corporation | SPN-128-AD | ARRYK5V8

WALTER events

WINi 2018

W Above: Elisabeth and Isabel McGowan At right: Mimi Wellington and speaker Kaitlin Ryan

ALTER readers of all ages spent the afternoon at The Umstead Hotel & Spa May 6 for WINi, the sister event of WALTER’s annual WINnovation.

WINi celebrated girl power with five female speakers, local leaders who shared their personal creative and professional stories: successes, hurdles, lessons.

The men and women of the audience, movers and shakers and thinkers themselves, listened with emotion and enthusiasm to tales of perseverence, self-confidence, and passion. This first annual WINi showcased the power of what women can do for their community. “We’ve got fabulous women leaders right here in the Triangle. We don’t need to go outside the community to find inspiration. What’s a more compelling way to demonstrate to women in our community that they too can contribute to a lot of our success?” said Kari Stoltz, Triangle market president at Bank of America, WINi’s presenting sponsor. photographs by MADELINE GRAY

JUNE 2018 | 113

Women inspiring women Christmas Abbott, professional athlete and mom-to-be, spoke about the importance of showing up for yourself and embracing “disruptors,” or challenges. “I am no longer the victim of my circumstances,” she said. “… I am a living story, an example of how anyone … can overcome all odds and live the life they love. … I am the leader of my changes.”

114 | WALTER

Kaitlyn Ryan, designer and founder of Peppertrain Jewelry, candidly explored embracing creative spark. “Creativity is a journey you have to foster and feed along the way,” she said. “Self-doubt and comparison are constant naggers. … Never underestimate your passion, because when you’re in your happy place, anything is possible.”

In a similar vein, Carolina Ballet

principal dancer Lara O’Brien Muñoz spoke about staying focused on your passion, while also being flexible and curious about yourself through professional evolution. “What I’ve discovered is I’m not a fixed thing, I’m multiple things,” she said. “That opened up the realization that it really all is just a process: a process of becoming.”

Molly Paul, UNC sophomore and

youth environmentalist, also encouraged curiosity. She recalled her activism with the United Nations and the Jane Goodall Foundation, and urged students to ask thoughtful questions that can spark conversation and instigate change. “Youth are the key to actually implementing (world change),” she said.

To close the program, Lotta Sjoelin, founder of A Lotta Love, shared her nonprofit’s beginnings: when she toured a local homeless women’s and children’s shelter and set out to solicit donations to spruce up the bedrooms. “It’s not about making it pretty. It’s about making it safe, respectful, and dignified,” she said.

Following the speeches, WALTER editor Jessie Rumbley facilitated a Q&A with the panelists.

After dessert, Laura Tierney of The Social Institute led a breakout session about the dos of social media. Through

action-oriented sports metaphors, Tierney encouraged the middle-andhigh-school aged audience members to engage positively and productively on cell phones. All age groups had takeaways from the session, including the balance of social media in daily life and how to use it as a platform for good.

WINi was presented in partnership with Bank of America and with the support of Diamonds Direct. The Umstead Hotel & Spa provided an elegant lunch, cocktails, and mocktails. Ravenscroft School presented the social media literacy breakout session.

Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Lisa Grele Barrie and Betty Hunt of the Wake County Women’s Giving Network; Megan Farrell and Ami Vaughan from Diamonds Direct, the supporting sponsor; audience members and Saint Mary’s School students This page, clockwise from above: Guests enjoy lunch at The Umstead Hotel & Spa as Lara O’Brien Muñoz speaks; panelist Molly Paul; Ellie Stoltz

JUNE 2018 | 115

Clockwise from top: Panelists, from left to right, Lotta Sjoelin, Molly Paul, Christmas Abbott, Lara O’Brien Muñoz, and Kaitlin Ryan; panelists with women from Bank of America, WINi’s presenting partner; Christmas Abbott and teenaged audience members during the social breakout session; Laura Tierney of The Social Institute

116 | WALTER

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

120 Vermillion’s Lela Rose garden party 120 Zenn Plastic Surgery grand opening celebration 123 Bright Futures breakfast 123 UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation Tour de Triangle 124 Women on a Mission 124 N.C. Theatre’s opening of A Night With Janis Joplin 125 Headbands of Hope birthday workout 125 Marta’s Sip, Shop, and Support event

Submissions for upcoming issues are accepted at WALTER’s website: waltermagazine.com/submit-photos

125 Capital Bank’s HOPE Inside Center grand opening 126 The Green Chair Project’s Chair-ity event 126 Tobacco Road Harley-Davidson grand opening 128 City of Raleigh Museum Time Warp gala 128 Alamo Drafthouse VIP opening event

JUNE 2018 | 119

Lela Rose, Ashley Vermillion Webb

Learners Become Leaders

Ashley Spivey, Caroline Boykin, Jenna Huggins

the WHIRL

LELA ROSE GARDEN PARTY Vermillion hosted a Garden Party April 18 to honor designer Lela Rose and her Fall 2018 Collection.

Guests gathered at the home of Willa Kane and enjoyed flowers by Wylde and dinner from Coquette.

Learn more about our community!

Julia Kerr Peterson, Jennifer Kerr, Betsy Pepe, Ashley Vermillion Webb, Lizzie McNairy, Lela Rose, Lekita Essa, Marjorie Hodges

Join us! Call to schedule a visit: 919.848.6470 7409 Falls of Neuse Rd Raleigh, NC 27615 919.847.0900 www.ravenscroft.org

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ZENN PLASTIC SURGERY GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION Dr. Michael Zenn and his staff celebrated the opening of Zenn Plastic Surgery at Brier Creek May 9. Surrounded by family, friends, and patients, the festivities included good food, great conversation, and tours of the newly renovated office space.

Petite Simone Photography (LELA), Bruce DeBoer (ZENN)

At Ravenscroft, students not only learn to think, they learn to do.

We pair a stimulating curriculum with collaboration, hands-on learning, and leadership skills. We graduate confident, well-rounded students who are prepared to thrive in our complex world as educated citizens and leaders.

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“When the aliens come to study us, I hope they find Celia Rivenbark’s work prominently displayed. She is one of our greatest domestic anthropologists. I am forever a devoted fan.”

–Jill McCorkle

“I thought I was Southern until I read Celia’s book.

What a funny, smart and irreverent writer she is!”

–Lee Smith

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Book Club with Celia Rivenbark WALTER magazine invites you to a delightfully irreverent evening of cocktails, cuisine, and candor. Humorist and New York Times bestselling g author Celia Rivenbark will join us for whimsical commentary on being a modern Southern woman.

THURSDAY, JUNE 21 THE MATTHEWS HOUSE 317 W. Chatham St., Cary Supporting Sponsor

Ticket price includes hors d’oeuvres, three-course Southern dinner, and cocktails.

For tickets and additional information, please visit waltermagazine.com/upcomingevents.

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BRIGHT FUTURES BREAKFAST 200 guests gathered at the North Ridge Country Club for the Bright Futures Breakfast May 3. The breakfast benefited the Frankie Lemmon School and Developmental Center.

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Doug Warf, Trey Bailey

Ashlegh Cranford, Bradley Woolridge, Hyla Woolridge, Will McElroy, Thomas Ragsdale, Theo Highsmith

Emily Hodges, Martha Derbyshire, Etta Buckman, Carolyn McGowan

Dan Cahill, Britt Thomas, John Bryant

Kate Pope Photography (BRIGHT); UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation (TOUR)

Allison Hodges Westmoreland, Amber Ivie, Becky Dallas, Sandy Bridger, Kim Harrison

The Hassler Family UNITEDHEALTHCARE CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION TOUR DE TRIANGLE More than 50 cyclists teamed up to raise over $130,000 during the second annual Tour de Triangle century ride April 29. Grant recipient Anna Kate Hassler; her parents Jon and Kimberly; and brothers Michael and Ryan shared and took a ceremonial ride with the cyclists. UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation grants help children gain access to health-related services not covered by health insurance. Since 2007, UHCCF has awarded over 15,000 grants to families for treatments associated with medical conditions such as cancer, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, autism, cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome, ADHD, and cerebral palsy.

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WOMEN ON A MISSION Women on a Mission is an annual event created

by Eliza Kraft Olander and Ashley Christensen to raise money for the Frankie Lemmon School.

Christensen and her team prepared a feast at this ladies-only dinner May 3. Following dinner, significant others joined the women for dessert and after-dinner drinks.

Peggy Wilks, Mary Laurie Cece, Lucy Inman

Carmen Ritz, Jill Bridge, Oz Nichols

Kathryn Anderson, Jennifer Thomas, Carmen Ritz

Lauren Fieldman, Pam Swanstrom, Mitchi Baker

PRESENTS

Art fare

We are thrilled to partner with 3 standout local restaurants Heirloom, Garland, and Brewery Bhavana to bring this thoughtful meal to life. Each chef’s team will draw from one of Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh’s exhibits to create an intimate 3-course dinner in the gallery.

October 18 at 6:30 PM For more information, please visit waltermagazine.com/savethedate

The cast of A Night with Janis Joplin with Randy Johnson and Grady McLeod Bowman NC THEATRE’S OPENING OF A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN NC Theatre celebrated the opening night of its production A Night with Janis Joplin at The Raleigh Times May 4. Randy Johnson, the show’s creator, writer, and director, was in attendance, along with Grady McLeod Bowman, choreographer and associate director.

Scott Lloyd (WOMEN); courtesy N.C. Theatre (JANIS)

Eliza Kraft Olander, Ashley Christensen

Ashley Liu Kirkman, Randy Bennett, Jess Ekstrom, Brittany Guerin

Brittany Guerin, Jess Ekstrom, Ashley Liu Kirkman

Libby Ross, Marta Dziekanowska, Eloise Robinson

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Brenda Gibson, Nancy Hinton

MARTA’S SIP, SHOP, AND SUPPORT EVENT Marta’s boutique held its 2nd annual Sip, Shop, and Support Event May 2. 15% of all sales were donated to Transitions’ Kids. Canadian designer Suzi Roher showed her support for the cause and showcased her newest collection of summer scarves and handbags.

Donnell Perry (HEADBAND); courtesy Marta’s (MARTA’S); courtesy Captial Bank (HOPE)

HEADBANDS OF HOPE BIRTHDAY WORKOUT Headbands of Hope celebrated its 6th birthday April 28 with a workout

by Raleigh Group Fitness. Attendees enjoyed an inspiring workout at the Raleigh Beer Garden in support of this nonprofit that donates headbands to kids with cancer to children’s hospitals.

TALES WILD from the

SPONSORED BY CAPITAL BANK’S HOPE INSIDE CENTER GRAND OPENING Capital Bank celebrated the grand opening of its new HOPE Inside center May 9. The center will provide free financial education to anyone in the community. Certified bank counselors will lead monthly workshops and counseling on improving money management. This is the first HOPE Inside center in the state.

Join WALTER for a spirited evening of good-natured sport & tales from the wild.

October 25 For more information, please visit waltermagazine.com/savethedate

THE GREEN CHAIR 2018 CHAIR-ITY EVENT The Green Chair Project hosted its annual Chair-ity benefit April 19. Guests enjoyed a live and silent auction, featuring 11 chairs refurbished by local interior designers. John Replogle, chairman of Leesa, accepted The Green Chair Projects’s 2018 Community Partner Award for Leesa’s contribution of mattresses for children. Proceeds from Chair-ity help provide beds and essential furnishing for children and local families transitioning from homelessness, crisis, or disaster.

John Replogle, Jackie Craig

Marcella Simmons, Beth Smoot, Karmia Lewis

Shane Deruise, David Allen, Bill Wadkinson, Jimmy Bissette

Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown, Kris Weiss, Raleigh police officers Judy Pickett, Hilaire Martin

The U.S. Veterans Corps rappel team

Andrew May, Sara May

Hager Smith, BNK Engineering teams

Jackie Craig, Stuart Franz, Ella Franz

Jennifer Martin, Raleigh City Councilwoman Kay Crowder, Kris Weiss

TOBACCO ROAD HARLEY-DAVIDSON GRAND OPENING Hundreds of area motorcycle riders attended the dealership’s grand opening celebration April 21 to dedicate the dealership’s new name: Tobacco Road Harley-Davidson.

Rachel Morrison, Kinect Photography (CHAIR); courtesy Tobacco Road H-D (HARLEY)

the WHIRL

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WINnovation 2018

CELEBRATING WOMEN AND INNOVATION September 7 The Umstead Hotel & Spa For more information, please visit waltermagazine.com/savethedate

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ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE VIP OPENING EVENT Over 200 guests visited the recently opened Alamo Drafthouse April 21 for a VIP grand opening. There was plenty of food and drinks, as well as a movie-themed scavenger hunt.

Shane Richardson, Alli Mosco, Ethan Nelson, Lesley Thoma, David Bohm

David Bohm, Troy Burton, Dan Howe, Grady Bussey, Shane Richardson

Tim League and daughters

Shane Smith

CITY OF RALEIGH MUSEUM TIME WARP GALA The City of Raleigh Museum hosted its annual Time Warp Gala at the museum April 21. 150 guests enjoyed this year’s 1970s theme: Revelers dusted off their bell-bottoms and disco shoes in support of the museum exhibitions and educational programs.

SCRIBO

Nicole Cranley, Nathan Krowitz

Katelyn Sailor, Kyle Sailor

Kristy Breneman

Across 4. Raleighite Joe Kwon is a member of this music group 6. Blount Williams served as chairman of the board at this downtown museum 7. Countless Raleighites are custom-making this instrument Down 1. You can get this refreshing treat at JuiceVibes 2. Barbara Tyroler takes photos of people in this 3. This storytelling series is inspired by NYC’s The Moth 5. A gift and decor store in Cameron Village is named for this animal

128 | WALTER

Keenan Hairston, April Ann Canada (TIME); courtesy Alamo Drafthouse (VIP)

the WHIRL

Raleigh’s Life & Soul

2018 EVENTS June 21 WALTER’S Book Club with Celia Rivenbark CO MI NG IN

JULY/ AUGUST 2018 Breathing room Men’s business-short style

Free time A Triangle staycation

Stand tall Public art sculptures

A delightfully irreverant evening of cocktails, cuisine, & candor at The Matthews House

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September 7 WINnovation Fourth annual celebration of women and innovation at The Umstead Hotel & Spa

October 18 Art Fare 3 art exhibits inspire 3 standout restaurants to create a 3-course dinner at CAM Raleigh

October 25 Tales from the Wild A spirited evening of good-natured sport, hearty food, & beverages outdoors

November 3 A Day with Vivian Howard Bring your appetite for this day in Kinston with the acclaimed chef and restaurateur

November 28 Celebrate the Season The fourth annual exclusive holiday shopping event at The Merrimon-Wynne House

Thinking big Raleigh’s design charette

For more information, please visit waltermagazine.com/savethedate

END NOTE

courtesy Raleigh Arts

Bedazzled

M

oore Square downtown is in the midst of a twoyear renovation, forcing the city park to close and be blocked off to the public. Nearby businesses partnered to spruce it up in the meantime: fabric murals, pool noodles, and sparkly translucent plastic are woven through the perimeter chain-link fence. There’s a leaf pattern—an ode to the City of Oaks—near one corner; the word Imagination lines the fence facing Marbles Kids Museum (pictured above). Marbles, DECO, Flight Fund, and Artspace worked with the city to select artists Brian Gonzales, Cayce Lee, Shannon Newby, and The Peregrine Projects for the task. Lemons, meet lemonade.

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