WALTER Magazine - June 2023

The Art & Soul of Raa

JUNE 2023

BBQ is King Ed and d Ryan Mitchell i on Food, History and Tradition

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BOB RANKIN IN STUDIO THE LURE OF BIG ROCK A RAINBOW OF COCKTAILS

VENETIAN PRINCESS

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DEPARTMENTS

Bryan Regan (BARTENDER); courtesy Billy Warden (FAMILY)

JUNE 2023

25 OUR TOWN

42

SIMPLE LIFE: Return of Jimmy the Lawn King The joys of mowing

44

NOTED: D.I.Y. Dad Building traditions

25

DRINK: Drink the Rainbow Festive beverages of every hue

28

Q&A: Off the Page Courtney Napier’s new book

31

NATURE: Walking on Water A closer look at “Jesus bugs”

IN EVERY ISSUE 12

Editor’s Letter

LOCALS: Prank Star Media sensation MajorKeyLife

16

Contributors

17

Your Feedback

MUSIC: Dip a Toe In A water-inspired playlist

21

Datebook

85

The Whirl

ART: Visual Language Painter Jennifer Meanley

95

Extras

96

End Note

33

35

39

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On the cover: Ed and Ryan Mitchell. Photograph by Eamon Queeney

8 | WALTER

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FEATURES

Dylan Ray (FISH); Liz Condo (FLOWER)

70

53

this i know for sure

by Jaki Shelton Green illustration by Stephen Hayes

54

Smoke & Fire Ed Mitchell’s take on barbeque introduction by Ayn-Monique Klahre photography by Eamon Queeney and Baxter Miller

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Tropical Transformation A Cary garden with bold color

by Hannah Ross photography by Liz Condo

70

Go Fish!

The lure of Big Rock

by Ayn-Monique Klahre photography by Dylan Ray

78

It’s a Colorful Life In the studio with artist, teacher and arts advocate Bob Rankin

by Katie Pate photography by Joshua Steadman

P A Y S A G E H O M E

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Left and right: My dad in his role as grandfather. Center: Laura tests out the throne.

T

5634 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd., Corner of I-40 and 15-501 (Exit 270)

he other day, I was having a conversation with a girlfriend about how our dads are different as grandfathers than they were as fathers. The men we remember from growing up were strict disciplinarians, intimidators of any friends who came over for the first time. (Some of my high school friends still refer to my dad as “Big Frank,” even though I’m pretty sure he’s average-sized.) As fathers, these men meted out the serious punishments and stayed up to make sure we were in by curfew — not one minute later.

But as grandfathers, they’ve definitely gotten soft.

When I was on maternity leave with my first daughter, my dad came up to spend a week with me after Josh went back to work after his measly two weeks off. This was in the early weeks of parenting, when we were still trying to figure everything out. I needed help!

And thankfully, as a grandfather, my dad had infinite patience for accomplishing whatever task I asked. If I asked him to take my daughter for a walk, he’d be out with the stroller for hours (and I would finally, maybe, get a nap and a shower). If I asked him to nap the baby, he’d get her in a football hold (we called it “sleeping tiger”) and plant himself on the couch. Once she fell asleep, he’d nap, too, for as long as it took.

When our second daughter came along, he was happy to repeat the process.

As my girls have gotten older, it’s fun to find them chatting over shared interests.

In our weekly FaceTime calls, we’ll get tours of the garden or the latest home project from my parents, and in return they get surprisingly detailed accounts of the school day or their latest theater production. When my parents come to visit, they’re likely to get suckered into ice cream before dinner or some other little treat. And I see it with my two young nephews — I don’t remember getting to eat at Shake Shack nearly so often, and only my dad can match his 4-year-old grandson, my nephew, in his stamina for talking about airplanes. (It helps that Dad’s a retired pilot.)

Right now Josh is in full “dad” mode — always in the position of reminding the kids about rules and to-dos and the importance of brushing one’s teeth before bed. But I’ll be interested to see if he gets to take it easy with the next generation. NO RUSH. To all the dads, granddads and father figures out there, happy Father’s Day this month!

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The Music of Whitney Houston

JUNE 2023 EDITORIAL

PUBLISHING

Editor AYN-MONIQUE KLAHRE ayn-monique@waltermagazine.com

Publisher DAVID WORONOFF

Creative Director LAURA PETRIDES WALL laura@waltermagazine.com Associate Editor ADDIE LADNER addie@waltermagazine.com

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Contributing Writers Catherine Currin, Jim Dodson, Mike Dunn, Jaki Shelton Green, David Menconi, Ed Mitchell, Katie Pate, Hannah Ross, Liza Roberts, Rachel Simon, Katherine Snow Smith, Billy Warden

Fire & Rain: Songs of the ’70s FRI, JUNE 9 | 8PM

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Advertising Sales Manager JULIE NICKENS julie@waltermagazine.com Senior Account Executive & Operations CRISTINA HURLEY cristina@waltermagazine.com Events Manager KAIT GORMAN kait@waltermagazine.com Finance STEVE ANDERSON 910-693-2497

All Beethoven

Contributing Poetry Editor Jaki Shelton Green

Distribution JACK BURTON

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Contributing Copy Editor Finn Cohen

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A Little Night Music

Contributing Photographers Liz Condo, Terrence Jones, Baxter Miller, Eamon Queeney, Matt Ramey, Dylan Ray, Bryan Regan, Joshua Steadman

FRI, JUNE 16 | 8PM

Classics Under the Stars

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Address all correspondence to: WALTER magazine, 421 Fayetteville Street, Suite 104 Raleigh, N.C. 27601

Contributing Illustrators Stephen Hayes, Gerry O’Neill

Harry Potter vs. Star Wars

Interns Nakya Carter, Emma Deal, Jamaul Moore

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LIZ CONDO / PH OTOGR A PH ER Liz Condo is a photographer of people and places. She has spent her varied career exploring the ways an image can open our eyes to the beauty all around us. A gardening enthusiast, she loves how the simple act of caring for plants can deepen our connection to the natural world and provide much-needed habitat for wildlife.

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W R I TE R Billy Warden has taken on big projects as a producer for E! Entertainment Networks, the co-founder of marketing agency GBW and writer for publications from The Los Angeles Times to Our State. But his first major endeavors came as part of his dad’s work detail on elaborate home and yard enhancements. “D.I.Y. projects often come down to creativity and improvising,” he says. “Get comfortable with those things, and life is a whole lot more fun.”

A Raleigh native and professional writer, Katie Pate has been part of the local arts and music community since adolescence. Pate graduated from Appalachian State University, is a freelance marketing consultant and serves on the Raleigh Historic Development Commission. You can find them writing poems at Morning Times, biking the Raleigh Greenway or watching live music. “Everyone I interviewed about Bob Rankin was emphatic about what an honor it is to be part of telling his story. After witnessing Bob’s talent and compassion firsthand, I can only agree.”

courtesy contributors

CONTRIBUTORS

FEEDBACK We love to hear from you!

We got so many compliments on our May cover, featuring artist Marriott Little.

This Father’s Day

Skip the Tie

Charlene Newsom, Marriott Little and Julie Nickens at Gallery C. “Great cover image of a great Raleigh artist and person!” — Leslie Pruneau “That cover is fire! My first thought was, wow she’s gorgeous!” — Susanna Klingenberg “Marriott is an inspiration to me and so many other artists! Not to mention a lovely person.” — Creecy Andrews

At The Cypress of Raleigh, a thriving Continuing Care Retirement Community, our TLTILYZ LUQV` HU HJ[P]L HUK M\SÄSSPUN SPMLZ[`SL ^OPSL ILULÄ[PUN I` V^UPUN [OLPY OVTLZ :V [OPZ `LHY MVYNL[ [OL [PL 0UZ[LHK ZOV^ KHK Q\Z[ OV^ much you appreciate him by helping him HUK `V\Y TVT KL]LSVW H WSHU MVY [OL M\[\YL *VU[HJ[ \Z [VKH` [V SLHYU TVYL Contributor Billy Warden gave a TEDx Talk at UNC-Chapel Hill about his adventures writing for WALTER, including learning about naturalism last summer.

919.518.8907 TheCypressofRaleigh.com

@waltermagazine www.waltermagazine.com

WALTER 421 Fayetteville Street, Suite 104 Raleigh, N.C. 27601

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 17

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OUR TOWN Summer is here! This month brings jazz dinners, outdoor concerts, Juneteenth celebrations and festivals galore.

courtesy Liberation Station; courtesy Dead & Co

by ADDIE LADNER

NOTED

THEATREFEST June 1 - 18 | Various times June is busy at North Carolina State University, where its annual TheatreFest will host a cluster of shows celebrating all aspects of live theater.

In addition to watching productions of various genres, guests can participate in Q&As with playwrights and enjoy a festival showcasing the area’s various theater companies. The first play is Jeffery Hatcher’s Holmes and Watson, a thrilling mystery about the presumed but questionable death of famed detective Sherlock Holmes. Also enjoy a comedic musical about two guys writing a musical, called [title of show]. The festival itself is on June 17, showcasing the Triangle’s many theater companies, as well as QuickSCRIPTS, an evening of four short plays written, cast and produced in just 72 hours. Various prices; Talley Student Union, Suite 2110, 2610 Cates Avenue; theatre.arts.ncsu.edu

LIBERATION STATION GRAND OPENING June 17 - 19 | Various times Four years after Victoria Scott-Miller started the pop-up bookstore Liberation Station, she’s opening her first brick-and-mortar location. It will be the first Black-owned children’s bookstore in Raleigh, with more than 1,000 titles that represent Black characters, writers and illustrators. “This store is beyond our ancestors’ wildest dreams, one that acknowledges our place in North Carolina history while unearthing a diverse spectrum of affirming Black images from every fabric of our life,” says Scott-Miller. The grand opening will be a weekendlong celebration leading up to Juneteenth. On Saturday, notable children’s book authors, including New York Times bestselling author Derrick Barnes and awardwinning author Tameka Fryer Brown, will be at Liberation Station for book signings. On Sunday, the bookstore will host White Glove Day, where guests can interact with historical documents including letters written by Frederick Douglass and signed, first-edition books by Octavia Butler, Langston Hughes and bell hooks. On Monday, there will be a walk from the state capitol to the bookstore led by a group of Black equestrians, followed by a book signing by Caitlin Gooch, the founder of nonprofit Saddle Up and Read, which works to help children achieve literary success through equine activities. Free admission; 208 Fayetteville Street, Suite 201; liberationstationbookstore.com

DEAD & COMPANY: THE FINAL TOUR June 1 | 7 p.m.

Dead & Company was formed in 2015, 20 years after legendary Grateful Dead guitarist and singer-songwriter Jerry Garcia passed away, as a way to honor his legacy. Since its inception, Grateful Dead alumni Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann have been joined

All information is accurate as of press time, but please check waltermagazine.com and the event websites for the latest updates.

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 19

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DATEBOOK

Baxter Miller (BODEGA); courtesy Theatre Raleigh (THE WEIGHT OF EVERYTHING WE KNOW); courtesy International Food Festival (FOOD)

by a host of notable musicians each summer, including Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbidge and John Mayer.

The group will stop at the Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek as part of their last tour. From $100; 3801 Rock Quarry Road; deadandcompany.com

INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL June 3 | 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Celebrate the vibrant cultures that make up Raleigh at the International Food Festival. More than 60 vendors will be serving dishes with roots in countries from Scotland to El Salvador to Syria.

The festival will also include live performances of traditional dancing from various countries as well as a 1970s and ‘80s outdoor dance party and contest.

The City of Raleigh Museum will offer special programming in conjunction with the event, including puppet shows, folk stories, face painting and story time. Free; Fayetteville Street; ncvibes.com

THE WEIGHT OF EVERYTHING WE KNOW June 1 - 11 | Various times

NOTED

Theatre Raleigh will present the world premiere of North Carolina playwright Allan Maule’s The Weight of Everything We Know, a romantic comedy about science, writing and coping with elements beyond our control. The story starts when Lucia, an astrophysicist, and Darrow, a writer, are set up on a date. As their relationship progresses, there’s a major upheaval in the scientific world: A decision is made to change the way a kilogram is measured. “When I read about the kilogram changing mass, I knew there was a great dramatic premise there. This breakthrough would upend everything for scientists, but leave others puzzled. So what if this all happened while a scientist and a non-science type were falling in love?” says Maule. From $30. 6638 Old Wake Forest Road; theatreraleigh.com

EVER AFTER: FAIRYTALES, FOOD AND FLOWERS June 3 | 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Enjoy Mother Nature’s gifts in all forms at Fred Fletcher Park. This whimsical celebration of fairy tales, food and flowers is hosted by the local children’s event planning group Paper & Stars Studio in conjunction with the City of Raleigh. Free admission; 820 Clay Street; raleighnc.gov

June 6, and DJ Jay Tay will spin tunes on June 13. Monica Kennedy will sing cover favorites on June 20, as will J.A.K. Acoustic Covers on June 27. Tuesdays are also $2 off draft beers to wash down the Bodega Nachos or Bodega Burger on an early summer evening outside.

Free to listen; 1000 Brookside Drive; brooksidebodega.com

BANDS @ BROOKSIDE

PIMENTO CHEESE FESTIVAL

Tuesdays | 5 - 8 p.m.

Bring the family to Brookside Bodega on Tuesdays for live, local music on the patio. Americana act Sentimental Johnny from Hillsborough plays on

June 10 | 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Food trucks will line Academy Street to celebrate a Southern staple at the Pimento Cheese Festival. Enjoy live music at the Downtown Park, grab a

drink from local breweries and taste some inventive pimento cheese dishes.

Gussy’s Greek, Ultimate Egg Rolls and Big Mikes BBQ are a few of the many participating local food trucks that will offer both their regular menus and new, on-theme specials (see: pimentocheese ice cream). You can even test your skills in the pimento-cheese sculpting contest. Free; 319 S. Academy Street, Cary; carync.gov

DINNER AND JAZZ AT HUMMINGBIRD June 14 & 28 | 7 - 10 p.m.

Enjoy a pop-up speakeasy and jazz club The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 21

DATEBOOK

RALEIGH RETRO GAMERS EXPO June 17 | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Enjoy thousands of retro and modern games and memorabilia at the Raleigh Retro Games Summer Expo at downtown’s Moore Square. Shop from tons of vendors, enjoy live music, a DJ, crafts and more nostalgia taking you back to your childhood days of Pokemon. Free admission; 201 S. Blount Street; raleighretrogamers.com

ROOTS FOR REECE CHEFS PICNIC

NOTED

June 11 | 3 - 7 p.m.

Under the Oak Catering chef and owner Blake Gotliffe is hosting the Roots for Reece Chef’s Picnic, a food-filled fundraiser to benefit the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition. Set on 40 acres of verdant farmland, guests can enjoy rockfunk band Lake Chamberlain, a silent auction, kids’ activities and the main attraction: beverages and cuisine from more than 20 all-star Triangle restaurants and bars. Among them: Oro Restaurant, Leroy’s Taco Shop, Jolie, Glasshouse Kitchen, Postal Fish Company, Trophy Brewing and many more. Roots for Reece is named after Gotliffe’s friend, Reece Byrd, who was lost to a drug overdose in 2017. All proceeds from this event will go towards NCHRC to offer support for those struggling with addiction. From $100; 8521 Buffaloe Road, Knightdale; undertheoakcatering.com

Photo © Jürgen Otto

June 17 – October 8

22 | WALTER

FR E E AD M I SS ION for Museum Members TICKETS: naturalsciences.org/spiders

courtesy Roots for Reece

at Whitaker & Atlantic, the event space run by Hummingbird chef and owner Coleen Speaks. After you dine on New Orleans-style cuisine at the restaurant, slip through the unmarked door beyond the restrooms to enter the lounge. There, twice a month on Wednesdays, you’ll find local jazz and blues acts alongside creative cocktails and bar snacks. Reserve online; 1053 E. Whitaker Mill Road, Suite 111; whitakerandatlantic.com

You deserve a 5-star imaging experience.

courtesy North Carolina Symphony

TURNING RED June 23 | 8:30 - 11 p.m.

The amphitheater of the North Carolina Museum of Art is a favorite spot for an outdoor film and picnic. This year, the museum’s summer movie lineup is centered around the theme Esse Quam Videri, the North Carolina State motto, which translates to “to be rather than to seem.” One film that reflects the idea is the animated children’s movie Turning Red. It’s about a young teenager who suddenly starts turning into an enormous red panda when she’s emotional — much to her inconvenience at school and at home. This lively, heart-warming film explores Chinese traditions, the trials of coming of age and our sometimes complicated relationships with family. Registration required and picnic blankets, chairs and food welcome. Free for members, $7 for nonmembers, 2110 Blue Ridge Road; ncartmuseum.org

HARRY POTTER VS. STAR WARS June 24 | 8 p.m.

Hear the scores from two fantasy blockbusters, Star Wars and Harry Potter, at the North Carolina Symphony’s SummerFest. Led by conductor Lawrence Loh, the evening of wands versus lightsabers takes place at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. Keep an eye out for musicians disguised as Professor Snape or Imperial Stormtroopers, and you’re encouraged to dress in your favorite wizarding or futuristic wardrobe. From $35; 8003 Regency Parkway, Cary; ncsymphony.org

PETER FRAMPTON June 24 | 8 p.m.

I want you, to show me the way to Red Hat Amphitheater to hear British mu-

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The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 23

DATEBOOK

OUT! RALEIGH PRIDE FESTIVAL June 24 | 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Themed “Love 365,” OUT! Raleigh Pride Festival is the Triangle’s yearly come-one-come-all, family-friendly celebration of the LGTBQIA+ community. The festival, which benefits the LGBT Center of Raleigh, will include more than 100 vendors, music, speakers, a KidsZone on Fayetteville Street and — new this year! — Raleigh’s first Pride Parade. Free admission; downtown Raleigh; outraleighpride.com

LIVE AFTER 5

NOTED

June 21 | 5 - 8 p.m.

Presented by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, Live After 5 is a free concert series in downtown’s One City Plaza.

This block-party-style celebration will feature a lineup of cover bands playing music by acts from the 1980s and 90s. This month, Live After 5 will showcase Hard Tuck, a cover band made up by musicians Kate Rhudy, Joseph Terrell and Chessa Rich, with deejay King Akira. The event will also feature Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing’s signature seltzer “The Sweet Life,” plus goodies from other local vendors. Chairs and picnic blankets are welcome. Free admission; 443 Fayetteville Street; downtownraleigh.org

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courtesy Live After 5

sician and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Peter Frampton on his North American “Never Say Never” tour. A hitmaker since the 1960s, Frampton has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, a handful of Grammy nods and a win for Best Pop Instrumental Album for Fingerprints (2006). From $30; 500 S. McDowell Street; redhatamphitheater.com

DRINK

A RAINBOW of COCKTAILS In honor of Pride Month, a ROYGBV selection of beverages

by CATHERINE CURRIN photography by BRYAN REGAN

S

ince the late 1970s, the rainbow flag has been used to symbolize the diversity of human sexuality — and this month, you can expect to see that spectrum of colors popping up in more places than usual: from Trophy’s Run for Love 5K race to the Durham Bulls’ annual Pride Night, to specialty items at stores and on menus

and Raleigh’s first Pride Parade this year.

“Ruby Deluxe is a queer bar all year ‘round, but Pride month gives the LGBTQ+ community special focus in the city at-large,” says owner Tim Lemuel, who also owns The Night Rider and The Wicked Witch. “We’re excited to showcase the creativity, diversity and power of queer folks.”

So just for fun, we reached out to some of our favorite bars to get a whole spectrum of colorful sips — and they delivered. From a quick-and-easy red cocktail to the classiest blue drink you’ve ever seen to a surprisingly purple zero-proof slushie, you’ll be serving up rainbows in no time.

Cheers to Pride Month!

In June, Ruby Deluxe offers Rainbow Shots: vodka plus a surprise mixer, in colorful test tubes.

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 25

DRINK

DIRTY SHIRLEY AT LEGENDS

#1 AT ATLANTIC LOUNGE

LEMON DROP AT LIBATIONS 317

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces vodka

2 or 3 muddled jalapeño slices

2 ounces lemon vodka

1 ounce grenadine

1 ½ ounces tequila or mezcal

¾ ounce fresh lemon juice

Soda

1 ounce pre-mixed carrot juice and agave

½ ounce simple syrup

¾ ounce lime juice

Lemon wedge

1 or 2 Maraschino cherries Lime wedge (optional) Fill a glass with ice. Add vodka and grenadine. Stir, then top with soda.

Garnish with a maraschino cherry and wedge of lime.

26 | WALTER

Dried lime wheel Combine all ingredients and shake.

Strain and serve up with a dried lime wheel for garnish.

Sugar Combine the ingredients in a cocktail mixer. Shake and strain into a glass. Garnish with sugar and a lemon wedge.

CREOLE DAISY AT ST. ROCH

IONIAN SEA AT HEIGHTS HOUSE

ROSELLE AT POOLE’SIDE PIES

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces tequila

2 ounces coconut-washed gin

3 ounces pineapple juice

1 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice

¾ ounce lemon dry vermouth

3 ounces lime juice

1 ounce Trinity Syrup (made from onions, celery and green peppers)

½ ounce Luxardo Cherry Liqueur

4 ounces white tea, cooled

Splash of Blue Dream (a secret recipe)

4 ounces Hibiscus Syrup (recipe below)

Combine all ingredients and stir with ice. Strain into a coupe and enjoy.

Pineapple wedge (optional)

Chili salt, for rim (light and dark chili mixed with kosher salt) Combine ingredients, shake and serve over ice. Garnish with a lime and chili salt on rim.

Place in a blender and add one cup of ice; blend well. Pour into a chilled glass and garnish with a pineapple wedge. (Serves two.)

HIBISCUS SYRUP INGREDIENTS 2 cups water 2 cups sugar 1 ¼ ounce dried hibiscus 1 cinnamon stick Place sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, add hibiscus and cinnamon stick, and let steep for 15 minutes.

Strain and let cool completely before using.

Yields 2 cups.

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 27

OFF THE PAGE Courtney Napier’s new book highlights Black women making Raleigh history as told to AYN-MONIQUE KLAHRE

L

ast month, Courtney Napier published Give Black Raleigh Her Flowers, a visual and storyfilled celebration of 10 women making history in our area.

The 90-page book was born out of an exhibit of the same name, which ran at Anchorlight Studio last year. Napier, the founder of Black Oak Society, a collective for Black creatives, and the editor-in-chief of BOS Magazine, started working on this multiplatform project in 2021. We asked Napier about how it came to be, and why the book is important to Raleigh now.

28 | WALTER

HOW DID THIS GET STARTED? In 2021, I was planning to put together an issue about significant Black women in Raleigh’s history. It ended up being called An Ode to Raleigh’s Black Mothers — a celebration of the matriarch and the feminine influence on all our lives.

There was always going to be an artistic element to lift the writing off the page, and I wanted a community event to support the issue. So I got in touch with a friend and colleague, Mike Williams of the Black on Black Project. It took a year of planning to get the Give Black Raleigh Her Flowers exhibit going. But the delay

ended up being good, because by the time it opened, the atmosphere felt safe.

WHAT WAS THE IDEA FOR THE EVENT? I wanted to create a royal portrait hall of living Black matriarchs, these Queens, who have had an impact on my life personally and Raleigh collectively.

These were people who I’d worked with already, or written about, or cultivated relationships with. But more importantly, they were women who’ve had a bigger impact on Raleigh than what they’ve gotten credit for. I wanted to create an opportunity for their stories to shine,

Samantha Everette (PORTRAIT)

Q&A

to truly venerate them, and give them a place for people to learn about them and offer their gratitude.

HOW DID YOU PORTRAY THAT? We chose to do a photography exhibit, because I wanted these women to be involved and have a chance to build a relationship with the photographer.

I worked with our BOS magazine creative director, Aerial Sanders, who is also a stylist for plays, music videos and films. She chose a gold-and-white palette influenced by African religions and African American culture. For example, in Black churches, the church mothers often wear white. And in African religious traditions, the women who are spiritual leaders wear white. The gold is a symbol of prosperity and authority.

WHAT ENDED UP BEING INCLUDED? We worked with five photographers who did eight portraits of 10 women, from their 30s to late 70s. We printed the images and hung them in gold frames on the wall, with their stories next to them. The text weaves the lives and accomplishments of each woman together with the portraits — how different details, like the location or style or special items in each portrait point to specific characteristics of the Queens and their impact on Raleigh.

The exhibit ran at Anchorlight for two months, in May and June of 2022.

We opened with a private reception for the women we’d photographed to share the final images with them in a safe space. It was really powerful; some people were shouting, others were silently weeping. The next night we opened it to the public. We also had artist talks during the exhibition, often the photographers sitting down with their subjects.

We had the most incredible conversations. Even the photographers said they learned so much about Raleigh history from working with these women.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTERWARDS? It had such a great reaction that Shaw University asked to host the show from

October to December. Then it was time to work on the exhibition catalog.

Mike, along with Shelley Smith, the creative director of Anchorlight, was insistent that my writing become part of this whole experience. And I wanted to continue the education, to highlight these women in a way that people could bring them into their homes.

As I was writing, I kept finding more information to add! Soon the exhibition catalog became a book, a whole project of its own. The book includes all of the portraits included in the exhibition, as well as never-before-seen portraits of the Queens. Each Queen has a biography that is tied together with the art, as well as reflections from the artists on the process. Also, I included the official exhibition images by the talented photographer Sally Van Gorder as well as behindthe-scenes photos and pictures from our incredible opening taken by the wonderful Shelley. I included an article that Colony Little wrote about the exhibit for WALTER, as well as notes to explain significant details about the art and artists. The book ties together their histories and current realities —

many of these women are still doing the work that they are being recognized for. Raleigh is growing so quickly, and its Black history is getting obscured. I want to spark people’s curiosity, to help them understand where we came from.

But it’s fitting that the book has taken this long to write, because now we’ll be releasing it on the anniversary of the exhibition.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE LONG-TERM IMPACT FOR YOU? I am still experiencing people coming to me and telling me how much that exhibit meant to them. These women felt truly seen and honored. I never in my wildest dreams imagined the reach of this exhibit and work. But I did believe in the power and impact of these women. Getting the opportunity to write this book, thanks to Anchorlight's generosity and the urging of Shelley and Mike, has been a dream come true.

These women’s stories are truly remarkable and I’m forever changed by knowing them.

Give Black Raleigh Her Flowers is available through blackoaksociety.com.

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 29

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NATURE

A water strider uses surface tension to stay above water.

A water strider with prey.

WALKING on WATER The wonders of water striders words and photographs by MIKE DUNN

When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time roaming the woods and fields at my Aunt Ruth’s place near Whitetop Mountain, Virginia. My folks usually spent a week “back home” in the mountains every summer, and I relished my time wandering around looking for critters. I would wade into the creek in the woods behind her house, flipping rocks to see what lived under them, building dams to create pools and generally doing things kids do in a creek.

There were a few pools where I could spend time with two of my favorite creek critters, crayfish and water striders. I learned to catch crayfish without getting bitten (usually), and spent a lot of time watching the water striders. I don’t remember trying to catch them with my hands, maybe because I wasn’t quite sure what they were.

It fascinated me that water striders could skate across the surface of the creek. And I still love the dimpled shadows they leave on the stream bottom from where their legs rest on the surface film.

Over the years, I have watched water striders catch prey, I’ve caught them in nets, showed them to teachers and students and become accustomed to seeing them on most streams and still waters in our state. But it wasn’t until we refurbished our two water gardens a couple of years ago that I really started to observe, photograph and learn more about these amazing creatures.

Water striders are insects in the category of true bugs (and you probably thought all insects were true bugs, right?), part of the insect order Hemiptera. Other common true bugs include terrestrial stink bugs, cicadas and leafhoppers and aquatic groups like backswimmers and water scorpions.

True bugs have piercing mouth parts that they stick into their food (plants or prey organisms) to suck out fluids.

There are over 1,700 species of water striders worldwide. Most live in fresh water, although there are a few that are marine insects, spending their lives on coastal seas and the open ocean.

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 31

NATURE

A side view of water striders mating.

Water striders literally walk on water.

This has given rise to a lot of colorful common names like Jesus bugs, pond skaters, pond skimmers and water skeeters. Their slender, lightweight bodies are well-designed for this amazing feat. They spread their minimal weight over a large surface area by having two pairs of superlong legs (the third, front pair is much shorter and used for grasping prey).

Unlike most insects that have claws at the tips of their legs (“feet”), a water strider’s claws are located a bit higher up, so that they do not puncture the surface of the water. But the real key to their success is the abundant microhairs that cover many parts of a strider’s body.

There are thousands of microscopic grooved hairs covering the legs and undersides of water striders. The tiny grooves trap air, helping the legs repel water, allowing the insect to push a dimple in the water and take advantage of the surface tension. Scientists are studying these hairs for possible waterrepellent designs for products like rafts, water-based robots and even mini-aquatic spies. (Perhaps they could be called water spy-ders?)

Watch a strider and you will see it uses the front pair of its longer legs as oars.

32 | WALTER

The hind legs help propel it and are used as rudders. The small front legs grab and hold their prey (usually an insect on the surface). They detect their prey by sensing its vibrations on the water. Much of their food consists of small insects that fall into the water and are trapped by the surface tension. They also feed on other striders (especially young ones) and other invertebrates emerging from underwater, like mosquitos. After grabbing an insect, a water strider will pierce it with its sharp beak and inject digestive enzymes that liquefy its insides. Using a “pump” located inside the strider’s head, it will then suck up the prey’s predigested nutrient milkshake. Yum! To allay the fears of those of you who like to swim in local ponds and lakes: Water striders are harmless to humans and will not skate over to give you a bite just for fun. One reference claims the mouth parts are too weak to penetrate human skin. (But I’m still not testing that theory by grabbing one in my palm.)

While photographing water striders one afternoon, I saw several mating pairs. Males are generally smaller than females and announce their intentions by tapping the water surface and sending out romantic ripples. Receptive females

“come hither” and they pair up, males on top. I also saw several rejections, with females jumping and flipping the males off. After successful mating, females lay eggs on plant stems or other solid surfaces just under the surface. I have thus far failed to find their eggs to photograph them, but I’ll try again this year (this passes for entertainment in a naturalists’ world). The eggs hatch into tiny nymphs that will molt several times over a few weeks before gaining their adult size.

One other interesting fact about water striders is that within some species they exhibit wing polymorphism: Some have full-sized wings, some have small wings and some no wings at all. It apparently depends somewhat on their habitat. A temporary pool or one that fluctuates greatly will lead to winged individuals that can fly and migrate if the need arises. Those in more stable environments, like large lakes, may not have wings at all.

Even as I’ve learned more about my local water striders, there are still plenty of mysteries. For example, we noticed striders in our newly refurbished ponds the day after we filled them — how do they find new water sources so quickly? Where are those elusive eggs?

What do they do in the winter? (Some resources say they hibernate under debris near the water body, others say they spend the winter at the bottom of the pond. Yet another says the adults die after laying eggs, before the first freeze, and new striders emerge from the next spring.) What eats water striders besides other striders? (They may secrete distasteful chemicals that deter predation by fish, but some references list frogs, birds and even fish as potential predators.) Scientists don’t know the answers to many of these questions.

If you see me leaning on the rocks around one of our ponds, I might be pondering the mysteries of the bugs that walk on water. Have a look yourself the next time you visit a pond or slow-moving stream. Water striders really are amazing critters.

LOCALS

PRANK STAR Meet Youssiff Boudib, a local retailer who’s become a social media sensation

by RACHEL SIMON photographs by TERRENCE JONES

I

f you walk into the South Street Mini Mart in Raleigh’s Warehouse District, you should probably stay on your toes — because when you go to grab a candy bar from the shelf or a beer from the freezer, you might just get pranked. The convenience store happens to be managed by Youssiff Boudib, aka MajorKeyLife, a social media sensation who’s earned over 9 million TikTok followers thanks to his highly entertaining, quick-hit videos featuring silly pranks on unsuspecting customers.

A 41-year-old Garner resident of Sen-

egalese decent, Boudib started posting videos to his channels (which also include YouTube, Instagram and Facebook) three years ago, in March 2020. Like so many others, he was home with his family during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, looking for new activities to pass the time and trying to stay upbeat.

His niece and nephew suggested that he start a TikTok account to post dance challenges, and while he liked the idea of having a creative outlet, he was hesitant to join the platform.

“I said to myself, eh, it’s a kids’ channel,’”

Boudib recalls. But when his boredom hit a peak, though, he decided to give TikTok a chance.

Boudib began uploading videos showcasing everyday life at the store, where he was still working. Before long, one video — of a shopper hitting the jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket — went viral, earning over a million views. Boudib, an entrepreneur at heart, was keen to capitalize on the moment.

“Once I started seeing the views rise up, then I had other ideas and started putting my own creativity into it,” he The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 33

LOCALS

Ronnie Perry, aka “Uncle Rich,” and Youssiff Boudib, aka MajorKeyLife.

says. “And it just started growing.”

That creativity took the form of pranking — silly antics like squirting water guns from behind the fridges, putting “fart spray” on products to gross out shoppers at the register or sending remote-controlled mice racing around the floor.

The videos of customers’ over-the-top reactions quickly gained traction with viewers. (Having seen too many videos of unsuspecting prank victims grow upset over their involvement and not wanting a mishap of his own, Boudib now primarily focuses his attention on family, friends and the store’s repeat customers.)

When he started using his now-popular catchphrase, “it’s night-night time,” after one especially surprised customer dropped to the floor, the videos’ popularity skyrocketed. They got even more popular when his longtime friend Ronnie Perry, aka “Uncle Rich,” began appearing in the clips, either as a game prankee or an amused accessory to the antics.

“One day he walked in and started saying some funny stuff, and I happened to record it, and once I posted it, 34 | WALTER

viewers fell in love,” says Boudib of Perry, a 64-year-old Henderson native. “He’s a fan favorite.”

(When asked about his commitment to appearing in his friend’s videos, the far more reticent Perry simply shrugs off his stardom. “I come flying on in here every day, doing the same thing every day. I ain’t got nothing else to do. I’m retired,” Perry says.)

As Boudib’s channels have grown, he’s devoted more time to producing content, often filming and editing at least one video a day in addition to responding to fans and maintaining his website chasingdreams.com (which features MajorKeyLife merch), all while managing the Mini Mart full-time.

“It’s tough,” he admits. “Dealing with working the front and the customers, then filming with Rich or doing my own thing, it’s a balance.”

And although Boudib occasionally craves some downtime, he knows that his viewers expect their regular dose of mood-boosting content. “My fans want to see videos every day,” says Boudib. “If I have a day or two off, my DMs are full” with questions.

Still, he has few complaints, especial-

ly because he’s recently started to earn income from his channels and chat with other creators about potential collaborations. The goal, Boudib says, is to eventually expand MajorKeyLife’s reach to more than just the Mini Mart. Referring to both himself and Perry, he says “we’re trying to establish ourselves more to get out there — get better known in Raleigh, get known in Miami, anywhere,” adding that he hopes to also work on other forms of entertainment like podcasts and TV. “We’re just being patient and waiting for the right opportunity, for somebody to come knocking on our door and say, hey, we want you to do something with us,” he explains.

In the meantime, Boudib says he’s more than happy to keep pranking around the store, posting his videos and connecting with his fans, both online and around Raleigh, where he and Perry are both increasingly stopped for photos and autographs.

“Our community knows who we are and knows what we do. They just want us to continue pursuing our dreams and taking it further,” he says. “We’re just here to make people laugh, and to make this world a better place.”

MUSIC

DIP A TOE IN Come summer, we’re dreaming about pools, rivers and beaches — and so are these North Carolina musicians

by DAVID MENCONI

S

ummer is the wettest time of the year, and not just because of the humidity. It’s when we tend to spend the most time around bodies of water, whether it’s alongside the Atlantic Ocean, down by a lazy river or hiking toward a waterfall.

In honor of this most aquatic of all seasons, here is a playlist of North Carolina acts from over the decades, doing songs in which water plays a starring role.

THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE (FEATURING CARLITA DURAND), “DREAMS ARE MADE FOR TWO” (2013) In this dreamy tune, Phonte Coleman, the cofounder of North Carolina hip-hop legends Little Brother, croons about scenic beaches.

They’re lovely, of course, but, the lyrics ask: “Who wants to view it alone?”

Summer getaways are as much about who you’re with as where you’re going.

LET’S ACTIVE, “WATERS PART” (1984) Waters can rise, recede or divide. And on rare occasions when the interpersonal chemistry is just right and the planets align, they part. Let’s Active frontman/guitarist Mitch Easter notes the movements of moons and tides before concluding, “Waters part when our eyes see together.”

SYLVAN ESSO, “SLACK JAW” (2017) Water can also stand in for things you’re trying to keep your head above. “Slack Jaw,” a moody downtempo song from Durham electronic duo Sylvan Esso’s splendid What Now album, finds vocalist Amelia Meath sounding shellshocked

DREAMS ARE MADE FOR TWO The Foreign Exchange

WATERS PART Let’s Active

SLACK JAW Sylvan Esoo

COPPERLINE James Taylor

I THINK IT’S GOING TO RAIN TODAY Nina Simone,

RIVER’S JAW H.C. McEntire

BLACK RIVER SWAMP Link Wray

DOWN BY THE EDGE OF THE SEA Coastal Cohorts

DEEP RIVER BLUES Doc Watson

WATERBOUND Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrissi

DEEP SEA DIVER Brownie McGhee

THE SWIMMING SONG & WESTCHESTER COUNTY Loudon Wainwright III

THE FISHIN’ HOLE

in the wake of some unspecified calamity: “Sometimes I’m above water/ But mostly I’m at sea.”

JAMES TAYLOR, “COPPERLINE” (1991) Sweet Baby James spent his formative years growing up in Chapel Hill.

“Copperline,” co-written with North Carolina novelist Reynolds Price, is a fond remembrance of summer days spent splashing around Morgan Creek.

Nowadays there’s a sign reading James Taylor Bridge on a stretch of Highway 15-501 across that same waterway.

NINA SIMONE, “I THINK IT’S GOING TO RAIN TODAY” (1969) Sometimes water does not rise from below but falls from above, whether or not you’ve got outdoor plans. Tryon native Simone covered this Randy Newman classic about a mood as grimly dark as an afternoon thunderstorm that blacks out the sun.

H.C. MCENTIRE, “RIVER’S JAW” (2020) Singer/songwriter McEntire’s 2020 album Eno Axis uses the song to explore the Orange County river she’s lived alongside for nearly a decade. Possibly the most aqueous-sounding song on it is “River’s Jaw,” with atmospheric spaghetti-western soundtrack vibes that sound like you’re hearing them underwater.

LINK WRAY, “BLACK RIVER SWAMP” (1971) A master of dirty roots-rock guitar, Wray grew up in the vicinity of Dunn. And while his childhood was not entirely happy, he remembered those days enough to write these lyrics: “I can The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 35

MUSIC hear them bullfrogs croaking/ In the blackness of the night/ Calling me back to my childhood/ Down here in Black River Swamp.”

COASTAL COHORTS, “DOWN BY THE EDGE OF THE SEA” (1996) Coastal Cohorts are a spinoff from the eclectic Chapel Hill stringband Red Clay Ramblers, and they’re best known for the 1996 musical King Mackerel and the Blues are Running. From that musical, “Down by the Edge of the Sea” is a zippy, finger-snapping number.

DOC WATSON, “DEEP RIVER BLUES” (1964) A folk-guitar legend from Deep Gap, Watson could play lightningfast yet still make it feel as relaxed as ambling alongside a lazy river on a hot summer day. Recorded in 1964, “Deep River Blues” stands as proof that sometimes pretty surroundings aren’t enough to cheer you up.

RHIANNON GIDDENS & FRANCESCO TURRISSI, “WATERBOUND” (2021) Equal parts classical siren and downhome banjo player, Greensboro native Giddens just won a Pulitzer Prize for her opera Omar, written with Michael Abels. But as far as she’s traveled, home is never far away in her music. From her most recent Grammy-winning album, They’re Calling Me Home, “Waterbound” contemplates water as a barrier “down in North Carolina.”

BROWNIE MCGHEE, “DEEP SEA DIVER” (1960) A song that puts the “body” into “body of water” as metaphor. It’s a ribald little tune in which Piedmont blues legend McGhee boasts of his prowess as a lover.

LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III, “THE SWIMMING SONG” AND “WESTCHESTER COUNTY” (1983) Swimming pools are a recurring location for Durham na-

tive Wainwright, including “The Swimming Son” from his Attempted Mustache album. A decade later, he offered up the song “Westchester County,” on which he intones, “We were richer than most/ I don’t mean to boast/ But I swam in the country club pool.”

“THE FISHIN’ HOLE” (1960) We close with this easy-going whistled instrumental, which you might know as the theme song to The Andy Griffith Show.

The long-running television series went off the air in 1968 but is no doubt airing in syndicated reruns somewhere at this very moment.

LISTEN UP! Find a link to this Spotify playlist on waltermagazine.com

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ART

The Earth of an Enlightened Being (2020)

Visual LANGUAGE Greensboro painter Jennifer Meanley creates kaleidoscope realities

by LIZA ROBERTS

I

ntimate, lush and allegorical, Jennifer Meanley’s paintings are large-scale depictions of human experience.

Figures, often out of scale with their environments, gaze at odd angles within kaleidoscopic settings, more consumed with their interior lives than with the scenes they inhabit. Animals, alive and dead, sometimes share the space.

Something’s clearly about to happen, or might be happening, or perhaps already has happened. Are her subjects aware?

“There is often a sense of lack of synchronicity between

how we experience our bodies and how we experience our mind, our emotional states,” Meanley says. Her paintings “often register that paradox, whether that’s with the animals, or the symbolism with the space itself… or whether the figure seems to be looking and registering and connecting” to reality.

A painting underway on her working wall features a caped, gamine figure gazing upon a flayed animal, possibly a deer, within a riotously overgrown landscape. “I was thinking of this sort of crazy Bacchanal,” says Meanley, a New Hampshire native The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 39

Left: As if smoldering and smoke were oneness evoked by thought and expression (2019). Right: The whirl of an eddy, flush with rain (2019).

noticing the spaces who teaches drawbetween things, or the ing, painting and pauses, the way breath printmaking at the might be taken.

University of North That’s all really, really Carolina Greensboro. fascinating to me.”

“Or of a surplus, When she’s teaching, imagination as a kind she tries to create a of surplus.” Anything corollary to visual is possible in the language in much the abundant realm of the same way. “What does imagined, she points it mean to literally out. The real world is punctuate a drawing, another matter. in a way that you Color plays a major would take a sentence role in her work. “I’ve that essentially had no A 2021 installation at Spiva Gallery in Joplin, Missouri. always had a penmeaning, and make chant for really saturated colors,” she says, especially as a way it comprehensible?” she asks her students. “In words, you do it to indicate atmosphere, like light, air, wind and the grounding through timing, space, rhythm and breath — what are the ways element of earth. Like poetry, her images reveal themselves in we can do this in art?” stages and elements: rhythm, tone, vocabulary, story.

As she grows older, her writing sessions have taken on more importance, Meanley says. Writing “is a way for me to deepen So it’s no surprise to learn that Meanley writes regularly in forms she compares to short fiction, a process she describes as my personal exploration of my own psychic space, which is “a field that I experience, stepping in and noticing punctuation, the origins of the paintings as well.” Though she doesn’t intend 40 | WALTER

courtesy of Jennifer Meanley

ART

“I’ve always had a penchant for really saturated colors,especially as a way to indicate atmosphere, like light, air, wind and the grounding element of earth.”

Lissa Gotwals (MEANLEY)

— Jennifer Meanley

to publish these writings, Meanley is open to the possibility of including some of her words in new paintings. “I think the world that I’m exploring has to do with the idea of psychological interiority, and how that can find representation” through words and images.

This exploration also connects to physical movement, another practice Meanley credits with fueling her creative process.

Long walks with her dog in the woods spark marathon writing sessions, which help inspire drawings and paintings.

They have also attuned Meanley to the natural environment of the South, so different from what surrounded her in New Hampshire, where she earned her BFA at the University of New Hampshire, or even at Indiana University, where she received her MFA. She moved to Greensboro in 2008 for the job at UNCG, and in and around the Triad, she finds nature so lush, so green, so impressive. “I started realizing that there’s this battle within the landscape,” she says. “Just to even maintain my yard, I feel like I’m battling the natural growth here. It did amplify that sense of tension, of creating landscape as a narrative event… as an important space to contemplate hierarchies of power.”

Summer, with its time away from the demands of academia, provides Meanley with more time for outdoor exploration and for contemplations of all kinds. She’s also looking forward to having time to tackle larger works, with the hope of a solo exhibition later this year or in 2024. “Doing a solo show is an endeavor,” she says. “Right now I’m gearing up.”

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 41

SIMPLE LIFE

Return of Jimmy the Lawn King Fresh-cut grass stirs up memories

by JIM DODSON illustration by GERRY O’NEILL

I

t started with a simple phone call from our neighbor across the street. Mildred Horseman had seen me mowing my family’s yard and wondered if I might be willing to mow her lawn. Her husband, Gene, was just home from the hospital and under strict doctor’s orders to rest for a month. She even offered to pay.

It was early summer, 1968, and I was 15. We were new to an old neighborhood where everybody had lush green lawns.

I’d been mowing lawns since age 12, trusted not to destroy anything or chop off my own toes.

42 | WALTER

“I’ll send Jimmy right over,” said my mom. “No need to pay him. He loves mowing the grass.”

That was partly true. I liked mowing grass. I also liked money, which I needed to buy the beautiful classical guitar I had my eye on at Moore Music Company. It was a whopping $95, $800 in today’s currency.

So off I went with our crotchety old Sears power mower, which normally took forever and required a number of impolite muttered oaths to start.

Mr. Horseman sat on his screened porch watching me unsuccessfully crank

until I had to rest my arm. He finally got up and stepped outside.

“Jimmy,” he said. “Come with me. I’ve got just what you need.”

In his garage sat a bright green LawnBoy power mower, one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.

“She’s got a few years of age on her, but will almost always start on the first pull. I keep her tuned up.”

He was right. One pull and she started. Mr. Horseman went back to his club chair on the porch and I got busy on his lawn, marveling at the way his LawnBoy cut grass.

When I finished and put his mower back in the garage, he waved me onto the porch. Mrs. Horseman had brought out lemonade.

“So what do you think?”

“Great,” I said. “Wish my dad would get one of those.”

“They’re pretty reliable,” he said. “One of the oldest brands in America, invented by a guy who built motors for boats.”

As I drank my lemonade, I learned Mr. Horseman was a retired business professor from Michigan. The LawnBoy mower, he explained, was created before WWII by a Wisconsin man who built Evinrude outboard engines. “I knew him when I was young. He became quite the successful businessman.”

Mr. Horseman handed me a $10 bill.

Sadly, I was compelled to explain that I was unable to take his money due to a mother who didn’t care a fig if I became a successful businessman.

“In that case,” he said, “how about we do a deal. You mow my lawn this summer and you can use the Lawn-Boy to mow lawns along the street. Sound good? I’ll even buy the gas.”

It did sound good, a potential gold mine at 10 bucks a clip. But I didn’t know any of the neighbors yet.

“Print up some fliers,” he said. “Or, better yet, I’ll have Mildred get on the phone. You’ll have a job or two in no time.”

Within a week, I had two paying jobs, and half a dozen regulars by the middle of summer. I was the richest kid on the block.

By July, the Yamaha classical was mine. My mom took to calling me “Jimmy the Yard King.”

It was my first real job.

I also had my first real crush that summer, on a cute girl from Luther League named Ginny Silkworth. Ginny

had a great laugh and a solid right hook.

When I asked her to go to the movies, she laughed and punched me sharply on the arm.

We went to see Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet at the Cinema on Tate Street near UNCG, an evening somewhat diminished by the fact that my father had to drive us to the theater and never stopped chatting with my date.

That summer was long and hot for America, one of the most tumultuous in the nation’s history. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Bobby Kennedy were both gunned down by assassins that spring, and an unpopular war in Vietnam took an even ghastlier turn.

Race riots erupted in Cleveland, Miami and Chicago.

But it was also the summer that Ginny and I went to see The Graduate, the Beatles released “Hey Jude” and I snagged a second job teaching guitar to kids and senior citizens at Mr. Weinstein’s music store. Between mowing and teaching, my pockets overflowed. I felt flush; I started saving money to buy my first car.

And something about the orderliness and smell of fresh-cut grass and the satisfaction of a job well done permeated my teenage brain. It grounded me in a way that made my narrow world seem oddly immune from all the bad news on TV. It was the first and last great year of Jimmy the Yard King, though its impact was lasting.

Perhaps this explains why, when my wife and I built our first home, on a high forested hill near the coast of Maine, I created a garden that featured more than half an acre of beautiful Kentucky bluegrass and fescues.

By then I’d graduated to a seriously deluxe John Deere lawn tractor, which gave me more than a decade of mowing bliss. A sad parting came, however,

Within a week, I had two paying jobs, and half a dozen regulars by the middle of summer. I was the richest kid on the block.

when we packed up to move home to North Carolina and discovered there was no room in the moving van for my dear old John Deere.

I seriously considered driving my Deere all the way to Carolina, but finally gave up and sold it to our snowplowing guy for a song.

I still have dreams about it.

Today, back in the old neighborhood where I started, I own a modest suburban patch of grass I can mow with my Honda self-propelled mower in less than 18 minutes.

It’s a fine mower, but nothing compared to Gene Horseman’s marvelous Lawn-Boy. Professional lawn crews now roam our streets like packs of Mad Max mowers, offering to relieve me of my turf obligations for 75 bucks, roughly what it once took me a full week to earn cutting grass.

They seem offended by an old guy who loves to mow his own yard.

Sometimes, when I’m cutting grass, I think about that faraway summer and my laughing first date. Ginny and I stayed in touch for four decades. She became a beloved teacher in Philadelphia and passed away a few years ago. I miss her laugh, if not her punch.

Maybe the smell of fresh-cut summer grass does that. Whatever it is, if only for 18 minutes once a week, Jimmy The Yard King is back in business.

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 43

NOTED

D.I.Y. Dad A tribute to an amateur architect and weekend builder

by BILLY WARDEN

F

ifty years ago, my father conscripted my grumbling brothers and me into the building of a stone monument. China has its Great Wall; Rome has its Colosseum; North Raleigh boasts Big Bill’s Mighty Bulwark.

At 4 feet high and 50 yards long, this retaining wall is composed of roughly 1,000 basketball-sized boulders. It still stands today, dutifully preventing the suburban lawn outside our former home from sliding onto the sidewalk and street below.

This was only the beginning of Dad’s do-it-yourself building spree. In the coming decade and a half, my father would muster his often reluctant brood to construct a sprawling deck, a seemingly endless stockade fence, an entire spare room, an arched pergola with a

44 | WALTER

rollback swing, floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelves, a second pergola swooping over a home-poured patio, and an illfated tool shed.

And all this was only at the first of his three homes in Raleigh, after roving South from Chicago in the Great Yankee Invasion of the 1960s and ‘70s.

Now 79, my dad, Bill, is a ranking member of an industrious army of amateur architects, product designers and builders who first took up hammers and screwdrivers in the D.I.Y. surge of the mid-20th century. Popular Mechanics magazine — pretty much modern D.I.Y.’s Book of Genesis — had debuted way back in 1902, extolling the practical and recreational value of making your own stuff. But two world wars and a

depression stinted the supply of time and materials D.I.Y. demands.

The end of World War II, however, brought returning G.I.s newly schooled in gritty self-reliance. This, combined with economic prosperity, the rise of home ownership and a bungling sense of optimism, rallied young families to literally build their dream futures. As a result, the suburban landscape from Raleigh to Rancho Cucamonga is thick with mini-masterpieces and tumbling follies.

My dad, an accountant Monday through Friday, came by the D.I.Y. habit — arguably an obsession — early. His father, my grandfather Lefty, had recruited able Army pals to help erect his budding family’s first home from the ground up upon returning from the battlefields of

Europe in World War II. Perhaps inspired by this pedigree, Dad’s own construction campaigns took on the character of a military operation.

Early in the week, he’d cast a calculating gaze at some unsuspecting swath of yard, like Gen. Patton eyeing an enemy stronghold. Then, come Thursday or Friday evening, he’d hunch over the kitchen table, sketching on a sheet of paper torn from one of our school notebooks.

On Saturday morning, he’d golf, and our little neighborhood would be at peace. But upon returning home, he’d march us boys into our faux-wood paneled Pontiac station wagon to hunt and gather at the nearby construction sites, lumber yards and Ace Hardware. Saturday afternoon and Sunday, we’d build.

Dad’s conscriptions could be overridden in just three ways. First, by a Category Four or above hurricane. Second, by illness — not just signs of a head cold, but actually bleeding from the eyes and

ears. Finally, by the intervention of my sainted mother, Nancy, announcing that one of us brothers-in-arms must go with her to JCPenney or Kmart to shop for school supplies or new clothes. Of course, slipping away like this brought the scorn of the abandoned brothers, but Mom made sure each would eventually have his leave of duty.

On Father’s Day, however, even Mom would join the drilling and cement mixing. And she would openly admire all the things that were in plain sight but too often lost on us boys. How imaginative Dad was in blithely ad-libbing his way through unforeseen glitches and near disasters. How patient he was in teaching us skills we could never quite master.

How handsome the finished work was — except for the aforementioned tool shed, which eventually collapsed due to a brown ocean of rain sloshing atop its fatally flat roof.

None of us grew up to be weekend

builders per se. But Raymond took to constructing his own electric guitars en route to a career in music. Christopher just bought a house in the country where he foresees much backyard puttering. And I like to think that the many journalism pieces I’ve authored are, in a way, sawdust-free construction projects (complete with the occasional conniption of cursing that Dad also specialized in).

My folks now live in the dream home that Dad designed for their retirement in 2010. His plans for the contractors included an unfinished second floor. Naturally, almost as soon as the professionals cleared out, Dad proceeded to finish the upper level himself with stupefying care and flair.

Puzzling over the logic of sending the pros home only to bootstrap a major project solo is beside the point. Adventures in D.I.Y. don’t have to make sense, they just need to make the creators happy and the lives of the people around them a little richer. Mission accomplished, Dad.

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The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 45

- Sir Walter Raleigh

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Cast of Mary Poppins, 2016. Curtis Brown Photography

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Everyone’s favorite nanny returns! Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins is based on P. L. Travers children’s book and the 1964 Disney film. This musical is an enchanting mixture of irresistible story, unforgettable songs, breathtaking dance numbers and astonishing stagecraft!

In this classic story, Mary Poppins flies into 1910 England to attend to the troubled Banks family. Using a combination of magic, games and common sense, she must teach the family members how to value each other again. Mary Poppins takes the children on many supercalifragilisticexpialidocious adventures, but Jane and Michael aren’t the only ones upon whom she has a profound effect.

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The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 49

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The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 51

Ben Lindemann

One History, Many Voices

www.tryonpalace.org 529 South Front St. New Bern, NC 252.639.3527 Experience living history. Walk in the steps of the governors who lived at Tryon Palace during the 1770’s – a time of intellectual and political turmoil. Tour the Palace, Kitchen Office, Stable Office, and our 21 acres of beautiful gardens. Visit with the 1st Regiment NC Continental Line at their encampment and learn what 18th c. military life was about. Tour the historic Dixon House and learn about a family from the early 1800s. Visit the New Bern Academy where the 35th U.S.C.T. first mustered. Throughout the year, there are specialized tours, lectures, and events such as our “Life on the Lesser Stairs” tour, Garden Lecture Series, African American cultural programming, and monthly Outlander tours. Enjoy enriching exhibits at the NC History Center. Learn about colonial spinning and weaving, apothecary, dueling, African American artisans, and eastern North Carolina’s history. Experience Tryon Palace.

Military Encampment

Family Days

You're invited to Glorious 4th!

35th USCT • Juneteenth Celebrations

Vibrant Summer Gardens

this i know for sure

by JAKI SHELTON GREEN illustration by STEPHEN HAYES

W

e are the breath the skin the muscles the heart the hands the unmeasurable bones whispering across the Atlantic Ocean.

We are the bellies of Middle Passage ships. We are blue door of no return on Goree Island. We are the mornings that broke with our living and our dead fastened together. We are the eyes bearing witness to sharks following our human cargo waiting for the feast of dead or sick bodies tossed overboard. We are the shadows in the back of the eyes of daughters throwing themselves and their babies overboard. Our blood is the red that stole the blue of the ocean. We are scattered bones rising up from the bottom of the Atlantic revealing a pathway marking the route.

We are the fruit of those bone trees planted deep in the fertile Atlantic.

We carry a DNA of survival, strength, extraordinary will. From forced migration to slave market we are all the links of all the chains of the past and future. Binding spiritual links from the bones in the Atlantic to the bones of slaves in a place like Galveston Texas where ancestral whispers became the wind… Caressing tired bones with a timeless spirit of rebirth and love. The wind heard first. Whispering from the trees, from the ground beneath their feet, whispering…

Freedom Freedom Freedom

The wind knew and rattled tiny bones beneath the feathers of birds.

The wind knew. Giving voice to the rain falling creating fertile freedom ground. The wind whispered to every butterfly, every insect pollinating from flower to flower. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. Eagles stopped in midair to listen to the wind’s song… Freedom came today. Freedom came today… And because our people are a chosen people we could understand the dance of the trees, the tremble of the water. Hoes stopped striking.

Hands stopped picking. Feet stood still. A mighty storm named freedom rained over them. Soaked them clean. Mothers kissed hope into the air above babies’ heads. Grandmothers and grandfathers stretched prayers into a sky that would not bend. Men asked where will this freedom live.

Children asked what does this freedom taste like. What does this freedom smell like. What does this freedom sound like. What does this freedom look like. Mama, tell me what this freedom gonna feel like. We screamed a jubilee into the clouds. We shed the skin of a slave. We shed the rags of a slave into the river. Our freedom skin was a shining brand-new nakedness that outshined the sun. We be clothed in freedom’s gold. On Juneteenth dead bones came alive and flew on the wings of Sankofa birds all the way back to the river where blood is born… All the way back to the womb that never forgets. We are the Juneteenth resurrection… We are the ancient prayers answered. We are the cup overflowing inviting generations to this feast of freedom.

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 53

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T A new cookbook from Ed and Ryan Mitchell explores barbeque traditions

SMOKE FIRE introduction by AYN-MONIQUE KLAHRE portrait by EAMON QUEENEY book photography by BAXTER MILLER

his month, pitmaster Ed Mitchell and his son, Ryan Mitchell, released Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque. It’s a cookbook that’s less a how-to than an exploration of the craft: What are the roots of barbeque? Who honed the techniques, and why? Can the next generation embrace this tradition and move it forward?

“It was an easy story to write — it’s truly about our own experience,” says Ryan.

The Mitchells wrote in collaboration with Zella Palmer, who spent months interviewing them, along with family and friends, to capture their stories and recipes. “Zella spent weeks just with my grandma in the kitchen. All her food is freehand, she didn’t have anything written down,” says Ryan.

Inside, Ed shares a slew of his own recipes, from his whole-hog method to his approach to barbeque chicken to sides, desserts and libations. He also shares family recipes and ones from people he’s worked with, like John Hellwig, Ed’s chef at Que in Durham. “It was really important to us to bring in other people,” says Ryan. “Recipes are so specific, you can get five friends together and argue about whose grandma makes the best fried chicken.”

Throughout, the Mitchells emphasize that the flavors and traditions of barbeque — cooking slowly, dousing meat in strong sauces, pickling trotters or snouts — were a response to a need. “Whole-hog barbeque is a form of survival, a means to feed a group of people,” says Ryan. Essays and historical photos drive the point home.

Ryan and Ed will be on book tour this summer and plan to open a new restaurant in Raleigh, The Preserve, late this year. They found a location off Wake Forest Road that’s zoned both industrial and commercial, so they can smoke a whole hog on-site, the way it’s been done for generations. Just like in the cookbook, they hope the restaurant will encourage folks to come together and get a fuller appreciation for a long undersung craft.

“We wanted to make sure we highlighted the origin of barbeque and give voices to the people who really started it,” says Ryan. “We wanted to paint a picture but also tell the truth and give some motivation at the same time. Barbeque is too inclusive to be divisive.”

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 55

“I Can’t Give Up”

by ED MITCHELL

M

y journey into the barbeque business began with a lunch I made for my mama. It was 1991. I was a forty-five-year-old man grieving the loss of my hero and trying to survive without the patriarch of our family. I hadn’t realized my father was as sick as he was.

He had terminal cancer, and one night he just slipped away. My mother called me and I came home quickly to be with her.

He and Mama had been a team — Black entrepreneurs in a racially divided part of North Carolina. Their grocery store, Mitchell’s Supermarket, was filled with everyday goods from penny candy to cooking oil. It was a symbol of African American progress and Black-owned business.

But without my dad there, friends stopped popping by, and business slowed down.

Early that morning, I dropped by the store to check in on Mama. She wasn’t herself. Ever since my dad’s death, my mom hadn’t been as jovial as she used to be. I will never forget when she told me, “I’ve been here all day and I only sold seventeen dollars in food.” I knew I had to step up and take care of my mama as the eldest son in the family. I didn’t mind — I’ve always been a mama’s boy. I wanted to make my mother feel better and let her know that she could count on 56 | WALTER

me. So I did what came naturally to us Mitchells: I asked her what she wanted to eat. Mama said, “I have a taste for some good old-fashioned barbeque.”

I knew what that meant, so I got my hands on a thirty-five-pound pig — that’s a small one. I rolled my parents’ rustic cooker into the parking lot of their grocery and fired up the coals.

While the pig cooked, Mama prepared some Eastern North Carolina coleslaw and slowly braised collards. Soon, the smoke filled the air and the pork skin started to crackle. We seasoned and chopped it up on the meat counter in the back, and the fresh barbeque smell permeated the storefront. Our customers, the few we had left, asked, “Y’all selling barbeque now?” Mama looked at me in silence for a moment, then said, “Yes, we are selling barbeque.” She fixed the customer a barbeque sandwich. They must have told a few others, because soon we had a line form and all thirty-five pounds of our hog was gone.

That evening, as I was closing up the store, I heard someone shaking the door.

Thinking we were about to be robbed, I put on my best James Earl Jones voice to address the intruder. Low and behold, it was a customer from earlier trying to get another barbeque sandwich. I told him, “We don’t have any more barbeque but we will have some more tomorrow.”

Wilson, North Carolina, is no stranger to barbeque. I would say our small rural town is a founding bedrock to the

tradition of whole-hog barbeque and growing tobacco. It’s home to two of the largest barbeque joints in the state, Parker’s Barbecue and Bill Ellis Barbeque.

Parker’s claims to serve roughly 20,000 pounds of barbeque weekly.

However, with the commercialization of the food industry starting in the 1960s, locals no longer barbequed the traditional way, using natural, farm-raised hogs. Most barbeque restaurants were using store-bought, farm-raised pork shoulders, cooked over gas instead of coal fires, and the flavor wasn’t the same.

The next day, I bought a slightly larger pig and repeated our whole-hog-barbe-

BAXTER MILLER

Ryan, Doretha and Ed Mitchell

que-for-sale experiment. Little by little, our production increased. I put aside my other hustles and decided to help my mama full-time, building the business with my brothers, Aubrey and Stevie. By the early 1990s, I had transformed Mitchell’s Supermarket into Mitchell’s Ribs, Chicken & Bar-B-Q. We never looked back.

I had no idea that lunch with Mama would shape the rest of my life —that my family’s Eastern North Carolina barbeque would take me around the world to become one of the most internationally recognized barbeque pitmasters. From 2002 until 2018, I was invited year after The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 57

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BAXTER MILLER

year to headline the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party in New York City. Famous food writers like Michael Pollan and Peter Kaminsky, and chefs like Anthony Bourdain and Bobby Flay, traveled to Wilson to learn how Ed Mitchell, Willie and Doretha’s son, cooked whole hogs, the traditional way.

I never considered the possibility of making a living as a pitmaster because barbeque was just a way of life for us.

Clockwise from top: Eric Lund, We celebrated it through family, manager of the SECU Dinolab; looking church functions, and events. at samples; fossils in packets inNo theone mu-I knew who actually anything had seum’s storage area;owned fossil preperator ever made a career of it. All the Black Aaron Giterman. men I knew had to stay in the back, cook, and keep their heads down — they weren’t allowed to own businesses.

Yet what Mama and I saw that day at our lunch was a way to bring customers back and make them proud of our heritage. Barbeque was the answer to our prayers. It kept our family afloat, both financially and spiritually. I will never forget that moment when everything changed for our family.

It felt like my grandfather and father were my guardian angels.

For me, barbeque has always been synonymous with celebrations. When I was a kid in the 1950s, we barbequed to celebrate family achievements and things like the end of the tobacco harvest season. It was the only time during my childhood when Blacks and whites ate side by side. For a brief moment, we were colorblind, and I never forgot that feeling. The next time I experienced it was in Vietnam, when guys around me were being wounded and killed. The only way we were going to get home alive, besides our prayers, was by watching one another’s backs.

I’ve realized that when we have a common need to exist, everything else goes out the window: color, ethnicity, religion, gender, anything that can be divisive.

Barbeque still has that power today.

Drive an hour southeast from Wilson to Pete Jones’s Skylight Inn BBQ in Ayden, North Carolina, and inside you’ll see whites and Blacks eating whole-hog barbeque together. In my generation,

that particular part of North Carolina was rife with racial tension, and for our safety, we stayed away as much as possible. Today, you see Black, whites, and every color eating barbeque together.

Every time I go down there, I think of that.

And yet for many, barbeque is a topic as controversial as race or religion.

Together, these make up three pillars of our Southern identity that are intricately linked — each person fervently believing that his or hers is the best. Each region stakes claim to its own barbeque style based on animal type, cut of meat, charcoal, wood, and sauce.

I’ve tried, as many pitmasters do, to embrace these differences and focus on the beauty of what barbeque means — peace and good eating. As a result, I’ve often overlooked the fact that to me, barbeque is African American food.

quing whole hog today? Rodney Scott in Hemingway, South Carolina; Dr. Howard Conyers in Manning, South Carolina; and Bryan Furman in Atlanta, Georgia are some of the great ones. But look around. Most of the pitmasters on the barbeque circuit are white. There are countless books on barbeque, but show me an African American author telling the story of his or her ancestors and their food. Is it because African Americans consider this type of work too reminiscent of the servitude of their ancestors, or is it because starting a barbeque restaurant today takes hundreds of thousands of dollars? Systemic racism permeates the food and agriculture business, so resources and interest play a part. I reckon it’s a bit of both.

As far back as I can remember, and even still today, Black-owned restaurants in Wilson would sneak a barbeque

“I’ve tried, as many pitmasters do, to embrace these differences and focus on the beauty of what barbeque means — peace and good eating. As a result, I’ve often overlooked the fact that to me, barbeque is African American food.” — Ed Mitchell My enslaved ancestors stood over their enslavers’ pits. They were always connected to the land, by force and by ancestral wisdom they carried over on ships. They grew collards in their small gardens, and those collards provided the vitamins for them to survive through the worst of times. Plantation owners handed offal — chitlins, pickled pigs’ feet, snouts, and ears — to the field hands. And the enslaved cooked them to perfection, until they became delicacies. My matriarchal ancestors were plantation chefs, the skilled cooks who created the soul food that fed the American South from the mid-1600s until well after the antebellum period.

So why, then, are only a handful of African American entrepreneurs barbe-

sandwich on the menu and serve it as a side. We just knew that they had the power to make sure that we never owned a full-scale barbeque restaurant even though we were doing all the cooking at every plantation barbeque and political rally, and in their kitchens. After Daddy died in 1991 and I decided barbeque was my career and legacy, I got in it to win it.

When we designed our menu, we were intentional about adding dishes that we served in our home. Traditional dishes that so many Black families in Wilson ate at home or at a pig pickin’, a traditional North Carolina barbeque. Daily, we served collard greens with backbones, ribs, pigs’ feet, cracklin’, and so much more. My son, Ryan, got involved out of necessity. Now that Mitchell’s BBQ was a The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 59

full-time job, we needed all hands on deck. I insisted that he learn the craft and earn those Air Jordans his generation loved to wear.

I barbeque not because I love hoisting 150-pound hogs over my shoulders, but because I want to keep the tradition of my African American ancestors alive. My decision to team up with my son was strategic. The minute he showed interest in my work, I wanted him involved, because barbeque has always been a family affair to me. I wanted him to come home after he experienced working for corporate America. I needed Ryan’s help to move this family business forward.

When he was in college, Ryan told me, “I want to own five or six restaurants.” I encouraged him to pursue a degree in business and economics so he could help me run the restaurant, reminding him that the family business was his legacy.

I was so glad that he came on board to help me out. I know a lot of fathers whose children aren’t interested in the family business. God truly blessed me. It was challenging for me without his help.

I was tired. The management side, on top of cooking every day, was a lot to manage.

Today, I barbeque to show young African Americans that our history lies in those embers. I wear overalls and a baseball cap, like those worn by my grandfather Lawyer Sandars and other Black men from previous generations, to remind me of the sacrifices of the men who wore this uniform, who worked the land and provided for their families. It makes me realize that the work I do, while it can seem futile at times, is important. After all, I am one of the last barbeque pitmasters who knows how to cook a whole hog like my ancestors did.

This is an excerpt from Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque by Ed Mitchell and Ryan Mitchell, published by Ecco on June 6, 2023.

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BAXTER MILLER

ED’S EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA VINEGAR BBQ SAUCE My mother taught me how to make our vinegar barbeque sauce. I can still remember the smell of the tangy sauce boiling on our stove when I was a child. In Eastern North Carolina, there are two styles of whole-hog barbeque: The first is the festive pig pickin’, where a barbequed pig that’s been slathered with sauce is set on a bar and people pick off what they want. The second is when the whole hog is chopped—the meat is pulled from the bones and skin, the skin is toasted into cracklin’, and the meat and cracklin’ are then chopped up and seasoned.

The same ingredients — cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes — are used to season both styles of whole-hog barbeque. However, for the pig pickin’, the sauce is mopped on the pig during the final hour of cooking. For the chopped barbeque, the sauce ingredients are added to the meat one at a time, just before serving. We recommend using this sauce to season whole hogs for a pig pickin’, barbequed whole turkey, or baby back ribs. It makes about 1 gallon of sauce, enough to season one 150-pound hog, three 18- to 20-pound turkeys, or 8 racks of ribs.

INGREDIENTS 1 gallon apple cider vinegar 1 cup red pepper flakes, plus more if needed 1 cup packed dark brown sugar, plus more if needed 1 cup hot sauce (preferably Texas Pete or Frank’s RedHot), plus more if needed ½ cup smoked paprika ¼ cup kosher salt, plus more if needed 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon minced garlic

DIRECTIONS Combine all the ingredients in a container and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Taste and add more salt, red pepper flakes, hot sauce, or brown sugar to suit you. Just before applying, strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve.

Serves 12.

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 61

A Morrisville garden links this couple to their roots in Zimbabwe and beyond

TROPICAL

TRANSFORMATION

by HANNAH ROSS photography by LIZ CONDO

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The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 63

I

n the backyard of Berry and Dick Hayter’s home, crimson and gold gloriosa lilies dance like flames. This spring-planted bulb is a darling of the garden, partly because it’s the national flower of Zimbabwe, where both Berry and Dick were raised. “That’s something I miss about Africa, how colorful it is,” Berry says. “I am often trying to recreate the colorful environment I grew up in.”

The Hayters have lived in England, Texas and Colorado, but settled in Morrisville with their two young children in 1998. Ties to their past are visible throughout their property: beloved tropical plants of their childhoods are interwoven with English-style features like mossy stone masonry and a bench tucked into a shady nook, surrounded by ferns. A star jasmine vine grows up a pine tree, azaleas bloom in the shade of southern Africa-inspired banana and palm trees, and a metal sculpture of a warthog perches by a lotus-filled pond.

“I remember toting the warthog to the States from Zimbabwe in a carry-on suitcase, its metal legs protruding in all directions,” Berry laughs.

Her father worked in the Rhodesian Ministry of Agriculture as a research scientist, and her parents tended an impressive home garden, growing heaps of food and rows of dahlias, which often won prizes in local competitions.

“We didn’t have TV growing up and it was a very outdoor lifestyle. I spent a lot of time making forts, mud pies and little gardens,” Berry says. “My parents were always interested in how much rain we were getting and had a big compost heap. They’d weed together for fun on the weekends.”

In the Hayters’ garden, towering dahlias in warm shades of red, orange, pink and purple are tucked among the gloriosa lilies. “The garden is a connection to my past,” Berry says.

In summer, the Hayters’ garden bursts with tropicals like elephant ear, coleus, caladium, impatiens and hibiscus. In the cool seasons, Berry loves tending English cottage garden 64 | WALTER

Berry Hayter encourages people to spend more time outside, to create small daily habits that connect indoor and outdoor living. “Take your coffee outside first thing in the morning when it's not so hot, then water a few pots on your deck!" she says.

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 65

favorites like snapdragons, nasturtiums and pansies. “These plants link me to my ancestors on my mother’s side, who were farmers in Kent,” she says.

Such harmonious blending of styles and specimens wouldn’t be easy for most gardeners to achieve. But Berry has a degree in landscape architecture technology and works as a residential garden designer. She used her expertise to add strategic hardscaping to the backyard. The winding, mossy stone wall gives a natural flow to the space, anchored at one end by an asymmetrical boulder and at the other by the water feature and sculpture.

In the front yard, Berry has converted a strip of lawn into a buzzing pollinator garden. By layering newspaper and compost over the grass and planting a variety of flowering perennials, the space is now a haven for bees and butterflies. The space is densely planted with species that bloom at different times and staggered heights, like hibiscus, rudbeckia, pineapple lily, bee balm and Joe Pye weed.

An unexpected focal point in her backyard plot of earth is a prized specimen plant, the voodoo lily, which Berry received at a Master Gardeners’ plant swap. Also called corpse flower, the voodoo lily is a rare bloomer, opening once every seven to 10 years for a brief 24- to 36-hour window — with a notorious aroma of rotting meat. Berry’s original plant first bloomed in March of 2021, and there is a new propagation taking root in the front yard “for all the neighbors to enjoy,” she laughs.

While Berry’s work in the garden is never done, it lends purpose and satisfaction to her days. Rather than gardening in long stretches, Berry has found that a little weeding and deadheading each day is the best way to tend a thriving space. “Even when I’m taking out the trash, I pull a few weeds,” she says.

Berry also takes time to observe her garden and record its changes. “I keep a notebook — I write down the date that I plant things, and will note the weather, the frost, when I cut things back.

Over years, you get to understand how 66 00||WALTER WALTER

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 67

In the Hayters’ garden, plants with staggered bloom times, structural evergreens and early spring bulbs stretch botanical beauty throughout the year, helping ensure that no canvas is ever blank.

68 | WALTER

the seasons change, how the sunlight changes,” she says. When the Hayters first moved in, the soil was a depleted, rocky clay. Now, Berry adds compost to nourish the soil and she feeds plants with worm tea from her vermiculture bin. Her soil is rich, workable, and well-draining. “But it was not a quick process,” Berry says She clusters shade-loving plants in the darker corner of the yard, opting for species with rich colors and patterns, like variegated Solomon’s seal, pink impatiens, bear’s breeches and Japanese-painted fern. In sunny and warm pockets, Berry layers heat-loving species like crocosmia, coleus and four o’clocks at varied heights, maximizing color and texture in each bed. “I sit on the patio while we’re drinking wine and think OK, there’s a little space there, and I want a bit of yellow to go with that purple,” Berry says. “There’s a lot of time spent looking at different angles, thinking about what I want.”

In September of 2019, the Hayters hosted their daughter’s wedding in their backyard. “It was something I had secretly hoped for, but didn’t want to suggest or push,” she says. But when her daughter asked, Berry was thrilled to open up the garden for the 50-guest affair. Berry arranged the flowers, delighted that her daughter wanted bold, bright colors to complement her garden’s signature style.

“It was a dream come true, but it was a challenge to keep everything looking good over the summer,” she says. “I asked her if she wanted it in the spring, with white annuals, and she said no — she wanted me to keep to the generally loud color scheme that I usually have.”

Her daughter now lives in New York, where she tends a small garden that her parents helped install.

This August, Berry and Dick will celebrate 40 years of marriage and 25 years of working in their garden. “This garden contains so many memories and has matured over the years along with us,” says Berry. “It’s all a work in progress, but it is a very satisfying feeling to watch it all grow and change.”

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 69

W

hen it comes to landing one of the biggest fish in the world off the North Carolina coast, it takes a skilled captain, an angler with endurance — and sometimes, straight luck.

The Big Rock competition started small.

In the spring of 1957, a group of Morehead City fishing enthusiasts partnered with local businesses to gather a cash prize for whoever could catch a blue marlin off the Crystal Coast. Up to that point, the billfish had only been rumored in the waters.

It took months, but by mid-September, Raleigh angler Jimmy Croy, fishing aboard the Mary Z with Captain K.W. “Bill’’ Olsen, caught a 143-pound blue marlin. They radioed back to shore on their way to the harbor, and when they arrived, a raucous crowd had gathered.

This fishing contest became an annual tradition; over the years, the rules became formalized and the prizes grew. In 1972, the competition was renamed Big Rock, after a prime spot in the gulf stream for finding blue marlin. Now in its 65th year, it enlists about 200 boats and nearly 1,600 competitors — and the purse is in the millions. For many in Raleigh and along the coast, it’s a much-anticipated tradition.

“When I was a kid, my mother would deliver me to the tournament, and I would watch the guys bring the fish in,” says Tommy Bennett, a Morehead City native, longtime Big Rock board member and past president of the organization. “Fighting a blue marlin was always a dream.”

The competition attracts both full-time anglers and avid amateur fishermen. For some, Big Rock is one stop on a circuit of fishing contests from Bermuda up the East Coast. “All the competitors are there, and it may be the first time they’ve seen each other in eight or nine months — they look forward to it,” says Bennett. Boat captain Neil Sykes agrees: “The competitions are really fun — aside from the possibility to win money, you get to see friends you don’t get to see a lot.”

The big prize is for the heaviest blue marlin. The competition lasts six days; each boat fishes four of them. Every day, the

70 | WALTER

leaderboard changes, so boats know not to bring in a 400-pound marlin if, say, third place already weighs in at 500 pounds. The catch: you can’t weigh the fish until you get to shore, which adds to the drama. (You can measure them, and experienced fishermen can ballpark it on deck.). Ninety-five percent of the fish that are caught are released.

Sykes, who lives in Virginia Beach, is the captain of the Merceneria, a 72-foot Viking whose owner, Chad Ballard, won the grand prize last year. Ballard pulled in the 572.6-pound blue marlin on the first day. “It made for a long week!” says Sykes, who says he’s been fishing these waters all his life.

“We look for eddies where water splits off from the gulf stream, where temperature breaks hold fish.” The captains talk amongst themselves about where people were catching the day before, sharing tips — or not.

“Everybody’s friends, but sometimes people get a little more tight-lipped,” Sykes says.

Raleigh resident David Pirrung has fished the Big Rock for decades alongside his friend JJ Johnson and their captain, Jay Watson, on the Widespread, a 51-foot Crown Marine. “We all like to hang out together, we’re strategic about the fishing, but we like to have fun,” he says. He credits Watson for knowing where to fish: “He makes the decisions!”

As Pirrung’s three sons have gotten older, they’ve joined the team — and made some amazing catches. “Each of my kids has killed a fish in the last three years,” Pirrung says. In fact, it was Pirrung’s son Cole who caught the winning fish in 2021, a blue marlin that weighed in at 656.5 pounds.

The way the Widespread team does it, once a fish hits, one angler gets the rod. “If anybody else touches the pole before the mate gets the leader, it’s not a clean catch,” Pirrung says. It took Cole four hours to reel in that winning marlin. “His hands were totally destroyed, but we knew it was a winner,” says Pirrung. “I called my wife in Raleigh and said, You probably need to come down, we’re going to be partying.”

BIG WINNER The Mercenaria heads east along the cut between Big Rock Landing and Sugarloaf Island after winning the 64th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in Morehead City.

Big Rock is a sport fishing competition with humble roots and surprising fervor

GO FISH!

by AYN-MONIQUE KLAHRE photography by DYLAN RAY

Fish have to weigh in by midnight. For the Widespread, it was a race to the finish.

The fire department sent trucks to light the dock, where an enthusiastic crowd had gathered. “When we pulled into the dock, there were people all over,” says Pirrung.

“Hundreds of people behind the docks staring at you, microphones and cameras in your face…. it’s a lot!” says Sykes.

(Unfortunately for Luke, Cole’s brother, that fish knocked his 479.2-pound marlin out of third place. But along with their other brother Connor, who placed in 2019, the three young men are the only three brothers to have each boated and weighed a blue marlin at Big Rock. “Jay is top-notch. My family and I know very little about marlin fishing, we just know how to pick a good captain,” laughs Pirrung.)

Big Rock also includes a Lady Anglers competition for female fishermen, a Junior Anglers element and the Big Rock Hero program to pair active-duty military with fishing boats. Big Rock hosts parties and other entertainment during the competition, and the boats themselves are an attraction, from large center console boats 72 | WALTER

to sport fishing boats to small ones with outboard motors.

Sometimes, there are celebrities. “The first year Michael Jordan came here, he weighed in a blue marlin. He’s been back to the scales since, and there’s a crowd like I’ve never seen,” says Bennett. “You don’t need a ticket, you just show up and it feels like a big family reunion, people fill out the restaurants and go to the beach, and when they weigh the fish, folks cheer like they’re at a football game.”

Further from shore, folks can follow along on social media or the internet. “For about 10 days of the year, the entire world of sport fishing is focused on North Carolina.

People are on their computers listening to Randy Ramsey give the blow-by-blow playby-play of the tournament,” says Bennett.

“You can watch your buddy weigh in from your computer in Raleigh.”

The organization has also made strides in conservation, creating weight limits to release fish that won’t make the grade to reduce the number of blue marlin brought to shore. “They only pay for first, second and third, so you’d feel like an idiot if your fish

were 50 to 100 points under,” says Pirrung.

“Nobody wants to kill a blue marlin that’s not in the money.”

They’ve also made charitable giving a huge component of the competition, donating $7.5 million to area charities as of 2022.

“It’s a first-class operation; they do a lot of good things for Eastern North Carolina,” says Pirrung. Bennett’s particularly proud of how the competition has invested in infrastructure like helping build the Big Rock Stadium in Morehead City (where, appropriately, the Morehead City Marlins play, along with youth leagues and college tournaments) and buying land for the Crystal Coast Hospice House.

Big Rock is more than a fishing competition: it’s a community booster and a family event. As Pirrung’s sons graduate college and start their careers, he expects they won’t be able to take a week off for the tournament any more. “But JJ’s got kids that can start cranking soon — so we’ll keep going out,” he says. “The fishing is great, the catching is a bonus.”

Especially if you can get back to Morehead City in time to weigh in.

RED, WHITE AND BLUE MARLIN Opposite page: The women from the Can Do Too team, which won the 25th annual Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament in 2022. This page: A blue marlin getting weighed.

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 73

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THE HAUL On shore, there’s plenty of action and opportunity to follow along. In addition to the big prize for blue marlin, there are other competitions: for the first billfish of the day; for the boat that catches and releases the most billfish in the week; and for the largest dolphin, tuna or wahoo.

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 75

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PRIZED CATCH Opposite page, top: Big Rock weighmaster George Lott guides the tail of a 572.6 pound blue marlin from the Mercenaria on the first day of fishing during the 2022 Big Rock tournament. Bottom left: The winners award. This page: Angler Crystal Johnston stands with her 131.2 pound yellowfin tuna, caught aboard the Desperado.

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 77

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Bob Rankin blends talent and teaching to uplift Raleigh’s creative community

IT’S A

colorful LIFE

by KATIE PATE photography by JOSHUA STEADMAN

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 79

D

own an unassuming stone pathway on St. Mary’s Street, there’s a contemporary gray cement building tucked among trees and foliage. From one corner, a red wall cuts at an angle, accented with a giant, lime-green “R.” A lush, Japanese-style garden flanks the entrance to the studio featuring a koi pond, plants of many colors and two gray-and-white Persian cats waiting for visitors.

This is the home studio of artist Bob Rankin (he likes to call it his “houdio”).

The front door opens up to a vast and rambling workspace, the ceilings punctuated by skylights, with a trove of visual treasures from an artistic career spanning more than 50 years.

Bins are stacked with tubes of acrylic paint and other supplies. House plants are scattered throughout, including a potted orange tree teeming with tiny fruits that Rankin makes into jam. And paintings of all sizes and subject matter hang neatly on the walls, with blank canvases stacked along the floor.

“I’m probably best known for these large-scale abstract works,” Rankin says, gesturing to several massive, colorful pieces on the wall.

Rankin’s portfolio of mostly acrylic paintings contains soothing and subtle responses to nature and international travels, often in imaginative interplays of color. Rankin has exhibited his work across the city, including in the Little Art Gallery and the Mahler Gallery, and his work has been shown throughout the United States. Some personal highlights include appearing at the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville and internationally through an artist exchange program in Marrakesh, Morocco.

A lifelong Raleigh resident, Rankin grew up in the Five Points neighborhood and started honing his craft at Myrtle Underwood School. His third-grade teacher, Rose Melvin, inspired him to 80 | WALTER

explore his creative talents when Rankin won the class’s Halloween art competition. In return, he received the privilege of decorating a bulletin board while the other children did schoolwork. “It’s amazing how little gestures like that can make such a huge impact,” he says.

(Rankin remained friends with Melvin until she passed away in 2013.)

As a student at Broughton High School, from which Rankin graduated in 1966, he drew and painted pieces that remain framed in his studio today.

Rankin’s art teacher there, Alice Ehrlich, had a particular influence. “She encouraged originality and creativity in her students,” says Rankin. He remembers

field trips with Ehrlich and his classmates, like visiting a home that held what was believed to be the only original Picasso in Raleigh at the time. “She was enthusiastic in a way that was absolutely contagious,” he says.

But Rankin is known just as much for being an accomplished artist as he is for his ardent work as a teacher, philanthropist, mentor and community organizer.

After finishing the art education program at East Carolina University, he returned to Raleigh and began teaching art, first at Ligon Middle School, then at Sanderson, Garner and Millbrook High Schools. “I love the honesty of high school students; they don’t hold anything back

“He’s so generous and never asks for anything in return... And every time I look at his artwork it’s just so colorful and vibrant and beautiful.”

— Bearta Alchacar

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 81

Clockwise from top: A peak inside Rankin’s studio, Red Emergence, and High Energy.

Opposite page: Cityscape (left) and Line Work.

82 | WALTER

and tell it like it is,” he says.

Rankin retired from teaching public school in 2000, but keeps up with many of the students he mentored and encouraged to pursue art-driven lives and careers. “There is so much talent in the area and I was able to tap into that as a teacher,” he says. In a recent performance, the Raleigh-raised writer and artist David Sedaris recognized Rankin for always making students feel special. “It really cemented the idea of how important teaching is,” Rankin says.

In the late 1970s, while working as an art teacher, Rankin had an idea to create an artist showcase and festival in The Village District (then known as Cameron Village). “I walked into the office with lots of exuberance and told them, I have an

idea for an art show,” Rankin remembers.

Management agreed to publicize and host the event if Rankin would be the organizer. Art in the Village was born.

“It turned out to be a very successful show — so much so that it outgrew the Village,” says Rankin. He then reimagined the event to be hosted at Pullen Park as “Pullen Arts,” with conceptual art, dance and music throughout the park. “For three or four years, the weather was perfect and people came out in droves,” he says. “Cars were lined up all the way to Channel Five to get in.”

The event was rebranded again, in 1980, as “Artsplosure” in Pullen Park.

Then the City of Raleigh became involved in organizing the event, which was moved to its current home on

Fayetteville Street.

By the mid-1980s, Artsplosure became too big for Rankin to organize as a volunteer, so he passed the baton to staff and continued his support as a board member.

Artsplosure has grown exponentially in the decades since, far beyond what Rankin describes as its “very grassroots” early years.

Rankin gives much of the credit to his friend and colleague Michael Lowder, who served as executive director for over 25 years before his retirement last year. As Raleigh grew, “we put an emphasis on raising brand awareness and bringing in even more artists,” says Lowder.

These days, Artsplosure brings tens of thousands of patrons to downtown The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 83

Raleigh each May and continues to expand its programming and connection-making. The organization has contributed to and co-hosted an impressive lineup of events, including the inaugural IBMA Bluegrass Live! event, the African American Cultural Festival, First Night Raleigh and Live it Up!, Hillsborough Street’s annual event. In recent years, Artsplosure worked with Dreamville Music Festival to bring local arts and crafts vendors to the internationally attended event.

In addition to his continued work with Artsplosure, “I’ve been on most every major board that has anything to do with art in Raleigh,” he laughs, including the Visual Arts Exchange, Raleigh Art People, Artspace and the Raleigh Arts Commission.

One of Rankin’s greatest community achievements is helping to launch the Raleigh Public Art and Design Board, the city’s advisory body that reviews and manages public art projects and programs. In 2009, Rankin was a member of the Raleigh Arts Commission. He teamed up with its chair, Laura Raynor, to establish a program within the city government focused on public art projects.

“We developed guidelines and a public art policy for the city of Raleigh,” Raynor says. “It was a privilege to be involved in the building up of the arts program because it’s really a shining star in our city.”

These days, Rankin continues to be involved in many arts organizations — and is constantly making more art. “I have a little bit of talent, but I can outwork anyone,” he says. “The busier I am, the better I am.”

Lowder agrees: “He is so prolific and just creates all the time. He continues to be inspired by everyday life.”

While Raleigh is home base, many of Rankin’s creations are inspired by his travels. A teaching gig in Italy, for example, yielded a series of landscapes based on the surrounding countryside.

Recent travels to Iceland inspired a collection reflecting the country’s fantastically varied geography. “I love the power and sensuality of red,” he says of a 84 | WALTER

Top: Bob Rankin’s studio. Bottom: Rankin’s painting Piedmont

piece capturing his impression of a stream of lava he witnessed at a volcano.

Rankin often donates his work to organizations like The Caring Community, The Walk for Hope and the Raleigh International Festival. “He’s so generous and never asks for anything in return,” says Bearta Alchacar, the organizer of global programming like the Raleigh International Festival, noting that he’s donated art for the event for more than 30 years. “And every time I look at his artwork it’s just so colorful and vibrant and beautiful.”

Rankin has received the East Carolina University Leo Jenkins Award and the Raleigh Medal of Arts. He’s also been recognized by a plethora of organizations as Best Artist in the Triangle and is an inductee into the Raleigh Hall of Fame and the Wake County Public School System Hall of Fame, among many others.

Despite the accolades and international inspiration, Rankin remains humble, committed to arts advocacy, and rooted in Raleigh. “This city has been awfully good to me, and I want to share what I’ve been given,” he says.

Matt Ramey

THE WHIRL

Frances Mayes and Susan Gravely during WALTER’s At the Table with Susan Gravely.

WALTER’s roundup of gatherings, celebrations, fundraisers and more around Raleigh.

86 At the Table with Susan Gravely 89 NC Symphony Education Concert 90 All Booked Up 92 Discovery Ball 93 Best of NC 2023 93 SECU/ACCOSCA Event 94 Maintain Your Brain Battle of the Bands

To have your event considered for The Whirl, submit images and information at waltermagazine.com/submit-photos

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 85

THE WHIRL

AT THE TABLE with Susan Gravely

O

After mingling with guests, Gravely took to the microphone to speak about her book, which captures the joy of good food through essays and recipes. After the talk, the author Frances Mayes hosted a Q&A session with her dear friend.

Thank you to our presenting sponsor, Fink’s Jewelers, and supporting sponsors, VIETRI and Green Front Furniture, for making this event possible.

Thank you also to our event partners Alimentari, Westgate Wine, Wye Hill Brewing, The Country Bookshop and Attended Events for creating a lovely atmosphere.

Matt Ramey

n April 5, WALTER hosted At the Table with Susan Gravely in honor of her new book, Italy on a Plate: Travels, Memories, Menus.

Along with her sister and mother, Gravely started VIETRI 40 years ago after a trip to the coast of Italy.

Now the largest American importer of Italian ceramics, VIETRI and Gravely celebrate togetherness over incredible food on a beautifully set table.

Twinkle lights and a lush lounge area set the scene at Transfer Co. Food Hall, where the wine and beer were flowing. Andrew Hannon of Alimentari at Left Bank prepared an Italian feast to fit the theme.

Susan Gravely, Frances Mayes

86 | WALTER

Matt Ramey

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 87

“INTERESTING STUFF” FOR YOUR HOME & COLLECTIONS

NC SYMPHONY EDUCATION CONCERT The North Carolina Symphony’s education concerts give Wake County 4th graders an introduction to a variety of instruments and music.

This event honored Freddie Lee Heath for his role in music education for WCPSS over the past 30 years.

Pigfish Lane Antiques & Interiors

antiques • porcelain • art old & new • custom framing • carpets lamp shades & repair • custom-built furniture • ¿QH HVWDWH MHZHOU\ PRUH courtesy North Carolina Symphony

2YHU VT IW RI ¿QH GHDOHUV Melanie Doerner, Elizabeth Beilman, Darliene Woolner, Louise Miller

(919) 436-4006 • SLJ¿VKODQH FRP • 5425 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh

Subscribe to our NEWSLETTER Stay current on the best in art, culture, food and fun!

Mark Steward, Sarah Heath, Freddie Lee Heath, Parker Heath, Robert Heath, Anita Heath

Emily Mountford, Brandon Reeder, Sandi McDonald, Freddie Lee Heath

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 89

THE WHIRL ALL BOOKED UP On April 29 the Durham Library Foundation hosted All Booked Up, an after-hours party celebrating the library. Occurring alongside Durham County Library’s Third Annual Library Fest: The Storytelling Edition, the event featured behind the scenes access, library tours, live demonstrations and festive food and drink.

Kate Medley and Patrick O’Grady

Sara Stephens, Brenda Stephens

Who brings your fairytale wedding to life?

We Do. Nestled in the heart of Southern Pines, our historic Georgian Manor Boyd House and acres of curated gardens and grounds provide an unparalleled backdrop to gracefully meet everyone’s dream.

For over 40 years, this fairytale estate has captured the hearts of couples across the state and country in search of the perfect spot to begin their happily ever afters. Whether you’re in search of a venue to house an intimate ceremony, or a picturesque spot to accommodate your larger-than-life guest list, Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities checks all the boxes.

Couples can choose to exchange vows within the hallowed walls of the historic Boyd House, or opt for an alfresco soirée among the ponds, fountains, and blooms of the scenic gardens.

Who Brings the Fairy Tale to Life When You Say, “I Do”?

We Do. Let us help you write your next chapter today.

J.T. Tabron, Tammy Baggett

555 E. Connecticut Avenue • Southern Pines, NC 910-692-6261 • weymouthcenter.org weddings@weymouthcenter.org Kenny Thompson, Mailande Moran

90 | WALTER

Our signature innovation event returns featuring inspiring workshops and moving talks by local female leaders.

ALL BOOKED UP

WINnovation sharing STORIES inspiring ACTION

PRESENTED BY

Friday September 16 Join us at the Umstead Hotel & Spa for our annual innovation summit celebrating female entrepreneurship and leadership.

Shari Hubert, Jessica Yinka Thomas, Michelle Hooper, Craig Cutright, Mavis Gragg

Kate Medley and Patrick O’Grady

SUPPORTING SPONSOR

SCAN HERE FOR TICKETS! or visit waltermagazine.com/ savethedate

Lauren Lee, Will Funk, Steve Schewel, Natalie Knox

Andrew Hutson, Meaghan Mulholland Hutson, Jessica Luginbuhl, Michael Schwartz

DEBRA AUSTIN Ballet Master, Carolina Ballet

JANET COWELL President + CEO, Dix Park Conservancy

KATHERYN SHAH Co-Founder, Spring & Mulberry

PREETI WAAS Chef + Owner, Cheeni Indian Food Emporium

Kelli Cotter, Becky Hacker, Stephen Conrad, Meredith Pittman, Billy Cotter

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 91

PACKAGE

THE WHIRL DISCOVERY BALL On February 24, the American Cancer Society of North Carolina hosted its inaugural North Carolina Discovery Ball. The event raised $250,000 to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research and patient support. Through these donations, they are fighting to end cancer as we know it, for everyone.

Phil Ford, Lisa Martinez, Dr. Catherine Edmonds

Stay at North Carolina’s only surf to sound resort that is packed with fun for the whole family!

This new 2-night package includes: deluxe accommodations, a welcome in-room snack box amenity complete with snacks and waters, your choice of of surf board, kayak, or paddleboard rentals, and daily in-room breakfast.

(855) 421-2884 blockade-runner.com 92 | WALTER

Kate Bryan, Justin Bryan

Mahalan Landin, Adam Schroeder

Steve Hepler, Molly Hepler

Megan McNamara, Greg McNamara

RTP Photo and Video

Family Fun wrightsville beach

Worn for hours BEST OF NC 2023 On March 19, Gallery C hosted its annual Best of North Carolina Exhibit, featuring North Carolinian art from the 19th and 20th century. Guests enjoyed beverages and snacks, as well as a chance to meet several artists.

Preserved for Generations Medlin-Davis Cleaners Proudly Accounces

Courtesy SECU (SECU); courtesy Gallery C (GALLERY)

Philip Lynn, Michael Joyner, David Haskins

North Carolina’s Premiere Gown Cleaning Service

Special Gown Cleaning Preservation Restoration Veils Kay Crowder, Reid Jenkins, Kitty Shanahan

SECU/ACCOSCA EVENT The State Employees’ Credit Union recently hosted a delegation of credit union professionals from Africa to share insight into the cooperative’s structure and operations and its charitable arm, SECU Foundation. The visiting delegates were part of the North Carolina African Confederation of Co-operative Savings and Credit Associations (ACCOSCA) international Learn and Share Tour.

MDCGOWNS.COM

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Village District 2021 Smallwood Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27605 Bent Tree Plaza 7909 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh, NC, 27616 ;EOIţIPH 'SQQSRW 14300 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh, 27614

Tenesha Carter, John Whaley, Kendra Adams, Lois Kitsch, Mark Kretzschmar, Brooklyn Ladd, visiting delegate, George Ombado, visiting delegate, Jennifer Hamrick, visiting delegate, N’Kengie Best, Sara Trexler, Kelli Holloway, Grant Kennedy, Caitlyn Duke, Jama Campbell

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 93

THE WHIRL MAINTAIN YOUR BRAIN BATTLE OF THE BANDS After a stroke took her grandfather’s ability to speak, NC State student Charlotte Fullbright became a voice for others facing neurological issues. The Maintain Your Brain Battle of the Bands increases awareness of mental health, stroke, dementia, traumatic brain injury and concussion. On April 15, more than 300 people gathered to raise money or the Triangle Aphasia Project.

Amy Fullbright Photography

Carson Mac Kilpa, Mason Stark, Justin Cristinziano, Evans Humphreys

Charlotte Fullbright, Justine Knight

Alan Marines, Christian James

let’s socialize

@WalterMagazine waltermagazine.com 94 | WALTER

Kole Pjetraj, Walker Howell, Charlotte Fullbright

EXTRAS Take WALTER to go! There’s always something to discover on our website and social media.

Here’s what’s been happening.

FOLLOW US @WALTERMAGAZINE

WALTER Archives; Lauren V. Allen (FOX LIQUOR BAR)

WEB EXCLUSIVE STORIES

CATCHING UP WITH O-KU CHEF CUONG LE The executive chef of this Asian and sushi restaurant in the Warehouse District shares what inspired his passion for cooking.

by Emma Deal

DISCOVERING URSULA PARROTT NC State University professor Marsha Gordon talks about her new book on a mysterious and prolific writer of the early 20th century.

As told to Addie Ladner

SNEAK PEEK: FOX LIQUOR BAR! Ashley Christensen’s underground bar has a new menu and hours, plus a makeover! We got first look.

As told to Ayn-Monique Klahre

TRENDING ON INSTAGRAM

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Congrats to Cheetie Kumar and Paul Siler on the announcement of Ajja in Five Points opening soon! Can’t wait to eat there! @baxmiller @justaregularhuman Very excited about this!!!!!!! @lauraice01 Oh, boy! Close to home. Look forward to seeing y'all! @helloyellow_studio So excited!

Got a chance to see *the* Stanley Cup in the office today, thanks to our friends at the @newsobserver Let’s get the Canes on there again! @Susannaklingenberg Whoa! Bryan would be so jealous…

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Sunday Open House from the Archives: Check out this charming Five Points home customized by Dixon Kirby, filled with both modern and classic pieces on a backdrop of calming whites. @catherinecurrin @cathnguyenphoto @Punch_jones neat place. @alleyinraleigh Beautiful home

The Art & Soul of Raleigh | 95

END NOTE

Walter in the Weeds Elizabeth, do you need a light?

by KATHERINE SNOW SMITH

S

everal years ago, when I was living in St. Petersburg, Florida, some friends gave me a gift in honor of my native city: a quirky little sculpture of Sir Walter Raleigh that they found at an art show. Sir Walter has watched over me from above my desk ever since.

Recently, I decided to figure out who made him — and look a little deeper into his namesake’s smoking habits, too.

Turns out, it’s quite fitting that folk artist Melissa Menzer uses a Sir Walter Raleigh tobacco tin for the body of this mixed media portrayal of him. History largely credits Sir Walter for introducing the New World “weed” to the folks back in England.

The explorer and adventurer is believed to have picked up an appreciation for tobacco when the leaf was brought back from the 1584 and 1585 expeditions he sponsored to Roanoke Island, years before the ill-fated 1587 Lost Colony settlement. According to the National Park Service, “Early on, the medicinal properties of tobacco were of great interest to Europe. Over a dozen books published around the middle of the sixteenth century mention tobacco as a cure for everything from pains in the joints to epilepsy to plague.”

Critics, however, were early to question this gift from the New World. In 1617, Dr. William Vaughn wrote: Tobacco, that outlandish weed/ It spends the brain, and spoiles the seede/ It dulls the spirite, it dims the sight/ It robs a woman of her right.

Despite the critics, Sir Walter is “credited with the introduction of pipe smoking in court circles,” even though “it was at first perceived as a strange and even alarming habit,” says the Park Service. Legend even has it that Sir Walter even offered the herb to his sovereign (and rumored lover) Elizabeth I. We all know how science eventually ruled on tobacco’s impacts on health.

But Raleighites can still appreciate Menzer’s nod to North Carolina’s early output and Sir Walter’s experimental mentality.

The artist, who lives in Sanford, Florida, has made many renditions of our city’s namesake as well as other less famous characters. “I love the Sir Walter Raleigh tobacco because his face is on the tin,” she says. “I’m always looking for old tobacco tins. They make great bodies.”

Menzer’s proud of another Raleigh connection: Her son works for Advance Auto Parts. I find it ironic that a Florid-

“Over a dozen books published around the middle of the sixteenth century mention tobacco as a cure for everything from pains in the joints to epilepsy to plague.”

96 | WALTER

photography by BRYAN REGAN

ian made this ode to Raleigh — and that had I not lived in the Sunshine State, I might have never met him.

When I face writer’s block, I sometimes look at my little officemate and lose myself examining his delicately sculpted accordion collar and bearded face. I ponder what he might think of the fabulous Tar Heel state he spearheaded. Then I shudder to think of that fine head landing in a basket on the other side of an axe outside the Tower of London.

Which makes me think of dead… then deadline… and I get my own head back to work.

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