The Greensboro Kaos women’s basketball team is almost four years old, but won’t have its first home game until they play the Gastonia Greyhounds on July 22 at Bennett College.
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4 Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance, the contemporary professional ballet company that delights Winston-Salem with vivid cutting-edge dance each summer, is premiering their most lavish production to date, CLEOPATRA
5 The Blue Ridge Music Center is presenting the JEFF LITTLE TRIO and DaShawn & Wendy Hickman with an evening of Blue Ridge-style piano and pedal steel at 7 p.m., Saturday, July 8, in the outdoor amphitheater.
6 The Fourth of July weekend will see more than fireworks on display, as the Q104.1 BASEBALL AT BOWMAN GRAY Series will showcase the Carolina Disco Turkeys as they open a three-game set at Bowman Gray Stadium.
7 Yes, we have it all in the Triad, except when we don’t. We don’t have a CASINO in the Triad. We don’t have live horse racing and off-track betting in the Triad.
8 See Mark Burger’s latest MOVIE REVIEW.
14 “We now have sports wagering in North Carolina,” said Governor Roy Cooper at his June 14 signing of House Bill 347, which legalized in-person and online SPORTS BETTING in North Carolina.
16 MAUVE ANGELES is having a dark heart summer with their latest single, “In the Acid Rain,” released exclusively as part of “Back From the Grave Vol 1.,” a charity compilation from Darkness Calling benefitting the Trevor Project.
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Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance, the contemporary professional ballet company that delights Winston-Salem with vivid cutting-edge dance each summer, is premiering their most lavish production to date, Cleopatra. Celebrating the company’s 20th anniversary, Heather Maloy, Founder/Artistic Director, has
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created an original, full-length production with 15 dancers, a two story set, five projection screens and more than 80 costumes that is sure to be a performance not to forget.
For 20 years, Terpsicorps performances have showcased critically acclaimed dancers who are on their summer hiatus from companies across the US and abroad. This summer’s cast of dancers, four of whom are UNCSA alumni, are
chosen specifically for a unique combination of physicality and theatrical sensibilities that can bring a story like Cleopatra to life.
Now in her 21st season as artistic director, Heather Maloy, a nationally recognized alumnus from UNCSA, brings our community the premiere of her latest full-scale production. This immersive dance theater event will titillate all the senses with amazing dancing, costumes, set and projection design, music, and even otherworldly scents.
Always a masterful storyteller, Maloy’s artistic interpretation of Cleopatra’s life brings history to light through a modern lens and a renewed sense of immortality to the life and times of Egypt’s last Pharaoh. “This production is stretching the boundaries of what we do as a company. My research and focus on the life and times of Cleopatra pushed me to create a work that strives to match the spectacle of her turbulent life. We ask that audience members come ready to let the experience roll over them like a dream as their imaginations take the reins,” Maloy reflects.
With collaboration always at the forefront of Terpsicorps’ mission, the dance company has united with the Lam Museum of Anthropology at Wake Forest to add to the immersive experience with actual artifacts from the Ptolemaic time
period on display at the theatre.
To celebrate this auspicious 20th anniversary, Terpsicorps is o ering a special pre-show event, Getting Close to Cleo. For only $10 per person (sold separately), audience members are invited to join choreographer Heather Maloy for an informative chat and champagne toast. Held in the theater while the dancers warm up on stage, Maloy will share insights from her extensive research, her trip to Egypt, and all the creative milestones that went into creating this awe-inspiring, original production.
The 2023 Season is sponsored by Patty and Malcolm Brown, and Kevin Meek. For more information visit: terpsicorps. org or call 828-761-1371. !
Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance presents Cleopatra — at the Hanesbrands Theatre, 209 N. Spruce Street, Winston-Salem NC 27101 on July 20-22, 2023 at 8 p.m. Tickets available at intothearts. org/events-info or by calling (336) 747-1414
Getting Close to Cleo, a pre-show chat and champagne toast — same dates and location at 7 p.m. Tickets are sold separately and available at terpsicorps.org
The Blue Ridge Music Center is presenting the Je Little Trio and DaShawn & Wendy Hickman with an evening of Blue Ridge-style piano and pedal steel at 7 p.m., Saturday, July 8, in the outdoor amphitheater. The Music Center is located at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just south of Galax and 30 minutes from Sparta and Mount Airy, N.C.
Je Little is an award-winning piano player from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. With few exceptions, the piano does not play a prominent role in Americana or Appalachian music and is rarely the lead instrument. But Je ’s music is one of those rare exceptions. He has been recognized as a critically acclaimed musician and true music innovator.
Je and his trio travel the country performing with an energy and dedication to their music that is evident at every show. The trio has played The Smithsonian
Registration is open for the Folk Fest 5K, a community run/walk scheduled for 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 10, 2023. The Folk Fest 5K will take place in downtown Greensboro within the NC Folk Fest site and lead directly into the start of festival performances and activities on Sunday.
The North Carolina Folk Festival is partnering with leaders from the Triad region’s running community to host the Folk Fest 5K as a fundraiser to support the annual NC Folk Fest a three-day, free-admission, multicultural folk arts event hosted in downtown Greensboro each September.
“The NC Folk Fest is excited to partner with runners from across our region to combine the health and wellness benefits of the arts and exercise into a single event,” said Amy Grossmann, President & CEO of the North Carolina Folk Festival. “We invite runners and walkers to join us for this community event to support the NC Folk Fest and kick o our Sunday performances!”
Participants will receive a Folk Fest 5K
t-shirt, beverage, and custom bib with their registration fee. Registration is now open on runsignup.com. Early birds who register by August 12, are guaranteed a race t-shirt.
“Just as the spirit of the festival brings people together, the Folk Fest 5k will bring all the local running clubs and community runners to convene in a noncompetitive environment and celebrate the sport we all love so much. The Triad running community looks forward to promoting health and wellness while bringing everyone together and introducing runners to the festival!”
Brandon Hudgins (High Point Athletic Club) and Hollis Oberlies (Bu alo Creek Running Company).
The race will begin and end within the NC Folk Fest site, using downtown streets and the paved Downtown Greenway, rain or shine. After the race, NC Folk Fest performances and food vending will commence.
More information about the Folk Fest 5K including registration links can be found on the NC Folk Fest website at www.ncfolkfestival.com/folkfest5K. !
Institution, National Folk Festival, American Piano Masters, The Barns of Wolf Trap and many theaters, performing arts centers, and festivals.
Opening the show are DaShawn & Wendy Hickman, from Mount Airy, N.C. DaShawn is one of today’s foremost players of Sacred Steel, a blues-gospel tradition started in the Pentecostal-Holiness churches of the 1930s. He formed a group with three of his cousins that found fame as The Allen Boys, North Carolina’s only touring Sacred Steel band. DaShawn, along with his vocalist wife, Wendy, and bass player Charlie Hunter have put their own soulful spin on Sacred Steel.
Advance tickets are available online at BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org. Tickets can be purchased on the evening of the show at the admission gates.Parking opens at 5:15 p.m. and is free. Admission to the amphitheater begins at 5:45 p.m. !
Of all the great things to do in Winston-Salem, Triad Cultural Arts’ African American Heritage Tour made the bucket list. Triad Cultural Arts is featured in Tina Firesheet’s new title, “100 Things to Do in Winston-Salem Before You Die”! Entitled “PAUSE, LEARN, AND REFLECT: EXPERIENCE BLACK HISTORY,” the setting invites visitors to envision themselves standing atop a hill in an urban neighborhood. From this vantage point, one can contemplate the transformative journey that has unfolded since the land’s past as a Salem farm where enslaved individuals toiled centuries ago. Known as “Happy Hill,” this neighborhood became a cherished community for newly emancipated men and women, emerging as one of the earliest and most enduring Black communities in the region.
One of the captivating highlights among many on the Triad Cultural Arts African American Heritage Tour is the exploration of significant landmarks and sites. This immersive journey encompasses historical destinations while also shining a spotlight on contemporary Black artists and entrepreneurs. The tour encompasses a range of places, including the former Black business district, historic homes, educational institutions, art galleries, churches, historic graveyards, and vibrant cultural hubs that contribute to the local Black community’s richness.
The guided tours are thoughtfully curated for both individuals and groups, o ering multiple options for experiencing the tour’s depth and breadth. Participants can embark on a two-hour excursion aboard a trolley or bus with informative commentary, immersing themselves in the stories of the past. Alternatively, those who prefer personal transportation can opt for a step-on tour, where an experienced guide accompanies them in their own vehicles. Additionally, one-hour walking tours
take visitors through the Innovation Quarter, a once-thriving hub of Blackowned businesses.
Among the tour’s highlights is the renowned Delta Fine Arts Center, renowned for its captivating exhibitions that continually inspire. The tour also delves into historic neighborhoods such as Reynoldstown, initially established in 1919 by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company to address the housing shortage. While originally intended for white employees, the construction of Atkins High School for Black students in 1931 sparked a transition, leading to predominantly Black residents. These homes, once occupied by Black professionals and factory workers, hold stories of resilience and progress.
The tour also o ers a private wine tasting at Carolina Vineyards and Hops (CV&H) tasing lounge, o ering wines, beers and other beverages strictly from North Carolina. Savor the best North Carolina has to o er by having a half glass or full glass.
The Triad Cultural Arts African American Heritage Tour encapsulates the essence of history, culture, and progress.
It invites visitors to celebrate the legacy of the Black community while recognizing the enduring impact it has had on Winston-Salem’s past and present. For more information, visit the website: triadculturalarts.org.
In its storied history, Bowman Gray Stadium has seen its share of legendary events. The very first football game ever played there was in 1938, the year after its construction, in which what was then Wake Forest College played Duke University. A decade later, its first NASCARsanctioned race took place there. Richard Petty would win his 100th race there, and in 2015 Bowman Gray Stadium hosted its 1,000th NASCAR-sanctioned race. It has been dubbed “NASCAR’s longest-running weekly race track” and is unquestionably one of the foremost venues for stock-car racing. Simply put, it’s a legendary landmark.
Yet of the many memorable events Bowman Gray has hosted in its almost 90-year history, it has never included the National Pastime — baseball. Until now.
The Fourth of July weekend will see more than fireworks on display, as the Q104.1 Baseball at Bowman Gray Series will showcase the Carolina Disco Turkeys as they open a three-game set at Bowman Gray Stadium (1250 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Winston-Salem), beginning Sunday at 4 p.m. as they battle the Uwharrie Wampus Cats. Attendees may bring their dogs to the park with a donation to Forsyth Humane Society, followed by a 6:30 p.m. game Monday against the Cats, and culminating in a 6:30 p.m. game against the Winston-Salem Moravians on Tuesday, July 4th.
Tickets for each game are $10. Advance tickets can be purchased at the WinstonSalem Fairgrounds Box O ce or at the gate on game day. Advance tickets can also be purchased here: https://www.ticketmaster. com/search?q=disco%2Bturkeys.
The memorably monikered Disco Turkeys, the popular collegiate wood-bat team based in Winston-Salem, features players from Wake Forest University, the University of North Carolina (UNC), North Carolina A&T State University, High Point University, Hofstra, and other schools from the region playing during the summer. Every game features live music prior to the first pitch — and not just disco music — as well as the family-friendly antics of the
team mascot, “Boogie.” Refreshments will be available for purchase, including traditional ballpark fare (hot dogs, popcorn, etc.), cold drinks, and cold beer.
“It’s outside the box to play baseball in a NASCAR/football-type facility,” admitted Greg Sullivan, team president and co-owner, “but I started thinking about whether it could work. There was a lot of research involved in terms of feasibility, safety, etc. We also intend for these to be real baseball games and high-level ones with really good players. When the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to L.A. in the late ‘50s they didn’t have a true Major League Baseball-size baseball stadium in town and spent their first few years at the L.A. Coliseum, which is a very similar layout to Bowman Gray and has also hosted races in recent years in addition to football — so there was an MLB precedent.”
The necessary adjustments to accommodate a professional-level baseball game “should make the games interesting,” said Sullivan. “There should be a lot of home runs with right field being a little over 200 feet from home plate. Center field and left field will be professional distances, but I think the cool part is these are very, very good college-level baseball players playing in this quirky setup.”
Last year, Bowman Gray Stadium completed its most recent renovations, which took almost three years at a cost of roughly $9 million, which included new restrooms, a complete resurfacing of the track, and a new name for the football field: “Rams Field at Bowman Gray.”
The Carolina Disco Turkeys are in their third season and have quickly amassed a fervent following among baseball bu s. The three games at Bowman Gray Stadium will, Sullivan believes, attract even more fans.
“The other thing I think is special is we’re hoping these games allow us to reach new fans,” Sullivan explained. “A lot of people in our area have generations of family members who’ve been going out to Bowman Gray for years and we want to engage some of those fans to check us out. We think even if baseball isn’t their numberone sport, they’ll have a lot of fun watching us there.”
The o cial website for the Carolina Disco Turkeys is https://www.discoturkeys.com/. !
here are lots of reasons to live in and be proud of the Triad. New jobs are springing up every day. We’re blessed with a number of universities and community colleges. We have a myriad of great bars and restaurants, and there are several professional sports teams to root for. Healthcare is accessible, and crisis services are available to those in need. Yes, we have it all in the Triad, except when we don’t. We don’t have a casino in the Triad. We don’t have live horse racing and o -track betting in the Triad. And, if your quality of life would improve with access to medical marijuana, then you’d better live somewhere else. The fact is that Virginia has North Carolina beat when it comes to voting on, approving, and implementing new initiatives.
Actually, our neighbors to the north have been getting the better of us for quite some time. For example, Virginia approved its statewide lottery in 1987, while we didn’t start scratching o until 2005.
In 1994 Virginia approved the development of a live horse racing track, and three years later, Colonial Downs opened along with a number of o -track betting parlors. Here in North Carolina, we’re just now getting around to allowing sports betting, but we’re nowhere close to approving a live horse racing facility.
Meanwhile, the first medical marijuana dispensary in Virginia opened in August 2020, and one year later, Virginians were able to purchase and possess small amounts of weed for recreational purposes. The General Assembly in Raleigh is still debating medical marijuana, and there’s no provision for recreational use in sight.
Speaking of recreational, if you’re over 125 years old, you may recall that in 1919 Congress passed the 18th Amendment which prohibited the sale of alcohol. But goody two shoes North Carolina started banning booze 10 years BEFORE Prohibition went into e ect. Virginia, on the other hand, kept selling spirits until the Feds made the ban o cial. In the interim, it is estimated that those of us in The Old (dry) North State, got
Tinto our cars, drove into Virginia, and put millions of dollars in The Old Dominion’s coffers (nearly $400 million in today’s dollars). That kind of senseless revenue loss is the common theme that runs through North Carolina’s heel-dragging policy decisions on the Lottery, racetrack and o -track betting, and pot. And that brings us to casinos. After several years of negotiating, and federal recognition of their tribe, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) were able to operate a casino, which opened near Cherokee in 1997 with video poker and slots. Managed by Harrah’s, the casino has undergone a number of expansions and renovations, the last of which was completed in 2021. As promised, revenues from what is now a full-service casino and resort have helped to improve the lives of Cherokee tribesmen. In that regard, North Carolina was ahead of Virginia whose legislative body didn’t approve casino operations until 2020. But unlike our state’s initial focus on one major gaming facility, Virginia gave approval for casinos to operate in five different cities. One of those, Danville, opened a temporary casino earlier this year with a full-blown Caesar’s resort to open next year.
According to the Winston-Salem Journal, Caesar’s Danville brought in nearly $12 million dollars in its first two weeks of operation, with $715,521 of that going directly into the city’s co ers. And, not surprisingly, a member of Danville City Council told me that most of the gamblers came from outside of the city, many of who made the short drive from the Triad to spend their money in Virginia – the same way we once did with booze, lottery tickets, parimutuel betting, and now marijuana.
As is, most people in our area can drive to Danville in under an hour. But they wouldn’t have to leave home at all if we had a casino here in the Triad. And think of what a boost that would be if folks throughout North Carolina and Virginia spent their mad money here. It would mean more funding for our students, teachers, police, and firefighters. That’s why our state lawmakers need to drive up to Virginia, smoke some legal weed, chill out, and then adopt that state’s five-city casino plan as soon as possible. It’s a long shot, I know, but sometimes you have to gamble in order to gamble. !
JIM LONGWORTH is the host of Triad Today, airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WMYV (cable channel 15) and streaming on WFMY+.
Eric A. Aft Chief Executive
We met Caley during her first visit to the food pantry serving her rural, mountain community, her three children in tow - Samuel, Jr., age 8, Luna, age 6, and Ella, age 3. She talked quietly as she spoke to us about her circumstances, explaining, “I’m still finding my footing.” She’d only recently lost her husband to a heart attack. Although money had always been tight owing to the nature of Samuel, Sr.’s work in construction, Caley says they got by with help from programs like free meals for her kids during the school year, summer meal programs, and a modest monthly Food and Nutrition Services allotment.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina’s partner network of more than 500 food assistance programs aided 65,507 residents with food this past May. Thousands are like Caley, who never had to ask for food assistance before. Nearly one-third are children.
Looking at May of this year over May of last year, the Second Harvest network saw a 56 percent increase in requests for food assistance. Unfortunately, we’ve seen similar numbers during each month of 2023. This is a trend we anticipate will continue and worsen as the strain of inflation wreaks havoc on the balancing act that characterizes so many household budgets. Second Harvest and our many partners and community of supporters will continue to step up to the challenges and do all we can to assist families like Caley’s.
To respond to the challenges surrounding food insecurity in our communities, we must combine our private actions with sensible, accountable public policy. We invite you to join us in ways that are meaningful to you.
Raising our voices in support of essential federal nutrition programs, particularly those that support the nutritional needs of children, is vital to individuals and our communities reaching their full potential.
Second Harvest continues to advocate for expanded access to free- and reducedpriced school meals during the school year, partnering with School Meals for All, and changes to policy that will reduce obstacles to children accessing meals through the long months school is out of session.
School meal participation is linked to
improved diets and physical and mental health. This support also can contribute to a host of positive educational outcomes, including improved attendance, behavior, and academic performance, as well as decreased absenteeism and tardiness. School meals do more than fill the plates of children; they quite literally fuel the futures of children and our communities. Moreover, when school meals are free, it removes the social stigma that frequently accompanies participation in the free- and low-cost school meal program.
States have numerous legislative options to expand access to free school meals, and the best approach will depend on a state’s policy goals and budget and community and political will.
Some important improvements to the federal free summer meals program are on the horizon for implementation in the summer of 2024. Meanwhile, the decadesold summer meal gap looms.
At Second Harvest Food Bank, we’re reinforcing our core food distribution program, knowing that the closure of most schools for summer will mean more families coming to our network for help to feed their children. We’re amping up our Community Meals program, which will provide thousands of children with nutritious, tray-packed meals throughout the months school is out this summer. Our Fill a Plate. Fuel a Future. campaign makes this work possible and is matching all gifts dollar for dollar through June 30, 2023. I hope you will consider doubling the impact of your generosity at FeedCommunityNow.org.
We are also staying alert to ongoing proposed legislation that would see cuts to programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Program or SNAP (known as FNS in our state and formerly known as Food Stamps), which is our nation’s first line of defense against food insecurity, providing 9 meals for every one meal distributed by food banks, and o ering a boost to local economies. SNAP primarily serves children under age 18, adults living with disabilities disability, and people over age 60 living in poverty.
Around the matter of food, something that all children and each of us need to fully thrive in life, can we not agree that doing what it takes to fill plates and fuel futures is worthy of uniting across aisles?
Cuts to federal nutrition programs will only worsen food insecurity and health outcomes for children and other vulnerable residents. If you agree, I am asking you to let your elected o cials know.
Together, we can improve children’s lives and our collective future. !
lthough it’s reportedly the longest American animated feature to date, Spider-Man: Across the SpiderVerse is also one of the best in recent memory. A first-rate follow-up to SpiderMan: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), this delivers plenty of action and fun for audiences of all ages — and is every bit its predecessor’s equal.
The lengthy pre-credit sequence does a nice job recapping the earlier film while kicking this one off. We’re re-introduced to Gwen Stacy (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) and Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), both still coming to terms with their superpowers and the
Aresponsibility — and occasional guilt — that comes with possessing them. We’re also introduced to resident villain “Spot” (voiced by Jason Schwartzman), who isn’t so much megalomaniacal or evil as merely craving attention.
Like most superhero movies, whether live-action or animated, Across the Spider-Verse, is about identity and belonging, and those themes are very much in evidence here. So too is the unimpeded imagination of the filmmakers. The screenplay — penned by Phil Lord/ Christopher Miller producing duo and Dave Callaham — takes full advantage of the “multi-verse” motif. The narrative bounces back and forth through time and alternate, multiple dimensions with gleeful abandon, toying affectionately with the Spider-Man mythos but always respecting and even enhancing it.
The nods and references to the Marvel Comics canon come fast and faster, the more obscure ones conveniently explained to the uninitiated by subtitles written in comic-book form. The film
also incorporates visual techniques not limited to CGI animation, including a few live-action scenes and — in perhaps its most uproariously inspired moment — a “LEGO Spider-Man” scene. Given the “multi-verse” motif, Miles is hardly the only Spider-Man presented here. Indeed, he encounters several variations of Spider-Man (Spider-Men? SpiderPeople?), and some aren’t necessarily sympathetic to his plight. Actions that may have seemed insignificant at the time can have severe consequences across the Spider-Verse, as Miles is soon to realize — and must subsequently act upon.
Yet for all this, the film never feels cluttered. Overstuffed at times, perhaps,
but never random or sloppy. Its head may be in the clouds but its heart is in the right place.
The star-studded voiceover cast also includes Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Oscar Issac, Daniel Kaluuya, Amandla Stenberg, Luna Lauren Velez, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Andy Samberg, Jack Quaid, Rachel Dratch, Elizabeth Perkins, Kathryn Hahn, Donald Glover, and even Ziggy Marley. Some are pivotal characters while others make just fleeting appearances. Some provide drama, others comedy. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is, frankly, everything everywhere all at once. Once it gets going, best to hold on tight and enjoy the ride.
It took the Combined efforts of three directors — Joaquim De Santos and Justin K. Thompson (each making his feature debut), and Kemp Powers — to corral all the disparate elements into a cohesive and very entertaining whole. There’s so much to absorb and digest, in fact, that it will take another sequel — Spider-Man: Beyond the SpiderVerse (due next year and directed by the same trio) — to wrap things up, so to speak. Even though this film ends with “To Be Continued …,” somehow that’s entirely in keeping with its comic-book origins. To find out what happens, you’ve got to buy the next issue. In this case, you want to. !
Hadas Ben Arroya wrote, produced, and directed this award-winning 2021 drama (originally titled Mishehu Yohav Mishehu), set in modern-day Tel Aviv, follows a group of character through a triptych of tales that involve casual hook-ups, sexual fluidity, substance abuse, and desperate attempts to find comfort and intimacy, featuring a talented quartet of lead actors: Yoav Hayt and newcomers Elisheva Weil, Leib Levin, and Hadar Katz. Reminiscent of Larry Clark’s 1995 breakthrough Kids but distinctive on its own terms. In Hebrew with English subtitles, the DVD ($24.95 retail) includes writer/producer/director Lena Hudson’s award-winning 2022 short film Daddy’s Girl.
(Kino
Lorber Studio Classics): Writer/director Francis Veber scored an international hit with the award-winning 1981 comedy Le Chevre pairing Gerard Depardieu as a tough detective and Pierre Richard as a bumbling accountant on the trail of a French millionaire’s missing daughter in Mexico, then reteamed with them for the 1983 comedy Les Comperes (The ComDads), in which Anny Duperey informs them that either could have fathered her son. The first film was remade as Pure Luck (1991) with Danny Glover and Martin Short, the second as Fathers’ Day (1997) with Robin Williams and Billy Crystal — neither successfully. Each film is in French with English subtitles, available on Blu-ray (each $24.95 retail), and each replete with audio commentary and trailers.
DUET FOR ONE (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): Director/screenwriter Andrei Konchalovsky’s 1986 adaptation of screenwriter Tom Kempinski’s stage play stars Julie Andrews as an acclaimed violinist whose career is derailed when she develops multiple sclerosis, which also strains her marriage to composer Alan Bates. Inspired by the life of Jacqueline du Pre, this was one of several attempts by producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus at Cannon Films to engage in “prestige” filmmaking, with only modest success. It’s an adult soap opera that occasionally loses focus but is worth seeing for its cast: Andrews (who earned a Golden Globe nomination) and Bates are superb, Rupert Everett, Liam Neeson, Cathryn Harrison, Macha Meril, Sigfrit Steiner, and Margaret Courtenay (in her final feature) — but Max Von Sydow (reprising his Broadway role) hasn’t
BY MARK BURGER
This critic’s favorite director, John Frankenheimer (19302002), helmed several classics (Birdman of Alcatraz, Seven Days in May, The Train, French Connection II, Black Sunday, etc.) — but this 1962 adaptation of Richard Condon’s 1959 best-seller is the one he’ll always be remembered for.
The plot concerns two Korean War veterans: Bennett Marco (Frank Sinatra), an Army Intelligence major, and Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), the stepson of red-baiting senator John Iselin (James Gregory). It is revealed that both men were brainwashed by Communist agents when they were prisoners of war, and Raymond has been programmed to carry out a political assassination. His “contact” is none
other than his own mother Eleanor Shaw Iselin (Angela Lansbury), who is determined to see her husband elected President.
Producer George Axelrod’s screenplay deftly incorporates political paranoia, surrealism, and even satire in irresistibly twisted fashion. Everything’s slightly o -balance, including Janet Leigh’s turn as Rosie Cheyney, Marco’s potential love interest. Is she friend or foe or femme fatale? (Even Leigh wasn’t certain!)
Sinatra, who’d already adopted his hip “Rat Pack” persona, delivers a strong dramatic turn, and this is arguably Harvey’s finest hour — but it’s Lansbury (who earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress) who takes honors as the most monstrous mother of all. Despite Sinatra’s initial (and fascinating) notion to cast Lucille Ball and that Lansbury was only three years older than her onscreen son, hers is the most indelible, memorable performance.
Kino Lorber Studio Classics has also released a 4K Ultra HD combo ($39.95 retail) of Frankenheimer’s award-winning, R-rated 1988 espionage thriller Ronin starring Robert De Niro and Jean Reno, boasting such bonus features as audio commentary, retrospective featurettes and interviews, alternate ending, and theatrical trailer.
The Manchurian Candidate 4K Ultra HD combo ($39.95 retail) includes audio commentary, retrospective interviews and featurettes, theatrical trailer, and more. Rated PG-13.
enough to do as Andrews’ psychiatrist. The Blu-ray ($29.95 retail) includes audio commentary and trailers. Rated R.
“THE ERNST LUBITSCH COLLECTION” (Kino Classics): The latest Blu-ray double feature ($29.95 retail) showcasing the early features of the legendary Ernst Lubitsch (1892-1947) which he made in his native Germany before emigrating to the United States, both released in 1919: The Oyster Princess (Die Austernprinzessin) starring Victor Janson and Ossi Oswalda; and Meyer from Berlin (Meyer aus Berlin) starring Louise Scheurisch and Lubitsch himself. Each film is in German with English subtitles, and each features audio commentary.
“THE JACKIE CHAN COLLECTION VOLUME 2 (1983-1993)” (Shout! Factory): The title tells all in the latest Blu-ray collection ($99.98 retail) showcasing international action superstar
Jackie Chan: Winners and Sinners (1983), Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985), Wheels on Meals (1984), Armour of God (1986), Armour of God II: Operation Condor (1991), The Protector (1985), Crime Story (1993), and City Hunter (1993). Bonus features include original Cantonese and/ or Mandarin (with English subtitles) and English-dubbed audio options, audio commentaries, retrospective and vintage featurettes and interviews, trailers, the original US cut and Chan’s “Hong Kong cut” of The Protector, and more.
“MAKO: THE JAWS OF DEATH/BOG DOUBLE FEATURE” (Dark Force Entertainment): A Blu-ray twin bill ($34.95 retail) of “vintage” ‘70s drive-in B-movies including William Grefe’s PG-rated Mako: The Jaws of Death (1976) starring Richard Jaeckel, Jennifer Bishop, and Harold Sakata; and 1979’s Bog (rated PG) starring Gloria De Haven (in a dual role, no less), Aldo Ray, Marshall Thompson, and Leo Gordon. The films can be watched in-
dividually or in “drive-in mode” including trailers and concession advertisements.
MORVERN CALLAR (MVD Entertainment Group): Samantha Morton’s top-flight performance in this title role dominates director/screenwriter Lynne Ramsay’s award-winning 2002 adaptation of Alan Warner’s acclaimed 1995 novel, detailing the hedonistic adventures of a working-class Scottish woman following the Christmas suicide of her boyfriend, with Kathleen McDermott (in an impressive feature debut) as her best friend, who accompanies her to Almeria but soon tires of partying. Killer soundtrack, too. The “Fun City Edition” Blu-ray ($34.95 retail) includes audio commentary, video essay, and trailers. Rated R.
“MR. WONG COLLECTION” (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): The title tells all in this Blu-ray collection ($59.95 retail) of five mystery melodramas based on Hugh Wiley’s short stories detailing the adventures of the Chinese detective Henry Lee Wong, an attempt by Monogram Pictures to compete with Fox’s popular “Charlie Chan” mysteries: Mr. Wong, Detective (1938), The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939), Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939), The Fatal Hour (1940), and Doomed to Die (1940). All five films starred Boris Karlo as Wong and Grant Withers as his police counterpart Captain Street, and all five were directed by William Nigh. It is, of course, disconcerting in retrospect that Karlo would play the Asian character, but the talented actor does imbue him with a quirky and appealing dignity and intelligence, and the films are fastmoving B-movie programmers, albeit produced on low budgets. Mr. Wong, Detective boasts an audio commentary.
Lorber): Ron Davis produced and directed this award-winning documentary feature that chronicles four disabled equestrians — Roxy Trunnell, Rebecca Hart, David Botana and Sydney Collier — as they compete to qualify for the U.S. Paralympic Dressage squad at 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. It is impossible not to be inspired or moved by their stories and the hurdles they continue to face in their daily lives, and the DVD retails for $19.95.
©2023, Mark Burger
Visitors to the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam can now bring home a new, and permanent, souvenir of their visit. The Associated Press reported that tattoo artist Henk Schi maker and others are doing a residency within the museum called “A Poor Man’s Rembrandt,” where tourists can get inked with sketches by the famous artist. Schi maker calls it “highbrow to lowbrow. And it’s great that these two worlds can visit one another.” The tattoos cost between $54 and $270.
Employees of Taqueria Garibaldi restaurants in northern California got an unusual — and unorthodox — perk during work hours, USA Today reported. Employees testified in court that a person who identified as a priest was called in to hear workers’ “confessions.” “The priest urged workers to ‘get their sins out’ and asked employees if they had stolen from the employer, been late for work, had done anything to harm their employer or if they had bad intentions toward their employ-
er,” according to a release from the U.S. Department of Labor. But the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento said it could find no connection between the alleged priest and the diocese. An investigation found that the restaurants had denied overtime pay and threatened employees with retaliation, among other “sins,” and the owners were ordered to pay $140,000 in damages and back wages.
In an o ce building in Durham, North Carolina, nine scientists are hard at work in Duke University’s Smart Toilet Lab, The News & Observer reported. Sonia Grego told the paper that she and her colleagues “are addressing a very serious health problem” — gut health. The toilets in the lab move poop into a specialized chamber before flushing it away. There, cameras are placed for image processing, and the resulting data can give doctors insights into a patient’s gut health. Startup Coprata is testing pilot versions of the smart toilets in a few dozen households; after the data is gathered, users can access it themselves on a smartphone app. “The knowledge of people’s bowel habits empowers individuals to make lifestyle
choices that improve their gut health,” Grego said.
Mark Dicara of Lake Barrington, Illinois, allegedly shot himself in the leg on June 12 while dreaming of a home invasion, Insider reported. Dicara grabbed his .357 Magnum and fired — which instantly brought him to consciousness. There was no intruder in the home. Police found him in bed with a “significant amount of blood.” He was charged with possession of a firearm without a valid Firearm Owners Identification card and reckless discharge of a firearm.
Cedric Lodge, 55, and his wife, Denise, 63, of Go stown, New Hampshire, were indicted in federal court on June 14 after it was revealed that they allegedly were stealing and selling human body parts, the Associated Press reported. Lodge was the manager of the Harvard Medical School morgue until May 6, when he was fired. He and his wife o ered a shopping opportunity at the morgue, where buyers could pick which donated remains they wanted. The Lodges would then take
the items home and ship them through the mail. The parts included heads, brains, skin and bones. Three others were indicted: Katrina Maclean, 44, of Salem, Massachusetts; Joshua Taylor, 46, of West Lawn, Pennsylvania; and Mathew Lampi, 52, of East Bethel, Minnesota. Prosecutors say they were part of a nationwide network of people who buy and sell human remains. Harvard called the actions “morally reprehensible.”
When Martin Trimble, 30, tried to rob a convenience store in Durham, England, in May, the shop owner got the best of him: He lowered the store’s steel shutter, trapping Trimble on his back half in and half out, and waited for authorities to arrive. Once Trimble realized he was pinned to the ground, Fox News reported, he popped open one of the beers he’d tried to steal and drank it as he waited to be arrested. Trimble pleaded guilty on June 16 to attempted robbery and possession of a knife and was sentenced to three years in jail. !
©2023 Andrews McMeel Universal1 Dryer’s partner
7 Neither-here-nor-there states
13 Not straying off topic
20 Get in the way of
21 “You may relax, soldier”
22 One looking something over
23 “The Delta Force” actor Chuck
24 Question after a chat interruption
26 Latched on firmly
28 Space balls
29 San Luis —, California
30 Mount, as a jewel
31 “Diane” star Turner
32 “Carrie” star Spacek
35 Mutineers
37 2012 Robert Pattinson film based on a Maupassant novel
39 Chou En- —
40 Fictional “Warrior Princess”
41 Lax in duty
44 British remake of “That ‘70s Show”
50 Say for sure 51 Trepidation 53 Fathered, as a horse 54 Start of many rapper names 55 Realities that are tough to face 58 “E-e-ew!”
59 Vodka brand, informally 61 Reply to “You are not!”
62 Fulfill,
1
2
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4 Sage, e.g.
5 Items of food
6 Closes tightly again
7 Suburb of D.C. in Maryland
8 “Am — late?”
9 Cries weakly 10 In a ribald way
11 —Kosh B’gosh 12 Notice
13 Phone button abbr.
14 Novel kind 15 Not absent 16 “— Gang”
17 River to the Rhone 18 Stairway post
19 Low cards
25 Banjoist Clark
27 Genetic helix
33 More cheeky
34 Stuff in sand
36 “Humbug!”
37 Avian creature
Team booster
Lobster Bisque 12 | New England-Style Clam Chowder 10 | Chilled Spicy Shrimp Gazpacho 9 Basket of Warm Old Bay & Pimento Cheese Biscuits 11 … while they last!
Crab Rangoon Dip 15 (Wasabi Aioli | Sweet Chili Sauce | Hoisin Drizzle)
Char-Grilled Watermelon 8 (Farmer’s Cheese | Tijan Vinaigrette)
Jumbo Shrimp Tempura-Style 13 (Truffle Blue Cheese Slaw | BOOM! M-80 Sauce)
Sesame Tuna Tartare 18 (Ginger Soy Glaze | Scallion Pancake | Chipotle Aioli)
Lobster Mac & Cheese Skillet 38 (Pimento | Cheddar | Parmesan | Panko)
Roll #1 Chilled 24 | ADD Hand-Cut Fries or Salad +8 (Duke’s Mayo | Lemon Herb Butter | Brioche Bun)
Roll #2 Warm 23 | ADD Hand-Cut Fries or Salad +8 (Lemon Herb Butter | Brioche Bun)
Timothy’s Creamy Lobster carbonara 42 (Peas | Pancetta | ’Shrooms | Parmesan | Herbs)
Lobster Quesadilla 26 (Mango Jalapeno Avocado Mash)
Shrimp Scampi Linguine 31 (Creamy Lemon Butter Sauce)
Chicken Fried Chicken aka “The Colonel” 27 (atop Pineapple Fried Rice)
Jumbo Shrimp & Grits 32 (Jumbo Shrimp | Tasso Tomato Gravy | Pimento Grits)
The Greensboro Kaos women’s basketball team is almost four years old, but won’t have its first home game until they play the Gastonia Greyhounds on July 22 at Bennett College. The team’s founder, owner, and head coach Shatrina Smalls is very excited, as are players Jolene Tamboue and Jessica Estep.
“This will be the first year we play in Greensboro,” said Smalls. “I got the LLC and started try-outs in late 2019, then COVID hit and shut everything down.” This doesn’t mean Smalls and her players stayed at home to wait out the pandemic.
“Because we were already establishing ourselves, we were able to do things like a toy and coat drive and help over a hundred families. We did a t-shirt campaign for the Interactive Resource Center and we donated money because our unhoused population was hit pretty hard by the pandemic. These were just some ways we gave back to the community that would one day be supporting us.”
Their home court was originally going to be at Western Guilford High School, but when things began opening back up, the school did not allow outside participation. “So Deep River Recreation Center in High Point let us play our first season there.” Smalls had also been coaching at Bethany Community School in Summerfield, and that’s where Kaos played their home games last year. “But this year, we have a partnership with Bennett College and are finally in the City of Greensboro, which I know everyone and myself are very happy about.”
“The Greensboro Kaos is a womanminority-owned semi-pro basketball team here in Greensboro,” said the team’s general manager, Shaniqua Hunter, at the Greensboro City Council June 6 meeting. “Many of you might not know we have one.”
Indeed, most council members admitted to being unaware of the team. The
one exception was District 5’s Tammi Thurm, whom Hunter thanked for her support. So did Smalls when interviewed for this article.
“We connected with Tammi early in our inception, because we were going to play at Western and it was in her district. She was one of the first people we reached out to, but even when the season fell apart, and we had to play in High Point, she traveled there for our games, and bought merchandise and a season pass, even though we told her she could see us for free.”
Thurm called that season ticket money well spent.
“They are incredible role models for the young girls out there who are just finding their legs and their feet under themselves, and they are so fast on the court and a lot of fun!” Thurm encouraged fellow council members to attend the July 22nd game at 4 p.m. at Bennett College.
“We will see you there,” said District 1’s Sharon Hightower and District 2’s Goldie Wells.
Asked what inspired her to found the team, Smalls said “it all came together over the love of basketball.” She played the sport as a student at Manchester Township High School in New Jersey, and then at Wilmington University.
“We played one season, but I got injured
in my freshman year. Not too long after that, I got into coaching, which sparked a new passion for me. Sometimes, as a player, you don’t see yourself past anything but playing, but then you get forced to explore di erent avenues that bring new direction and love.”
After college, she went back to New Jersey and coached at her former high school. “When I moved to North Carolina in 2013, I didn’t really have any connections down here. But I started meeting people, making friends and began coaching at rec centers and things of that nature. When I met a young lady who played serious ball and was looking for a place to do it, I figured why not get a team started and give her and young ladies like her some teammates to do it with? This let me feed my passion for coaching, grow the sport of women’s basketball and encourage the generations coming up.”
When asked the definition of “semiprofessional” basketball, Smalls compared Kaos to the NBA’s G League.
“You just get paid a heck of a lot less, or nothing at all. A lot of semi-professional basketball players do it because they love it. It’s the people who have the ability to play in the big leagues, but maybe life got in the way, or they got a little older, got married, had kids, but they can still compete at a very high level. That’s how I
would describe it I still have the skills, I still have the passion, but I might not have as much time to dedicate to it as I used to. The ladies on my team definitely do it because they love it, because Lord knows, my city salary cannot pay for them to be doing it for the money. They do it because they love it but at a very high level.”
Two of her key players have done so professionally, both in the US and overseas.
Power forward Jolene Tamboue was born in Cameroon and earned a Bachelor of Science at the University of Akron, where she was a two-time first-team all-conference performer and freshman of the year, and was named to the Academic All-Mid-American Conference team for women’s basketball in the 2009-2010 season. She led the Akron team with seven double-doubles and finished fifth in the league with an average of 7.7 rebounds per game.
“In 2016, I went to play for my native country Cameroon. We qualified for the Pre-Olympics, so I went out to Italy for training camp, and then we were playing in France. The Cameroonian community supports all sports. If you’re from Cameroon, they’re going to support you. It was an interesting experience and I’m glad I was able to take the time away and have it.”
Before her adult return to Cameroon, Tamboue played for the Georgia Soul Women’s Basketball Association, a nonprofit and pro team out of Augusta.
“When I moved to North Carolina towards the end of 2018, one of my old Georgia Soul teammates introduced me to Shatrina. I was hurt for a couple of years and wanted to get back into it. That’s how I joined the team, and I’ve been there ever since.”
Jessica Estrep came to Kaos after she changed careers from being a coach at NC A&T in 2014-15 to becoming a math teacher with Guilford County Schools.
“I met another teacher that was part of the rec league that’s out of Barber Park. That’s where I met Amber Cook, who is one of our Kaos players. She nagged at me for two years to try out, and I finally did.”
“We finally wore her down and she came,” said Smalls, laughing.
Before coaching at A&T, Estrep played
with the Horsens Pirates in Denmark for a few years.
“After college, I coached for a team in San Antonio at University of Incarnate Word. They were a D2 school at the time, but now they’re D1. I realized about halfway through the season that I couldn’t really take the coaching side yet, as I was not done playing. So, I went to a camp in Germany and got picked up by my team in Denmark and it was amazing. It was a great experience, but so is this.”
“It really is,” said Tamboue, who called her teammates the best thing about playing with Kaos.
“I’ve been able to bond and get close with a lot of the girls, especially our core girls we’ve had on the team for a while, so sharing that experience and hanging out, having fun at practice and just being able to continue to do what we love as sisters.”
“That’s also what it’s like you for you, Jess, isn’t it?” said Smalls with a grin. “Just say it. Every day, coming to practice with me is a joy.”
The three women all laughed heartily.
“I love it when we’re able to able to get together and hang out as teammates,” said Estrep.
When asked what she was particularly looking forward to this year, Tamboue said “playing new teams!”
“The conference changed a lot this year, so we’re playing ladies we haven’t played before. We’ll be playing against two Charlotte teams, the Raleigh team and the Atlanta Angels, whereas before, we were going up North to the Maryland and DC area.”
“We’re closer to home,” said Estrep, “so I feel like our people will be able to come see us. So that’s exciting. We have
teammates from Charlotte and Raleigh, so it will be good to be playing at home for everybody.”
Greensboro Kaos has eight games scheduled for the coming season.
“Then, we are really hoping to make a great play for the playo s,” said Smalls, “in which I have a feeling we’re going to do pretty well. So, we have the possibility to do 12 games, and that includes the championship.”
Smalls said she’s always looking for new sponsors, as well as fans who will get the word out about how skilled these women are.
“That’s why I’m such a huge advocate to push the game of women’s basketball, or any women’s sport forward, just so you can see how great it is. Why not let people know there’s something here in Greensboro and the Triad that they can come to?”
“I know what it’s like to walk into some of the businesses and ask if they want to partner with us or sponsor us,” said Smalls. “I feel like, a lot of the times, people do not see the value in what we bring, so they’re hesitant to support us as partners and things of that nature. We have a pretty good fanbase. People who come see us, stay with us. But it’s about getting the businesses to support us as well, wanting to be partners with us.” !
IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.
For more information, check out greensborokaos. com or email GreensboroKaos@gmail.com.
The Sportscenter Athletic Club is a private membership club dedicated to providing the ultimate athletic and recreational facilities for our members of all ages. Conveniently located in High Point, we provide a wide variety of activities for our members. We’re designed to incorporate the total fitness concept for maximum benefits and total enjoyment. We cordially invite all of you to be a part of our athletic facility, while enjoying the membership savings we offer our established corporate accounts.
“We now have sports wagering in North Carolina,” said Governor Roy Cooper at his June 14 signing of House Bill 347, which legalized in-person and online sports betting in North Carolina. Calling the ratification a “great day,” Cooper said the new law will help the state “compete, make sure taxpayers receive a share, create many good-paying jobs, and foster strong economic opportunity.”
The bill, which passed both chambers of the General Assembly with minimal opposition, allows betting on college and professional sports to begin on January 8, although the North Carolina Lottery Commission has up to a year to implement it. This means that North Carolinians will be able to start making legal sports wagers by June 14, 2024 at the latest, but possibly as early as the second week of January. Calling the commissioners “hard
at work,” Cooper suggested betting will begin sooner rather than later.
The legislation makes the North Carolina State Lottery Commission responsible for issuing licenses and collecting any license application fees. Types of licensures include interactive sports wagering licenses, service provider licenses, and sports wagering supplier licenses, all of which will be valid for five years.
Cooper was joined at the signing ceremony by representatives from NASCAR, the Charlotte Hornets, Carolina Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Charlotte Football Club, and the PGA Tour. “We are extremely grateful for all of the hard work by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to get this bill to the finish line,” said Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the Hurricanes. “We will now have the opportunity to build a world-class sportswagering facility to expand the entertainment options around PNC Arena.”
“This is truly a bipartisan accomplishment,” said the governor during the signing ceremony at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center, home to the Hornets. He then appeared to anticipate the arguments of those who opposed legalized betting.
“Look,” said Cooper, “this is a very real thing, and it exists now. We already know sports gambling is going on in our state. This gives us the opportunity to put up safeguards. This legislation provides funding for treatment and prevention for people with addiction and gambling problems.”
According to a survey released on May 24 by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, sports betting is increasingly popular among Americans between 18 and 22 years old, 58% of whom have done it at least once, and is particularly prevalent on college campuses, where 67% of students have engaged in it on multiple occasions. Forty-one percent of those collegiate gamblers have bet on their schools’ teams and 35% have used a student bookmaker. The survey also reported 16% as having engaged in at least one risky gambling behavior and that 6% have lost more than $500 on sports bets in a single day.
A 2022 attempt to legalize sports betting failed in the NC House by one vote, after Guilford County’s Pricey Harrison and Democratic whip Marcia Morey convinced fellow Democrat John Ager to join the opposition. But earlier this month, the latest measure cleared its final hurdle after the House concurred with Senate changes to the bill.
One of H.B. 347’s House sponsors, Lincoln County Republican Jason Saine, praised his colleagues on both sides of the aisle, echoing the governor in calling the legislation a “bipartisan e ort.”
Currently, sports betting is only allowed at Catawba Nation and Eastern Band of Cherokee casinos. The new law will permit up to 12 online sports betting apps. Those who administer them must pay a $1 million licensing fee, with an additional $1 million renewal fee after five years. The state will levy an 18% privilege tax for their activities.
Ten state university athletic depart-
ments, including three in the Triad, will each receive an annual $300,000. Along with NC A&T, UNC-Greensboro and Winston-Salem State, these departments are the ones at Appalachian State, East Carolina, Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, North Carolina Central, UNCAsheville, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Pembroke, UNC-Wilmington, and Western Carolina.
Along with these universities, proceeds will be divided between North Carolina’s general fund and the newly-created Major Events, Games, and Attractions Fund, providing grants to entities that “foster job creation and investment” from such “major sporting events” as NASCAR races and golf competitions.
The new state law allows eight venues to apply for in-person sportsbooks, the term for a place where gamblers can legally wager on various sports competitions, including golf, football, basketball, baseball, ice hockey, soccer, horse racing, greyhound racing, boxing, and mixed martial arts. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which allowed only Nevada, Oregon, Montana, and Delaware to legally wager on sports other than horse and greyhound racing and jai alai, was ruled unconstitutional in 2018, freeing states to legalize sports betting at their discretion.
The only sportsbook in the Triad will be at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro. The other sportsbook locations are Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, Motor Speedway, Spectrum Center, and Quail Hollow Country Club; Raleigh’s PNC Arena; Cary’s WakeMed Soccer Park; and North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Along with Republican co-sponsor Saine, Governor Cooper was joined by Democrats Zack Hawkins and Paul Lowe for the bill signing. Hawkins is the state house representative for District 31, which includes Durham, and Lowe’s state senate District 32 includes part of Forsyth County.
Speaking at the ceremony, Lowe
recalled not only crossing the political aisle to work on the bill, but his frequent visits to the State House to do so, and how last year, those e orts “came up one vote short.”
“But over the Christmas break, we kept making phone calls and talking to folks, and we got it done. One of the things that I will say that I enjoyed and that Jason Saine was responsible for, was making me a fan of NASCAR.”
“We know [sports betting] is happening in the dark, and this opportunity allows us to bring it into the light,” said Hawkins.
The history of gambling legislation in North Carolina goes back to 1802 when the legislature allowed 62 lotteries. Resistance to such legislation goes back to 1835 when those lotteries were banned as part of a nationwide ant-lottery movement.
Bingo at fairs and exhibitions was legalized in many counties in 1945, with Guilford limiting it to charities but several coastal communities imposing no such restrictions. Laws allowing charitable ra es in particular counties were passed in 1977.
In 1979, this patchwork system of county and municipal laws was replaced by a single statewide one allowing bingo and ra es for non-profit organizations, and unregulated bingo games with prizes under $10. In 1983, charitable bingo operators were required to be licensed by the Department of Revenue.
In 1939, the General Assembly authorized a horse or dog track outside of Morehead City. The Carolina Racing Association opened its greyhound track there in 1948. A similar act was passed for Currituck County in 1949. In 1954, North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the Moorhead and Currituck legalizations violated the state constitution by granting a monopoly to a private entity.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee’s high-stakes bingo games began in 1982, after a federal court decision exempting
reservations from state limits on bingo prizes. In 1994, the Tribal Council reached a compact with Governor Jim Hunt under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, allowing construction of a casino with electronic games requiring “skill or dexterity.”
The $82-million Harrah’s Cherokee Casino opened in 1997. After negotiating a new compact with Governor Beverly Perdue, the Cherokee casino began o ering table games in 2012, and the tribe was allowed to build a second casino, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River, which opened in 2015 in Murphy, North Carolina.
In 2013, the Catawba Nation applied to take land into trust for their proposed casino even though the tribe’s main reservation was just over the state line in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and it owned no sovereign land in North Carolina. The Catawba Two Kings Casino opened at the Kings Mountain Travel Center in 2021.
In July 2019, the North Carolina legislature amended the state’s compact with federally-recognized tribes, allowing them to sportsbooks for legal sports betting.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee opened sportsbooks in Cherokee and Murphy casinos in 2021. The Catawba Nation followed suit in 2022 by opening a sportsbook in Kings Mountain.
Not everyone agrees that expanding legalized gambling in North Carolina is a good thing, particularly when it comes to sports betting. On the same day that Cooper signed the bill, Rep. Pricey Harrison denounced it from the State House floor. Despite some improvements from its previous version, said Harrison “this predatory gambling bill is still predatory. It’s going to hurt North Carolina, and it doesn’t look like we’re going to achieve very much in exchange.” !
IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.
auve Angeles is having a dark heart summer with their latest single, “In the Acid Rain,” released exclusively as part of “Back From the Grave Vol 1.,” a charity compilation from Darkness Calling benefitting the Trevor Project.
Started as a standalone Halloween compilation in 2020, “Back from the Grave” marks the sixth installment of fundraising records put together by the Los Angeles-based 2SLGBTQIA+operated dark indie music collective, each with its own thematic overarch. The latest release coincides both in time to celebrate Pride and sync up with canon of its source material: songs inspired by the seminal summer zombie flick “Return of the Living Dead.”
For their submission, Winston-Salem’s Mauve Angeles (the darkwave vision of nonbinary musician and artist Eric/a Gilstrap) serves to sync the dark cadence of early-July nights, with a splash of Trioxin 245, in a “goth pop ritual that examines mortality, walking dead, and gender dysphoria all from within the shadows of the neon apocalypse.”
Drawn to both the purpose and the source material, “I love Return of the Living Dead,” Gilstrap said. “It was one of the first horror movies I can remember seeing as a kid. So I wanted to use some of the analog synth-inspired sounds like in the musical score in certain scenes but in a danceable way.”
Lyrically, the track explores a doubleentendre between the film’s dialogue and reflections on their own gender dysphoria. Awash with dystopian tones and introspection, “In the Acid Rain” reinforces that denying one’s truth is “Sisyphean at best.”
“I’ve often felt like the walking dead in years past before I came out,” Gilstrap said, relating the doomed fates in the film to their own experiences in a closet life. “There’s just no future in it.”
Turning to the movie, “the scene where they interview the zombie strapped to a gurney is one of the finest bits of horror fantasy ever created,” they noted, dropping an impression of the iconic lines: “I CAN FEEL MYSELF ROTTTTINGGGG.”
MThough truth be told, these days Gilstrap feels themselves thriving. ”Those are the best songs when the universe just sort of opens up and inspires you,” they noted. And it’s those inspirative opportunities that Darkness Calling is working to elevate through both a celebration of goth and electronic music, along with a mission to aid the Trevor Project in e orts to prevent suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth.
Both of which Gilstrap holds near and dear to their “dark transbian heart.” “It’s very important to me,” they said. “Crisis services in the 2SLGBTQA+ community are soooo needed given the current political climate here. I can’t emphasize enough how important their work is to the community.”
“Acceptance is key to healing,” Gilstrap continued, turning to their own journey toward acceptance.
“I’ve just always known that I was trans/nonbinary but ran from it for so long. Sobriety, seclusion, and meditation certainly directed me to confront this energy. If you look closely, my gender nonconformity manifested in my art consistently over the last decade or even longer.”
Coming into their own as both a person (“Mauve or Eric/a, please,”) Gilstrap’s musical manifestations are experiencing a similar fluid vigor. “I love electronics and the experimental nature of the synth and post-punk genres, with a darker aesthetic, of course,” they said.
Seeing Mauve Angeles as a conduit for sonic and visual experimentation, Gilstrap enjoys the opportunities for a broader focus when compared to their other projects. “It’s a natural progression from the guitar-based experimentation of the shoegaze or dream pop in Spirit System.”
As they’ve grown into themselves, so has their setup. The “go-go gadget synthesizer and pedal board” utilized in the 2019 EP “Satyr Daze” have been streamlined to incorporate more electronic elements — all brewed (sometimes live in streams) from the depths of the “Neon Catacombs,” Gilstrap’s basement studio.
From those depths, they’re also tracking a new EP, with a new release slated for the end of summer. The standalone single, “Mothlights,” takes more synthpop direction ala Gary Newman or Danny Elfman. Fewer movie plugs, more internal processes (and a reference or two toward Tori Amos,) “Mothlights” serves a quirky blend of goth-pop catharsis for “anyone else experiencing the type of trauma when facing the PTSD and grief which coincides with the loss of friendships, or family.”
“It was written as a song to help me NOT quit music and to stay alive,” Gilstrap explained. “I dealt with some pretty gnarly emotional and psychological abuse in recent years from people in social and professional environments, so I felt like I had to convince myself that my feelings were valid — that what I experienced actually happened — and that boundaries are ok.”
“It’s a celebratory rite of goth pop for fellow survivors, queers, cryptids, and witches,” they continued, turning to the fuel they find in Amos’ “Fae energy.” “I often identify with her confrontational and whimsical use of mixed mythos to exorcize or sometimes exercise spirits,” Gilstrap said, “but really, it’s just a ‘hello and thanks for everything’ nod from a 90s-damaged androgynous art kid.”
Outside of Mauve, releases from Kanínur (Gilstrap’s ambient music moniker) and the dungeon synth outfit, Snow Casket, “should see the pale light of day later this year.” Meanwhile, Spirit System, now a quartet with Eddie Garcia, is currently tracking an album.
“Eddie is a visionary, a virtual sonicbehemoth, and also just one of the finest humans I’ve ever met,” Gilstrap said of Garcia’s addition, “not to mention a consistent source of hilarity, creativity, and inspiration.”
“We’re now four people louder than the sun — with legions of amps and approximately six hundred and sixty-six reverb and fuzz pedals — but, like in a soft napping window kitty way.”
Their latest single, “Down to You,” serves “a melancholic a air about seasonal depression, crushes, and the cyclical longing for comfort amidst the American Apocalypse.” And another “Misery Hiss” is on the way.
As for performances, Mauve Angeles intends to “cast some digital glamours” during their upcoming IG-livestream on July 2. They’ll be in the flesh for a show at Ruby Deluxe in Raleigh, with Bombay Gasoline and Chrysanthemum Ballroom, on August 4.
“Back From the Grave - Vol. 1”, a Darkness Calling compilation to benefit the Trevor Project, is out now via bandcamp. https://darknesscalling.bandcamp. com/album/back-from-the-grave-vol-1 !
Four SaintS BrEwing
218 South Fayetteville St. | 336.610.3722
www.foursaintsbrewing.com
thursdays: taproom trivia
Fridays: Music Bingo
Cat’S CradlE
300 E Main St | 919.967.9053
www.catscradle.com
Jun 29: EElS
Jun 30: tumbao!
Jul 1: Kiltro
Jul 7: waveform*, they are gutting a Body of water
Jul 9: Hot Mulligan
Jul 10: binki
Jul 11: Skating Polly
Jul 14: Son Volt
Jul 14: the weight Band
Jul 15: Shoaldiggers, Mystery ranch, Country Cruel
Jul 16: Harbour
Jul 19: Motherfolk
BoJanglES ColiSEuM
2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600
www.boplex.com
Jul 16: 85 South Show live
tHE FillMorE
1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970
www.livenation.com
Jun 30: larry’s Market run 2023
Jul 1: Electric Feels: indie rock + Electronic dance Party
Jul 7: remember the name
Jul 8: old gods of appalachia
Jul 14: Yung Pinch
Jul 15: Killer Mike and the Midnight revival
Jul 19: ann Marie
PnC MuSiC PaVilion
707 Pavilion Blvd | 704.549.1292
www.livenation.com
Jun 28: Shania twain
Jun 29: Peso Pluma
Jul 2: Kidz Bop live
Jul 11: Matchbox twenty
Jul 19: Boy george, Culture Club & Berlin
Jul 21: Fall out Boy, Bring Me the Horizon, royal and the Serpent & Carr
Jul 22: Sam Hunt, Brett Young & lily rose
Jul 23: Mudvayne
Jul 28: Jodeci, SwV & dru Hill
SPECtruM CEntEr
333 E Trade St | 704.688.9000
www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com
Jun 30: Banda MS
Jul 2: alicia Keys
Jul 6: Santa Fe Klan
Jul 14: blink-182
Jul 16: Erykah Badu
Jul 22-23: Monster Jam
VillagE SquarE
taP HouSE
6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330
www.facebook.com/vstaphouse
Jun 29: Kick Back trio
Jun 30: Vinyl tap
Jul 1: Motorvader
Jul 7: Philray & Friends
Jul 8: Billy Creason Band
Jul 13: James Vincent Carroll
duRHAm
Carolina tHEatrE
309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030
www.carolinatheatre.org
Jul 5: Jinx Monsoon
Jul 12: andy grammer
Jul 16: Melissa Etheridge
dPaC
123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787
www.dpacnc.com
Jul 9: John oliver
Jul 22: russell Peters
Jul 29: ladies r&B Kickback Concert
ElKIn
rEEVES tHEatEr
129 W Main St | 336.258.8240
www.reevestheater.com
wednesdays: reeves open Mic
Fourth thursdays: old-time Jam
Jun 29: Elkin Big Band
Jul 7: Hubby Jenkins
Jul 8: B-BaMS
Jul 14: Paul thorn
Jul 22: Blue ridge opry
Jul 28: town Mountain
Barn dinnEr tHEatrE
120 Stage Coach Tr. | 336.292.2211
www.barndinner.com
Jun 3- Jul 15: legends diner: a Musical tribute
Carolina tHEatrE
310 S. Greene Street | 336.333.2605
www.carolinatheatre.com
Jul 8: our Band
CHar Bar no. 7
3724 Lawndale Dr. | 336.545.5555
www.charbar7.com
Jun 29: renae Paige
CoMEdY ZonE
1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034
www.thecomedyzone.com
Jun 30-Jul 1: we’re not Brothers tour
Jul 14-15: rodney Perry
upcoming
JUNE 28: Kind Hearted Strangers
w/ Pocket Strange
JUNE 29: Pony Bradshaw w/ Russell
Cook & The Sweet Teeth
JUNE 30: Unheard Project
JULY 1: Antion Scales Album Release
Brunch (1-4pm)
JULY 1: Eli Fribush Experiment
w/ Mystic Syndicate
JULY 2: The Hypothetical
House Band ft. Jon Herington
(of Steely Dan)
& Dannis Espantman
JULY 5: Leilani Kilgore
JULY 6: Real Life Quartet
HOURS: Tues-Fri: 3pm-unTil
GaraGE TavErn
5211 A West Market St | 336.763.2020
www.facebook.com/GarageTavernGreens-
boro
Jul 1: Gypsy Danger
Jul 7: Second Glance Band
GranDOvEr rESOrT
2275 Vanstory Street Suite 200 |
336.294.1800
www.grandover.com
Wednesdays: Live Jazz w/ Steve Haines Trio
GrEEnSBOrO COLiSEum
1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400
www.greensborocoliseum.com
Jul 20: Thomas rhett
Jul 24: nF
Jul 30: The Chicks
STEvEn TanGEr CEnTEr
300 N Elm Street | 336.333.6500
www.tangercenter.com
Jun 23: Lady a w/ Dave Barnes
THE iDiOT BOx
COmEDY CLuB
503 N. Greene St | 336.274.2699
www.idiotboxers.com
Thursdays: Open mic
WHiTE Oak
ampiTHEaTrE
1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400
www.greensborocoliseum.com
Jul 1: Barenaked Ladies
Jul 30: Summer Block party SWv & Dru Hill
high point
1614 DmB
1614 N Main St | 336.883.4113
https://www.1614drinksmusicbilliards.com/
Jul 15: Banger
Jul 21: Elder Bug
HiGH pOinT THEaTrE
220 E Commerce Ave | 336.883.3401
www.highpointtheatre.com
Jul 29: Comedian Henry Cho
jamestown
THE DECk
118 E Main St | 336.207.1999
Jun 29: The aquarius
Jun 30: Second Glance
Jul 1: Sons of Bootleg
Jul 6: Ethan Smith
Jul 7: Hwy 42
Jul 8: Simerson Hill
Jul 13: kelsey Hurley
Jul 14: Hampton Drive
Jul 15: Brother pearl
Jul 20: Bradley Steele
Jul 21: Huckleberry Shyne
Jul 22: Brandon Davis
Jul 27: Dan miller
liberty
THE LiBErTY SHOWCaSE THEaTEr
101 S. Fayetteville St | 336.622.3844
www.TheLibertyShowcase.com
Jul 15: Doug Stone
Jul 20: Tracy Byrd
Jun 21: Twitty & Lynn
raleigh
CCu muSiC park
aT WaLnuT CrEEk
3801 Rock Quarry Rd | 919.821.4111
www.livenation.com
Jun 30: kiDZ BOp
Jul 8: Tears for Fears
Jul 12: matchbox Twenty
Jul 20: Godsmack and Staind
FiDDLin’ FiSH
BrEWinG COmpanY
772 Trade St | 336.999.8945
www.fiddlinfish.com
Tuesdays: Trivia
Jun 30: Delta Stream
Jul 14: Creatio
Jul 21: Holler Choir
FOOTHiLLS BrEWinG
638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348
www.foothillsbrewing.com
Sundays: Sunday Jazz
Thursdays: Trivia
Jun 28: Jim mayberry
Jul 28: andrew Wakefield
THE ramkaT
170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714
Jun 28: Jeff Black, Dana Coope
Jun 29: The red Lipstick Society, Cakes of Light
Jun 30: Couldn’t Be Happiers, The Brown mountain Lightning Bugs
Jul 8: Jeffrey Dean Foster & The arrows, Danielle Howle, Jay Bryd
Jul 19: The kentucky Gentleman, Taylor aaron parker Williams
Jul 20: The rumble ft. Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr.
Jul 28: Daniel Justin Smith
WiSE man BrEWinG
826 Angelo Bros Ave | 336.725.0008
www.wisemanbrewing.com
Thursdays: music Bingo
Jul 7: Gypsy Danger
Jul 29: Summertime Live: parking Lot parties
BY
Check out videos on our Facebook!
NAME: Malena Roman
BAR: World Of Beer - Greensboro
AGE: 24
WHERE ARE YOU FROM? Tryon, NC
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BARTENDING?
When I first turned 21, four and a half years ago.
HOW DID YOU BECOME A BARTENDER?
I’ve grown up in restaurants with my family.
I’ve just always had an interest in it once I turn 21.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT BARTENDING?
I enjoy being creative behind it. Being able to experiment with all di erent things. Also building relationships with regulars that turn into family.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO MAKE?
Our Dragon Berry Mojito. It’s a very refreshing drink, made with dragon berry, Bacardi rum, lime, mint, strawberries, simple syrup, and soda.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO DRINK?
A margarita. But when it comes to beer, I love ciders, my favorites being Bull City’s [Bull City Ciderworks] Cherry Tart, and Blake’s [Hard Cider] Triple Jam.
WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND AS AN AFTER-DINNER DRINK? A stout from World Of Beer.
WHAT’S THE CRAZIEST THING YOU’VE SEEN WHILE BARTENDING? I worked a GHOE event with 800 plus people and only five bartenders.
WHAT’S THE BEST/BIGGEST TIP YOU’VE EVER GOTTEN? $100 tip on a $4 margarita.
Email Natalie Garcia at natalie@yesweekly.com and ask about being our Bartender of the Week!
Week of July 3, 2023
[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) You are self-reliant and rarely ask anyone for help. But this time, you might want someone you trust to be there for you while you deal with a di cult matter. Cheer up. Things improve soon.
[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Your patience begins to pay o . Look for the first sign that your goals are in plain sight. Also, take time out from all your hard work for some fun with someone special.
[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) There could be some lingering e ects from a recent setback. But it’s all for the best, as you’re now beginning to appreciate. Use the lessons you’ve learned to start over.
[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) What seemed to be a di cult goal to reach is now — or soon will be — all yours. Congratulations. An unexpected travel opportunity holds an intriguing new prospect.
[LEO (July 23 to August 22) A chilly reception to your presentation shouldn’t cause you to abandon your ideas. Instead, do tweak up those weaker parts and then, once again, show them what you have.
[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Hiding your feelings might make you feel safer against rejection. But this could be the time when you’ll need to speak up or risk losing out on an important event in your life.
[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Some co-workers might try to talk you out of accepting a promotion. But you need to follow your own instincts — and
if you believe you’re right for the job, then take it.
[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Some changes are in order, as you come to realize that you need to sort out several areas in your life. Your remarkable insight helps you make the right decisions.
[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) It’s time to act on your own behalf and separate yourself from those whose selfish needs threaten your personal and/or professional survival.
[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Resist your tendency to close yourself o from unpleasant situations. Instead, open up to how things are so that you can help change them to what they could be.
[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) An unspoken problem could be driving a deep wedge between you and that special person. Some honest talking between the two of you starts the healing process.
[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) You might feel you’ve been going around in ever-widening circles trying to deal with recent workplace problems. Lighten up. A successful end is finally in sight.
[BORN THIS WEEK: You’re authentic and unafraid of using thr large emotions that overtake your heart. Originality is your super power.
© 2023 by King Features Syndicate
crossword on page 11 [WEEKLY SUDOKU
sudoku on page 11
[1. GEOGRAPHY: What is the tallest building in the world?
by Fifi Rodriguez[6. GAMES: What is the final course on Mario Kart video games?
[2. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What does HTTP stand for in a website address?
[3. LITERATURE: Which kind of animals are featured in the novel “Watership Down”?
[4. HISTORY: When was the first iPhone released?
[5. MOVIES: What kind of fish is Nemo in Finding Nemo?
[7. ASTRONOMY: How many planets in our solar system have moons?
[8. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which president was licensed as a bartender?
[9. MEDICAL: What is a more common term for somniloquy?
[10. TELEVISION: How many castaways are on “Gilligan’s Island”?
10. Seven.
9. Talking in your sleep.
8. Abraham Lincoln.
7. Six of the eight planets.
6. Rainbow Road.
5. Clownfish.
4. 2007.
3. Rabbits.
2. HyperText Transfer Protocol.
1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
© 2023 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
With over 100 vibrant arts organizations across Guilford County, there is always something creative to do. Date night or family fun, there is something for everyone. Bookmark the ACGG community arts calendar and start planning your art-filled excursion.
