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EDITORIAL
Editor CHANEL R. DAVIS chanel@yesweekly.com
YES! Writers JOHN BATCHELOR MARK BURGER KATEI CRANFORD LYNN FELDER JIM LONGWORTH IAN MCDOWELL
PRODUCTION
Senior Designer ALEX FARMER designer@yesweekly.com
Designer SHANE HART artdirector@yesweekly.com
ADVERTISING
Marketing ANGELA COX angela@yesweekly.com
Promotion NATALIE GARCIA
DISTRIBUTION JANICE GANTT ANDREW WOMACK
We at YES! Weekly realize that the interest of our readers goes well beyond the boundaries of the Piedmont Triad. Therefore we are dedicated to informing and entertaining with thought-provoking, debate-spurring, in-depth investigative news stories and features of local, national and international scope, and opinion grounded in reason, as well as providing the most comprehensive entertainment and arts coverage in the Triad. YES! Weekly welcomes submissions of all kinds. Efforts will be made to return those with a self-addressed stamped envelope; however YES! Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. YES! Weekly is
3 The 75th-anniversary screening of SUNSET BOULEVARD will be presented at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday, and 7 p.m. Monday at all three theaters.
4 THE HOME also gets a big boost from the atmospheric cinematography by Anastas Michos and a bombastic, nerve-jangling score by Nathan Whitehead.
5 Last year, the FTC filed 2.6 million FRAUD REPORTS, representing a loss of $12.5 billion to victims. Of that amount, social media scams alone accounted for $1.9 billion. But scams also occur through phone calls, emails, texts, and the Internet.
7 I was pleasantly surprised to see that this place (EMPANADA GRILL) takes reservations. There is a cozy seating area with tables and chairs as well as a couple of sofas. It’s a space highly conducive to socializing.
8 On July 17, the Piedmont Triad Film Commission put out a casting call for extras for the biographical historical film THE BARD, scenes for which will be shot in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and elsewhere in the Triad.
11 We’re in the dog days of summer, where the days are hot and the shows are hotter. Let’s jump right into the real COOL CONCERT FESTIVALS going down around North Carolina in August.
12 BEEKEEPER STONEY BERRY lives in Jamestown, but his bees, however, spend most of their time at a secure location at the Sandy Ridge Farmers’ Market. It is there they have access to a variety of wildflowers used to produce flavorful wildflower honey, especially good to sweeten co ee or other drinks.
Sunset Boulevard shines again on the big screen
The noted Los Angeles Times film critic Kevin Thomas, subject of the recent documentary By Kevin Thomas (which screened at the RiverRun International Film Festival in April), has seen countless movies in his life. Still, Sunset Boulevard (1950) is his all-time favorite, and he vividly remembers seeing it the first time at age 14 “at the cavernous Paramount Theatre on Sixth Street o Broadway in downtown L.A. — and it knocked my socks o .”
For three quarters of a century, Billy Wilder’s classic film has been doing likewise to film fans the world over, and to commemorate the milestone, Fathom Entertainment has teamed with Paramout Pictures for the “Big Screen Classics 2025 series” presentation of Sunset Boulevard, replete in a 4K restoration, at over 1,000 cinemas nationwide Sunday and Monday, including three in the Piedmont Triad: The Golden Ticket Ale House + Elite (2101 New Garden Road, Greensboro), the Regal Greensboro Grande Stadium 16 (3205 Northline Ave., Greensboro), and the Regal Palladium Stadium 14 (5830 Samet Drive, High Point).
The 75th-anniversary screening of Sunset Boulevard will be presented at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday, and 7 p.m. Monday at all three theaters. Ticket prices at Golden Ticket Ale House are $13.34 (general admission), tickets at Regal Greensboro Grande are $14.95 (general admission) and $12.81 (children under 12). At Regal Palladium, tickets are $16.01 (general admission) and $13.34 (children under 12). The film will be preceded by an introduction by noted film critic and best-selling author Leonard Maltin, as he discusses the film’s history and legacy. For tickets or more information, visit https://www. fathomentertainment.com/releases/ sunset-boulevard-75th-anniversary/.
Considered by many to be one of the
great movies about Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard stars William Holden as struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis, who stumbles through the gates of a decaying mansion where reclusive silentscreen goddess Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) now resides, largely forgotten by the industry she helped to create, consumed by the notion of a grand comeback, and tended by her faithful and discreet butler Max (Erich von Stroheim), himself a faded relic of old Hollywood — and Norma’s ex-husband, the very director whose unfinished epic derailed her career. Before long, the opportunistic Joe moves into the mansion, unaware of the potential consequences.
The relationship between Joe and Norma becomes more complicated when Joe falls for script girl Betty Schaefer (Nancy Olson) and Norma’s possessive and deranged nature comes to the fore, leading to a shattering climax that blurs the lines between illusion and reality, between fact and film. It’s a bitter yet wistful ode to nostalgia and the (still-relevant) workings of the Hollywood studio system, conveyed in compelling, sometimes disturbing terms — yet always with the sardonic humor that Wilder infused his work with.
Both a critical and financial success, Sunset Boulevard earned 11 Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Holden), Best Actress (Swanson), Best Supporting Actor (von Stroheim), Best Supporting Actress (Olson), Best Cinematography (black and white), Best Editing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Score, and Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (black and
white). Sunset Boulevard only won the latter three, having had the misfortune of being up against Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s All About Eve, which is widely considered to be one of the great movies about the theater.
Nevertheless, the film’s stature has
only grown over the years, and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony-winning 1993 musical brought new attention to Sunset Boulevard, which was among the first films selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 1989.
Wilder was nothing if not thorough in steeping Sunset Boulevard in vintage Tinseltown, and devotees will no doubt recognize such familiar folk as Jack Webb, Fred Clark, Lloyd Gough, Franklyn Farnum, gossip columnists Hedda Hopper and Sidney Skolsky, filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille, and Swanson’s fellow silent-era superstars Buster Keaton, H.B. Warner, and Anna Q. Nilsson. Indeed, some of them had also been forgotten by the industry.
The o cial Fathom Entertainment website is https://www.fathomentertainment.com/ !
The Home is not a change of pace for James DeMonaco, creator of the Purge franchise, but it’s a distinct one for leading man/ executive producer Pete Davidson. And although the former Saturday Night Live funnyman doesn’t quite pull it o , he’s surrounded by good actors, and his performance is serviceable enough to be e ective under the circumstances. Max (Davidson) is a sullen gra ti artist nursing a lifetime of bitterness and regret. Following his latest brush with the law, he is sentenced to four months of community service as a supervisor at Green Meadows, a remote facility tending the elderly and infirm. Supervisor Dr. Sabian (Bruce Altman) cryptically advises Max that this is “a chance to shed your skin of your past transgressions” — one of many cryptic statements made by patients and sta alike. Max comes to befriend two of the patients, Norma (Mary Beth Peil) and Lou (the always welcome John Glover), but is advised to steer clear of the fourth floor, where the most severely ill patients are kept. Naturally, curiosity gets the better of him, and it’s not long before Max finds himself (literally) up to his eyeballs in trouble. He hears and sees strange things, and su ers bizarre nightmares — which, inevitably, yield false scares, which are de rigueur for a film like this.
The nods and oblique references are plentiful — Clive Barker, Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, Ari Aster (particularly Hereditary) — but DeMonaco makes them fun and enjoyable. He clearly revels in toying with audience expectations, and he knows what genre fans want in a horror film. More often than not, he delivers. What he and first-time co-writer Adam Cantor have done is to fashion an elaborate charade that keeps the audience guessing throughout, although it should be noted that not necessarily all — or most — of the
exposition provided is entirely accurate. Davidson’s Max is brave but not necessarily bright, which plays into the narrative nicely. Even better are Altman, Peil, and especially Glover, all of whom are in top form. Glover, fondly remembered for his knockout turn as the blackmailer in John Frankenheimer’s 52 Pick-Up (1986), enjoys one of his juiciest big-screen roles in a long time and plays it to the hilt. Even if Davidson isn’t altogether convincing, his co-stars are — and his onscreen rapport with Glover and particularly Peil are among his best scenes in the film.
The Home also gets a big boost from the atmospheric cinematography by Anastas Michos and a bombastic, nervejangling score by Nathan Whitehead. The capper comes at the climax, an apocalyptic bloodbath that threatens to turn Green Meadows into Red Meadows. This jaw-droppingly gonzo sequence provides precisely the sort of vicarious satisfaction The Home demands — and, as if it needs to be said, the squeamish are hereby advised not to visit The Home. But for those who like their horror up close and personal, this is a gleefully gory outing earmarked for cult status. !
[WEEKLY ARTS ROUNDUP] “SOFT IMPRESSIONS” OPENING RECEPTION
SUBMITTED BY ARTS COUNCIL OF WINSTON-SALEM & FORSYTH COUNTY
“Soft Impressions” brings together work by five Winston-Salem women artists, each of whom uses gel or gelatin plate printmaking as part of their studio practice. Each artist takes a personal approach to creating monotypes and mixed-media imagery using this simple and versatile printmaking technique. The gelatin plate’s primary attribute is softness; its surface, when inked, readily receives imagery via objects such as cloth, plants, stencils, or any textured materials and transfers the impressions onto paper.
first floor, 251 N. Spruce St., Winston-Salem, NC. The reception is free to the public, will last 2 hours, and is familyfriendly for all ages. !
Featured artists include Emily Clare, Terri Dowell-Dennis, Alix Hitchcock, Randy Norris, and Patty Pape.
The opening reception will be held Aug. 1 at 5 p.m. in the main gallery of the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts,
ARTS COUNCIL of WinstonSalem & Forsyth County is the leading advocate of arts in our region and seeks to enhance and support the local artistic and cultural landscape. Established in 1949 as the first arts council in the nation, the pioneering organization is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Arts Council owns and operates a campus which includes Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts and Hanesbrands Theatre. In 2024, it hosted 360 on-campus events with 66,000 attendees and distributed over $1.4 million in grants and programs, benefiting over 800,000 people. Additionally, Arts Council is the largest funder of Arts Education for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
Mark Burger
Contributor
Iwas listening to an episode of “The Howard Stern Show” recently, in which he interviewed a caller whose mother had been scammed by someone with the AI-generated voice of actor Liam Neeson. As the story goes, the fake Liam pretended to be in love with the caller’s mom and needed her to send him money for a project he was working on.
Longworth at Large
Over a period of time, fake Liam asked for more and more financial support while promising to marry the woman. The caller told Howard that he had tried to tell his mom she was being duped, but to no avail. At first, I thought this was just another Stern comedy bit, but later, there were more callers complaining of similar situations with their moms. Then, last week, I read an article in The Hollywood Reporter that detailed a rash of celebrity scams, including the story of a 73-year-old divorcee who met a fake Kevin Costner on Facebook. Fake Kevin pretended to be in love with this woman and asked her to fund a new film project he was working on. Over a period of several months, the woman made bitcoin deposits to fake Kevin worth over $100,000. Again, I refused to believe that this was a widespread problem, but I was wrong.
THR cited a study by the FBI saying that in 2024 alone, “Americans reported $672 million in losses to confidence and romance scams,” and elderly folks suffered the most, averaging $83,000 per victim. Even worse, those statistics do not include untold thousands of victims like the aforementioned 73-year-old divorcee who were too embarrassed to file a complaint. Other AI and social media-generated scams have included celebrities like Keanu Reeves, Dolly Parton, and Oprah Winfrey, in which victims were fooled into giving the criminals their bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and the passwords to access those accounts.
Scammers are Nothing New
In addition to the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission also keeps track of scams. Last year, the FTC filed 2.6 million fraud reports, representing a loss of $12.5 billion to victims. Of that amount, social media scams alone accounted for $1.9 billion. But scams also occur through phone calls, emails, texts, and the Internet.
Certainly, celebrity-related romance scams have garnered the most attention of late, but criminals are also making money from a host of other scams, including employment scams which target unemployed folks, have them fill out an application, then use their personal information to rob their bank and credit card accounts.
All of this is disturbing to be sure, but we shouldn’t be surprised because scammers have been around forever. They are like some sort of prehistoric insect that adapts to new environments in order to thrive. They have evolved by using whatever forum or technology was available to best suit their purpose. In the 19th century, so-called medicine men traveled around the Old West hawking bottles of snake oil, which supposedly cured all ills. Gullible townsfolk bought the concoction only to discover it was just cheap whiskey.
In later years, con men would pose as preachers and hold tent revivals where they fleeced money from patrons hoping to be healed. That evolved into televangelists who asked viewers to purchase a prayer cloth or special holy water if they wanted to be saved. And when email became a common way of communicating, the fraudsters pretended to be someone you know who is stranded overseas and needs money to get home. These indestructible creatures never give up and never stop coming up with new ways to scam us.
To date, some 400 celebrities have signed on to support the “No Fakes Act,” which, if passed by Congress, would protect their likeness and images from AI scams. Unfortunately, though, there’s not much that us common folks can do to outsmart scammers and fraudsters except to stay on guard and stay grounded in reality. A credit card company or bank that you have an account with is never going to call you out of the blue and ask for your information.
Kevin Costner is never going to meet you on social media and ask you for money. And no one you know is going to email you and ask you to immediately wire them funds so they can get home from Europe. There is only one foolproof way I know of that can protect you against every kind of scam in the world, and I’ll
be glad to share it with you if you mail me a cashier’s check for $2,000 c/o YES! Weekly. Sincerely, fake Jim. !
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+.
NCDOT TO HOLD PUBLIC UPDATE MEETING REGARDING THE PROPOSAL TO GRADE SEPARATE FRANKLIN BOULEVARD AND THE CLOSURE OF O’FERRELL STREET RAIL CROSSING IN GUILFORD COUNTY
STIP Project No. P-5709
GREENSBORO - The N.C. Department of Transportation is hosting a public update meeting on its proposed plan to grade separate Franklin Boulevard and the closure of O’Ferrell Street rail crossing in Guilford County. A grade separation means using a bridge to separate intersecting roads and/or railroads.
The purpose of the project is to remove existing at-grade railroad crossings, provide safety improvements, and improve passenger and freight rail operations along the Piedmont Corridor between Raleigh and Charlotte.
Project details and maps can be found on the NCDOT project web page publicinput. com/franklinblvd-greensboro. The information will be available at the meeting allowing for one-on-one discussions with engineers, but there will be no formal presentation.
The meeting will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on August 12 at Falkener Elementary School, 3931 Naco Road, in Greensboro
Comments received will be noted in the project record, but because the project has advanced beyond the preliminary design stage, no formal response or design revisions are required or expected.
People may also submit comments by phone at 512-580-8850 project code 5688, email franklinblvd-greensboro@publicinput.com, or mail at the address shown below.
By Mail: Christa Greene, PE
NCDOT Senior Rail Project Development Engineer 1553 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1553
NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled people who wish to participate in this meeting. Anyone requiring special services should contact Tony Gallagher, Environmental Analysis Unit, at 1598 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1598, 919-707-6069 or magallagher@ncdot.gov as early as possible so arrangements can be made.
Jim Longworth
[WEEKLY SUDOKU]
Hello, in Rio
Look after
Capture on film again
Laceration
Concerning past events
Single-person, as a band
Be incorrect
Writing a computer program based on a Grimm story?
With 67-Across, persona for Snoopy 26 Remove from a crate
Iowa’s tree
Plant plots
Wasps’ home
Diplomatic delegation headed for a meeting with Philippine president Ferdinand? 36 Cards used by psychics
Et — (and others)
Paris subway
Unintelligible message on a warning sign?
Wash. VIP
Started to cry, with “up”
Orig. copies
Sugar block
Occasionally
Signal light shaped like an abdominal organ?
— fire (ignited wood, say) 64 Caught up in — of lies
See 25-Across
Voice a view
Hoppy pub qua , in
Small group of child prodigies?
chaplain?
Vowel quintet
iPod variety
Win over
Have the same remorseful feelings that I’m having?
Healing sign
Canals
of PBS
Dietary extras given to eight answers in this puzzle?
Filmmaker DuVernay
Clarke of
Chow Down with John Batchelor at Empanada Grill
BY JOHN BATCHELOR
Rosa Melendez grew up in Puerto Rico, then lived in New York and Florida. She was a restaurant manager in Asheville before relocating to Greensboro. Laurie Conrad’s grandmother owned Casey’s Barbecue. They owned Firehouse Sub shops in Asheville and Hendersonville. In the Triad, they started out with a food truck, then graduated to the current location of Empanada Grill.
Jack Meeks, a GTCC culinary program graduate, is chef. The team’s goal is to reproduce the kinds of empanadas Melendez enjoyed growing up in Puerto Rico. I confess that I have no experience there for comparison, but to the extent I can judge, I think they have succeeded. I sure like what they are doing, anyway! The wine selections are well matched to the food. Most are from Spain, which provides a good opportunity for both quality and value. I enjoyed all that I tried.
Specialty co ees could come into play with morning meals. My columns primarily address dinners, but once in a while, I find something else worth mentioning to readers, and breakfast here is a case in point. On first taste of the Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Empanada, I immediately discerned fresh cooked egg and quality sausage pieces, undergirded by solid cheese flavor. It may surprise you, but there is such a thing as ultra-processed and chemically constructed egg. You have probably been eating slices of these things on salads in mass market restaurants. (Just take a moment and taste. If it’s hard to find egg flavor, be suspicious!)
Here, ingredients are real, local whenever possible. Beef, for example, comes from Summerfield Farm — grass fed, grass finished — and it just tastes better! The website lists other local partners. We tried Rock the Boat one evening for a starter. This consists of sliced sweet plantains covered with savory ground beef and drizzled with “house sauce” (mayonnaise-based with seasonings). Plantains look and taste kind of like bananas. This is an easy recommendation, and you could also have it as an entree. Other menu first courses include Fried Green Tomatoes and Fried Pickles. Of course, the “heart” of empanadas is
the exterior pastry crust. Here, that crust is delicious in its own right, as it should be, firm and flavorful. I had no problem with takeout, but I live fairly close by. The crust could soften a bit in travel, but reheating in the oven (NOT a microwave) will provide restoration.
Empanadas are about the size of your hand. Traditional Chicken Empanada is based on pulled chicken, moist and tender, sautéed with sliced bell peppers and onions, plus diced potatoes and olives.
Traditional Beef Empanada repeats this treatment with ground beef, seasoned with homemade sofrito consisting of fresh garlic, peppers and onions, olive oil, a little salt and pepper and Spanish seasonings. In each case, the flavor of the protein blends well with peppers and onions, for a hearty result.
In Cheese Empanada, that firm, crisp crust hosts mozzarella, provolone and cheddar cheeses, blended and melted. Imagine one of the best cheese sandwiches you’ve ever had, and add a little adventure in texture. Vegetable Empanada encloses red and green peppers, plus sliced onions and spinach. Vegetarian, so no meat, but no loss of flavor.
I noticed a couple of empanada creations that I have not had yet that nevertheless look interesting — Cheeseburger with cheddar cheese, pickles, mayon-
naise, and mustard; and Oxtail — looking forward to that one on another trip.
The menu is not limited to empanadas, however. I tried Pork Chops — you get two, a little less than a half inch thick, tender and tasty. They are marinated for 25-36 hours (as are the oxtail and Cuban empanada pork butt), with Spanish seasonings and a little kosher salt and pepper, plus fresh-squeezed citrus fruits. A Chargrilled Chicken plate is available, too.
Empanadas come with two sides. I can testify to the red beans, black beans, yellow rice, and house rice. The latter tosses gandules (Caribbean peas) in yellow rice. If you prefer, white rice is o ered, too. And the house chips earn special praiseuniformly crisp, not oversalted.
The menu includes several salads as well.
Multiple dessert o erings, from cookies and cake to cheesecake to churros, are tempting.
Jordan Nance is general manager, assisted by Kelsey Walker, Tyiania Simms Allen, and Terri Walker.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that this place takes reservations. There is a cozy seating area with tables and chairs as well as a couple of sofas. It’s a space highly conducive to socializing. And I would add that this is one of the
few places that actually pays attention to their online message system and responds to inquiries!
I will become a regular here for the empanadas. That has been one of my favorite casual dishes for a long time. And they do them really well here! !
JOHN BATCHELOR has been writing about eating and drinking since 1981. Over a thousand of his articles have been published. He is also author of two travel/cookbooks: Chefs of the Coast: Restaurants and Recipes from the North Carolina Coast, and Chefs of the Mountains: Restaurants and Recipes from Western North Carolina. Contact him at john.e.batchelor@gmail.com or see his blog, johnbatchelordiningandtravel.blogspot. com.
The Bard: Film on historic Black author being shot in Triad
On July 17, the Piedmont
Triad Film Commission put out a casting call for extras for the biographical historical film The Bard, scenes for which will be shot in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and elsewhere in the Triad.
The Bard is about poet George Moses Horton, the first Black man to write a book published in the United States, who spent most of his life in slavery near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Bard will be directed by Kevin Wilmott, Oscarwinning co-writer of Spike Lee’s 2018 film BlacKkKlansman.
Horton was not the first Black writer published in North America. Long Island poet Jupiter Hammond was published in New York broadsides and newspapers in 1761. In 1773, Phyllis Wheatley became the first African American author of a published book when her “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral” was printed in London, but it was not reprinted in America until after her death.
Horton was the first to publish his work in the South and the first to publicly protest being enslaved.
He was born on a tobacco plantation near Jackson, N.C., in the 1790s. While Wikipedia and a state historical marker list his birthdate as 1798, other records vary. Around 1800, the plantation owner moved to a farm in Chatham County near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In 1830, North Carolina outlawed teaching enslaved people to read or write. Black people breaking this law
were sentenced to a minimum of 30 lashes, and sometimes hanged for a second o ense. White violators received a fine of $100 and jail time. But Horton taught himself to read over a decade before that law passed. Around 1815, he began composing poems in his head. Although he was not yet able to write, he memorized his verse by saying it aloud.
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Around 1817, Horton began making the approximately 10-mile trip to Chapel Hill to sell produce for the white man the law considered his owner. He also sold his verse to UNC students, who paid him as much as 25 cents each to be taught poems to recite to young women they were courting.
In Chapel Hill, novelist and playwright Caroline Lee Hentz helped Horton learn to write. She then proved influential in getting his poem “Liberty” published in the Lancaster Gazette in 1828. Sometime in the 1830s, he married Martha Snipes, an enslaved Chatham County woman. Their wedding was technically illegal, as slave marriages were outlawed in both the Confederacy and the United States until the passage of the 13th Amendment. Other than the names of their children, Free and Rhody,
little is known about the family.
the family.
was
His first poetry collection, “The Hope of Liberty,” was published in Raleigh in 1829. He hoped to use earnings from the book to buy himself out of slavery and emigrate to Liberia, but it either did not make enough money or his publisher cheated him. His second book, “The Poetical Works of George M. Horton, the Colored Bard of North Carolina,” published in Hillsborough in 1845, only contains two brief neutral mentions of slavery, the miseries of which were described vividly in his first book. This indicates how dangerous it had become to express abolitionist sentiment in Southern publications. By the early 1830s, with a weekly income of at least $3 from his poetry, Horton purchased time from his “owner” and became a full-time poet, handyman, and servant at the university. Slaves in the Antebellum South could earn money to buy their time, and occasionally their freedom, through a system known as “self-hire.” Their enslavers allowed them to work for others while retaining a portion of their earnings. Horton bought his own time for the next three decades, while unsuc-
1829. He hoped to use earnings from the book to buy himself out of slavery and
Ian McDowell
Contributor
Kevin Wilmott
George Moses Horton
of Liberty,”
in
hot pour
[BARTENDER OF THE WEEK COMPILED BY NATALIE GARCIA]
NAME: Dex Hampton
BAR:
The Podium in High Point AGE: 51
WHERE ARE YOU FROM? Greensboro, N.C.
Check out videos on our Facebook!
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BARTENDING?
15 years
HOW DID YOU BECOME A BARTENDER?
I started out working private events. Eventually I met Sherry Jackson who asked me to join the team at Boston House of Jazz. From there I worked my way throughout places including The Flat Iron, High Point Bistro and so forth.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT BARTENDING?
Meeting people. That’s what this job is all about. Interaction. It’s more than a service; it’s a type of therapy for some.
WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF BARTENDING?
Sometimes you have to deal with patrons who aren’t having a good day. Keeping yourself focused and engaged while someone is acting irate is di cult! Then having coworkers who don’t work together as a team can put a strain on you.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO MAKE?
WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND AS AN AFTER-DINNER DRINK?
Smoked old fashioned or a gin and tonic with a fresh lemon wedge.
WHAT’S THE STRANGEST DRINK REQUEST YOU’VE HAD? Straight absinthe.
Pineapple upside down cake drink.
WHAT’S THE CRAZIEST THING YOU’VE SEEN WHILE BARTENDING?
I once made a lady a drink and right after she took a sip, she turned to the guy next to her and kissed him saying, “this is the best drink I’ve ever had!”
WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST THING YOU’VE FOUND IN A BAR BATHROOM? Ladies underwear in the men’s bathroom.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO DRINK?
Always depends on my mood, but I’ll always love a smoked old fashioned.
WHAT’S THE BEST/BIGGEST TIP YOU’VE EVER GOTTEN?
$200
WANNA BE FEATURED IN HOT POUR?
Email Natalie Garcia at natalie@yesweekly.com and ask about being our Bartender of the Week!
by Natalie Garcia
Dog daze: N.C.’s August music agenda
We’re in the dog days of summer, where the days are hot and the shows are hotter. Let’s jump right into the real cool concert festivals going down around North Carolina in August.
The 5th annual Alkaline Festival,Yadkinville, Aug. 1-3
Starting fresh with a festival created by the refreshing Terence Walker (of Live Alkaline Water), the Alkaline Festival integrates art, community, and education into an outdoor, overnight weekend experience celebrating health and wellness. Nestled in the heart of Yadkinville, the 50-acre grounds support an array of events highlighting food and local agriculture, complete with camping, trail hiking, and performances. T. Walker, Troya, Africa Unplugged, Apostle T.B. Walker, Flower In Bloom, Alter Egos Band, Kam Doja, Eugenuis, and Soglo o er a sample of live entertainment; along with activities like yoga, fireside comedy, and wellness workshops. “Bring your kids, nieces, nephews, and loved ones. We’re looking forward to hosting everyone and sharing in this grand transformational experience,” organizers said. “Featuring entertainment and vendors that not only draw people in but align with our mission.”
Fly Around Music and Arts Festival, Lansing, Aug. 1-2
A mission toward wellbeing through music is echoed at the inaugural Fly Around Festival, benefitting Ashe County Recovery and Resilience. “We’re hosting this event to celebrate Appalachia’s natural beauty and rich musical traditions while raising funds to support the recovery from the historic floods from Hurricane Helene.”
Nathan Salsburg, Joan Shelly, Myriam Gendron, Magic Tuber Stringband, and Trevor McKenzie and Steve Kruger among the lineup for the weekend of walkable performance sites around downtown
Lansing; with Saturday’s event taking place at the WPA era Lansing School campus, now managed by Lost Province Center for Cultural Arts, an organization committed to the restoration of historic school buildings and Southern Appalachian culture that has been integral to Lansing and Ashe County recovery e orts in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
The North Carolina State Bluegrass Festival, Cherokee, Aug. 13-16
Hurricane Helene continues reshaping North Carolina life and traditions — especially in the bluegrass world — with remaining hurricane damage forcing the 50th annual North Carolina State Bluegrass Festival to find a new temporary home at Happy Holidays Campground in Cherokee. Historically held in Marion, “the dates are the same and the bands are the same; just the location is changing.” Kicking o with a covered-dish preparty for earlybird campers and a Hank Williams tribute concert from the Lovesick Drifters, the festival o ers a full weekend of pickin’, grinnin’, and performances by Malpass Brothers, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Tennessee Bluegrass Band, Edgar Loudermilk Band, Country Grass, Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, and more.
Hemlockfest Fest, Sanford, Aug. 16-17
In Sanford, the heavier ends of indie rock, hardcore, and metal will come together to raise funds for Musicians for Overdose Prevention, to provide life-saving Naloxone to as many music venues as possible.
Hosted by the southern rockers in Hemlock Theory, the two-day a air will return to the Mann Center of North Carolina for its second-year, with a lineup featuring: Busted Radio, Dit, Linechalk, Icarus Airline, Impulse Machine, Pnltybx, J Clean, Dominic Kash, Dirtbag, Shindig, When the Rain Gathers, Solar Illusion, and Pageant.
The Big What?, Pittsboro, Aug. 21-23
Big Something’s 11th annual Big What? will return to Shakori Hills for “three nights of music, art, camping, love and mystery,” with theme-parties, costumes, woodland shenanigans, workshops, and music from the crème de la crème of
Triad jamsters and songwriters like Victoria Victoria, The Mantras, and the Sam Fribush Trio. Plus a choice selection of national and NC artists like Andy Frasco and the U.N., Susto, New Dawn Starkestra featuring Rebekah Todd, Je Sipe and Isaac Hadden, William Hinson, Hunter McBride, Natalie Brooke, and more.
Earl Scruggs Music Festival, Mill Spring, Aug. 28-31
Now in its fourth year, the massive Earl Scruggs Music Festival returns across several stages at Tryon International Equestrian Center.
As collaboration between the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby and WNCW FM at Isothermal Community College in Rutherfordton, the weekend festival will celebrate Scrugg’s life and work through performances from artists like The Wood Brothers, The War and Treaty, Alison Krauss, Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, Holler Choir, Town Mountain, Fireside Collective, Alison de Groot and Tatiana Hargreaves, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Del McCoury Band, Watchhouse, Reedy River String Band, and many more.
Camp Springs Labor Day Bluegrass Festival, Elon, Aug. 28-30
For more downhome pluckin’, folks can head to Camp Springs Blue Grass Park for a weekend of titular tunes from pickers like Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, Ralph Stanley II, The Biscuit Eaters, Cutter and Cash, Ashleigh Graham, Mountain Highway, Lonesome River Band, Possum Zombies, and more.
Boomtown Fest AVL — Asheville, Aug. 29-31
Celebrating Asheville’s history as a boomtown and present as a creative hub, the eclectic festival features music in tandem with walking tours, and activities exploring the city’s “architectural marvels, pioneering figures and stories of resilience,” organizers explained.
“The mission is to revive sustainable ecosystems in our communities by promoting, preserving, perpetuating, and encouraging the arts, culture, and heritage of WNC through programs and other cultural, educational, civic, and economic activities that connect people throughout the region.”
Free with registration, Pack Square
Park will host performances from artists like Papadosio, the Asheville Symphony, Toubab Krewe and Friends, Caitlin Krisko and The Broadcast, Coconut Cake, Empire Strikes Brass, Hustle Souls, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, and more. Meanwhile, the Orange Peel will run into the evenings with Gramatik, SuperNicer, Cobrayama, Dirtwire, Will Evans, and DJ Bowie.
ProgDay, Chapel Hill, Aug.30-31
Meanwhile, the “world’s longest running Progressive Rock Festival” will return to Storybook Farm for the 30th annual ProgDay, featuring music from Inner Ear Brigade, Mono Means One, Nospun, The Twenty Committee, Woodenhead, and more.
John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival, High Point, Aug.30-31
In the Triad, the Friends of John Coltrane will host the 14th annual edition of their Labor Day jazz fest in Oak Hollow Festival Park. Snarky Puppy, Meshell Ndegeocello, Neena Freelon, and the N.C. All-Star Band (led by Bassist John Brown, with vocalist Jose James) are a few of the weekend’s performers that will honor the spirit of Coltrane’s “groundbreaking influence on jazz, blues, R&B, rock, and hip-hop.”
Raleighwood Festival, Raleigh, Aug. 30
Expanding on that influence, Raleigh rapper and creative, LesTheGenius, will host the second round of his Raleighwood Festival with headliner Jordan Ward and a heavily “Carolina-bred lineup,” featuring DJ Ricky Ricardo, Sonny Miles, Maasho, Cyanca, Reuben Vincent, Flower In Bloom, Justomobbin, and more; along with a curated vendor market, carnival games, photo booths, food, and interactive arts.
Heading into September, summer swans will start singing with Hopscotch and the N.C. Folk Fest among the festival bounty right around the corner. But for now, it’s time to run with these dog days and dance into the hot summer night around North Carolina. !
KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who enjoys spotlighting artists and events.
Katei Cranford
Contributor
How sweet it is
BY NORMA B. DENNIS | ndworddesign@gmail.com
Beekeeper Stoney Berry lives in Jamestown, but his bees, however, spend most of their time at a secure location at the Sandy Ridge Farmers’ Market. It is there they have access to a variety of wildflowers used to produce flavorful wildflower honey, especially good to sweeten co ee or other drinks.
For approximately four-five weeks out of each year, Berry transports his hives to North Wilkesboro, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where the bees gather nectar to create sourwood honey, a buttery tasting honey that is Berry’s favorite. Sourwood honey is predominately produced from the white flowers of the sourwood tree.
Timing is key to collecting this honey. When the trees start to bloom, very little other nectar sources are available so bees in nearby boxes visit the sourwood blossoms.
Berry has equipment to extract the honey from the comb, but occasionally
sells it with the comb included. Greg Pittman, owner of Kindred Co ee in Jamestown, sells Berry’s honey and Berry also sells it at the farmers’ market where he works.
Starting with one hive, Berry now has a total of 150, which he recently relocated from North Wilkesboro back to Sandy Ridge. He brings them closer to home in mid-July when the sourwood trees are no longer blooming and where he can better care for them.
“You have to treat them for mites to be sure they are healthy and feed them light syrup every couple of weeks when flowers are waning and a thicker syrup during the winter,” Berry explained.
“The bee colonies die down some in winter and right before Christmas start laying more eggs. The bees know what to do with the seasons,” he added. Berry “robs” his hives twice a year. He uses a smoker to calm the bees before pulling the supers filled with honey from the boxes. He occasionally wears protective gear when working with the bees, noting it depends on their attitudes.
“The bees are gentler in the spring,” he said. “There is more out there for them and they are not as ‘hangry.’”
Although his grandfather had bees, he died when Berry was young so he did not learn much about bees from him.
“But I thought a lot about raising them and one day about 10 years ago I just did it,” said Berry, whose company name is Elevated Apiary.
He learned much about beekeeping from watching YouTube videos and listening to podcasts. He also took beginner classes about it at the Guilford County Agricultural Center in Greensboro.
Beekeeper Stoney Berry sells honey from his bees at Kindred Co ee in Jamestown and at the Sandy Ridge Farmers’ Market.
There are a lot of variables in beekeeping including allowing new queen bees to form to create a new hive. It depends on what the larvae are feed whether or not they become queens.
“I have a calendar to keep up with the process so I can manipulate the hives,” Berry said. “I take larvae of my choosing and put them into a hive with young bees to feed them. Then just let them do
their thing. I keep a check to separate them so one queen will not kill all the others.
“Queen bees may also be purchased from other beekeepers or suppliers.”
Berry has acquired some new hives from people who wanted him to collect a swarm from their property.
“I have taken them from porch columns and walls, but the weirdest place was from a piece of equipment at a machine company,” Berry said. “If you can locate the queen and put her in a box the other bees will follow her.”
Berry is a member of the Guilford County Beekeepers Association, which holds meetings on the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Guilford County Cooperative Extension, 3309 Burlington Road, Greensboro.
Call 336-641-2404 to learn when beginner beekeeping classes are held or for more information about the Guilford County Beekeepers Association.
“I would like to see more young people take an interest in beekeeping,” Berry said. !
BEE informed: Facts about bees and beekeeping
• Apiary is a place where bees are kept, a collection of beehives, especially for their honey.
• Honeybees are not domesticated.
• Honeybees are social insects, living in a cluster of individuals that function as a single entity.
• The queen bee is a fertilized female capable of laying a thousand or more eggs per day. Worker bees are females equipped with a venomous sting. Drones are male bees.
• Bees collect nectar, which is used to create honey and they also are instrumental in pollenating plants.
• If a colony of bees becomes crowded the queen will leave taking with her some of the worker bees. The first queen to emerge in the original hive destroys the other queen bees.
• A queen can live up to five years.
Worker bees live about six weeks. Drones, male bees, usually live a few weeks.
• Honey is marketed in di erent forms: liquid, comb and creamed. Some honeys are sold by floral type named for the predominant flowers
visited by the bees when they accumulated the nectar.
• Some 90 crops grown in the United States alone are dependent on insect pollination, performed primarily by the honeybee.
• If stung by a bee, the stinger should be scraped loose at once using a flat edge, rather than grasped and pulled out. Scraping across the stinger prevents the venom sack from releasing more venom down into the sting.
Occasionally, acute allergic reactions develop from a sting, usually with persons who have other allergic problems. If you have severe allergy symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.
• Honeybees have diseases as well as enemies including toads, lizards, birds, mice, skunks and bears.
• According to BestMadHoney, North Carolina ranks 16th among America’s bee conservation hotspots. Oregon claims the top spot as the most bee-friendly state with Vermont and Washington second and third respectively. !
Photo by Norma B. Dennis
CARBORRO
CAT’S CRADLE
300 E Main St | 919.967.9053
www.catscradle.com
Aug 2: Dissimilar South, AnneClaire Cleaver
Aug 3: GrrrlBands Showcase
Aug 8: Chris Stamey
Aug 8: The Church THE SINGLES
CHARLOTTE
BOJANGLES COLISEUM
2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600 www.boplex.com
Jul 31: Vince Gill
Aug 2: Louis CK
Aug 12-17: The Book of Mormon
Aug 22: Travis Tritt
Aug 23: Beres Hammond & Friends
Visit
Aug 7: Couldn’t Be Happiers, Mandi Strachota Submissions
HOME GROWN MUSIC SCENE | Compiled by Shane Hart
THE FILLMORE
1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970
www.livenation.com
Jul 30: We Came As Romans
Jul 30: Descendents
Aug 1: The Broken Hearts
Aug 2: Molly Santana
Aug 2: Trap Karaoke
Aug 3: Lovesong — The Cure Tribute
Aug 7: Peyton Vs. Cam World Tour
Aug 8: Blind Melon
PNC MUSIC PAVILION
707 Pavilion Blvd | 704.549.1292
www.livenation.com
Aug 1: Thomas Rhett, Tucker Wetmore & Dasha
Aug 2: AJR & Valley
Aug 5: Kesha & Scissor Sisters
Aug 6: Volbeat, Halestorm & The Ghost Inside
Aug 8: Neil Young
Aug 9: Dierks Bentley, Zach Top & The Band Loula
CLEMMONS
VILLAGE SQUARE TAP HOUSE
6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330
www.facebook.com/vstaphouse
Jul 31: Brooke McBride
Aug 1: Whiskey Mic
Aug 2: Level X!!!
Aug 7: Anna Mertson
Aug 8: Astrocat
GREENSBORO COMEDY ZONE
1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034 www.thecomedyzone.com
Aug 1-2: Jessimae Peluso
Aug 8-9: Dave Landau
Aug 9: Mike Goodwin
FLAT IRON
221 Summit Ave | 336.501.3967
www.flatirongso.com
Jul 31: Abe Partridge, Jack Barksdale
Aug 1: Mostly Mesh, Violent Institution, +Sex is Violence
Aug 2: Pony Bradshaw, Jesse Fox
Aug 5: RR Williams, Ryan Lockhart and Nathan James Hall
GARAGE TAVERN
5211 A West Market St | 336.763.2020
www.facebook.com/GarageTavernGreensboro
Aug 1: Hwy 42 Band
Aug 2: Radio Revolver
Aug 3: Buddy Ro GRAPES & GRAINS
2001 Yanceyville St | 336.601.9292 www.grapesandgrainstavern.com
Aug 1: Beach Music Party with DJ John
Aug 2: Mike Coia
Aug 8: The Alchemist Band
HANGAR 1819
1819 Spring Garden St | 336.579.6480 www.hangar1819.com
Aug 1: Violent Vira w/ Rehash
Aug 9: Ocean Sleeper
com/
Aug 1: City Luv
Aug 2: Throwdown Jones
Tuesdays: Trivia
Aug 1: Habitat Aug 8: Elusive Groove FOOTHILLS BREWING
638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348 www.foothillsbrewing.com
Sundays: Sunday Jazz
Thursdays: Trivia
Jul 30: The Robertson Boys
THE RAMKAT
170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714
www.theramkat.com
Aug 1: Professor Twang and the Honky Tonk Review
Aug 3: Asleep at the Wheel, The Shootouts
[SALOME’S STARS]
Week of August 4, 2025
[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Relationships continue to thrive, but watch for any telltale signs of potential problems. Take the necessary action now to set things straight before they become troublesome later.
[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Your powers of persuasion backed up, of course, by your considerable expertise help you establish your case even to the most dubious decision-makers in your workplace.
[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) You might still be a bit reluctant to face up to some less-than-pleasant realities. But the sooner you accept the facts, the sooner you can set about making some needed changes.
[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Expect to make adjustments, even where things seem locked up and ready to go. But cheer up! At least one change could lead to something you’ve been hoping for.
[LEO (July 23 to August 22) The success of a recent project should do a lot to boost your self-confidence. You might want to start now to check out ways to make a longdeferred bigger and bolder move.
[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Ease up on the pressure you might be putting on the new person in your life. It takes time for a budding relationship to blossom. Show more patience and understanding.
[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) You have lots of inner strength in your reserve. Use some of it to resist intimidation
from those who might try to impose on your good nature for their own reasons.
[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) The good news is that your on-the-job status is improving. One cautionary note, however, involves a personal situation that you might have been ignoring for too long.
[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Congratulations! Once again, your sharp Sagittarian “horse sense” helps you work through a complicated situation that would leave most people confused.
[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Plan on indulging yourself in some well-earned good times through much of the week. Then be prepared to face some thought-provoking issues by next week.
[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Positive factors continue to dominate following a recent change in both your professional and personal lives. Expect to make contact with someone from your past.
[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Workplace stability allows you to continue making progress on your projects. But don’t ignore your personal life. Spend more quality time with your loved ones.
[BORN THIS WEEK: You have a gift for making people feel special. Maybe because you know how unique you are and what you can o er others.
