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        With the Dogwood Festival just behind us, there has been a lot of opportunity to soak up free music — largely of the pop genre. If your ear is a bit more discerning, you might want to check out The Fayetteville Symphonic Band’s performance at Reeves Auditorium on the campus of Methodist University, May 1 at 7:30 p.m.
        “Symphonic” is kind of a scary word that can be a little intimidating. Not to worry. A symphonic band is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the w family, b family and p family. Its various repertoires include original wind c and arranged c items. The Fayetteville Symphonic Band exists to pursue quality band literature with community members who are interested in the same thing. The life-long instrumentalist has a place to perform great band music with this community minded group. The group had been on and off for a period of time until it met Director Jonathan Andrews. He resurrected the band two years ago, and since that time, the band has solidly picked up steam.
        The evening will offer a delightful variety of musical compositions. Dr. Larry Wells, assistant director of the FSB, calls the selections a “Smorgasbord.”
        “We will feature everything from older turn of the century music from the British Isles to traditional March music,” he said.
        There is no set theme to these concerts, which is why the FSB is excited to feature The Methodist University Chorale in conjunction with its musical selections. The Methodist University Chorale is a select group of individuals chosen for their personality, moral character and leadership qualities, as well as for their exceptional talent in music. Wells would like to see a large turnout for the evening.
        “This is our final performance of the season, we’ve gained a lot of talented players, and the band is doing phenomenally,” he said.  “We expect next year to be even better.”
        The event is free and open to the public.
        If you’d like more information about the FSB, either in regard to this specific performance, or if you are interested in joining the band, please contact Dr. Larry Wells at 910.630.7602 or at lwells@methodist.edu. You can also visit the Web site at www.fayettevillecommunityband.org.

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        In the coming weeks if you’re walking through town and you see a lot of teenagers sporting "I agree with Jeffy" T-shirts, don’t be afraid to ask them about it. That’s what the shirts are designed to do — to get people asking questions, to get people talking.
        The "I agree with Jeffy" campaign is the brainchild of area youth pastors in response to the many confusing messages today’s youth are bombarded with.
        America’s youth are inundated with all kinds of messages. They get them from the media, from the entertainment world and from their peers, explained John McIntyre, the youth pastor at Manna Church.             These messages are often confusing, leaving teens wondering exactly who it is they are supposed to be and what it is they are supposed to do. Even the messages they receive from religious organizations can get confusing. McIntyre, along with a number of youth pastors from area churches decided after much prayer that it was time to do something about that — so they started the "I agree with Jeffy" campaign.
        "We have been talking about doing something to send a strong signal to the younger generation that the church is not divided," said McIntyre. "We want them to see that there are so many things that are central to our faith."
        That idea has formed into a major youth event on Friday, May 2, on the campus of Fayetteville Technical Community College. Called “One Night. One City. One God,” the event is not a festival. It is also not the typical youth event with skits and drama. It is a night dedicated to worship and prayer — with the emphasis on prayer.
        {mosimage}McIntyre said that by putting forth the core central beliefs of the church the young people can see the common ground they have with other people.
        "We are letting these young people see they really are the silent majority," he said
        The Jeffy campaign is central to the event.
        "It’s really a grass roots type of movement in public schools," explained McIntyre.
        Students can wear the Jeffy shirts and then can recognize that there are other Christians around them who they were unaware of. The shirts can also start discussions and lead to questions from others.             McIntyre said those questions will give youth the opportunity to share their faith.
        "We’re not talking about shoving anything down someone’s throat," he said. "It’s simply the start of a discussion on belief."
        Getting to the heart of those central beliefs is a big part of the Friday night event. It is expected that more than 1,000 teens will turn out for the night of worship and prayer.
        "We (the youth pastors) were talking about what could happen if these teens could catch a glimpse of how many of them there are. They are not outnumbered. They get battered by the media and by others who don’t share their beliefs," he continued. "It’s easy for them to get discouraged in their faith. This event is designed to encourage them to take a stand — to gather strength in seeing how many they are."
        McIntyre explained that many of the youth groups in the core churches involved in organizing the event have been praying for quite a while for the event. Some have even been involved in a 21-day "Daniel Fast" to prepare their hearts and minds for the night. The Daniel Fast is based on the Biblical story of Daniel, a young Jewish man taken into captivity. He and three of his friends refused the king’s food, and instead asked to eat only that which was in keeping with their religious beliefs. Their request and their actions were in keeping with their commitment to God. The fast itself requires the eating of fruits and vegetables and the elimination of processed foods, sugars and meats from the diet. It also calls for dedicated prayer.
        Throughout the evening, youth groups will lead the attendees in praise and worship, and then groups will break off into small groups for directed prayer on issues surrounding teens, families and communities.
    All area youth groups, and those not involved in youth groups or churches, are invited to attend. The event begins at 6 p.m. and is expected to end at 9 p.m. For more information, visit the Web site wjeffy.com.

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        There was some fiery debate at the April 21 meeting of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners over a Sandy Creek Road man’s attempt to seek a conditional-use permit to expand the crematorium on his property.
        Neighbors expressed concerns about the crematorium owned by David Campbell, 6771 Sandy Creek Road, saying the crematorium spews toxic gasses; they were seeking not only to have the conditional-use permit denied, but have the crematorium removed from the property.
    Cape Fear Crematorium has been located on Campbell’s property since 1992, and at the time it was built there was no zoning for that part of the county.
        Neighbors Preston and Margarette Dunn, who have lived adjacent to Campbell since 1972, opposed the expansion, citing the toxicity of chemicals expelled in the burning of human bodies, such as dioxin and mercury.
        At a previous meeting of the Cumberland County Planning Board, which approved the expansion request by Campbell, Margarette Dunn said, “This is the first opportunity that we have had to object to this crematorium or accept it because there was no zoning when it was built. Our land values have fallen and our potential for development has decreased because of these potential emissions. The mercury is a serious issue with residents and children.”
        James McLean III, the attorney representing the Dunns, concentrated on the presence of dioxin, saying it was a major ingredient in Agent Orange, a Vietnam War-era defoliant that was later proven to cause many health problems in veterans, including cancer.
        Neil Yarborough, attorney for Campbell, countered, "This is the first time I’ve ever heard anything about any Agent Orange."
        Yarborough said the crematorium has been inspected and found to be in compliance with rules and regulations put forth by the North Carolina Crematory Authority, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
        Representatives from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources told the commissioners that the crematorium has been inspected as recently as December due a complaint the agency received, and the crematorium was found to be in compliance.
        These same representatives said that the Environmental Protection Agency no longer monitors the output of crematoriums because they are not considered a danger to the community.
        "As far as poisons go," said Yarborough, "this is an agricultural area with turkey farms and where many toxic chemicals are used. Environmentally, the crematorium is safer than a lot of what surrounds it.
        "Mr. Campbell wants to install a newer, more efficient furnace that will reduce emissions even further," added Yarborough.
        After much debate, the Dunns agreed to withdraw their opposition to the conditional-use permit if Campbell promised not to build a second crematorium on his property.
        Campbell agreed and the conditional-use permit request was passed 6-1, with Commissioner John Henley the only negative vote. Henley voted no after his motion for more stringent language in the conditional-use permit died due to lack of a second.

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        Last year at this time, people were looking at the skies and hoping for rain. Gardeners, who lovingly tend their flowers, painstakingly watered their plants just hoping for the blooms. We don’t have that problem this year, as the old saying ‘April showers bring May flowers’ will ring true when the Public Works Commission of Fayetteville and the Junior League of Fayetteville present a May Day Celebration on Sunday, May 4, from 1-4 p.m. at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden.
        "May Day is a celebration of spring and the Earth," said Angela Dennis, development officer of Cape Fear Botanical Garden. "Our focus is on the environment, recycling and the importance of certain things in the environment."
    May Day is a popular event that has been celebrated for thousands of years throughout diverse cultures.
        The educational activities, which will take place throughout the garden, entail making May baskets, headbands, soil painting, face painting, pony rides, carriage rides, dancing around the Maypole, jumping castle, bubble activity, Polaroid picture cards, birding activity, rain sticks and other nature-related activities. The Maypole is the most familiar feature of May festivities. Children perform dances around the pole, weaving ribbons in and out to create a striking pattern.
        {mosimage}"One of the highlights of the event is our milk carton flotilla,” said Dennis.  “This activity teaches kids about the importance of recycling."
        Dennis said the kids will construct boats out of milk cartons, decorate them and launch their milk cartons in the Botanical Garden’s Pond.
        The Dogwood Queens will be on hand to paint the children’s faces. Dr. Waddle will be on site with a variety of snakes for the kids to play with and learn about."
        Local firemen will bring the fire truck and discuss fire safety with the children. The Fayetteville Mounted Police will use the festival as an opportunity to teach the children not only about safety, but also about the care of the animals who are their partners.
        "Kids will learn a lot about nature through these activities," said Dennis. "Everyone plays an important role in taking care of our Earth."
        Food and drinks will also be available for sale. The Boy Scouts will sell hot dogs in order to raise funds for their troop. There will be a bike raffle to encourage children to play outdoors, exercise and stay active.  
        "We encourage people to come early so they can enjoy all of the activities," said Dennis. "This family oriented event has always been a community favorite."
        Admission is free and the public is invited. The event will take place rain or shine. For more information, call 486-0221.       

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        For those of you who only associate the Army and music with Reveille or The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy From Company C, prepare to have your minds blown and your horizons expanded by the Jazz Ambassadors when they play the Crown Theater on May 1.
        The Jazz Ambassadors are an elite, 19-piece touring jazz orchestra representing the United States Army that plays a wide variety of music: big band, swing, bebop, Latin, military anthems and marches, jazz standards and patriotic standards.
        {mosimage}The Jazz Ambassadors are the Special Forces of the military music set, with rigorous requirements almost on a par with their Green Beret brethren.
        "We’re not like typical military bands," said Sgt. 1st Class David Bullman, the Jazz Ambassadors’ tour coordinator. "You can’t ‘just join.’ First, we have to have an opening, then you have to send us an audition tape. If your tape is better than everyone else’s, then we’ll call you in for an audition.
        "You’ll play for us and if we like you, we’ll send you to an Army recruiter and you’ll go through everything else a regular recruit does, including basic training," Bullman said.
        Members accepted into the Jazz Ambassadors are automatically assigned a rank of E6.
        Bullman says all members of the orchestra have advanced music backgrounds and many are former music teachers, with all having been tutored in the discipline of jazz.
        A typical set list for the Jazz Ambassadors includes songs such as Duke Ellington’s Rockin’ in Rhythm,       Rodgers and Harts’ Blue Moon, and the traditional torch song, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.
    Other artists covered by the band include Leonard Bernstein, Irving Berlin and even pop chanteuse Cyndi Lauper.
        The band also performs its own compositions.
        "We have several members who have written and scored music," said Bullman. "So we like to play some of their original pieces."
        The band has appeared in all 50 states, plus Canada, Mexico, Japan, India and throughout Europe. Typically, the band will play around 100 gigs a year. When not playing in theaters and civic centers and coliseums, the Jazz Ambassadors entertain high school kids.
        Bullman says the Jazz Ambassadors’ popularity is "amazing."
        "You wouldn’t believe all the e-mails we get from appreciative fans," said Bullman. "People are especially complimentary of our patriotic songs; many simply can’t believe soldiers can play with the high level of musicianship this band does."
        Instruments played by the Jazz Ambassadors include trumpet, trombone, guitar, drums, saxophone, bass and piano.
        Vocals are provided by Master Sgt. Marva Lewis.
        "Our vocalist, Lewis, and drummer (Staff Sgt. Todd Harrison) seem to be our most popular performers," said Bullman.
        As an example of the sort of musical background found among the members of the Jazz Ambassadors, Lewis served as principle vocalist for the Jazz Knights at the United States Military Academy, the Soldier Show and the Wiley College A Cappella Choir.
        Harrison has performed professionally for more than 22 years with greats such as Kirk Whalum, Bill Watrous, Marvin Stamm, Clark Terry and Paul Gilbert. Harrison studied composition at San Jacinto Junior College and percussion performance at Houston Baptist University.
        "I promise a great show for everyone who comes," said Bullman.
        And you can’t beat the price: the concert starts at 7:30 p.m. and is free to the public.


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    This co-worker guy, who I hardly know, has been stalking me at work. I don’t want to cause trouble for him, but...he’s creepy. He’s been asking co-workers about me and finding me on my breaks. Today, as I was leaving for lunch, he said, “I haven’t stopped thinking about you.” The hairs on my neck stood up. The shower music from Psycho came into my head!! I (like an idiot) said, “Shoot me an e-mail.” (I don’t have the guts to tell him, “Screw off, you ugly, creepy, uh, expletive.”) Of course, he e-mails me č inviting me to lunch or dinner, saying he wants to get to know me better. Since I love your “tact,” I’d love to respond using your words. Something that says: 1. You’re creepy. 2. You obviously live with your mother. 3. Never in your lifetime. 

    --The Hunted


    Alfred Hitchcock might’ve retired to some sleepy town in England after a career as an elementary school filmstrip operator č save for his wise decisions while directing “Psycho.” Imagine Hitch weighing the dramatic possibilities: “Let’s see, shall we have a shadowy figure slipping into a motel bathroom, opening the shower curtain and raising a big knife to stab a terrified naked woman č or should some lad drop in at the woman’s office to tell her ‘I haven’t stopped thinking about you’ as a lead-up to asking when she might be free for lunch?”

    Come on, a guy at work gives you reason to believe he has a crush on you and the shower music from “Psycho” comes into your head? When you see sheep nibbling on grass in a pasture, do you hear the theme from Jaws? Your complaint that this guy is “stalking” you reminds me of the old joke: It’s only sexual harassment when the guy asking you out is ugly, broke and works in the mailroom. Actual stalking is a willful and malicious form of intimidation č persistent, unwanted pursuit after the pursuer has been informed that his or her attentions are unwanted. Stalkingvictims.com reports that most U.S. states define stalking as behavior that would instill fear in a reasonable person. Sorry, but what are you afraid of, getting cooties by association? The stench of loserhood lingering in your hair? 

    You take the post-modern approach to saying no, ditching “No means no” for “’Shoot me an e-mail’ means no.” Unfortunately, most people, including Dorky Boy, are probably working off the old definition. To make matters worse, if a guy really likes you, when one door fails to close, another 10 doors open. So, while you’re waiting for him to read your mind about what a “creepy, uh, expletive” you think he is, he’s probably laying out his dinner clothes, researching fine wine and wondering whether you should name the children after his late grandma or yours. 

    It didn’t have to get to this point. All you had to do was be kind enough to say something the first time he expressed interest č nothing cutting about his looks or living arrangements č just “Thanks for asking, but I’m not interested.” You might also try squeezing out a little respect for guys who get up the nerve to go after what they want č especially as a girl who doesn’t have the guts to speak up about what she doesn’t. If you “No, thanks!” a guy a few times, and he fails to back off, sure, call for reinforcements. Until then, do your best to avoid crying wolf while being pursued down the halls of your office by a quivering, three-legged Chihuahua.


    Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA╩ 90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com)

    (c)2008, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.

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    Lawyer confidentiality rules kept one man improperly on death row for 10 years and a probably innocent man in prison for 26, according to news that surfaced in January (in Virginia) and March (in Illinois). Daryl Atkins (sentenced to death in 1997) was the victim of probable prosecutorial misconduct, according to his co-defendant’s lawyer, Leslie Smith, who said he witnessed the misconduct but could not report it because a lesser sentence for Atkins would have exposed his own client to greater punishment. In Illinois, Alton Logan was convicted of a murder during a 1982 robbery. However, shortly afterward, Andrew Wilson admitted to his lawyers that he was the murderer, but bar association rules prohibited them from revealing that. When Wilson died in 2007, the lawyers went public, and Logan’s case has been re-opened. 


    The Aristocrats! 

    Mayor Art Madrid of La Mesa, Calif., apologized in February for an incident the week before when police found him, along with a female city employee, passed out about 10:30 p.m. Madrid was lying on the sidewalk near an SUV; the woman was in the driver’s seat with her legs sticking out the open door; and vomit littered the area. 

    A patient reporting for an appointment with dentist Norman Rubin in Smithtown, N.Y., in March told the New York Post that Rubin was in the otherwise-empty office, passed out, drooling, with a gas mask on his face. (Rubin later told the Post, in defense, that it was, after all, his lunch hour.) 


    Family Values 

    Sheila and Paul Garcia of Northfleet, England, acknowledged to London’s Daily Mail in February that they invited their 16-year-old daughter’s boyfriend to come live with her in her bedroom, despite the fact that he is 36 and divorced, with one child. The parents said they weren’t thrilled with the situation, but that it was preferable to the daughter’s running away with the man. 

    Cutting-Edge Parenting: Sheriff’s deputies in the Orlando area were on the lookout in March for two women who, according to surveillance video from the Magical Car Wash, had pulled into a stall and deposited coins but then proceeded only to scold and then pressure-wash a small child. 

    Aron Pritchard, 27, was convicted of child endangerment in March in Hutchinson, Kan., after a jury declined to accept his explanation for his girlfriend’s kids, age 2 and 3, being burned in a hot clothes dryer. Pritchard said he was just trying to show them they could have fun without necessarily spending money. 


    Least Competent Criminals 

    Not Ready for Prime Time: Two boys, 12 and 14, were quickly arrested in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in March when they tried to rob a woman who was working at a counter behind protective glass in an office, by picking up the convenience phone and threatening her, implying that they had a gun. The woman was in no danger because of the protective glass, but besides that, the place they had chosen for the hit was a regional office of the Port St. Lucie police department. 

    Donald Baker, 51, was re-arrested in March in Peterborough, Ontario, when he called the police department to request a wake-up call for his court appearance the next morning; amazed at his audacity, police ran a records check and found an additional arrest warrant on him. 


    COPYRIGHT 2008 CHUCK SHEPHERD   

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    {mosimage}NASCAR races for three consecutive Saturday nights in May, beginning this weekend in Richmond, Va., when Crown Royal presents the Dan Lowry 400. 

    Always an exciting place to watch a race, Richmond International Raceway produces some of the best racing anywhere. Measuring three-quarters of a mile in length, the track is short enough for the drivers to do plenty of beating and banging, yet wide enough for drivers to race different paths all the way around. The result is a short track with superspeedway characteristics. Schedule the race on a Saturday night and you’ve got all the ingredients for some of the best action of the season.

    Jeff Burton continues to do what he has to do to stay on top of the point standings. His three top-five finishes and six top 10’s, along with his win at Bristol have all the other competitors looking up at the wiley veteran. The fact that he is squeaky clean and has the best-looking wife of any driver makes Burton a great choice to stay in the lead.

    Kyle Busch continues to impress everyone with his start this season. He has won in each of the top NASCAR series. In 21 races, Busch has six wins, 12 top-five finishes and has led an incredible 1,100 laps. And it is just the first of May, folks. A couple of weeks ago, Kyle was within a few points of becoming the first driver in history to lead all three series at the same time. The kicker in all this? The kid is only 22 years old. Could he be the next boy wonder?

    The national economic woes that all of us are facing continue to take their toll on team sponsorship. Both of the Fords at Yates Racing are unsponsored. And that’s with both drivers solidly in the top 25 in points. These are teams that are guaranteed to race every week. And yet no one has been found to pony up any dollars to put their logo on a 200 mph billboard. 

    Another team struggling to find sponsorship is the #01 of DEI driver Regan Smith. Armed with only an associate sponsorship, the fourth team here has made things work. They are in the top 35 in points, albeit barely. 

    So what gives? With a team sponsorship price tag in the range of $10 - $15 million per season, there is only a small pool of companies that can afford to stroke that kind of check. Throw in the dreaded “R” word č the recession that our economy is facing č and it forces many companies to stretch all the dollars that are available to spend. 

    Granted, NASCAR fans are the most loyal in all of sports. But some people believe that the air is slowly seeping out of the NASCAR balloon. The recent unification of open-wheel racing could have an effect on the sponsorship pool. And if Danica Patrick wins Indianapolis, watch out. The entire space-time continuum as we know it could skew. Bottom line, if NASCAR does not do something to control costs, then the pool for sponsors will get even smaller.

    If you are looking for something to do this weekend, then check out the ARCA race at Rockingham Speedway. The first race at The Rock in almost four years will have the richest purse in ARCA history and feature a historical name, the Carolina 500. This was the name of the first race ever run at Rockingham in the early 1960s.

    Not too familiar with ARCA? Well, remember all those cars that used to run in NASCAR? They will be running on Sunday, May 4. Kenny Shrader will be running, along with Joey Logano of Joe Gibbs Racing and Bobby Hamilton, Jr. Call (910) 205-8800 for tickets.

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    Harley Davidson riders are pretty loyal to their bikes. So it seems only fitting that the Cape Fear Harley Davidson would be just as loyal to their customers. On Saturday, May 3, the Fayetteville business will sponsor its annual customer appreciation day to show just how much their customers, and the men and women of the U.S. military mean to them. 

    The day-long event will feature a bike show, a fashion show, a Dyno Shoot-Out, a stunt show, free food and a mini-carnival for kids. And that’s not even half of what the staff of Cape Fear Harley Davidson has planned. 

    Duke Durham, the parts manager, said the open house is an annual event that not only the community, but the staff of Cape Fear Harley looks forward to. The first event was held in May of 1991, when the dealership moved into its headquarters on Sycamore Dairy Road. Since then, the first Saturday of May has been dedicated to telling the community how proud Cape Fear Harley is of being a part of the community and to thank the community for its continued support.

    “It’s a really big event,” said Durham. “We have something for everyone and it’s just our way of saying thanks.”

    One of the big events of the day is the annual bike show. The show is open to the public. There is a $10 entry fee. Bikes will be judged in seven classes and there will be a Best of Show title awarded as well. The bike show will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

    If your bike isn’t quite up to show standards, you might want to stop in at the bike wash sponsored by the Steel Angels, a women’s motorcycle organization. Funds raised by the bike wash will benefit charity.

    Of course, even if you are not a biker, you might want to check out the Ill Conduct Stunt Show, which features bikes performing jumps, wheelies and burn-outs. The show is scheduled for noon and 2:30 p.m. Or, if you do own a bike, you might want to participate in the Dyno Shoot Out. The shoot out, sponsored by Cape Fear Harley Davidson Racing č the store’s in-house drag racing team č would be a favorite of TV’s Tool Man, because it judges the bike with “more power.” There is a $25 entry fee for this event, and the bike with the biggest pull takes it all.

    And of course, we did mention food č hamburgers and hot dogs will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There is no charge for the food. Kids playing in the carnival area will also be offered the sugar rush of cotton candy. 

    Everyone knows that any bike event is not complete without music, and the Cape Fear Harley staff has you covered there, as well. Fayetteville rockers Motorjunkie will be on hand throughout the day to get your motor running. The band will perform at 11 a.m. and again at 1 and 3 p.m.

    There will also be a bike giveaway, as well as other smaller giveaways throughout the day. So what are you waiting for? Head down to Cape Fear Harley Davidson where they won’t only tell you they appreciate your business, they’ll show you.

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        {mosimage}For almost six years, the soldiers and airmen who call Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base home have been in a continual state of deployment. Fayetteville and its surrounding communities have gotten into the rhythm of deployments. They have watched their neighbors and friends pack their rucks and leave to defend our nation; and in the interim, helped watch over the families left behind. And in some small, private ways, they’ve welcomed their neighbors home upon their return.
        On Saturday, May 10, the Braxton Bragg Chapter of the Association of the United States Army, or AUSA, is holding a very large, very public Welcome Home Heroes party at Festival Park, and you’re invited.
    The party, one part pure patriotism and the other part pure country, features country music sensation Lonestar. The event is free and open to the public.
        The brain child of Fayetteville music men Terry Shea and Morris Cardenas, the concert has been months in the making. Shea and Cardenas grew up in Fayetteville and take great pride in calling themselves military brats. One night, while talking about news reports concerning the care of wounded soldiers, the idea of doing something to honor the city’s veterans started getting kicked around. As the conversation began to take root in their minds, their thoughts obviously turned to what they know best – music.
        To give the idea wings, they knew they were going to have to find a partner, and that’s when AUSA came into the picture. Cardenas explained that putting on an event the size and magnitude of the upcoming concert takes a lot of people and a lot of organizational skills. They knew they could find it within the ranks of the AUSA membership. They first approached Col. (Ret.) Jim White, an AUSA member who heads up the Wounded Warrior program for the association, with the idea.
        White grabbed the idea and ran with it. “He called us and said, ‘I want to do this thing,’” recalled Cardenas.     “We could not have made this happen without him.”
        “Col. White heard our vision and supported it,” said Shea. “He told us it cost just a little more to go first class, and that’s what he wanted for the troops. Whenever we would get in a rut, he would motivate the troops and get us going.”
        Other than cutting through the paperwork required to use Festival Park, the biggest thing the group had to tackle was finding a band. Both Cardenas and Shea had ideas about what kind of musicians they wanted to play, but wanting doesn’t always make it so. A couple of times they thought they were close with musicians like John Rich and Charlie Daniels but other commitments caused conflicts. They hit the jackpot when they started pursuing Lonestar.
        “The guys in Lonestar do so much for the troops,” explained Shea. “We went after them because of their involvement with the troops. If you look on their Web site, you’ll see all of the military awards they have received for their efforts. They are very in tune with what it is we are doing here. They are with us in wanting to honor our service members, and that’s what is going to make this show so exciting.”
    You only have to mention the word troops to Lonestar lead guitarist Michael Britt to get his attention. Britt, along with Keech Rainwater and Dean Sams, are the original members of the band that formed in Nashville in 1992.
        “We can’t wait to get there to Fayetteville,” said Britt, in a recent telephone interview. “That’s going to be a fun show. We love playing for the troops. Knowing this is a welcome home for the soldiers who have been serving those 12 to 15 month deployments make it even more important and a lot bigger.”
        The band is looking forward to doing a USO tour sometime in the future, but see this as an opportunity to say thanks to the soldiers here at home. “We are huge supporters of the military,” said Britt.
    In the opening days of the war, the band’s song I’m Already There captured the spirit of families who are separated. The song written about the band’s travels touched a special place in the hearts of deployed soldiers and their families. “When we recorded that song, it wasn’t with soldiers in mind, we were talking about our own separations from our families while we toured, but we are proud that it meant something to our military families,” he said. “Our soldiers are out there risking their lives and their families are here – they truly are the unsung heroes of our nation.”
        He said the show will have special meaning to the band’s new front man Cody Collins because his sister recently joined the Marines. “It’s going to be a very special event and memory for him,” said Britt.
    Britt and his wife are both actively involved in the “Adopt a Platoon” program. “For the last four years we’ve participated in that program,” said Britt. “We’ll head out to the store and buy a lot of stuff and box it up and send it over to the soldiers. We have sent a huge amount of packages overseas. It’s a big commitment, but we think it’s very worthwhile.”
        So while the concert will give the band an opportunity to offer its thanks to the troops, it will also give them a chance to introduce Collins, who took the place of former front man Richie McDonald, and introduce a new, edgier sound for the band.
        Britt said the band had been pigeonholed as the “poster boy family band” after a string of hits like Mr. Mom, My Front Porch Looking In and Amazed. The songs written by McDonald were the type of songs the band’s former record label pushed them to record. But they were not in keeping with what the other members of the band wanted to do. “All along there was some internal fighting,” acknowledged Britt. “There was conflict because that wasn’t what the rest of us wanted to put out, but it was what Richey wanted.”
    He said McDonald’s style was more relaxed, while his band mates wanted to put out the kind of music they first started playing when they came together – music with more of a rock edge. “As John Rich (of Big and Rich and a former band member) used to say, ‘It’s country music delivered through a shotgun,’” said Britt.
        Last year, McDonald left the band, opening the door for the band to change direction and embrace the music they had long been wanting to record.
        Britt said that the band hopes the new music’s edgier sound won’t alienate their fans, and asks that they give it a chance. A single, hitting the airwaves now, Le Me Love You, is getting positive play and reviews from fans. A new album is also in the works. “We mainly want to get people to see us and hear us,” he said. “For a while, we were not enjoying what we were doing. But now, we are having fun playing, it’s actually like being a teenager in a garage band.”
        But Britt said long-time fans don’t have to worry about hearing their favorites. The band will perform the majority of their hits during the concert, but don’t expect to hear Mr. Mom.
        "That song was about Richey’s family, and it seems insincere to play it,” said Britt. “We don’t want Cody to imitate Richey – we want him to be Cody. And we think people are going to like that.”
        The afternoon’s events will kick off at Festival Park at 2 p.m., with a parachute jump by the 82nd Airborne Sport Parachute Club, patriotic music by choirs and speeches from military leaders and local community leaders. At 5 p.m. Cardenas’ band, Borderland, will take the stage and will play until 6:30 p.m.
        “We’re really excited about opening for Lonestar,” said Cardenas. “We see this as an opportunity to give something back to the community and to our troops.”
    He noted that it was even more special because the band’s drummer, Cornell Young, is a retired Special Forces soldiers. “We’re going to put on the best show we can as our gift to the soldiers,” he said.
    Lonestar will hit the stage at 7 p.m. “We want all of our soldiers to come out and we want local residents to come out and show their support of our troops,” said Shea. “It’s going to be a great night for Fayetteville.”

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    {mosimage}The trailers for Forgetting Sarah Marshall (112 minutes) did not offer much in the way of originality.  They looked exactly like every other Judd Apatow movie, with a little bit of classic Steve Martin thrown in for flavor.  But then I discovered that Apatow regular Jason Segel scripted this particular rom-com, and relative newcomer Nicholas Stoller directed.  Without Apatow, is Sarah Marshall worth paying money for?  After the first fifteen minutes in the theater, my answer is yes, absolutely!  This is one of the movies that will appeal to groups of guys, groups of women looking for something to do after lunch, and couples looking for the middle ground between Harold and Kumar and 27 Dresses.  Everyone in the theater laughed in most of the right places (although the guys behind me seemed focused on working out their ex-girlfriend issues, using less than polite terms to describe Sarah Marshall, played by Kristen Bell).

    We begin with composer Peter Bretter (Segel) waiting for his girlfriend, television star Sarah Marshall (Bell) to arrive home.  He is a guy’s guy, starting his mid-afternoon with a mixing bowel full of cereal, which he claims is salad when Sarah calls to tell him she is coming over.  After the break up scene (which will either read as unsettlingly real or patently false, depending on what kind of relationships you get involved in), Peter has a series of one night stands culminating in hysterics at his day job. He decides to head to Hawaii, only to find out Sarah is already there with the man she left him for, the pretentious Aldous Snow (Russel Brand).  He stays, and gets to know a simply gorgeous Rachel (Mila Kunis╔was she always this pretty?), who is working on some bad relationship issues of her own.  Amidst several worthy subplots, Wyoma and Darald (played by Maria Thayer and Jack McBrayer) are the standout.  They play repressed and naĢve just marrieds, and the scene where Aldous uses oversized chess players to demonstrate to Darald what he should be doing with Wyoma is hysterical.  The real winner of the movie is A Taste for Love, the Dracula puppet musical that Peter is shown working on throughout the movie.  The Jim Henson Creature shop supplied the puppets and Segel the lyrics, which must be heard to be believed.  In fact, Sarah Marshall almost received the coveted five star rating on the strength of the puppet scenes alone.    

    Overall, this is a lighter movie than Knocked Up, but has wider appeal than Superbad.  Stoller does an impressive job of capturing the honeymoon tourist side of Hawaii, and exploring the dynamics of the service industry there.  Plenty of fun, more than a little bit of nudity, and the cast plays well off of each other.  However, the script does seem a little bloated with subplots, and if Segel had trimmed some flashbacks, and completely left out surfer dude Chuck (Paul Rudd), the pace would improve immeasurably.   


     

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        N.C. State Rep. Margaret Dickson (D-Cumberland) has been selected to serve on the newly created Joint Study Committee on Military and Veterans’ Affairs.
        Representative Dickson will serve the 18-member committee, which includes seven House members, seven Senate members, Rear Admiral (Ret.) L.F. “Ferg” Norton, New Hanover County, and Lt. Col. Christopher R. Canipe, NCARNG (Ret.) Guilford County.
        The committee has been asked to study:
        •The definition and use of the term “veteran” and “disabled veteran” throughout the North Carolina General Statutes and whether those definitions must be consistent with corresponding federal laws.
        •The availability of continuing education, training, and other employment services to veterans and their dependents seeking employment assistance.
        •Examine the re-entry process for service members who return to civilian life after being engaged in an active theater.
        •The ability of North Carolina’s mental health system to provide care and services to military personnel.
        •The availability of services provided by federal, state, and local governments that offers veterans employment counseling and other support services.       
        •Education issues relating to military dependents, including dependents that are transferring into North Carolina schools from other jurisdictions.
        •Compatible development issues facing the state’s military installations.
        •The extension of state benefits and privileges to veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation     Enduring Freedom consistent with those currently granted to veterans of World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
        The committee will submit a final report on the results of its study, including any proposed legislation, to the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, on or before Dec. 31, 2008.

    FAYETTEVILLE SECURES
    PRESERVE AMERICA GRANT
        On April 7, officials from the City of Fayetteville and the Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (FACVB) learned the city was awarded a $150,000 Preserve America Grant. The FACVB applied for the grant on behalf of the City of Fayetteville, and is providing matching funds.
        “Preserve America Grants help weave cultural and national heritage into the economic, educational and social fabric of communities by promoting heritage tourism,” said Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett, who announced 43 Preserve America Grants on April 7.
        The purpose for the funded project, titled Culturally Connecting America’s Hometown:                 Fayetteville/Cumberland County Wayfinding Initiative, is to plan, design and implement a complete wayfinding signage system throughout the county, with an emphasis on historic and cultural resources. Preserve America funds will be used to hire a consultant and to implement a portion of a strategic plan for the program. The consultant will assess the navigational needs of visitors to our county, identify the appropriate signage system for our market, seek input from the public, determine the necessary location, placement, number, design and content of such signs and to reach a consensus on the final plan amongst all stakeholders. 

    2008 CENSUS DRESS
    REHEARSAL
        With the presidential election taking place in 2008, U.S. citizens will choose the direction that America will take for the next four years. Before that though, Fayetteville residents have an opportunity to participate in another federal event that could have more of a local impact. Citizens can do that by filling out U.S. Census Bureau Dress Rehearsal forms they have received in the mail and sending them back in the provided envelope. The information on the questionnaire helps the community better its chances at receiving funding for public projects.
        Census counts are used for congressional representation, legislative redistricting and the distribution of $300 billion in federal, state and local money every year. The census ensures that power and money are fairly distributed. A complete count means everybody counts — in different words— more participation helps chances for improving quality of life.

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    {mosimage}On May 31, at 11 a.m., Festival Park is going to come alive with the sound of music. This day-long music festival, sponsored by Chapter C of the Special Forces Association, is going to go far to show that art isn’t the only thing that lives in Fayetteville. For one day, music will not only rule, it will reign.

    The association, which is comprised of current and former members of the United States Army Special Forces, has put together a lineup of local talent, as well as international talent, that is sure to please just about everyone. Local musicians have volunteered their time and talents to raise funds to help take care of injured soldiers and to take care of the families of those who have fallen in the line of duty. All proceeds from the show will go into the association’s benevolent and scholarship funds, which are used to support Special Forces families.

    One of the performers who has volunteered his time is fairly young, but he’s already made quite an impression on the Fayetteville music scene. Ethan Hanson, a hugely talented singer/songwriter, is a regular on the Fayetteville music scene. He has been playing in the area since he was 15. His first gigs were at the Coffee Scene and other area open mic nights. 

    Ethan (as he is known on stage), made his first professional appearance at the Highlander Pub, a Haymont institution, the summer after he completed his sophomore year in high school. Armed with homemade business cards and a demo CD, he played his first gig and found that he truly liked life in the spotlight. 

    That love of performing has seen him move out of the Fayetteville music scene, relocating to perform in Chapel Hill, Raleigh and at festivals all over the state. But, he still has a loyal following in Fayetteville.

    Known for a bluesy, acoustic rock sound, Ethan plays popular songs, but he also fills his lineup with his own songs. He said that he uses a lot of different elements to create his own blend of music. His writing style is not ordered, instead, it’s more free-flowing. When he comes up with a melody he likes, he runs with it.

    His music can be found on two self-released CDs, and he is currently working on a third, which is due to be released this year. In an interview with Roy Barnes last year, Ethan noted, “If you feel good about yourself, you don’t need to be famous. It would be nice to get my message out to a lot of people, (but) I wouldn’t want to take anything away from what I do with my own music. The most important thing is the journey, not where you end up.”

    In recent years, Ethan has shared the stage with some people who know a little about fame. In 2006, he was one of the acts that opened for Hootie and the Blowfish at The Dogwood Festival. In 2007, he opened the show for JoJo, and at the 2008 festival he appeared on The Rock Shop stage along with a number of national bands.

    Ethan is one of six local acts that will perform at the SF Association event. The headliners will be Bad Company. Tickets for the event are on sale now for $17 at www.specialforcesassociation.org. They can also be purchased the day of the show for $20. Enjoy a day packed full of music and fun and show your support for the men of the Special Forces.

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        Bill Harrison had some good news, some bad news and more good news to impart at the annual State of the Schools address on April 22.
        “The good news is that our schools are doing a better job of doing exactly what we are designed to do than we ever have before,” he said.
        The bad news was exactly the same.
        “Schools are not designed to do what needs to be done today,” he continued. “We can’t solve tomorrow’s challenges with yesterday’s answers.”
        Having delivered the bad news, Harrison was quick to assure the audience of community leaders and educators that the school system was aware that it could not continue to do things the way they have always been done.
        “We need to start doing some things differently,” he said.
        With the Cumberland County Schools taking the lead in innovation across the state, Harrison’s words carry some weight. He noted that in the past, schools were designed to sort and select students into two categories: the few bosses and the many workers. He explained that the grade “C” stands for compliant, meaning that students who showed up, didn’t rock the boat and put up a minimum effort could succeed. That has changed. He said today’s work force is required to be engaged and to be able to think. It’s comprised of boat rockers.
        “So our schools have had to shift from compliance to a model of engagement,” he said. “We don’t worry about the amount of time they are in school, but what they are doing during that time.”
        He said that schools can either engage students or enrage them.
        Talking about proposed legislation to up the dropout age to 18, Harrison said, “Forcing students who don’t want to be in school is not the answer. We need to reach the point where no student drops out. Raising the dropout age places the emphasis on the wrong place. Rather than forcing them to come longer, we need to find out why they are dropping out.”
        He said the Cumberland County Schools went to the students themselves to find the answers, which has resulted in the county having one of the lowest dropout rates in the state.
        Harrison said they found that there are three reasons why students drop out: they are not connected; they are not performing academically; they have discipline issues.
        “The students who drop out are not connected to a person or program,” he explained. “Students who participate come to school and perform at a higher rate.”
        He noted that a simple connection between a student and a teacher can greatly alter a child’s performance.
        He said that many students who are not performing do not find the work meaningful or engaging. He referred to his own youth, noting that his parents made sure he learned what the teacher thought was important, adding that today many students do not have that type of support system.
        “They have had to assume the responsibility for their own learning at a much younger age,” he said.
        Harrison said the schools are working to make the curriculum more engaging by making it more hands-on. He called today’s students digital natives, in that they cannot learn by listening to lectures — they learn by doing. They need immediate feedback. They need to be challenged.
        Finally, he noted that a student will either be engaged in something positive or negative. If a student is not performing, he is going to have discipline problems. “We realize we need to do things differently,” he said, giving a nod to some Cumberland County initiatives that have made a huge difference in engaging the students.
        He touted the work of the Fuller Academy, the Spanish Immersion Program and the Virtual Public School. He also talked about partnerships with local colleges and initiatives that give students college credit while they are still in high school.
        He noted that while the schools are progressing and are changing to meet the needs of the changing society, one thing will not change — the schools will remain a place where students can achieve their dreams.

  • Details
    With infrastructure costs spiraling and no ceiling in sight, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners made an impassioned plea at its April 21 meeting for approval of the 1/4-cent sales tax referendum that will go before the voters on May 6.
    The county needs millions of dollar to pay for schools and school supplies, libraries and computers and a health department building, not to mention BRAC — the Army’s Base Closure and Realignment that will swell the county’s population by estimates of more than 25,000 over the next five years.
    Dr. Breeden Blackwell, commissioner of the board, who says the tax increase would raise about $8 million for the county in its first full year of implementation, said one of the best things about the tax increase is that “everybody pays.”{mosimage}
    “It is probably the fairest tax we have because everybody pays for it,” said Blackwell. “No matter where you live, if you shop in this community you help pay the freight.”
    The 1/4-cent tax increase would amount to about a penny on a $4 dollar purchase, or 25 cents on a $100 purchase. The tax would not be applied to food purchased at a grocery store.
    Dr. Jeanette Council, vice chairman of the board, extrapolated the individual cost to each taxpayer and compared it to the cost of gasoline.
    “We pay for many services for our citizens and the cost is not going down,” said Council. “Things are not getting any cheaper. The overall cost of the sales tax to you for a year will probably be less than the cost for a tank of gas that you use right now.”
    A previous attempt at approving a 1/4-cent sales tax was defeated last November by about 700 votes. The commissioners have tried to sweeten the pot this time around by passing a binding resolution that would lower the property tax rate by 2 cents, if the sales tax referendum is passed. Cumberland County’s property tax is the ninth highest in the state.
    Commissioner Ed Melvin believes the proposed tax will take some of the burden off of property owners.
    “I do support the sales tax referendum,” said Melvin. “I’m a firm believer that 100 percent of the folks in Fayetteville and Cumberland County will help pay for this instead of the 30 percent, roughly, that’s property owners.”
    May 6 also marks the date of the Cumberland County District 2 commissioner’s primary. Commissioner John Henley, who is not seeking reelection, says the key to getting the sales tax passed is to appeal to non-property owners.
    “I think it’s a no-brainer if you own property,” said Henley. “I think the case needs to be made to those people who aren’t property owners on why they should vote themselves an extra tax.
    “I think in my mind that it is fair,” said Henley. “I think that it allows the commissioners to continue to invest in the education of our kids and to protect our children through social services and enhanced public-health issues, to provide more libraries and computers, to help fund the arts to help make this a better county to live in.”
    Blackwell says the voter registration for the referendum is the largest it has ever been.

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    {mosimage}Dear EarthTalk: What makes those so-called “new urbanism” housing developments popping up around the U.S. more environmentally friendly than regular old suburban neighborhoods? -- Rusty Spinoza, Galveston, TX


    The husband-and-wife team of town planners AndrÄs Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk are typically credited as the founders of new urbanism, a style of community design that embraces mixed use (commercial and residential) development in pedestrian-friendly and green space-rich neighborhoods č much like the old neighborhoods many baby-boomers remember before suburban sprawl made us all slaves to our cars.

    Duany and Plater-Zyberk formulated their new urbanism principles while living in one of the Victorian neighborhoods of New Haven, Conn., while they attended graduate school in architecture at Yale. Their neighborhood included corner shops, front porches and a variety of attractive and well-designed housing and commercial structures č planting the seed of an idea that has now swept the U.S. and beyond.

    The prototypical new urbanist community is Florida’s Seaside, which Duany and Plater-Zyberk began designing in 1979 for the 80-acre coastal parcel’s developer, Robert S. Davis. Their plan took the best elements of a handful of graceful southern cities like Key West, Charleston and Savannah to create a community based on the tried-and-true concept of walkable, self-contained neighborhoods. Besides 300 homes, Seaside contains a school, a town hall, an open-air market, a tennis club, a tented amphitheater and a post office č everything anyone could ever need in a town, and all within a five minute walk.

    According to the non-profit Smart Communities Network, Seaside works as a community because of its design: “Mandatory porches are set close enough to walkways to enable porch sitters and passersby to communicate without raising their voices. The streets are all interconnected; creating a network that eliminates ‘collector’ routes and reduces congestion.Walkways crisscross the development to encourage walking and biking, while narrow streets serve to reduce traffic speed.” Building fronts are a uniform distance from the curb and all streets are tree-lined to further the community’s “sense of place.”

    Other examples of new urbanist communities include: Stapleton on the outskirts of Denver, Co., Seabrook on the southern coast of Washington State; Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, South Africa; Alta de Lisboa near Lisbon, Portugal; and Jakriborg in southern Sweden. Meanwhile, the idea has caught on in New Orleans, where developers are styling new communities in the wake of Hurricane Katrina based in part on the principles of new urbanism.

    According to the Web site NewUrbanism.org, being green is central to the concept of new urbanism, where houses tend to be compact and on small lots. And many developers are incorporating green building design and alternative energy generation into their plans for these communities. Furthermore, proponents say that building densely settled, walkable communities instead of road-intensive suburban developments cuts down on the need to drive, thus further reducing the carbon footprint.

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        A cousin of mine in another North Carolina city told me some time ago about a friend of hers who felt a bit "peaked" — as we say in the South — on the tennis court one lovely spring day. The woman, an athletic and community-spirited mother in her mid-40s, decided to check in with her doctor. She was immediately hospitalized and diagnosed with an unusual and highly aggressive form of cancer.  Within two weeks of that final tennis match she was dead.    
        But not before she called her husband to her bedside to tape video messages to their children, then preschool and elementary school ages, to be played at significant points in their lives — 16th birthdays, graduations, weddings and other milestones. She, like parents everywhere, wanted to impart her life experiences and the wisdom they brought her to her children even though she knew she had precious little time to prepare her messages and would not be here to deliver them herself.
        I can only imagine what her children will think when they see their mother speaking to them with such love as they move through their lives.         
        I remembered my cousin’s friend when I first read about Randy Pausch. Pausch is the college professor who has become an Internet sensation and now a likely bestselling author with his address to students, which has played millions of times on the Internet and has now expanded into a book entitled The Last Lecture. He has talked to Oprah on TV and he has testified before Congress. Pausch, you see, has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and does not expect to live through 2008. He says The Last Lecture is a message to his own children, now 6, 3 and 1, about the way he wants them to live their lives even though he will not be with them. He tells us in his book’s introduction that when he delivered the lecture that has found Internet immortality, he "knew what I was doing that day. I was trying to put myself in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach for my children."
        {mosimage}The actual lecture was delivered last fall with wonderfully good humor and little self-pity to an audience at Carnegie Mellon University where Pausch taught computer science. He even demonstrated his otherwise excellent health at that moment by doing a few pushups with claps in between. At 47, he is a man of clear intelligence who obviously loves his wife and children. He is, as he says, playing the cards he was dealt thoughtfully and with grace. Pausch gives his audience, and through it his children, the kind of advice all of us probably try to teach our children both in words and in actions over the years. Condensed to just over an hour, he counsels kindness toward ourselves and toward others, truthfulness in all aspects of our lives, to find the good qualities in other people even when it is difficult, to be unafraid of taking risks because that is how we learn and grow, to laugh and enjoy the days we are given and to be as prepared as we can for whatever comes our way, including what he calls his cancer: "The elephant in the room."
        I cannot argue with his advice. It spans all ages and all cultures. I suspect the world would be a better place if all of us were able to incorporate Pausch’s wisdom into our daily living. I would expand it in only this way: If we are fortunate, we will be blessed with family — the families of our childhoods, the families we make with others, the families who come behind us and with friends from all spheres of our lives who can mean as much as our families. These relationships shape us and enrich us and are really what makes us human beings. We must remember, though, that no one — not our parents, our siblings, our spouses, our children or our oldest friends, will walk every step of our lives with us. The only person who will be with you all the way is you. It is central to our happiness and our well-being that we learn to know, to like, and to trust ourselves as we move through our lives. Pausch and his family have moved to Virginia to be closer to family as they face whatever the future holds for them.
        Surely, there are difficult moments, but his courage is remarkable, and the public reaction to him and The Last Lecture makes it clear that he has touched and soothed many aching hearts. None of us knows our fates with certainty, and while we know there is an end, we do not know when, where or how, even though some of us, like Pausch, may have reasonable suspicions. What does seem certain to me, though, is that his children, those of my cousin’s friend, and the rest of us as well are better for their having been here.

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    {mosimage}Farmer Wants a Wife (Wednesday, 9 p.m. CW) cooks up a reality-show fantasy about city women finding true love with a hunky farmer. Matt is right out of central casting, with a square jaw, chivalrous manner and 200 acres in the middle of Missouri. The women clomp through his fields on high heels, hoping to be the fish-out-of-water he chooses. They take hay rides, engage in farmwife competitions and giggle inanely. None of them can fairly be called a city slicker. Even Matt’s chickens seem more urbane.

    If all of the contestants are stupid onFarmer Wants a Wife, one of them is stupid and scary. 

    “I fight for men like they do in the Middle East,” says Josie. “Before someone blows me up, I blow them up.”

    Even suicide bombers might find that a sick metaphor for courtship. But Josie is just getting warmed up. She calls the lone black contestant “low class and ghetto,” suggests that the farm be burned down for the insurance money, and urges Jews and Christians to band together to bring on Armageddon.

    Farmer wants a psychopath?


    Secrets of the Dead

    Wednesday, 8 p.m. (PBS)

    Escape from Auschwitz details one of the most extraordinary tales of heroism from World War II, and I’d wager few people have heard it. Rudolph Vrba and Alfred Wetzler were Slovak Jews imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. Escape was impossible, as had been proven many times, but these two had the brains and guts to beat impossible odds.

    The Germans had fooled the world about the death camps’ purpose, and Vrba and Wetzler wanted to get out and broadcast the truth. Their ingenious plan involved hiding inside a woodpile in a work area outside the camp gate. They smeared themselves with gasoline-soaked tobacco to mask their scent from the Nazi dogs. They stayed still for three days of intense searching, imagining the torture in store for them if discovered. Then they snuck out of the woodpile and headed south through occupied Poland, dodging Nazis for 85 miles. Miraculously, they crossed the Slovakian border and revealed the horrors of Auschwitz to the authorities.

    No one believed them.

    Folks, if you’re ever approached by two desperate men with shaved heads, prison garb, the stench of gasoline and numbers tattooed onto their arms, please give them the benefit of the doubt.


    Ringo Starr: Off the Record

    Friday, 11 p.m. (HBO)

    Every second of the Beatles’ career has been chronicled in innumerable books, articles and documentaries. But now, 40 years later, someone has just thought to ask Ringo Starr for his view of the matter. The underachieving drummer tells fellow English rocker Dave Stewart what it was like to sit behind three of the most important men in rock.

    Will Ringo shed light on the Beatles’ greatest music? No, but he will take us deep inside the two songs he wrote for the group. “I’d like to be/under the sea” č how did he come up with that?


    The Shell Seekers

    Saturday, 9 p.m. (Hallmark Channel)

    It’s your basic Hallmark Channel movie about an old woman coming to terms with her life. But this one stars Vanessa Redgrave, and that makes all the difference. Redgrave redeems the sentimental story of Penelope, who tries to make peace with her selfish children following a heart attack. First, there’s the actress’ sheer presence. Just standing in the middle of the screen, Redgrave commands your full attention. Then there are her glances, which speak volumes. Then there are her line readings, which reveal all the subtle shadings of the human heart.

    If you were a third-tier TV movie director who’d lucked into Vanessa Redgrave in your cast, wouldn’t you train the camera on her at all times? Maddeningly,The Shell Seekerskeeps cutting to flashbacks featuring some wooden actress as the young Penelope. I’ve never hated the past so much in my life.

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    {mosimage}There are a couple of sure signs that summer is on the way in Fayetteville. The first is The Dogwood Festival, and the second is the Fort Bragg Fair.

    Held each spring, the Fort Bragg Fair is a Cumberland County tradition. Residents of Fort Bragg and Cumberland County come together to celebrate one of childhood’s favorite memories č a community fair. Yes, there are rides. And yes, there is music, and of course, there is the requisite food that takes the toll on everybody’s resolutions to eat more nutritiously. But none of that seems to matter. The Fort Bragg Fair is all about having fun č and acting like a kid č no matter how old you are.

    The fair runs May 1-May 18 at the Fort Bragg Fair Grounds, located off of Bragg Boulevard. The fair features a wide variety of carnival rides, as well as the above mentioned food. Everything from funnel cakes to Polish hot sausages to barbecue and ice cream are on tap. So don’t worry about getting dinner after work, just grab the family and head over to the fairgrounds, where you won’t quite get a square meal, but you’ll get plenty to eat. Just remember: rides first, food last.

    This year, as in years past, unlimited carnival rides and free entertainment are included in one low admission price. If your spirit of adventure runs more toward a nice paddle boat in a small pool, there is also a non-riders ticket. There will also be several special customer appreciation nights, with reduced prices, as well as a special Mother’s Day admission, with each mother admitted for $5 when accompanied by a child.

    Entertainment has always been a central part of the Fort Bragg Fair. This year is no different. An array of musical styles will be showcased throughout the week, with country, rock, Latino, blues and variety bands all taking to the stage throughout the fair’s run.

    Admission: Monday-Thursday, 5-7 p.m.: $5 for ages 3 and over; after 7 p.m., $10 general admission, $8 for children ages 3-9; $8 for military and Department of Defense civilians; $5 for handicapped non-riders; and $5 for senior citizen non-riders who are 50 and above.

    Friday ą Saturday, 1 p.m.: general admission, $14; children ages 3-9, $12; military and DoD, $12; handicapped non-riders, $5; and senior citizen non-riders over the age of 50, $5. Children under the age of 2 are admitted free throughout the fair and parking is free.

    The fairgrounds can be accessed from Bragg Boulevard via Howell Street. 

    For more information, call 396-9126.

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        As we get older, we occasionally get smarter, but we definitely have the advantage of looking backward in time to a greater degree than younger folks. This advantage enables us older people to predict, based on experience, what the future may hold. I offer these predictions at local, state, national and international levels, 25 years hence.
        At a local level: The Fayetteville Museum of Art campus has taken all but an 8’ x  10’ plot of ground at Festival Park. Museum trustees recently voted to have an iron monument placed near the location where park activities for all the community once occurred.
    On the former site of Rowan Park now stands Chavonne Towers. These 20-story high-rise apartments effectively prevent sunlight from reaching many Haymount residents, some of whom are skin cancer patients and are ever so grateful.
      {mosimage}  The FAST system has been expanded to cover an area from the Market House to Ray Avenue to Old Street. Fares have been recently adjusted upward to $20 with no transfers allowed. The bus fleet of retired ambulances is regarded by homeless people as an improvement over the Volkswagen minibuses which were lately given to the Senior Citizens Center.
        The Public Works Commission has announced that citizens of the Phase V annexation area, a.k.a. "The Big Bang," will be getting water and sewer completion within the next five to 10 years. The city council has assured all affected residents that the assessment fee will be capped at $50,000.
        At a state level: The North Carolina Department of Community Corrections has announced that 16 of the state’s parolees and probationers have reported to their parole officers at least once this year. The other 256,314 parolees and probationers have not. The department is justifiably proud of this improvement in department effectiveness.
        The North Carolina Legislature has seen a remarkable downturn in members asked to resign for graft and corruption charges and convictions. It is anticipated that both the Senate and House will soon be able to meet with quorums when vacancies are filled.
        The North Carolina Department of Transportation removed $70 billion from the highway trust fund to finance non-highway projects in the governor’s home county, as well as that of the department’s secretary. The News and Observer recently reported that contributors to the governor’s campaign fund in other state jurisdictions are outraged.
        "He may be a crook," one contributor is quoted as saying, "but he is supposed to be our crook."
    At a national level: Newly elected president Chelsea Clinton has promised in her inaugural address to have our troops out of Iraq within 10 years. Iraqi civilian deaths have now exceeded 25 million. A spokesman for the young Iraqi democracy’s remaining one million, Achmund al-Ruketpropella, stated that the departure of American troops will not be a decade too soon.
        The governor of New York has admitted that he is really Larry Flint. The attorney for Flint’s estate has called the assertion a "damnable lie."Publicist for Hugh Hefner’s widow, Paris Hilton, has issued a press release claiming her client and the governor never did anything kinky.
    San Francisco has issued a ban on heterosexual marriage. Mayor Ryan Seacrest has claimed that the City by the Bay was going to start "cleaning up its act." Music promoter Simon Cowell was quoted as saying that, as usual, he did not know what Seacrest meant by that.
        Food prices have risen to record levels as holdover Bush administration policies of raising food for fuel continues to starve the nation and the world. The U.S. is receiving emergency food shipments from Bangladesh and Darfar. These countries have benefited by not having UN relief agencies involved in their food production and distribution to the extent that they are now net food exporters.
    In the world of sports, Major League Baseball Commissioner Barry Bonds announced that there was no proof that performance-enhancing drugs have been used by any Major League players. At the same news conference, Bonds announced that Barry Bonds III had hit a season-record 453 home runs playing for the New York Yankees.
        "His salary may be $24 billion for two years but he is worth every billion of it," boasted Commissioner Bonds.
        At a global level: Oil futures fell sharply to $500 per barrel on the news that vast oil reserves have been discovered in Israel.
        "They should call their mothers," observed one international oil trader.
        "It was always God’s will," commented Israel’s prime minister, "it was just a little late coming."
        Iran, North Korea and Pakistan are hosting the 20th annual Non-nuclear Proliferation Conference in Tehran. All 156 countries with nuclear-weapons capabilities expect to attend. The United States has begged off, claiming, "they were not going to be piled on by a bunch of schoolyard bullies." The Vatican and Monaco took particular offense at the insinuation.

  • Details

        Eastover’s Civic Club President and festival co-chair Sara Piland has had a hand in the planning of Eastover’s Heritage Day celebration every year since its inception. She loves the sense of community it brings to the town.
        "It is a time each year that brings our community together for fun and fellowship and I think it strengthens our community," said Piland. "It bonds our community."
        Piland, along with her co-chair Barry Dugan, have been very busy ensuring that everything is just right for the festival and its attendees.
        The Eastover Civic Club, which is the sponsoring organization for Heritage Day, has been a part of the community for more than 50 years.
        "Four years ago we decided to do a Heritage Day and now it has evolved into an annual event and it has become quite popular," said Piland.
        With more than 100 volunteers ready to make it a special day, Piland noted, “It seems to get bigger and better every year.”
        May 3 is the big day, with festivities ramping up at 10 a.m., with a parade and exhibits.
        "It’s what you call a walking and golf cart parade," said Piland.
        The exception to that would be the Mustangs (of the automotive persuasion) that will be included.
        "Anyone who has a Mustang that would like to come out to Eastover that day and then park their car for display — they are invited to do that," she added.
        Lafayette Ford is sponsoring that event, called "Show Your ‘Stang."
        After the parade, there will be an opening ceremony where special guests are recognized and everyone is officially welcomed.
        "Our most special guest this year is state Rep. Rick Glazier. He is in the North Carolina House of Representatives," said Piland. "He is the legislator who represents our district and the one who successfully managed our incorporation effort. We just became incorporated in July 26, 2007."
        There are more than 60 vendor and exhibit spaces reserved right now, promising to be one of the biggest vendor/exhibit showings so far. Part of that exhibit area is going to include some activities related directly to Eastover’s heritage.
        "For example, we’ll have the Cumberland County Agricultural Extension Service. (They) will be doing an exhibit on the Longleaf pine and the importance of the turpentine industry to our area in years past," said Piland. "They’ll also do an industry exhibit on tobacco and what tobacco used to mean to our community because that’s also part of our heritage."
        Another event, a first this year, is a flag retirement ceremony.
        "Anybody who has a United States flag or state flag that they would like to retire (they can no longer use it because it’s worn), they can bring it and the local Boy Scout troop will be retiring those flags on Heritage Day through a ceremony," said Piland. 
        Of course, no festival is complete without food — and there will be plenty. There will be barbecue plates for $6, and homemade cakes and pies too, along with some raffles and a silent auction. One of the raffles is for a quilt and another is for an original painting by Charles McLaurin, who happens to be the mayor, but who is also an artist.   
        The featured performers that day will be gospel quartet Stillwater. They will perform at 1 p.m.
        "We always have a big crowd around 1 p.m. Everybody loves to come and listen to Stillwater sing," noted Piland.
        Two of the elementary schools will also have student groups performing as well. 
        "t really is going to be a great day. We are especially celebrating this year the incorporation of of Eastover," Piland said, adding that there will be an exhibit space recounting the journey of the town’s incorporation. “"We have some commemorative coins that have been very popular and those will be available that day, too."
        Parking and admission are free, just come to the community center in Eastover.  There will be events and exhibits going on until about 3 p.m.



  • Details
        While most people will still be snug in their beds recovering from the Bloom and Boom Party, a select few will be up at the crack of dawn. While some will be donning their jeans and boots and revving up their bikes, others will pull on shorts and tank tops and drop their rag tops as they hit the road in support of the Cumberland County Autism Society and the American Cancer Society.
        {mosimage}The third annual Hogs and Rags rally to the beach will kick off Saturday’s Dogwood Festival activities. Participants will gather at 8 a.m. at The Airborne and Special Operations Museum for registration before they hit the road. Last year, the road rally raised more than $5,000.
        Riders will mount up, and drivers will take their seats shortly before the 8:30 a.m. pull-out time. The ride snakes its way through downtown Fayetteville and down through Bladen and Columbus counties before ending in Horry County. Don’t worry about traffic, law enforcement officials in the affected counties keep traffic moving. You won’t even have to stop for a stop light, but there are a few stops you’ll want to make.
        The first stop is at Rocking “A” Ranch in White Oak. Participants will be treated to a full country breakfast, served by local celebrities. Some of the notables you will get to rub elbows with are Cumberland County Sheriff Moose Butler, White Lake Mayor Goldston Womble, Spring Lake businessman Billy Wellons, Congressman Mike McIntyre and N.C. Sen. Tony Rand. That’s just a handful of the folks who will be on hand to make sure your stomachs are full and you are in good cheer before you get back on the road. Breakfast will be served at 10 a.m., and everyone will be back on the road at 11:30.
        If the idea of spending the rest of the time on your bike or in the car seems a bit much, especially if you consume a lot of coffee with your breakfast, don’t worry, the group will make a pit stop in Tabor City (the home of the Yam Festival), for a pit stop. That stop will give riders and drivers a chance to stretch their legs and socialize, but don’t get too comfortable, because the open highway still beckons.
        The ride will wind through some beautiful spring countryside as you get closer to the coast. An estimated arrival time of 1:30 p.m. will see participants arriving at Dynamites at Dock Holidays in North Myrtle Beach for a fabulous seafood buffet. While there you can soak up the sun and take in the beauty of the Intracoastal Waterway while participating in a silent auction. The event is scheduled to end at 3 p.m., when the hardcore will return to Fayetteville, while others make a weekend of it.
        Registration is $40 per entrant, with $20 for each additional rider. For more information, visit the Hogs and Rags Web site at hogsandrags.com or call Bill Libby at 977-5959.

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    WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23

    Fayetteville Farmers Market
    Downtown in the AIT parking lot
    Freedom, Families, and Fresh Local Food!
    For more information, visit our Web site at www.downtownfayettevillemarket.com

    THURSDAY, APRIL 24
    The 5th Annual Recycled Art Show
    The Re-Store Warehouse, 205 Forsythe St., Free
    Call 321-0780 for more details or visit www.restorefaync.org

    FRIDAY, APRIL 25

    Fayetteville-Cumberland Crimestoppers BBQ
    11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
    2800 Raeford Rd., Harris Teeter parking lot
    Fee: $6.00

    Bloom & Boom Kickoff Party
    7-10 p.m.
    Featuring Eddie Money and closing out the night with Fireworks. Midway rides open at 5 p.m. with $15 all you can ride, Friday only!

    Budweiser Clydesdales
    6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
    400 Block of Hay Street, in front of Huske Hardware House

    Hay Day for Missions
    Hay Street United Methodist Church front lawn and fellowship hall 320 Hay St.
    Free

    An Evening of Music and The Big Read
    7 p.m.
    Headquarters Library, 300 Maiden Lane
    Free

    SATURDAY, APRIL 26

    Dogwood Street Festival
    Noon - 10 p.m.
    Featuring arts and crafts vendors, live entertainment, the Partnership’s KidStuff, midway rides, and much more!  Stop by the Dogwood Festival Merchandise and Information tent to pick up your official Event Guide and to purchase this year’s poster and fine art print.

    Budweiser Clydesdales
    1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
    400 Block of Hay Street, in front of Huske Hardware House

    Hay Day for Missions
    10 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Hay Street United Methodist Church front lawn and fellowship hall, 320 Hay St., Free

    Hogs and Rags Spring Rally
    8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    Airborne & Special Operations Museum, Fee: $40
    www.hogsandrags.com

    17th Annual YMCA Dogwood Festival 10k and Fun Run
    8:30 a.m.
    Fayetteville Family YMCA, 2717 Ft. Bragg Rd., Fee: $20
    Must pre-register online or by calling 323-0800
    For information call 323-0800 or visit us at www.fayettevilleymca.org
     
    7th Annual Habitour Bike Ride
    Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity
    8 a.m.
    310 Green St., Fee: $25 Registration Fee
    Registration begins at 7 a.m. at 310 Green St. For more information, call (910) 483-0952

    Spring Plant Sale
    10 a.m - 3 p.m.
    Cape Fear Botanical Garden, 536 N. Eastern Blvd., Free
    www.capefearbg.org
     
    Not Your Ordinary Dog Show {mosimage}
    11 a.m.
    Tallywood Shopping Center, Raeford Rd.
    Fee: Donations Only
    www.fapspet.org

    2008 Chancellor’s Scholarship Gala
    7 p.m.
    Crown Exposition Center, Crown Complex
    Fee: $150
     
    Beethoven & Stravinsky
    8 p.m.
    Reeves Auditorium, Methodist University
    Fee: $22, $18, $8
    www.fayettevillesymphony.org
     
    SUNDAY, APRIL 27

    Dogwood Street Festival
    1 p.m. - 6 p.m.

    LaFayette Ford Classic Car Show
    Noon – 3 p.m.
    *NEW LOCATION* Maiden Lane, in front of the Cumberland County Public Library

    TUESDAY, APRIL 29
    Arthur LIVE! “Arthur Tricks the Tooth Fairy, 7 p.m.
    Givens Performing Arts Center at UNC Pembroke, One University Dr. Pembroke, NC
    Fee: $20, $18, $15/$12 child or student
    Call for more information, (910) 521-6361 or 1-800-367-0778 or visit our Web site at www.uncp.edu/gpac
     
     FRIDAY, MAY 2

    Cumberland County Seniors Beauty Pageant
    7-10 p.m.
    Fee: $5
    Contact the Council on Older Adults for information on how to nominate your beautiful senior at 484-0111.

    MAY 9-10

    9th Annual W.O.M.E.N.’s Expo: The Tribute to Mom
    Cross Creek Mall
    Free
    Register for free today at 868-7471 or email ColorMeAngel@aol.com

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        In 1953, an aspiring author wrote a story about a society where television and the media dominated people’s lives. Instead of reading or interacting with others, people are glued to big screens in their living rooms — sometimes watching the information that comes forth from the television and sometimes involved in games on the big screen. The big screen literally tells people what to think, how to think, how to feel.
    Books have become the enemy. Instead of sitting down with a good book to learn and relax, people see them as evil. Books make you think. Books make you question the status quo. In the author’s 24th century world, books are bad.
        {mosimage} The author, Ray Bradbury, wrote about a fantasy world, but if you look around, some of the things he predicted have come close to true. The media does dominate our lives. Instead of spending time around the table talking, families spend time in front of the big screen watching mindless television. And, society has seen a downturn in the number of people who curl up with a good book … Was Bradbury right about our future?
        That’s one of the questions you might have asked yourself after reading Fahrenheit 451 as a participant in The Big Read. The Big Read, sponsored by the Cumberland County Public Library System, is a National Endowment of the Arts program designed to get citizens reading and involved in a book.
    Over the past few months, Cumberland County citizens have actively participated in The Big Read. They’ve held discussion groups, book groups, participated in a read-a-thon, created posters and written essays. On Friday, April 25, the event will culminate with An Evening of Music and The Big Read at 7 p.m., at the Headquarters Library on Maiden Lane in downtown Fayetteville.
        The free event will feature popular musicians The Parsons, a Fayetteville favorite, known for its “uptown hillbilly swing.” The band’s music has been called a “combination of ragtime, old-time blues, bluegrass, swing and folk music.” That’s a lot of bang for your buck.
        In addition to the music, take the time to listen to dramatic readings from Fahrenheit 451, and join the library in congratulating the essay winners.
        Jody Risacher, the library director, was recently on hand at the Fayetteville City Council to publicly invite the community to participate in the event. Risacher called The Big Read a “symbolic exercise of democracy,” noting that participation in the many events help “build the community and was a vehicle for discussing community values.”
        She noted that Fayetteville, being home to one of the nation’s biggest military bases, could be called a “pillar of democracy.”
    “Having a library is a stabilizing force in the community,” she said, adding that it is a “sign of a thriving, vital community.”
        “Please get fired up and spread the word,” she concluded.

  • Details
        Sweet music will fill Reeves Auditorium at Methodist College on Saturday, April 26, at 8 p.m., when the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra performs its season finale as part of the Dogwood Festival.
    The concert marks the closure of the FSO’s 51st season and it ends with a flourish as the orchestra performs the works of two masters in a program entitled Beethoven and Stravinsky.
        Maestro Fouad Fakhouri — in his fourth year as conductor — and the FSO will perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 and Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite.
    Fakhouri says these are both pieces he’s been anxious to perform with the symphony since he first came to town. {mosimage}
        “The excellence of the musicians we have and their abilities are what allows us to now perform them,” said Fakhouri. “Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 is one of the truly monumental works in history. It is a group performance that will require ‘all hands on deck’ to pull it off.”
        Fakhouri wryly notes that Beethoven was an admirer of Napoleon Bonaparte and dedicated the composition to the tempestuous French general; however, when Napoleon declared himself emperor, Beethoven angrily removed all reference to the egotistical Frenchman and instead dedicated it to all heroes.
    The other piece, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite, doesn’t come with as amusing an anecdote as Beethoven’s work, but it makes up for it with its requirement of technical virtuosity.
        “Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite is interesting in that it has five instruments, all strings, soloing over the full orchestra,” said Fakhouri. “It is a work derived from the ballet.”
    Fakhouri says the performance of two such difficult and stirring works of music is a fitting end to what he calls “a wonderful season.”
        “The musicians have gotten better and we have upgraded the orchestra since I came here four years ago, and the audiences have grown,” said Fakhouri. “I can’t say enough about our audiences. When I first came here, we had about 150 come to the shows, and now we have 700 to 800 at every performance.”
        Tickets range from $8 to $22 and can be purchased by phone at (910) 433-4690, online at www.fayettevillesymphony.org, or at the door the night of the event.

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