One of Fayetteville's Thanksgiving traditions,The Heart of ChristmasShow, is back for its 11th year, and according to Laura Stevens, the director of the show, it's better than ever. The show, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 28 and Sunday, Nov. 29 at the Crown Theatre.

The show has at its base the performers in Voices of the Heart. After winning a national competition in 1999, the members of Voices of the Heart and Stevens decided to take the attention and momentum of that moment and do something good. That something good wasThe Heart of Christmas Show, which is designed to use children's talents to help sick and abused children. One hundred percent of ticket sales of that first show, or more than $8,000, was donated to the Friends of Children at Cape Fear Valley Medical Foundation. Since that first show, the intent has remained unchanged but the size of the show and the amount of money has grown tremendously, having raised more than $250,000 over the past 11 years for a number of agencies and the public schools.

"When we organized that first show, it was really just supposed to be a one-time deal," said Stevens. "I have to laugh now, because we are in our 11th year, but it's a whole lot bigger effort than it was 10 years ago."

The first show operated on $10,000 budget. Now the budget is closer to $100,000, but all of the money to fund the show is raised before the production ever hits the stage. That allows all proceeds from the show to go back into the community

"It's such a huge production and it takes hundreds and hundreds of man hours to pull it off," said Stevens. "It's grown so much from our school shows, which started selling out three to four years ago. The cool thing about school shows is that we turn what we sell into a fundraiser for the schools. It's been a wonderful fundraiser for them."

Stevens said there are three elements that are key to the success of the show. First and foremost in Stevens' mind, and that of the performers in the show, is the goal of raising money to help children in the community. 

"We are here to complete a job. Sing our very best, dance our very best and give the best we have so that people will come and return year after year," she said. 

"As the show grows each year, the more people that come, the more money we are able to give away. I hope that some day the kind of checks we are able to give away is $100,000, not $20,000 or $30,000."

"It's also an awesome opportunity for the cast - the 30 something children hand-picked to be in show. It's awesome for them to be in a show of this magnitude," said Stevens. "It's like New York comes to Fayetteville. It's a huge production.  These kids get a chance to work on their talent. Several members of Voices of the Heart have gone on to major in music in college, and they say they haven't had as big an opportunity asHeart of Christmas throughout their college career. It's a landmark memory in their mind."

Stevens said the show is a very professional, high-quality show. While a lot of the audience is from Fayetteville, many of them travel to the city from throughout the southeast. Stevens said those folks keep coming year after year, and they are bringing their friends with them. 

"Those visitors stay in hotels and eat in our restaurants and turn the weekend into a shopping trip," said Stevens. "So that benefits the community as well."

The third element, which Stevens finds really important is the fact that Fayetteville gets an early Christmas present. 

"Fayetteville gets an awesome, home-grown Christmas show, that doesn't have the flavor of home-grown show," she said. "In a city that does have some notoriety for some horrible things, here's one good thing that has been steady for 11 years now. It's a show that Fayetteville can be proud of."

Stevens said the business support for the show has overwhelmed her this year, noting that despite the hard economic times, businesses still put their full support behind the show. "I thought fundraising would be hard," she said. "But the businesses were 100 percent on board."

This year's Voices of the Heart group is one of the youngest Stevens has had. The ages range from 11-15. "We are very excited about this group," she said. "They are awesome in every way. We've been touring every weekend. The audience response has been overwhelming."

Stevens said that folks who attended last year, will still see some of their favorite skits, but they will also see new numbers. "We change the show every year," she said. "But there are some parts that we just can't change, because the audience won't let us change."

Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at Hawley's Bicycle World or at all Ticketmaster outlets. If seats are available, you can purchase tickets at the door, for $18. Group rates are available. For more information, visit www.heartofchristmasshow.com .

According to the Center for Disease control, aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Breast cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in Hispanic women. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women. In 2005 (the most recent year numbers are available) 186,467 women and 1,764 men were diagnosed with breast cancer, 41,116 women and 375 men died from breast cancer.

On Nov. 7, Pilates of Fayetteville is participating in the nationwide event Pilates for Pink sponsored by Shape Magazine. From 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., instructors will donate their time to teach Pilates and yoga classes. For just $10 per class (or $20 to stay all day and enjoy unlimited classes) Fayetteville is invited to join in the fight against breast cancer. All proceeds will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
When it comes to breast cancer and helping patients heal, Pilates of Fayetteville is constantly and consistently looking for ways to help and this is one more way to do just that.

"I'm certified in breast cancer rehab and (my business partner) Chris is certified in physical therapy. We offer free classes for breast cancer patients," said Melinda Craven, co-owner of Pilates of Fayetteville. "Women come in and sometimes it has been a year or even 10 years since their surgery, but they never were taught to move so they have scar tissue that has built up and they can't move very well. They get to come in and move and focus on feeling better instead of being sick."

Last year was the first time that Pilates of Fayetteville participated in the event. They were able to raise more than $600. This year the goal is $1000. Craven says it doesn't matter whether you are a Pilates pro, a newbie or a wannabe; this event is a great way to exercise your body and support a great cause.

"We've added more classes," said Craven. "It is a good time for people to try Pilates. It is easy and we've got door prizes galore. Ravenhill donated a head to toe package that is worth more than $200 and a queen for the day package." The classes are varied so there is something for most every interest and skill level.

"Anybody can do it and you don't need to know anything to come and do it," said Craven. "Basically what Pilates does is strengthen (your core) all the way around which is what you need to be able to move well for everyday life. It teaches you great posture. Pilates is gentle and it has modifications for everybody if you have aches and pains then we adjust it for you or if there is someone who wants to work hard we can adjust it. With Pilates you feel better afterwards instead of just feeling like you've been beaten."

Craven recalled that last year several moms brought their daughters not only as a bonding experience, but as an educational one as well.

Register online at www.BCRF.org or pay at the door. Call 484-2163 for more info. Most of the classes at Pilates for Pink are 30 minutes long and scheduled for this order: 9 a.m. Mini Circuit, 9:30 a.m. Beginner Reformer/and Beginner Mat, 10 a.m. Jumpboard, 10:30 a.m. Ballet-ates, 11 a.m. Sculpture & Tone/Open Level Reformer, 11:30 a.m. Bosu Challenge, 12 p.m. Pilates Silver, 12:30 p.m. Upper Body Sculpt, 1 p.m. Yoga Flow
(50 min.)
 
 

These days, who couldn’t use a good laugh? And what better way to enjoy a good case of the giggles, guffaws and sidesplitting laughter than to support an excellent community cause at the same time? Just such an opportunity arrives in Fayetteville when award-winning author and musician Clyde Edgerton presents Wake Up Your Funny Bone: Readings, Stories and Music for the Friends of the Cumberland County Public Library & Information Center’s 10th Annual Author Event and Library Endowment Trust Benefit on Monday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m., at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre.

Edgerton, a professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, was raised in Bethesda near Durham. He has published nine novels, three of which have been made into movies, and a memoir, as well as short stories, essays and reviews. His numerous awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Lyndhurst Prize, the North Carolina Award for Literature, acceptance into the Fellowship of Southern Writers, honorary doctorates from UNC-Asheville and St. Andrews Presbyterian College and five notable book awards from the New York Times. Five of his books, Raney, Walking Across Egypt, The Floatplane Notebooks, Killer Diller and Lunch at the Piccadilly, have been adapted for the stage, providing an additional special connection to the Fayetteville/Cumberland County area.

“One of my good friends, Tim McLaurin, grew up in Fayetteville, and then also I have a long association with the Cape Fear Regional Theatre and Bo Thorpe,” Edgerton said in an interview. “Bo and the people at the theatre have been more open to and receptive of my works that have been adapted to theater than anybody else.”

The immense popularity of the stage productions of Edgerton’s works at the CFRT is just one part of his strong local appeal, explained Joan Ingalls, member of the Friends of the Cumberland County Library Speakers Committee.

“Clyde has done so much,” said Ingalls, referring to Edgerton’s multiple accomplishments in teaching, writing and music. Long before he started writing fiction, Edgerton wrote songs, and he’s played the banjo and guitar for 35 and 10 years, respectively. “We have this incredible talent in our little corner of the world, and we want to share it.” And Edgerton is happy to oblige with his one-man show that offers a sampling of his storytelling and musicianship.

“I’ll read from a variety of selections and do a scene from the musical readers theatre The Bible Salesman. I’ll also read from The Book of Dads, an anthology of essay by fathers. Mine starts off: ‘Before the birth you should go ahead and install the car seat and assemble the crib. This will take four to seven days.’”

All proceeds from the show will benefit the Library Endowment Trust generated by the Friends of the Library, a nonprofit organization whose mission “…is to create an awareness of the services and resources offered by the Cumberland County Public Library & Information Center, to focus attention on library needs and to enrich programming opportunities available to county citizens of all ages.” The organization sponsors lectures, exhibits and book talks, as well as quarterly book sales — with one coming up in November — using the money it raises “…for library needs beyond the budget provided by the Cumberland County government.”

“The Friends enrich our community’s library experience,” said Kellie Tomita, marketing and communications manager of Cumberland County Public Library & Information Center. “So much of the extras we do, like the summer reading programs, are due to the generosity of The Friends.”

Edgerton is very supportive of such generosity on behalf of the library.

“It’s difficult for me to turn down library events especially, because libraries are so important to our culture and life,” Edgerton said. “I started reading fairly seriously in high school and can remember the good smell of new library books. The library was especially important when my some of my books started being censored and librarians began coming out of the woodwork –– in my defense.”

General admission tickets are $15 and available for purchase at City Center Gallery, 112 Hay St. Tickets for a benefit reception at 6 p.m. in the Glass Block Room at the theater are $85 each or $150 a pair and include program admission, heavy hors d’oeuvres, beverages, a signed copy of Edgerton’s book The Bible Salesman and an opportunity to meet the author. For reception tickets, call (910) 483-7727 ext. 119.

Wow! The celebration of the first year anniversary of LocksCreek Seafood Grill and Campbellton Landing brought mixed emotions for Kevin Summers, the owner and general manager. No doubt, he'll never forget this one.

Last week Summers dodged the ruthless execution of his entrepreneurial dream development on the banks of the Cape Fear River. North Carolina's tax police, whose sole purpose in their bureaucratic life must be to shutter upstart, struggling businesses, put their mark on LocksCreek in a resounding way — they locked the front doors.

This isn’t an uncommon occurrence, as small businesses, trying to make their mark in the community and contribute to the economy, often falter in their first year of operation. Sure, it's the job of the North Carolina Tax Office to collect taxes due, and no doubt they have the authority. However, where’s the logic? You would think in this dismal economy, choking recession and with the state’s unemployment numbers closing in on the 10 percent range, they would apply the same logic to their responsibilities as the thousands of small, humble businesses and organizations that are trying to survive.

Everyone, and I repeat everyone, I know in business throughout the country is just trying to survive and keep their doors open. They are trying to “wait it out.” Surely, as in the case of LocksCreek, rushing in and padlocking a viable but struggling venue while putting 40 to 50 people out of work makes logical sense only to a government that is ridiculous, dishonest and "out of control."  

That being said, our entrepreneurial hat’s off to Summers and his small group of local investors (of which I am one) for their vision, perseverance and dedication to create something wonderful for this community by keeping alive Sol Rose's vision for the development of Campbellton Landing as a historic, fun, family destination.

Note: Summers isn't the only person with vision taking risk, spending money and investing in our community. Take a look around.

Look at the new owners of the Village Coffee Shop, the new location of the Southern Gourmet on Grove Street, Blue Moon Café, Huske Hardware, Circa 1800 and the Fresh Cafe — all locally owned downtown businesses. There is also Morgan's Chop House on Morganton Road and the northside’s newest venue, ScrubOaks on Ramsey Street. These are just a few examples of restaurants whose owners dared to risk their life savings and financial resources to raise the quality-of -life here in Fayetteville. There are hundreds of other small businesses aggressively doing their part to stimulate our local economy and get it back on track.

Unlike local bankers and other self-proclaimed financial geniuses whose arrogance and incompetent business practices contributed to this economic mess, local entrepreneurs are up front and out front working hard to pay the taxes of those who only want to shut them down or subsidize their “bailout.”

Well, it’s a strange world we live in, but thank God there are still many Americans who honor old-fashioned values and work ethic. Entrepreneurs are a tough bunch. So, hang in there, Kevin. Campbellton Landing is a wonderful historic asset to this community. Remember, bureaucrats may be able to shut us down, but they will never be able to shut us out. Seldom has doing the right thing, for the right reason not prevailed.

Up & Coming Weekly is your community newspaper and I would love to hear from you. Email me at bbowman@upandcomingweekly.com or call me at 910 391 3859. Your insights are important to us. You may also subscribe to our online edition absolutely “free” and receive our VIP Early edition. Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Download Adobe .pdf Printable Ballots Here! 

email your ballot to:

bestoffayetteville@upandcomingweekly.com

{/slide}

{slide=Best of Fayetteville Page 1}

https://www.upandcomingweekly.com/Ballot1.pdf

{/slide}

{slide=Best of Fayetteville Page 2}

https://www.upandcomingweekly.com/Ballot2.pdf

{/slide}

by STEPHANIE CRIDER

Can you smell the scent of funnel cake and popcorn in the air? The fair is in town.

The Fort Bragg Fair, one of the c ommunity’s most anticipated spring events, is opening its doors, or fairgrounds rather, to the community and inviting everyone to come out and enjoy the festivities.

The Fort Bragg Fairgrounds, located on Bragg Boulevard is open to the public for this event.

“It is a great family-oriented event,” said Rhett Stroupe, event coordinator. “It is where families can come and enjoy a carnival atmosphere with games, carnival rides and live entertainment and just relax.”

Stroupe has been coordinating the Fort Bragg Fair for about seven years now and thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to meet and be involved with so many different people.

“For me it is about the personal relationships,” said Stroupe. “Each year has is its own little challenges, which keeps it fresh and keeps it interesting; plus we try to keep it fresh for our customers as well.”

Speaking of keeping it fresh. There will be a few new rides this year, and some changes in the entertainment, too. 

“Traditionally, we’ve had mainly live bands but we are doing it a little different this year,” said Stroupe.

“We’ll still have live bands, but we are also doing a dance troop. We are having a magician perform for us and then we are having some Star Wars characters come out. It is going to be pretty awesome.”

Over the years, attendance at the fair has averaged about 42,000, but Stroupe is hopeful that they can serve even more this year.

“Because we have a large number of soldiers who have come back, this is an opportunity for them to reacquaint themselves with their families and I am very excited about it,” he said.

Noting the downturn in the economy, he looked to that as a factor in projecting attendance.

“A lot of people aren’t traveling away as much, which I look at as an opportunity for us as well.”

As in previous years there are discounts on certain days. Monday through Thursday is Customer Appreciation Day. Admission is $5 from 5-7 p.m. Mother’s Day is another special discount day for moms only. Moms pay just $5 when accompanied by a paying child 3-17 years old.

Regular hours are as follows: gates open at 5 p.m. Monday-Friday; and at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission rates vary depending on the day and time.

 After 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, general admission is $10, military/Department of Defense civilians, $8, children ages 3-9, $8, handicapped non-riders $5, senior citizen non riders (age 50 and older) $5. From 5-7 p.m. children 3 and older $5, children under 36” free.

Friday through Sunday general admission is $14, military/DoD civilians, $12, children ages 3-9, $12, handicapped non-riders, $5, senior citizen (50 and older) non-riders, $5, children under 36” free. There is also free parking throughout the fair.

For more info call 396-9126/6126 or visit www.fortbraggmwr.com.

     As the country’s First Sanctuary Community For Soldiers, Fayetteville/Cumberland County is dedicating the entire month of May to honor soldiers, vets and their families who have put it all on the line to defend our country.
     {mosimage}During a reception to open the United We Stand Art Exhibition on April 24, Mayor Tony Chavonne officially unveiled 31 Days of Glory, a new series of events for anyone who wants to experience the area’s military heritage and honor our brethren in the services — past and present.
     The event officially kicked-off at the announcement during the opening of the United We Stand exhibit, and it will encompass a lot of annual events, as well as events planned specifically for this month-long celebration of our military.
     On May 1, the opening of the Fort Bragg fair will ignite the frenzy of activities planned, with the culminating events occurring during Glory Days, the annual Memorial Celebration hosted by the Fayetteville Downtown Alliance. In between, you’ll find a lot of other really cool events that you are not going to want to miss out on.
     Through the efforts of more than 10 community organizations, activities are planned for every single day of the month. Venues around the county will host events, ranging from Chester Biggs discussing his years in China as a POW to family-friendly hands-on activities like creating Blue Star Banners for wartime military families to re-enactments of different time periods and demonstrations using Civil War ammunition. A number of concerts, author readings, parades and art exhibits will also be staged throughout the area.
     “While everyone else celebrates Memorial Day, we devote an entire month to thank the military, vets and their families,” said Chavonne. “We invite the world to do what we do every day — show our enthusiastic appreciation, respect and support for those who have and are putting it all on the line for us.”
     Intended to be an annual event, 31 Days of Glory is the result of the collective vision of the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, USO North Carolina, Fascinate-U Children’s Museum, Museum of the Cape Fear, Fayetteville Downtown Alliance, Fayetteville Symphony, Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center, Fayetteville Museum of Art, Airborne & Special Operations Museum, Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry, 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial, The Arts Council, Fort Bragg MWR, Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum, Cape Fear Botanical Gardens and J.E.B. Stuart Chapter 483.

Click the Image for UCW's Online Edition!

     For the past 10 years Mona Powell has been reaching out to the women of Fayetteville, both as a mentor and as an example. She started her own business in 1996, and has been an advocate of professional women ever since. In that time, her premier educational and outreach effort, the W.O.M.E.N.’s Expo, has become not only a resource for, about and by women, but it has also become an event that is about the community. On Friday, May 8 from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Saturday, May 9 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Cross Creek Mall.
    {mosimage} It is an obvious boon for the vendors, because this expo does more than provide a space in which to sell merchandise.
     “The reason we have the expo is so that women in business can gain exposure. We come together every year to pool their marketing money,” said Powell. “Most shows they just set up their space, they pay their fee, they go out and they sell and they go away. We don’t do that. With us we guide them every step of the way. We show them how to vend, how to deal with their customers and how to sell.”
     A traditional Mother’s Day weekend endeavor, the expo has fun and exciting activities planned with moms and daughters in mind.
     “Because we do the grand tribute to mom we get a lot of moms coming out with their daughters in tow,” said Powell. “just to come out and spend a fun weekend with their daughters.”
     This year is no exception, in fact, there is a new twist this year for the folks that come out and participate.
Powell is really excited about her special guest who is coming to join Fayetteville in its 10th year of celebrating girl power. HGTV’s design star Kim Myles is going to be on stage Saturday afternoon. She will spend an hour talking about design looks for less, followed by a question and answer session. Submit your design dilemma to the Color Me Angel web site www.colormeangel.com. Questions will be chosen ahead of time and presented to Myles at the seminar. While you are online, register to win a $1,000 home office makeover. Along with the cash, the winner will receive a consultation with Myles, so send in your pics, the deadline to register is May 1.
     The treasured favorites are still on the agenda. There will be a mother/daughter team scavenger hunt. The winner gets a prize package valued at $200. The list will be available online at www.colormeangel.com at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. Meet back at the finish line Saturday at 3 p.m. with the assigned items to see who the wins. Got talent? The mother/daughter talent show is Friday at 5 p.m. near the food court. Saturday has a fashion show at noon with the theme — Great Style on a Budget! The silent auction begins at 1 p.m. and the mother daughter look alike contest starts at 2 p.m. Go to the Web site to register. There is a $200 prize package for the winning team. There will be 71 vendors at Cross Creek Mall ready to wow you with their products and ideas.
     Don’t forget, 10 a.m. on Friday......see you there.

     UCW: In our community a big part of this expo is about women taking chances, following their dreams and striving to be successful. Do you have any words of wisdom for these ladies putting themselves out there and basically stepping out on faith?
     KM: Definitely, I have a couple of things to say about that. I think the most important thing is really believing in yourself. Sometimes that is hard to do. You are going to come up against road blocks, you are going to come up against haters, doubters, things that you don’t expect to come up that might be stumbling blocks for you. It is really important in all of those moments to find your center, focus and be your own best cheerleader. If the world is telling you ‘No you can’t’ you’ve got to be the one to say ‘Yes I can.” Perseverance is 90 percent of the battle. There is always talk about talent and drive and opportunity, and yes all of those things are important, but the most important thing is showing up over and over and over again. Never giving up is really one of the keys. If you do that then what you have to offer the world has a chance to shine because you are always stepping up to the plate to put it out there. That can be hard. It can be draining. Its got its ups and downs, but there is no feeling like even the smallest success, and you string a few of those moments together and pretty soon you look up and it’s like “Wow, look where I am!”
     UCW: On your path to success was there a woman in your life who really inspired you?
     KM: I have a few. I am a woman who loves women. I have a very strong relationship with my sister and my girlfriends, my grandmother. I enjoy the company of women and I think sisterhood is really, really important. I was lucky to have a few influences in my life. My grandmother and my mother both had the patience and willingness to nurture my artistic side. My grandmother is a seamstress, my mother is an artist. They handed down that DNA and really nurtured it. Also Oprah: huge inspiration. What I really connected to with her is that she always wore her heart on her sleeve and she continues to. I liked her brand of fearlessness because it didn’t feel aggressive it just felt very authentic — like her. And then I am always inspired by Coco Chanel. What I love about Coco’s story is that she is a self made woman. She was orphaned, she was left to her own devices and she really had to depend on her own inner compass and her own sense of self. She is a testament to what can happen when you never lose faith no matter what life throws at you. I am inspired by strong women, smart women, women who go for it, whatever that is.
     UCW: Things are pretty tight all over financially. I was curious what is your favorite low cost design tip? If someone says to you I’ve got $50 and a long weekend, what do you tell them?
     KM: I always fall back on two things. One and it’s a broken record; but there is a reason: paint. It always works. If you have a weekend and you have friends paint is an instant high impact thing that costs about $40. You can make a huge difference for your home, but also what I love about paint is color therapy. You can make a huge difference in how you feel in your home. Paint is always my number one tool, it is not the sexiest, but it is fool proof. The other thing I love is window treatments. I see it all the time on my show where people are totally missing an opportunity. Would you go to a black tie event where you’ve got the gown and you’ve got the shoes without a stitch of jewelry and no bag? It just completes the look. For so many, windows are an after thought. I feel like if you have a window the simplest thing to do — again for under $50 – is buy two new panels…..and I feel like no matter where the window is on the wall you never see me hanging lower than the ceiling. I always hang at the ceiling and the curtains always go to the floor. That is adding grandeur and luxury and it is acting as a beautiful frame it is not just an afterthought. It gives the room a finished look. It is a small price to pay for something that has huge impact.
     UCW: Is being a design star everything you thought it would be – is it as fun as it looks?
     KM: It is as fun as it looks girl! It is so much fun I can’t even tell you. It has been a year and a half since I won. The time has flown. It is everything I dreamed it would be and more. It has come with challenges of course. But I just feel so blessed I get to do what I love every day of my life. That is what I am hoping to say at this expo is that not a lot people get to do what they love and I want to say that we all have the option if we choose to pursue it. We all have that little voice and it is all about finding that and getting quiet enough to hear it and then just honoring it.
     UCW: What do you to do recharge and relax?
     KM: I am on hiatus right now which is really fun. It is how I am able to come to the expo. My schedule improved immensely this third season. The first two it was crazy and hectic — 80 hour weeks…really insane and very intense. I didn’t see my friends, I didn’t see my family. I barely saw my husband. That is not a complaint, that is just part of getting your dream. I feel like it was worth it. I had a lot to learn and it was really important to be dedicated to that. I feel like it was an investment. Now I am like ‘Okay, I know what the show is. I know how this life works.’ I have more time to hang out with my friends, have dinner with my husband and go to my exercise class. I have a life again which feels really good and important.
     UCW: On your show this season, what can we look forward to?
     KM: I feel so proud of this season. I feel like this season I am firing on all cylinders. I have a fabulous team that I am working with and talented people. I have all the right support. It just is a lot of fun — a lot of fun. I think what you are going to see is more documentary style so there is a lot more behind the scenes like real conversations with me or conversations with the homeowners. It is much more really and you still get the great make-overs and you still get the great projects except it is a lot more fun. You get to see the camera men in the background; you kind of get to be a fly on the wall which I think is really cool for the viewers. The makeovers are eye popping and beautiful. I just feel so proud. It is a lot of fun this season. We have a new day; we are on Friday nights at 8:30 p.m.
     UCW: What is something you wish people knew about you?
     KM: No one has ever asked me that let me think….Maybe they know it and maybe they don’t but I would love for people to know just how much joy I am taking in getting to have this job. I am getting to live the fantasy but I really feel like the heart of it for me is that I get invited into people’s homes. That is a big deal. They trust me enough to say “Hey Kim, come into my house. I am going to open my house to you and these 30 people. Take over the house”…It is huge. They are so gracious and so willing to trust me. I am always so overjoyed and honored that people feel like they can trust me enough to let me help them that way. That is not a skill that I have myself. It is such a gift that I am given each time I am invited in. I hope that is part of what makes it so fun to watch.
     UCW: Do you miss being a hair dresser?
     KM: I do! I do! I do! One of the reasons I think I feel really blessed in my life…I have had a couple of moments — light bulb moments — where I had an epiphany of what I want to be when I grow up and one of these moments was when I became a hairdresser. I had been doing my aunties hair and anyone who would sit still my whole life. I cut my dad’s hair starting when I was 12, but I didn’t get my license until I was almost in my 30s. I loved being a hair dresser; it is the same thing I love about my job now. I love having people trust me to listen to them and hear them and to guide them into their best selves. I used to donate two of my haircuts a week when I was working in New York to locks of love and you meet all kinds of people, people who would not have been able to afford me any other way. Yeah, I miss it, I do. It was a good job. It was something I loved and now this is one of my loves. That is why I think this expo is important. No matter how big or how small or trivial that dream may seem, if you go for it you will probably get it .It is always there for you if you choose to pursue it.
 

Click the Image for UCW's Online Edition!

     Fayetteville’s annual celebration of spring is just around the corner. The dogwoods are getting ready to bloom and local residents, tired of cold winter days, are just itching to get outdoors and soak up some sun and enjoy one of the best weekends of the year — The Dogwood Festival.
     Celebrating its 27th year, the festival continues to grow and is on its way to becoming one of the largest events in the Southeast. More than 100 arts, crafts and food vendors will fill the streets around Festival Park while local and national headliners are set to grace the main stage throughout the weekend of April 24-26.
    {mosimage} The festival was founded in 1982 by former Fayetteville Mayor Bill Hurley, along with several other city leaders. Their goal was to improve the image of the city and to create a unified force for community events. Hurley dubbed the city the “City of Dogwoods,” and Fayetteville residents have been celebrating the bloom and the fun it brings since then.
    Over the years, the time and location of the festival have changed, but the intent hasn’t. It is designed to offer Fayetteville residents and visitors to the community a chance to celebrate Spring and their city.
     This year will be no exception, Carrie King, the director of the Dogwood Festival, thinks this year’s event is going to be the best ever. Those are some strong words, particularly if you attended last year’s event, but King has no worries.
“The staff and board have worked hard all year long with the idea of making this the best festival ever,” she said. “We have grown the festival, we are offering more music, we have more vendors and we think people will agree with us.”
     Last year the festival was held for the most part in Festival Park and up and down Ray Avenue. This year, the street festival will move back on to Hay Street, as well. King said the sheer number of participants made keeping everything within the Festival Park footprint impossible. She also wanted to give the local merchants on Hay Street an opportunity to benefit from the traffic at the festival. She thinks the move will be a win/win situation for festival goers and local business owners.
     While you can stroll the streets to shop from the vendors, you can stay within the footprint to take in the music, exciting displays and the midway, all of which kicks-off on Friday night at the Bloom and Boom party.
     The Bloom and Boom event coincides with Fayetteville’s 4th Friday, but organizers believe having the events run together will bring more visitors to both venues. So, you may need to call in sick on Friday in order to rest up for the marathon of activities on Friday night, but make sure your boss isn’t coming to the event first!
     Before you head down to Festival Park for the party, you may want to stop off at the Harris Teeter parking lot to buy a plate, or two or three, of some of the best BBQ in the city at the Crime Stoppers annual BBQ plate sale. Plates are just $6, and all the money goes back into the community. If you decide to do that, make sure you eat the BBQ before you get to the festival because no outside food or coolers are allowed in Festival Park.
     Once you get downtown, take some time to check out all of the fabulous art venues offered throughout the historic city center. In particular you’ll want to hit the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County and check out the annual exhibit of Public Works. You might just see something you made in third grade that you’re mother couldn’t help but enter.
     Then head on over to the midway to ride some of your favorite carnival rides, and as night falls, make sure you are in Festival Park to hear the rocking sounds of .38 Special. That’s one concert you’re not going to want to miss.
     The same can be said of the two concerts that follow on Saturday and Sunday. King said that the festival’s office phone has been ringing off the hook about the concert lineup for this year’s event. She said there are folks coming from as far away as Atlanta to take in the concerts. So be sure to get there in plenty of time to reserve your spot on the lawn. On Saturday, Collective Soul will take the stage. This is a group that King admits has her a little star struck.
     “I would love to be able to meet them,” she said. “I’ve been a big fan for a long time.”
     On Sunday, Ray J will take the stage for what King calls a “short set.”
     “Having three national music groups play this year has been a really big deal,” said King. “This is the only festival in the Southeast where these kinds of concerts are offered free to the public, and we’re excited that our community gets behind the festival and sponsors help us make that possible.”
     After the last notes are heard on Friday night, make sure to keep your eyes on the skies, as the Boom part of the party gets underway with a fireworks display. King said that this particular event is one of her favorites.
     “It’s one of the few times I actually sit back and take a moment to take it all in,” she said.
     On Saturday morning, if you’re an early bird you can enjoy the spectacle of hundreds of motorcycles and convertibles roaring down the city streets as the Hogs and Rags Spring Rally gets underway at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum.
     At noon, you can start shopping. If you are looking for arts and crafts, look no further. Visitors can expect to find virtually every kind of arts and crafts vendor possible. Vendors signed up to participate include pottery, paintings, jewelry, sculptures and much more. Once you’ve shopped ‘till you’ve dropped, be sure to follow your nose to the highlight of most festivals — the food court! You can expect to find some of your favorite foods on hand: gyros, funnel cakes, ice cream, ribbon fries and pineapple chicken will all be on the menu, as well as many of your other favorites.
     In addition to all the arts and crafts that adults love, the Partnership’s Kidstuff, presented by the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County, will feature a Two by Two Zoo, the Zoo with the Roo, and the Toddler Zone, which is an inflatable maze of castles and tunnels that the toddlers will love, face painting, interactive games.
     Sponsor booths will be located on the Festival Park promenade and will feature fun giveaways and much more.    With all of that in mind, you may want to take a deep breath and just plunge into the spirit of the event, and the best place to do that is at Festival Park. The Dogwood Festival will kickoff with the Bloom & Boom Kickoff Party on Friday, April 24, at 6 p.m. On Saturday, April 25, the street festival starts at noon and runs through 10 p.m., and on Sunday it begins at 1 p.m. and runs through 6 p.m.
     Anyone who has ever attended an event at the park knows that parking is at a premium, but don’t worry, a park and ride shuttle service will again be available. Free parking is available in city lots on Person Street and Hay Street, as well as other various downtown locations. Parking is also available in the Systel Parking Lot on Green Street for a $5 fee.
     Free off-site shuttle service will be available at the Fayetteville Parks and Recreation Center on Lamon Street. The shuttle service will run approximately every 15 minutes to transport passengers to the festival footprint.
     Disabled parking will be designated in the Bank of America parking lot at the corner of Ray Avenue and Mason Street and the Hay Street United Methodist Church parking lot. Availability is on a first come, first served basis.   Organizers remind people that animals and coolers are not allowed. Service animals are permitted.
     There’s a whole host of events occurring in conjunction with the festival, and you don’t want to miss even one of them. For complete information and a schedule of events, read on.

   Click the Image for UCW's Online Edition!   

     Picture yourself in New York City circa 1970-1980. In that time, and in that place, art ruled. The glamorous people rushed to gallery openings. Artists gained as much notoriety as pop stars. In fact, pop stars flocked to the artists. One man set the tone for that time: Andy Warhol.
     Born the child of Ukrainian immigrants in a city known for steele (Pittsburgh), Warhol reinvented himself as an American painter, printmaker, filmmaker and leader of the pop art movement. His studio, known as The Factory, was one of the city’s hottest spots. Everyone from street people to intellectuals, to Hollywood celebrities to debutantes, sought entry into his circle. He not only welcomed them, he captured them on his prints, turning the celebrity into art.
     {mosimage} Fayetteville residents will get a chance to see the works that defined an era of glitz and glamor as the Fayetteville Museum of Art welcomes 38 Warhol works from the Cochran Collection for a two-week exhibit. The exhibit will be on display at the Festival Park Plaza Building beginning Thursday, April 23 and will remain on exhibit until Saturday, May 2. The event is expected to be one of the highlights of the Dogwood Festival.
     “We are very excited to bring this exhibit to the Dogwood Festival,” said Tom Grubb, the director of the Fayetteville Museum of Art. “We’ve known for some time that we’ve wanted to be a part of the Dogwood Festival. In the past, our exhibits have been sanctioned events of the festival, but being so far removed from the downtown area, we really didn’t feel a part.”
     Grubb said the museum staff had been looking at ways to become a more intimate part of the festival. Their original thought was to host a consignment sale in a downtown facility. The museum made overtures to the Lundy Group, the owners of the Festival Plaza Building, about using some of their unoccupied space for the sale. Once they got a look inside, their ideas began to change.
     The building’s ground floor has more than 3,500 square feet of floor space. The Lundy Group gave the museum permission to reconfigure the space, and with that idea in mind, they began looking for an exhibit rather than a sale.
“We figured if we were going to be in the middle of the festival, we should make a statement and show the community how we, as a museum, can contribute to the downtown and events,” Grubb explained.
     He noted that when discussions about the proposed construction of a museum facility in Festival Park were underway, it was very  hard for the museum to show people in an abstract way how the museum could benefit downtown.
     “That was an idea that many people found hard to grasp,” said Grubb. “This facility and this opportunity have evolved into a way of showing on a larger stage how the museum fits into the area and what an important cultural asset it is downtown and for the entire community.”
     Grubb started making phone calls, and much to his surprise and delight, he found the touring exhibit of the Cochran Collection was available during the time period surrounding the Dogwood Festival. On Monday, April 13, Grubb and other museum staff packed up and drove to Georgia to accept the exhibit. The exhibit is comprised of 38 Warhol originals. Six of those works will be on display for free in the museum store in the Festival Plaza Building. The remaining 32 works will be on exhibition as a paid exhibit.
     He noted that while many of Warhol’s works deal with celebrity, many others deal with everyday objects and people, like the highly recognizable Campbell Soup print. “I think Andy Warhol would have been thrilled to walk up the plaza promenade and see all of the sights and sounds of the festival,” said Grubb.
     He said the flavor of the festival captures the excitement of Warhol’s works. “He took ordinary things and made them special,” he said. “He had the ability to make the common special, and that’s really what art does. It focuses us on what is unique.
     “We wanted an exhibition that speaks to everyone,” he continued. “and Warhol’s work does that. There are people who loved him, people who hated him, people who didn’t understand his work. His work created dialogue, and our education department is very excited about that because it lends itself to art-education projects.
     The department is planning on offering films, lectures and other educational venues for people to become acquainted with Warhol’s works. One important outreach program the museum is definitely planning is with the schools by making the exhibit free to the schools at various times during its run.
     The Cochran Collection is one of the finest collections of Warhol’s works around.  It contains some of Warhol’s most notable works, including a portrait of John Wayne; two prints entitled Moonwalk that chronicle Buzz Aldrin’s walk on the moon; a print of rock icon Mick Jagger; and a series of prints dealing with the Old West, which include prints of Geronimo, General Custer and Annie Oakley.
     In addition to these works, the museum staff will also complete an installation of sculptures made out of Campbell Soup cans. The soup was donated by the Campbell Soup factory in Maxton. Once the show is over, all of the soup will be donated to the local food bank.
     This is only the first of what Grubb hopes will be many such exhibits in the downtown area. “Our mission is to bring art to the community,” said Grubb. “And if we can do it in the Festival Plaza Building, then we will.”
     Grubb said that while the building had been suggested as a new home for the museum by the city-appointed Fayetteville Museum of Art Task Force, no decisions along those lines have been made.
     Just as the proposed museum was to house a gift shop and a cafe, the temporary museum space will do the same. The museum store will be the site of the free exhibit. The cafe, Uncorked, will offer light refreshments and wine throughout the course of the exhibition. He said they were not going to offer more than that because they did not want to compete with the festival vendors.
     “This is just one step forward,” said Grubb. “Andy Warhol said ‘Time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.’ By making this temporary move downtown, we are stepping forward to show the community what we can be, and it’s pretty exciting.”