A few weeks ago, I stopped my motorcycle near a creek to take a break. There was a donkey near the creek, and he started walking toward me. When I said, “Hi,” the donkey replied with, “Hay,” which blew me away. At first, I thought I was losing my mind. I was not sure if he was saying “hay” back to me or if he wanted hay. Now, this was not an ordinary donkey and he seemed pretty smart. While I was still in disbelief, the donkey looked at me and said, “Have you ever talked with a donkey before?” Quite extraordinary to say the least. I replied, “Donkeys don’t talk.” The donkey looked at me, amazed, and said he was a descendant from the talking donkey in the Bible. Then he smirked at me and asked me if I had ever seen Shrek. Still bewildered, I told him that I had heard of both, although I did not see the connection. Nonetheless, I asked him his name and he said he was not really sure because his owner never called him by a name. I asked him if I could call him Don and he nodded and said, “Yes, yes, I like that name.” 

He asked me why I had stopped, and I told him that I needed a break and this seemed like a nice spot. He agreed and said it was his favorite spot in the pasture. We talked about what a wonderful day it was and about our travels. I told him I love to ride, and that I wanted to explore more of the country but I was having a hard time coming up with a place to go.

He told me he has the same issue because he wanted to head somewhere new and exciting, but he never really executes his plans because he is concerned about the boundaries that surrounded him. He said he knew how to get out of his fence but was concerned about work and the other donkeys. He also had responsibilities. He had grass to eat and used to help his owner plow the garden, but he had not done that in a while. He looked toward a barn and I saw a John Deer tractor parked there. I looked at him and told him, “You have been replaced.” Don said, “I guess I don’t have to worry about that anymore then.” He said he really had it good there. He had a barn, food and occasionally someone like me to talk to, but he still had a yearning to explore. 

I thought for a minute and said, “I often feel like I was surrounded by some imaginary, geographical fence that was keeping me within some boundaries in life. I have a job, responsibilities, a house, family and those pesky bills.” These things are not unique to me because everyone has these boundaries, but only a few of us seem to be able to break past our own fences. 

Unlike Don, most humans have other factors we have to worry about. We have to figure out those things like time, money and distance. We can usually figure out two of the three factors. Any one of these will quickly limit our ability to keep moving. 

I often try to figure out how people do some of these journeys. I’ve met a few people who have been able to take some great trips. I met a young couple that sold everything and bought a couple of Vespa-like scooters and traveled around the world. It took them a year to complete their journey. When they returned home, they had to start life over. I met a couple of guys in Nebraska who had traveled all around the United States. They work for a school system and ride their bikes until they run out of time. They find a rental shed to store their bikes in. Then they fly home. When they get more time off, they fly back out and pick up their bikes and continue on. I’ve also met a couple of people who own their own businesses. As long as they had their laptop, they were able to run their business from anywhere. Nice!

Don explained to me that he really didn’t need to worry about anything like that. He just needed to get out of the gate, but admitted he was afraid of highways and cars. He said he wished he lived out west where he could travel for days without having to worry about traffic.

We soon realized that as nice as it was to talk, neither of us could really help the other with our problems. At that point, I asked myself, “What are you doing talking to a donkey anyway?” I went to my bike and grabbed him an apple and we said our goodbyes. 

Of course, this experience keeps me thinking about Don because we both had the same desires but neither of us could figure out how to get past our own fences. 

If there is a topic you would like to discuss, you can contact me at motorcycle4fun@aol.com. 

Beauty and the Beast (129 minutes) is based on my favorite animated Disney film. When I was younger, I watched the original once a month or so, and revisiting the story now was like slipping on a pair of comfy pajamas. I didn’t really need to watch it. I anticipated every line. When the live-action version diverted from the cartoon, I literally twitched. I like Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, but the eight years between the two actors seemed like a much bigger difference than it really is because she was Hermione in Harry Potterand he was Cousin Matthew in Downton Abby.

Belle (Watson) is stuck in a village full of illiterate hicks. Her father (Kevin Kline) is emotionally absent and her suitor Gaston (Luke Evans) is verbally abusive. When her father is waylaid in his travels, she rushes to his rescue (not for the first time, I expect), in a classic parentified child move. She finds him in the enchanted castle of the Beast, who is, like, the fourth verbally and/or emotionally abusive man she has come across within a 30-minute time span. He imprisons her, yells at her and gives her lots of gifts to make up for his cruel treatment. Turns out she’s cool with that because she dresses up and goes dancing with him. Her father gets in trouble yet again, and the Beast sends her back so she can rescue him. For some reason, he thinks she might come back. For some reason, she does. Then her kidnapper kills her creepy stalker, and magic makes everything all better.

I might be skimming over some of the finer details. Admittedly, there are two ways to look at this, and I am familiar with them both. On the one hand, it is an enjoyable family film, leaning on nostalgia and likable (and, more importantly, bankable) leads to tell a sweet and simple love story. On the other hand, it’s not a very healthy love story to tell. The Beast is an abusive kidnapper and, however much Watson tries to sell her Belle as empowered, there is nothing here to empower her with. What message does it send to girls? Love angry, violent, men and they will shower you with gifts? Men are selfish and can do whatever they want, and girls just have to sing pretty songs and deal with it? Girls need to take care of everyone except themselves? Everyone should go watch Legionbecause Dan Stevens is so awesome? OK that last one is actually a very positive message. Legion is 50 shades of fabulous.

But I digress. Probably because everyone on Earth knows the story and the Disney cartoon version of the story, and not much has changed. There are a couple of new (and … terrible. Just … terrible) songs. There is a little extra magic, and the transformation of the castle folk into knick-knacks is given a bit more context. It is a huge issue with the original version that the witch chose to punish the castle servants when their only real sin was working for a selfish narcissist. Here, Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson) explains that the servants were complicit in the bad behavior of the prince, and thus shared his fate. Also, in this version, when the witch cast her spell, she also made everybody forget that the prince, castle and servants ever existed, which means approximately half the village lost family they no longer remember ever having. Ends and means aside, that witch is kind of a bad person.

Overall, I enjoyed it. The Disney machine made enough money that they will no doubt speed into production several more animated properties. I can’t say I’m looking forward to The Lion King, but my kids will probably love it.

Now playing at Patriot 14 + IMAX.

A German proverb shares this message: “Our passions are winds that propel our vessel. Our reason is the pilot that steers the vessel. Without winds, the vessel would not move, and without a pilot, she would be lost.” This proverb exemplifies my beliefs and thoughts about former FTCC student Sarah Floroshuma, a C-STEP student who graduated from FTCC in 2015 and will graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in nursing. 

Floroshuma not only performed well academically at FTCC, she also excelled in the nursing program at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she earned the James M. Johnston Scholars Scholarship. 

“Initially, the nursing program and the academic rigor were challenges. However, with the emotional support and encouragement I received, I was able to find the needed strength and determination to use my passion for helping others as my strength,” Floroshuma said. She attributes her ability to care for her sickly grandparents as one of the defining moments that helped her confirm her desire for a career in nursing. 

“After graduating high school in Nigeria at age 16, I took on the role of caretaker for my elderly and sickly grandparents. This experience taught me a lot about inner strength and provided the insight I needed to clarify my career aspirations. I feel that nursing is my calling, and I couldn’t imagine pursuing any other career.”

The Carolina Student Transfer Excellence Program (C-STEP), housed in the office of Undergraduate Admissions at UNC-Chapel Hill, seeks to admit, identify, enroll and graduate high-achieving students with low-to-moderate income seeking to transfer to UNC-Chapel Hill from partnering community colleges. The students who participate in this program are inspiring, intelligent, hard-working and dedicated students, and Sarah fits this description perfectly. 

Floroshuma explained the huge impact being a recipient of the James M. Johnston Scholarship has had on her life. “This has allowed me to remain somewhat independent and not burden my father who has deployed over three times in the past two years. Because of the legacy of the scholarship and the Carolina Covenant, I will graduate debt free, and that’s a blessing. I want other students to know how being a part of C-STEP helped me solidify my dreams and career goals and allowed me to spread my wings and grow. And it all began at FTCC,” she said.    

Fayetteville Tech partnered with UNC-Chapel Hill in 2011 to establish this premier program. C-STEP focuses on community college students whose household incomes fall at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, and potential candidates are reviewed holistically.    

The next step in Sarah’s journey will continue to offer her challenge filled with real-world experiences, but through FTCC and UNC-Chapel Hill, she is well positioned on her journey to satisfy her passion, her goals and her dreams.

Learn more about C-STEP at FTCC by reaching out to me, Loutricia Nelson, at nelsonl@faytechcc.edu or (910) 678-8205.

When Jordon Rosas was in high school, he used to daydream about a place where teens could gather for good clean fun — a place for dancing and talking and hanging out. It would be a place where everyone felt welcome and people could be themselves while having a good time. Rosas is 24 now, and he believes more strongly than ever that Fayetteville needs a place like the one he dreamed about in high school. So he opened one — Club Surge, located at 2000 Owen Drive.

While Club Surge has been hosting events for several months, it is now, as of April 8, open to the public. Designed for patrons ages 13-18, Club Surge has two VIP levels and offers a variety of effects, including UV lights, glow lights, black lights, glow bands, glow sticks and black light bubbles to create a lively atmosphere.

“Kids always want to do parties,” said Rosas. “I had property and we had a bonfire there one night. We had a big turnout and I thought it would be neat if we could do this regularly.” 

He decided to make his dream from high school a reality. “I worked hard to put a business plan together and decided it was time to make it happen,” he said.

The most important thing to Rosas was making sure the space he created would be a place people would be comfortable and want to socialize. In today’s age of electronics and digital devices, Rosas wanted to give people a place to connect on a more personal level — face to face. “This is a social environment. It is designed for people to come listen to music and meet new people,” he said. “I have a lot of comfortable furniture and the VIP sections have servers that will bring soda and water for people to drink. My DJ does a really good job of playing songs that get people on the dance floor. Kids like to stay on phones, etc., I am trying to get them back to interacting with each other. They are always on social media and that is kind what surge is about — making new friends. I believe this generation has a love of music and dancing.”

To keep things fun, Rosas knows it is important to keep his patrons safe, so he has prioritized that. No drugs, alcohol or weapons are permitted on or near the club’s property. This is also a non-smoking club. The on-site security team is there to ensure everyone can have a good time in a fun and safe environment. No backpacks or large purses are allowed. Patrons are scanned with  a security  wand by the security team and bags are checked upon entry. There is a coat check area for guests to store their coats and bags. Rosas added that all customers must have a state or school-issued ID. Memberships are available, but are not required. Visit https://www.clubsurge.com/ to find out more.

Fayetteville Urban Ministry presents the 7th annual Duck Derby Sunday, April 30 at 3 p.m. at Festival Park. 

“Duck Derby is the most fun and it is our biggest local fundraiser in the city,” said Johnny Wilson, executive director of Fayetteville Urban Ministry. “We are the closing act of the Dogwood Festival.” 

The fundraiser generates money for Fayetteville Urban Ministry and other nonprofit organizations and schools. “Anybody that partners with us can rake in proceeds, too, because folks can adopt ducks to support their favorite nonprofit or Cumberland County School,” said Wilson. 

“To adopt a duck is $10, so what happens is, if you want to support the Special Olympics, then the Special Olympics will get half of the $10 which is $5,” Wilson explained. He added that there is a competition. The school or nonprofit organization that gets the most duck adoptions in their name will win the “Best Partner Nonprofit” and will receive extra proceeds, love and recognition. 

The cost of one duck adoption is $10. Adopt six ducks for $50, 12 ducks for $100 and so on. “Our goal is to race 5,000 or more ducks,” said Wilson. “The ducks will race in Cross Creek in Festival Park under the walkover bridge.” The first place duck will win a 2017 25-foot Toy Hauler camper; second place will win free groceries for a year from Food Lion; third place will win free groceries for a year from Super Compare Foods; fourth place will win $500 cash; fifth place will win a new set of tires from Ed Tire’s; sixth place will win a large flat-screen TV from Wal-Mart; seventh place will win a free one-year membership to the Renaissance Spa Fitness and Wellness Center; and the duck that comes in last place will win a camping tent and a jar of molasses. “The theme behind the camping tent and a jar of molasses is to get your camping tent so you can go hang out with the folks who won the camper, so they can show you how to do it, because you are slow as molasses,” said Wilson. “Winners do not have to be present on the day of the race to receive prizes.” 

Fayetteville Urban Ministry is a nonprofit organization that consists of four programs that provide faith, love, hope and security to Cumberland County residents free of charge. These programs are the Find-A-Friend Youth Program, an Adult Literacy Program, the Nehemiah Project and Emergency Assistance. 

If you would like paper duck adoption forms, you may go to any of the nonprofit organizations and they will have the forms on hand so you can mail in your duck adoption. Purchase ducks online by visiting www.fayurbmin.org/ and clicking the icon. For more information, call 483-5944 or visit www.fayettevilleduckderby.com. 

On April 14, Epicenter Church will host an Easter celebration called Hop in the Park for the entire community. It will be held in Festival Park and will feature all sorts of fun activities for the entire family. “This is the fifth annual event, and we could not be more excited,” said Pastor Mark Knight. “Last year we had 25,000 people, and we are expecting even more this year. It includes giant Easter egg hunts, huge inflatables, carnival rides, a big screen movie, free food and a lot more,” Knight added. The food available will be pizza, popcorn, hotdogs, cotton candy and water. The food will be entirely free while supplies last. 

The main feature of Hop in the Park is the Easter egg hunt. The last two years there have been 20,000-25,000 people in attendance, so the hunt will be massive. In fact, organizers have tripled the amount of food and events since the inaugural event in 2013. “Thousands of empty eggs are spread out over a wide area for kids to find over a two-minute period and are then traded for bags full of candy. The eggs are then cycled back into future hunts. Since we do approximately 40-50 egg hunts between our two age groups (0-5 and 6-12), we estimate that we will cycle through well over 200,000 eggs,” Knight explained.

Organizing such a large event takes hours of planning and preparation. It is possible thanks to the hard work of church members and volunteers and the generosity of local businesses. “We need hundreds of volunteers to make this event run effectively.
Also, since we offer it completely free, we have to work pretty hard to raise the funds to pay for everything. It costs us over $80,000 and would cost much more without local businesses being willing to offer discounts to help us make things work,” Knight said.

Knight said all of this effort is worth it because of the joy it brings to the community. “We want to be known as a church that gives things away. We have a community service initiative called Ways 2 Love Fayetteville where we try to give away 20,000 hours of community service each year,” Knight explained. “Those two parts of who we are as a church, combined with how much we love to have fun and how important families are to us, made us want to do something BIG to celebrate Easter with the city. After a few other ideas, we landed on this one: A giant Easter festival where families from all over can come and have a great time!”

While the entire community is invited to attend, pre-registration is required because of the expected turnout. Attendees will be given “passports” to access the events and food as some are restricted to one per person. Only one person from each party is required to register. Parties can pre-register online in order to speed up the process on the day of the event. For more information or to pre-register, visit the event website at http://www.hopinthepark.com. 

Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, showing at Cape Fear Regional Theatre through April 25, is playwright Ken Ludwig’s take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved 1902 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. The show, carried by CFRT veteran Ken Griggs as Holmes and New York-based Harron Atkins as Watson, runs on playful, imaginative and smart storytelling.

Griggs and Atkins are supported by James Beaman, Luke LaMontagne and Molly Malone, who between the three of them comprise the rest of the cast — they each play at least three different characters throughout the show. 

Director Sam French said that for Baskerville, he began working with his artistic team even earlier than he normally would. That team includes Scenic Designer Lucy Pope and Costume Designer Lizzie Donelan. French said he loves Ken Ludwig’s approach in the script. “It takes a classic story that’s meant to be read and has been designed to … only use the reader’s imagination, and now invites the audience’s imagination and the creative team’s imagination,” he said. 

The creative team took that invitation wholeheartedly and created a world that urges audience members to follow suit. Under their vision, the actors create trains, horse carriages and even entire buildings out of almost nothing. Delicate paper-cut silhouettes whimsically dance across the background. The fourth wall is never broken because it never really gets erected. Though I initially resisted, I couldn’t help but be pulled into world-building with them — the delight and inventive silliness and of it all was irresistible. 

The moment that really got me was this: Holmes and Watson are onstage, engaged in heated dialog as they try to figure out their next move. Suddenly, from the shadows stage right, a coil of thick rope is thrown to Holmes. As he continues to talk, he passes one end of the rope to Watson. “I know!” he suddenly cries. “We’ll go to the (office)!” He and Watson have created the outline of a door frame with the rope as he says this, and, bursting with resolution and dignity, they step under the rope and into the “office.” 

But not everything in Baskerville is created with only imagination. I was impressed with the primary set piece, a sloping, zig-zagging ramp, and the way it believably transformed with only context and perhaps a prop here or there added or subtracted. Scenic Designer Pope and Scenic Artist David Rawlins did a fantastic job.  

Structure aside, supporting cast members Beaman, LaMontagne and Malone are extremely likeable and often hilarious in all their iterations. Lighting Designer Aaron Porter deserves mention, too, as his artful decisions imbued the whole thing with a sense of beauty and warmth. 

Maybe you have to be there to understand the glory of that scene I described with the rope. And maybe that’s the point. I’m a firm believer that if it doesn’t make you say, “You’ve got to see it in person!” it probably isn’t worth seeing at all. Baskervilleabsolutely passes this test. 

Tickets to see Baskerville at CFRT cost $15-$25 and can be purchased by visiting www.cfrt.org or calling 910-323- 4233. Show times fall at 7:30 p.m. or 2 p.m. depending on the day. Baskerville runs through April 25.

Some Cumberland County Commissioners, who serve on a task force that is developing a combined City/County 911 operations center, are disappointed in the proposed organizational structure. The task force of commissioners, members of Fayetteville City Council and public safety officials met last week. It was their third meeting on the proposed consolidation of 911 service. 

Consultants with Mission Critical Partners of Raleigh hope the task force can agree to terms of joint responsibility to meet a May 31 deadline to apply for available state grants. Commissioners Jimmy Keefe and Jeanette Council balked at the suggestion that City government would operate the 911 center. Asked if she thought the County should be in charge, she responded with a sharp “yes.” Council said she assumed all along that the multimillion-dollar facility would be managed by County government. Commissioner Jimmy Keefe, who has experience on City Council, said he couldn’t support the proposition until he learned more of the details. Keefe objected to differences between City and County officials being “discussed in a public setting.”  

Because 60 percent of emergency calls for service are in the city, Mission Critical Partners proposed that it be in charge of operations. The consultants’ proposal is for the County to be the grant sponsor. Their recommendation was modeled after combined 911 centers already in place in Guilford and Wake Counties, where Greensboro and Raleigh take the lead. Ironically, local public safety officials including the sheriff, rural fire departments and emergency management professionals support the concept as presented and have done most of the planning. 

“This is a good program,” said Freddie Johnson, president of the Cumberland County Fire Chiefs Association. “Each of the user agencies would have input” as to operational protocols, said Assistant County Manager Tracey Jackson. The user group would consider detailed recommendations and present them to a joint advisory committee. County and City managers would provide joint oversight. Consultants are encouraging the task force to focus first on securing available state grants. To qualify, the task force must come to agreement on governance and who will what. Then it will turn its attention to the cost and location. 

The need for a combined 911 facility intensified after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in New York, Washington and rural Pennsylvania. Actual consideration of a local, merged 911 department has been under consideration for about ten years.  

Fayetteville and Cumberland County operate separate 911 emergency dispatch centers in City hall and the County law enforcement center. They do not meet contemporary survivability standards in the event of an attack. Officials recommend that communications facilities be located outside urban centers. A 40,000-square-foot 911 headquarters is proposed to be located on city-owned property on Fields Road off Cedar Creek Road. It would be a fortress-like, hardened building capable of withstanding a category four hurricane. City and county officials have agreed to a price tag of about $30 million. Keefe has said previously that it’s important for everyone to understand the need for
this facility.  

Fayetteville City Council supports a bill in the state House of Representatives that provides local legislation, which would grant the City extraterritorial jurisdiction of Shaw Heights beginning in July. Rep. Elmer Floyd (D-Cumberland), who represents the impoverished area surrounded by the City, filed the bill on his own accord. He asked Council to endorse the measure, and Monday night the body did just that. 

Councilman Ted Mohn crafted the resolution of support which also advocates the eventual annexation of the doughnut hole by July 1, 2020. Mayor Pro Tem Mitch Colvin intially opposed the resolution, but reluctantly agreed to it after receiving assurances that other urban areas like Eureka Springs will be considered for annexation in the future. “I support fixing the problem,” he said. “Let’s do it right or let’s not do it,” Colvin added. 

This would not be a typical annexation. In recent years, the Republican-controlled General Assembly has done away with statutes that formerly gave cities involuntary annexation authority. So, for a veteran member of the House to propose a legislative annexation is rare. Floyd has felt for years that the distressed community of rental mobile homes, massive junk yards, illegal dumps and roadside debris needed to be in the city properly so urban services could be provided. 

Mayor Nat Robertson has accused Cumberland County government of ignoring the needs of Shaw Heights, and as a result forcing the city’s hand. Others contend the city of Fayetteville intentionally ignored the area when it annexed everything around it over the years.

Shaw Heights, off Murchison Road near the future I-295, is the area north of Shaw Road that connects Murchison Road to the east with Bragg Boulevard to the west. A community known as Julie Heights is south of Shaw Road. It’s almost as if the road itself over time became a demarcation line separating a loosely defined poverty-stricken area of rental trailers from a middle class neighborhood of modest single-family homes, many of which are owner-occupied. If granted extraterritorial jurisdiction this summer, the city would provide police protection, solid waste collection and street maintenance. The city already provides fire protection to the area under contract with County government. The only rural fire station that previously served Shaw Heights was closed many years ago. The Public Works Commission would be required to begin providing water and sewer utilities within three and a half years of the annexation.    

“Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” 

— Matthew 25:40

It was 22 years ago that a group of local church congregations came together to activate a common goal — to do something for those less fortunate than themselves. David Crocker, then-pastor of Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, organized the group and Fayetteville’s Operation Inasmuch was born. They partnered with Fayetteville Urban Ministry initially to reach out to the community. The objective was to help families in need make basic repairs to their homes. Volunteers would provide the labor, corporate partners would, in some instances, provide the materials. Others would sell supplies at reduced prices.

Operation Inasmuch worked closely with the Fayetteville Redevelopment Department to qualify for small Community Development Block Grants. “We found we could work on 20 homes for the same money that the government would do two,” said Executive Director Sue Byrd. Volunteers from as many as two dozen churches scoured older neighborhoods looking for single-family owner-occupied homes that needed minor repairs. “It was quite an undertaking,” Byrd said. Over the years, hundreds of homes have been worked on, from minor roof and siding repairs to hand railings and steps. The so-called “blitz days” were held twice a year at first, but have been scaled back to one annual undertaking in the spring.

Since 2009, Operation Inasmuch has expanded its outreach to become a beacon of hope for the homeless. “We are not enablers,” said Byrd. She said the organization provides opportunities to the homeless. “They’ve got every chance in the world if they want it.” Inasmuch is headquartered on donated property on Hillsboro Street at the corner of Chance Street. 

The charity serves breakfast to the needy weekday mornings, and serves as a clearing house for information needed by street people. Byrd is quick to confirm what other officials have said — that area panhandlers are not homeless. They are professional beggars who take advantage of “our community’s abundance of compassionate people.” Operation Inasmuch encourages people not to “street feed” the homeless but to support local agencies which provide meals. “When people share a meal together, their lives are nourished; they’re not just fed,” Byrd said.

The organization’s most recent undertaking was the grand opening of The Lodge, a shelter for men. It’s diagonally across the street from the ministry’s office on Chance Street, and provides overnight stays for up to 40 men. The facility has a kitchen, restrooms and showers plus a day room for various activities. Two dormitories are lined with Spartan-like single beds. It’s much more than a place to sleep, said Byrd. An individual, once screened, can stay free for one week so long as he does his chores and spends his days looking for work. Phase two requires that the tenant pay $5 a night and be registered with NC Works at the state employment office nearby. 

During the third phase of residency, once men have gotten jobs, they are rewarded with semi-private rooms, again for $5 a night. Ultimately, successful residents can move into one of the half dozen homes Operation Inasmuch owns on nearby Frink Street. They are issued keys to their homes and pay $225 a month for rent. Up to five men have separate bedrooms in each house. Fayetteville Operation Inasmuch’s stated purpose is “to go outside the church walls to a world in need, offering the talents and gifts with which we have been blessed.”

Those Dam Repairs

Fayetteville City Council wants to update its policy governing the repair of local dams. Several dams were breached during Hurricane Matthew six months ago. Council’s discussion of the matter last week was eerily similar to what Congress went through while dealing with a new health care proposal. Councilman Jim Arp made three attempts to modify a policy, which every Council member agreed is outmoded.

He first made a motion to repeal the existing ordinance and come up with a new one. Councilman Kirk deViere objected to repealing the measure and Arp agreed to revise the existing policy. Others objected to that, so Arp returned to his original idea of repealing the ordinance altogether and directing staff to come up with a new three-pronged policy. City Manager Doug Hewett isn’t sure it would pass legal muster though. It would acknowledge that some private dams have public roads like the one at Arran Lake. Some public dams have public roads like the one in Van Story Hills. And in some other cases, there are private dams with private roads. The Arran Lakes Homeowners Association wants the city to help pay for repairing their private dam. “We’ll give the road over the dam to the city in return,” said HOA Treasurer Elmer Capps. “The problem I have is finding a public purpose for spending tax dollars on a private dam,”
said Hewett. 

Flood Prevention of Another Sort

Twice in the last 20 years, major flooding has occurred near downtown to the extent that Cross Creek came out of its banks along Murchison Road and Bragg Boulevard. It happened most recently during Hurricane Matthew. 

In mid-September of 1989, an eight-inch torrential rainfall inundated Fayetteville, taking two lives. 

In both instances, water from the overflowing Cross Creek stood 5 feet deep where Bragg Boulevard intersects with Rowan Street. The State Department of Transportation is taking steps that will significantly reduce the likelihood of flooding there in the future. A bigger culvert will be constructed where the new Rowan Street Bridge and relocated city streets will pass over Cross Creek, said DOT construction engineer Randy Wise. “The new culvert is much larger than the old,” he said. A temporary channel will carry the water away from the creek bed while the culvert is built. “Once the culvert is complete, the water will be diverted through it,” Wise added.

Barricaded City Streets 

Two years ago, the City of Fayetteville barricaded a pair of downtown city streets to help fight crime. Working with emergency services, Traffic Engineer Lee Jernigan had temporary “Street Closed” barriers erected near the Eastern Boulevard intersections of Link and School Streets. “There was a high level of crime in the area,” said Police Captain James Nolette. 

Those barricades have become permanent. Closing off the streets was one of the strategies designed to reduce crime as suggested by the B Street Coalition of residents. Real-time closed-circuit surveillance cameras monitored at police headquarters were another element of the effort. A Link Street neighborhood watch group has become actively involved in efforts by residents to reduce drug dealing and prostitution. “We’ve seen a drastic reduction in crime since the barricades were put up,” said Nolette. 

Small Business Workshop

The U.S. DOT Small Business Transportation Resource Center and Fayetteville Area System of Transit are hosting a small business workshop Thursday, April 20 from 3 -5 p.m. It will be held in the FAST Headquarters Conference Room located at 455 Grove Street. City spokesman Nathan Walls said the workshop will focus on accessing small business capital, maintaining adequate cash flow, acquiring capital for business expansion and finding nontraditional funding sources. Local lenders will be on hand to discuss the small business funding options. Registration can be completed at: https://fast2017-funding.eventbrite.com. 

Building Business Rally

Fayetteville’s Public Works Commission recently held a business workshop. City agencies have been in the forefront of reaching out to local, small businesses to attract interest. PWC has a department that is responsible for the procurement of materials, supplies, services and equipment to enable the efficient operation of the utility. The department also oversees and administers bids and contracts related to electric, water and sewer construction. PWC hosted its spring Building Business Rally last week at its operations center on Old Wilmington Road. Local vendors met with representatives of PWC’s many departments to learn about their supply, equipment and service needs. PWC is also aggressively seeking contractors involved in the Small Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program. This program works to increase the participation of disadvantaged businesses in its procurement opportunities.

There was big news last week! Carolina again won the national basketball championship, and the North Carolina General Assembly repealed HB2 bathroom bill.

How are those two issues connected? Well, North Carolina basketball — whether you’re talking about UNC or even Duke — has made a bundle of money for the Atlantic Coast Conference over the years. 

However, both the ACC’s and NCAA’s political stance on HB2 has taken a lot of money from North Carolina.

Last September, the ACC’s Council of Presidents secretly voted to move its 2016 and 2017 league championships from North Carolina venues to other states after the General Assembly in March passed HB2. Among those voting were UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt and NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson. The NCAA’s position was in lockstep with the ACC.

The vote by the ACC presidents aimed to punish the Tar Heel state’s General Assembly for passing what it considered a discriminatory law. HB2 negated the City of Charlotte’s ordinance by requiring transgender people using public bathrooms, showers or changing rooms to do so according to their sex on their birth certificates. Charlotte’s ordinance allowed transgender individuals to use those facilities based on the sex they identify with.

There was more attached to the bill, but the bathroom issue rose to the top of the heap and became the lightning rod for social justice advocates.

It’s not the first time a nonprofit, tax-exempt collegiate sports organization has taken a political stance. Until last year, the NCAA boycotted South Carolina because it flew a Confederate battle flag. The flag flies no longer, and this year South Carolina again is in the NCAA’s good graces. It’s where UNC met Arkansas.

But guess what? On April 18, the NCAA decides where it will hold championship events from 2018 through 2022. The ACC Council of Presidents also plans to revisit its position on the matter. So, will the General Assembly’s repeal of HB2 bring back NCAA championship events to North Carolina?

But there’s a problem with HB142, the law that repeals HB2. Both the extreme left and the extreme right don’t like it. The LGBTQ community wants to totally repeal it.

HB142 resets the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act. 

The new law also preempts state agencies and local governments from regulating access to restrooms, showers or changing rooms. The new law also puts a moratorium on local government ordinances that regulate private employment practices and public accommodations. That moratorium expires in December 2020.

Lt. Gov. Dan Forest’s statement about HB142 asked
two questions:

1. If HB2 was right, then why should it be repealed?

2. However, if it was wrong, then why wait until 2020?

He also referred to the NCAA’s boycotting actions as “corporate extortion” from a nonelected, out-of-state, tax-exempt organization.

On the other side is Mayor Jennifer Roberts. Under her leadership, the Charlotte City Council passed the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance. It triggered the General Assembly to pass HB2. The reasoning, according a majority of legislators, was that the Charlotte ordinance overreached its authority under state law.

Roberts reportedly chided fellow Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper for signing HB142 and called it a “false repeal.”

Now, one more crazy thing. The City of Charlotte also released a statement. But its statement differs from that of the mayor. It said the City of Charlotte is pleased with the passage of HB142. The city’s spokeswoman released the statement after checking with the council. 

So, with all the different spins on the repeal of HB2, I wonder how the NCAA and ACC Council of presidents will interpret the new law. And my question remains: how does a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization have so much political clout?

Several North Carolina legislators are asking the same question. In fact, they’ve filed House Bill 328, The Athletic Association Accountability Act. If enacted, the law would require chancellors from publically funded universities or colleges to disclose how they voted. The law also would ask the IRS to investigate whether the ACC and NCAA violated their tax-exempt status by trying to influence laws passed by a legislative authority.

I was recently thinking about toothpaste ads from the 1960s. Toothpaste slogans and jingles of yesteryear are unmatched by today’s ads. More about the jingles later. Pondering old toothpaste ads sent me down a rabbit hole recalling Colonel Jack D. Ripper’s wisdom about tooth decay. Let us never forget the words of Colonel Ripper in America’s favorite movie, Dr. Strangelove. In 1964, Colonel Ripper was both the free world’s leading authority on dental hygiene and the spiritual founder of the Congressional Freedom Caucus. Colonel Ripper proclaimed, “I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.” Gentle reader, in the unlikely event you have not watched Dr. Strangelovein the last six months, Colonel Ripper was talking about the evils of fluoridation.

Colonel Ripper explained his theory: “Do you realize that in addition to fluoridating water there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, ice cream? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. That’s the way your hardcore Commie works. I first became aware of it during the physical act of love. Yes, a profound sense of fatigue, a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence. I assure you it has not recurred. Women sense my power and they seek the life essence. I do not avoid women... but I do deny them my essence.” 

 Let us go then, you and I, preserving our precious bodily fluids while considering old toothpaste ads. How shall we begin? Do we dare to eat a peach? Nah, that’s J. Alfred Prufrock stuff, measuring out his life in coffee spoons. We are concerned with teeth, not spoons. Secret ingredients were the order of the day in the early ‘60s. Gleem was the toothpaste for people “who could not brush after every meal.” Its secret ingredient was GL-70, which cleaned your teeth and fought mouth cooties. Ipana toothpaste was pushed by Bucky Beaver, a cartoon rodent who sang, “Brusha, brusha, brusha, here’s the new Ipana.” Colgate Dental Cream’s secret sauce was Gardol, providing an invisible protective shield that kept tooth decay and bad breath away all day with just one brushing. A Gardol salesdude stood outside while a football player threw a football at his head. Whack! The football would bounce off the invisible protective shield around the salesman. This demonstrated how Gardol would protect your breath from gingivitis and your head from errant footballs. I really liked that ad.

Crest’s ad campaign starred kids coming home from the dentist with a dental report card cheerily proclaiming at the top of their lungs, “Look Ma, no cavities.” It was a proud moment for the entire family. Bill Cosby appeared in a number of Crest ads as a boxer named Mr. Tooth Decay. Bill would box a hanging punching bag that was a giant tube of Crest. The Crest punching bag would eventually win and knock Bill down. Bill had some later issues with knockout drops in another context.

 The late lamented Stripe toothpaste had a really cool secret ingredient — Hexachlorophene — which was touted as a germ killer. Stripe’s gimmick was that when you squeezed the tube, a stream of red Hexachlorophene magically appeared, marking your toothpaste with groovy stripes. One Stripe ad featured a peppy chorus singing, “ Stripe is the cleaningest tooth paste/It’s got Hexa, Hexa, Hexachlorophene.” Another Stripe ad boasted “It looks like fun/Cleans like crazy.” Stripe toothpaste ads were particularly attractive to kids. I used Stripe myself. Turning the tube while squeezing made the red stripes go in a circle around the white inner tooth paste like a candy cane. Unfortunately Stripe was eventually pulled off the market due to a little glitch. Turns out that in addition to Hexachlorophene killing germs, if swallowed it could also lead to convulsions and respiratory failure as an added bonus. You might have seizures, but if you bit your tongue it would be with bright and shiny germ-free teeth, thus cutting down on the chance of infection. 

 Colonel Ripper warned us about the dangers of fluoride. It would be interesting to learn his position on toothpaste packed with red stripes of Hexachlorophene. Red is the favorite color of the Commies, so I suspect Colonel Ripper might also determine that Stripe was a Commie plot even more nefarious than fluoridation. 

  Remember, you only have to floss the teeth you want to keep.

When the General Assembly is asked to entertain or introduce a bill that affects the citizens of a municipality, the legislative delegation assumes that the municipality’s leaders are in 100 percent agreement with the terms of the request. Otherwise, they would not want to risk alienating their constituents, and no one ever wants to be on the wrong side of bad legislation.

So, it would also be silly to think that prospective corporate entities scouting out Fayetteville/Cumberland County to locate their businesses or industries here would not be looking for the same assurances. Of course they would. And our community would fare much better in attracting industry if our City and County elected
officials were a little more sensitive about what is best for the
entire tax-paying community. 

Both City and County officials need to stop bragging publicly about how well they cooperate with each other and instead start demonstrating it. Actions (or inactions) always speak louder than words. They should demonstrate it by amicably settling the sales tax distribution issue; sensibly consolidating our 911 emergency call centers; supporting and encouraging each other’s economic development projects; and showing support for the Greater Fayetteville Chamber, the Downtown Alliance, the Fayetteville Convention, the Visitors Bureau and all other organizations whose mission is to promote and enhance the community. Visitors and prospective businesses and industries looking at us from the outside are not stupid, and they are not impressed. We must stop demonstrating that we are a community conflicted and fortified within personal agenda silos with a toxic contempt for and distrust of one another. Under these circumstances, you can be assured they will not locate here regardless of how many incentives or perks we offer them.

These corporate entities and prospective clients pay more attention to what they can see rather than what they hear. They look around our community and observe the condition of our downtown, the cleanliness of our streets and the availability of cultural amenities, but, more importantly, they look at our leadership and pay attention to the way our leaders interact with and react to one another. If we are not in harmony, and if the sense of disharmony is too conspicuous, you can be pretty much assured these prospective clients will not have the confidence to do business with us or to bring their companies here, investing millions of dollars in our community. 

Both City and County officials need to be more sensitive to these factors. Together, they need to ask the same questions and heed the answers: Is our community clean? Is it safe? Are our parks and public areas well groomed? In other words, what image are we projecting? Are we taking pride in our community? Many of the things that will enhance Fayetteville and Cumberland County’s image and move us forward are things that don’t cost money. Cooperation, respect and civility just to name a few. 

This is a very exciting time for our community and much is at stake. Let’s not let egos, turf battles and power plays diminish our opportunities. We have so much to gain through cooperation. Let’s get on with it. The time is now. Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

The All American Tattoo Convention will bring incredible tattoo artists from around the nation to the Crown Coliseum April 14-16. This is the first tattoo convention of its kind in Fayetteville, but it is a perfect fit. “Fayetteville, North Carolina, has one of the highest tattoo shops per square mile in the U.S. Ninety percent of infantry soldiers has at least one tattoo. Fayetteville has a lot of shops and there wasn’t a real sense of community, we knew that if we gave only the top shops the opportunity they would jump on the chance to be a part of a convention. That not only brought in amazing seminars but also gave back to the military community,” said Ryan Harrell, president of the All American Tattoo Convention.

Tattooing is an ancient art form, but it isn’t like painting. The tattoo artist isn’t the only one responsible for the outcome of the piece. It is also in the hands of the owner. “A lot of people do not understand that a fresh tattoo is an open wound and should be treated with care. Healing a tattoo correctly at home is a large part of how the tattoo turns out. Because a tattoo artist can only control the environment in the shop, once you leave it is up to you to take care of the tattoo until it has healed fully,” Harrell explained.

The public response has been overwhelmingly positive. “The convention quickly grew to over 300 tattoo artists, double our original projections,” said Harrell. “We sold out of booths and had to figure out alternative ways to satisfy the local health department requirements of a show that large. Having a waiting list of artists who want to come to your show and making a decision to grow into the coliseum was a huge decision for us,” he added. 

A list of artists can be found on the All American Tattoo Convention website. Many of the artists are taking appointments for the convention. There are also a number of artists who will not be taking any appointments; they are instead only doing walk-ups. One such artist is Sarah Miller. She often has a massive waitlist and this is the first convention where she is only taking walk-ups. This is her way of giving back to the military community.

This is truly an opportunity unlike any other. There is no other time during the year where so many incredible artists are under one roof. “The convention is one large tattoo shop, there will be the chance to be tattooed by amazing tattoo artists from all over the world. Some of the artists coming have yearlong waiting lists, but they are coming to our show and taking walk-ins. 

“We have sideshows, contests and a Miss All American contest, so there will be things to do while you wait to be tattooed, or wait on your friends who are getting tattooed. We also have a meet and greet with some amazing tattoo artists who were on Spike TV shows like Ink Masterand Tattoo Rescue, and VIP ticket holders get in free to this event,” Harrell said.

While many go to conventions to get tattoos, that is only beginning of what the event has to offer for artists and patrons. For artists it is an exciting opportunity to catch up with friends, show off their work and meet exciting new people. For patrons, there are incredible artists to talk with, competitions to watch, events and many booths to explore. 

Airborne aerial fitness performers will be in attendance as will The All Veteran Parachute Team, New Olde City Sideshow, Fayetteville Roller Derby Rogue Roller Girls, and Half Pint Brawlers. There will also be a Miss All American pinup contest. Emcees include Dr. Carl Blasphemy and Johnny “Awesome” Ivey. Harrell noted that you don’t have to be getting a tattoo in order to have an amazing time.

The convention also includes a group called Operation Tattooing Freedom. “Tattoo therapy is a program created by Operation Tattooing Freedom and one of the doctors from Spike TV’s Ink Shrinks. It helps a veteran who has PTSD or other combat-related injuries, as tattooing releases chemicals in the body that allow them to be able to open up about issues that are affecting them,” Harrell said. 

“Operation Tattooing Freedom is growing by leaps and bounds, and we look forward to working with even more veterans in the near future.”

Benefiting the community is another focus for the convention and many of the artists. “Giving back to the community that has given so much to us (is important). On Sunday when we award a portion of the proceeds to the Fisher House of Fort Bragg and our other charities, it will make it all worth it,” Harrell said.

For more information about the convention, a list of participating artists and a schedule of events, please visit https://allamericantattooconvention.com.

Preslyn Johnson

Cape Fear • Cheerleader/Basketball • 

Junior

Despite being busy during multiple sports seasons for the Colts, Johnson managed to record a 4.6 grade point average.

Jacob Austin

Pine Forest • Baseball •Senior

Austin has a 4.71 grade point average. He recently went six innings on the mound in a win against Overhills. For the week he batted 5-for-8 with a double and nine RBIs.

Leo Durocher, the great Los Angeles Dodgers manager, was wrong.

But in his defense, he never met Jack Britt High School wrestling coach John DeWeese, or he would never have uttered that famous quote, “Nice guys finish last.”

DeWeese, who recently announced his retirement as the only wrestling coach Jack Britt has ever had, ranks as one of the nicest guys I’ve met during all my years covering high school sports.

Even on his worst days and in his toughest wrestling matches, I never saw DeWeese without a smile on his face or sharing a laugh with one of his wrestlers or a friend.

As he heads into retirement, he will easily rank among the greatest wrestling coaches Cumberland County has ever known, right up there with Cape Fear’s Mike Stanbridge and Seventy-First’s David Culbreth.

It was a pretty amazing run for a guy who said he got into wrestling almost by accident. It was when he was at Lewis Chapel and the late J.C. Hawk came to DeWeese almost in tears saying the school’s wrestling coach had left and the team didn’t have a coach.

Hawk promised to teach DeWeese everything he knew about the sport if DeWeese would be the coach. 

“That night I went home and ordered every VHS tape I could find on wrestling, which was about four,’’ DeWeese said. “That was about 28 years ago.’’ It was with Culbreth as an assistant at Seventy-First that DeWeese first got his start at the high school level. He helped Culbreth coach two of the greatest high school teams in county and state history in the late 1990s at
Seventy-First. 

DeWeese still remembers coming to Jack Britt with Culbreth when Britt principal
Conrad Lopes hired them both away from Seventy-First.

Before wrestling season started, Culbreth decided to take a job with a local sporting goods store, but still promised he would help DeWeese with the team. At the first practice, DeWeese said Culbreth walked in, spoke to the team, pointed to DeWeese and said “There’s your coach,’’ and left.

The rest is history. DeWeese won some 13 conference titles and only lost three home conference matches in 17 seasons. After a couple of near misses he guided Britt to the 2015 4-A dual team championship.

He’s had numerous individual state champs, but he said his proudest accomplishment is having three of his former wrestlers, Bradley and Andrew Wanovich and Spencer Nick, currently attending the U.S. Military
Academy at West Point.

“I happened to be in the right place at the right time with some really good people and parents,’’ DeWeese said. “It’s about them.’’

Not entirely. It’s also about a coach who gave his best, built a dynasty and kept a smile on his face while doing it.

Gene Autry gave himself a tough act to follow this season after guiding Terry Sanford’s boys’ tennis team to the 3-A dual team finals last year against perennial power Marvin Ridge.

“I thought we would have another good year,’’ he said of the 2017 season. “Where it ends, we don’t know, but we are looking to
do well.’’

So far, the Bulldogs are, and they took a big step in that direction last week with a 6-3 win over their toughest Cape Fear region rival, Union Pines.

Terry Sanford beat the Vikings in last year’s Eastern Regional championship match. Autry admits he wasn’t sure what to expect from his team when the two squads met for the first time this season at Terry Sanford last week.

“Sometimes you have a mental letdown when you play an opponent again,’’ Autry said. “We started slow but ended up playing well.’’

As usual, the Bulldogs got solid play and half their wins in the match from brothers Henry and Nathan Lieberman. The brothers play No. 1 and No. 2 singles along with No. 1 doubles and took wins in all three of those matches.

Henry, a junior, is in his second season at No. 1 singles player while freshman Nathan is making his debut with the Bulldogs.

Autry said Henry continues to be the same solid player and team leader he was last season. “Everybody looks up to him and tries to follow his leadership,’’ Autry said of Henry. “He’s hitting a lot more solid shots and his ball is heavier. That means it’s taking different spins and a lot more action.’’ Autry said Henry’s footwork is also improved, which is key to putting his total game together.

Henry said having his brother join him on the team this season has been a good experience. “He motivates me because he gets under my skin,’’ Henry said.         “It’s that brother rivalry.’’

Henry said his brother is also a solid player. “He makes you hit good shots over and over to win a point against him,’’ Henry said. “He’s working on his net game and his serve. He’s quick and anticipates well.’’

Nathan said his brother is equally inspiring to him. “He drives me to get better and motivates me,’’ Nathan said. “We definitely just pump each other up, stay positive and don’t let negative things in our heads.’’

A rematch with Union Pines is looming on April 10. Following that will be the chase for the regional and state championships.

Henry said he’s already decided on competing in singles in the state individual tournament. Nathan will soon decide if he wants to try singles or get a new doubles partner and compete for that title.

“We really need to stay focused, have that intensity in practice,’’ Nathan said. “If we don’t get lazy I think we’ll be great.’’

The Liebermans aren’t the only good players on the Bulldog team. Andrew Zahran is back from last year. Autry said he along with Alex Kasari and Dev Sashidhar are also key players.

“To go back and win again against Union Pines is going to be tough,’’ Autry said, referring to the upcoming rematch. “If we do what we’re supposed to do, keep our head about us and play the tennis we’re capable of, we should do well.’’

If you are — or ever were — a Company or Field Grade Officer in the United States military, please do not be offended at this. In a controlled
test some 30 years ago, your peers were used to prove a point I wish to make within this text today. It’s a point that occurs near the intersection
of music, the power of suggestion and individual memory. Weird
enough? Good.

In the mid-’80s I was a communications engineer working for our government. As part of a team dedicated to integrating information and communications systems, we were never far away from our inner nerds, but the long, tedious hours often led to our playful sides seeking a platform on which to live. In instances like the one I’m about to disclose —
we found it.

As we neared the completion of a particularly long season of preparation, my team was ready to hand off a state-of-the-art system to be tested. Someone well above my pay grade determined the group of people most likely to possess the confidence to extract the best from the system while demonstrating the overconfidence necessary to simultaneously destroy it, would be mid-grade officers from across the branches of military services. No one wore uniforms. Everyone was sure they were in charge, and most of them wanted a little time to familiarize. 

As they got themselves comfortable in their temporary home, my little group of behind-the-sceners began to stir in the shadows. We devised a simple plan that involved wandering through the aisle of young officers and whistling, humming or otherwise vocalizing theme songs from TV sitcoms. The objective was simple: get the unwitting participants to sing your team’s assigned song before they left.

And they did. They sang, they hummed, they tapped their feet and pencils, and they never realized what had happened. 

Music is like that. It has a funny effect on our minds. It can evoke memories of a place or time in our lives — a first kiss, the night we proposed, the day our mother died, or the time we skipped school and watched reruns with a friend. Music has ways of affecting us in the here and now, as well. Runners may have multiple playlists for training at various distances, and guys like me pick music based on activities like woodworking, mowing the lawn, or simply getting ready to face another day’s challenges. 

The point is simple: like it or not, the music is getting in. It can change your immediate responses for better or worse. And you might find yourself singing it when you least expect it. Choose your soundtrack wisely.

Oh my goodness. About halfway through the film I realized that writing a review of the The Belko Experiment (88 minutes) would present a unique challenge. You see, I work in an office setting. And I know at least a couple of the people I work with read these reviews. Before I write another word, I want to reassure everyone I work with that my reviews are satirical and are not intended to make anyone worry about my mental state.

With that out of the way, what does it indicate about my mental state that I giggled every time some business suit wearing sad sack was executed in a particularly creative way? Is it just that I overwhelmingly love the work of James Gunn? Or is it that at the time I watched it, I was in desperate need of some catharsis after working extra-long hours to meet a deadline and then taking care of my poor sick family?

James Gunn wrote The Belko Experimentnearly eight years ago, right around the time he created The Specials, before he directed Super(both worth checking out, if you missed his pre-Guardians of the Galaxymaterial). This has some bearing on the review, so stick with me. At the time, he was going through his divorce from Jenna Fischer, you know — Pam, from The Office, and he didn’t want to work on such negative material during his divorce, so he put it aside. Then, when he was given the opportunity to pick it up again, he did. But here’s the funny part — however it was written originally, this is basically a film about how Jim from The Office and Pam from The Officespend hours being physically and psychologically tortured by Barry (Tony Goldwyn, the guy who killed Sam Wheat in Ghost).

No, Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski aren’t in the film. But the characters of Mike (John Gallagher. Jr.) and Leandra (Adria Arjona) closely align with Jim and Pam from The Office, and John Gallagher, Jr. (10 Cloverfield Lane) isn’t John Krasinski’s double, but the two bear more than a passing resemblance.  I don’t mean to cast doubt on the account that Gunn and Fischer’s divorce was amicable. But Leandra does not get a happy ending.

Employees of Belko Industries (no relation to the department store chain) work in rural Bogota, Colombia. There are new security protocols in place and new, more militant security guards. A new employee, Dany (Melonie Diaz) is having an orientation, which establishes that Belko Industries implants security devices in the heads of employees to facilitate rescues in the event of a kidnapping and definitely not to blow up their heads. Wait Melonie! Don’t agree to this insanity! It’s the culture of fear that results in submission to excessive oversight and restriction on our personal freedoms that is the REAL danger! 

But enough sociology. On to the mass murder of irritating co-workers! Barry’s backstory is that he was a Special Forces guy who transitioned into the corporate world, so be prepared for him to justify violence against the few to save the many. Which he does, frequently. Not that it saves him. Or anyone else for that matter. This is not an optimistic story about triumphing over evil sociologists — oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. Apparently, the Big Bad is a social scientist working with a consortium of other social scientists who believe that oversight is for lame scientists like mathematicians, but they should be able to torture people because you get better data that way. I see his point and may adjust my research objectives accordingly.

Overall, this was not amazing, but it was fun. There was something both punishing and gleeful about it, making it well worth a look, even if it was filled with missed opportunities for some social commentary.

Now playing at Patriot 14 + IMAX.

The world of art can be a complex system with layers and layers of meaning — some much more challenging than others. Depending on how much you’re interested in what’s happening in art nationally and internationally, one may often find oneself asking contemporary questions like “What is art for?” and “Why is that art?”

Not so with the mixed media works by Dawn Marie Rozzo, a resident of Raleigh, North Carolina. You don’t need to theorize about unsettling postmodern themes, examine underlying constructs about identity or any of the other approaches to understanding conceptual works of art —  Rozzo’s work is simply joyful! 

There are many reasons to enjoy art; joy and beauty are still highly relevant because of the effect on the viewer. When viewing Rozzo’s work, visitors may find themselves feeling delighted in sunshine and nature: spring fever magnified! So it seems the month of April is a perfect time for Gallery 208 to open with the exhibit titled Dawn Marie Rozzo: Variations on a Theme.

The opening reception for Dawn Marie Rozzo: Variations on a Theme is April 11, 2017, from 5:30-7 p.m. at Gallery 208, and the public is invited to preview the exhibit and meet the artist. Due to her subject matter, colors and approach to image making, I feel confident everyone who attends the opening or visits the exhibit later will leave feeling a
little happier. 

Rozzo’s work is deceptively simple. The gallery is filled with birds, birds and more birds (and some other furry “critters”), all having
personalities. Rozzo has created characters we can relate to in some
archetypal way. Her choice of colors evoke meaning, as well as the text she interfaces with her subjects in a collage format. Her work appears
effortless, yet it is that effortlessness which further supports why the
work evokes a freshness.  

Do not be fooled; her “effortless” style is the result of being an accomplished artist who chooses a loose approach, an artist with a disciplined and trained hand and eye. Upon close inspection, visitors to the gallery will find her work has layers of meaning. 

Rozzo refers to meaning in her work by saying, “The paintings and collages allude to moments of observed beauty, a lightning flash or bird strut. I choose to document these observations with loose transparent washes and gestural brushstrokes to express the surprise experiences in Nature. The collages tell a story of intersections; birds or animals weave between words and images of human endeavors.”

Rozzo will talk about her work and technique at the opening
reception, but for those who are not able to attend the opening, the artist’s statement sums up her creative approach: “I love the transparency of watercolor and its fluidity, it influences my work. Loose transparent washes and gestural brushstrokes are employed on canvas, as well as re-purposed papers and cradled board to create densely colored pieces. Watercolor, acrylic, charcoal, colored pencil and oil paint are layered over one another between clear gesso and acrylic mediums.”

She continued, “My recent collages are a playful intersection between observed natural behaviors of birds, garden creatures and the recording of human endeavors in repurposed pages of old books. I have been
attracted to fragments of
beauty discovered in the natural world since I was very young and I am fortunate to have early memories of
discoveries while exploring the nearby woods, and seeing
wonders in my Dad’s garden.”

A trained artist, Rozzo attended Alfred University
and Empire State College, graduating in 1992 with a degree in painting and graphic design. She has painted, taught and created art programming ever since. In the past 12 years, in addition to her studio practice, she has taught senior adults with disabilities art and enrichment programming. Her philosophy for teaching can be summed up in one of her
statements: “I know that
opportunities for creative expression can activate hope.”

Rozzo’s statement about hope is reflected in her creative teaching programming, but also as an activist in her stated mission as “giving back.” As a supporter of the International Justice Mission (IJM is an organization whose purpose is to fight enslavement and violence against the poor worldwide), for this exhibit, the artist has created the Wall of Positives. The Wall of Positives is an effort to make some of her work very affordable for those who appreciate it and to continue to support IJM. In the Wall of Positives series, the artist has created a group of small 6”x6” collages on a cradled hardboard priced at only $75 each, with $10 from each sale going to the International Justice Mission. Those attending the opening or visiting the exhibit, if you purchase a work off the Wall of Positives you don’t have to wait for the exhibit to end -— just pay for the small work and you can take it with you as you leave.

Gallery 208 on Rowan Street in historical downtown Fayetteville is excited to present a regional artist and invites everyone to attend the opening reception and meet Rozzo — an artist whose paintings are exhibited and sold regionally in North Carolina and are in private collections across the United States. 

Dawn Marie Rozzo: Variations on a Themewill remain at Gallery 208 until late June, so there is plenty of time to visit the exhibit. Gallery 208 is located at Up & Coming Weekly, 208 Rowan Street. The hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. For more information, call Up & ComingWeekly at (910) 484-6200 or visit the artist’s website at www.dawnrozzo.com.

April 7 at 8 p.m., Givens Performing Arts Center presents Pippin as the final show in this season’s Broadway and More Series. The show is a Broadway musical that features songs from the composer responsible for Wicked. The show first premiered on Oct. 23, 1972 at the Imperial Theater. It was directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse. It was a success and ran until June 12, 1977, with a total of 1,944 performances. 

The show was revived in March 2013 by The American Reparatory Theater before moving to Broadway. The production received four Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival, and a total of ten nominations in 2013. The Broadway revival closed on Jan. 4, 2015, and the show is now touring the United States. This production is directed by Tony winner Diane Paulus, who is well known for her work on Hair and The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. 

Pippin takes place in a surreal and undefined world of circus and theater.  Throughout the show, performers demonstrate incredible physical talent. The choreography harkens back to the original Bob Fosse style and the acrobatics are designed by LES 7 DOIGTS DE LA MAIN, or The 7 Fingers. This group is well known for their work on the show TRACES. TRACES is a mixture of street performance, dance and circus combined to create a poetic, non-linear narrative. The intense acrobatics are showcased in an urban apocalyptic setting.

The 7 Fingers is a collective created in 2002 by seven circus artists. Each performance artist acts as an artistic director. They work together on a variety of projects like Broadway shows, original productions, Olympic ceremonies and custom designed events. They champion diversity and often mix genres to better explore the human condition. The company is based in Montreal, but they are very active internationally. Their acrobatic work and fearless creativity plays well with the surreal and existential nature of Pippin. It is an exciting show full of incredible talent and heart pounding acrobatics perfectly choreographed to accompany energizing songs. 

 The story of Pippin follows a new actor joining a troupe. He is searching for fulfillment. His existential quest is the central conflict of the show. He tries several different paths for fulfillment before finding contentment in a life with Catherine, his love interest. This version of Pippin includes an extended ending that suggests dealing with existential crisis is cyclical. 

Standard tickets vary from $41 to $36. There are discounts available for Alumni, students, children, and faculty. The show may be inappropriate for children 12 and under. For more information or to purchase tickets online, please visit the website http://www.uncp.edu/giving/advancement/givens-performing-arts-center/broadway-and-more-series. 

Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, showing at Cape Fear Regional Theatre April 6-25, is a show sure to delight a wide audience —but it will perhaps particularly shine for those who simply love the medium of theater and want to see it utilized to its fullest storytelling potential. 

Baskerville, published in 2015, is playwright Ken Ludwig’s take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved 1902 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. Director Sam French said Ludwig’s approach takes French’s own love of classic storytelling and puts it in “this frame that is so theatrical and so deeply connected to what I do … it’s a classic story, but it’s told by five actors doing all these characters with all these levels of creative whimsy and theatricality … (Ludwig’s script) gives you permission to play around.”

Part of the delight of the world of Sherlock Holmes comes from seesawing between fantastical, unsolvable mysteries and eureka moments of shockingly plain, solid logic. Watson is puzzled by what appears to be a ghost; Holmes discovers and explains that it is merely a sheet blowing through the wind (or something like that, but more cool). 

From the very beginning, French worked with his artistic team, including Scenic Designer Lucy Pope and Costume Designer Lizzie Donelan, to build the world of the show in a way that embodies this dynamic. French explained: “One of the guiding principles from early on was figuring out, when are we gonna be really real, and when are we gonna be really intentionally fake? The way we’d always describe it is: Is it a fog machine moment or a moment where we see a person clapping chalk board erasers together to make the fog?” 

French decided to generally allow the audience to see the “clapping chalk board erasers” — the strings, if you will — in moments that Sherlock clearly understands what is going on. Conversely, in times when Sherlock is confused, French lets the illusions created onstage remain illusions. 

“Sherlock Holmes as a character is all about helping the people in his (world) see that the world is always logical and rational... they come to him with these really mysterious and elusive problems and he helps them understand how there’s really a very logical answer for everything,” French said. He explained how this reminds him of what theater does. “...We have this sort of elusive mysterious performance thing that we then, in this show, expose the mechanics of and show exactly how it’s all done.” 

French said he’s glad his cast members are all up for laughing and just having fun as they figure things out, and that he is grateful for their deep love for theater and this particular show. “If it’s not a fun rehearsal, it’ll never be a good show … It’s a cast with a pretty wide range of ages and experience, but a very unified force of... joy,” he said. 

French explained how it’s interesting for actors Ken Griggs (Sherlock) and Harron Atkins (Watson), because a large amount of the typical actor’s work is already done for them. He explained how as soon as they walk onstage in costume, everyone knows who they are; everyone already has a world of associations tied to their characters and an idea of how they will behave. So the question in working with the actors, French said, is “When do we lean into that tradition and when do we decide to break it?”

Tickets to see Baskerville at CFRT cost $15-$25 and can be purchased by visiting www.cfrt.org or calling 910-323- 4233. Show times fall at 7:30 p.m. or 2 p.m. Baskerville runs April 6-25.

When I invited retired Col. Willie F. Wright into my office for an interview, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Our publisher, Bill Bowman, had said to me: “Leslie, we need to do a piece on Willie Wright. He’s just … this unsung hero of our community.” Shortly after, our associate publisher, Stephanie Crider, sent me his resume. I saw an impressive education; a long and successful career in the Army; another successful career as an educator, coupled with membership on boards all over Cumberland County; awards such as “Most Supportive Principal” (1994-95) and “Mover and Shaker of Fayetteville” (2007); and a hefty list of organizations he volunteers with, many since the 1980s. 

But none of that captured what I heard as I sat across from Willie and listened to him share his life and doings. As he spoke, he seemed to quietly enjoy an unwavering delight simply in being alive. Willie seemed at once completely at peace with himself and completely unaware of how impressive his credentials are. As our conversation unfolded, I heard a theme emerge: When you’re doing what you love, in service to people you connect with and in turn love, too, life has a way of multiplying the chances to do that. I also learned that a person’s motive for volunteering doesn’t always have to be selfless —and that it’s, in fact, perhaps more effective if you volunteer for partly “selfish” reasons.

In 1987, when Willie was a year out from retiring as an O-6, there were a few things he wanted to learn. “Now I don’t know how you’re going to shape this,” he laughed, “but I‘m just gonna be openly honest with you.” His eyes crinkled and shone. “I was over at the craft shop on Fort Bragg. And this lady, Soni Martin, was (the director). I wanted to learn how to do matting and framing. So I said, ‘You know, if I volunteer to help her, I will learn how to do it, and I’ll be good at it.’ So I volunteered. And the idea just clicked in my mind. If you try to help people, you’ll also help yourself.” After that, Willie matted and framed the back cover art of 25 Reader’s Digest issues as gifts for his loved ones. 

At that time, Willie said, he was also an avid reader. So he went to the Fort Bragg Library and offered eight hours a week of volunteer service. “I knew a list came out to the library of the best-sellers that would be coming … And I was able to put my name on the hold list before the books even arrived in the library!” he said with another laugh. 

I could go on about Willie’s volunteering. Like the fact that he’s been a volunteer usher-turned-house-manager at Cape Fear Regional Theatre since 1989. Or that last year he turned down a well-paying job at Methodist University because “it would have interfered with me (volunteering at) CFRT... and I really love being there … I meet so many nice people,” as he put it. He has probably greeted you at the Crown and Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, too. 

But his Army and education careers deserve acknowledgement, too. When Willie graduated with a B.S. in Education from Virgina State University (then Virginia State College) in 1959, he was offered a Regular Army commission: a three-year obligation of service, which he served. The Army then offered to send Willie to graduate school — if he stayed three more years. After that, the Army said they would promote him early, to major — if he stayed three more years. 

After a 30-year career in the Army, he held three master’s degrees and did make his way back to education. He spent the next 27 years working in 12 schools across Cumberland County, once as a principal but primarily as a guidance counselor. Administrators just kept requesting him. Maybe that was because Willie carried his genuine love for people (and love for mutually beneficial situations) into his work. 

For example, as principal of Edgewood Elementary (now Luther “Nick” Jeralds Middle) from 1993-99, he partnered with Fayetteville State University to create a free after-school program for students. FSU teachers got classroom space to work in, and elementary school students got to take free classes in subjects like early French or Spanish. Though Willie tried to retire from education in 2005, he wasn’t quite “allowed” to until 2016. He was just too loved
and too needed. 

When I asked how he could explain such an incredible pattern of success in his life, all he could offer was: “I just work hard... I enjoy... and like people. I try to operate on the principle that I’m in your shoes; what can I help you to do?”

Does Willie, having lived such a full life, have anything left he wants to do? Well, his daughters just took him on a birthday trip to Cuba, as that was somewhere he’d never been before. Now, he said, “I think I’ve just about done all I want to do except to continue to enjoy life and enjoy the people I work with.”

So, if there’s something you want to pursue, consider doing as Willie does: pursue those things right at your local library or theater or other organization, and allow yourself to receive in return. Recognize the exponential value in giving your time to serve people, in a position you genuinely enjoy. Also, read your local newspaper — Willie said that’s how he found most of his volunteer opportunities. “It’s all about people,” Willie said. “Every individual is a human being. And almost all of us have the same needs … I’ve been very blessed.”